Squishy crochet owl materials

Since I’ve made my owl plushy-sized, with my 10 year old in mind, I’ve used an ultra soft polyester chenille. But I know these fluffy yarns aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, and he’ll look just as good in another fiber! This is definitely a great project for using up leftovers of any variegated or speckled yarn sitting in your stash though. Even in non-natural colors, they’re a pleasing nod to an owl’s natural camouflage.

To make your own squishy owl, you’ll need:

• Yarn for the body and ears. I used ⅔ of a ball (65g/85yds) of King Cole Yummy yarn* in the shade ‘licorice’. I’m thrilled with how the pattern on the yarn translated into the pattern on the owl – it was a real “squeeee” moment!
• Small quantities of contrasting yarn in a lighter weight for the eyes, nose and whiskers. I used Scheepjes Softfun* DK in ‘canary’ for the eyes, and in ‘clay’ for the beak.
• Crochet hooks to match your yarns. If the yarn wrapper gives a range of sizes, use the smallest recommended size. It’s also a good idea to go down a hook one size if your tension is generally on the loose side – it prevents the stuffing from peeping out between your stitches later.
• Safety eyes*. If you’re using bulky or super bulky yarn, use approximately ⅝” (16mm) eyes. Use ½” (12mm) eyes for an owl made with DK or worsted yarn, and ⅜” (10mm) eyes for yarn any lighter than that.
• Safety tested toy stuffing*.
• Stitch markers to keep track of your progress. Or some scraps of yarn – surely I can’t be the only one who can never find stitch markers when I need them!
• Scissors.
• A darning needle.

How big will your squishy owl be?

This depends on the exact yarn you use, the size of your hook, and how tight you crochet. But to give you an idea:

• Super bulky yarn (around 130 yds per 100g) makes an owl about 7” tall.
• Bulky yarns make an owl about 6” tall.
• Worsted weight yarn owls will be about 5” tall.
• DK yarns make an owl about 4” tall.

I haven’t made this body shape with a jumbo yarn yet, or with anything lighter than DK. If you do, let me know what yarn you use and how big your own turns out in the comments box down below!

Pattern notes

This pattern uses standard American crochet terms. The only ones you need to know are:

• Ch chain
• Sc single crochet
• Sl st slip stitch
• Inc increase (make 2 sc in the same place)
• Dec decrease

When you get to the base, I recommend using the invisible decrease technique:

• Insert your hook through the front loop only of the next stitch, then through the front loop only of the following stitch (3 loops on hook).
• Yarn over and draw through two loops (two loops remaining on hook).
• Yarn over and draw through both remaining loops.

If you’re brand new to crochet, look at Lucy’s guide to basic techniques before you start, and check out my photos of the invisible decrease technique in this squishy crochet cat pattern.

Now let’s begin!

Squishy crochet owl pattern

Cecil’s body is worked from the top down. It starts as a circle, and finishes with a relatively flat oval base, so that he stands up unsupported. The irises, beak and wings are made separately and sewn on. And finally the talons are embroidered on.

The body

Start with either a magic circle, or by making four chains and joining them with a slip stitch to form a loop – crocheter’s choice! I tend to use a magic circle for smooth yarns, but a four chain loop for fluffy yarns like the one I’m using here. Magic circles made from fluffy yarns can be hard to tighten.

• Make a magic circle, or ch 4 and sl st to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *3 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)
• Rounds 6 – 23: Sc all the way round
• 24th round: 3 dec, sc 8, 6 dec, 8 sc, 3 dec (28 sts)
• 25th round: 3 dec, sc 2, 6 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec (16 sts) Put a stitch marker into the loop on your hook, and cut your yarn leaving a 24 inch tail.

For a shorter squishy crochet owl, start decreasing from round 21, instead of round 24. This is an especially great option if you want your owl to look more like a chick!

The irises

Make two, using one of your contrasting yarns. Any shade of yellow or orange will look the part, but you could even choose black, for a squishy crochet barn owl.

• Make a magic circle or ch 4 and sl st to join. Don’t worry about pulling the center completely closed.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the circle or loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• Sl st once into the next stitch, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the sl st.

The beak

Most owls’ beaks are black or yellow. I’m using a bit of artistic license and making mine in orange. Working in rows not rounds this time:

• Foundation chain: Ch 2
• 1st row: In the 2nd ch from the hook, inc (2 sts).
• 2nd row: 2 inc (4 sts).
• 3rd and 4th rows: Sc 4 (4 sts)
• Pull the yarn all the way through the final stitch – there’s no need to tie it off.

NOTE: There are no turning chains at the start of each row.

The wings

In the same yarn you used for the body, and working in rounds again:

• Make a magic circle or ch 4 and sl st to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 5 into the circle or loop (5 sts)
• 2nd round: 5 inc (10 sts)
• 3rd round: *1 sc, 1 inc* 5 times (15 sts)
• Rounds 4 – 9: Sc all the way round
• 10th round: *1 sc, 1 dec* 5 times (10 sts)
• Sl st once into the next stitch, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the sl st.

Make two.

I’ve got to tell you, this crochet zebra is probably one of the most complicated patterns I’ve ever created. But, stay with me, it won’t be nearly so tricky for you to follow along with as it was for me to design! I’ll explain.

My free crochet zebra pattern has a unique twist. The stripes aren’t made with color changes, aside from the muzzle, they are all crocheted strips that are hand sewn onto the toy. This technique was a bit of a departure from the amigurumi norm for me, but it enabled me to produce markings that actually look like a real zebra. I didn’t want toy zebra stripes, I wanted the twists and angles of the real gorgeous creature. And I think I got pretty close.

I’ve taken detailed photos of my design process from start to finishing touches for you to follow along with, just remember to have a bunch of pins handy as well as your usual crochet kit!

• What you’ll need
• Free crochet zebra pattern

I created this toy as a gift for a family friend, who adored my daughter’s horse and son’s donkey from my previous designs.

What I Used

• 50g Sirdar Country Classic DK* black yarn
• 100g Happy Place DK almond yarn
• 3.5mm crochet hook
• 2.5mm crochet hook
• 16mm safety eyes*
• Tapestry needle
• Toy safe stuffing*
• Stitch markers
• Pins

I’ve shared the yarns I used, but you should be able to swap out of DK weight cotton blend black and white yarns and get a very similar effect.

Techniques and Terms

• sc – single crochet
• 2sc – two single crochets into the same stitch
• sc2tog – use one single crochet to join two stitches together
• slst – slip stitch
• sk – skip the next stitch
• ch – chain
• cc – color change
• surface crochet
• BLO – back loop only

The Crochet Zebra Pattern

You are going to crochet your zebra broadly speaking in three sections. There will be crocheting the body parts, crocheting the stripes, and sewing the stripes on and toy together. I’ll walk you through each bit, and if you have any questions drop them in the comments section below.

Crochet Zebra’s Head

You are going to begin the zebra’s head with the muzzle, starting off with the black yarn and 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4 – 5

1sc x 24 (24)

Round 6

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 7 – 9

1sc x 32

Round 10

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 11

1sc x 24

Round 12

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 13 – 15

1sc x 32

cc almond

Round 16 – 17

1sc x 32

Round 18

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 19 – 20

1sc x 40

Round 21

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 22 – 24

1sc x 48

Round 25

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 26 – 28

1sc x 56

Round 29

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 30

1sc x 48

Round 31

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 32

1sc x 40

Round 33

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 34

1sc x 32

Insert your safety eyes into the face. I aim to have them about round 24, and approximately 20 stitches apart. You can tie the eyes together to draw them into the face if you’d like. I also recommend stuffing the muzzle at this point.

Round 35

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 36

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Fill the rest of the head with toy stuffing.

Round 37

sc2tog to close, then tie off.

Adding the head stripes

Your head is going to have stripes made up of looped chains, that you’re going to sew onto the head. So you’ll make each chain length, slip stitch into the first stitch to join as a circle, place with pins and then sew them on.

You’ll need chains that are 12, 60, 40, 30 and 35 stitches in length. The chain 12 is the only one you won’t loop, it just goes straight up the head from muzzle to hairline.

Place them as shown in the pictures.

Zebra Ears

Create the ears in your almond yarn with the 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2 – 3

1sc x 6

Round 4

2sc x 6 (12)

Round 5 – 7

1sc x 12

Round 8

(1sc, 2sc) x 6 (18)

Round 9 – 14

1sc x 18

Round 15

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 6 (24)

Round 16 – 19

1sc x 24

Round 20

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 6 (30)

Round 21

1sc x 30

Edging the ears

To give black definition to your ears, you are going to first fold them into shape. I do this by sewing the ear flat and joining the two bottom corners together in the center.

Now swap to your black yarn and grab your 2.5mm crochet hook. Starting at the head level, holding the ear flat as you want it, make single crochets around the circumference of the shape.

You can now sew your ears onto the top of the head, leaving a stitch wide gap at the top between them. Sew with your almond yarn, and using a tapestry needle for this finer work.

Crocheting the Body

Crochet your zebra’s body in almond yarn with the 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 5 – 16

1sc x 32

Round 17

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 18 – 19

1sc x 40

Round 20

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 21 – 24

1sc x 48

Round 25

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 26 – 42

1sc x 56

Round 43

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 44

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 45

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 46

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 47

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Fill with toy safe stuffing.

Round 48

sc2tog to close

Body stripes

Your body stripes will be created in the same way as the face stripes, but the placement is less fiddly. You’re going to make seven looped chains of 75.

Sew them onto the body, leaving naturally increasing white space at the center. This will be lined up with the face later on.

Zebra’s Arms

Begin your arms in black yarn, and using your 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 5

BLO (1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 6

1sc x 24

Round 7

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Round 8

1sc x 16

cc almond

Round 9

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 10 – 32

1sc x 24

Round 33

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Fill with toy stuffing.

Round 34

sc2tog to close

The arm stripes

Crochet your arm stripes as chains of 120 stitches for each arm. You will then need to hand sew the stripes in opposite directions on each limb.

Crochet Zebra’s Legs

Follow the arm pattern to create your legs, but you’re going to do the stripes a little differently.

Stripes for the legs

Your leg stripes are going to be sewn as two long chains, one for each arm. Ch81, sk, 1sc x 80, then sew this thicker stripe on as symmetrical spirals, rotating in opposite directions to each other.

The Tail

Work in your almond yarn with your 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3 – 15

1sc x 16

Fill with toy stuffing, and sew onto the back end of your body section.

Tail fluff

I created the furry end of the tail using a long strand of black yarn and a tapestry needle. I sewed in and out from the magic circle, working through each stitch for three rounds but leaving a long loop at each stitch.

Crocheting the Mane

You are going to sew the mane in the same way. Weaving in and out with your needle and black yarn, leaving large loops of yarn hanging from each stitch.

Zebra mane’s work directly down the back of the head, so don’t make a very wide line, just one or two loops at the level of each round will be fine.

Sewing the Amigurumi Zebra Together

Now you’ve got all your pieces, you can lay them together on the floor in front of you and have a good think about how you want your zebra to look. I have a clear idea in my head of posture, and you can just copy what I did with mine.

I like this style of toy to pose like a traditional teddy bear, with arms hanging down and legs level to allow it to sit. Try to align the shoulders with the expansion between the neck and body shapes.

For this toy, it’s important to make sure that your spirals of stripes on the arms and legs sit in a way that looks symmetrical too.

If you’re not very confident with sewing, pin around the edges of the limbs first before sewing so you don’t lose your place.

And if you have any questions about any of this, give me a shout in the comments section below.

You know that situation where you design a toy horse for your daughter, so you then have to immediately make a crochet donkey for your son? No? Just me? Well, you get a new pattern out of it, so I won’t complain!

My free crochet donkey pattern is an intermediate level design, but laid out in simple, straight forward steps. You can absolutely give it a go as an amigurumi beginner, just be prepared for a bit of a learning curve.

If you prefer your patterns in PDF form and advert free, this pattern is also available to download from our shop here:

This design will use a range of skills, including surface crochet, hand sewing, and fairly heft dollop of patience too. But don’t let that put you off, I can confirm he’s well worth the effort if my son’s reaction was anything to go by!

• What you’ll need
• Terms and techniques
• The free crochet donkey pattern

This donkey is called Sausage Roll, because that’s what my four year old has named him… I can only apologise. The eleven year old called her horse Jeremy, so hopefully that’s some consolation. Since making this pattern I’ve also turned it into an awesome zebra, which has yet to be named!

Your Equipment List

Here’s what you’ll need to crochet your own donkey pal:

• 3.5mm crochet hook
• 2.5mm crochet hook (for surface crocheting)
• 100g gray DK yarn
• 50g cream DK yarn
• 50g brown DK yarn
• 16mm safety eyes*
• Tapestry needle*
• Toy safe stuffing*
• Stitch markers

I highly recommend you use the yarn I did for this pattern, as I found it great to work with and had a super finish. It’s Hobbii’s DK cotton silk range. You’ll see on the packaging it advises a bigger hook size, but go with the 3.5mm for this pattern.

Techniques and Tips

I’ll use abbreviations in the pattern instructions, so if you come across any you don’t recognise just flick up here and check out the information and links for clarification.

• sc – single crochet
• 2sc – two single crochets into one stitch
• sc2tog – join two stitches together with one single crochet
• cc – color change
• BLO – crochet into the back loop only
• ch – chain
• turn – rotate the piece 180 degrees
• slst – slip stitch

My Free Crochet Donkey Pattern

You are going to create your crochet donkey in sections, which will be hand sewn together as you go along.

Amigurumi Donkey’s Head

We’ll start with the muzzle, working in your cream yarn with the 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4 – 5

1sc x 24 (24)

Round 6

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 7 – 9

1sc x 32

Round 10

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 11

1sc x 24

Round 12

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 13 – 15

1sc x 32

cc gray

Round 16 – 17

1sc x 32

Round 18

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 19 – 20

1sc x 40

Round 21

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 22 – 24

1sc x 48

Round 25

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 26 – 28

1sc x 56

Round 29

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 30

1sc x 48

Round 31

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 32

1sc x 40

Round 33

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 34

1sc x 32

Insert the safety eyes at round 22 level, approximately a third of the way around the head apart. If you like, you can tie the backs together with a piece of yarn to inset them slightly into the head.

Round

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Round

sc2tog to close, the tie off and hide the yarn tail within the head.

Crochet Donkey’s Ears

Your crochet donkey’s outer ears will be started in the brown yarn, and worked with your 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2 -3

1sc x 6

Round 4

2sc x 6 (12)

cc gray

Round 5 – 7

1sc x 12

Round 8

(1sc, 2sc) x 6 (18)

Round 9 – 14

1sc x 18

Round 15

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 6 (24)

Round 16 – 19

1sc x 24

Round 20

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 6 (30)

Round 21

1sc x 30

Slst, and tie off, leaving a long tail of yarn which you’ll use to sew the ear into shape then onto the head a little later.

The inner ears

Use your cream yarn and 3.5mm crochet hook.

I worked around a starting chain to get this effect.

Ch9, sk, 1sc x 7, 3sc, 1sc x 7, 3sc, 1sc x 8, 3sc, 1sc x 9, 3sc, 1sc x 10, 3sc, 1sc x 11.

Sewing your crochet donkey’s ears

First you are going to construct the ear sections, then you’ll sew them onto the top of your donkey’s head.

Lay your gray section, flattened, on a desk. Place the cream section lined up with the bottom of the ear, in the center. Using a length of cream yarn and your needle, weave around the edge of the cream inner ear to attach it.

Now fold the gray sections bottom corners to meet in the middle, over the cream section, securing it firmly.

Holding the pointed end upright, now sew them to the top of your donkey’s head. The ears should sit in line with the position of the eyes.

Edging the donkey’s ears

You are now going to give definition to the ears by working a series of single crochets into the surface of the stitches around the perimeter of the ears. Use your 2.5mm crochet hook to make working into these smaller gaps a little easier.

Highlighting the Eyes

Take your cream yarn and needle, and sew four big stitches around the edges of each safety eye, giving the impression of cream eyeliner. Go around the circumference twice, and hide the tail inside the head.

Crocheting the Nostrils

Your nostrils will be sewn in the brown yarn, work across three stitches in length from around the fourth to seventh round, in straight lines. Just to give a hint of the nose.

Crochet Donkey’s Body

This section will be made entirely in gray yarn, with the 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 5 – 16

1sc x 32

Round 17

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 18 – 19

1sc x 40

Round 20

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 21 – 24

1sc x 48

Round 25

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 26 – 42

1sc x 56

Round 43

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 44

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 45

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 46

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 47

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Fill with toy safe stuffing.

Round 48

sc2tog to close, tie off and hide the end of the yarn within the body.

Sewing the Head to the Body

I like to position my crochet toys so that their chins are sloping downwards, but you can go with whatever you think looks best. Position the head to your satisfaction, then holding it in place with your non-dominant hand, use your dominant hand to weave in and out between the head and body securing each stitch together.

Crocheting the Patch

You are now going to crochet a cream patch for your donkey’s tummy. You’ll work back and forth around a chain.

Round 1

Ch13, sk, 1sc x 11, 3sc, 1sc x 12

Turn

Round 2

Ch1, 1sc x 12, 3sc, 1sc x 13

Turn

Round 3

Ch1, 1sc x 13, 3sc, 1sc x 14

Turn

Round 4

Ch1, 1sc x 14, 3sc, 1sc x 15

Turn

Round 5

Ch1, 1sc x 15, 3sc, 1sc x 16

Now hand sew the patch so that the flat ends sits on the floor at the same level as your donkey’s body section.

The Donkey’s Mane

Donkeys have a short, bristle brush like mane that comes from their forehead to the back of the neck. Cut a long strand of your brown yarn and thread the tapestry needle. Now sew back and forth along the line you want the hair to fall, leaving each stitch as a loose loop.

Snip along each loop and tie them together to get that full donkey hair impact.

Crocheting the Legs

Begin the legs at the hooves, using your 3.5mm crochet hook and cream yarn.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 5

BLO (1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 6

1sc x 24

Round 7

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Round 8

1sc x 16

cc gray

Round 9

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 10 – 32

1sc x 24

Round 33

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Stuff up to round 26, leave the rest empty.

Round

sc2tog to close

Edging the hooves

You are now going to single surface crochet using the 2.5mm hook and brown yarn, around the back loop only section of each hoof to define it. At the end of the circle, hide the yarn tails inside the foot.

Attaching the Legs

Sew your legs on around the edge of the empty section of each limb. Arms should sit about round 16, legs should sit either side of the base of the body section.

Crochet the Tail

Your donkey’s short tail section will be worked in gray yarn with the 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3 – 15

1sc x 16

Slst and tie off, leave a long tail for sewing. Fill to the top, then place against your donkey at the back, and sew it tightly in place.

The tail fur

Sew your donkey a lovely fluffy tail end using your needle and brown yarn. This time begin your loops of yarn at the center of the tail’s magic circle, then work around each stitch until you are about a third of the way down the tail. Tie off and hide the loose end inside the gray section.

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.

Your Kit List

• 3.5mm crochet hook
• 100g brown DK yarn
• 50g cream DK yarn
• 16mm safety eyes*
• 2mm crochet hook (optional)
• Tapestry needle*
• Toy safe stuffing*

I used hobbii’s friends cotton silk yarn for this pattern, but any DK weight yarn will work just fine. Make sure to check the recommended hook size on the packaging if you use a different brand, and you’ll usually need to size down at least .5mm from that to get nice tight stitches.

You’ll want to have the smaller size yarn needle to pull the loose ends of the mane into the body to hide them, or to leave a long train at the end of your yarn to attach the needle and do the same.

Techniques

• sc – single crochet
• 2sc – two single crochets into one stitch
• sc2tog – join two stitches together with one single crochet
• cc – color change
• BLO – crochet into the back loop only
• ch – chain
• slst – slip stitch

Challenges

This crocheted cart horse is definitely beginner friendly, but it is not my quickest project. I found the body and head work up fairly fast, but the hair is made of a series of long, looped chains and they took a little time for me to work up in the bulk numbers I needed to get the look just right. That said, there is something very relaxing about a repeating pattern, so if you are anything like me, that bit of extra time will fly past nicely.

The Free Crochet Horse Pattern

You’re going to construct your crochet cart horse in sections, and sew them together as you go along.

The head

Begin in your cream yarn, using your 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4 – 5

1sc x 24

Round 6

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 7 – 9

1sc x 32

Round 10

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

cc brown

Round 11

1sc x 24

Round 12

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 13 – 18

1sc x 32

Round 19

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 20 – 22

1sc x 40

Round 23

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 24 – 26

1sc x 48

Round 27

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 28 – 30

1sc x 56

Round 31

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 32

1sc x 48

Round 33

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 34

1sc x 40

Round 35

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Stuff your head so far.

Round 36

1sc x 32

Insert safety eyes, place them approximately at the level of round 30 and about a third of the circumference of the head apart. To give definition to the cheeks, I use a strand of yarn to tie the backs of the safety eyes together more tightly than they would naturally sit.

Round 37

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Finish filling with toy stuffing.

Round 38

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Round 39

sc2tog to close, and hide the yarn tail within the head.

The outer ears

Your crochet horse’s outer ears will be in brown yarn, worked with your 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2 -3

1sc x 6

Round 4

2sc x 6 (12)

Round 5 – 9

1sc x 12

Round 10

(1sc, 2sc) x 6 (18)

Round 11 – 14

1sc x 18

Round 15

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 6 (24)

Round 16 – 17

1sc x 24

Round 18

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 6 (30)

Round 19

1sc x 30

Slst, and tie off, leaving a long tail of yarn which you’ll use to sew the ear into shape then onto the head a little later.

The inner ear panel

Use your cream yarn and 3.5mm crochet hook.

I worked back and forth around a starting chain to get this effect.

Ch 8, 1sc x 6, 3sc, 1sc x 6

Turn

Ch1, 1sc x 6, 3sc, 1sc x 7, slst.

Sewing your crochet horse’s ears

First you are going to construct the ear sections, then you’ll sew them onto the top of your horse’s head.

Lay your brown section, flattened, on a desk. Place the cream section lined up with the bottom of the ear, in the center. Using a length of cream yarn and your needle, weave around the edge of the cream inner ear to attach it.

Now fold the brown sections bottom corners to meet in the middle, over the cream section, securing it firmly.

Holding the pointed end upright, now sew them to the top of your horse’s head. The ears should sit in line with the position of the eyes.

Your horse’s body

This section will be made entirely in brown yarn, with the 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 5 – 16

1sc x 32

Round 17

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 18 – 19

1sc x 40

Round 20

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 21 – 24

1sc x 48

Round 25

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 26 – 42

1sc x 56

Round 43

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 44

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 45

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 46

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 47

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Fill with toy safe stuffing.

Round 48

sc2tog to close, tie off and hide the end of the yarn within the body.

Sewing the horse’s head to the body

I like to position my crochet toys so that their chins are sloping downwards, but you can go with whatever you think looks best. Position the head to your satisfaction, then holding it in place with your non-dominant hand, use your dominant hand to weave in and out between the head and body securing each stitch together.

Crocheting the mane

Your horse’s mane is going to be made up of chains, using the cream yarn.

Ch21, slst into 1st loop

*ch21, slst into 2nd loop of that chain
*repeat for as long as you want your horse’s mane to reach down the back!

Attach the chains with your yarn needle, sewing them directly onto the location you’d like them to sit. Remember horse’s manes run in a line down the neck, not spread out.

Amigurumi horse legs

Begin the legs at the hooves, using your 3.5mm crochet hook and cream yarn.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 5

BLO (1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 6

1sc x 24

Round 7

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Round 8

1sc x 16

cc brown

Round 9

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 10 – 32

1sc x 24

Round 33

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Stuff up to round 26, leave the rest empty.

Round

sc2tog to close

Attaching the legs

Sew your legs on around the edge of the empty section of each limb. Arms should sit about round 16, legs should sit either side of the base of the body section.

Crocheting the hoof feathering

To give the effect of feathering around your amigurumi horse’s hooves, create a series of looped chains in the same manner that you did for the mane. However, for this section you’ll need loops that are eight chains long, with a one chain gap between, and each leg will need 9 chain loops to fit around the foot.

Use a tapestry needle to sew the chain loops around each hoof as though they were tiny bracelets!

Crochet the horse’s tail

Your horse’s short tail section will be worked in brown yarn with the 3.5mm crochet hook.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3 – 15

1sc x 16

Slst and tie off, leave a long tail for sewing. Fill to the top, then place against your horse at the back, and sew it tightly in place.

The tail fur

Your horse’s tail is going to be made in the same way as the mane and hoof hair, using long looped chains in cream yarn. I sewed these onto the tail stub winding around in the same style as the rounds were crocheted. Vary the chain loop lengths between 20 and 30 stitches each.

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.