If you’ve ever wondered how crocheted stuffed animals get those perfectly shiny, expressive faces… the secret is safety eyes and noses!
This post contains Amazon affiliate links for products I personally buy and use often.
While you can absolutely embroider facial features with yarn, I personally love using safety eyes and noses on many of my amigurumi projects. They instantly give your crochet creations a polished, professional look and they’re incredibly easy to attach. Once you start using them, you’ll see why they’re a favorite tool among amigurumi designers and crocheters alike.
Today I’m sharing the safety eyes and noses I personally use most often, along with tips on choosing the right size for your crochet projects.
Why I Love Using Safety Eyes and Noses
Ease of Use
One of the biggest reasons I use safety eyes and noses is how simple they are to attach.
Each eye or nose has a small post on the back that pushes through the crochet fabric. A plastic washer then snaps onto the post from the inside of your project, securing it firmly in place. No special skills are required, just push and snap! Compared to embroidery (which can take practice to get symmetrical), safety eyes make it quick and easy to create a perfectly placed face every time.
Security and Durability
When the washer is properly attached, safety eyes create a very strong closure that is difficult to remove without cutting it off. This makes them a durable option for stuffed toys that will be handled and played with frequently. Your crocheted creations will keep their expressive faces even after lots of love and play.
Professional and Realistic Appearance
Safety eyes have a smooth, glossy finish that gives amigurumi a clean, polished look. That shiny black surface reflects light beautifully and instantly adds personality to your crochet animals. It’s one of the easiest ways to make handmade toys look extra professional.
Versatility and Variety
Safety eyes and noses come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors, which makes them incredibly versatile for crochet projects.
Encourages Creativity
Because they’re so easy to use, safety eyes allow crafters of all skill levels to focus on the fun part — designing and creating adorable characters. Even kids who are learning to crochet can add safety eyes to their projects (with supervision), which makes finishing amigurumi extra exciting.
My Favorite Safety Eyes and Noses
Here are the ones I personally purchase and use most often in my crochet patterns.
Small to Medium Safety Eyes (6mm–18mm)
>>> Shop 6mm–18mm Safety Eyes <<<
These are my go-to basic safety eyes.
They come in multiple sizes, making them perfect for small crochet projects like:
They’re a great starter set to have in your craft supplies.
Cartoon Safety Eyes
>>> Shop Cartoon Safety Eyes <<<
These fun cartoon-style eyes instantly give characters a silly or expressive personality.
I especially love using them for whimsical designs like chickens or other playful animals.
Check out my Baby Chicks for inspiration
Large Safety Eyes and Noses (12mm–30mm)
>>> Shop 12mm–30mm Large Safety Eyes/Noses <<<
When I’m crocheting with Bernat Blanket yarn, I almost always reach for larger safety eyes.
Super bulky yarn needs larger features to look proportional, and these sizes are perfect.
I use these frequently for projects like: Quackers, Waddles, Puddles, and Chilly the Penguin.
Pink and Red Safety Noses
>>> Shop Pink/Red Safety Noses <<<
Safety noses are another great way to finish off an amigurumi face.
They’re much quicker than stitching a nose, and they add a cute pop of color to your crochet animals.
These are especially adorable on:
Buy Your Favorite Size in Bulk
If you’re making lots of crochet animals, buying your most-used size in bulk is a great option.
I tend to purchase 12mm and 14mm eyes most often, especially when working on larger batches of amigurumi.
For example, these sizes worked perfectly for many of the projects in my books:
Colored and Glitter Safety Eyes
In addition to classic black safety eyes, you’ll also find colored and glitter safety eyes available in many craft stores and online. I’ve tried both styles and occasionally use them for certain projects, but I personally tend to reach for the classic black eyes most often.
Glitter Safety Eyes
Glitter safety eyes have a sparkly finish that can add a fun, whimsical look to your crochet animals. They’re especially cute for fantasy creatures, dolls, or colorful amigurumi characters.
>>> Shop Glitter Safety Eyes <<<
Colored Safety Eyes
Colored safety eyes come in a variety of shades like blue, green, brown, and even bright colors like pink and purple. These can be great when you want your amigurumi to have a more realistic eye color or a playful character style.
>>> Shop Colored Safety Eyes <<<
My Personal Preference
While colored and glitter eyes can be fun, I usually stick with classic black safety eyes for most of my designs. The simple black shine gives crochet animals a clean, timeless look that works with almost any project. They also photograph beautifully and help keep the focus on the shape and personality of the amigurumi.
That said, it’s always fun to experiment with different styles depending on the character you’re creating!
Safety eyes come with two parts: the eye itself, which has a ridged post on the back, and a small plastic washer (or backing). To attach them, simply push the post of the eye through the crochet fabric from the outside of your project. Then, from the inside, slide the washer onto the post and press firmly until it snaps into place along the ridges. This creates a tight lock that holds the eye securely in place. Because the washer is very difficult to remove once attached, be sure you are happy with the placement before snapping it on. I’ll be sharing a separate tutorial with step-by-step photos soon to show this process in more detail.
Although they are called “safety eyes,” they are not recommended for toys intended for babies, toddlers, or pets. Because they are small parts, they can become a choking hazard for children under 3 years old if removed. For baby toys, the safest alternative is to embroider the eyes with yarn using a tapestry needle, which creates a soft and fully secure option.
Safety eyes and noses are one of my favorite ways to bring crocheted characters to life. With so many sizes and styles available, you can easily find the perfect match for every amigurumi project.
If you’re just getting started with amigurumi, I highly recommend adding a set of safety eyes to your crochet toolkit!
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This is a fantastic guide for amigurumi beginners! I love your books and these links make it so much easier to find the right supplies. Thanks for all the inspiration!
Excellent, explained very well.
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Great tips on choosing safety eyes and noses for amigurumi! The guide makes it easy to understand sizes and styles that give crochet toys a polished, expressive look. Also interesting to read while following updates from Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
This is such a helpful guide! Safety eyes and noses really make amigurumi characters look more expressive and professional. I love how you explained the different sizes and when to use them for various crochet projects.
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Such a simple upgrade, but it really does make the difference between homemade and truly polished amigurumi.
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The 6mm to 18mm safety eyes are perfect for small projects like bunny keychains. I love how they add a polished look with just a push and snap. It’s like magic! I was reading this on the subway, thinking how much easier it makes crafting for beginners. Wow!
Nice article. By the way, finding the right size for safety eyes can be tricky when working with different yarn weights. I usually stick to classic black rounds, but seeing the variety of colored eyes and animal noses here makes me want to experiment more with my plushie designs. If you also enjoy exploring creative design ideas, marble 3d ai is an interesting site to check out. Do you find that certain backings are easier to snap on than others? Some are so stiff they actually hurt my fingers to install.
This article explains how safety eyes and noses can give amigurumi a professional look. I agree that they really do make a big difference, especially compared to embroidery. It’s encouraging to know they’re easy to attach, even for beginners.