85 Crochet Amigurumi Doll Patterns and Designs to easily get started with
If you are interested in crocheting doll amigurumi then you are in the right place! Here is a comprehensive outline of how I usually tackle crocheting and designing doll amigurumi. First I talk about the supplies you need, then the basic crochet techniques you need to know before getting started, a breakdown of individual doll parts to make the whole and finally about 85 different examples to inspire you to make your own (some are free patterns!).
This is the overview post to link out to all the sub-categories you might be interested in, so feel free to check out those as well, they are equally comprehensive!
Table of Contents Show
Supplies to crochet dolls
Here I will talk about all the considerations for each section in bullet points before we move onto the next. As for the details on each particular section and how to select and narrow down your choices, I will link to an appropriate detailed article for each one - I hope it helps!
Yarn Selection
Yarn weight - DK yarn to make minis, chunky yarn to make plushies
Yarn colours - skin coloured yarn, matching colours, clothing colours
Read more here about '12-point Checklist to Select the Best Yarn for Amigurumi'
Crochet Hook Selection
Basic cheap hooks to start
Ergonomic hooks - recommended
Right hook size for yarn size
Read more here about 'Best Crochet Hook for Amigurumi and 12 ways for Choice Selection'
Stitch Markers
Make shift markers
Plastic markers
Metal markers
Read more here about '10 Crochet Stitch Marker Types and their 10 easy Uses in Amigurumi'
Crochet Tools and Accessories
Stuffing
Darning needles
Read more here about 'My Crochet Tools and Accessories that are Super Simple to Start With'
Techniques you need to know to crochet dolls
Below I have included the techniques commonly used to crochet dolls. I do use a variety and combination of them to create different types of shapes in the dolls so it would be useful to know them before attempting any doll patterns I have listed.
Basic Crochet Stitches
Foundation chain = ch
Single Crochet = sc
Half double crochet = hdc
Double crochet = dc
Treble crochet = tr
Slip stitch = sl st
Read more about 'How to Learn Basic Crochet Stitches step by step for Absolute Beginners - 6 Easy Steps!'
Magic ring
Magic circle
Chain 2 and single crochet
Read more about '24 Easy Peasy things you need to know about Magic Ring in Crochet'
Increase Crochet
Increase crochet stitches in a round
Increase crochet stitches in a row
Read more about '15 different detailed Ways on How to Increase in Crochet'
Decrease Crochet
Decrease crochet stitches in a round
Decrease crochet stitches in a row
Read more about '15 different detailed Ways on How to Decrease in Crochet'
FLO and BLO
Working in front loops only
Working in back loops only
Read more about 'Front Loop and Back Loop in Crochet - the easy way to know everything'
Special Crochet Stitches
Bobble Stitch
Read more about '6 important things to know about Bobble Stitch Crochet'
Popcorn Stitch
Read more about '6 unmissable steps on How to do a Popcorn Stitch in Crochet'
Crochet Doll Parts
Before we move onto any doll pattern examples, I would briefly like to talk about the different parts or the anatomy of a doll. Putting them all together at the end would result in your final amigurumi. For each separate section, I have also written an extensive blog post for each part so remember to check it out as well!
Crochet Doll Body
Sitting or standing positions
Seamless crocheting or attachment of body parts
Read more here about '3 Easy Techniques on How to Make a Crochet Doll Body (no sew included!)'
Crochet Doll Eyes
Sewing, crocheting, embroidery, felting techniques
Using safety eyes and glass eyes
Read more here about 'Amigurumi Crochet Eyes - 10 creative ideas that you can use!'
Crochet Doll Hair
Loop and hook, sewing, loop stitches, surface crochet
Wig caps, chain loop fringe
Read more here about '24 creative ways on How to Crochet Doll Amigurumi Hair'
Crochet Doll Clothes
Swimsuits
Coats, jackets, hood
Dresses, T-shirt, pants
Read more here about '6 super easy ways to Crochet Doll Clothes for Amigurumi (including Dresses)!'
Crochet Bends in Doll Limbs
Crocheting a cylinder
Gradual bends, perpendicular bends, steep bends
Read more here about 'How to Crochet a Tube in 10 different useful styles'
Summary of Doll Patterns below
This is a short summary of all the following doll pattern examples below. Some are paid patterns, some are free and some are not available here - there are about 85 in total. I have included them here for ideas and inspiration! Do look out for some of them which are free and also look out release of more free ones along the way.
Crochet Superhero Dolls
Crochet Star Wars Dolls
Crochet Star Trek Dolls
Crochet Prehistoric Dolls
Crochet Diverse Elemental Teenagers
Crochet Wizarding Dolls
Crochet Anime Dolls
Crochet Princess Dolls
Crochet Fantasy Dolls
Crochet Baby Dolls
They are specifically placed in this order, because as you go down the list you will notice that the crocheting techniques involved are slightly more complex, resulting in more detailing on the amigurumi.
Crochet Superhero Dolls
Let us start with one of my earliest collection because the way they were made was my most basic doll body. All of them were essentially crocheted seamlessly with bobble stitches as they limbs which meant no sewing!
The hair making were super basic and mostly using just yarn to create different hairstyles. The only way I managed to make variations where changes in colour, whether in the hair, main body or the bobble stitch colours.
Crochet Sci Fi Dolls
I made this set right about the same time as the one above with the same basic doll body but I added even more attachments than before like helmets and some jacket colour changes. Also there are small animal like figures here made with doll bodies.
Crochet star trek dolls
This set was pretty simple and quick to create as the pattern for the bodies were all similar save for some colour changes. My favourite part of this set has to be the space ship I crocheted not the dolls but they were a great accompaniment and I managed to sell a few nursery mobiles with this theme.
Crochet prehistoric dolls
From the basic bodies with bobble stitches, here I started experimenting with even more hairstyles particularly wig caps, instead of just sewing down yarn on the heads. The bodies still roughly remained the same.
Crochet diverse elemental teenagers
This was the next step for me, when I tried to do surface crocheting to add more detailing to the doll bodies without having to crochet separate clothing attachments.
Crochet wizarding dolls
On top of incorporating surface crocheting to help with the clothes in this set, I also tried extending the bobble stitches outwards on a chain for a few pieces in this set. I even experimented with using screws inside my amigurumi here.
Crochet anime dolls
I thought to include this section because anime dolls are the most fun to brainstorm and crochet. For this collection, I included pointy hairstyles, bright colour and humanoid looking animals. This time I also started incorporated extended bobble stitches more regularly for a few of them.
If you are wondering how to crochet anime characters or you are looking for anime crochet ideas, here's a list of some of them which I have done and you can look for any of them which are free.
Crochet princess dolls
With this princess collection, I went a step further and made different types of base amigurumi bodies, hairstyles and dresses. So this is definitely a step up from the previous collections. I had made all of them once and decided to remake them again with more detailing the second round.
Crochet fantasy dolls
The last of my themed collections, which has not just more detailed amigurumi bodies and limbs, but some facial detailing as well to make each character even distinctive. The colours are slightly more subdued compared to say the anime series.
Crochet baby dolls
My latest doll series that are completely and randomly designed without working off any existing themed characters. New positions and new suits and hopefully new ideas for my doll library in the future too!
Conclusion of crocheting doll amigurumi
That is the end of this article, I will add more ideas along the way as I too, try to improve my doll crocheting techniques. Also look out for releases of new free doll patterns on this page as well. I have gone through supplies, techniques, doll parts and examples and hopefully you found it useful. Remember to share it or pin it to Pinterest for others to see too!
As for your next step, it really depends on where you are in your crocheting journey. If you are a beginner and you just want to start out with dolls, then join me in this free 5-day email challenge where we will crochet a base body in just 5 minutes a day - in total just 30 minutes!
If you are an intermediate or advanced amigurumi crocheter, then you might find this training useful, on how to customize different parts of your doll amigurumi to make it more distinctive and unique.