What type of yarn works best for these emoji plushies?

Super bulky plush or chenille yarn creates a soft, squishy texture that makes these keychains feel like mini plushies. However, you can also use standard worsted weight acrylic yarn with a 3.5 mm hook for a smaller, tighter finish.

How do I attach the safety eyes or beads if I close the body?

It is best to attach beads or embroider details before closing the bottom hole. This allows you to pull thread tails into the bottom opening, knot them securely on the inside, and then pull the final round tight.

Can I glue the hearts and eyes instead of sewing them?

Yes, fabric glue or clear craft glue works well on plush yarn. Make sure to press the piece firmly in place and let it dry completely before handling or hanging the keychain.

How do I stop the embroidered smile from shifting over time?

Using a single long stitch for the curved line gives a clean look. Placing a tiny drop of clear craft glue along the underside of the embroidery thread anchors it to the plush fabric permanently.

Are these emoji keychains safe for young children?

If making these for toddlers or young kids, embroider all facial features with dark thread instead of using small beads or half-beads to prevent potential choking hazards.

Amigurumi emoji plush keychains with velvet yarn

LevelIntermediate
Time4-6 hours
Hook4.5 mm
YarnWorsted

About This Pattern

There is something playful about this one, almost like doodling with a hook instead of a pen. Each little yellow sphere turns into a tiny face with its own personality, and I get to decide which expression it wears. It is a quick burst of cheer rather than a long commitment, which is exactly the mood I am after on a lazy afternoon.

Your hands spend most of the time on quiet, steady single crochet rounds, building the ball shape before anything else happens. Then they shift into finer work: threading a bead on, guiding a long needle through stuffed fiber to place a smile or a wink, maybe stitching a tiny crocheted heart. It is a nice mix of simple repetition and careful, close-up detail.

a desk or clipped to a bag, one of these faces catches your eye before you even register why you are smiling. A small cluster of them on a shelf reads like a tiny crowd of characters, each with a different expression. They are compact enough to tuck into a pocket but bold enough to notice from across the room.

Start by crocheting the round emoji ball base in continuous rounds, increasing steadily to build a smooth sphere shape.
Pause partway through the final rounds to add fiberfill gradually, keeping the shape even and lump-free as you go.
Decide which face you are making, since eyes and mouth details change the personality of the finished piece.
the smiling or winking version, sew on the round black beads at the eye placement before finishing the embroidery.
the heart-eyes version, crochet the two small hearts separately, then sew or glue them onto the ball.
Use a long needle to embroider the smile or wink in a single smooth arc so the line stays clean.
If you want a keychain, weave your ring or ribbon loop through the top center ring before the ball is fully closed.
Finish stuffing, tie off all embroidery threads inside the body, and close the final round to seal everything neatly.

On the desk

Yarn

Himalaya Dolphin Baby plush yarn in yellow

Embroidery Thread

Black Iris cotton thread for embroidering smiles and securing eyes

Detail Yarn

Pekhorka “Children’s New” (or fine sport weight acrylic yarn) in red for hearts and tongue

Crochet Hook

Size 4.5 mm (or any size that matches your yarn gauge)

Eyes

4 mm round black beads or half-beads

Needle

Yarn needle and sewing needle for placing eyes

Stuffing

Fiberfill polyester stuffing

Tools

Scissors and craft glue (optional for securing embroidered lines)

Finished Size

Height: Approximately 6 cm (2.4 inches)

Stitch shorthand

ch — chain stitch
sc — single crochet
dc — double crochet
tr — treble crochet
sl st — slip stitch
inc — increase (work 2 sc into the same stitch)
dec — decrease (work 2 sc together with a common top)
* — repeat instructions the specified number of times

Amigurumi emoji plush keychains with velvet yarn

Easy to get wrong

Stuffing too much at once

Add fiberfill in small pinches as you work Round 12 instead of packing it in all at the end. Gradual stuffing keeps the sphere round instead of lumpy or stretched at the seams.

Losing track of the round start

Place a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round since the base is worked in continuous rounds with no slip stitch to mark it. Without a marker it is easy to drift and misplace an increase.

Knots showing through the plush fabric

Tie off embroidery thread ends inside the hollow body before closing Round 13, not on the outside surface. Hidden knots keep the smile or wink looking clean and prevent the thread from working loose.

Between the songs

What I love here is how much personality comes from so few elements. The ball base is the same every time, worked in continuous rounds with the plush yarn, but the eyes and mouth are what transform it. Sewing on round beads for the smiling face, crocheting those tiny hearts for the heart-eyes version, or planning placement for a wink all feel like the fun part, not an afterthought. Working the embroidery with a long doll needle through the stuffed body is satisfying in a very tactile way, since you are sculpting expression after the shape already exists. And because the base repeats, once you have made one face, the next one goes faster and gives you room to experiment with a different personality.

Listener questions

What type of yarn works best for these emoji plushies?
Super bulky plush or chenille yarn creates a soft, squishy texture that makes these keychains feel like mini plushies. However, you can also use standard worsted weight acrylic yarn with a 3.5 mm hook for a smaller, tighter finish.
How do I attach the safety eyes or beads if I close the body?
It is best to attach beads or embroider details before closing the bottom hole. This allows you to pull thread tails into the bottom opening, knot them securely on the inside, and then pull the final round tight.
Can I glue the hearts and eyes instead of sewing them?
Yes, fabric glue or clear craft glue works well on plush yarn. Make sure to press the piece firmly in place and let it dry completely before handling or hanging the keychain.
How do I stop the embroidered smile from shifting over time?
Using a single long stitch for the curved line gives a clean look. Placing a tiny drop of clear craft glue along the underside of the embroidery thread anchors it to the plush fabric permanently.
Are these emoji keychains safe for young children?
If making these for toddlers or young kids, embroider all facial features with dark thread instead of using small beads or half-beads to prevent potential choking hazards.

Original pattern: https://craftwithnina.com/amigurumi-pattern-cute-emoji-plush-keychains/

About the Author

Marisol QuinteroWho runs Crochet Obsessed, why a stitch count sits at the end of every round, how a pattern gets written here, and the things this site will never do.

Amigurumi emoji plush keychains with velvet yarn

About This Pattern

On the desk