No Christmas can be complete without a Santa Claus. Or even better, a crochet Santa Claus!

My boys love anything that they can cuddle, and they love anything Christmas related, so of course they have to have a little Santa Claus. But this cuddly little Santa is great as a decorative piece, too! As long as you don’t mind hunting him down from any little ones moving him around.

This cuddly little Santa was so fun to make! This was my first time making an amigurumi that isn’t an animal, so making the hair and facial hair was a fun challenge.

I wasn’t able to find the stitch I used in any of the common stitch definitions, so I included the stitch description, along with pictures on how I did it, in the pattern. It’s similar to a bobble stitch and if you prefer to use a puff/bobble/popcorn stitch, it would have a similar effect, although I believe each one of those stitches would be more textured than what I designed this with- and would require more yarn as well, so keep that in mind if you do use one of those stitches.

And I love that he can have his hat on or off- although I’m sure once the boys get a hold of him, it’s going to be off more than it’s on. But I like how he can be dressed up or down depending on if he’s got it on or not!

Now it’s time to make your own! You can also find a printable PDF version in my Ravelry store for a small fee if that’s what you prefer.

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Cuddly Santa Claus Crochet Pattern

Skill Level

Easy

Yarn and Hook Size

Shop Red Heart Products

104.5 yards         Color A: Red Heart Super Saver in Cherry Red (364 y/333 m per 7 oz/198.5 g skein); 100% acrylic, worsted weight (#4) yarn

41 yards               Color B: Red Heart Super Saver in Buff (364 y/333 m per 7 oz/198.5 g skein); 100% acrylic, worsted weight (#4) yarn

66.5 yards           Color C: I Love This Yarn in White (355 y/324.6 m per 7 oz/198.5 g skein); 100% acrylic, worsted weight (4) yarn

26 yards               Color D: I Love This Yarn in Black (355 y/324.6 m per 7 oz/198.5 g skein); 100% acrylic, worsted weight (4) yarn

4.5 mm crochet hook

Notions

• Tapestry needle
• Scissors
• Fiber fill
• Stitch marker
• Eye solution of choice (safety eye, embroidered eye, crocheted eye, etc.- I used blue 10 mm safety eyes, but note that I do not recommend using safety eyes if this will be given to a child under the age of 3, as they are a choking hazard)

Measurements and Gauge

Body gauge measures at 7.5 stitches by 8 rows. Hat gauge measures at 7.5 stitches by 9 rows. Finished dimensions are 12.5 inches tall with hat (10 inches tall without) by 8.5 inches wide.

Abbreviations

[] denote a group of stitches that repeats as many times as directed

Special Stitch: the “hair stitch”- insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through one loop (2 loops on hook). Insert into the same stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through one loop (3 loops on hook). Insert into the same stitch again, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through one loop (4 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 4 loops (see photo tutorial on page 12).

Instructions

Head

Use B

Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rd 3: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 4: [sc 2, inc], rep [] five more times (24)

Rd 5: [sc 3, inc], rep [] five more times (30)

Rd 6: [sc 4, inc], rep [] five more times (36)

Rd 7: [sc 5, inc] rep [] five more times (42)

Rds 8-12: sc 42 (42)

Rd 13: [sc 5, dec], rep [] five more times (36)

Rd 14: sc 36 (36)

Rd 15: sc 36 (36), placing stitch markers on stitches 16 and 21 for safety eye placement.

Rd 16: sc 36 (36)

Rd 17: [sc 4, dec], rep [] five more times (30)

Rd 18: sc 30 (30)

Rd 19: [sc 3, dec], rep [] five more times (24)

Rd 20: sc 24 (24). Insert safety eyes (if using) into the stitches you marked earlier. Stuff with fiber fill.

Rd 21: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 22: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12). Add any more fiber fill necessary.

Rd 23: dec 6 (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 6-8 inch tail. Using your tapestry needle, sew through the remaining 6 stitches and pull tight.

Nose

Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)

Rd 2: sc 6 (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 6 inch tail to sew onto face.

Body

Use A

Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rd 3: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 4: [sc 2, inc], rep [] five more times (24)

Rd 5: [sc 3, inc], rep [] five more times (30)

Rd 6: [sc 4, inc], rep [] five more times (36)

Rd 7: [sc 5, inc], rep [] five more times (42)

Rd 8: [sc 6, inc], rep [] five more times (48)

Rd 9: [sc 7, inc], rep [] five more times (54)

Rd 10: [sc 8, inc], rep [] five more times (60)

Rds 11-16: sc 60 (60)

Switch to D

Rds 17-19: sc 60 (60)

Switch to A, fastening off D.

Rd 20: sc 60 (60)

Rd 21: [sc 8, dec], rep [] five more times (54)

Rd 22: [sc 7, dec], rep [] five more times (48)

Rd 23: [sc 6, dec], rep [] five more times (42)

Rd 24: [sc 5, dec], rep [] five more times (36)

Rds 25 and 26: sc 36 (36)

Rd 27: [sc 4, dec], rep [] five more times (30)

Rd 28: [sc 3, dec], rep [] five more times (24)

Rds 29 and 30: sc 24 (24)

Stuff with fiber fill, adding more as necessary

Rd 31: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 32: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Fasten off and leave a 12” tail to sew head on. Add any more fiber fill necessary.

Arms

Make 2

Begin with B

Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rd 3: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 4: sc 18 (18)

Switch to C

Rd 5: inc 18 (36)

Rd 6: dec 18 (18)

Switch to A

Rd 7: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Rds 8-15: sc 12 (12)

Fasten off, leaving an 8-10 inch tail to sew onto body. Stuff with fiber fill.

Legs

Make 2

Begin with D

Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rd 3: sc, [inc 2, sc, inc], sc 2, rep [], sc (18)

Rd 4: sc 3, inc 2, sc 7, inc 2, sc 4 (22)

Rd 5: sc 22 (22)

Rd 6: sc, dec 4, sc 13 (18)

Rd 7: sc, dec 2, sc 6, dec, sc 5 (15)

Rds 8-11: sc 15

Switch to C

Rd 12: inc 15 (30)

Rd 13 dec 15 (15)

Switch to A

Rds 14-17 sc 15 (15)

Fasten off, leaving an 8-10 inch tail to sew onto body. Stuff with fiber fill.

Hair

See special stitch definition in Abbreviations section above for instructions on how to do the hair stitch (hs) or watch the video tutorial.

This portion is worked in rows.

Use C

Ch 13

R 1: sc 12 (12)

R 2: sc 1, hs 12, sc 1 (14)

R 3: sc 6, inc 2, sc 6 (16)

R 4: hs 16 (16)

R 5: sc 16 (16)

R 6: hs 16 (16)

R 7: sc 6, dec 2, sc 6 (14)

R 8: hs 14 (14)

R 9: dec, sc 10, dec (12)

R 10: hs 12 (12)

R 11: sc 12 (12)

R 12: hs 12 (12)

R 13: sc 12 (12)

R 14: hs 12 (12)

R 15: sc 12 (12)

R 16: hs 12 (12)

R 17: sc 12 (12)

Fasten off, leaving an 18-24 inch tail to sew onto head. Weave in starting end.

Beard

See special stitch definition in Abbreviations section above for instructions on how to do the hair stitch (hs).

This portion is worked in rows.

Use C

Leave 18-24 inches before tying the slip knot to sew onto the face.

Ch 21

R 1: sc 20 (20)

R 2: sc, hs 20, sc (22)

R 3: dec, sc 6, ch 6, skip the next 6 stitches, sc 6, dec (20)

R 4: hs 7, hs 6 in the ch 6 space, hs 7 (20)

R 5: [dec 2, sc 4], rep [], dec 2 (14)

R 6: hs 14

R 7: dec 2, sc 6, dec 2 (10)

R 8: hs 10 (10)

R 9: dec 2, sc 2, dec 2 (6)

R 10: hs 6 (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 4-6 inch tail. Weave in ending tail.

Hat

Use C

Ch 49

R 1: sc 48 (48)

From this point, continue on in the round, putting the first stitch of round 2 into the furthest stitch of the chain, being sure not to twist the chain as you do so.

Rd 2: sc 48 (48)

Rd 3: [sc 6, dec], rep [] five more times (42)

Switch to A

Rds 4-7: sc 42 (42)

Rd 8: [sc 5, dec], rep [] five more times (36)

Rds 9-11: sc 36 (36)

Rd 12: [sc 4, dec], rep [] five more times (30)

Rds 13-14: sc 30 (30)

Rd 15: [sc 3, dec], rep [] five more times (24)

Rd 16: sc 24 (24)

Rd 17: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 18: sc 18 (18)

Rd 19: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Rd 20: sc 12 (12)

Rd 21: dec 6 (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 6-8 inch tail. Using a tapestry needle, sew through the front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close the hat off. Weave in the end. Using the beginning end, sew the space in the first row together:

Ball for the hat

Use C

Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rd 3: sc 12 (12)

Rd 4: dec 6 (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 6-8 inch tail. Add a small amount of fiber fill, then use a tapestry needle to sew through the front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close the ball off. Sew onto the hat and weave in the remaining end.

Assembly

Sew the head to the body using the tail left on the body. Pull your stitches through the third row in the head and weave in the end when complete.

Flatten the arm and sew the end together. Do this for both arms, then attach to opposite sides of the body, on approximately the 5^th row down from the head.

Sew the legs onto the body from roughly the 9^th to the 13^th row (counting from the starting point on the bottom), with 5 stitches between at the smallest point. I turned the toes out a little to look like a more natural sitting position.

To attach the nose, find the middle stitch between the eyes, and the row immediately beneath the eyes (this could vary depending on the size of your eyes: for me, there are three visible stitches between the eyes and the nose ends up on rows 12 and 13, as the eyes take up rows 14 and 15.

Next, I attached the hair, starting in the back. Make sure that the correct side is facing out (the side with more texture). I began at the top of the fourth row up from where the head and body meet and transitioned into the bottom of that row as I moved across so I would not have an uneven line on the front. I sewed up 7 rows, then folded the hair over the head and began sewing along the row, moving up as necessary due to the decrease in the size (up approximately 3 rows over 7 stitches on the head). The front hair line curves up and back down, just try to center it as best you can (for me, there are 7 stitches on the head between the two furthest points on the hair and the top of the curve is 4 rows above the bottom). Continue sewing along the row with the slight curve (down 3 rows over 7 stitches on the head), then turn and sew down the head to meet the beginning. Weave in the remaining end.

The last step is to attach the beard. If you left the long tail at the start, you can just begin sewing it to the face. If you left the tail at the end, as I did, weave it through the beard up to row 4 and come out the left side when looking at the right side of the beard. Attach to the face at the 5^th row up from where the head and neck meet and three stitches over from the hairline. Ensure that this will cause the mouth hole on your beard to be centered below the nose. If not, adjust accordingly. Sew up for 3 more rows, then sew across. When you reach the end, sew down for 3 stitches then weave in the remaining end.

Now put his hat on him, and enjoy your new Santa!