With this squirrel crochet pattern, you can create an adorable bushy-tailed squirrel that looks ready to scurry off into the wild! This 51 page pattern includes dozens of helpful photographs and detailed diagrams that will help beginners and more experienced crocheters alike, including a text-only version — perfect if you’d like to save ink when printing. When following this version, be sure to refer to the photos if you need a visual aid to help support the written pattern. 

A PDF file will be available to download upon completion of payment; you can start crocheting right away!

Use your favorite color yarn in any size. This squirrel will look cute in chunky or medium gauge yarn! In 4G yarn, your finished squirrel will be about the average size of a real squirrel — 7 inches tall, with an extra poofy tail that’s poseable with the addition of wire. Gauge is not crucial in this pattern, so long as the stitches are uniform and do not allow stuffing to be visible through the holes.

Squirrel Crochet Pattern Info

This squirrel crochet pattern is best for intermediate crocheters. There aren’t any super complicated techniques involved, but this pattern includes a few more involved amigurumi techniques, including crocheting limbs together as you go (rather than sewing them on). 

The pattern is only in English at this time, in US terminology. 

Depending on your tension and yarn size, the final size of the crochet squirrel is 7 inches tall. Gauge is not crucial in this pattern, so long as the stitches are uniform and do not allow stuffing to be visible through the holes.

I highly recommend adding wire to the tail, which allows it to be poseable. We’ll talk about wire in a bit.

The pattern spans 51 pages and contains plentiful images, with a few helpful diagrams when attaching the limbs. If you want to save ink when printing, it includes printer-friendly pages without images at the end. However, when following this version, be sure to refer to the photos if you need a visual aid to help support the written pattern!

Supplies for Making a Crochet Squirrel

🐿️ YARN: In any size and in any gauge. The featured squirrel in the images  is made with medium #4 yarn, though a few of my testers made adorable crochet squirrels in chunky #5 yarn. Larger yarn would create a larger squirrel, and smaller yarn would result in a smaller one. Size the crochet hook accordingly, of course! I typically purchase all my yarn at Hobby Lobby and Amazon. The colors I used for the three squirrels are as follows:

GREY SQUIRREL: I Love This Yarn River Ripple (Hobby Lobby / Amazon),

DARK BROWN SQUIRREL: I Love This Yarn Coffee (Hobby Lobby / Amazon)

LIGHT BROWN SQUIRREL/DARK BROWN ACCENT COLOR: I Love This Yarn Linen (Hobby Lobby / Amazon)

CHEST COLORS: Crafter’s Secret White (Hobby Lobby / Amazon)

🐿️ CROCHET HOOK: For medium #4 yarn, I scale down on the recommended hook size by quite a bit, and use either my F (3.75mm) or G (4.00mm) crochet hook. I’m currently using these inexpensive crochet hooks (Amazon); for more info, you can read all about my favorite crochet hooks in this post.

🐿️ TAPESTRY NEEDLE: Used for sewing the crochet dinosaur together and weaving in ends. My favorite ever were these Clover needles (Amazon)

🐿️ POLYFIL: I purchased this big ol’ 20 pound box of polyfil (Amazon) for a really great price, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never run out of stuffing again.

🐿️ SAFETY EYES: I used 12mm safety eyes for the squirrels in this pattern, but feel free to use any size! The safety eyes I used came in a variety pack, but as that variety pack is now currently unavailable, these seem to be a well-priced alternative (Amazon).

🐿️ SCISSORS

🐿️ WIRE: Optional, but I recommend it – the crochet squirrel’s tail easier to pose. While you could purchase 16-24g craft wire, I can’t recommend any specific type/brand because I typically use scrap electrical wire that my husband brings home from work! You could also cut up a metal clothes hanger, or twist a few pieces of pipe cleaner together. You’ll need about 24 inches, cut into two 12 inch pieces.

Abbreviations & Stitches

 You’ll need to know the following crochet stitches and terms. I use US terminology.

St – stitch

YO – yarn over

Rnd – round

Sc – single crochet

Inc – increase (2 sc in the same st)

Sc2tog – single crochet two stitches together (AKA decrease)

Ch – chain

Sl st – slip stitch

Hdc – half double crochet

Dc – double crochet

Ls – Loop stitch. A stitch that creates a loop in the back of your work. Depending on which method you use to make the tail, we may use this stitch to make fur. You can see how to make the loop stitch here, and how to use it in such a way to make fur here.

[] x_ – repeat the steps in the brackets the number of times after the x

Lastly, if the pattern says “sc 2”, it means that you have to crochet 1 sc in each of the next 2 st. This goes for any number and for any st type.

Purchase the Squirrel Crochet Pattern here!

Happy Crafting!

If you have any questions or run into any problems while making this pattern, don’t hesitate to contact me via my contact page, Instagram, Etsy or Facebook – I’ll be happy to help!

Save this pattern for later by pinning the image below!

We participe in the Amazon Affiliates Program, which allows us to earn fees by advertising products and linking to amazon.com. Don’t worry; you pay the same price when you purchase through affiliate links as you would if you went directly to Amazon! We simply receive a small percentage of the total purchase price. By shopping through our links, you are helping to support our blog. We promise to only share links that we would personally recommend to family and friends 🙂

When my younger sisters each requested a crochet dinosaur for Christmas, I thought I had that year’s gifts in the bag. Easy peasy! They’d be done in no time at all.

Looking at crochet dinosaur patterns a little while later, I was surprised how few there were similar to the style I wanted. Sure, there were an abundance of squat, cutesy green dinosaurs that would have been picturesque at the end of a baby’s crib, but I wanted something a little more realistic for my tween sisters; something that could be played with AND displayed on a desk. A dinosaur crochet pattern that was adorable and ferocious all in one. My sisters are big fans of the video game ARK (I rather like the game myself admittedly 😏), which is based off of Jurassic Park. Of course, their iconic dinosaur, the velociraptor, was uppermost in my thoughts.

I finally stumbled upon this pattern, which had the balance of cute and terrifying that I desired. It was perfect!

And so I set to work.

Guess who forgot to pay attention to the size?

🙃

The pattern is excellently written and the crochet dinosaur is even more adorable than pictured, but oh my goodness — it’s larger than my cat! 

Nope, I did not have those dinosaurs done by Christmas. My sisters were enthralled when they finally received them though!

Wanting to make similar dinosaurs in a fraction of the time, I invented this little dinosaur crochet pattern. These dinosaurs are no taller than a soda can!

Crochet Dinosaur Pattern Info

This dinosaur crochet pattern is best for intermediate to advanced crocheters. Not because there are any super complicated techniques involved – and even with somewhat more tricky stitches, there are plenty of images to help you along the way! – but mainly because there are a few times where we work in a very small round (4 stitches). 

The pattern is only in English at this time, in US terminology. 

The final size of the crochet dinosaur is 5 1/2 inches tall and 9 inches long, depending on your tension and yarn size – more on that in a minute. Gauge is not crucial in this pattern, so long as the stitches are uniform and do not allow stuffing to be visible through the holes. 

You can also add wire/pipe cleaner to make your crochet dinosaur more posable, which the pattern will walk you through. It’s totally optional, but it’s definitely a fun addition. We’ll talk about wire in a bit. 

The pattern spans 24 pages and contains plentiful images to help every step of the way. If you want to save ink when printing, it’s followed by 4 printer-friendly pages without images. However, when following this version, be sure to refer to the photos if you need a visual aid to help support the written pattern!

Supplies for Making a Crochet Dinosaur

🦖 YARN: in any size and in any gauge. The dinosaurs in all the images here (and in the pattern itself) are made with 4G/medium weight yarn, but feel free to use any yarn! Larger yarn would create a larger dinosaur, and smaller yarn would result in a smaller dinosaur. Size the crochet hook accordingly, of course! I typically purchase all my yarn at Hobby Lobby and Amazon. As for the yarn in these images, you can find the links to them here: grey yarn (Hobby Lobby), blue yarn (Hobby Lobby), and green yarn (Amazon).

🦖 CROCHET HOOK: For medium gauge 4G yarn, I scale down on the recommended hook size by quite a bit, and use either my F (3.75mm) or G (4.00mm) crochet hook. I’m currently using these inexpensive crochet hooks (Amazon); for more info, you can read all about my favorite crochet hooks in this post.

🦖 TAPESTRY NEEDLE: Used for sewing the crochet dinosaur together and weaving in ends. My favorite ever were these Clover needles (Amazon) (I was shocked when I discovered they made needles too!) until I misplaced them somewhere. Hopefully I can find them again someday and keep better track of them, because they were the best!

🦖 POLYFIL: I purchased this big ol’ 20 pound box of polyfil (Amazon) for a really great price, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never run out of stuffing again.

🦖 SCISSORS

🦖 WIRE: Entirely optional, but helpful if you want to make the crochet dinosaur a little easier to pose. While you could purchase 16-24g craft wire, I can’t recommend any specific type/brand because I typically use scrap electrical wire that my husband brings home from work! You could also cut up a metal clothes hanger, or twist a few pieces of pipe cleaner together. You can wire the body, legs, and arms in this dinosaur crochet pattern.

Abbreviations & Stitches

 You’ll need to know the following crochet stitches and terms… (US terminology)

St – stitch

YO – yarn over

Rnd – round

Sc – single crochet

Inc – increase (2 sc in the same st)

Sc2tog – single crochet two stitches together (AKA decrease)

Ch – chain

Sl st – slip stitch

[] x_ – repeat the steps in the brackets the number of times after the x.

Lastly, if the pattern says “sc 2”, it means that you have to crochet 1 sc in each of the next 2 st. This goes for any number and for any st type.

A random dinosaur fun fact: The velociraptors in Jurassic Park look nothing like actual velociraptors. The movie/book raptors are actually a combination of two completely different dinosaurs, the deinonychus and utahraptor. Michael Crichton (the author of the original book), thinking that those names didn’t sound very ferocious, decided to call them velociraptors instead, even though a real velociraptor is actually only slightly larger than a chicken – not nearly as terrifying!

Purchase the Dinosaur Crochet Pattern here!

Happy Crafting!

If you have any questions or run into any problems while making this pattern, don’t hesitate to contact me via my contact page, Instagram, Etsy or Facebook – I’ll be happy to help!

Save this pattern for later by pinning the image below!

We participe in the Amazon Affiliates Program, which allows us to earn fees by advertising products and linking to amazon.com. Don’t worry; you pay the same price when you purchase through affiliate links as you would if you went directly to Amazon! We simply receive a small percentage of the total purchase price. By shopping through our links, you are helping to support our blog. We promise to only share links that we would personally recommend to family and friends 🙂

There are a ridiculous amount of crochet hooks on the market. Small hooks, large hooks, metal hooks, wood hooks, plastic hooks, interchangeable hooks, and everything else between. With such a broad variety out there, it’s often rather overwhelming – I know it was for me! In this post, I want to get down to the very basics: what is the best crochet hook for beginners?

Here, I just wanted to share my 3 favorite – and my least favorite – crochet hooks. The ones I use daily, vs the ones that are currently in the bottom of my crochet basket, tangling more yarn than they’ve ever crocheted. 

The Best Crochet Hook of All Time:

Without a doubt, these hooks are my favorite – and this brand is touted as the best crochet hook from many other crocheters too. Easy to grip, and so very smooth, these hooks have lasted years and years with no noticeable difference in quality. The downside: they’re expensive, and as far as I can find, they must be bought individually. If you have the budget and really want to give these hooks a try, I recommend getting a Size G (4.00mm) first, adding more as you need them. Some crocheters prefer the rubber-handled alternative, the Clover Amour, which can be found here – fortunately, it does come in a set on Amazon.

PROS:

• Buttery smooth: it glides easily through yarn

• Flat handles make them easy to grip

• Lightweight

CONS:

• Expensive

• Must be purchased individually

A Cheaper Alternative:

I’ve been crocheting with this specific set of crochet hooks for several years now. Their buttery smoothness is close to that of the Clover Soft Touch, but at a fraction of the price.  They come in a nice roll-up storage bag, which might sound like a silly thing to praise, but at the rate that I tend to misplace crochet hooks, it’s very nice to have dedicated spot where hooks go! There are a few areas where these fall short of the best crochet hook, however. For one thing, I’ve worn away the labels on most of them! The colors have faded a bit too, which makes telling the difference between F and G difficult. In my opinion, they should have made these two hooks entirely different colors. Another grievance: just recently, as I was crocheting with my G/4.00mm hook, I ripped the metal hook clean out of the rubber handle. To be fair, that was after 3 years of almost daily use, and a bit of super glue fixed it in no time, but it was a nuisance all the same. 

PROS:

• Comparable to Clover Soft Touch for glide and smoothness

• Inexpensive

• Grippy

• Convenient pouch for storage

CONS:

• The labels rub away after a while

• The handle and hook can potentially separate

• The rubber handle can be hard to clean

The Best Crochet Hook for Price and Durability

Though I’ve only used this set for a little while, I’ve so far been pleased. The chunky handle is easy and satisfying to grip, while the hook’s smoothness matches the Lewhoo hooks above. However, unlike the Lewhoo hooks, these have a full ‘tang’ – a knife term, but I feel like it applies to crochet hooks too. What it means is that the metal hook extends all the way through the handle. No more broken hooks and super glue! As an added plus, part of the labels are indented on the handle.

I say ‘part’ of the labels; this brings me to this hook’s main con. On one side of the handle, the size is intended, as I stated, but this label only includes the millimeters. Flip it around to the other side and you’ll find the letter label, which is simply printed on with ink, and is even easier to rub away than the Lewhoo hooks’ labels.

PROS:

• Smooth

• Chunky handle that’s easy to grip

• Extra long hooks

• Recessed label (in mm)

• Full tang

CONS:

• The letter label is only ink, and is easy to rub off.

Crochet Hooks to Avoid

At least at first, I recommend avoiding crochet hooks made entirely of wood/bamboo. When I first designed my crochet chicken pattern, I thought it would be more picturesque to have the photos featuring wooden crochet hooks. Super cute, right? These were the ones I purchased on Amazon – and it was definitely a mistake! I don’t even think I made it through the first 3 rows. The yarn snagged terribly, and though I was a relatively experienced crocheter, the bamboo hooks felt clumsy in my hands. For this reason, I also recommend purchasing crochet hooks with actual handles, rather than a straight rod. A grippable handle really does help!

Just to finish my crochet chicken story: since I had already purchased those horrible wooden hooks, I decided to use them anyway. After making a row with my Clover hook, I set it aside and replaced it with a wooden hook! You can see some of those photos here. Needless to say, I haven’t touched those wooden hooks since. Not even for future pattern photos!

With all that said, I would absolutely love to try crochet hooks with wooden/bamboo handles – just with a metal hook!

Conclusion

Crochet hook style often comes down to personal preference, but if you’re a brand new to crocheting, you probably don’t have a preference yet! If you’re overwhelmed by options, I recommend going with the very basics and trying one of the crochet hooks above. Another good option is to bring a spool of yarn to a craft store and try a few hooks out right in the aisle!

You’ll soon find one you love, and if not – you’ll probably soon have more crochet hooks than you know what to do with, if you’re like most crocheters!

Save this post for later by pinning the image below!

We participe in the Amazon Affiliates Program, which allows us to earn fees by advertising products and linking to amazon.com. Don’t worry; you pay the same price when you purchase through affiliate links as you would if you went directly to Amazon! We simply receive a small percentage of the total purchase price. By shopping through our links, you are helping to support our blog. We promise to only share links that we would personally recommend to family and friends 🙂.

Admittedly, I despaired when I first attempted a crochet loop stitch.

I was trying to come up with methods to make the tail on my upcoming squirrel pattern look ‘fluffy’, and one the techniques I discovered was by using a unique stitch: the loop stitch.

PS: My squirrel crochet pattern is finally released! You can find it here.

Never having heard of the loop stitch before, I decided to give it a go. How hard could it be? Well, I must have spent at least 3 minutes trying to crochet that first loop stitch. Multiply that by 12, and then again by 24 rows… if my math is correct, that means I would have spent close to 14 1/2 hours making my squirrel tail!

Ha ha ha. Torture.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered a few tricks to make crocheting the loop stitch much, much easier. I was able to reduce my 3 minute struggle to a few seconds, and in less than an hour I had a finished tail (phew!)

The Loop Stitch Trick

The secret to making loop stitches quickly: hold the yarn further down between your fingers. You’ll see what I mean in a minute. Holding it still in this way prevents the yarn from sliding all over the place, and in turn makes loop stitches much, much easier to crochet.

There is one thing of note about the loop stitch, and that is that the ‘loop’ is formed on the back side (or the “wrong” side) of the piece. While this is definitely not a big deal if you’re making several loop stitches in a cluster (Trust me – you won’t be able to see which side is facing out beneath all those loop stitches!), it might be a dealbreaker if you’re just making one or two loop stitches and you desire your project to be facing the other way around. *Note: there is a way to make loop stitches face the ‘right’ side, but that technique is a bit more tricky – I’ll save it for another post.

The loop stitch is an awesome way to make crochet fur. For an in-depth tutorial on how to use the loop stitch to make fur, check out this post.

Abbreviations

I may use the following abbreviations in this crochet loop stitch tutorial…

St – stitch

Sc – single crochet

Ch – chain

Rnd – rnd

YO – yarn over

Lastly, if the pattern says “sc 2”, it means that you have to crochet 1 sc in each of the next 2 st. This goes for any number and for any st type.

Crochet Loop Stitch Tutorial

You’ll need a round or a row of any size; in my example images, I’m started with a magic circle that has 6 sc inside. I definitely recommend starting with a few simple stitches rather than making loop stitches directly into a ch or a magic circle.

Step 1

Once you’re ready to make a loop stitch, insert your crochet hook into the next st. Instead of YO, like you would for a standard sc, turn your attention to the working yarn. Drape it around your pointer finger as you would throw a washcloth over a rod (with your finger being the rod and the yarn being the washcloth). Hold your finger with the draped yarn an inch or two away from your work. The distance you hold your finger away will determine the size of the loop; the farther away, the larger the loop.

To keep the draped yarn secure, I pin the working yarn between my other fingers, as shown in the picture/description below.

Image description: my hook is inserted into the next st, and my pointer finger is holding the yarn drape several inches away, as described above. Notice my other fingers: they are holding the working yarn in place in addition to holding my crochet piece. This is not necessary, but it makes the crocheting the loop stitch much easier!

Step 2

Sweep your crochet hook under both sides of the ‘drape’, grabbing them as if they were one strand of yarn.

Image description: I’ve grabbed both sides of the drape with my hook.

Step 3

Still continuing as if both sides of the drape are a single strand of yarn, draw this doubled-up strand through the st, forming a large loop – but do not pull it tight! It’s going to be the ‘loop’ of your loop stitch.

Image description: I’ve pulled both sides of the drape through the st I inserted my hook through earlier. 

Step 4

Carefully remove your finger (again, don’t tighten that loop!), and just as carefully, YO. Draw this through the 2 loops on your hook (3 loops if you’re counting both sides of the drape). 

Image description: I’ve yarned over, and I’m about to draw it through all the loops further back on my hook to finish the st.

Finished!

Now you can repeat for the next st, if desired.

Don’t be distraught if it takes you a few minutes on the first try. Once you’ve followed these 4 steps a few times, you’ll soon find yourself speeding up, and before you know it you’ll be a loop stitch pro!

Conclusion

Happy crafting! If you have any questions, notice a mistake, or run into a problem while making this tutorial, please let me know. Contact me via this webpage, Etsy, Instagram, or Facebook – I’ll be happy to help! And be sure to keep an eye on my Etsy shop for my upcoming crochet squirrel release!

Save this pattern for later by pinning the image below!

I made this daffodil crochet pattern years ago while I was still in school.

I was homeschooled, so technically ‘school’ in this instance meant my mother reading an educational book (science, history, and the Bible usually – we did our other subjects later) aloud while I listened on the couch, staring out the window.

Until I spotted a skein of yellow yarn on the table next to me.

Who needs a fidget spinner when you’re homeschooled? I grabbed the closest crochet hook within range and started playing around. Before long, I had a little crochet daffodil in my hand.

 I made another, stuffed the two crochet daffodils in a drawer when read-aloud time was over, and never thought about them again. I didn’t even write down the pattern.

A few weeks ago I was digging through a random bin, looking for a very specific shade of pink yarn, when I uncovered two flattened yellow objects. What could these be? Out of curiosity I picked them up and pinched them back into shape. All at once, I remembered:

My crochet daffodils!

Having no clue how I made them all those years ago and wanting to make more, I decided to take a big risk – I resolved to slowly undo the crochet daffodils in order to find out what stitches I had used to make them. All in all I felt like some kind of agent or spy or a similar character in a dramatic movie, with only two chances to figure something out. 

Fortunately, unlike in most dramatic movies, it only took undoing one of them for me to actually piece together the pattern. And also unlike in most dramatic movies, it was my own puzzle, which makes the whole thing kind of silly. Note to self: remember to write things down! 

I have decided to post the pattern here, making these crochet daffodils my first free crochet pattern! They’re extremely simple to crochet, fast to whip up, and they don’t require any sewing, beyond weaving in the ends. 

Crochet Daffodil Info

SKILL LEVEL  – Intermediate beginner. The one unusual technique that we’ll use is crocheting in the back loops AND the front loops at different times, but don’t be intimdated: an abundance of detailed images will be there to help along the way.

LANGUAGE – English (US terminology)

SUPPLIES –

🌸 Yarn: in any size and in any gauge. All images feature 4G yarn. You can make a single colored daffodil, or grab two skeins of yarn for a multi-colored crochet daffodil!

🌸 Hook: in any size. I’ve used H crochet hooks (5.00mm) and my go-to G crochet hook (4.0mm) with this crochet daffodil pattern. Predictably, the flowers made with the larger hook are a bit larger. I’ve used this inexpensive set for many years, but my absolute favorite hooks are Clover Soft Touch.

🌸 Tapestry needle: Beyond weaving in the ends, this crochet daffodil pattern does not need any sewing!

🌸 Scissors: For cutting the ends.

🌸 (Optional) Pipe Cleaner/wire, and green yarn: For making a stem, if desired.

Abbreviations

I may use the following abbreviations in this crochet daffodil pattern…

St – stitch

Sc – single crochet

Inc – increase: single crochet twice in the same st

Ch – chain

Rnd – rnd

YO – yarn over

Sl st – slip stitch

Dc – double crochet

[ ] x_ – repeat the steps in the brackets the number of times after the x

BLO – back loop only

FLO – front loop only

Lastly, if the pattern says “sc 2”, it means that you have to crochet 1 sc in each of the next 2 st. This goes for any number and for any st type.

Without further ado, let’s learn how to make a crochet daffodil!

Daffodil Crochet Pattern

Rnd 1: sc 6 in magic circle, pull tight to close (6)

Rnd 2, Part A: All in BLO: [sl st in next st, ch 2, DC in the same st, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, DC in the original st, ch 2, sl st in the same st] x6

Rnd 2, Part B: Now crocheting in the skipped FLO directly above the petals: sc 6 (6)

The FLO stitches go where the arrows are pointing in the image below.

NOTE: If a color change is desired in Part B, when you insert your hook into the very first FLO stitch to make the first sc, YO with the new color, finish the sc, cut the previous color yarn, and set aside to weave in later.  Continue in the new color.

Rnd 3: (working with both loops again in the previous row’s FLO stitches) sc 6 (6)

Rnd 4: sc 6 (6)

Rnd 5: inc 6, ch 2 (12)

Rnd 6: sl st in the next st, [ch 2, sl st in the next st] x11 (12)

And you’re finished! Cut yarn tails and weave in the ends. Isn’t it cute?

Crochet Daffodil Stem

If you desire to attach a stem to your crochet daffodil (a crochet daffodil bouquet would be absolutely adorable!), here are a few ideas of what to use:

1. Green Pipe Cleaner

2. Green Wire

3. Or, if you have neither (I had neither): wire wrapped in green yarn

Secure the yarn to the wire with a knot or a bit of hot glue, and then insert it into the center of the crochet daffodil, fastening it in place with a bit more glue.

Conclusion

Happy crafting! I hope you enjoyed this crochet daffodil pattern as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you have any questions, notice a mistake, or run into a problem while making this pattern, please let me know. Contact me via this webpage, Etsy, Instagram, or Facebook – I’ll be happy to help!

Save this pattern for later by pinning the image below!

With my crochet squirrel pattern now in testing (it’s now released! Find the pattern here), I thought I would share a bit on how to crochet fur!

I wanted something adorably fluffy for my squirrel’s tail, just for a bit of contrast. Simply rubbing a brush against crochet until it frays is a common method for crochet fur, but I wanted something even fluffier than that – I wanted something that would have people wondering if it really is crochet.

In the end, I came up with two different ways on how to crochet fur. Both super duper simple, but each have their advantages and disadvantages.

Method 1 in my opinion works up faster, and it’s perfect for replacing single crochet stitches or creating your own pattern from scratch. It does, however, require learning a special stitch: the loop stitch. The grey squirrel tail on the right is an example of this crochet fur method; though I could have made it even more fluffy by cutting the loops and brushing it. 

I despaired when I first attempted the loop stitch because it took me a few minutes for each stitch. Multiply that by 24 rows of squirrel tail and – well, you get the idea: torture. After a few loop stitches however, I had my few minutes reduced to a few seconds, and not much later, I had an adorable squirrel tail. In short: the loop stitch might be tricky at first, but you’ll catch on fast. 

One important note: With this method, the fur will be facing ‘wrong side’ out due to the way the loop stitches are made. If you make a loop stitch every stitch, it won’t be noticeable.

Method 2 involves adding yarn strands afterward. You can also add it easily onto any project, even previously made creations! This is what makes it my favorite method. It takes longer and you’ll probably have a minor mess to clean afterward, but it’s easier to learn and definitely more secure if you choose to brush it out – more on that later. This method also allows you to pepper different colors throughout, which adds a cute contrast, as you can see in the bushy brown tail above.

Supplies Needed to Crochet Fur

YARN – you can use any size and in any type: I used 4g yarn, and the brand is likely ‘I Love This Yarn’ in the color Coffee and Linen, though I’m not 100% certain because I threw away the label (oops).

A CROCHET HOOK – size this according to the yarn: I’ve used F (3.75mm) and G (4.00 mm) for crocheting fur. I’ve used this inexpensive set for many years.

SHARP SCISSORS (optional for method 1, needed for method 2)

A BRUSH (optional) – a comb, slicker brush, or a cat brush would all work great

As you can see, the only things you really need are yarn and a crochet hook. If you’re reading this article, you likely already have all the supplies on hand already. 

Abbreviations

I may use the following abbreviations in this tutorial…

St – stitch

Sc – single crochet (United States Terms)

Ch – chain

Rnd – rnd

YO – yarn over

Without further ado, let’s learn how to crochet fur!

How to Crochet Fur: Method 1

We’ll start with method one, which requires learning the loop stitch. I have a post in the works on how to make a loop stitch, but here’s a simple 4-step tutorial in the meantime, made into a magic circle. The same guidelines apply to a standard row.

The height of this st is the same as a sc; it just has a secure loop out the back end! This method is perfect for replacing single crochet stitches, or if you’re designing your own pattern from scratch. The only thing to note is that with this method, the fur will be on the ‘wrong side’ of the project due to the way loop stitches are made. If you place your loop stitches every st, it won’t be noticeable. Here’s an example of a finished result, with loop stitches made every st in a 12-stitch round. 

While you could stop here and call it finished, you could also cut the loops for an even furrier crochet look! Stick your scissors underneath each loop (ideally a bunch of loops at once, if you can manage it) and snip, snip, snip until all the loops are divided.

And if you wanted to go a step further, try brushing the threads out with a fine-toothed brush. Don’t go crazy and brush too hard however, or you’ll potentially unravel your hard work – talking from experience here. If you desire a truly bushy crochet fur look, I recommend trying method 2.  

How to Crochet Fur: Method 2

This is definitely my favorite way to crochet fur, because you can add it after the project is done, even to several-year-old creations that need a bit of spiffying up.

First, you’ll need a LOT of short threads, and if you’re covering a larger area (such as my squirrel’s tail), you’ll need LOTS and LOTS and LOTS. Fortunately, I’ve found a really simple way to make them quickly.

First, wrap your chosen crochet fur color around the fingers of your non-dominant hand a bunch of times until your hand basically resembles a spool of thread. You can wrap it around as many fingers as you desire; more fingers mean longer threads, and longer threads mean longer fur. For my squirrel tail in the example images, I wrapped my yarn around 3 of my fingers.

How many times should you wrap the yarn around your fingers? It depends on how many threads you want, but I would definitely err on the side of less. You can always make more, but if you have too much, you’ll probably have random scraps of yarn lying around for a long time to come. I find I can only wrap the yarn around roughly 50 times before it gets rather tricky to cut.

For my squirrel tail, I needed to wrap the yarn around my fingers approximately 325 times (just a rough estimate), and since I was making bundles of 50, that meant I repeated this procedure around 7 times and had a bit extra.

Next, maneuver the scissors under the wrappings (don’t cut your fingers!) and cut the whole spool in one go. You’ll end up with a pile of short threads, as shown in the following images.

Remember, you can incorporate different colors too!

Now you’re ready to start adding fur!

Start with a finished crochet object.

Repeat in the adjoining st, and in the next one, and in the next one, circling your way up or down or in any direction you please. It’s rather fun when you get the hang of it! Continue adding threads in this fashion, stitch by stitch, until the entire object (or as much as you desire) is bushy. You could stop now, or you could brush the threads out.

How to ‘Fluff’  Crochet Fur

This technique can apply to both methods, but it works much better with method 2. If you brush out the loop stitch method too aggressively, you may end up with an unraveled project. 

I do not recommend brushing out anything that will be given to babies who may try to suck/eat the crochet fur, just in case a fluffy tuft comes loose. For children toddler age and up who just want to play with your project, this will be perfect. 

Start in one small area. Using a fine-toothed comb or a brush, begin brushing the very tips of the threads apart. Slowly work your way down the threads after your desired ‘fluffiness’ is achieved. It might take a few minutes, but enjoy the process! There’s something very satisfying about seeing simple threads become realistic-looking crochet fur. Once your small area is brushed out to your satisfaction, move onto the next and repeat.

Continue brushing, working in small sections in order to prevent knots.

By and by you’ll have ultra fluffy, realistic crochet fur!

Keep an eye out on my Etsy shop for my crochet squirrel coming soon! I post pretty regularly on my Instagram and Facebook stories, so be sure to take a peek if you’re curious about upcoming patterns and my day-to-day life! For more crochet patterns, be sure to check out my crochet pattern portfolio, and keep an eye on the blog for more  crochet techniques in the near future!

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After I designed my little chicken pattern, I knew right away what I wanted to make next: a crochet little duck.

If you’ve ever had – or even watched – ducks before, you’ll know that they are simply adorable clowns pretending to be elegant snobs. There are many different duck breeds, both domestic and in the wild, and they all act the same. I’ve had Welsh Harlequins, Mallards, and most recently, Black Swedish — though the latter are especially humorous because their white chests and black plumage make them look like they’re wearing tuxedos! There are few things more hilarious than watching a flock of wearing birds in stylish ‘suits’ waddle around the yard or play in a mud puddle.

I wanted to capture this goofy elegance in my crochet duck, and it took my several weeks to get it just right. 

Introducing the little duck crochet pattern!

 This pattern includes step-by-step instructions with detailed images so you can make your own crochet little duck. A PDF file will be available to download upon completion of payment – you can start crocheting your little duck right away!

After you’ve buried your desk in ducks, wrap them up as gifts for your duck-loving friends, attach a hook to hang them on the Christmas tree, add them as knick-knacks to your keychain, or give them to littles to start a crochet barnyard.

This little duck crochet pattern will show you how to make both a solid colored and a multi-colored duck in two different positions (erect or relaxed), with additional instructions for an optional chest patch and wings. It contains close to 50 colorful pictures and easy-to-follow directions, followed by a printer-friendly text-only version of the crochet pattern at the end (However, I highly recommend you still refer to the pictures throughout the duck pattern if you have any questions!).

Mix-and-match the color changes to create your own unique duck! Using this little duck crochet pattern, you can crochet a mallard, a cayuga, a khaki campbell, a redhead, or any number of the duck breeds of the world.

Supplies for the Little Duck Crochet Pattern

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate beginner. This pattern uses basic stitches, but the variety of stitches in a single round may be considered tricky for brand new beginners.

LANGUAGE: English (US terminology)

FINISHED SIZE: Size will vary depending on the yarn size, but using 4G yarn, approximately 2 3/4 inches tall x 3 1/2 long (it truly is a ‘little’ duck!).

SUPPLIES:

🦆 Yarn: In any size and in any gauge. This is the perfect project for using up scrap yarn! All of the images feature 4G yarn. You’ll need roughly 10 yards for the body, 1-2 yards for the bill, 1-2 yards for the feet, and potentially a little extra if you’re adding wings.

🦆 Hook: Size the hook according to the yarn; I always size down by quite a bit to minimize holes in my work. I used a 4mm / G hook with 4G yarn, though a 3.75mm / F hook works with this size yarn too!

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This pattern has been tested by my little sisters (ages 10 and 13). If you notice a mistake, please reach out to me and I will correct it ASAP!
Please note that this is a listing for a PDF printable pattern, not a finished product.

Stitches & Abbreviations

You’ll need to know the following basic crochet stitches…

St – stitch

Sc – single crochet

Inc – the standard increase. Single crochet twice into the same stitch

Sc2tog – the standard decrease. Single crochet two stitches together.  Abbreviated in some patterns as dec

Hdc – half double crochet

Ch – chain

Sl st – slip stitch

Sc and color change to… – make a color change in this st: insert hook into next st, YO, pull up, YO with the new color, pull up.

Rnd – rnd

YO – yarn over

Purchase the Pattern here!

Happy Crafting!

If you have any questions or run into any problems while making this pattern, don’t hesitate to contact me via my contact page, Instagram, Etsy or Facebook – I’ll be happy to help!

Save this pattern for later by pinning the image below!

One of the first things I made when I first learned to crochet was a crochet pumpkin.

But I didn’t stop there.

I made another… and another… and another, until the whole house was scattered with (somewhat lopsided; I was only a newbie, after all!) crochet pumpkins. When autumn was over, we had to literally dedicate a whole bin to crochet pumpkins! I think my fantasy was to sell all of these pumpkins at a farmer’s market/craft booth someday, but that never happened – as such, every year, on September 1st, we pulled the several dozen pumpkins out of storage and put them everywhere there was a few inches of space.

PS: I’m not sure which pattern I used, but it looks very similar to this free pattern here, from the pixeledpeach.

I felt like the lady in the book ‘Too Many Pumpkins’, which my Grammy read to us when we were little.

After I married and moved out of the house, I took half of those pumpkins with me, which left both me and my mother with a much more reasonable amount. 

When I was decorating my mantle with my crochet pumpkins this autumn, it occurred to me that – while all of the pumpkins were pretty cute – none of them in particular stood out.  They were all made with single crochet stitches, and as such, there was not much variety among them. I wanted something a little different.

And so I set out to make such a pumpkin. After much trial and error, and several weeks of crocheting every spare minute, I present the result: a knobbly bobbly squishy crochet pumpkin!

About this Crochet Pumpkin Pattern

This pattern is as easy as ‘pumpkin’ pie to follow (lame joke, sorry – couldn’t help myself 🤪) , and the result is perfect for gracing the center of a dinner table, decorating a shelf, adding to a crochet pumpkin patch – it’s sure to add the perfect rustic charm to any autumn decor.

A PDF file will be available to download upon completion of payment; you can start crocheting right away!

Use your favorite color yarn in any size. Crochet a giant bobble pumpkin with chunky yarn or a mini bobble pumpkin using small yarn! Using standard 4G yarn, the base of this pumpkin will be 3-4” tall by 5 ¾” wide.

This pattern includes over a dozen colorful photographs to help you easily crochet a bobble pumpkin, with or without bumps, from start to finish. It’s also crocheted in the round, which means there’s minimal sewing!

Supplies for the Bobble Crochet Pumpkin Pattern

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate beginner. The bobble stitch may be a little tricky for brand new crocheters, but it’s easy to get the hang of once you’ve made a few bobbles!

LANGUAGE: English (US terminology)

SUPPLIES:

🍂 Yarn: In any size and in any gauge. All of the images feature 4G yarn.

🍂 Hook: Size the hook according to the yarn. I used a 4mm / G hook with 4G yarn.

🍂 Stem: Use a real pumpkin stem retrieved from an old Halloween pumpkin, or purchase one from an Etsy shop. You could also use a faux pumpkin stem (available at places like amazon), a stem from a squash, a small twig, a cinnamon stick, a dowel rod cut to size – use your imagination!

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This pattern has been tested by my little sisters (ages 10 and 13). If you notice a mistake, please reach out to me and I will correct it ASAP!
Please note that this is a listing for a PDF printable pattern, not a finished product.

Stitches & Abbreviations

You’ll need to know the following basic crochet stitches…

St – stitch

Sc – single crochet

Inc – the standard increase. Single crochet twice into the same stitch

Sc2tog – the standard decrease. Single crochet two stitches together.  Abbreviated in some patterns as dec

Ch – chain

Rnd – rnd

YO – yarn over

Bo – Bobble st. There are numerous different ways to create a bobble. For the bobbles in this pattern, I did the following:

YO, insert hook into next st and pull up a loop,

YO, pull through two loops,

[YO, insert hook into same st and pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull through two] x4 – after which you should have 6 loops on hook.

YO and pull through all 6 loops.

This pumpkin crochet pattern uses United States Terms.

Purchase the Bobble Crochet Pumpkin Pattern here!

Happy Crafting! Try not to overwhelm your house with too many crochet pumpkins 😉

If you have any questions or run into any problems while making this pattern, don’t hesitate to contact me via my contact page, Instagram, Etsy or Facebook – I’ll be happy to help!

Save this pattern for later by pinning the image below!