Simple Free Crochet Cat Pattern

Create some cute single coloured cats with this free crochet cat pattern! These cats are super quick and easy to make up. They are an adaptation of my kawaii bunny pattern, using the same body as the base.

You can vary the sizes of your cats by simply changing your hook size and/or yarn weight. I have used acrylic yarn, but you can use any type of yarn you prefer. Your chosen yarn weight and hook size will determine the size of your ﬁnished cat, mine measures 11cm tall.

Quick, Simple & Free Crochet Cat Pattern

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All crochet patterns from Hooked On Patterns are written using
US crochet terms.

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This free crochet cat pattern is for a simple single coloured cat. You can make up some plain Black, White or Grey/Blue cats, and change the eye colours to suit.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

I have used Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran (US Worsted weight) with a 4mm hook for my cat. As a guide, my cat measures 4.25”/11cm high from base to top of ears, and 2.5”/6.5cm at the widest part of the head. Your own choice of yarn and hook will determine the finished size.

You can use any weight or type of yarn, and make your cat any colour you like. You will need approximately 100 yards of your body colour, 10 yards of Pink, and a little Black, White (or your mouth colour), and your chosen eye colour, all in the same yarn weight.

Exact gauge isn’t important for this project, just try to keep your stitches compact. Using a smaller than recommended hook size for yarn will help.

You will also need some Toy Stufﬁng, a Stitch Marker, a Yarn Needle, and Scissors to make your crochet cat.

Ready to get started?

Copyright: This free crochet cat pattern was written, designed, and copyright held by, Ling Ryan/Hooked On Patterns. You are not permitted to copy, share, upload or redistribute this pattern in any way, this includes making video tutorials or translating into other languages. Personal use only. You may sell products you have personally crocheted from using this pattern. Please credit Ling Ryan or Hooked On Patterns as the designer if you do sell. By using this page/crochet pattern you are agreeing to all T&Cs.

FREE CROCHET CAT PATTERN

This free crochet cat pattern uses the following basic US crochet stitches and terms:

(mr) Magic ring, (sc) Single Crochet, (inc) Increase – 2sc in the same stitch, (dec) Decrease (invisible) – hook through the front loops only of the next 2 stitches and sc, (sl st) Slip Stitch.

Numbers shown in ( ) indicates the number of stitches you should have at the end of the row/round.

To help you read this pattern, the commas represent each stitch or the number of stitches after x. For example; {sc, inc,} would mean sc into next st, increase (2sc) in the following st. Or {sc x3, inc,} would mean sc in each of the next 3 stitches, increase in the following st.

Crochet Cat Head:

We will be working in continuous rounds, mark the ﬁrst stitch of each round with your stitch marker to keep your place.
Using your chosen body colour, start with a magic ring,

R1.

sc x6 into mr, pull closed (6)

R2.

inc in each st (12)

R3.

*inc, sc,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (18)

R4.

*sc x2, inc,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (24)

R5.

sc, *inc, sc x3,* repeat between * a total of 5 times, inc, sc x2 (30)

R6.

*sc x4, inc,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (36)

R7.

sc x2, *inc, sc x5,* repeat between * a total of 5 times, inc, sc x3 (42)

R8.-R14.

sc in each st (42 for 7 rounds)

R15.

*sc x5, dec,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (36)

R16.

sc x2, *dec, sc x4,* repeat between * a total of 5 times, dec, sc x2 (30)

R17.

*dec, sc x3,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (24)

R18.

*sc x2, dec,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (18)

That’s the head complete, we will continue to add the body straight onto the head.
Don’t stuff the head yet, follow the instructions later to make it easier to work with.

~ A couple of my popular patterns ~

Crochet Cat Body:

There will be slight shaping to the back. As this is only a slight difference, we will be marking the back-most point to make it easier to ﬁnd later. For this, we will just use a little 2” piece of scrap yarn.

R19.

*sc x2, inc,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (24)

R20.

sc, *inc, sc x3,* repeat between * a total of 5 times, inc, sc x2 (30)

R21.

*sc x4, inc,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (36)
Stuff the head section ﬁrmly here.

R22.

sc x2, inc, sc x4, inc, sc x4, inc, sc x23 (39)

R23.

sc x5, inc, sc x6, inc, sc x26 (41)

R24.

sc x10, place a piece of scrap yarn against the post of the last st to mark this point before continuing, sc x31 (41)

Keep this marker in place until you come to attach the tail later. Ensure you don’t catch on the marker yarn, so that you can easily pull it out afterwards.

R25.

sc x5, dec, sc x6, dec, sc x26 (39)

R26.

sc x2, dec, sc x4, dec, sc x4, dec, sc x23 (36)

R27.

*sc x4, dec,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (30)

R28.

sc, *dec, sc x3,* repeat between * a total of 5 times, dec, sc x2 (24)

R29.

*sc x2, dec,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (18)
Stuff the body here, leaving the yarn marker in place.

R30.

*sc, dec,* repeat between * a total of 6 times (12)

R31.

dec x6 (6)
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail and pull the end through the last st to fasten off. Thread the end through the front loops of the last 6 stitches and pull to close.

We will now add a dip to the front to suggest the legs. Feed the tail end through to the back, coming out at your marker point. Loop around the post at the back and then feed the needle through directly opposite, coming out 5 rounds up from the closing circle (you can squash the body to make your needle reach). Thread the yarn back through 3 rounds up from where you came out, exiting at the marker point again. Pull the yarn to make a dip at the front and weave in the end to secure in place.

ADD THE FACE:

Mouth:

We will make small stitches to embroider a curled cat’s mouth shape, using the little gaps in the crocheted material.

Using a length of White yarn (or your chosen mouth colour), thread through the side of the head, coming out 11 rounds down from the top of head, centred in line with the front leg dip.

Follow this photo guide to make small, one stitch long, back-stitches into the material.

Finish by bringing the yarn out through the side of head and the trim excess, allowing the end to tuck back inside.

Nose:

Using a length of Pink yarn (or your chosen nose colour), make a longer stitch across the top of the top mouth stitch, going through 1 stitch along on either side. Repeat to make 3 stitches in the same place.

Eyes:

Make 2 as follows:

Using your chosen eye colour yarn, start with a magic ring,

R1.

sc x6 into mr, pull closed (6)

R2.

sl st in each st (6)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail for attaching. Pull the end out through the last st to bring the tail to the front and use your yarn needle to feed it back through at the base of the ﬁrst slip stitch, to the back of work again. Working this extra round of slip stitches will help keep a ﬁrmer, and rounder, shape for the eyes.

Position your eyes so that the top lines up just under the 9th round down from the top of head, and the inner edge lines up with the edges of the mouth. Start with pulling the starting tail ends into the head under the 10th round, to hide the ends. Sew the eyes into position using the tail ends. Thread in through the head piece and out through the middle of the slip stitches of the eye, repeating all the way around. Feed the excess tail through the head to hide before trimming.

Add the pupils and shaping detail. Using a long length of Black yarn, feed the yarn through the side of the head and out near the bottom of an eye. Thread back through near the top of the eye, and out at the same bottom point. Go through the top and out the bottom again to make a second stitch. Thread through the top once more, this time come out next to the inner eye, one round up from the nose.

Bring the yarn over the top of the eye and go in 1 stitch away from the outer eye, level with the nose, coming out at the same inner point again. Bring the yarn over the top again, and back in at the same outer point, this time come out at the bottom of the other eye. Repeat the same for the second eye.

Free Crochet Cat Pattern: Cat Ears

The ears are worked in continuous rounds again. We will add Pink to the inner ears.

When changing colours, start to work the last stitch in the current colour as normal (to get 2 loops on hook) and then pull through the next colour to complete the stitch.

Crochet around the dropped body colour to carry it forward, but just drop and leave the Pink until you use it again for the next round. When you pick up the Pink again, just let the yarn run across the back of work. Crochet around the starting and tail ends of the Pink yarn to secure while working.

If you’re not comfortable with colour changes, you can ignore the colour indications and make them all in your body colour. You could glue on a small triangle of felt/material afterwards instead.

For the pattern, B is for the body colour and P is for the Pink inner ear.

Make 2 as follows:

Using your body colour, start with a magic ring,

R1.

sc x6 into mr, pull closed (6)

R2.

sc, inc x2, inc, sc (8)

We will start adding Pink from the next round. Remember to finish off the last stitch of the current colour with the new colour.

R3.

B sc, inc x2, P sc x2, B inc x2, sc (12)

R4.

B sc x5, P sc x3, B sc x4 (12)

The last round will be working in your body colour only. Cut your Pink yarn here and work over the tail end to secure.

R5.

sc x5, sl st x3, sc x4, sl st into the first sc to finish (12 not counting the last sl st)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for attaching.

You’ll notice a little jog in the colour change, where the Pink shows through on the left (see blue arrow below). We can cover this up by simply stitching over the Pink with the tail end, before attaching the ears.Attach the ears to your head with the Pink side facing forward.You want to ﬁnd the horizontal half way of the top of head, and attach ears starting 3 rounds out from the centre. Allow the Pink section to dip in, making a gentle curve. To attach, thread through the head and under the stitches of the last round on the ears.

CAT TAIL:

Work this piece in continuous rounds. Using your body colour, start with a magic ring,

R1.

sc x6 into mr, pull closed (6)

R2.-R12.

sc in each st (6 for 11 rounds)

R13.

sc in each st, sl st into the first sc to level off (6)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for attaching. Stuff the tail using a stuffing tool or the end of a straight crochet hook. This will allow you to bend the tail into shape.

Attach the tail by sewing onto the body just below the yarn marker point. Once you have your position, you can simply pull out the scrap yarn.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have completed your cute little crochet cat!

I have made these with crocheted eyes to keep them child friendly. If you would like to use safety eyes instead, I would suggest that you work the body up to R24., where you place the marker for the back, so you can tell which direction is the front of head, before inserting your eyes and stufﬁng the head.

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