Amigurumi Doll Free Pattern: Crochet Your Own

Every crocheter should make at least one doll, and this amigurumi doll free pattern is the one to start with. She stands about ten inches tall, with a round friendly head, yarn hair you can style, and a scalloped dress in your favorite color. Every part is my own original design, written in US terms with stitch counts I worked out and tested myself.

This is an intermediate project, but an honest one: simple increases and decreases in spiral rounds, a flared skirt with a scalloped hem, and a hair cap with knotted strands. Budget a cozy weekend, about six to seven hours, for a handmade gift with more personality than anything on a store shelf.

Table of contents

• Why you'll love this amigurumi doll free pattern
• Materials you'll need
• Size, gauge and skill level
• Abbreviations, US terms
• The amigurumi doll crochet pattern (US terms)
• Finishing touches and assembly
• Tips and tricks for a polished doll
• Variations to try next
• Troubleshooting tips
• Frequently asked questions
• More free patterns to try

Why you'll love this amigurumi doll free pattern

A doll is the amigurumi project that teaches you everything. The head shows you how to shape a smooth sphere, the bodice shows you how to transition colors cleanly, the skirt shows you how to flare fabric with increases, and the hair shows you how to finish a piece so it looks like a character. When you finish this doll, you will be able to make almost any amigurumi pattern with confidence.

The construction is designed to be forgiving. The head and bodice are worked as one piece, so there is no wobbly neck joint to sew. The arms and legs are simple tubes sewn on with long tails, and the skirt hides every join at the waist. If you are new to amigurumi, start with our how to crochet magic ring tutorial, then warm up on the smaller makes in our mini amigurumi patterns free collection.

She is also a gift that lands. A handmade doll carries the hours you spent on her in a way a store-bought toy never can, and kids notice. Make her in the recipient's favorite color, match the hair to theirs, and you have a keepsake. And because the pattern uses DK yarn, she works up faster than you would expect for a ten inch doll.

Materials you'll need

Choose a smooth DK yarn with a little bounce for the doll herself: a soft acrylic or acrylic blend is ideal because it is washable and keeps its shape. For the hair, pick a yarn with some grip, like a standard acrylic or wool, because slippery cotton-blend hair goes flat and will not hold a braid or bun. The dress is your chance for color: a solid shows off the scalloped hem, while a variegated yarn makes a party dress with zero extra effort.

A note on the hook: use a 3.5 mm hook with DK yarn, about half a size smaller than the label suggests. Amigurumi fabric must be tight enough that no stuffing peeks through. If you can see daylight through your fabric, go down to 3.25 mm.

Size, gauge and skill level

• Finished size: the doll stands about 10 inches tall and sits about 7 inches tall. Big enough for small hands to cuddle, small enough to tuck into a gift bag.
• Gauge: 22 single crochet stitches and 26 rounds per 4 inches in spiral rounds. Work a small swatch in the round and check that your stitches are tight and even before starting the head.
• Skill level: intermediate. You should be comfortable with the magic ring, single crochet increases and decreases, spiral rounds, color changes, and basic sewing and embroidery.

Work at a relaxed pace and stuff as you go: an extra ten minutes of careful stuffing and pinning shows in the finished doll.

Abbreviations, US terms

A note on the invisible decrease: insert the hook through the front loop of the next two stitches, yarn over, pull through both loops, yarn over, pull through two. It lies flatter than a standard decrease and keeps the shaping smooth.

The amigurumi doll crochet pattern (US terms)

Work in continuous spiral rounds. Do not join rounds: just keep crocheting and move a stitch marker to the first stitch of each new round. Stuff pieces firmly as you go.

Head and bodice: one piece (skin tone, then dress color)

• R1: MR, 6 sc in ring. [6]
• R2: inc in each st around. [12]
• R3: (sc, inc) x6. [18]
• R4: (2 sc, inc) x6. [24]
• R5: (3 sc, inc) x6. [30]
• R6: (4 sc, inc) x6. [36]
• R7-R13: sc in each st around. [36]
• R14: (4 sc, dec) x6. [30]
• R15: (3 sc, dec) x6. [24]

Place the safety eyes now, between R10 and R11, about 7 stitches apart, washers on firmly from the inside. Embroider the smile and cheeks before closing the head, while you can still reach inside.

• R16: (2 sc, dec) x6. [18]
• R17: (sc, dec) x6. [12]
• Stuff the head firmly into a smooth round shape, adding small tufts and shaping with your fingers. The head should feel firm and springy.
• R18: change to dress color, (sc, inc) x6. [18]
• R19: sc in each st around. [18]
• R20: (2 sc, inc) x6. [24]
• R21-R23: sc in each st around. [24]
• R24: (2 sc, dec) x6. [18]
• R25: sc in each st around. [18]
• Stuff the bodice firmly.
• R26: (sc, dec) x6. [12]
• R27: dec x6. [6]
• FO, thread the tail through the front loops of the last round, pull tight to close, and weave the end inside. The waist (R25) measures 18 stitches around: the skirt attaches here.

Skirt: flared with a scalloped hem (dress color)

Worked in joined rounds. Join each round with a slip stitch to the first stitch.

• R1: ch 24, join with sl st to form a ring (being careful not to twist), ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in each ch around, sl st to top of ch-3. [24 dc]
• R2: ch 3, dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st x8, sl st to top of ch-3. [32 dc]
• R3: ch 3, dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st x8, sl st to top of ch-3. [40 dc]
• R4: ch 3, dc in next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st x8, sl st to top of ch-3. [48 dc]
• R5: ch 3, dc in each st around, sl st to top of ch-3. [48 dc]
• R6 (scalloped hem): skip 1 st, 5 dc in next st, skip 1 st, sl st in next st repeat 12 times around, sl st to first sl st. [12 scallops]
• FO, leaving a long tail. Slip the skirt over the bodice so R1 sits at the waist (around R24), and sew it on with small whipstitches all the way around.

Arms: simple and sweet (make 2, skin tone)

• R1: MR, 6 sc in ring. [6]
• R2: (sc, inc) x3. [9]
• R3-R8: sc in each st around. [9]
• R9: (sc, dec) x3. [6]
• Stuff the lower half lightly (the hand end), then flatten the top of the arm and work a sc across to close, or simply FO with a long tail and pinch flat. Sew each arm to the bodice at R19, angled slightly downward, with small whipstitches through the flattened top.

Legs: with little shoes (make 2, shoe color then skin tone)

• R1 (shoe color): MR, 6 sc in ring. [6]
• R2: (sc, inc) x3. [9]
• R3-R4: sc in each st around. [9]
• R5 (skin tone): sc in each st around. [9]
• R6-R11: sc in each st around. [9]
• R12: (sc, dec) x3. [6]
• Stuff lightly, flatten the top, FO with a long tail. Sew the legs to the bottom of the bodice, side by side, so they peek out below the skirt hem. The skirt covers the joins completely.

Hair cap and hair (hair color)

• R1: MR, 6 sc in ring. [6]
• R2: inc in each st around. [12]
• R3: (sc, inc) x6. [18]
• R4: (2 sc, inc) x6. [24]
• R5: (3 sc, inc) x6. [30]
• R6: (4 sc, inc) x6. [36]
• R7-R9: sc in each st around. [36]
• FO, leaving a long tail. Place the cap on the head so the front edge sits just above the eyes, covering the top and back. Pin, then sew around the edge with small whipstitches.
• Strands: cut 30 strands of hair yarn, each about 10 inches long. Fold each in half and attach with a lark's head knot (pull the folded loop through a stitch, then pull the ends through the loop) in every stitch of R9 across the front, plus a center part line from front to back. Trim even, then style: leave loose, braid, or gather into a bun.

Face: the embroidered smile

• Smile: with black embroidery floss (3 strands), stitch a gentle curve about 3 stitches wide, centered 2 rounds below the eyes.
• Cheeks: with pink floss, two small dashes below the eyes, two or three stitches each.
• Check the face from arm's length before knotting off.

Finishing touches and assembly

Pin everything before you sew. Pin the arms at the shoulders, the legs at the hips, and the hair cap on the head, then hold the doll at arm's length and check symmetry from the front, side, and back. Sew only when the pinned doll looks right.

Sew limbs with long tails. Use the long tail left on each piece and work small whipstitches through the flattened top of the limb and into the bodice, going around twice for strength. Limbs sewn twice survive being loved, dragged, and slept on.

Set the hair. Once the strands are attached and trimmed, dampen them lightly, style as desired, and let dry completely. A tiny braid on each side or a top bun gives instant character: gather the strands, twist, coil, and tack the coil to the cap with a few stitches.

Weave every end. Run each tail through the stuffing for at least 2 inches, changing direction once, then trim flush. On a doll that will be cuddled, buried ends are a safety habit, not just tidiness.

Tips and tricks for a polished doll

Stuff in small tufts, not handfuls. Big wads of stuffing create lumps. Tear off small pieces, push each one in with the blunt end of your hook, and shape with your fingers as you go. The head should feel like a firm pillow, with no flat spots.

Place the eyes before you stuff. The washers are much easier to snap on while the head is still soft and you can reach inside. Mark the positions with pins, count the stitches between them twice, and check from the front before pushing the washers on.

Keep a consistent tension on the skirt. The double crochet rounds show tension changes more than the body. If your foundation chain was tight, the skirt will cup: work it with a hook half a size larger, then switch back for the rounds.

Crochet over your tails at color changes. When switching to dress color at R18, lay the old tail along the round and crochet over it for the first few stitches. It buries the tail invisibly and the neckline stays clean.

Variations to try next

1. Boy doll. Work the pattern as written but swap the skirt for simple shorts: two short leg tubes in a contrast color sewn at the hips, and style the hair short with fewer, shorter strands. The same head and bodice make a completely different character.
2. Mermaid doll. Skip the legs and extend the bodice into a tail: continue from R25 in the dress color with increase rounds down to a fluke of two triangle fins. A variegated blue-green yarn does all the color work for you.
3. Holiday doll. Make the dress in deep red with a cream scalloped hem and style the hair in two braids with tiny bows. Pair her with the free crochet bunny pattern in seasonal colors for a gift set that looks straight out of a boutique.

And if this doll gave you the amigurumi bug, keep going: the gummy bear crochet pattern is a quick one-evening plush with the same spiral-round shaping, and the one piece crochet teddy bear pattern free shows a clever no-sew construction worth studying.

Troubleshooting tips

• The head is lumpy. The stuffing went in as big wads. Pull some out, re-stuff in small tufts, and roll the head between your palms to even it out.
• The neck wobbles. The stuffing is thin at R16 to R18. Add more stuffing at the neck and pack it firmly.
• The eyes are uneven. Always pin and count twice before attaching the washers, because they cannot be moved afterward. Slight asymmetry reads as handmade charm, but more than a stitch or two off is worth redoing.
• The skirt twists. The foundation chain was twisted when joined. Redo R1: lay the chain flat, join carefully, and double check before the first double crochet round.
• The hair cap slides around. It is too big or sewn too loosely. Go down a hook size for the cap, or add whipstitches along the front edge to anchor it.
• The arms stick straight out. They were sewn too high or not angled. Sew them at R19 with a slight downward angle, tacking the top of each arm flat against the bodice.

Frequently asked questions

Is this amigurumi doll free pattern really free?

Yes, the complete pattern above is free, with no email signup and no purchase required. Make dolls for gifts, charity, or your own shelf.

What skill level is this doll pattern?

Intermediate. You should be comfortable with the magic ring, single crochet increases and decreases, spiral rounds, color changes, and basic sewing. A confident advanced beginner who has finished a few small amigurumi projects can absolutely make her.

How long does it take to crochet the doll?

About 6 to 7 hours total: roughly 2 hours for the head and bodice, 1 hour for the skirt, 1 hour for the limbs, 1 hour for the hair, and 1 to 2 hours for the face, assembly, and finishing. Most makers spread it over a weekend.

How much yarn do I need?

About 190 yards of DK-weight yarn total: 60 yards skin tone, 80 yards dress color, 50 yards hair color, plus small amounts for the shoes and face details.

Can I sell the finished dolls I make?

Yes. You may sell finished dolls made from this pattern in small batches, at craft fairs or online. Please credit Little Loop Finds as the pattern designer.

How do I wash the finished doll?

Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, gently squeeze (do not wring), reshape while damp, and air dry flat. Machine washing can felt the stuffing into lumps and loosen the embroidered face.

More free patterns to try

Finishing a doll feels like a real achievement, because it is one. When you are ready for your next project, our heart granny square crochet pattern is a lovely change of pace: flat, fast, ninety minutes a square, and a perfect way to use up the dress-color leftovers.