Sloth crochet pattern, nine pieces and 121 rounds
A free sloth crochet pattern for a sitting sloth about 13 cm tall and about 20 cm from paw to paw with the arms out, worked on a 3 mm hook in five colours over about four and a half hours. The arms are most of the work and most of the point: twenty-two rounds each, eighteen of them straight at nine stitches, and only the first four or five rounds are stuffed, so the limb stays empty enough to drape over a shelf edge or a wrist. All 121 rounds are written out across the nine pieces, each round carrying the count it ends on.
Maths verified, not yet made. Every one of the 121 rounds was checked against the round before it by machine — the counts, the increases and the decreases all add up. What nobody can promise you yet is how it sits in the hand.How we check
6 of 8 checks ran on 2026-09-04
- 1 format and stitch chainscripts/validate.py — 113 patterns, all counts chain.
- 2 catalogue auditscripts/audit-patterns.py — 113 audited, 0 errors, 66 warnings.
- 3 geometrygeometry-check.py — 113 checked, 0 errors, 4 warnings.
- 5 not a duplicate113 distinct display names across 113 patterns
- 6c target on the recordseo.headKeyword, confidence and demand present and cross-checked by scripts/validate.py
- 8 page readinessscripts/check-completeness.py --gate — 0 required fields missing, 114 editorial flags, 0 unearned claims.
Not yet checked
- 4 render matches the pattern — no image has been compared against its own prompt, so a render showing a piece the rounds do not make would not be caught here. Nothing has counted how many do.
- 6a recognisability — provenance.recognisability is empty in every pattern, so there is no feature list to check the parts against.
Why it is rated Medium
Medium for the face rather than the stitches: the cream patch is sewn on first, the eye patches tuck under the safety-eye washers at round 8, and once the decreases start you cannot reach the backs.
Sell what you make. Anything you crochet from this pattern is yours to sell — any quantity, no fee, no credit required.
00
00What you need before you start
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What you need before you start
Yarn — five colours, all weight 3
1 skein, about two thirds of itDK cotton, weight 3
small amount, under 15 gDK cotton, weight 3
scrapsDK cotton, weight 3
a short lengthScrap yarn or six-strand embroidery floss
a short lengthScrap yarn or six-strand embroidery floss
Tools
5 you probably own, 2 to buyYou likely have
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch markers
Pins
Measuring tape
You need to buy
6 mm black safety eyes ×2
Polyester stuffing (~40 g)
Optional
Charcoal embroidery floss instead of safety eyes, which is the safer choice for a child under three
A stitch marker in a contrast colour for the round start
A row counter for the long straight stretch on the arms
Gauge and finished size
the last check before you cast onTension
Not critical, but keep it tight. The stuffing should not show between stitches. A looser hand gives you a bigger sloth and nothing worse.
Finished size
~13 cm tall sitting, and ~20 cm from paw to paw with the arms out
A 3.5 mm hook with the same DK cotton gives a larger sloth off the same 121 rounds. Do not go looser than that on the limbs; a slack fabric at nine stitches round lets an empty arm collapse instead of drape.
How to make the sloth, piece by piece
Switching rewrites every round:US6 sc in mrUK6 dc in mrWork a US sc as a UK single crochet and the fabric comes out looser and taller.
1
01The head
A sphere that opens to thirty stitches, holds for six rounds, then…15 RNDS
starts in warmGrey· magic ring· Piece 1 of 9
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [30] [30]
Opening out to 30
RND 1–51[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[30]
Straight sides — eyes go in around round 8
RND 6–116[30]
7[30]
8[30]
9[30]
10[30]
11[30]
Closing in — stuff as you go
RND 12–1512[24]
13[18]
14[12]
15[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff it firmly before you close the last round. Leave a long tail — you will sew this onto the body later.
2
02The body
A short barrel. Out to twenty-four over four rounds, eleven rounds…18 RNDS
starts in warmGrey· magic ring· Piece 2 of 9
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [24] [24]
Opening out to 24
RND 1–41[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
Straight sides
RND 5–155[24]
6[24]
7[24]
8[24]
9[24]
10[24]
11[24]
12[24]
13[24]
14[24]
15[24]
Closing in
RND 16–1816[18]
17[12]
18[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff it firmly. It carries the weight of four limbs and a head, so a soft body sags.
3
03The face patch
Four rounds of flat disc in cream. No stuffing — it lies against the…4 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 3 of 9
First four rounds[6] [12] [18] [24]
1[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneLeave a long tail. Pin it slightly oval over the lower face and sew all the way round before you set the eyes.
4
04The eye patches
Two the same, two rounds each. Six stitches, then twelve, and stop.2 RNDS
starts in chocolate· magic ring· Piece 4 of 9
First two rounds[6] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneLeave both unstuffed and leave a long tail on each. They go on before the safety eyes, with the top edge of each patch tucked under the washer.
5
05Right eye patch
— the same 2 rounds again, worked from piece 042 RNDS
starts in chocolate· magic ring· Piece 5 of 9· mirrors the eye patches
First two rounds[6] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
6
06The arms
Two the same, twenty-two rounds each. Cream paw, then eighteen…22 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 6 of 9
First six rounds[6] [9] [9] [9] [9] [9]
The cream paw
RND 1–21[6]
2[9]
Eighteen rounds of grey
RND 3–203[9]
4[9]
5[9]
6[9]
7[9]
8[9]
9[9]
10[9]
11[9]
12[9]
13[9]
14[9]
15[9]
16[9]
17[9]
18[9]
19[9]
20[9]
Closed at the shoulder
RND 21–2221[6]
22[3]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff only the paw end, four or five rounds in. The rest stays empty so the arm drapes.
7
07Right arm
— the same 22 rounds again, worked from piece 0622 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 7 of 9· mirrors the arms
First six rounds[6] [9] [9] [9] [9] [9]
1[6]
2[9]
3[9]
4[9]
5[9]
6[9]
7[9]
8[9]
9[9]
10[9]
11[9]
12[9]
13[9]
14[9]
15[9]
16[9]
17[9]
18[9]
19[9]
20[9]
21[6]
22[3]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
8
08The legs
The same recipe as the arms, shorter — fourteen straight rounds…18 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 8 of 9
First six rounds[6] [9] [9] [9] [9] [9]
The cream paw
RND 1–21[6]
2[9]
Fourteen rounds of grey
RND 3–163[9]
4[9]
5[9]
6[9]
7[9]
8[9]
9[9]
10[9]
11[9]
12[9]
13[9]
14[9]
15[9]
16[9]
Closed at the hip
RND 17–1817[6]
18[3]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is donePaw end stuffed, the rest left soft, same as the arms.
9
09Right leg
— the same 18 rounds again, worked from piece 0818 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 9 of 9· mirrors the legs
First six rounds[6] [9] [9] [9] [9] [9]
1[6]
2[9]
3[9]
4[9]
5[9]
6[9]
7[9]
8[9]
9[9]
10[9]
11[9]
12[9]
13[9]
14[9]
15[9]
16[9]
17[6]
18[3]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitches
You are here
Nine pieces from six lists. Three lists — the eye patches, the arms and the legs — are written once and worked twice, identical round for round; the grey bars are piece length, all drawn to the same scale.121 ROUNDS IN ALL
Thirteen notes on the sloth
Read themClose
01An original Crochet Genie design.
02Every piece is worked in a continuous spiral. Nothing is joined and nothing is turned, so mark the first stitch of each round and carry the marker up as you go.
03The arms are the point of this toy. Eighteen straight rounds at nine stitches is a long, patient stretch, and it is what lets the finished sloth drape over a shelf edge, a chair back or a wrist.
04Stuff the arms and legs only at the paw end — the first four or five rounds, no further. The rest stays empty so the limb stays floppy. A fully stuffed arm points straight out and the sloth stops hanging.
05Change to warm grey at the start of round 3 on each arm and each leg, at the round boundary. Cut the cream and leave a tail to weave in.
06The face patch is worked as a flat disc from a magic ring rather than around a foundation chain, because this pattern counts only single crochet, increases and decreases. Pinch it slightly oval as you pin it and it reads the same on the finished face.
07Sew the face patch over the lower half of the head, centred and covering rounds 8 to 12, before you set the eyes.
08Set the safety eyes through the head at round 8, about 8 stitches apart, with the top edge of each chocolate eye patch tucked under the washer. Do this while the head is still open — once the decreases start you cannot reach the backs.
09The eye patches sit at an angle: the inner end of each one touches the top corner of the face patch, the outer end tilts up. That tilt is what makes a sloth look sleepy rather than surprised.
10The nose is a small blush triangle embroidered at the top centre of the face patch. The smile is two shallow charcoal curves running out and down from under it.
11Three short charcoal stitches across each paw make the claws. Work them over the cream, spread across the first two rounds.
12Stuff the head and body firmly, the head first. Sew the head onto the body at a slight forward tilt so the sloth looks like it is peering down at you.
13Sew the arms high on the body, at rounds 5 and 6, one on each side. Sew the legs low, at rounds 14 and 15. The arms want to sit almost at the shoulder seam or the drape goes wrong.
Four questions this pattern answers
Not questions anybody asked. Each one is written from this pattern's own record, and every answer is read off the fields it names.
How many pieces make up the sloth?
How much yarn will the sloth take?
What hook will the sloth need, and what is the finished size?
How long will the sloth take to crochet?
A round that will not add up?
Tell us the piece and the round number — the stepper already knows where you are.There is nowhere to send one yet.
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