Crochet Monkey Amigurumi Free Pattern
There is something undeniably charming about a little crocheted monkey sitting on a shelf, tucked into a child’s backpack, or perched on the edge of a desk. Amigurumi — the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and creatures — has taken the crafting world by storm, and monkeys are among the most beloved characters in any amigurumi maker’s repertoire. With their expressive faces, long limbs, and playful energy, crocheted monkeys have a personality that almost no other amigurumi can quite match.
Whether you are a seasoned crocheter looking for your next quick project or a beginner who has just finished your first magic ring and is ready to try something adorable, this free crochet monkey amigurumi pattern is here for you. This guide covers everything from materials and abbreviations to detailed round-by-round instructions for every part of the monkey’s body. By the time you finish, you will have a sweet, poseable little primate that is ready to be gifted, sold, or kept on your own shelf as a testament to your crocheting skills.
Let’s get started.
Materials You Will Need
Before diving into the pattern itself, it helps to gather everything in one place so you are not hunting through your stash mid-project. Here is what you will need for this crochet monkey amigurumi:
Yarn: Worsted weight yarn (size 4) in brown or your preferred monkey color. You will also need a small amount of tan or beige for the muzzle, ear centers, and belly if you want a two-toned monkey. Feel free to get creative — pink monkeys, gray monkeys, and even rainbow monkeys are all wonderful variations.
Hook: A 3.5mm or 4mm crochet hook. For amigurumi, most crocheters prefer to go one or two sizes down from the yarn’s recommended hook to create a tighter fabric that holds the stuffing inside without gaps showing.
Safety eyes: Two 9mm or 12mm black safety eyes. These are widely available online and in craft stores. If you are making this monkey for a child under three years old, embroider the eyes with black yarn instead of using safety eyes.
Polyfill stuffing: A good amount of polyester fiberfill for stuffing the head, body, and limbs. You want the monkey to be firm but not so tightly stuffed that the yarn stretches and the seams stress.
Yarn needle: For weaving in ends and sewing parts together.
Stitch markers: These are essential for amigurumi since you work in continuous rounds. A few locking stitch markers or even small pieces of contrasting yarn will do the job.
Scissors: A sharp pair for clean yarn cuts.
Optional: Pink yarn or embroidery floss for a small smile detail, wire armature for poseable limbs, and roving for needle-felted details.
Abbreviations and Stitches Used
This pattern uses US crochet terminology throughout.
MR — Magic ring (also called magic circle)
ch — Chain
sl st — Slip stitch
sc — Single crochet
inc — Increase (two single crochets in the same stitch)
dec — Invisible decrease (insert hook through front loops of next two stitches, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through two loops)
BLO — Back loop only
FLO — Front loop only
st — Stitch
sts — Stitches
rnd — Round
The pattern is worked in continuous rounds (also called a spiral). Do not join at the end of each round unless instructed. Use a stitch marker to track the beginning of each round.
Finished Size
Using worsted weight yarn and a 3.5mm hook, the finished monkey will measure approximately 7 to 8 inches tall when seated, with the arms and legs adding additional length. Adjusting your yarn weight and hook size will change the finished dimensions — a bulky yarn will give you a larger, cuddlier monkey, while fingering weight yarn will produce a tiny, miniature version.
HEAD
The head is typically the first piece crocheted in amigurumi because placing the safety eyes and shaping the face is easier before the head is attached to the body.
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc 2, inc repeat around. (24 sts)
Rnd 5: Sc 3, inc repeat around. (30 sts)
Rnd 6: Sc 4, inc repeat around. (36 sts)
Rnd 7: Sc 5, inc repeat around. (42 sts)
Rnd 8-14: Sc in each st around. (42 sts) — 7 rounds
Rnd 15: Sc 5, dec repeat around. (36 sts)
At this point, insert your safety eyes between rounds 10 and 11, spaced about 8 to 10 stitches apart. This is also the time to attach the muzzle if you prefer to do so before the opening gets too small. Sew the muzzle in place centered below the eyes, then embroider a small smile or nose with pink or brown yarn.
Rnd 16: Sc 4, dec repeat around. (30 sts)
Rnd 17: Sc 3, dec repeat around. (24 sts)
Rnd 18: Sc 2, dec repeat around. (18 sts)
Begin stuffing the head firmly with polyfill at this point. Continue stuffing as you close the head.
Rnd 19: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (12 sts)
Rnd 20: Dec 6 times. (6 sts)
Fasten off and close the remaining hole with a yarn needle, weaving through the front loops of the remaining stitches and pulling gently to close. Weave in the end.
MUZZLE
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc in each st around. (18 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Before attaching, lightly stuff the muzzle with a tiny amount of fiberfill or leave it flat — both approaches give lovely results. Pin the muzzle to the face centered below the eyes and sew it on neatly. Embroider two small nostrils with brown or black yarn and a gentle smile with pink.
EARS (Make 2)
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
If you are making two-toned ears, switch to your tan yarn here.
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc in each st around. (18 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Flatten the ear and sew it closed slightly around the bottom edge to give it a cupped shape. Sew the ears to the sides of the head, about two rounds up from the center, positioned so they frame the face naturally.
BODY
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc 2, inc repeat around. (24 sts)
Rnd 5: Sc 3, inc repeat around. (30 sts)
Rnd 6: Sc 4, inc repeat around. (36 sts)
Rnd 7-13: Sc in each st around. (36 sts) — 7 rounds
Rnd 14: Sc 4, dec repeat around. (30 sts)
Rnd 15: Sc 3, dec repeat around. (24 sts)
Rnd 16: Sc in each st around. (24 sts)
Rnd 17: Sc 2, dec repeat around. (18 sts)
Rnd 18: Sc in each st around. (18 sts)
Stuff the body firmly before closing. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for attaching the head. Sew the head to the body securely, making sure it sits centered and upright. Use plenty of yarn and go around the seam more than once for stability.
ARMS (Make 2)
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (8 sts)
Rnd 5-16: Sc in each st around. (8 sts) — 12 rounds
At round 5 you can switch back to your main brown yarn if you used tan for the hand portion. Lightly stuff only the hand section and leave the upper arm unstuffed — this makes the arms floppier and more poseable. Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Flatten the top of the arm and sew it to the sides of the body at about round 14 to 15, just below where the head meets the body.
LEGS (Make 2)
Rnd 1: Ch 6, sc in the second ch from hook, sc 3, inc in last ch, turn and work back along the other side: sc 3, inc. (12 sts) — this creates the foot
Rnd 2: Inc, sc 3, inc 3 times, sc 3, inc twice. (18 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc, sc 3, sc 1, inc 3 times, sc 3, sc 1, inc twice. (24 sts)
Rnd 4: BLO sc in each st around. (24 sts) — this creates a clean edge at the sole
Rnd 5: Sc 8, dec 4 times, sc 8. (20 sts)
Rnd 6: Sc 8, dec twice, sc 8. (18 sts)
Rnd 7: Sc 6, dec 3 times, sc 6. (15 sts)
Rnd 8-18: Sc in each st around. (15 sts) — 11 rounds
Stuff the foot firmly and the leg more lightly. Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Sew the legs to the bottom of the body, positioning them so the monkey can either sit or be posed in a cross-legged position.
TAIL
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2-30: Sc in each st around. (6 sts) — 29 rounds
This creates a long, thin tail that can be bent and shaped. If you want a curled tail, you can thread a pipe cleaner or piece of floral wire inside before closing. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Attach the tail to the lower back of the body.
Assembling Your Monkey
Amigurumi assembly is truly an art of its own. Here are a few tips to help yours come together beautifully.
Start with the face. Pin all the facial features in place before sewing anything permanently. Step back and look at your monkey from a few different angles — small adjustments to eye placement or muzzle positioning make a huge difference in the final expression. A monkey with eyes placed slightly wider apart will look more whimsical and cartoonish, while eyes closer together create a more realistic look.
When attaching the head to the body, use the long yarn tail and a yarn needle to sew through the edge stitches of both pieces, going around the full circumference twice. This ensures the head is secure enough to withstand enthusiastic play.
For the arms and legs, pin them in place before sewing and check that they are symmetrical. A common trick is to sew through both arms and the body in one pass using a long needle and a length of yarn — this method, sometimes called the “joint” method, allows the arms to swing independently and adds a nice range of motion.
The tail can be sewn on with just a few secure stitches at the base. If you added a wire, tuck the wire end inside the body before closing the seam.
Tips and Tricks for a Perfect Amigurumi Monkey
Tension matters more than you think. Amigurumi relies on tight, even stitches to keep the stuffing hidden. If your tension is too loose, the white stuffing will peek through the gaps between stitches. Try holding your yarn a little more firmly or dropping down half a hook size if you notice this happening.
The invisible decrease is your friend. Standard decreases create a small bump that can be visible from the outside. The invisible decrease, worked through the front loops only of two consecutive stitches, lies flat and virtually disappears into the fabric. It is worth practicing if you have not used it before.
Stuff as you go. On the head and body especially, start adding stuffing before the opening gets too small to work with. It is much easier to stuff in stages than to try forcing fiberfill through a tiny hole at the end.
Use a chopstick or pencil to stuff small pieces. Arms, legs, and the tail can be tricky to stuff evenly. A chopstick or the eraser end of a pencil helps push the stuffing all the way down into the narrow sections without tearing the yarn.
Color variations are endless. While brown is the classic choice for an amigurumi monkey, do not be afraid to experiment. A gray monkey with a pale yellow belly has the look of a langur. A tan monkey with dark markings resembles a marmoset. An all-black monkey with a white face becomes a colobus. Amigurumi is a wonderful way to explore the amazing diversity of real-world primate species through yarn.
Customization Ideas
One of the greatest joys of crocheting amigurumi is the ability to personalize every single detail. Here are a few ideas to make your monkey uniquely yours.
Dress your monkey. A tiny crocheted vest, a little pair of overalls, or even a small banana (crocheted separately in yellow yarn) can turn your monkey from a simple stuffed animal into a full character with a story.
Make a family. Using different yarn weights and hook sizes, you can make a mama monkey, a papa monkey, and a tiny baby monkey, all following the same basic pattern. A monkey family arranged together makes a stunning display or a wonderful gift set.
Try different textures. Adding loop stitch fur to the back and top of the head creates a monkey with a wild, tufted look. This technique is a little more time-consuming but produces a truly impressive result.
Needle felt details. If you have needle felting supplies, you can add incredibly detailed facial features, freckles, shading, or patterns using roving wool pressed into the surface of the crocheted fabric.
Make it poseable. A wire armature inserted into the arms, legs, and tail transforms your monkey from a passive stuffed animal into a poseable art figure that can hang from a branch, sit cross-legged, or strike any pose you can imagine.
Caring for Your Finished Monkey
If your amigurumi monkey is destined to be a child’s toy, it is worth thinking about care and durability from the start. Acrylic yarns are machine washable, which is enormously practical for toys. Place the finished monkey in a mesh laundry bag and wash on a gentle cold cycle, then reshape and air dry.
For display pieces or collector’s items made from wool or specialty yarns, hand washing in cool water with a gentle wool wash is
