The axolotl is one of the most fascinating and unusual creatures in the world, and adding a crocheted version to the PlanetJune amigurumi menagerie is long overdue!
Ready to get started? You can find the pattern here: Axolotl amigurumi crochet pattern!
Axolotl Fun Facts
- Axolotls are a type of Mexican salamander that doesn’t go through metamorphosis like most amphibians (the way that tadpoles turn into frogs). They stay in ‘tadpole’ stage for their whole life, retaining their fins and external gills and never leaving the water.
- They live in freshwater lakes and eat any small insects, worms and snails they find.
- Axolotls have an amazing superpower: when injured, they can perfectly regenerate many parts of their bodies without any scarring! They can regrow limbs, tail, eyes, and even parts of their spine, heart and brain.
- Wild axolotls have a mottled dark brown colour, but captive-bred axolotls are found in many different colour morphs, including pink, gold, black, and glow-in-the-dark!
About the Design
My axolotl is roughly life-sized and realistically shaped, at about 9″ (23cm) long. It has a wide head, fins along the top of its body and underside of its tail, tiny pointed toes, and fanned-out gills on either side of its head that give it that unmistakable axolotl cuteness:
About the Pattern
As with my lizard and frog patterns, the realistic legs are wired with pipe cleaners, but the pattern also includes tips for omitting the pipe cleaners if you want your axolotl to be baby-safe.
The pattern includes stitch diagrams for the fins and gills in addition to the written instructions, so you can use whichever instructions work best for your learning style.
And, as always, close-up photos aid with every step of the assembly, so you can be confident you’ll be able to make a perfect axolotl too.
Get Creative with Yarn and Colour!
I pre-released this pattern for the Ravellenic Games CAL, so I can show you a range of projects made by Team PlanetJune. Look how cute this pattern is in a wide range of colours – I think they look adorable in any shade, realistic or fantastical!
Projects by Nethilia, Pawluh, Pandabugcreations, Klopferli, PsychoGryphon
And I made a double-size axolotl for the CAL (using blanket yarn and a K hook) – at almost 18″ long, this is a lovely size for a cuddly toy:
Goldy and Lucy with their big sister Lavender. (In case you’re wondering about the names, I loosely based all my axolotls’ colourings on real colour morphs: golden, leucistic, and lavender!)
If you’d like to try making an extra cuddly axolotl too, I used blanket yarn and a K/6.5mm hook for mine, and the tips from my Complete Guide to Giant Amigurumi. My secure magic ring tip is a game-changer for blanket yarn, which has an annoying tendency to snap when you try to pull your magic rings closed!
Ready to Crochet?
You can pick up the Axolotl pattern from my shop and start choosing colours for your own adorable axolotl!
Note: If you bought the CAL pre-release version, I’ve already emailed you with a notification, but you can download the final version of the pattern from your PlanetJune account now!
Or, if you’re not ready to buy just yet, add my Axolotl design to your queue or favourites on Ravelry, so you don’t forget about it:
I can’t wait to see our army of amigurumi axolotls continue to grow! Which colours will you choose for yours..?
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