2 Cozy Christmas Crochet Patterns: Bramble the Cocoa Bear and a Peppermint Cocoa Mug
These are my two hot-cocoa Christmas patterns: Bramble, a little bear in a Christmas sweater holding a mug of cocoa, and the Peppermint Cocoa Mug, a plush mug with marshmallows and a candy cane. They share one idea and one palette (red, cream, forest green and chocolate) but not much else. The bear is a detailed fine-cotton piece for a few quiet evenings. The mug is chunky chenille and finishes in one.
Both are full PDF patterns in my shop, written in US terms with a stitch count at the end of every round and a photo grid for each part.
Key Takeaways
- New to amigurumi? Start with the Peppermint Cocoa Mug: single crochet, increases and decreases only, in blanket yarn on a 7 mm hook.
- Want a keepsake? Bramble is about 12 cm (4¾ in) sitting, in fingering cotton on a 2.0 mm hook, with every placement counted.
- Made as a pair, the bear's tiny mug and the big plush mug turn into a small cocoa corner for a shelf or a gift basket.
The two cocoa patterns at a glance
| Bramble the Cocoa Bear | Peppermint Cocoa Mug | |
|---|---|---|
| Level | advanced beginner | beginner |
| Finished size | about 12 cm (4¾ in) sitting, 14 cm (5½ in) to the antler tips | about 9 cm (3½ in) tall, 12 cm (4¾ in) wide with the handle |
| Yarn | fingering cotton (8/4) in caramel, red, cream, green and chocolate | super bulky chenille blanket yarn in green, white, brown and red |
| Hook | 2.0 mm | 7 mm |
| Time | a few evenings | one evening |
| 18 pages, 10 photo grids | 10 pages, 5 photo grids | |
| Pieces | head, body, base, limbs, antler headband, holly, mug | cup, cocoa, handle, marshmallows, candy cane |
1. Bramble the Cocoa Bear: a teddy in a Christmas sweater
Advanced beginner · fingering cotton, 2.0 mm hook · about 12 cm (4¾ in) sitting · 18-page PDF
Bramble is the slow, cozy project of the two. He sits on a flat base, wrapped in a red sweater with cream stripes, and holds a tiny mug of cocoa in his green mittens. On his head there's a red headband with chocolate antlers, two holly leaves and three red berries. The face is simple on purpose: safety eyes, a cream muzzle, a crocheted nose and a little embroidered smile.
The body and the sweater are one piece. You start in red at the shoulders, add cream stripes while the red rides along inside, finish with a cream hem and a band of caramel tummy, then sew on a flat base disc. A cardboard circle inside the base keeps him sitting straight on a shelf, which matters when he's holding something.
What I like best is how the placements are written. The PDF doesn't say "sew the eyes where they look right". It says between rounds 17 and 18, with 10 stitches between the posts, counted from your marker. Same for the ears, arms and legs. If you've ever ended up with a bear that looks slightly surprised, you'll know why that helps.
The tiny mug is my favourite piece to make: a 24-stitch base, a ridge in the back loops, one green stripe and the cocoa worked inside. It takes about as long as a real cup of cocoa. Each part of the bear has a grid like this one, ten in all.
- Fur and colours: caramel fur, red and cream sweater, green mittens, chocolate antlers and nose
- Stitches: mostly single crochet in the round, plus a few slip stitches and half doubles for the holly
- Too small for you? The PDF has a DK option with a 3 mm hook: the bear comes out about 17 cm (6¾ in) tall
- Extras inside the PDF: a "How to read this pattern" page, the magic ring, whipstitch and French knot explained, and a page for your first amigurumi
Get the Bramble the Cocoa Bear pattern →
2. Peppermint Cocoa Mug: one evening in blanket yarn
Beginner · super bulky chenille, 7 mm hook · about 9 cm (3½ in) tall · 10-page PDF
The Peppermint Cocoa Mug is the quick one. It's a plush forest green mug with a white stripe under the rim, a brown cocoa top, five puffy marshmallows and a striped candy cane standing in the cocoa. There's no face on it: it's a Christmas mug, not a character, so it fits a kitchen shelf as well as a tree skirt.
The construction is simple and clever. The base ends with a round in the back loops, which gives the mug a neat ridge at the bottom. The walls go straight up to the white stripe, and the last green round is worked in the front loops only, which leaves a row of free loops inside. That's where the cocoa starts, so the top sits just under the rim instead of being sewn on. Stuff, close, and the mug is done.
The candy cane is a little five-stitch tube, red and white every two rounds, with a pipe cleaner inside so you can bend the hook. The end of the pipe cleaner sticks out and goes down into the stuffing, so the cane stands up on its own before you sew around its base. Five grids like this one cover every part, from the magic ring to the assembly.
- Colours: green cup, white rim and marshmallows, brown cocoa, red and white candy cane
- Stitches: single crochet, increases and decreases, front and back loops
- Chenille tip in the PDF: count by feel (each stitch is a little bump) and avoid ripping back, because blanket yarn sheds
- Safe for little ones? It's a decoration. For a toddler, leave out the pipe cleaner and stuff the cane lightly
Get the Peppermint Cocoa Mug pattern →
Which cocoa pattern should you start with?
Pick by your hook, not by the photo. If 2.0 mm cotton makes your hands ache or you've never closed a magic ring, start with the mug. The thick chenille grows fast, and you'll have a finished piece the same evening, which is the best motivation I know.
If you've made one or two small amigurumi already, go straight to Bramble. Nothing in him is hard, but there are more pieces to sew, and the small stitches ask for good light and a contrasting marker. He's the one I'd make in November, an evening at a time, and keep the mug for a December night when you want something done before bed.
Making them for a market or a gift exchange? The mug is the one to repeat. Once you know the cup, a second one in red or cream takes even less time.
Make them a pair: a little cocoa corner
I designed the two in the same four colours so they look like they belong together. Set the big mug next to Bramble and it reads like his cocoa refill. On a shelf, add a real cinnamon stick or a small pine sprig between them, and that's a whole Christmas vignette with two pieces of crochet.
They also make a sweet gift set. Tuck both into a basket with a packet of hot chocolate and a real mug, and the plush one becomes the label: everyone knows what's inside. The mug works well as a "Secret Santa" gift on its own, and the bear is the one I'd keep for someone who'll put him out every year.
Free Christmas patterns that go with them
If you want to stretch the cocoa theme across the house, these free Wavode patterns use the same colours or the same yarn:
- Chenille Christmas stocking: the same super bulky blanket yarn as the mug, in red and white candy stripes with holly
- Christmas granny square: a cream and green square with embroidered pine sprigs, perfect as a coaster under the plush mug
- Snowman keychain: a quick little friend with a striped scarf, made from worsted scraps
- All 13 free Christmas patterns: ornaments, decor and gifts, sorted by where they'll end up
Cocoa bear and mug FAQ
Can I sell the bears and mugs I make?
Yes. You can sell the finished pieces you crochet from these patterns, at a market or online. Please don't share or resell the PDF itself.
What if I get stuck on a round?
Email me at support@wavode.com with the pattern name and the round number, and I'll help you finish your bear or your mug. Most questions come from a miscounted round, so check the stitch count in brackets at the end of each line first.
Can I use a different yarn?
For the mug, any super bulky chenille (weight 6) works with a 7 mm hook. For Bramble, the PDF gives a DK cotton option with a 3 mm hook: the bear grows to about 17 cm (6¾ in), so plan roughly twice the yarn and 8 to 9 mm eyes.
