Ember the Phoenix | Free Crochet Pattern

Ember the Phoenix, his wings spread wide, is the bright fire bird amigurumi you are looking for. Wired wings and peacock-style tail feathers make him a proud example of this mythical creature.

2021 is the perfect year for the phoenix. The phoenix is a mythical bird, originally from Egyptian lore. It is said to burst into flame upon its death only to rise again from the ashes. Often depicted with flaming wings, the phoenix represents victory over death, and the ever-present potential for rebirth associated with the rise of the sun on a new day.

What a perfect year for this mythical creature to join the Hooked by Kati family of patterns.

After a tumultuous 2020, 2021 (and now 2022) is being seen a rebirth to many people around the world.

For me, there was something therapeutic about making Ember the Phoenix as my first real pattern written in 2021. I was ready for a fresh start and a new approach to designing, and Ember really pulled it all together.

The tail feathers were inspired by a slot machine.

Oh yeah, I said it.

Long ago, back in the days when we could travel, my mom and I went on a handful of girls’ weekends to Las Vegas.

We had a particular set of slot machines we loved that had a big colorful phoenix on one. His tail feathers were a lot like that of a peacock, and they swooped around and curled under him in a way that was just plain cool.

He also screeched at your if you touched him on the screen, and I thought that was hilarious. 🙂 If you ever find that slot machine (there is one near the blackjack tables in the Flamingo), touch the phoenix! You won’t be disappointed!

Construction

You may recognize several of the elements of Ember from another pattern, Regal the Peacock. I used Regal’s body, beak, and feet for Ember.

Ember’s wings are all one piece done in the round, layering the feathers in the front loops only and then working the next round on the back loops. This makes the back (inside) of the wings flat, so they fold in half easily and hold their shape.

Since they are folded in half, they look the same on the front and back and they have layers of depth that really make his wings POP!

The wings are also wired so they stand well on their own.

The tail feathers are layered a bit as well when they are attached, similarly to the way the feathers are layered on Regal the Peacock.

While the stitches themselves are much simpler than others I often use, the assembly of the wings and the construction of them can be complex.

I would HIGHLY recommend the Premium Pattern for this one!

I added MORE THAN 40 PHOTOS to the Premium Pattern for Ember because I felt the steps for the wings and the steps for the feathers were important to show. And this Premium Pattern has been updated to include checkboxes for every round.

The Premium Pattern will make this pattern sooo much easier!

This pattern is also available as a Premium Pattern! Premium Patterns are ad-free, printable .pdf files, professionally formatted and edited, with extra tutorial photos not available in the free version, and print-only perks, like checkboxes for every round*!

Premium Patterns are available in the Hooked by Kati Shop, Ravelry, and Etsy.

Ember the Phoenix

All patterns are written in English, in US terms using Craft Yarn Council abbreviations.

Advanced. Knowledge needed of chains (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double

You Need to Know:

Chains (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc), back loops only (BLO), front loops only (FLO), increases and decreases, mattress stitch sewing. Be eager to learn and ready to have fun!

For a quick refresher of these basic skills, go to www.hookedbykati.com/basics

You Will Practice Advanced Techniques:

• How to use pins to perfectly place and attach amigurumi parts
• How to make no-sew feathers integrated right into the amigurumi
• How to merge and branch parts with several branches
• How to layer feathers on one-piece wings
• How to use wires to make multi-dimensional open wings

Supplies

• Red Heart Super Saver yarn, 100% acrylic, worsted weight, 364 yds/7 oz/198 g, Cherry Red (RED), 1 ball; Pumpkin (PUM), 1 ball; Gold (GOLD), 1 ball; Bright Yellow (YEL), 1 ball.
• G (4.00 mm) Furls hook
• Two 15mm colored round-pupil safety eyes
• 14 gauge coated solid copper wire, cut into two 15” inch pieces, the ends folded and pinched to prevent sharp points
• Polyfil stuffing
• Tapestry needle
• Straight pins

Measurements

11” tall x 15” wing span. Tail is 15” long.

Gauge

8 sts x 8 rows in sc = 2” x 2”

Pattern Notes

• Work in continuous rounds. Do not slip stitch unless otherwise specified by the pattern.
• For best results, assemble parts in order as directed.
• Weave in attachment ends at very end of project in case piece require repositioning.
• For Tail Feathers, lengths are represented as follows: Small(Medium,Large)

Pattern Stitches

• Sc join – Single crochet join: Slip knot in yarn, loop slip knot over hook, insert hook through stitch, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through both loops on hook.
• Picot – Picot stitch: Ch 2, sl st in second ch from hook.

Instructions 

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Head

(Begins at curve of neck)

With RED, ch 2.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)

Rnd 3: [sc, inc] 6 times. (18)

Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] 6 times. (24)

Rnd 5: [3 sc, inc] 6 times. (30)

Rnd 6: [4 sc, inc] 6 times. (36)

Rnd 7: [5 sc, inc] 6 times. (42)

Rnd 8: Skip 21, 21 sc. Leave skipped stitches unworked for neck hole. (21)

Rnd 9: [6 sc, inc] 3 times. (24)

Rnds 10-13: Sc evenly around. (24)

Rnd 14: [2 sc, dec] 6 times. (18)

Rnd 15: Sc evenly around. (18)

Insert safety eyes at Between Rounds 12 and 13, 7 sts showing between. Note: The head is curving DOWN, so the eyes need to be on the TOP of the head, closest to the starting round, not closest to the neck hole.

Rnd 16: [4 sc, dec] 3 times. (15)

Rnd 17: [3 sc, dec] 3 times. (12)

Rnd 18: 6 dec. (6)

Cut yarn. Thread yarn through front loops of remaining 6 sts, pull tight to close. Weave in ends.

Stuff head.

Body

With RED, starting on 1^st unworked st of neck hole at Rnd 8.

Rnd 9: Sc join (see Pattern Stitches) in 1^st skipped stitch, 20 sc. (21)

Rnds 10-14: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 15: [6 sc, inc] 3 times. (24)

Rnds 16-17: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 18: [7 sc, inc] 3 times. (27)

Rnds 19-20: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 21: [8 sc, inc] 3 times. (30)

Rnd 22: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 23: [4 sc, inc] 6 times. (36)

Stuff curve of neck.

Rnd 24: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 25: [5 sc, inc] 6 times. (42)

Rnd 26: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 27: [6 sc, inc] 6 times. (48)

Rnd 28: Sc evenly around.

Stuff neck.

Rnd 29: 19 sc, [inc, 7 sc] twice, inc, 12 sc. (51)

Rnd 30: 20 sc, [inc, 8 sc] twice, inc, 12 sc. (54)

Rnd 31: 21 sc, [inc, 9 sc] twice, inc, 12 sc. (57)

Rnd 32: 22 sc, [inc, 10 sc] twice, inc, 12 sc. (60)

Rnd 33: 23 sc, [inc, 11 sc] twice, inc, 12 sc. (63)

Rnd 34: 24 sc, [inc, 12 sc] twice, inc, 12 sc. (66)

Rnds 35-36: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 37: [6 sc, dec] twice, 48 sc, dec . (63)

Rnd 38: [5 sc, dec] twice, 47 sc, dec. (60)

Rnd 39: [4 sc, dec] twice, 46 sc, dec. (57)

Rnd 40: [3 sc, dec] twice, 45 sc, dec. (54)

Rnd 41: [7 sc, dec] 6 times. (48)

Rnd 42: [6 sc, dec] 6 times. (42)

Rnd 43: [5 sc, dec] 6 times. (36)

Rnd 44: [4 sc, dec] 6 times. (30)

Rnd 45: [3 sc, dec] 6 times. (24)

Rnd 46: [2 sc, dec] 6 times. (18)

Stuff body.

Rnd 47: [sc, dec] 6 times. (12)

Rnd 48: Dec 6 times. (6)

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing. Thread yarn through front loops of remaining 6 sts, pull tight to close. Weave in ends.

Right Eyebrow

With PUM, ch 15.

Row 1: Inc in second ch from hook, sc, inc, sc, inc, 9 sc. (17)

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing.

Attach over Ember’s right eye, straight end arching over his eye from rnds 9-14 on the head, sewing through the backs of the chains, curl facing up.

Left Eyebrow

With PUM, ch 15.

Row 1: Sc in second ch from hook, 7 sc, inc, sc, inc, sc, inc. (17)

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing.

Attach over Ember’s left eye, straight end arching over his eye from rnds 9-14 on the head, sewing through the backs of the chains, curl facing up.

Beak

With GOLD, ch 2.

Rnd 1: Sc 4 in second ch from hook. (4)

Rnd 2: [Sc, inc] twice. (6)

Rnd 3: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 4: [Sc, inc] 3 times. (9)

Rnd 5: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 6: [2 sc, inc] 3 times. (12)

Rnd 7: Sc evenly around.

Rnd 8: [3 sc, inc] 3 times. (15)

Rnd 9: Sc evenly around.

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing.

Stuff.

Mark around Rnd 16 of head with pins. Use pins as a guide to sew beak to head.

Nostrils: With scrap of RED, sew two one-stitch nostrils on either side of the beak at Rnd 7.

Round Tail Feather

(Make 1)

With RED, ch 4.

Rnd 1: 9 dc in 4^th ch from hook, change to PUM, 2 dc in same ch. (12)

Rnd 2: Inc in next 11 sts, change to GOLD, inc in next st. (24)

Rnd 3: [sc, inc] 12 times. (36)

Rnd 4: Change to YEL, [3 sc, picot (see Pattern Stitches)] 12 times, sl st in starting st to join. (36)

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing.

Tail Feathers

(Make 2 short,(2 medium, 1 long))

With RED, ch 4.

Rnd 1: 9 dc in 4^th ch from hook, change to PUM, 2 dc in same ch. (12)

Rnd 2: Inc in top of ch-3, inc in next 10 sts, change to GOLD, inc in next st. (24)

Rnd 3: [Sc, inc] 11 times, sl st, ch 18(33,42). Bind off. (35 sts around, 18(33,42) chs)

Rnd 4: With YEL, working down GOLD ch, sc join in last ch, 2 sc, picot, [3 sc, picot] 5(10,13) times, working around feather [3 sc, picot] 11 times, 2 sc, working up back of ch, sc, picot, [3 sc, picot] 5 times, 2 sc, sl st it 1^st st to join. (71(101,119) sts, 23(33,39) picots)

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing. Weave in all other ends.

Thin Tail Feathers

(Make 2 short,(2 medium, 1 long))

With GOLD, ch 28(47,57).

Row 1: Dc inc in 4^th ch from hook, 2 dc inc, hdc inc, hdc, hdc inc, 2 hdc, hdc inc, 15(35,45) sc, turn. (65)

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing.

Lay thin feathers on top of peacock-style feathers, short on short, medium on medium, long on long, RS facing up. Sew together at the tip using tails of GOLD thin tails.

Weave in ends. Block if desired.

Mark the top of the back with pins in the following pattern:

Want more assembly photos like this? You can purchase the Premium Pattern, with more than 40 assembly photos!

Working from the bottom up, sew the tips of the feather pairs to each marked stitch, keeping thin feathers on top.

Sew the long feather pair to the green marked stitch.

Sew the medium feather pairs to the purple marked stitches.

Sew the short feather pairs to the yellow marked stitches.

Sew the round feather to the blue marked stitch, laying over all the attachment points of the feathers below.

Wings

(Make 2)

With RED, ch 2.

Rnd 1: Sc 8 in second ch from hook. (8)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (16)

Rnd 3: [Sc, inc] 8 times. (24)

Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] 8 times. (32)

Rnd 5: [3 sc, inc] 8 times. (40)

Rnd 6: Working in FLO, [sc, picot, sc] 20 times. (40 sc, 20 picots)

Rnd 7: Change to PUM, working in exposed back loops from Rnd 6, [4 sc, inc] 8 times. (48)

Rnd 8: Working in both loops, [5 sc, inc] 8 times. (56)

Rnd 9: [6 sc, inc] 8 times. (64)

Rnd 10: Working in FLO, [2 sc, ch 6, (dc in 4^th ch from hook, hdc, sc) down ch, sc] 16 times, working in both loops, 16 sc. (16 feathers, 64 sts)

Rnd 11: Change to GOLD, working exposed back loops from Rnd 10, [7 sc, inc] 6 times, working in both loops, [7 sc, inc] twice. (72)

Rnd 12: [8 sc, inc] 8 times. (80)

Rnd 13: [9 sc, inc] 8 times. (88)

Rnd 14: Working in FLO, sc, [2 sc, ch 7, (dc in 4^th ch from hook, dc, hdc, sc) down ch, 2 sc] 16 times, sc, working in both loops, 22 sc. (16 feathers, 88 sts)

Rnd 15: Sc, [2 sc, 4 sc up back of ch, 5 sc in ch-3 sp at end of feather, 4 sc down other side of feather, 2 sc] 16 times, 23 sc. (16 large feathers)

Bind off GOLD, leaving long tail for sewing.

Rnd 16: With YEL, sc join (see Pattern Stitches) in 1^st back loop of Rnd 14, 2 sc, ch 9, (dc in 4^th ch from hook, 3 dc, hdc, sc) down ch, 3 sc, [3 sc, ch 9, (dc in 4^th ch from hook, 3 dc, hdc, sc) down ch, 3 sc] 10 times, turn. (11 feathers, 66 sts)

Rnd 17: Working in both loops, ch 1, [3 sc, 6 sc up ch, 5 sc in ch-3 sp at end of feather, 6 sc down back of ch, 3 sc] 11 times. (11 large feathers)

Bind off YEL leaving long tail for sewing.

Weave in all ends except GOLD and YEL. Block if desired.

Lay on flat surface, WS up. Bend wire into a partial circle that extends around edge of wings along feathers, leaving the un-feathered section free. Sew wire in place around YEL and GOLD attachment line using YEL tail.

Fold wing in half with ends of feathered sections together, un-wired section at one end, bending wire in half to accommodate the fold.

Tuck unfeathered section inward to create a flat side of the wing with two folded edges.

Repeat on other wing.

Wing Attachment

Mark rectangles on shoulders between Rnds 19 and 27 (where neck begins increasing into body), 2 sts wide and 9 sts long, in line with center of neck.  Repeat on other side of body so you can ensure they are exactly straight across from one another on either side of the neck.

Mark top and bottom of folded part of wing with pins on either side to create a matching 2 x 9 rectangle.

Position wing so that red section is on top and use pins on wing and body to sew wing to body in a rectangle, for best stability.

Feet

Loose Toes

(Make 4)

With GOLD, ch 2.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6)

Rnds 2-6: Sc evenly around. (6)

Bind off and weave in ends.

Last Toe and Foot

(Make 2, using 2 loose toes on each foot)

With GOLD, ch 2.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6)

Rnds 2-6: Sc evenly around. (6)

Rnd 7: 3 sc on first loose toe, 6 sc on second loose toe, 3 sc on unworked sts of first loose toe, 6 sc on starting toe. (18)

Stuff first three toes firmly.

Rnd 8: [sc, dec] 6 times. (12)

Rnd 9: 6 dec. (6)

Rnds 10-14: Sc evenly around. (6)

Stuff remainder of foot firmly. Bind off leaving long tail for sewing. Thread yarn through front loops of remaining 6 sts, pull tight to close. Thread tail through last toe and up through foot at Round 9. This tail will be used to attach foot to leg.

Legs

(Make 2)

With GOLD, ch 2.

Rnd 1: 8 sc in second ch from hook. (8)

Rnds 2-4: Sc evenly around. (8)

Bind off leaving long tail for sewing.

Using tail from Foot, sew closed end of leg to foot, centered over connecting point of three toes. Repeat with second Leg and Foot.

Stuff leg firmly.

Pin two 2 x 2 squares on the underside of the body where the legs will attach to the body. Legs should attach between rounds 42 and 44 on the body, on the side of the body closes to the head, close enough together for the toes to touch (about 5 sts apart).

Note: Legs need to be just behind the phoenix’s shoulders for him to stand up.

Using pins as guide, attach legs to body, toes facing forward. Weave in all attachment ends when parts are positioned as desired.

All finished? Share your artwork by posting a picture in the Gallery!!

Post comments and pictures on social media with the hashtag #hookedbykati, or tag me @hookedbykati. You can also post pictures on the Facebook Page, or in the Hooked by Kati Crochet Community Facebook Group.

You may sell products made by this pattern, but please link back to hookedbykati.com or credit Hooked by Kati on the craft fair tag. Do not copy this pattern for distribution or sale; that’s not nice and also illegal.

If you run into a snag, drop me a line! I respond quickly and will help any way I can to clarify any confusion or challenging stitches.

Find more free patterns like this at allfreecrochet.com.

Here’s a few more FREE crochet patterns you might like:

REGAL THE PEACOCK

GROOVY THE LLAMA

VINCENT THE DRAGON

WONDER THE BIRTHDAY DRAGON

HYGGE OWL

Yarn on, 

Kati