Squirrels.

Love them or hate them, they’re a pretty ubiquitous animal, at least in the U.S.

They can be annoying, especially if you have dogs that love to chase them- and the squirrels love to taunt the dogs back.

But they’re also helpful!

Some squirrels are known as scatter hoarders (meaning they have multiple caches of food hidden in separate places) and they don’t dig up all of the nuts that they bury. This means more trees!

Some of these squirrels also engage in what is known as “deceptive caching”- they pretend, quite convincingly- that they are burying a nut but don’t actually bury it so the other animals that are trying to steal it from them are fooled (source).

Sneaky squirrels!

We have one in our backyard that we can watch when we’re sitting at the table. He’s a daredevil who will climb down the chain onto our bird feeder- even over the disc that’s supposed to keep squirrels OFF the bird feeder!

I guess that’s who I had in mind when I started developing this pattern. This was I think the second pattern that I started working on after Leo the Beaver for the Woodland Animal crochet series (but it’s the fifth that I’m presenting here- so go check out the others!)

This little crochet squirrel is probably not as agile as his real life counterparts, but he’s definitely adorable!

Donnie the Squirrel Crochet Pattern

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Yarn and Hook

For this squirrel, I used about 55 yards of Red Heart Super Saver in Cafe Latte. 

Whatever medium brown yarn you happen to have on hand would work great as well.

I also used less than a yard of pink embroidery floss (like this Coats and Clark embroidery floss) for the nose.

I used two different crochet hooks: a 4.5 mm crochet hook for the main parts (legs/body/head, arms, ears, muzzle, tail) and a 2.0 mm crochet hook for the nose.

Other Notions

Some other things that you will need will be:

• Tapestry needle
• Stitch marker
• Scissors
• Fiber fill
• Eye solution of choice: safety eyes (6 mm or 8 mm) or embroidered or crocheted eye

I embroidered closed eyes on my Donnie- you can find instructions as well as other eye options in the post linked above.

Measurements

When finished, Donnie measures 5.75 inches tall, 3.5 inches wide and 5 inches back to front. Gauge is not super important for this amigurumi squirrel, but my gauge measures 4 stitches and 4 rows in 1 inch.

Abbreviations

ch        chain

dec        decrease

inc         increase

Rd        round

rep        repeat

sc        single crochet

Additional pattern notes:

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

Pattern Instructions

Donnie is worked in the spiral round. First you will work his two legs, but DO NOT fasten off the second leg! You will join the first leg and continue to work the body without fastening off (which means less sewing!). The body will then go to the head, also without seaming. This is your first major piece.

Legs/Body/Head

Using your worsted weight yarn, you will start with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Continue working in a spiral as follows, being sure to mark your first stitch of each new round with your stitch marker:

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rds 3-6: sc 12 (12)

At this point, fasten off the first leg and weave in ends. Repeat Rds 1-6 for the second leg, but 

DO NOT fasten off the second leg.

Weave in starting end for both legs. The ending end of the first leg can either be woven in or crocheted over in the next round.

Continue as follows:

Rd 7: sc 6 on first leg, beginning in first stitch of the last round of the first leg, sc 12, sc 6 on second leg (24)

Rds 8-10: sc 24 (24)

Rd 11: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)

Rds 12-13: sc 18 (18)

At this point, you will need to stuff your legs with fiber fill, being sure to stuff them firmly, but not over stuff to where the stitches are pulled too tightly and the fiber fill is spilling out.

Rd 14: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Rd 15: sc 12 (12)

Now is the time to stuff the rest of the body with fiber fill

Rd 16: dec 6 (6)

Rd 17: sc 6 (6)

Rd 18: inc 6 (12)

Rd 19: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 20: [sc 2, inc], rep [] five more times (24)

Rd 21: [sc 3, inc], rep [] five more times (30)

Rds 22-23: sc 30 (30)

If you will be using safety eyes, add them in row 23 in stitches 15 and 18.

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

Rds 25-26: sc 24 (24)

Rd 27: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 28: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Stuff the head with fiber fill, making sure to add some extra fiber fill and stuff it firmly into the neck space. I often use the end of my crochet hook, but a stuffing tool or the eraser end of a pencil would also work here.

Rd 29: dec 6 (6)

Fasten off and leave a 6 inch tail. Sew the tail through the front loop on all 6 scs and pull tight. Weave in the remaining end.

Arms

The next pieces to work are the arms. Be sure to make 2!

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Continue working in a spiral as follows, being sure to mark your first stitch of each new round with your stitch marker:

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rd 3: sc 12 (12)

Rd 4: [sc 2, dec], rep [] twice more (9)

Rds 5-6: sc 9 (9)

Fasten off and leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto the body. Stuff each arm firmly with fiber fill.

Muzzle

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 5. Please note that this is different from how most other pieces start!!

Continue working in a spiral and work an increase into each single crochet from round 1 for a total of 10 single crochets in round 2.

Fasten off and leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto the body.

Ears (make 2)

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Continue working in a spiral and work an increase into each single crochet from round 1 for a total of 12 single crochets in round 2.

Fasten off, weave in beginning end as much as possible and leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto head. 

Tail

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Continue working in a spiral as follows, being sure to mark your first stitch of each new round with your stitch marker:

Rd 2: inc 3, sc 2 (8)

Rd 3: inc 5, sc 3 (13)

Rd 4: inc 6, sc 1, dec 3 (16)

Rds 5-7: sc 16 (16)

Rd 8: inc 3, sc 2, dec 3, sc 2, inc 3 (19)

Rd 9: sc, inc 4, dec 2, sc, dec 2, inc 4, sc (23)

Rds 10-12: sc 23 (23)

Rd 13: dec 2, sc 3, dec, sc 7, dec, sc3, dec (18)

Rd 14: sc 18

Rd 15: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Rd 16: sc 12 (12) 

At this point, you should stuff the tail with fiber fill, being sure to stuff firmly but not over fill (the stitches should not be pulled apart).

Rd 17: dec 6 (6)

Rd 18: sc 2 (2) NOT A FULL ROUND These stitches are to give a bit more stability to the tail when you sew it on.

Fasten off and leave a 6-8 inch tail for sewing onto the body and weaving in the end. Weave in your starting end.

Nose

Using a pink embroidery thread and 2.0 mm crochet hook, you will now make the nose to go onto the muzzle.

Start with a magic ring, and chain 3, then double crochet 3.

Fasten off and pull the magic ring as tight as possible, putting a knot in the thread to keep it tight. Leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto the muzzle.

Eyes

If you are using safety eyes, be sure you insert them where noted in the Legs/Body/Head section above. 

If you need another eye solution, check out my Crochet Eyes for Amigurumi post- that’s where I explain in detail, with photos, how I embroidered the closed eyes on Donnie.

Assembly

Sew the arms onto the body from row 11 to row 14, straight on the side of the body.

Press the ears flat and sew them onto the head. I start in the second row from the end and work my way down the head, keeping the ears running to the sides.

Stuff the muzzle with a small amount of fiber fill and sew onto the head, in the middle of the face from row 18 to row 22 (if you used safety eyes, center the muzzle between them, then sew from rows indicated).

If applicable, sew eyes onto the head, from row 22 to row 24, centered around the muzzle with two stitches between the eyes when eyes are sewn on.

Sew the nose onto the muzzle with the bottom tip of the nose in the center of the magic ring of the muzzle.

Sew the tail onto the body, centered on the back from row 8 to row 11.

Now Donnie is ready to tempt your dogs (if you have them), but just like a real squirrel, he needs to stay away from them!

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