Crochet Baby Deer Amigurumi Pattern

This crochet baby deer amigurumi pattern makes Hazel, a mini fawn lying down, about 3½ inches (9 cm) long and 3 inches (8 cm) tall to the tips of her ears, in DK cotton with a 2.5 mm hook. She has a long body with little embroidered spots, a big round head resting above her chest, pink-lined ears and four short legs with cream hooves. It's single crochet in spirals, plus a tiny flat piece for the inside of each ear. Plan on about 60 yards of yarn and about 3 hours.

Key Takeaways

• Twelve pieces: body, head, muzzle, 4 legs, 2 ears, 2 pink ear linings and a tail.
• She lies down, so she never tips over: the body rests flat and the head sits on top of the chest.
• Spots are embroidered, two little stitches each, three on each side of the back.
• About 60 yd of DK cotton: ~47 yd caramel, ~9 yd cream, ~3 yd pink, plus scraps of black and dark brown.

Why I love this little fawn

A fawn curled up in the grass is one of the sweetest things in the woods. Hazel is my version for a shelf or a nursery: lying down, ears up, with a few soft spots on her back. The caramel and cream are warm and quiet, and the pink inside the ears gives just a hint of color.

She's also the most stable piece in my forest set, because she lies down. There's no balancing act: the body sits flat on its belly and the head rests on top of the chest.

Skill level. Advanced beginner. You need a magic ring, sc, inc and the invisible decrease in the round, a color change, closing a piece with sc through both layers, five short flat rows, and some sewing.

What you'll need

Yarn: DK #3 cotton, such as Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK or Scheepjes Catona:

• Caramel (main color): about 47 yd (43 m), sewing tails included.
• Cream (hooves, muzzle and spots): about 9 yd (8 m).
• Soft pink (inner ears): about 3 yd (2.7 m).
• Black, about 1 yd, for the eyes, and dark brown, about 1 yd, for the nose and mouth. Black or dark brown DK, or 3 strands of embroidery floss.

I worked these amounts out from the stitch counts (about 965 sc in all, at roughly 1½ in of DK cotton per stitch) plus the sewing tails.

Hook and notions

• 2.5 mm (US B/1 or C/2) hook, or whatever size gives you a tight fabric.
• A small handful of polyester fiberfill.
• A stitch marker, a tapestry needle, pins and scissors.

Gauge and finished size

Gauge isn't critical, but tension is. Your stitches should be tight enough that the stuffing doesn't show through. As a check, Rnd 5 of the head (30 sc) is still a flat circle: it should be about 1¾ in (4.5 cm) across.

Yarn	Hook	Approximate size
DK #3 cotton	2.5 mm	about 3½ in (9 cm) long, 3 in (8 cm) tall, this pattern
Worsted #4	3.5 mm	about 4½ in (11 cm) long

These are estimates from the stitch counts, so measure your first one. The head is wider than the body (30 sts against 24), which gives Hazel her baby look.

Abbreviations (US crochet terms)

• MR = magic ring
• ch = chain
• sl st = slip stitch
• sc = single crochet (UK double crochet)
• inc = 2 sc in the same st
• dec = invisible decrease: insert the hook in the front loop only of the next 2 sts, yarn over, pull through both front loops, yarn over and pull through the 2 loops on the hook
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• rnd(s) = round(s)

Work in continuous spirals: don't join and don't chain at the start of a round. Move your marker up every round. The number in brackets is the stitch count at the end of the round. In the flat rows (inner ears only), the turning chain doesn't count as a stitch.

Color changes: work the last stitch of the old color until 2 loops are left on the hook, then finish it with the new color. Cut the old color, leaving a short tail to tie inside.

The pieces at a glance

Piece	Color	Make	Starts at (MR)	Ends at
Body	Caramel	1	Rump	Chest, closed
Head	Caramel	1	Crown	Underside, closed
Muzzle	Cream	1	Tip of the nose	Open edge, sewn on
Legs	Cream + caramel	4	Hoof	Open, sewn on
Ears	Caramel	2	Tip	Flattened base
Inner ears	Pink	2	Flat rows	Narrow end
Tail	Caramel	1	Tip	Flattened base

The pattern — step by step

Part 1 — The head and the face

Head (caramel). The magic ring is the crown. The last round closes the underside of the head, the part that rests on the body.

• Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
• Rnd 3: (Sc, inc) × 6. (18)
• Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) × 6. (24)
• Rnd 5: (3 sc, inc) × 6. (30)
• Rnds 6–9: Sc in each st around, 4 rounds. (30)
• Rnd 10: (3 sc, dec) × 6. (24)
• Rnd 11: (2 sc, dec) × 6. (18)

Embroider the eyes now, while the head is still open. Stuff it lightly first. Choose the center front, opposite the round jog, and pin it on Rnd 9: the muzzle will sit on Rnds 8–10 under this pin.

Each eye is a small upright oval of black: 3 straight stitches side by side, covering Rnds 7 and 8, over 1 st width. Leave 5 sts between the eyes, 2½ on each side of the pin. Knot the ends inside the head.

• Rnd 12: (Sc, dec) × 6. (12)

Stuff the head firmly, shaping it round.

• Rnd 13: Dec in each st around. (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 6-in (15 cm) tail. Thread it through the front loops of the last 6 sts, pull tight to close, and hide the tail inside.

Muzzle (cream). A small cup. The magic ring is the tip of the nose.

• Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• Rnd 2: (Sc, inc) × 3. (9)
• Rnd 3: Sc in each st around. (9)

Sl st in the next st and fasten off, leaving a 10-in (25 cm) tail. With dark brown, embroider a small triangle nose over the top half of the magic ring, point down, and a short mouth below it: one vertical stitch, then a tiny V.

Attach the muzzle. Pin it centered on your pin, with its top edge on Rnd 8 between the eyes and its bottom edge on Rnd 10. Whipstitch it on all the way around, with a tiny bit of stuffing inside.

Part 2 — The body, legs, ears and tail

Body (caramel). The body lies down. The magic ring is the rump, at the back, and the last round closes the chest, at the front.

• Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)
• Rnd 3: (Sc, inc) × 6. (18)
• Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) × 6. (24)
• Rnds 5–13: Sc in each st around, 9 rounds. (24)
• Rnd 14: (2 sc, dec) × 6. (18)
• Rnd 15: (Sc, dec) × 6. (12)

Stuff the body firmly, into a long oval.

• Rnd 16: Dec in each st around. (6)

Fasten off, leaving a 6-in (15 cm) tail. Thread it through the front loops of the last 6 sts, pull tight to close, and hide the tail inside.

Legs (make 4). The magic ring is the bottom of the hoof. Start in cream.

• Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
• Rnd 2: (Sc, inc) × 3. (9)
• Rnd 3: Sc in each st around. (9)

Change to caramel on the last stitch of Rnd 3.

• Rnds 4–6: Sc in each st around, 3 rounds. (9)

Stuff the hoof end only, about halfway up. Sl st in the next st and fasten off, leaving an 8-in (20 cm) tail. Leave the top open: you sew it to the body all the way around.

Ears (make 2, caramel). The magic ring is the tip. Don't stuff them.

• Rnd 1: MR, 4 sc in the ring. (4)
• Rnd 2: (Sc, inc) × 2. (6)
• Rnd 3: (2 sc, inc) × 2. (8)
• Rnd 4: (3 sc, inc) × 2. (10)
• Rnds 5–6: Sc in each st around, 2 rounds. (10)
• Rnd 7: (3 sc, dec) × 2. (8)
• Rnd 8: Flatten the opening and close it with 4 sc worked through both layers. (4)

Fasten off, leaving an 8-in (20 cm) tail.

Inner ears (make 2, pink). Small leaf-shaped panels that line almost the whole ear. The ch 1 at the start of each row doesn't count as a stitch.

• Row 1: Ch 3. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (2)
• Row 2: Ch 1, turn, inc, sc. (3)
• Rows 3–4: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across, 2 rows. (3)
• Row 5: Ch 1, turn, dec, sc. (2)

Fasten off, leaving a 6-in (15 cm) tail. Sew each panel on one flat side of an ear with small stitches all around its edge, leaving a narrow caramel border showing. Put the Row 5 end toward the tip of the ear and the Row 1 end near the base.

Tail (caramel). The magic ring is the tip. Don't stuff it.

• Rnd 1: MR, 4 sc in the ring. (4)
• Rnd 2: (Sc, inc) × 2. (6)
• Rnd 3: Sc in each st around. (6)
• Rnd 4: Flatten the opening and close it with 3 sc worked through both layers. (3)

Fasten off, leaving an 8-in (20 cm) tail.

Part 3 — Putting Hazel together

Pin everything before you sew. Lay the body on the table, long side down: the rump (Rnd 1) is the back and the chest (Rnd 16) is the front. Choose which side is the belly, the one resting on the table, and which is the back. Sew each piece with its own tail, going a little way into the body with each stitch, then knot the tail and pull the end inside.

1. Legs. Sew the two hind legs on each side of the belly, with their openings over Rnds 4–6, and the two front legs over Rnds 11–13. Sew all the way around each opening. Angle the front legs forward, so the hooves stick out under the chin, and the hind legs back and slightly out, like a fawn stretched out resting in the grass.
2. Head. Set the head on top of the front end of the body, with the muzzle facing forward, past the chest. The underside of the head (the area around its closing point, on Rnds 11–13, slightly toward the back of the head) rests on the body over Rnds 12–15. Sew an oval seam about 8 sts wide, going around it twice, so the head can't wobble.
3. Ears. Pin them on the top of the head on Rnds 3–5, one on each side of the magic ring, about 6 sts apart, pink side forward. Sew across each flattened base.
4. Tail. Sew the flat base of the tail to the top of the rump, on Rnds 2–3, pointing up.
5. Spots. With cream, embroider three spots on each side of the back, on Rnds 6, 8 and 10. Each spot is a small round dot: two or three short parallel stitches over 1 st. Stagger them slightly, so they don't form a straight line.

Check before you finish: Hazel's belly rests flat on the table and the head sits above the chest. The ears don't carry the head's weight. A baby deer has no antlers, so there's nothing on top except the ears.

Safety and care. Hazel has no safety eyes or hard parts: the face and spots are embroidered. A handmade toy still isn't a certified baby toy, so sew every seam twice and check the ears and legs before giving her to a small child. Hand wash in cool water and let her air dry.

Make it yours — quick variations

Variation	Change from base pattern
Snow fawn	Cream body and head, caramel hooves, pale pink inner ears.
Flower crown	Sew three tiny French knots in pink and cream between the ears.
Sleepy fawn	Embroider each eye as a small downward curve on Rnd 8.
Scarf	Ch 30 in sage, work 1 row of sc and tie it at the neck.
More spots	Add a fourth spot on Rnd 12 on each side.

Troubleshooting the three things that go wrong

The head flops forward

The seam sits too far forward on the head. Move it toward the back of the closing point, so the muzzle hangs over the chest instead of the head resting on its chin, and sew it twice.

The legs look like stumps

They're stuffed all the way up. Stuff only the hoof half, then press the open top flat against the body as you sew.

The ears flop sideways

Sew across the full width of each flattened base, not just the middle, and pin them close to the top on Rnds 3–5.