Cute Amigurumi Garden Bowl - Potato

my cat thinks we're weird because we eat rocks... he piles the potatoes up on the counter and lays with them as though he's in the garden. I allow this because I think it's hilarious that he believes he is outside when surrounded by potatoes.

Today we make some little yarn potatoes, which the cat has no interest in, thank goodness.

Supplies
Worsted weight yarn in a light to medium brown - I used Fair Isle Yarn Liberty in Walnut
4.5mm crochet hook
safety eyes - I used 8mm
yarn or darning needle
fiberfil or other brand stuffing
scissors
stitch marker

Abbreviations
SC - Single Crochet
MR - Magic Ring
INC - Increase
DEC - Decrease
SCBOB - Single Crochet Bobble - I do this by yarning over three or four times and then completing the SC through all of the loops on my hook, it creates bumps on the face of the potato
F/O - Finish Off

Notes
As mentioned above, I am using SCBOB bumps to give my potatoes some texture. You can skip them and leave your cute little guys smooth if you prefer. You can also move them around or add more of them.

I do not add paint to my amigurumi because I like them to be entirely safe for playing, which for children means testing with their mouths. While I know that the yarn and safety eyes are mostly safe, I am distrustful of paints and makeup or many of the other things that people add to their amigurumi dolls. If you want to make your ami potatoes look dirty you can use a tiny amount of brown or black acrylic paint watered down and dabbed into the finished ami to give it character.

Potato
You are working in the round, a stitch marker can be very helpful.
Round 1: 6 SC in MR (6) - draw tight and sew in your end after Round 2
Round 2: INC in each around (12)
Round 3: SC then INC and repeat around (18) - in the 3rd repetition make your SC a SCBOB instead

Round 4: 2 SC then INC and repeat around (24)
Round 5: 3 SC then INC and repeat around (30)
Rounds 6-15: SC around (30)
      Add safety eyes between Rounds 7 and 8 with 6 stitches showing between them

      in Round 8 replace the first SC in your 2nd repetition with a SCBOB
      begin stuffing your potato at about Round 9, and make sure to keep him firm and round
Round 16: 3 SC then DEC and repeat around (24) - in the 5th repetition replace your 2nd SC with a SCBOB instead
Round 17: 2 SC then DEC and repeat around (18)
      add  more stuffing
Round 18: SC then DEC and repeat around (12)
      add more stuffing
Round 19: DEC in each around (6) and sew closed with needle in front loops only then draw tightly closed, knot and lose yarn in body of doll.

sew from center outward through front loop of last 6 stitches

then draw tight and sew end into the body of the doll

And there you have it. A potato! Maybe your bowl needs a couple of them.

If you want them to be different you can vary the number of repeats or stop increasing at 24 stitches around so that he is skinnier and looks taller. It's really all up to you!

Our Garden Bowl is getting crowded... they look ready to go out and play!

I will see you tomorrow! :D