Amigurumi Calcifer From Howl’s Moving Castle
If you’re a fan of the Studio Ghibli film Howl’s Moving Castle, then you need this free crochet pattern (log not included). Crochet Calcifer and have a cute amigurumi of a fire demon with a big heart! Be careful he doesn’t curse all your bacon to burn…
Hi everyone!
One of my favorite Studio Ghibli films is Howl’s Moving Castle (I’m also a fan of the book), so I decided to do some fan art in the form of an amigurumi Calcifer.
This feisty fire demon with a big heart was tricky to design, but ultimately I’m incredibly happy with how my crochet Calcifer turned out.
My Calcifer amigurumi pattern is an expert-level pattern and requires some patience and advanced skill. As always, beginners are welcome to try! I’d say even if you make intermediate-level amigurumi you should be fine with this pattern.
Clicking on certain links may result in a small commission for me at no extra cost to you. Money generated from this allows me to continue to design and post cute amigurumi patterns for you all!
Amigurumi Calcifer
Calcifer from Howl’s Moving Castle is a no-sew crochet pattern. The Calcifer amigurumi is worked as one piece. A stitch marker and row counter are highly recommended. This pattern switches between yarn colors frequently and crocheting like you would a tapestry pattern may be helpful. Calcifer measure 5” tall by 4” wide at the base.
What You’ll Need:
1 128g ball of Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn in Sunny Day
1 128g ball of Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn in Pumpkin
Stitch marker
Row counter
Stuffing
Darning needle
Scissors
White/black/brown/red felt sheets
Hot glue
Tweezers
Sewing pins
Wire pet brush
Abbreviations:
ch=chain
ss=slip stitch
sc=single crochet
inc=increase
dec=decrease
st(s)=stitch(es)
F/O=fasten off
Gauge:
20 sts x 20 rows = 4” in single crochet
Pattern:
Starts with Pumpkin and at the bottom of Calcifer
1. Ch 2. 6 sc in the first ch. (6 sts)
2. 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
3. 1 sc, inc. Repeat around. (18 sts)
4. 2 sc, inc. Repeat around. (24 sts)
5. 3 sc, inc. Repeat around. (30 sts)
6. 4 sc, inc. Repeat around. (36 sts)
7. 5 sc, inc. Repeat around. (42 sts)
8. 6 sc, inc. Repeat around. (48 sts)
9 - 10. Sc in each st around. (48 sts)
The pattern will start switching between the colors Pumpkin and Sunny Day frequently
11. Sc in the first 16 sts with Pumpkin. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 16 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the last 16 sts. (48 sts)
12. In Pumpkin sc in the first 14 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 20 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the last 14 sts. (48 sts)
13. In Pumpkin sc in the first 12 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 24 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the last 12 sts. (48 sts)
14 - 16. Repeat round 13. (48 sts)
17. In Pumpkin sc in the next 6 sts, dec. Sc in the next 6 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and dec. Sc in the next 6 sts. Dec and sc in the next 6 sts. Sc in the next 2 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the next 4 sts, dec. Sc in the next 6 sts, dec. (42 sts)
18. In Pumpkin sc in the next 15 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 12 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the last 15 sts. (42 sts)
19. In Pumpkin sc in the next 5 sts, dec. Sc in the next 5 sts, dec. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 5 sts, dec. Sc in the next 5 sts, dec. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the next 5 sts, dec. Sc in the next 5 sts, dec. (36 sts)
20. In Pumpkin sc in the next 12 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 13 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the last 11 sts. (36 sts)
21. In Pumpkin sc in the next 4 sts, dec. Sc in the next 4 sts, dec. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 4 sts, dec. Sc in the next 4 sts, dec. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the next 4 sts, dec. Sc in the next 4 sts, dec. (30 sts)
22. In Pumpkin, sc in the first 10 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 10 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the last 10 sts. (30 sts)
23. In Pumpkin sc in the next 3 sts, dec. Sc in the next 2 sts, switch to Sunny Day and sc 1, dec. Sc in the next 3 sts, dec. Switch to Pumpkin. Sc in the next 3 sts, dec. Repeat sc 3 and dec until the end of the round. (24 sts)
Begin stuffing and continue as you go
24. In Pumpkin sc in the first 12 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and sc in the next 3 sts. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the remaining sts. (24 sts)
25. In Pumpkin sc in the next 2 sts, dec. Repeat sc 2 and dec two more times. Switch to Sunny Day and sc 2, dec. Switch to Pumpkin and sc 2 and dec until the end of the round. (18 sts)
26. In Pumpkin sc in the first 11 sts. Switch to Sunny Day and sc 1. Switch to Pumpkin and sc in the remaining sts. (18 sts)
The rest of the pattern is in Pumpkin
27. 1 sc, dec. Repeat around. (12 sts)
28. Sc in each st around. (12 sts)
29. Dec around. (6 sts)
Ss and F/O. Use the tail to sew up the hole.
Fluffy Texture:
To create the fluffy texture that makes the Calcifer amigurumi look like the fire demon he is, you need to take a wire pet brush and brush against the yarn with slight pressure. Continue doing this until you have the desired effect you want. If you’d like to see how to brush your yarn to make it fuzzy, I have a video tutorial on TikTok!
Face:
Cut out two circles with your white felt for the eyes, and then cut out two smaller circles with the black felt for the pupils. Glue these together with the hot glue. I gave Calcifer a shocked/sad mouth using brown and red felt, however, you can give him whatever kind of mouth or facial expression you want. Mark out with the sewing pins where you want to glue the face onto Calcifer beforehand. Use tweezers to place small felt features without burning yourself with hot glue.
Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my comfort films, and it was about time I paid homage to that. I thought it was cute to give my crochet Calcifer a shocked face, like the one he makes when Sophie tries to steal his logs (pattern not included).
I hope you enjoy the Calcifer plushie you make with my free crochet pattern. Although this amigurumi pattern was difficult to design, it was really fun to create.
I’d love to see any fire demons you crochet with my pattern, so please tag me on social media with @summerbugcrafts!
Don’t forget to save this pattern to Pinterest for later or share it on social media!