Squirrel crochet pattern, eleven pieces and 90 rounds
A free squirrel crochet pattern for a sitting squirrel about 13 cm tall with a 9 cm tail standing up behind it, worked on a 3.5 mm hook in five colours over about four and a half hours. The tail is a fifth of the pattern on its own — twenty rounds growing to thirty stitches, six of them straight, then a cream tip — and it is stuffed lightly and bent into a curve so that it props the squirrel upright rather than trailing behind it. All 90 rounds are written out across the eleven pieces, each round carrying the count it ends on.
Maths verified, not yet made. Every one of the 90 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 chest panel: body rounds 7 to 13 carry ten cream stitches on the front and twenty-six brown, so each of those seven rounds changes colour twice with the unused yarn carried inside.
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 4
1 skein, about half of itWorsted acrylic, weight 4
about 15 gWorsted acrylic, weight 4
about 12 gWorsted acrylic, weight 4
a short lengthScrap yarn or six-strand embroidery floss
scrapsWorsted acrylic, weight 4
Tools
5 you probably own, 2 to buyYou likely have
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch markers
Pins
Measuring tape
You need to buy
8 mm black safety eyes ×2
Polyester stuffing (~45 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 spray bottle for damping the tail before you bend it into its curve
Gauge and finished size
the last check before you cast onTension
Not critical. Work tight enough that the stuffing does not show between stitches. A looser hand gives you a taller squirrel and nothing worse.
Finished size
~13 cm tall sitting, with a 9 cm tail standing up behind
A 4 mm hook with the same worsted gives a larger squirrel off the same 90 rounds. Keep the tension tight through the chest panel whichever hook you use, because carried yarn shows through a loose fabric.
How to make the squirrel, 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 stopped at thirty stitches. Five rounds opening out, six…15 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 1 of 11
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [30] [30]
Opening out
RND 1–51[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[30]
Straight sides — eyes go in here
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 stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff it firmly and roll it between your hands to even it out before you close the last round.
2
02The body
Wider than the head, which is what keeps the squirrel sitting rather…18 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 2 of 11
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [30] [36]
Opening out to thirty-six
RND 1–61[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[30]
6[36]
Straight sides with the cream chest
RND 7–137[36]
8[36]
9[36]
10[36]
11[36]
12[36]
13[36]
Closing in — stuff as you go
RND 14–1814[30]
15[24]
16[18]
17[12]
18[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff it firm and flat-bottomed. Stand it on the table and check it sits before you close it.
3
03The muzzle
Three rounds in cream, six stitches out to twelve and one round…3 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 3 of 11
First three rounds[6] [12] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff it with a pinch of filling and sew it below and between the eyes, then embroider a small charcoal nose at the top of it and two short lines down from the nose for the mouth.
4
04The ears
Two the same, three rounds each. Six stitches out to nine, then one…3 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 4 of 11
First three rounds[6] [9] [9]
1[6]
2[9]
3[9]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is donePinch each one flat and sew the curved edge high on the head, about six stitches apart.
5
05Right ear
— the same 3 rounds again, worked from piece 043 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 5 of 11· mirrors the ears
First three rounds[6] [9] [9]
1[6]
2[9]
3[9]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
6
06The arms
Two small tapered limbs, five rounds each, made to hold an acorn…5 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 6 of 11
First five rounds[6] [9] [9] [9] [6]
1[6]
2[9]
3[9]
4[9]
5[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff them lightly and sew them to the front of the body just under the head, angled inward so the paws nearly meet.
7
07Right arm
— the same 5 rounds again, worked from piece 065 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 7 of 11· mirrors the arms
First five rounds[6] [9] [9] [9] [6]
1[6]
2[9]
3[9]
4[9]
5[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
8
08The legs
Two short stubs, five rounds each, out to twelve and straight for two…5 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 8 of 11
First five rounds[6] [12] [12] [12] [6]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[12]
5[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff them firmly and sew them to the lower front of the body, pointing forward, so the squirrel sits on them.
9
09Right leg
— the same 5 rounds again, worked from piece 085 RNDS
starts in cinnamonBrown· magic ring· Piece 9 of 11· mirrors the legs
First five rounds[6] [12] [12] [12] [6]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[12]
5[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
10
10The tail
The longest piece in the pattern and the one that gives the squirrel…20 RNDS
starts in chestnut· magic ring· Piece 10 of 11
First six rounds[6] [6] [12] [12] [18] [18]
Growing to thirty
RND 1–91[6]
2[6]
3[12]
4[12]
5[18]
6[18]
7[24]
8[24]
9[30]
Six rounds of plume
RND 10–1510[30]
11[30]
12[30]
13[30]
14[30]
15[30]
The cream tip
RND 16–2016[30]
17[24]
18[18]
19[12]
20[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff it lightly, no more than enough to fill the outline, then press it flat between your palms and bend it into a question-mark curve.
11
11The acorn
A small cream barrel with a tan cap, eight rounds all together.8 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 11 of 11
First six rounds[6] [12] [12] [12] [12] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[12]
5[12]
6[12]
7[9]
8[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff it lightly before round 7 closes it in. Set it between the paws and tack it to both of them with a few stitches.
You are here
Eleven pieces from eight lists. Three lists — the ears, 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.90 ROUNDS IN ALL
Six notes on the squirrel
Read themClose
01An original Crochet Genie design.
02Every piece is worked in a continuous spiral. Nothing is joined and nothing is turned, so keep a marker in the first stitch of each round.
03The chest panel on body rounds 7 to 13 is tapestry colourwork: ten cream stitches on the front, cinnamon brown for the rest of the round. Carry the colour you are not using along the inside of the work.
04A real squirrel's tail is a flat plume worked from a long chain foundation. This format counts single crochet, increases and decreases only, so the tail here is a long stuffed teardrop from a magic ring instead. Stuff it lightly, press it flat between your palms, and pin it into a curve while you sew it on — that is what gives it the plume shape.
05The nose, the mouth and the line of the front paws are embroidered at the end rather than crocheted, which keeps the piece count where the squirrel needs it.
06Stuff the head, body and legs firmly, the arms lightly, and leave the ears flat and empty.
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 is the colour worked into the squirrel?
How much yarn will the squirrel take?
What hook will the squirrel need, and what is the finished size?
How long will the squirrel 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.
Put the laptop down mid-round
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