Project introduction
This is a pattern overview, not a full tutorial. It walks you through what to expect from Stephanie Lau’s sweet amigurumi pony design from All About Ami, created in January 2014 to celebrate the Year of the Horse for Chinese New Year, so you can decide whether it belongs on your project list. For the complete written instructions and step-by-step photographs, visit the Original designer’s pattern and instructions.
The pony’s most recognizable features are her whimsical, puffy mane and tail, worked in a contrasting coral yarn against a white body. She suits horse, unicorn and pony lovers, and she makes a thoughtful handmade gift for anyone born in the Year of the Horse. The designer encourages makers to crochet her in a rainbow of colours, so she is easy to personalize for the recipient you have in mind.
The toy is assembled from separate amigurumi pieces that are sewn together. The rounded head is worked from a magic ring with increase and decrease rounds in continuous rounds, not joined rounds. The 12 mm safety eyes are placed between rows 9 and 10 below the midline for a doe-eyed look, eyelashes are embroidered with black embroidery floss, and the head is stuffed as the rounds progress.
The mane is the star of the piece. It is divided into five parts worked in coral yarn, running from the front of the head to the back. Some parts begin with a magic ring and others begin with a short foundation chain worked around to form an oval. The parts are joined using their long yarn ends, draped across the head from front to back, sewn into place and left unstuffed. Two small white ears are sewn onto the head on either side of the mane, between mane parts 2 and 3.
The body begins with a foundation chain worked in the round, with shaping rounds that form the belly and a neck that curves upward. Note that this is not a single-crochet-only design: the neck-shaping rounds use slip stitches and half double crochet alongside single crochet. The body is stuffed and then sewn to the head.
Each of the four legs starts with a coral hoof and changes to white for the upper leg. Shaping rounds 9 to 11 differ between the front and back legs to curve them and hide the colour change from view. The coral tail starts from a magic ring, is left unstuffed, and is attached to the end of the body.
Pattern format and preparation
On the original designer’s page, the pattern is presented as full written row-by-row instructions accompanied by step-by-step photographs, and readers are encouraged to follow the blog post photos while working. If you prefer working offline, an inexpensive ad-free printable PDF with step-by-step pictures is available for purchase on Etsy and LoveCrochet, condensed to 6 pages including the cover page. The PDF is a paid option, and the source gives no price, so this overview states only that format’s availability.
The pattern is written in US crochet terminology. The stitches used include single crochet, slip stitch and half double crochet, so check that you are comfortable with short-row shaping and colour changes before starting. All pieces are worked in continuous rounds rather than joined rounds. The head, body, legs and tail are made separately and assembled with a yarn needle, so a bent-tip needle is helpful for attaching amigurumi parts neatly. Gather this complete supply checklist before you begin:
- White yarn (designer’s sample: Patons Canadiana in White)
- Coral yarn (designer’s sample: Loops & Threads Impeccable in Rouge)
- 2.00 mm Clover Amour crochet hook
- Yarn needle (a bent tip is helpful for attaching amigurumi parts)
- Fiberfill for stuffing the head, body and legs
- 12 mm safety eyes
- Black embroidery floss for the eyelashes
Since this is an overview rather than a tutorial, use the original designer’s page for the stitch-by-stitch instructions whenever a step feels unclear, especially the foundation-chain ovals and the mane assembly. Review the step-by-step photos there before you attach pieces, because the mane parts are sewn only at their joining sections rather than all the way around each piece. Keep the long yarn tails on your pieces, since they are used for joining and sewing.
If you sell finished ponies, the designer asks that you clearly credit the design to Stephanie Lau of All About Ami and link to her blog, and permission is not granted for mass production. Personal copies of the pattern may be kept for your own use, but the pattern itself should not be claimed, sold or redistributed. These usage notes come from the original designer’s page, so confirm the current terms there if anything is unclear.
