Capybara Pink Keychain Crochet Pattern Free Mini Amigurumi

Keys, zippers and lunch bags all look cuter with the crochet pink capybara keychain, a chubby pastel capybara topped with a white fruit hat and green leaves. Stubby little legs let the capybara keychain sit upright on a desk, and it makes a matching pink set with a bunny doll.

Kids who have a capybara phase, and there are many, will get this crochet pink capybara keychain clipped onto every bag they own. The fruit hat seals it as something to collect rather than just carry. Siblings end up wanting one too.

Crochet Pink Capybara Keychain

Sitting upright on four stubby legs, this capybara wears a small fruit hat on top of its head, white at the base with a green leaf cluster over it. The body is tubular and compact, wider through the middle than at the legs, with tiny ears set flat on either side of the skull and a single black eye visible from the front. Four short legs splay out at the corners. Pieces include the body, legs, ears and the hat, all made separately and joined. Nothing here goes beyond basic rounds and increases, so it works well as an early project.

Why I love this one: the backpack and keychain ring make this a gift that can be used rather than just displayed, which means it survives way past the occasion.

Materials and Tools

• Pink yarn for the main body, snout, ears and legs
• Brown yarn for optional colour details
• Black yarn for nose embroidery
• White yarn for eye highlight embroidery
• 2.5 mm or 3.0 mm crochet hook
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Safety eyes
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• One keychain ring

Approximate finished size is around 3 to 4 inches across the body, estimated from experience with similar compact amigurumi at this hook size and a DK or sport weight yarn. Time is approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours including all pieces. Both figures are estimates from experience, not measurements from the pattern.

Abbreviations Used

• MR: magic ring
• sc: single crochet
• inc: increase, two sc into one stitch
• dec: decrease, two stitches worked together into one
• Stitch counts in brackets at the end of each round

Pieces List

• Body: 1 piece, the main capybara form
• Snout: 1 piece, optionally stuffed and sewn between the eyes
• Ears: 2 pieces, folded slightly before sewing
• Legs: 4 pieces, short and flat, sewn to the underside
• Small backpack: 1 piece in any colour, with a chain strap

Nine pieces total. Make the body first and keep all smaller pieces in a bowl within reach.

Safety Eye Timing

• The pattern places the eyes between rounds 8 and 9, which is while the body is still fully open and accessible. The instruction appears after round 12 in the written sequence, meaning it is easy to miss in the flow. Insert the eyes after completing round 8 and before starting round 9, placing them about 5 stitches apart. Press the washers on firmly from the inside before continuing. Round 13 begins closing the body and the window closes fast from there.
• For any capybara going to a child under three, embroider the eyes with black yarn after closing rather than using safety eyes. Skip the keychain ring entirely for a younger child and leave the piece as a soft toy.

The Pattern

All pieces are worked in continuous rounds. Do not join at the end of each round. Move your stitch marker at the start of every round.

Body

• Rnd 1: MR 6 sc [6]
• Rnd 2: inc in each stitch around [12]
• Rnd 3: 1 sc, inc, repeat 6 times [18]
• Rnd 4: 2 sc, inc, repeat 6 times [24]
• Rnd 5: 3 sc, inc, repeat 6 times [30]. Checkpoint: a flat pink disc still lying level on the table, at full body diameter
• Rnd 6: 30 sc [30]
• Rnd 7: 30 sc [30]
• Rnd 8: 30 sc [30]. Checkpoint: the body now stands as a round dome with the opening facing downward. Insert the safety eyes between rounds 8 and 9 before working round 9. See Safety Eye Timing above
• Insert safety eyes between rounds 8 and 9 about 5 stitches apart
• Rnd 9: 30 sc [30]
• Rnd 10: 30 sc [30]
• Rnd 11: 30 sc [30]
• Rnd 12: 30 sc [30]. Checkpoint: a plump round body at its full height, the safety eyes sitting on the widest frontal area
• Rnd 13: 3 sc, dec, repeat 6 times [24]
• Rnd 14: 2 sc, dec, repeat 6 times [18]. Begin stuffing firmly through the opening at this point
• Begin stuffing firmly
• Rnd 15: 1 sc, dec, repeat 6 times [12]
• Rnd 16: 6 dec [6]. Checkpoint: the body closes to a small tight ring
• Fasten off and sew closed

Snout

• Rnd 1: MR 6 sc [6]
• Rnd 2: inc in each stitch around [12]. Checkpoint: a small flat pink disc slightly larger than the eye spacing
• Rnd 3: 12 sc [12]. Checkpoint: the snout has slight depth. Lightly stuff if desired before sewing to give it a subtle forward presence on the face
• Lightly stuff if desired
• Sew between the eyes

Working in continuous rounds for the first time? No problem at all, the video tutorial below makes it easy to keep track!

Ears, Make Two

• Rnd 1: MR 4 sc [4]
• Rnd 2: 1 sc, inc, repeat 2 times [6]
• Rnd 3: 2 sc, inc, repeat 2 times [8]. Checkpoint: a small rounded ear disc, slightly oval. Fold slightly before sewing so the ear curves rather than sitting flat against the head
• Fold slightly and sew to top of head, positioned slightly toward the back

Legs, Make Four

• Rnd 1: MR 6 sc [6]
• Rnd 2: 6 sc [6]. Checkpoint: a tiny flat disc, barely two rounds deep. All four are identical and attach flat to the underside of the body
• Sew evenly to the bottom of the body

Small Backpack

• Rnd 1: MR 6 sc [6]
• Rnd 2: inc in each stitch around [12]. Checkpoint: a flat disc forming the backpack base
• Rnd 3: 12 sc [12]
• Rnd 4: 12 sc [12]
• Rnd 5: 12 sc [12]. Checkpoint: a short flat cylinder reading as a tiny backpack body
• Create the strap by chaining until it fits over the capybara's shoulders when worn diagonally
• Slip stitch back into the backpack to secure the strap end
• Sew backpack to the back of the body

Assembly

Pin every piece before sewing anything permanently. The snout drives the whole face, so set it first.

• Sew the snout between the eyes in the centre of the face, using the yarn tail and working around the full perimeter.
• Embroider a small nose on the snout surface using black yarn, one or two tight stitches at the top centre of the disc.
• Add tiny white highlight stitches near each safety eye if desired, one small stitch per eye catching the fabric just above the eye hardware.
• Sew the ears to the top of the head slightly toward the back, one on each side. Pin and check symmetry from the front before committing.
• Sew all four legs to the underside of the body with even spacing so the capybara sits level. Test the balance on a flat surface before the final leg goes in.
• Sew the backpack securely to the upper back of the body. A few stitches through the backpack base and into the body fabric holds it flat.
• Attach the keychain ring to the top centre of the head by looping it through two or three stitches at the crown and securing with a few tight yarn passes.

Stuffing Guide

• Body: firm and smooth, as the pattern instructs. The round capybara shape depends on consistent stuffing. Add in small pinches and check the surface between each addition.
• Snout: optional light stuffing only. Over-stuffed and it projects too far from the face; unstuffed it lies flat and reads correctly either way.
• Legs: no stuffing. They are flat discs and the two rounds stay dense without filling.
• Ears: no stuffing. They fold slightly and stay flat.
• Backpack: no stuffing. The five rounds give it a slightly hollow cylindrical shape which reads well as a small bag.

Overstuffing the body shows first as gaps between stitches around rounds 6 to 8 where the fabric is stretched thinnest. If the stitches are pulling apart, remove a small amount before continuing.

FAQ

• The safety eye instruction appears after round 12 but the position says between rounds 8 and 9. Which is right? Insert the eyes during construction, between rounds 8 and 9 as stated in the position instruction. Round 12 is too late since the body begins closing at round 13. See the Safety Eye Timing section above.
• The keychain ring is pulling loose after a few weeks of use. Loop the ring through at least three stitches rather than one, and take your securing yarn back through those same stitches four or five times before knotting inside the body. A single loop through one stitch will not hold against daily key-bag movement.
• The backpack strap length is hard to estimate. Make the strap first, then hold the finished capybara vertically with the crown at the top and drape the chain diagonally from one side of the backpack across the front of the body to the opposite shoulder. Add two to three extra chains so the loop has enough slack to sit naturally rather than pulling tight.
• Can I make this without the backpack? Yes. The capybara reads clearly without it. If you skip the backpack, sew the keychain ring directly through the crown stitches at the closing seam. The whole make comes in under 90 minutes without the backpack piece.