Today, I am sharing my updated baby bee pattern with you. I’ve modified the pattern to make it easier to make and included a full step-by-step video tutorial! This free bee amigurumi pattern is one of my most popular patterns to date, and I hope it continues to delight many crocheters to come!
Meet Burt the Baby Bee! Burt’s favorite thing to do is buzz around from flower to flower, collecting pollen to make his favorite food of all—honey! But he can’t fly too far with his tiny wings, so he often stops on a nice big sunflower to take a nap before continuing his work.
Valentine’s Day Printable Cards
I’ve also included the original Valentine’s Day printable cards to accompany the bees. These little bees look perfect paired with a bee-pun Valentine’s Day card, so I’ve made up three cards you can download and print out below. Use a hole punch to make two small holes in the middle of the card. Then, using yarn, tie your bee to the front of the card and give your Valentine something extra special this year!
Download the FREE Valentine’s Day Printables HERE. Print them out on a regular-sized sheet of cardstock paper, and they’ll be the perfect size for your honey bee.
Free Bee Amigurumi Pattern Step-By-Step Video Tutorial
Disclaimer: Some links in this fee bee amigurumi pattern may be affiliate links. Affiliate links are a way for me to make a small commission on certain products at no extra cost to you!
MATERIALS YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS Free Bee AMIGURUMI PATTERN
- Worsted-weight yarn (4-ply) in yellow, black, and white. (The U.K. equivalent is Aran, and AUS/NZ is 8 ply.) For the black and white, I used Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn in the colors “Black” and “White.” For the yellow, I used Red Heart Super Saver in the color “Lemon.”
- F (3.75 mm) crochet hook
- 7.5 mm black safety eyes
- Fiberfill (or your stuffing of choice)
- Bent tip tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch marker
- A small amount of black embroidery floss
ABBREVIATION KEY FOR Free Bee AMIGURUMI PATTERN
Abbreviations are in U.S. terms.
- sc – single crochet
- st/sts – stitch(es)
- sl st – slip stitch
- dec – decrease (join the next 2 stitches together)
- inc – increase (2 single crochet in the next stitch)
- R1 – round 1
- rep – repeat
- ** – repeat the group of instructions between the asterisks the number of times indicated.
Note: All rounds are worked continuously (that is, vs. joined rounds.)
The finished size of the baby bee is approximately 3 in. (7.5 cm.) tall. (Please be aware that your personal gauge, tension, hook size, and the brand of yarn you decide to use will all impact the finished size.)
The pattern and images in this post are the sole property of Storyland Amis. This written pattern is for personal use only. Please do not share, sell, or redistribute it in whole or part.
You MAY sell the finished product, but please credit Storyland Amis as the designer. If you sell your finished items online, I would appreciate it if you could link them to my blog! You may not mass-produce items made from this pattern. Thank you for your understanding and respect.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFO FOR Baby Bee AMIGURUMI PATTERN
Starting round: When starting my crochet pieces in the round, I always use the “ch 2 method.” That is perfectly fine if you prefer to start your pieces using the magic circle/ring instead. These two methods are interchangeable, and the end result will be the same regardless of your choice. If you would like to learn how to do the “ch 2 method,” then see this video HERE.
Right vs. wrong side: When working in the round, I always crochet with the “right” side of the stitches facing out. If you’d like to see the difference between the “right” and “wrong” side of crochet stitches, see this video HERE.
Yarn under vs. yarn over: I always yarn under (YU) instead of yarn over (YO) for all my amigurumi. Doing YO might make your amigurumi slightly larger than mine, so keep that in mind if you prefer YO. If you want more info on this, check out this short video HERE.
Sewing pieces together: I sew all my pieces together using the whipstitch unless otherwise specified.
Stuffing: If you need help stuffing your pieces properly, check out this short video HERE.
Free Bee Amigurumi Pattern
Head (using yellow yarn)
R1: ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook (6 sts) (you can use the magic circle if you prefer as it won’t make a difference in the end. If you want to know how to start using the “ch 2 method” that I use, watch this video here HERE)
R2: *inc 1* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R3: *sc 1, inc 1* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4: *sc 2, inc 1* rep 6 times (24 sts)
R5: *sc 3, inc 1* rep 6 times (30 sts)
R6-11: sc all 30 sts (6 rounds total at 30 sts each)
R12: *sc 3, dec 1* rep 6 times (24 sts)
Insert eyes between R10 & 11 of the head spaced 7 sts apart. (Hint: insert the 1st eye. Count 7 sts from the hole where you inserted the 1st eye and insert the 2nd eye.) You’ll notice in the video tutorial that I spaced my eyes 6 sts apart instead of 7 like in the photo tutorial here. You can experiment with which look you like best before attaching the backs of the eyes.
Embroider a small smile right between the eyes, about 2 sts wide. Watch how I make my smiles HERE.
To embroider the cheeks, take some pink yarn and make two small stitches on either side of the head, one stitch away from the eyes. The cheeks should be one single crochet stitch wide. When finished, secure your sewing with a knot inside the head.
R13: *sc 2, dec 1* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R14: *sc 1, dec 1* rep 6 times (12 sts)
Finish off. There’s no need to leave a long tail. Use your PolyFil to stuff the head firmly.
Antennae (using black yarn)
Join your black yarn to the side of the head on R6, then ch 5 to create the first antenna. Finish off. Repeat on the other side of the head for the second antenna.
With the tail left from finishing off, tie a knot right up against the last chain we made on the antenna. This will help keep the chain from unraveling. Weave both starting tails into the head and bring the tails out through the back of the head through the same stitch. Knot the two ends together to secure and weave the remaining tails into the head to finish.
Body (start in black yarn)
R1: ch 2, 5 sc in 2nd ch from hook (5 sts)
R2: *inc 1* rep 5 times (10 sts)
Change to yellow yarn (For help changing colors, check out this helpful video HERE.)
R3: *sc 1, inc 1* rep 5 times (15 sts)
R4: sc in all 15 sts (15 sts)
Change to black yarn
R5-6: sc in all 15 sts (15 sts – 2 rounds total)
Change to yellow yarn
R7: sc in all 15 sts (15 sts)
R8: *sc 3, dec 1* rep 3 times (12 sts)
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff the body or sew to the head yet. We will attach the arms first.
Arms (using black yarn)
We will crochet the arms directly onto the body so that we don’t have to sew them on. This is similar to how we made the antennae on the head. Insert your hook into the 3rd stitch from where we finished off on the body (the black arrow is where the 1st arm should be, and the white arrow is where the 2nd arm should be) and make 3 ch sts.
Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, make 1 sl st in each of the 2 ch sts.
Finish off and weave the two ends into the inside of the body. Knot the ends together to secure them.
For the 2nd arm, count 6 sts on the body from where you made the first arm and insert your hook into the 6th st. Just like we did for the first arm, ch 3, then starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, make 1 sl st in each of the 2 ch sts. Finish off and weave the two ends into the inside of the body. Knot the ends together to secure them.
If you are having trouble with this step, refer to the video tutorial above, which shows exactly how to make the arms.
Sewing the Body to the Head
Stuff the body firmly. Since both the last round of the head and the last round of the body have 12 stitches, the two pieces will line up perfectly. Pin the body into place using straight pins before sewing it on so that you can make sure the arms are lined up evenly. Using the whipstitch, sew the body and head together. Stop and check periodically that the arms are lined up evenly as you are sewing.
When finished, knot the finishing tail from the head to the remaining body tail to secure the sewing and weave the tails into the body to finish.
Wings (make 2 using white yarn)
R1: ch 2, 5 sc in 2nd ch from hook
R2: *inc 1* rep 5 times (10 sts)
R3: *sc 4, inc 1* rep 2 times (12 sts)
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing. To finish off on parts like this that need to be perfectly round, I like to use the “seamless join” for a cleaner finish. Check out this video HERE to see how to finish off neatly.
Tack the wings to the middle of the back of the body using straight pins so that the sides of the wings are touching each other.
Sew the edges of the wings to the body making sure that the body doesn’t peek through the middle of the wings. To achieve this, you may want to have the second wing overlap slightly over the first one.
When you are finished, weave the tails to the edge of the wings and hide the tails in the body.
Congratulations – you’re done! I hope you enjoyed making this free bee amigurumi pattern, and I would love to see pictures of your finished cutie!
If you make Burt the Bee, share your creations with me via social media or email me directly! You can find me on Instagram (@storyland_amis) and Facebook (Storyland Amis).
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, then – stay crafty!
MORE FREE PATTERNS TO CHECK OUT
Baby Chewbacca Amigurumi Pattern
I wish I could make this adorable little bee!!!
Someday, you might! 😀