Free Jimothy the Raccoon Crochet Pattern: Your Complete Step-by-Step Guide
If you’ve been searching for an adorable, beginner-friendly raccoon crochet pattern that you can make completely for free, you’ve landed in exactly the right place. Meet Jimothy — a chubby-cheeked, button-eyed raccoon amigurumi with a masked face, ringed tail, and enough personality to charm anyone who lays eyes on him. Whether you’re crocheting him as a gift, a desk companion, or just because you needed a new project to keep your hands busy at midnight, Jimothy is here for it.
This pattern is written for crocheters who have a basic understanding of amigurumi fundamentals — magic rings, single crochet, increases, decreases, and slip stitches. If you’ve made a sphere before, you can make Jimothy. The finished toy measures approximately 7 inches tall when stuffed firmly, making him a satisfying, palm-sized companion.
Let’s get into everything you need to know before your hook even touches the yarn.
Materials You’ll Need
Before diving into the pattern itself, gather your supplies. Having everything ready before you start will make the process much smoother.
For yarn, you’ll need a medium weight (worsted, size 4) yarn in the following colors: medium gray or heather gray for the body, dark gray or charcoal for the markings and tail rings, cream or off-white for the face and belly, and black for the nose and eye patches. A small amount of each accent color goes a long way, so this is a great stash-buster project if you have leftover skeins lying around. Popular yarn choices that work beautifully for this pattern include Lion Brand Pound of Love, Red Heart Soft, and Caron Simply Soft — all of which are widely available and budget-friendly.
You’ll also need a 3.5mm or 4.0mm crochet hook (adjust based on your tension to keep the fabric tight enough that stuffing won’t show through), polyester fiberfill stuffing, two 12mm safety eyes, a yarn needle for sewing pieces together, scissors, and stitch markers to track your rounds.
Optional but helpful: a small amount of pink yarn or embroidery floss for the inner ear detail, and wire armature if you’d like Jimothy’s arms to be poseable.
Abbreviations and Stitch Guide
This pattern uses standard US crochet terminology.
MR — Magic Ring
ch — Chain
sl st — Slip Stitch
sc — Single Crochet
inc — Increase (2 sc in the same stitch)
dec — Invisible Decrease (insert hook through front loops of next two stitches, yarn over and pull through both front loops, yarn over and pull through remaining 2 loops)
BLO — Back Loop Only
FLO — Front Loop Only
st(s) — Stitch(es)
rnd — Round
rep — Repeat
All rounds are worked in a continuous spiral unless otherwise noted. Use a stitch marker to track the first stitch of each round.
Pattern Notes
A few things to keep in mind before you start. First, tension matters a lot in amigurumi. Your stitches should be snug enough that you cannot see the stuffing through them when you hold the piece up to a light source. If you can see stuffing, go down a hook size.
Second, Jimothy’s facial markings are worked using intarsia or surface slip stitch embroidery after the head is complete. If you’re newer to color work, don’t worry — the eye patches and nose are added at the end and are much easier than they look.
Third, stuff gradually as you go rather than waiting until the end. For pieces like the head and body, adding small amounts of stuffing every several rounds keeps the shape even and prevents lumpy spots.
Part One: The Head
The head is worked from the top down in medium gray yarn.
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc 1, inc] rep around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: [Sc 2, inc] rep around. (24 sts)
Rnd 5: [Sc 3, inc] rep around. (30 sts)
Rnd 6: [Sc 4, inc] rep around. (36 sts)
Rnd 7: [Sc 5, inc] rep around. (42 sts)
Rnd 8: [Sc 6, inc] rep around. (48 sts)
Rnds 9–16: Sc around. (48 sts, 8 rounds even)
Rnd 17: [Sc 6, dec] rep around. (42 sts)
Rnd 18: [Sc 5, dec] rep around. (36 sts)
At this point, attach your safety eyes between rounds 12 and 13, approximately 8–10 stitches apart. This is also the time to add the eye patches in black yarn using surface embroidery or by placing small flat circles of black yarn around each eye before securing the washer backs. The classic raccoon mask is essentially two oval patches that meet toward the bridge of the nose. Take your time here — the placement of the eyes and mask will define Jimothy’s entire expression.
Rnd 19: [Sc 4, dec] rep around. (30 sts)
Begin stuffing firmly now.
Rnd 20: [Sc 3, dec] rep around. (24 sts)
Rnd 21: [Sc 2, dec] rep around. (18 sts)
Rnd 22: [Sc 1, dec] rep around. (12 sts)
Rnd 23: Dec around. (6 sts)
Close with a sl st, fasten off, and leave a long tail to sew the head to the body. Use your yarn needle to weave through the remaining 6 stitches and pull tight to close any gap before fastening off.
Part Two: The Snout
The snout is worked in cream yarn and gives Jimothy his chubby-cheeked appearance. It’s an oval piece attached to the lower front of the face.
Rnd 1: Ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc 2, inc in last ch. Now working along the opposite side of the chain: sc 2, inc. (10 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc, sc 2, inc 2, sc 2, inc, sc 1. (14 sts)
Rnd 3: Inc, sc 4, inc 2, sc 4, inc. (18 sts)
Rnds 4–5: Sc around. (18 sts)
Sl st to finish, fasten off with a long tail. Before sewing, use black yarn or embroidery floss to stitch a small inverted triangle nose at the top center of the snout, and add a simple Y-shaped mouth below it if you’d like an extra expressive look. Stuff the snout lightly before sewing it onto the face, centering it between the eyes and several rows below them.
Part Three: The Body
The body is worked in medium gray from the bottom up.
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc 1, inc] rep. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: [Sc 2, inc] rep. (24 sts)
Rnd 5: [Sc 3, inc] rep. (30 sts)
Rnd 6: [Sc 4, inc] rep. (36 sts)
Rnds 7–18: Sc around. (36 sts, 12 rounds even)
Rnd 19: [Sc 4, dec] rep. (30 sts)
Rnd 20: [Sc 3, dec] rep. (24 sts)
Rnd 21: [Sc 2, dec] rep. (18 sts)
Stuff firmly. Continue decreasing.
Rnd 22: [Sc 1, dec] rep. (12 sts)
Rnd 23: Dec around. (6 sts)
Close and fasten off, leaving a long tail. If you’d like to add Jimothy’s cream-colored belly, crochet a simple flat oval in cream yarn and sew it onto the front of the body before assembling. Work a chain of 7, work into it as you did for the snout oval, and expand it for about 5–6 rounds until it covers roughly the front third of the body from mid-torso to the bottom.
Part Four: The Ears
Make two. Start with medium gray.
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc 1, inc] rep. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc around. (18 sts)
Switch to dark gray for the outer edge.
Rnd 5: Sc around. (18 sts)
Fold the ear in half (don’t stuff) and sc across the open edge to close it flat. Leave a long tail to sew onto the head. If you want to add a pink inner ear detail, use pink embroidery floss or yarn to stitch a small oval onto the flat front surface of each ear before attaching them. Sew the ears onto the top of the head, slightly toward the sides, between rounds 2 and 5.
Part Five: The Arms
Make two in medium gray.
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc 1, inc] rep. (18 sts)
Rnds 4–5: Sc around. (18 sts)
Rnd 6: [Sc 1, dec] rep. (12 sts)
Rnds 7–14: Sc around. (12 sts)
Stuff the paw end lightly but leave the upper arm mostly empty so it’s floppy and poseable. Close and leave a long tail to attach. Sew the arms to the sides of the body, about a third of the way down from the neck opening.
Part Six: The Legs
Make two in medium gray.
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc 1, inc] rep. (18 sts)
Rnd 4: Sc around in BLO. (18 sts)
Rnd 5: Sc around. (18 sts)
Rnd 6: Sc 6, dec 3, sc 6. (15 sts)
Rnd 7: Sc 5, dec 2, sc 6. (13 sts)
Rnds 8–16: Sc around. (13 sts)
Stuff firmly. Close and leave a long tail. Attach legs to the bottom of the body, angling them slightly forward so Jimothy can sit upright on his own.
Part Seven: The Tail
The tail is Jimothy’s most distinctive feature — chunky, ringed in alternating gray and dark gray, and wonderfully expressive. Work it in medium gray to start.
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [Sc 1, inc] rep. (18 sts)
Rnds 4–6: Sc around. (18 sts)
Switch to dark gray (charcoal).
Rnds 7–9: Sc around. (18 sts)
Switch back to medium gray.
Rnds 10–12: Sc around. (18 sts)
Switch to dark gray.
Rnds 13–15: Sc around. (18 sts)
Switch to medium gray.
Rnds 16–18: Sc around. (18 sts)
Switch to dark gray.
Rnds 19–21: Sc around. (18 sts)
Rnd 22: [Sc 1, dec] rep. (12 sts)
Rnd 23: Dec around. (6 sts)
Stuff the tail firmly throughout so it holds its shape. Close and leave a long tail to sew to the back lower portion of the body. You can curve the tail upward and tack the tip to the back of the body if you want Jimothy to have that classic upswept raccoon silhouette.
Assembly
Take your time with assembly — this step will make or break the finished look. Pin all pieces before sewing to ensure good placement and symmetry. The head should sit centered on the top of the body, with the snout facing forward. The ears sit on top of the head about 4 stitches apart. Arms attach at body rounds 5–6 from the top, and legs attach at the very bottom.
Use your yarn needle and matching yarn to sew everything together with a whip stitch, pulling firmly after each stitch. Weave in all ends securely so nothing can be pulled out.
Finishing Details and Customization Ideas
Once all the pieces are assembled, take a moment to look at Jimothy from all angles and make any adjustments. Sometimes an arm needs to be repositioned slightly, or the snout wants to tilt just a degree to the left, which honestly only adds character.
From here, you can personalize him in countless ways. Give him a tiny crocheted pizza slice to hold — because raccoons are famous for their dedication to snack acquisition. Stitch him a small scarf in a contrasting color to add a cozy autumn look. Use safety eyes in a warm amber or honey color instead of black for a more lifelike appearance. If you’re making Jimothy for a child under three, omit the safety eyes entirely and use black felt circles secured with fabric glue, or embroider the eyes directly.
Some crocheters have also given Jimothy a slightly different expression by positioning the safety eyes farther apart and adding a tiny upturned stitch at the corners of his mouth embroidery — this gives him a perpetually optimistic look that is honestly infectious.
Care Instructions for Your Finished Jimothy
If Jimothy is going to be loved on by a child or used as a bag charm, you’ll want to know how to keep him looking fresh. Hand wash gently in cool water with a small amount of mild soap, reshape while damp, and lay flat to dry. Avoid machine washing, as it can distort the shape and cause the stuffing to clump. Most worsted weight acrylic yarns are relatively easy to spot-clean as well — a damp cloth works well for minor surface dirt.
A Few Words Before You Start Hooking
Crochet patterns can feel intimidating when you read them all at once, but Jimothy breaks down into very manageable individual pieces, each of which is a quick and satisfying project on its own. The whole thing can realistically be completed in a weekend if you have a few uninterrupted hours, or stretched across several evenings if you prefer a slower pace.
If you find yourself stuck or a stitch count seems off, count back through your previous round before frogging — sometimes a miscounted increase earlier in the project will create a discrepancy that’s easy to identify and fix. The forgiving nature of amigurumi means that small imperfections really do disappear once the pieces are stuffed and assembled.
Share your finished Jimothy on social media — there’s a whole community of amigurumi makers who will absolutely want to see your interpretation of this little masked troublemaker. Tag your projects and leave a comment below if you have questions. Happy crocheting, and may your tension always be even.
