STITCH ROUND Crochet cactus amigurumi for shelves and gifting
10 rounds build a cactus body, plus a 14-petal flower ring for gift-ready home décor.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Rounds
- 10 rounds
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Time
- 4-6 hours
Intermediate
What the original page called it. Nothing here is graded a second time.
10 rounds
Each one gets its own line, with a box beside it to tick as you go.
Worsted
What the sample was made in. Any weight works — the size moves with it.
About this pattern
This cactus body ticks off in 10 rounds, worked flat in the round from a magic circle up through paired increase and shaping rows. Two identical pieces come off the hook before they meet, so the round count effectively doubles before the two halves are joined into one dimensional body. It sits well on a shelf or windowsill once finished, with no watering required.
The shaping lives in the increase rounds near the start and the shoulder-narrowing rounds that split the stitches into separate humps later on. Slow down at the point where the pattern leaves stitches unworked to build the cactus arms, since that's where the piece stops being a flat tube and starts reading as a plant. The petal flower, worked separately in chains of 5, adds the finishing color contrast once the body is set.
- Start the cactus body with a magic circle and build outward through several increase rounds to widen the base.
- Work even rounds without increasing to grow the tube up to its working height.
- Repeat the first several rounds a second time to make a matching twin piece for the body.
- Leave a set of stitches unworked partway through to begin separating the arms from the main stem.
- Bring the stuffed body pieces and the finished flower together for final assembly.
What goes wrong
- Losing count during paired increases Place a stitch marker every few stitches on the increase round so pairs are easy to spot and recount if the total looks off.
- Skipping the second body piece Make the twin piece before moving on, since the arms only take shape once both halves are joined together.
- Petal chains twisting or pulling tight Keep tension even across the chain of 5 and check the slip stitch lands back in the same starting stitch each time.
- Under-stuffing before closing rounds Add fiberfill in small amounts as the rounds narrow rather than trying to stuff a nearly closed piece, so the shape stays even.
Yarn, hook and the rest
Copied from the source pattern's own materials list.
- Yarn in green and flower colors
- Crochet hook (size recommended by your yarn)
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Fiberfill stuffing
- Floral wire (optional)
- Hot glue (optional)
Progress tracker
0 of the 10 rounds on this page are ticked.
The pattern, round by round
Kept in the order and the wording the source used. Tick a round as you finish it; the ticks stay on this device.
Cactus Body
Round 1
Create a magic circle and make 8 single crochets (SC) inside it. Join with a slip stitch (SS) to the first SC.
Round 2
Chain 1, then make 2 SC in each stitch around (16 SC total).
Round 3
Chain 1, then make 1 SC in each stitch around (16 SC total).
Round 4
& 5: Chain 1, then make 1 SC in each stitch around (16 SC total per round). Make a second identical piece by repeating Rounds 1 to 5.
Round 6
Preparation: On the first piece, chain 1, then make 1 SC in the next 12 stitches, leaving 4 stitches unworked.Take the second piece and make 1 SC in the next 12 stitches, also leaving 4 stitches unworked.Join the remaining 4 stitches from both pieces together using a tapestry needle or smaller hook.
Round 7
Chain 1, then make 1 SC in each stitch around.
Round 8
Chain 1, then make 4 SC, followed by 1 decrease (dec). Repeat this pattern (4 SC, 1 dec) around.
Round 9
& 10: Chain 1, then make 1 SC in each stitch around (20 SC total per round).
Round 11
Chain 1, then make 3 SC, followed by 1 decrease (dec). Repeat this pattern (3 SC, 1 dec) around (16 SC total).
Round 12
, 13, & 14: Chain 1, then make 1 SC in each stitch around (16 SC total per round).Finish with a slip stitch and cut the yarn.
Check your count
- Cactus Body · Round 2: 16 sts
- Cactus Body · Round 3: 16 sts
- Cactus Body · Round 11: 16 sts
Finish
- Weave in the cut ends left after color changes on the body pieces and after each of the 14 petals.
- Stuff each cactus piece with fiberfill before the final rounds close, packing the arm sections a little firmer than the stem so they hold their shape.
- Set the finished flower on top of the stuffed body and secure it with a few stitches or a dot of hot glue, adding floral wire first if extra support is wanted.
Bigger or smaller
- Smaller
- Drop to a finer yarn and a smaller hook so each round pulls tighter, shrinking both the cactus body and the flower to a more compact size.
Photographs of this one
Every photograph on this page was taken by whoever published the pattern, and they are printed in the order the source listed them.
FAQs
Asked and answered
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.
Do both cactus body pieces need to match exactly?
They should, since the pattern repeats the same rounds to build a matching twin. Keeping tension consistent across both pieces makes the join look symmetrical.
Can floral wire be skipped?
Yes, floral wire is listed as optional in the materials. Fiberfill alone holds the shape for a shelf piece, though wire helps if the arms need to hold a specific bend.
What is the flower actually made from?
It is a separate magic ring base worked in single crochet, then topped with 14 individual petals made from chains of 5. The petal color yarn is joined after the base is complete.
Is hot glue necessary for assembly?
No, hot glue is listed as optional. A few hand stitches with a tapestry needle attach the flower to the body just as securely.