Free amigurumi crochet pattern for a small cat made with chenille yarn

This little chenille cat didn’t simply get crocheted—it moved in. At first there was only a ball of fluffy yarn, then two curious eyes, a round muzzle, and suddenly she was sitting there: a bit prim and proper, a bit dreamy, with her scarf around her neck, as if she were about to head out for a walk. She loves claiming a spot on the shelf, keeping watch over your yarn basket, and looking so innocent that you can’t help but forgive any mischief. In this pattern, I’ll show you step by step how to crochet your own little kitty—soft, cuddly, and full of the details that make her feel so alive.

Materials

• Chenille yarn (e.g. Katia “Bambi”), weight to match a 5.0 mm hook (or as desired):
  • Grey (body, head, legs, hands, ears, tail)
  • White (paws, muzzle, bib)
  • Purple (scarf)
• Stuffing
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• 2 safety eyes (13 mm) and black as well as pink yarn for embroidery
• (Optional) a little fishing line for the whiskers

Measurements

The doll will be about 26 cm tall.

Abbreviations

• st = stitch
• sc = single crochet 
• sl st = slip stitch 
• inc = increase (2 sc in one st)
• tog = decrease (2 stitches worked together / tog)

Notes:

Unless explicitly stated, all parts are crocheted in continuous spiral rounds, even if the pattern says e.g. “3 rounds sc”.
The numbers before each step indicate the row/round number.
The number in brackets at the end of each step indicates the number of stitches at the end of the step.

Please note: This is not a toy for small children! If you want to gift the cat as a toy, leave out the whiskers and the eyes, or embroider both by hand instead, as even safety eyes can sometimes come loose.

Head (Grey)

Round 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
Round 2: inc in each st [12]
Round 3: inc in every 2nd st[18]
Round 4: inc in every 3rd st [24]
Round 5: inc in every 4th st [30]
Round 6: inc in every 5th st [36]
Round 7: inc in every 6th st [42]
Round 8: inc in every 7th st [48]
Round 9–15: 7 rounds sc [48]
Now insert the eyes between rounds 12 and 13, about 9 stitches apart.

Round 16: tog every 7th + 8th st [42]
Round 17: tog every 6th + 7th st [36]
Round 18: tog every 5th + 6th st [30]
Round 19: tog every 4th + 5th st [24]
Round 20: tog every 3rd + 4th st [18]
Stuff, nicely round in shape.
Round 21: tog every 2nd + 3rd st [12]
Round 22: tog every 1st + 2nd st [6]
Cut yarn, close the opening.

Body (Grey)

Round 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
Round 2: inc in each st [12]
Round 3: inc in every 2nd st[18]
Round 4: inc in every 3rd st [24]
Round 5: inc in every 4th st [30]
Round 6: inc in every 5th st [36]
Round 7: inc in every 6th st [42]
Round 8–12: 5 rounds sc [42]
Round 13: tog every 6th + 7th st [36]
Round 14: 36 sc [36]
Round 15: tog every 5th + 6th st [30]
Round 16: 30 sc [30]
Round 17: tog every 4th + 5th st [24]
Round 18: 24 sc [24]
Round 19: tog every 3rd + 4th st [18]
Round 20–21: 2 rounds sc [18]
Stuff the body well, stuffing more firmly at the bottom and a little less at the neck.
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. The opening remains as the neck opening.

Muzzle

In White
chain 4
Round 1: starting in the 2nd ch: 2 sc, 3 sc in the last ch, on the other side: 1 sc, 2 sc in the first ch [8]
Round 2: 2 sc, 3x inc, 2 sc, 2x inc [13]
Round 3: 4 sc, 2x inc, 5 sc, 2x inc (17)
Round 4: 17 sc [17]
Sl st into the next stitch, cut yarn long and finish.

Bib

In White
chain 5
Round 1: starting in the 2nd ch: 3 sc, 3 sc in the last ch, other side: 2 sc, 2 sc in the first ch [10]
Round 2: 10 sc all around, at the curves add 1 extra sc each (as needed) [12]
Round 3: 12 sc all around, at the curves add 1 extra sc each (as needed) [14]

Scarf

In Purple
Chain 40, depending on hook/yarn. Best to wrap the chain of 40 once around the neck. The scarf should be long enough that the ends overlap by several centimeters.

Round 1: starting in the 2nd ch: sc to the end, ch 1, turn
Round 2: sc to the end, ch 1, turn

Front leg 1:

Start with White
Round 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
Round 2: inc in each st [12]
Round 3–4: 2 rounds sc [12]
Round 5: 3 x tog 2 sts, 6 sc [9]
Change to Grey
Round 6-12: 7 rounds sc [9]
Stuff, press the opening together and crochet it closed with 4-5 sc.

Front leg 2:

Start with White
Round 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
Round 2: inc in each st [12]
Round 3–4: 2 rounds sc [12]
Round 5: 6 sc, 3 x tog 2 sts [9]
Change to Grey
Round 6-12: 7 rounds sc [9]
Stuff, press the opening together and crochet it closed with 4-5 sc.

Back legs

In Grey
Round 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
Round 2: inc in each st [12]
Round 3-6: 4 rounds sc [12]

Lightly stuff, press the top flat, close through both layers with 6 sc. Leave a long tail.

Ears

In Grey
Round 1: 4 sc in MR [4]
Round 2: inc in every 2nd st [6]
Round 3: inc in every 3rd st [8]
Round 4: inc in every 4th st [10]
Round 5: 10 sc [10]
Leave a long tail, press flat (do not stuff).

Tail

In Grey
Round 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
Round 2: inc in every 2nd st.[9]
Round 3–15: 13 rounds sc [9]

Sl st into the next stitch, do not stuff and leave a long tail.

Finishing

First, sew the muzzle centered under the eyes. If needed, it can also be stuffed with a little stuffing while sewing it on.

Attach the ears in a line on the top of the head.

Then sew the bib onto the body. Position it about two to three rounds below the neck opening.

After that, sew the head centered onto the neck opening. If the neck is not stable enough, a little more stuffing can be added while sewing.

Then sew the back legs onto the lower body so that the cat sits leaning forward.

Sew the front legs on at an angle next to the bib. Which leg goes on which side is determined by the last round (the round in which the legs were closed), because that makes them fit properly only on one side.

Now sew the tail on at the bottom of the bum and then fold it like a small Z and secure it at the top of the body with one stitch.

Then place the scarf around the neck and sew it on with a few stitches.

Next come the decorations. First, embroider the claws on the front and back legs with a little black embroidery yarn.

For embroidering the face you will need a little pink embroidery yarn for the nose, black yarn for the mouth and a little white yarn (here it’s best to use a leftover from the chenille yarn) for the eye patches.

Finally, the whiskers can be tied on using the fishing line. Then trim them a little and…

Your little cat is finished :)

I hope you enjoyed the pattern, and if you have questions or problems, please write to me in the comments. I would of course also be happy about positive feedback :)
Otherwise, have fun crocheting and feel free to check out my other free blog posts or browse around in my shop. There you’ll find many more sewing and crochet patterns for practical items or cute cuddly toys and amigurumi.