A4 PDF: materials, every round with a tick box, assembly and face
A free crochet kitten pattern for a cream amigurumi kitten peeking out of a woven basket next to two little yarn balls. This kitten plushie has big shiny eyes, pink cheeks and pink-lined ears, and rests its paws with tiny embroidered toe beans on the rim beside a pink and a mint yarn ball. Everything is worked in the round in single crochet with DK yarn and a 2.5 mm hook: the basket gets a two-colour checkerboard weave and a chain-ring rim, the eyes are safety eyes, and it stands about 13 cm (5 in) tall. Follow the row-by-row pattern with stitch counts and turn the interactive 3D model to see where every piece goes.
How to crochet the Kitten in a Yarn Basket
Advanced · 13 cm tall · about 4 h · DK yarn · 2.5 mm hook
Crochet the 13 pieces in rounds: Basket, Basket rim, Body, Head, Ear ×2, Paw ×2, Tail, Yarn ball, Small yarn ball, Cheek ×2 (119 rounds in all).
Stuff and put it together in 11 steps; each one lights up where it goes on the 3D model.
Add the face: safety eyes by round and stitch, or embroider them for a child under 3.
Every round with its stitch count is in the Pattern tab below, and in the free printable PDF.
1 sc ≈ 4 mm wide, 1 round ≈ 3.6 mm tall (10 cm ≈ 25 sc × 28 rounds); yarn about 1.9 mm thick. The gauge sets the size of the toy; crochet tightly so the stuffing does not show.
Worked in
Continuous spiral rounds. Don't join. Move a stitch marker up every round.
Size before assembly: about 8.5 cm at the widest, 6.4 cm long; 25 rounds.
Multi-colour rounds are listed stitch by stitch from the round-start marker; keep the round start on the piece's centre front line (as it sits on the finished toy). The order is for right-handed crocheting (right to left on the outside); left-handed: reverse it.
Change to wicker (pull it through on the last yarn-over of R9).
Change to wicker (pull it through on the last yarn-over of R24).
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing.
Do not stuff.
Size before assembly: about 8.4 cm at the widest, 0.7 cm long; 2 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing.
Do not stuff.
Size before assembly: about 5 cm at the widest, 7.1 cm long; 24 rounds.
→ Start stuffing (firmly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
Size before assembly: about 6.6 cm at the widest, 5.5 cm long; 22 rounds.
→ Insert the safety eyes now (positions: see “Face”) and fix the backs. Start stuffing (firmly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
Size before assembly: about 3.2 cm at the widest, 2.1 cm long; 7 rounds.
Multi-colour rounds are listed stitch by stitch from the round-start marker; keep the round start on the piece's centre front line (as it sits on the finished toy). The order is for right-handed crocheting (right to left on the outside); left-handed: reverse it.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing.
Stuff it lightly — a thin layer, just enough to hold the walls apart: the ear about 10.8 mm thick, with thick rounded edges. Then shape it into a spoon: push the front wall toward the back wall — a concave spoon about 3.7 mm deep in front, a rounded back; about 32 mm wide. Keep the opening a curve, hollow side forward, not a straight line.<!-- (spoon 55 %) -->
Size before assembly: about 1.3 cm at the widest, 1.6 cm long; 5 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing.
Stuff lightly just before sewing it on; a little less near the edge, then add a pinch when the seam is nearly done.
Size before assembly: about 1.2 cm at the widest, 5 cm long; 14 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing.
Stuff lightly just before sewing it on; a little less near the edge, then add a pinch when the seam is nearly done.
Bend ≈ 110° around round 6<!-- the bend spreads over 4 rounds -->. After stuffing, bend the piece so the inner side of the bend faces down on the finished toy (on the piece: in round 6, 1 st from the centre bottom line, toward the toy's left <!-- st 0.92 left -->). On the inner side draw rounds 4 and 7 together (3 rounds go into the fold): with the needle and matching yarn make 3–4 stitches through the loops of both rounds over about 2 st, pull to the angle and hide the end inside.
Size before assembly: about 3.2 cm at the widest, 2.5 cm long; 10 rounds.
→ Start stuffing (firmly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
Size before assembly: about 2.4 cm at the widest, 2.2 cm long; 8 rounds.
→ Start stuffing (firmly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
A flat circle about 1.5 cm across; 2 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing.
Do not stuff.
Safety eyes and noses go in before the piece is stuffed and closed (see the pieces above); embroidery is easier before the piece is sewn on.
Safety eyes with a printed glint 13 mm (on the head): between rounds 12 and 13, 7 st apart (count along round 12: about 3.3 st each side of the centre front line).
Satin stitch (on the head): in nose thread, a triangle about 6 mm wide and 4.5 mm tall, horizontal stitches; centred in round 14, on the centre front line .
Embroidery in mouth thread (on the head), straight stitches through: (in round 15, on the centre front line ) → (between rounds 15 and 16, on the centre front line ) → (in round 16, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 15 and 16, 1 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ).
Embroidery in mouth thread (on the head), straight stitches through: (in round 15, on the centre front line ) → (between rounds 15 and 16, on the centre front line ) → (in round 16, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 15 and 16, 1 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ).
Embroidery in yarnpink2 thread (on the yarn ball), straight stitches through: (in round 2, 2 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right) → (in round 4, on the centre front line) → (in round 6, 4 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left) → (in round 7, 8 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left).
Embroidery in yarnpink2 thread (on the yarn ball), straight stitches through: (in round 2, 3.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 4 and 5, 1.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 2.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ).
Embroidery in yarnpink2 thread (on the yarn ball), straight stitches through: (in round 2, 0.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 5, 6.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 7, 4 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right).
Embroidery in yarnpink2 thread (on the yarn ball), straight stitches through: (between rounds 2 and 3, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 4 and 5, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 5.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 7 and 8, 3.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ).
Embroidery in yarnpink2 thread (on the yarn ball), straight stitches through: (in round 3, 1.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right) → (in round 5, 6 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right) → (in round 7, 2 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right).
Abbreviations
MR
magic ring
sc
single crochet
inc
2 sc in the same stitch
dec
single crochet two stitches together (invisible decrease recommended)
Embroidery in yarnmint2 thread (on the small yarn ball), straight stitches through: (in round 2, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 3 and 4, 1 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left) → (in round 5, 4 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left) → (in round 6, 2 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left).
Embroidery in yarnmint2 thread (on the small yarn ball), straight stitches through: (in round 2, 0.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 4, 2 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right) → (between rounds 5 and 6, 4 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right).
Embroidery in yarnmint2 thread (on the small yarn ball), straight stitches through: (in round 2, 2 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left) → (between rounds 3 and 4, on the centre front line) → (in round 5, 3 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right) → (in round 6, 6 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right).
Embroidery in yarnmint2 thread (on the small yarn ball), straight stitches through: (between rounds 2 and 3, 1 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right) → (in round 4, 4.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right) → (between rounds 5 and 6, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right).
Satin stitch (on the paw) (2: one on each paw; the left one is described, the right is its mirror): in pinkear thread, a oval about 4.5 mm wide and 3.5 mm tall, horizontal stitches; centred in round 1, on the centre bottom line .
Satin stitch (on the paw) (2: one on each paw; the left one is described, the right is its mirror): in pinkear thread, a oval about 2.2 mm wide and 2.2 mm tall, horizontal stitches; centred between rounds 2 and 3, 1 st from the centre top line, toward the toy's right .
Satin stitch (on the paw) (2: one on each paw; the left one is described, the right is its mirror): in pinkear thread, a oval about 2.2 mm wide and 2.2 mm tall, horizontal stitches; centred between rounds 2 and 3, on the centre top line .
Satin stitch (on the paw) (2: one on each paw; the left one is described, the right is its mirror): in pinkear thread, a oval about 2.2 mm wide and 2.2 mm tall, horizontal stitches; centred between rounds 2 and 3, 1 st from the centre top line, toward the toy's left .
