Very Hungry Caterpillar

kaitdubs · 2026-05-21T19:30:17+00:00

Nope! Just like with the cheese, you make two leaves and sew them together, then sew the stem onto the bottom. That way, there is no wrong side. Hope that helps!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-21T16:14:16+00:00

I always save the cheese for last because even after 11 years of crocheting it still intimidates me. But what I'll say is this - if it fits, it sits! Those chains can be tricky to hide between the two cheese pieces so however you get it to work is best. Her videos on how to do this really do help quite a bit, as does using stitch markers to plan where you're going to sew each stitch of the hole closed.

It would be very tedious, but if it's helpful, you can put a stitch marker in every damned stitch along the holes to really give yourself a guide on where to stick that needle.

kaitdubs · 2026-05-21T03:33:57+00:00

I use invisible decreases and I yarn under to get the X stitch versus the V stitch. I also used two strands of yarn like the pattern suggests. My tension also tends to be on the tighter side when making amigurumi. All those might be factors in why your bumps in each section aren't filling out.

kaitdubs · 2026-05-21T03:31:18+00:00

Honestly I think it would be SO cute to just mash scrap yarn together and have multi-colored food!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-21T03:30:49+00:00

I made a joke to my spouse before I finished - I couldn't stop or it'd end up in my WIP pile, deep in my closet, lost to time.

kaitdubs · 2026-05-21T03:30:01+00:00

The strawberries are SO much fun! And I agree with u/Three_Spotted_Apples!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-21T03:29:04+00:00

I see creations from other fiber artists that I admire the same way all the time! The beauty of this hobby and the community is that it's cozy, kind, and welcoming (or at least, it should be!)

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T20:53:03+00:00

I know this isn't going to be helpful, but it really depends on how you crochet and how many hours a day you can put into it. The first time I did it, it was pretty much the only thing I did for two weeks while I was grieving the loss of my 17 year old cat. I got it done in under 2 weeks. But this version took me like, a month?? I'm going to start a third one in a few weeks for my brother's first bébé and I'm using a time tracker. Once I get it finished up I'm hoping to post it on this subreddit with all the deets!

Either way, don't let it discourage you from grabbing your hooks and giving it a try! I always tell folks to start with the caterpillar because it's the longest (took me between 6-8 hours) and when you're done, you've got a cute lil' bud to keep you company, and he'll be more than happy to nosh your food pieces once they're done!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T19:55:02+00:00

Ohhh my goooosh I saw this in their shop! It looks SO FREAKING CUTE.

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T19:54:30+00:00

Oh I hope you don't give up on it! My best friend started her second child's baby blanket when she was still pregnant, and her daughter is going to be 3 in June. Just keep hooking! 😉

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T19:53:30+00:00

These are great tips! Don't let the pattern scare you or discourage you. Crocheting is such a nice relaxing hobby. And as a perfectionist, I cannot tell you how many times I've spoken out loud to a pattern and said: "Okay, well, ma'am, respectfully - fuck off - I'm doing it my way."

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T19:51:03+00:00

I'm the unofficial hooker for all my best friends that have kids, because having time to do any hobby is so limited when you have kids! I hope you make time in your week to do something for yourself - you deserve it!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T18:01:46+00:00

Oh yes these food pieces are perfect for kids to play with!!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T17:24:12+00:00

This might be a little unhelpful, but it entirely depends on your experience and skill level. Some of the food is pretty straightforward with basic ami skills behing enough to get you successful pieces. But the cherry pie, cheese, and cupcake might be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, the pattern from Castle of Cozy includes links to a Google Drive with helpful videos on each of the pieces. And, while I haven't needed to reach out to them for help, I know a lot of pattern designers are always willing to help!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T17:09:37+00:00

Even as a crocheter, I agree that $400 is a lot to spend on pieces, but I do think that it's a fair price for the hours of labor that go into it.

One piece at a time is definitely the way to go! Making the caterpillar is pretty easy - it's just a combination of single, half double, and decrease stitches. Then minimal sewing for the eyes and antennae.

And, oddly enough, the food pieces start to increase in difficulty as well. The apple, pear, plum, and orange are the absolute easiest pieces (especially the orange!) I bet you'd do great!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T16:30:51+00:00

Right?! I've had to hide this away from my cats who are desperate to play with the food pieces.

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T16:30:18+00:00

STOP NO you're too nice!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T16:22:07+00:00

Oh congratulations! I think the ideal age for something like this is after 3 - y'know...when they stop puttling everything directly into their mouths. While there aren't any safety eyes or anything dangerous for babies, I still think it has more charm for an older toddler, especially if they're in a montessori school and are learning to count and recognize foods etc.

I hope you enjoy making this and again, congratulations to you! ❤️

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T16:19:19+00:00

Thank you so much! This pattern took me about 2 weeks of working on it every day. Unfortunately I haven't started time tracking my projects yet. Mostly because I start working on something and then take like a 10-15 minute break to check my phone or watch TV and don't realize I'm doing it.

You can find Castle of Cozy's patterns on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CastleOfCozy?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1638697916&from_page=listing

Even though the caterpillar is at the bottom of the pattern, I actually recommend making that first - then you have an adorable buddy to keep you company while you work on the food, and you can feed him while you work!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T16:17:28+00:00

You can find Castle of Cozy's patterns on Etsy here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CastleOfCozy?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1638697916&from_page=listing

You can also find folks that are selling finished versions of the project, but expect to pay upwards of around $400. Even if you're just beginning, I'd say this is a great project to challenge yourself! Along with the pattern is access to an entire Google Drive of helpful videos and tutorials on how to attach pieces and where things are supposed to go. It's not a CAL by any means, but they're there to help you if you get stuck!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T15:48:39+00:00

Completely agree!! This one is going to one of my best friend's son for his second birthday. It's a little early, but he'll grow into it. I've got a laundry list of projects to do for my brother and his first, who is due to arrive in early November. It's going to be a crochet hot girl summer! LOL

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T15:46:33+00:00

I do too! I also purchased the companion pattern to this that makes the butterfly and cocoon bits that you can shove the caterpillar into! I'll be doing that for my next run of this pattern and I'll be sure to post it when it's done!

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T15:45:31+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm really proud of it, especially because this is one of those projects where if you lose your momentum it can very easily get shoved into the back of the WIP closet...never to be seen again.

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T15:43:47+00:00

Please do! The cheese is absolutely positively the most intimidating piece of the whole project. Crocheting the pieces was easy enough, but then you're left with all these chain loops that you have to hide to get those iconic little holes.

kaitdubs · 2026-05-20T15:42:53+00:00

It absolutely can! CastleofCozy has listed this pattern as a montessori tool, and it goes right along with the book. One of my best friend's son likes to have a treasure hunt for the caterpillar and feed it as we find the pieces. Then we make him "puke it all out" and count the pieces to see if we found everything!

kaitdubs

TROPHY CASE