Baby Squirrels Crochet Pattern by Natalia Sapunova: Your Complete Guide to Crafting the Cutest Amigurumi Duo
There is something undeniably magical about a pair of tiny crocheted squirrels sitting side by side, their little tails curled just so, their button eyes gleaming with personality. If you have been searching for the perfect amigurumi project to challenge your skills while producing something genuinely adorable, the Baby Squirrels crochet pattern by Natalia Sapunova might be exactly what your hook hand has been waiting for. This pattern has captured the hearts of crafters around the world, and once you dive into its details, it is easy to understand why.
In this post, we are going to explore everything you need to know about this beloved pattern — from what makes it special, to the materials and skills required, to tips for getting the best results. Whether you are considering purchasing it for the first time or you have already started stitching and want to refine your approach, read on for a comprehensive guide.
Who Is Natalia Sapunova?
Before diving into the pattern itself, it is worth getting to know the designer behind it. Natalia Sapunova is a Ukrainian crochet designer who has built a devoted following through her strikingly detailed and lifelike amigurumi creations. Her style leans toward realism without sacrificing softness and charm — her animals have a warmth and expressiveness that makes them feel like genuine companions rather than simple stuffed toys.
Sapunova’s patterns are known for their clear, well-illustrated instructions, making them accessible to intermediate crocheters who want to push their skills a little further. She releases her work through platforms like Ravelry and Etsy, where her shop has accumulated thousands of satisfied customers. Her Baby Squirrels pattern is among her most popular designs, and for good reason — it showcases her signature blend of technical elegance and heartfelt character.
What Are the Baby Squirrels?
The Baby Squirrels pattern produces a pair of small amigurumi squirrels, typically referred to as a duo. The finished squirrels are compact and cuddly — usually standing around 5 to 7 inches tall depending on the yarn and hook size you choose — with plush, oversized tails that give them that instantly recognizable squirrel silhouette. Each squirrel has subtle detailing in the facial features, small rounded ears, and tiny paws that give the impression of holding a little acorn or nut (depending on whether you choose to add that accessory).
What distinguishes this pattern from many generic squirrel amigurumi designs is the attention to proportion and texture. Sapunova thoughtfully shapes the body so that the squirrels feel balanced and satisfying to hold, and the tail construction in particular is a highlight — it is worked in a way that gives it natural volume and curve rather than laying flat or appearing stiff.
Why Crafters Love This Pattern
The Baby Squirrels pattern consistently receives five-star reviews, and the feedback from the crochet community points to several consistent strengths.
The instructions are thorough and written with enough detail that intermediate crocheters can follow along without needing to guess at construction steps. Sapunova includes stitch counts at each round, which is a detail that experienced amigurumi makers know to appreciate deeply — nothing derails a project faster than losing track of your stitch count halfway through a head.
The pattern also includes multiple photos and, in some versions, step-by-step diagrams that illustrate trickier stages like the tail shaping and ear attachment. For visual learners, this is invaluable.
Crafters also praise the way the finished squirrels photograph. If you enjoy sharing your makes on Instagram, Ravelry, or Pinterest, these little creatures make stunning subjects. Their proportions are ideal for photography — they sit upright beautifully, their tails frame them naturally, and the softness of the yarn catches light in a flattering way.
Finally, many buyers note that the pattern offers genuine value. You are essentially getting two complete patterns in one purchase, since the pair is complementary but each squirrel has its own slight variation in pose or expression, giving you a duo rather than two identical copies.
Materials You Will Need
To make the Baby Squirrels, you will need a fairly standard set of amigurumi supplies, though the specific materials can significantly affect your final result.
Yarn. The pattern is typically designed for fingering weight or sport weight yarn, which produces squirrels on the smaller, more delicate end of the amigurumi spectrum. Sapunova often uses or recommends cotton-blended or pure cotton yarn for the main body, since cotton gives clean stitch definition and holds its shape well. Popular yarn choices among crafters who have made this pattern include Drops Safran, Lang Yarns Jawoll, and similar fingering-weight options. If you prefer a softer texture, a fine merino blend can also work beautifully — just be aware that it may create a slightly fuzzier finish.
For color, the most natural choice is a warm chestnut or russet brown for the body, with a cream or light beige for the belly. However, do not feel constrained by realism — many crafters have made charming versions in soft grays, sandy tans, or even whimsical colors like dusty rose or slate blue for a more stylized look.
Hook. A 1.75mm to 2.5mm hook is standard for this yarn weight. Many experienced amigurumi makers prefer a slightly smaller hook than the yarn label recommends because it produces a tighter fabric with fewer gaps, which means the polyfill stuffing inside does not show through. That said, a tighter fabric also requires more hand strength for extended sessions, so listen to your body and take breaks as needed.
Stuffing. Polyfill is the standard choice. Make sure you use a good quality polyfill that does not clump, as clumping stuffing creates uneven lumps in small body parts like limbs and ears. Some crafters prefer to add a handful of plastic pellets to the base of the body for stability and a satisfying weight, though this is optional.
Safety eyes. The standard size for this pattern is somewhere between 4mm and 6mm, depending on your preference. Black safety eyes give the most classic amigurumi look, while dark brown can feel slightly warmer and more naturalistic. Always insert and secure safety eyes before closing the head opening, as they cannot be added later.
Other tools. A tapestry needle for weaving in ends and sewing pieces together, stitch markers to track your rounds, and scissors complete your toolkit. A bit of wire or pipe cleaner can optionally be used inside the tail or limbs if you want them to be poseable, though the pattern works fine without this.
Skill Level and What You Should Know First
Natalia Sapunova describes the Baby Squirrels as an intermediate-level pattern, and that assessment is fair. If you have already made a few amigurumi projects and are comfortable with the basics — magic ring, increases and decreases, working in continuous rounds — you will be able to follow this pattern without major difficulty.
The techniques you will use most include the magic ring (also called magic circle), single crochet in the round, invisible decrease, and surface crochet or embroidery for certain facial details. The tail construction may introduce a slightly more advanced shaping technique if you have not encountered it before, but the instructions walk you through it clearly.
If you are a complete beginner to crochet, it is worth spending some time on simpler amigurumi first — a small ball or a basic bunny, for example — before tackling this pattern. Getting your gauge consistent and your tension even will make the squirrels look much more polished, and those are skills that come with practice.
Tips for Getting Beautiful Results
Even experienced crocheters can benefit from a few targeted tips when approaching a new amigurumi pattern.
Swatch if you can. While swatching is not as universally practiced in amigurumi as it is in garment knitting, making a small test piece with your chosen yarn and hook will help you check your gauge and make sure your finished squirrel will hit the intended size. A squirrel that is significantly larger or smaller than intended will look proportionally off.
Take your time with the face. The face is what gives your squirrel its personality. Spend extra care positioning the safety eyes before securing them — even a millimeter’s difference can change the expression dramatically. Once you have placed the eyes, look at the piece from a normal viewing distance rather than up close to judge whether the expression feels right.
Stuff firmly but not too tightly. Understuffed amigurumi goes floppy and shapeless; overstuffed amigurumi stretches the fabric and makes the stitches look gappy and strained. Aim for a firm but gentle resistance when you press the piece — it should hold its shape without feeling like a stone.
Pin before you sew. When attaching limbs, ears, and tails, use pins to experiment with placement before committing with your needle and thread. Walk the squirrel around on your work surface, look at it from multiple angles, and make sure each piece is positioned symmetrically. A few minutes of pinning saves a lot of unpicking.
Be patient with color changes. If your squirrel has a contrasting belly or facial patch, work those color changes carefully and weave in ends securely so that the contrast color does not peek through where it is not wanted.
Where to Find the Pattern
The Baby Squirrels pattern by Natalia Sapunova is available for purchase on Ravelry and on her Etsy shop. Both platforms offer instant digital download after purchase, so you can have the PDF in hand within minutes. The pattern is available in English, and depending on the version, may also include a Russian translation.
Prices are very reasonable for the amount of content included — Sapunova is known for charging fair prices that reflect the genuine labor involved in designing and writing a detailed pattern, without pricing casual crafters out of access.
If you are unsure about a purchase, browsing the project pages on Ravelry is a wonderful way to see how the pattern looks when completed by different crafters using different yarns and colors. Seeing twenty or thirty finished pairs gives you an excellent sense of the range of results possible and may spark ideas for your own version.
Gift Ideas and Creative Uses
One of the reasons this pattern has remained so popular is its versatility as a gift item. A completed pair of Baby Squirrels makes a beautiful and personal handmade gift for a wide range of recipients.
For a new baby or young child, a softly stuffed pair of squirrels makes a charming nursery decoration or soft toy — though if the toy is intended for a very young child, be sure to embroider the eyes rather than using safety eyes, as safety eyes can become a choking hazard.
For adults who love nature, cottagecore aesthetics, or simply appreciate handmade craftsmanship, a pair of squirrels displayed on a shelf or bookcase brings a warm, whimsical touch to any space. Crafters have styled them beside acorns, autumn leaves, and small pumpkins for seasonal displays that photograph beautifully.
They also make wonderful companions for other woodland amigurumi — a hedgehog, a fox, a little owl — if you want to build out a curated collection. Natalia Sapunova’s wider catalog includes other forest animals that complement the Baby Squirrels perfectly in style and scale.
Joining the Community
One of the quiet joys of working on a popular pattern is joining the community of crafters who are making the same thing. On Ravelry, you can add your Baby Squirrels project to your profile and connect it to the pattern page, where your finished work will be visible to anyone browsing. The crochet community on Ravelry is remarkably generous — people leave helpful notes, share modifications they have made, and post detailed photos of tricky steps.
On Instagram, searching the hashtag for the pattern name or the designer’s name will surface a gallery of finished squirrels in every color imaginable. Following Natalia Sapunova’s own account is worthwhile too — she shares progress photos, hints about upcoming patterns, and occasional behind-the-scenes looks at her design process.
If you run into trouble at a particular step, do not hesitate to reach out through Ravelry’s messaging system or via the shop where you purchased the pattern. Sapunova has a reputation for being responsive to customer questions, which is something the crochet community genuinely values in a designer.
Final Thoughts
The Baby Squirrels crochet pattern by Natalia Sapunova earns its popularity at every turn. It is a thoughtfully designed, clearly written, and deeply charming pattern that produces a finished object you will be genuinely proud to display or give away. It sits at exactly the right difficulty level for intermediate crocheters looking for something slightly more rewarding than a beginner project without being so technically demanding that it becomes frustrating.
Whether you are drawn in by the autumn-forest aesthetic, the adorable two-piece format, or simply the appeal of tiny crocheted creatures with oversized tails, this pattern is likely to become one of your favorites. Countless crafters have fallen a little bit in love with their squirrels partway through construction — something about those little faces emerging round by round has a way of making the project feel less like work and more like bringing something small and alive into the world.
Pick up your hook, choose your yarn, and give these little squirrels the home they deserve.
