Little Crochet Bear:
The Complete Pattern
With this detailed step-by-step pattern you'll crochet your first amigurumi bear in one weekend – no experience needed.
About this bear
This little bear is deliberately designed to be your first amigurumi project: it's made only of simple basic shapes – balls for the head and body, small cylinders for the arms and legs – and doesn't need any complicated special techniques.
By the end, you won't just be holding a finished bear – you'll also have mastered the most important amigurumi basics: the magic ring, increasing and decreasing in spiral rounds, and neatly sewing the pieces together.
If terms like "sc" or "increase" don't mean anything to you yet, take a look at the Crochet Basics first – I explain the basic stitches there in detail. This pattern uses US crochet terms.
Materials & abbreviations
What you need
- Cotton yarn (approx. 125 m/50 g) in light brown – approx. 40 g
- Small scraps of beige for the snout and soles
- 3.0 mm crochet hook
- Fiberfill (approx. 30 g)
- 1 pair of safety eyes, 8 mm
- Stitch marker
- Tapestry needle with a large eye
- Black embroidery floss for the nose
- Scissors
Abbreviations used (US terms)
| ch | Chain |
| sc | Single crochet |
| inc | Increase (2 sc in the same stitch) |
| dec | Invisible decrease (crochet 2 stitches together) |
| MR | Magic ring |
| [ ] | Repeat the contents of the brackets |
| (x sts) | Stitch count at the end of the round |
Crocheting the pieces
Head
1 piece, in light brown
- Rnd 16 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2[inc] x 6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3[sc, inc] x 6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 4[2 sc, inc] x 6 (24 sts)
- Rnd 5[3 sc, inc] x 6 (30 sts)
- Rnd 6–11sc in each stitch (30 sts, 6 rounds without inc/dec)
- Rnd 12[3 sc, dec] x 6 (24 sts)
- Rnd 13[2 sc, dec] x 6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 14[sc, dec] x 6 (12 sts)
Before round 15, insert the safety eyes between rounds 9 and 10, about 7–8 stitches apart. Then stuff and continue crocheting.
- Rnd 15[dec] x 6 (6 sts)
Stuff firmly, pull the yarn through the last 6 stitches and weave in the end.
Body
1 piece, in light brown
- Rnd 16 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2[inc] x 6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3[sc, inc] x 6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 4[2 sc, inc] x 6 (24 sts)
- Rnd 5–10sc in each stitch (24 sts, 6 even rounds)
- Rnd 11[2 sc, dec] x 6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 12sc in each stitch (18 sts)
- Rnd 13[sc, dec] x 6 (12 sts)
From round 12 on, stuff with fiberfill and keep adding more as you crochet.
- Rnd 14[dec] x 6 (6 sts)
Pull the yarn through the last 6 stitches, pull tight and weave in. Leave a long tail for sewing onto the head.
Arms
2 pieces, in light brown
- Rnd 16 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2[inc] x 6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3sc in each stitch (12 sts)
- Rnd 4[sc, dec] x 4 (8 sts)
- Rnd 5–9sc in each stitch (8 sts, 5 even rounds)
Stuff lightly (only the lower half), cut the yarn and leave a long tail for sewing.
Legs
2 pieces, in light brown
- Rnd 16 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2[inc] x 6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3[sc, inc] x 6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 4sc in each stitch (18 sts)
- Rnd 5[sc, dec] x 6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 6–10sc in each stitch (12 sts, 5 even rounds)
Stuff firmly, cut the yarn and leave a long tail for sewing.
Ears
2 pieces, in light brown
- Rnd 16 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2[inc] x 6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3sc in each stitch (12 sts)
Don't stuff – press flat. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Sewing it all together
Attach the head to the body
Center the head on the top opening of the body and sew it on invisibly all the way around with the yarn tail.
Attach arms & legs
Sew the arms to the sides at about the height of the top body rounds, and the legs to the bottom of the body – so the bear can sit later.
Position the ears
Pin the ears at a slight angle on top of the head until you like the position, then sew them on.
Embroider the face
Use black embroidery floss to stitch a small nose and mouth between the eyes.
Weave in the ends
Carefully pull all loose yarn ends inside and weave them in – and your crochet bear is done!
My tips for you
Count your stitches
Note the stitch count in brackets at the end of each round – that way you'll notice right away if a mistake has crept in.
Stuff evenly
Add stuffing in small amounts and keep shaping it so your bear won't get lumps later.
Only lock the eyes when you're sure
Safety eyes can still be moved before you snap on the backs – take your time to try out the position first.