Crochet Tuanzi Cactus Amigurumi: A Smiling Little Desk Friend

Crochet Tuanzi Cactus Amigurumi

A little cactus with a smiling face makes a cheerful desk companion or handmade gift. This Tuanzi is assembled from a cream head, a green hood, two cactus pads, yellow face details and a small flower.

Below you’ll find the materials used in my demonstration, the stitch counts for the head, and a practical assembly checklist. For the hood, cactus pads, flower and exact placement, follow the full video tutorial below.

Materials used

• Big Twist acrylic yarn in cream, green and yellow

• 2.0 mm crochet hook

• Polyester stuffing

• Stitch marker

• Yarn needle and scissors

• Pink powder blush and a small brush for the cheeks

Use the yarn and hook that give you a firm fabric with no large gaps, so the stuffing stays inside.

The pattern below uses US crochet terms:

• sc = single crochet

• inc = two single crochets in one stitch

• dec = single crochet decrease

Cream head pattern

Work in joined rounds as shown in the video. Mark the first stitch of each round and check the stitch count before moving on.

1. 1.Round 1: 6 sc (6)

1. 2.Round 2: inc in each stitch (12)

1. 3.Round 3: (1 sc, inc) × 6 (18)

1. 4.Round 4: (2 sc, inc) × 6 (24)

1. 5.Round 5: (3 sc, inc) × 6 (30)

1. 6.Round 6: (4 sc, inc) × 6 (36)

1. 7.Round 7: (5 sc, inc) × 6 (42)

1. 8.Rounds 8–14: 42 sc in each round (42)

1. 9.Round 15: (5 sc, dec) × 6 (36)

1. 10.Round 16: (4 sc, dec) × 6 (30)

1. 11.Round 17: (3 sc, dec) × 6 (24)

1. 12.Round 18: (2 sc, dec) × 6 (18)

1. 13.Round 19: (1 sc, dec) × 6 (12)

1. 14.Round 20: dec × 6 (6)

Add stuffing before the opening becomes too small, distributing it evenly so the face stays rounded. Close the remaining opening and weave in the yarn end.

Build the cactus shape

Green hood — video reference at 19:38

The green hood frames the cream head. Try the head inside the hood before finishing the opening so you can center the face and see how much of it remains visible.

Cactus pads, flower and face details — video reference at 25:26

Make the larger and smaller green cactus pads separately, then add the yellow flower to the larger pad.

The three yellow circles around the face are small details, but their spacing changes Tuanzi’s expression. In the demonstration, two circles have 8 single crochets each, and the third has 10 single crochets.

Follow the video for the remaining rounds and shaping. If the player starts from the beginning, skip to 25:26.

Assembly checklist

1. 1.Center the cream head inside the green hood.

1. 2.Position the larger cactus pad and its flower at the top.

1. 3.Place the smaller pad to the side.

1. 4.Arrange the three yellow circles around the face.

1. 5.Embroider the two eyes, then add a little blush to the cheeks.

1. 6.Check the character from the front and side before securing the pieces.

If the cactus leans or the face looks off-center, adjust the pieces before sewing them firmly. A few pins or temporary stitches make it easier to check the final shape.

Use the full tutorial above to crochet the remaining pieces and see each assembly step in motion. 🧶