[Free Pattern] Ice Cream Sandwich Amigurumi・钩针新加坡冰淇淋三明治

Next Saturday, Singapore turns 60. To commemorate our 60th National Day this year, I made a crochet ice cream sandwich (pattern below). Or the ice cream roti as we sometimes call it in our lingo, borrowing from the Hindi-derived word "roti", which means "bread". A beloved street snack of Singaporeans since the 1970s, the iconic Singapore ice cream sandwich, along with its wafer sibling, holds a nostalgic place in our childhood memories as a favourite after-school snack.

As kids, we'd hear the tinkle of the bell of the ice cream uncle's push-cart, try to get there quickly to beat the queue, and we'd ponder which flavour to pick this time while waiting in line. The range of available flavours would usually include chocolate, vanilla, mint, raspberry ripple, red bean, durian, sweet corn and yam, to name some. We'd watch the ice cream uncle hand-cut a slice of the potong ice cream with his sturdy knife, remove the package around it, and place it on a slice of bread (today, rainbow bread) or between two thin wafer biscuits before handing it over with a small plastic bag.

Ice cream sandwich amigurumi, sweet corn flavour

My favourite back then was raspberry ripple, and I usually preferred it with the wafer instead of the bread. After getting my ice cream sandwich, I would quickly lick the sides to get to the colder centre, then slow down and savour my treat a little more leisurely.

These traditional push-carts and the Ice Cream Uncles are now an increasingly rare sight in Singapore. Like it is with many things we grew up with, in the relentless march of time, constant renewal and urbanisation here. (And in more recent times, rising costs and rental prices.) Also, the licenses are now restricted to holder and location, so we rarely, if ever, have these ice cream push-carts near schools now. Is it the nostalgia that gives our ice cream sandwich an extra oomph? Well, it is popular among locals and foreigners here and abroad because it IS yummy and hits the (hot) spot. Perfect for hot humid afternoons too.

Ice cream wafer, ube yam flavour. The crochet wafer was made using the Tunisian crochet lattice stitch.

A beginner-friendly crochet pattern, this ice cream sandwich amigurumi is a little easier to make than the curry puff amigurumi I made for National Day 2022, as it doesn't involve the reverse shell stitch. But it does require a bit more time to make, and consists of 2 components that require assembling, namely the potong ice cream and the bread slice.

For my own version (also my prototype), there were 2 things that I did differently from standard crochet. First, I used the yarn-under method as an alternative to the regular yarn-over method. But using the regular yarn-over method will not materially affect the result. It's really a matter of subjective preference. With the yarn-under method, the stitches look like an 'x' rather than a 'v' and are a little bit tighter. Otherwise there is no significant difference.

Ice cream sandwich amigurumi: potong ice cream on bread slice

The second is that for the even rows, instead of the standard method of turning the work and crocheting the next row, I worked the row in mirror, kind of like working the even rows in left-handed crochet: see this mirror sc video tutorial by Play Hooky With Me. Instead of turning the work, I insert the hook from the back towards me, and continue crocheting.

With this methods, the stitches on the front side look as they would when working in the round. It does, however, require some getting used to. And it's pretty uncomfortable to crochet this way with my right hand. Using the standard method will not materially change the result, only the appearance of the stitches on the front and back of the work.

The difference in (left) working the odd rows in regular single crochet and the even rows in mirror single crochet, and (right) working all rows in the regular crochet method. (The piece on the right is bigger because I used a larger hook size and thicker yarn.)

SINGAPORE ICE CREAM SANDWICH AMIGURUMI PATTERN

Materials & Tools:

• Yarn in rainbow or soft white for the bread crumb, tan or camel brown for the bread crust, and whatever colour you want your ice cream to be
• 2.5mm crochet hook
• Stuffing — poly fibrefill or sponge; if using poly fibrefill, cardboard or stiff plastic sheet
• Stitch markers
• Scissors
• Yarn needle
• Safety eyes, embroidery thread (optional)

I used Xuefei'er Meng Wawa (雪妃尔萌娃娃) milk cotton yarn No.113 (rainbow) and No.30 (camel) for the bread slice, No.10 (light yellow) and No.15 (purple). For the stuffing, I used sponge so that the amigurumi would maintain a more structured shape.

Abbreviations (US Terms):

R : round or row (as the case may be)
MR : magic ring
ch : chain
t-ch : turning chain
st(s) : stitch(es)
sc : single crochet
sc2tog : single crochet 2 stitches together
inc : increase
BLO : back loops only
(...) : a sequence or set of stitches
[...] : total number of sts in round/row

Finished Size:

Ice Cream Sandwich: approx. 10 cm × 8 cm × 5.5 cm
Potong Ice Cream: approx. 9.5 cm × 6.5 cm × 2.3 cm
Bread Slice: approx. 14 cm × 10 cm × 1.5 cm
(The finished size will depend on the yarn weight, hook size and crochet tension.)

Pattern Notes:

• Feel free to include safety eyes or to add cute expressions or kaomoji on the amigurumi with embroidery thread.

POTONG ICE CREAM

Pick the colour that represents the ice cream flavour of choice. For my version, I used light yellow for sweet corn and light purple for yam (we also call it ube yam here). I would've liked to make a raspberry ripple one but I haven't had the time to try recreating it.

BODY (TOP)
Using the yarn for the ice cream, work in rows,
R1. Ch 23, starting in the 2nd ch from hook, work into the back bumps of the ch, 22 sc. [22]
R2-15 (14 rows). Ch 1 and turn, 22 sc. [22]
Next, work in rounds,
R16. Ch 1 and turn, work around the sides of the panel: 22 sc, inc in the corner, 12 sc in the t-chs along the side, inc in the corner, 22 sc, inc in the corner, 12 sc in the t-chs along the other side, inc in the corner. [76]
R17. BLO 76 sc. [76]
R18-21 (4 rounds). 76 sc. [76]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.

To make the Potong Ice Cream thicker or thinner, simply add or reduce rounds after R17. But I would not recommend making it too thick, as it will be more difficult to sandwich it with the Bread Slice.

BASE
Repeat R1 to R16 of the Body.
Fasten off and cut yarn.

TO COMPLETE THE ICE CREAM

1. If using safety eyes on the Potong Ice Cream, insert them before joining the Body and Base. Insert them on the side of the Ice Cream, e.g. somewhere between R18 to R20 of the Body.

2. Insert the stuffing into the Body. For a more structured appearance, stuff using sponge that has been cut to size matching the Body. If using cardboard or stiff plastic, cut them to fit the sides, top, bottom and sides of the Ice Cream, and line the Body before stuffing.

3. Match up the Body and Base. Pin to hold in place if needed.

4. Using the yarn tail, join the 2 pieces together by whip stitching through the back loops of the Base and both loops of the Body. (Or if too bulky, through the back loops of the Base and front loops of the Body.)

5. At the end, secure and cut yarn. Hide the end inside the work.

With some changes, the ice cream sandwich amigurumi can be made into a small pouch instead, but at the moment, I have not noted down a complete pattern for the pouch version. The main modification would be to crochet R1 to R19 of the Potong Ice Cream Body, and make a 2nd piece of the same, then join them both together, leaving a gap at the top as the opening for the pouch. Then sew on a zipper at the opening. For the sides to hold up on their own, you can line it on the inside with plastic canvas (aka vinyl weave) and line the inside with a nice fabric. An alternative method with a softer finish would be to use interfacing with the lining fabric instead of plastic canvas.

BREAD SLICE

BODY (OUTER)
Using the yarn for the crumb, work in rows,
R1. Ch 24, starting in the 2nd ch from hook, work into the back bumps of the ch, 23 sc. [23]
R2-31 (30 rows). Ch 1 and turn, 23 sc. [23]
R32. Ch 1 and turn, sc2tog, 19 sc, sc2tog. [21]
R33. Ch 1 and turn, sc2tog, 17 sc, sc2tog. [19]
R34. Ch 1 and turn, sc2tog, 15 sc, sc2tog. [17]
R35. Ch 1 and turn, sc2tog, 13 sc, sc2tog. [15]
Next, using the yarn for the crust, crochet round the sides of the work,
R36. Ch 1, 1 sc, 2 inc, 31 sc in the t-chs, inc in the corner st, 21 sc (R1 foundation ch), inc in the corner st, 31 sc in the t-chs, 2 inc, 16 sc. [112]
R37. BLO 112 sc. [112]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.

BASE (INNER)
Repeat R1 to R37 of the Body.
Fasten off and cut yarn.

For my own version, instead of crocheting R36 in yarn for the crust, I first yarned over and brought up the loop in yarn for the crumb, then yarned over and completed the stitch with yarn for the crust, for every stitch in R36. Then R37 is worked in the yarn for the crust. Switching between the yarns makes it a little troublesome to handle, but the result looks like this:

The thin crust of my rainbow bread slice.

TO COMPLETE THE BREAD SLICE

1. If using safety eyes on the Bread Slice, insert them before joining the Body and Base. If preferred, the safety eyes can be added to side of the Potong Ice Cream instead (as explained above).

2. Match up the Body and Base. Pin to hold in place if needed.

3. With the yarn tail (crust), whip stitch through the both loops of the Base and the Body.

4. Before closing the work completely, insert stuffing.

5. At the end, secure and cut yarn. Hide the end inside the work.

ASSEMBLE THE ICE CREAM SANDWICH

1. Complete the Potong Ice Cream and Bread Slice according to their respective instructions above.

2. Place the Potong Ice Cream on the lower half of the Bread Slice. Fold the upper half of the Bread Slice over the other side of the Ice Cream. Pin to hold the pieces in place.

3. Using a length of yarn for the crumb, attach the Ice Cream to the Bread Slice by making stitches through both pieces at various intervals to secure them into place. Make sure the stitches are not visible.

4. At the end, secure and cut yarn. Hide the ends inside the work.

The Singapore ice cream sandwich is best enjoyed at once. Wrap it in greaseproof paper or plastic and tuck right in! But if you want to pretty it up, by all means, have it on a plate.

As for me, I'm tempted to go out and get the real thing!

Ice cream sandwich amigurumi, sweet corn flavour

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you had fun reading this and making this amigurumi. If you made this Singapore Ice Cream Sandwich amigurumi, I would love to see what you did. So do share a picture of it by tagging me on Instagram @yotsuba_blythes.

While I'm happy to share my pattern without charge and would be delighted to see it being used, please note that my pattern is for personal use only. Please respect my legal and moral rights as the author with respect to this pattern and all the images herein. This pattern and images are not for commercial use, sale or distribution. The sale of this pattern or any of the images is not permitted without my prior written consent. If you wish to share this pattern, please link to this post and my Instagram profile @yotsuba_blythes. You are welcome to sell limited quantities of the finished items you have made from this pattern. Thank you.