A unicorn horn sitting on a caterpillar head has one job: stay centered while six rainbow body domes try to roll behind it. This unicorn caterpillar amigurumi crochet pattern uses chunky chenille, a 4.5 mm hook, and 15–18 mm eyes to make an advanced-beginner plush about 30 cm long. Make it when a normal rainbow caterpillar needs a fantasy face and more display height.
The Design: What Makes Rainbow Uni-Cater Different
This unicorn caterpillar amigurumi crochet pattern is built around three structural choices. First, the head uses a 36-stitch medium plateau rather than a 42-stitch large sphere, because the horn and ears already add height. Second, each rainbow body dome is made as a closed ball, then sewn in a straight line; that keeps the crochet unicorn caterpillar from twisting when it sits on a shelf. Third, the mane curls are short and vertical, not long strands, because long curls hide the horn base and make the face read as a horse instead of a caterpillar hybrid. A common maker mistake with a rainbow caterpillar crochet pattern is overstuffing every segment until the body becomes rigid. The better shape: firm head, medium body domes, soft tail cluster.
Project Info at a Glance
| Skill Level | Time | Finished Size | Hook | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced beginner | 4–5 hours | Approx. 30 cm long | 4.5 mm | Display plush, rainbow scrap planning, fantasy animal collections |
The 30 cm target follows a verified rainbow caterpillar size reference, while the 4.5 mm hook and #6 yarn match a chunky caterpillar reference.
Materials and Tools
Yarn
- Pale blush or cream — chunky velvet / #6 — 60 g — Bernat Baby Blanket, Premier Parfait Chunky, or similar.
- Orange — chunky velvet / #6 — 18–22 g — body segment.
- Yellow — chunky velvet / #6 — 18–22 g — body segment.
- Green — chunky velvet / #6 — 18–22 g — body segment.
- Aqua blue — chunky velvet / #6 — 18–22 g — body segment.
- Pink, coral, yellow, aqua, purple — chunky velvet / #6 — 3–5 g each — mane curls and tail pom-poms.
- Gold — worsted or chunky velvet — 6–8 g — horn.
- Black — cotton or embroidery yarn — 1 m — smile and lashes.
Tools
- Hook 4.5 mm
- 15–18 mm safety eyes
- Polyester stuffing
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Long sewing pins
- Scissors
Abbreviations
MR = magic ring; sc = single crochet; inc = increase; dec = decrease; sl st = slip stitch; ch = chain; BLO = back loop only; FO = fasten off.
Use invisible decrease by working through the front loops of the next two stitches before completing one sc; it reduces the ridge that appears on chenille decrease rounds.
Pattern — Step by Step
Continuous spiral unless noted.
Head
Yarn: pale blush or cream.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
R7–R13: sc around (36)
R14: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
R15: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
Insert safety eyes between R9 and R10, about 7 stitches apart. Add lashes before the backs are pressed on.
R16: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
R17: (sc, dec) ×6 (12)
R18: dec ×6 (6)
Stuff firmly at the cheeks and crown.
Fasten off. Leave a 20 cm tail and close the hole.
Rainbow Body Segments
Yarn: orange, yellow, green, aqua blue — Make 4.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
R7–R11: sc around (36)
R12: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
R13: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
R14: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
Stuff to medium firmness. A squeezed segment should spring back without becoming round as a bead.
R15: (sc, dec) ×6 (12)
R16: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off. Leave a 35 cm tail on each segment for sewing.
Front Legs
Yarn: pink — Make 2.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3–R5: sc around (12)
R6: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off. Leave a 20 cm tail.
Back and Side Legs
Yarn: match each body segment — Make 8.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3–R4: sc around (12)
R5: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off. Leave a 20 cm tail.
Outer Ears
Yarn: cream — Make 2.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: sc around (18)
Flatten the circle, fold the lower edge in half, and stitch the base closed to form a soft point. Fasten off with a 25 cm tail.
Inner Ear Patches
Yarn: pale pink — Make 2.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
Fasten off. Leave a 15 cm tail and sew one patch inside each outer ear.
Unicorn Horn
Yarn: gold.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: sc around (6)
R3: inc ×6 (12)
R4–R5: sc around (12)
R6: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R7–R10: sc around (18)
Stuff lightly. Fasten off with a 40 cm tail. Wrap the tail around the horn in a spiral before sewing it to the head.
Mane Curls
Yarn: pink, coral, yellow, aqua, blue, purple — Make 7.
Ch 13. Starting in the second ch from hook, work 2 sc in each ch across (24).
Fasten off. Leave a 20 cm tail.
Make curls in mixed colors. Use shorter chains, not long hair strands, so the horn base stays visible.
Cheek Patches
Yarn: soft pink — Make 2.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
Sl st to first stitch (12)
Fasten off. Leave a 15 cm tail.
Tail Pom-Poms
Yarn: pink, coral, yellow, aqua, purple — Make 5.
R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3–R4: sc around (12)
R5: dec ×6 (6)
Stuff lightly. Fasten off with a 20 cm tail.
Smile and Lashes
Yarn: black embroidery yarn.
Embroider a shallow smile between R11 and R12 of the head. Add three short lash stitches at the outer edge of each eye. Keep every lash under 1 cm so it does not compete with the cheek patches.
Assembly
- Sew the orange body segment to the back lower third of the head, angled slightly upward.
- Add the yellow segment behind orange, then green, then aqua blue, keeping all closing holes on the underside.
- Sew the horn to the top center of the head over R2–R5.
- Pin both ears level with the horn base, then sew them between R4 and R8.
- Attach mane curls around the horn and between the ears, using 7 curls total.
- Sew cheek patches below the eyes, centered one round lower than the smile ends.
- Attach the two front legs under the head, placed 4 stitches apart.
- Sew two side legs under each rainbow body segment.
- Cluster the five tail pom-poms on the final aqua segment.
- Weave every tail through stuffing, pull gently, trim, and massage the fabric flat.
The finished plush is a segmented rainbow caterpillar with a centered unicorn head and stable low legs.
7 Technical Tips
- Failure mode: horn lean. Place the horn over the vertical centerline of the face and pin it from three angles before sewing.
- Measurement: eye spacing. Keep 15–18 mm eyes about 7 visible stitches apart on a 36-stitch head, or the face will look crowded.
- Failure mode: rolling body. Sew every body segment through its center line, then add the legs after the body sits flat.
- Measurement: stuffing firmness. Fill the head to about 90% firmness and each body segment to about 75%, so the head holds the horn while the body stays soft.
- Failure mode: chenille gaps. Use a 4.5 mm hook with #6 yarn and tighten the first two rounds of every sphere.
- Measurement: curl length. Keep mane chains at 13 ch for this scale; longer curls cover the horn base and hide the ears.
- Failure mode: loose tail pom-poms. Sew each pom-pom with two passes through the aqua segment and knot under the cluster, not at the outer edge.
Conclusion
Block the head and body connection before the final photo. A 2 cm neck pad under the chin keeps the horn vertical and stops the first orange segment from pushing the face downward. Save this unicorn caterpillar amigurumi crochet pattern to Pinterest, then post the finished side view on Instagram with #RainbowUniCaterpillar so the segment order and horn angle are visible. The concrete next step is to crochet one test body segment and measure its diameter before cutting all rainbow colors. Which feature should carry the strongest color contrast on your version: the gold horn, the pink cheek patches, or the tail pom-poms?
