(By someone who's actually done them)
Axolotls have gained some much deserved fame in the past few years, likely due to both their fascinating biology and adorable faces. Along with their popularity has come a huge amount of axolotl patterns. Many of these, in my opinion, are largely the same design. Here is a selection of my favorite patterns.
But first, I'd like to correct what appears to be a common misconception.
These frilly things coming out of an axolotls head? They are gills.
Amphibians have external gills during their young, aquatic stage of life. Axolotls never leave their aquatic stage of life, which is why they have gills into adulthood
I saw some very creative names that people came up with for gills. They are commendable attempts.
Naturally I have to promote my own pattern for a free mini axolotl. This is a quick and easy pattern, perfect for keychains and car mirror accessories.
Flower Axolotl by Anvi's Granny Handicrafts
This pattern is available for purchase as an ad-free PDF on etsy and ravelry, but Anvi's also has a free pattern available on her website!
Though advertised as a regular axolotl pattern, I think it looks more like an axolotl-flower morph. I really like this design! I modeled my project after forget-me-nots as a tribute to my late axolotl, Zaki.
This is a well designed and easy pattern. Perfect for beginners.
No Sew Axolotl by Rhonda Butler
I'm a big fan of no sew tutorials, and Rhonda Butler does a great job with this one. This cartoonish axolotl features a big head tapering into a slender body. As a Youtube tutorial, this pattern is easy to follow for beginners, but might frustrate more advanced users who want to follow a written pattern at a fast pace. But it's also free, which is why I found it worth it!
Amelia the Axolotl by TheresasCrochetShop
Theresa has some of the cutest animal crochet patterns I've ever seen and this axolotl is no exception. She offers this pattern in a small size using worsted weight and a large one using chunky yarn, but they're fundamentally interchangeable. The pattern is beautifully written and designed with lots of explanation.
I decided to use some leftover chunky blue yarn and was so happy with my giant axolotl! I love the unique style of the gills on this design.
Realistic Axolotl by ImaginedYarn
Maybe my favorite pattern of this lot is this realistic looking axolotl by ImaginedYarn. I love how similar it looks to my axolotl, Toltec! This is another well written pattern with good explanation.
Do you have any favorite axolotl patterns you think I missed? let me know in the comments!
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