Amigurumi Christmas Patterns: What to Make and When to Start
The best Christmas crochet makes are small, quick and giftable: snowmen, reindeer, Santas, gingerbread, trees and ornaments you can finish in an evening, and a few bigger projects for the tree or the mantel. The Christmas folder in 1,947 Amigurumi Patterns holds 178 patterns. Below is what is in it, what to make first and how far ahead to start, so December does not catch you off guard.
What is in the Christmas folder
Counted from the titles of the 178 patterns:
| Theme | Patterns | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Snowmen | 27 | Mini and chubby snowmen, families, mugs, snowmen in hats |
| Santa and Mrs. Claus | 22 | Santa dolls, minis, a Santa with a beard, Mama Claus |
| Reindeer | 16 | Plush reindeer, ornaments, slippers, duos |
| Ornaments | 15 | Trees, snowmen, penguins, stockings, snowflakes |
| Gingerbread | 14 | Gingerbread men, bears, ornaments, a box |
| Trees | 11 | Mini trees, a tree with a star, tree plush |
| Elves | 7 | Elf dolls, minis, holiday helpers |
| Penguins | 7 | In Santa hats, hoods and beanies |
| Keychains | 7 | Santa, snowmen couples, reindeer, gingerbread |
| Angels | 6 | Christmas angels and dolls |
| Snowflakes | 5 | Flat ornaments |
| Gnomes and nutcrackers | 8 | Festive gnomes, nutcracker gentlemen |
| Nativity | 3 | A scene and a book |
The same folder also holds Christmas versions of other animals: cats in Christmas sweaters, bunnies in costumes, bears, mice and frogs. Some titles fit more than one row, so the rows overlap.
What to make first
A mini ornament (one evening)
A mini snowman, tree or gingerbread cookie uses a few grams of yarn and finishes in about an hour. These are good for a gift tag, a bow topper or the tree.
A stocking toy (one weekend)
A palm-sized snow pal, a small bear with a hat or a round robin, 8 to 10 cm tall, fits in a stocking toe. Make several at once from the same yarn, since the setup is the same.
A set (a month of Sundays)
A snow pal with a bear in a hat is a holiday pair, in the same scarf colour. Hang them from the tree or seat them on the mantel.
How far ahead to start
| Clock | Time to make | Fits | Start |
|---|---|---|---|
| One evening | 2 to 3 hours | One small toy | 3 days before |
| One weekend | 5 to 8 hours | A toy with limbs or a pair of small ones | 2 weeks before |
| A month of Sundays | 10 hours or more | A set of three or four, or a stocking for each | 6 weeks before |
Double the pattern time for the first toy in a new shape, and add an evening for sewing, faces and wrapping. An evening gift that is finished beats a weekend gift that is half done on Christmas Eve.
Yarn and colour for a festive look
- Choose cotton or smooth acrylic. Cotton shows each stitch; acrylic is light and washes in a cool machine cycle inside a pillowcase.
- Keep two main colours and a contrast: white and red, cream and green, honey and rust.
- Use the leftover drawer. Roughly 15 grams of DK finishes a small toy of around 10 cm. Weigh the ball, take off ten percent and match it to the toy.
- Avoid shedding chenille for under-fives. It lets go of fibres when squeezed and chewed.
Safety for children
Safety eyes, buttons, beads and bells are small parts. For children under 3, embroider the face and add nothing that can come off. Check guidance from a recognized body such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for the rules in your region.
Wrapping a handmade gift
- Wrap in kraft paper or a shoebox lid.
- Nest the toy in tissue with the face showing.
- Tie a bow from the same yarn as the toy.
- Add a tag with the fibre, "handmade" and a care line.
For ideas on matching animals to people, see crochet gift ideas. If you only have time for tiny projects, crochet keychain patterns are the fastest, and a beginner guide explains the order in which to learn the shapes.
Go deeper
1,947 Amigurumi Patterns includes the full Christmas folder, the Gift Animal Planner with timing clocks, set recipes, wrapping and printable tags, and a 12 Month Plush Make Along as a gift with your order that puts a small hat animal on the list for December. For the rest of the collection, see crochet animal patterns by group.