Cute Bee Amigurumi Free Pattern

Few makes earn a smile as fast as a round little bee, and this bee amigurumi free pattern is the one I reach for when a gift needs to be small, quick and impossible not to love. The body and head are one single piece worked in a spiral — no separate head to sew on — with the yellow and black stripes crocheted in as you go, two simple oval wings, a tiny stinger cone and chain-stitch antennae. Every round below ends with its stitch count, and the colour changes never change the count, so the stripes are the easiest part of the whole bee. If you can make a magic ring and a single crochet, you can finish this bee tonight — and the mini, plush and no-sew versions in this bee amigurumi free pattern turn one bee into a whole swarm.

Why You Will Love This Bee Amigurumi Free Pattern

• One piece, no head seam. Body and head grow together in a single spiral — no wobbly neck join to sew.
• Stripes without stress. The colour bands are plain even rounds; the count stays at 30 stitches through every change.
• An evening project. About 1 to 1½ hours, wings, face and all.
• Scrap friendly. Around 45 yards of worsted yarn in total, most of it yellow.
• Made to multiply. Mini, plush and no-sew versions all follow from the same counted rounds.

Materials and Tools

What You Need

• Worsted weight (#4) acrylic or cotton yarn: approx. 30 yd (27 m) yellow, 12 yd (11 m) black, 5 yd (4.5 m) white. If yarn weights are new to you, the Craft Yarn Council’s standard yarn weight system explains what the #4 on the label means
• 3.5 mm (US E-4) crochet hook — smaller than the label suggests, for tight amigurumi fabric
• Two 8 mm safety eyes (or black yarn to embroider the eyes — safer for babies)
• Black embroidery thread or black yarn for the smile, plus a scrap of pink for optional blush
• Polyester toy stuffing, yarn needle, scissors, stitch marker

Gauge and Finished Size

Gauge: 20 sc and 22 rounds = 4 in (10 cm). Not critical, but the fabric must be tight: if stuffing peeks between stitches, go down a hook size.

Finished size: about 3½ in (9 cm) tall and 2½ in (6.5 cm) wide across the body — a palm-sized bee.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• MR = magic ring
• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• inc = increase (2 sc in the same stitch)
• dec = invisible decrease (hook into the front loop of each of the next 2 sts, yarn over, pull through both, yarn over, pull through two)
• sl st = slip stitch
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• rep = repeat

The Bee, Step by Step

The bee is worked from the top of the head down in one continuous spiral — do not join rounds — moving your marker up at the start of every round. The first rounds are all yellow (the head), the stripes land in the middle, and the decreases close the base underneath, so the bee sits neatly on its bottom with the stinger at the back.

Step 1 — Gather Your Materials and Check Your Tension

Lay everything out and decide on the eyes now, because safety eyes go in long before the bee is closed — they are pushed through the fabric in Step 4, while the body is still open. A small test circle tells you if your tension is right: a few sc rounds should feel firm, almost stiff, with no gaps between stitches. Loose fabric is the main cause of lumpy bees, and swapping hooks now beats re-making a stuffed body later.

Step 2 — Crochet the Body: Increase Rounds 1–5 (Yellow)

With yellow yarn:

• Round 1: MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
• Round 2: Inc in every st around. (12 sts)
• Round 3: (Sc, inc) rep around. (18 sts)
• Round 4: (2 sc, inc) rep around. (24 sts)
• Round 5: (3 sc, inc) rep around. (30 sts)

Your piece is a flat yellow disc. That is correct — the even rounds next curve it into a ball, and the top of the disc becomes the top of the head.

Step 3 — Work the Stripes: Rounds 6–15

Every round in this step is plain single crochet in every stitch — 30 stitches per round, whatever the colour. Change colour at the end of the round before: pull through the last stitch with the new colour, then keep crocheting. The count does not change at a colour change, ever.

• Rounds 6–8: Yellow, sc in every st around. (30 sts per round — 3 rounds)
• Rounds 9–10: Black, sc in every st around. (30 sts per round — 2 rounds)
• Rounds 11–12: Yellow, sc in every st around. (30 sts per round — 2 rounds)
• Rounds 13–14: Black, sc in every st around. (30 sts per round — 2 rounds)
• Round 15: Yellow, sc in every st around. (30 sts)

The ball is now formed: yellow head, two black stripes, one yellow round at the base. Carry the unused colour up the inside for the two-round stripes if you like — the floats hide inside the stuffing — or cut and rejoin; both are invisible from outside.

Step 4 — Place the Eyes, Stuff and Close: Rounds 16–19 (Yellow)

If you are using safety eyes, place them now, while the body is open: between Rounds 4 and 5, about 5 stitches apart, centred on the front of the head (opposite the round marker). Click the washers on firmly. Stay with yellow for the closing rounds:

• Round 16: (3 sc, dec) rep around. (24 sts)
• Round 17: (2 sc, dec) rep around. (18 sts)
• Round 18: (Sc, dec) rep around. (12 sts)

Now stuff firmly, in small pieces pushed down with the end of your hook — a bee should feel like a ripe plum, round and springy. Add a last pinch into the base before the final round.

• Round 19: Dec in every st around. (6 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a tail. Thread the tail through the front loops of the last 6 stitches, pull tight to close, and bury the end inside the body.

Step 5 — Crochet the Wings (Make 2, White)

With white yarn:

• Round 1: MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
• Round 2: Inc in every st around. (12 sts)
• Round 3: (Sc, inc) rep around. (18 sts)
• Round 4: Sc in every st around. (18 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25 cm) tail for sewing. Pinch the base of each wing as you sew: position them on top of the body, angled back over the first black stripe, one each side of the centre line, around Rounds 9–11 height. A few firm stitches through the pinched base hold them standing at a jaunty angle.

Step 6 — Add the Stinger and Antennae

Stinger (black yarn):

• Round 1: MR, 4 sc into the ring. (4 sts)
• Round 2: (Sc, inc) rep around. (6 sts)
• Round 3: Sc in every st around. (6 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a sewing tail. Add a pea-sized pinch of stuffing — or none — and sew the open edge flat to the back of the body at the base, centred under the last black stripe, so the cone points backward and slightly down.

Antennae (make 2, black yarn): Ch 6. Sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in every ch back. (5 sl st) Fasten off, leaving a sewing tail. Sew one antenna to the top of the head at about Round 2, each side of the centre. A tiny knot at the tip of each chain before sewing gives a simple knob end.

Step 7 — Embroider the Face and Finish

With black thread or a split length of black yarn, embroider a small smile centred below the eyes, spanning about 3 stitches between Rounds 6 and 7 — two or three short backstitches in a gentle curve. If you embroidered the eyes instead of using safety eyes, work them at the same positions (between Rounds 4 and 5, 5 sts apart) now, as small satin stitches or French knots. Optional blush: two tiny pink French knots just outside and below each eye. Weave in any remaining ends, roll the bee between your palms to even the stuffing, and it is done.

Variations to Try

The standard bee above is about 3½ in tall. All three variations of this bee amigurumi free pattern keep the same construction — only the counts or the finishing change, and every ladder below is counted the same way as the hero pattern.

Mini Keychain Bee

Work the body in DK yarn with a 3 mm hook, stopping the increases one round early. Rounds 1–4 (yellow): MR 6 sc; inc around (12 sts); (sc, inc) around (18 sts); (2 sc, inc) around (24 sts). Round 5 yellow even (24 sts); Rounds 6–7 black even (24 sts); Round 8 yellow even (24 sts). Then close in yellow: Round 9 (2 sc, dec) around (18 sts); Round 10 (sc, dec) around (12 sts) — embroider the eyes and stuff first; Round 11 dec around (6 sts), close as the hero pattern. Wings shrink to two rounds: MR 6 sc, inc around (12 sts), fasten off. Skip the stinger, keep the antennae at ch 5, and sew a ch-8 loop through the top of the head for a split ring. About 2 in (5 cm) long — a natural partner for our octopus amigurumi free pattern on the same keyring.

Big Plush Bee

Same pattern, bigger numbers, in bulky chenille with a 6 mm hook. Increases (yellow): MR 6 sc; inc around (12 sts); (sc, inc) (18 sts); (2 sc, inc) (24 sts); (3 sc, inc) (30 sts); (4 sc, inc) (36 sts); (5 sc, inc) around (42 sts). Then even rounds: Rounds 8–9 yellow, 10–11 black, 12–13 yellow, 14–15 black, Round 16 yellow — 42 sts every round. Decreases (yellow): (5 sc, dec) (36 sts); (4 sc, dec) (30 sts); (3 sc, dec) (24 sts); (2 sc, dec) (18 sts); (sc, dec) (12 sts); dec around (6 sts) — stuff very firmly between the decrease rounds, because chenille eats stuffing. Wings grow one round: (2 sc, inc) after Round 3 to reach 24 sts, plus one even round. Use 12 mm safety eyes between Rounds 5 and 6 and embroider the smile with chunky black yarn. About 7 in (18 cm) long — a proper cuddle bee, in the same spirit as the squashy makes in our crochet sea creatures collection.

No-Sew Bee

An honest no-sew version keeps every piece worked in or embroidered — nothing is sewn on at all:

• Body: Work Rounds 1–15 exactly as the hero pattern.
• Loop wings: During Round 10 (the second black stripe round), at the two stitches at the top sides of the body, work (sc, ch 10, sl st into the same stitch) instead of a plain sc. Each makes a firm loop wing that is part of the round itself. The round still totals 30 stitches — the loops are chain work, not extra stitches.
• Face and antennae: Embroider everything: French-knot eyes, a stitched smile, and antennae as two short lines of backstitch from the top of the head, ending in French knots.
• Stinger: Skip the cone. Pull the closing tail into a slight point as you cinch Round 19, or embroider a small black triangle at the back.

It is the version to hand to a child without a second thought, and the one that travels best in the post.

Tips for a Bee That Looks Round, Not Lumpy

Whichever size of this bee amigurumi free pattern you make, these habits decide whether it reads as a cheerful bee or a striped potato:

• Trust the marker. Move it up every round and count at the end of each increase and decrease round — the ladders change by exactly 6, so a wrong count shows at once.
• Change colour cleanly. Finish the last stitch of the old colour with the new colour’s yarn over. Stripes get a crisp edge, and since every stripe round is plain sc, the count cannot drift.
• Stuff in small pieces. One big wad makes lumps; small tufts pushed out toward the walls give the smooth round shape.
• Embroider the face before the wings go on. With the wings off, the head turns easily and the smile stays centred.
• Pinch, don’t flatten, the wings. Sewing only the pinched base lets the ovals stand and catch light.

Common Bee Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

• Stripes that spiral into a swirl. A lost or gained stitch in an even round — the count must stay at 30 (24 mini, 42 plush) through every colour round. Count the first black round twice; it is where attention wanders.
• A visible staircase at the colour changes. This is the spiral itself, not an error — stripes step up one stitch at the back. Keep the round marker at the back so the step hides behind.
• Eyes placed after stuffing. Safety eyes cannot go through a stuffed, closing body neatly. Place them at Step 4, before stuffing.
• A flat bottom that will not sit. Under-stuffed base, or the closing cinched off-centre. Stuff the base firmly and pull the final tail straight down through the centre before burying it.
• Antennae that wilt. Soft acrylic chains relax flat within days. Work them tightly, use cotton if you have it, or run the sewing tail back through the chain as you attach them. It is also why the little gummy bear in our easy crochet gummy bear pattern keeps its details embroidered instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best yarn for this bee amigurumi free pattern?
A worsted (#4) acrylic or cotton — acrylic gives a soft, forgiving bee that washes well; cotton gives crisper stitches and firmer antennae. Chenille makes the plush version. Avoid very fuzzy yarns for a first bee: they hide the stitches you need to count.

How long does the bee take to make?
About 1 to 1½ hours for the standard bee, assembly included. The mini takes 30 to 40 minutes, the plush about 2 hours.

Can a beginner make this bee?
Yes — one spiral body, plain colour rounds, and small simple pieces. If you can chain, single crochet, increase and decrease, you have every stitch the bee needs. The toadstool in our free crochet mushroom patterns was many readers’ first make; this bee is the natural second.

How do I make the bee bigger or smaller?
Change the yarn first: the same counts in DK come out about 2½ in, in bulky chenille about 7 in. To scale by rounds, follow the mini and plush ladders above — one more or fewer increase round (6 sts), matched in the decrease ladder, with the stripe rounds repeated at the new count.

Are crochet bees safe for babies and children?
The no-sew version with an embroidered face is the baby-safe choice: no safety eyes, no small sewn parts. For the standard bee, sew wings and stinger firmly, use cotton for anything chewed, and check seams before gifting — the same care that makes the frogs in our free crochet frog patterns safe play companions.

Final Thoughts

The charm of this bee amigurumi free pattern is how much character comes out of one counted spiral: two stripes, two wings, a smile in the right place. Make the standard bee first; then the minis appear on keyrings and gift tags, and the plush one claims the sofa. Count the colour rounds out loud — a bee with even stripes looks store-bought, in the best way.