For stuffed animals, I like to use plush yarn or chenille yarn so they turn out nice and soft and fluffy. Working with these yarns is a bit challenging, but it’s definitely worth it—you just can’t get such cuddly little animals with cotton, for example.
Chenille yarn is a bit easier to work with because you can usually still see the stitches quite well. But be careful: it tends to come apart when unraveled. That’s why I recommend that beginners start by crocheting the animal with cotton yarn as a practice project. There are a few tricks for working with plush yarn that help you see the stitches while crocheting, which I’ll cover in the patterns. Plus, plush yarn is forgiving of small mistakes since you can’t see the individual stitches. So don’t be afraid to give these yarns a try—you’ll be thrilled with the result!
Poldi the Mole
is a great project for beginners because his shape is very easy to work with. On the right, you can see him made from cotton yarn; on the left, from chenille yarn.

I can also show you two versions of the
kitten
: on the left made from acrylic yarn, on the right from plush yarn. When sewing on the legs, you can also decide on the kitten’s pose (sitting or lying down).

The
Alpaca Pamina
is one of my granddaughter’s favorite animals. Here, I’ve combined plush and chenille yarn: I crocheted the snout, ears, and hooves from thin chenille yarn, and the rest from plush yarn (and the saddle is made of cotton).