If you want to purchase an ad-free printable PDF version of this crochet monkey pattern, you can find it HERE on etsy.
When I created this pattern I wanted a sleek way to give my monkey a cute contrasting face color. I thought a crochet piece would be too bulky, so I looked to felt! And I really love how it turned out. I think that felt adds such a cute finishing touch to amigurumi animals!
The free, online version of this pattern doesn’t come with the printable template for cutting out the felt. If you want the printable template, you can find in the printable PDF version in my Etsy shop.
NOTE: If you are wanting to sell finished products from this free crochet monkey pattern you’re welcome to, just make sure you link back to my pattern here and credit me with the design. Thank you!
Materials
- Size 1.30mm crochet hook
- 2 skeins brown embroidery floss (I used DMC 433)
- 1 skein of beige embroidery floss
- Beige felt (about a 1” square)
- 1 pair of 4mm safety eyes
- Scissors
- Embroidery/sewing needle
- Stuffing (I use polyester fiberfill)
- Keychain ring and jump ring
Abbreviations
- Sc – single crochet
- Inc – increase
- Dec – decrease
- FO – Finish off
- Rnd – round
- MR – magic ring
- sts – stitches
Head
Rnd 1: 6 sc in a MR (6)
Rnd 2: inc in each sc around (12)
Rnd 3: *sc, inc* 6 times (18)
Rnd 4: *sc (2), inc* 6 times (24)
Rnds 5-6: sc 24 in each round
Rnd 7: sc 8, ch 2 and skip over one stitch, sc 4, ch 2 and skip over one stitch, sc 10 (26, counting each individual chain stitch)
** each ch 2 space creates the hole for the pegs of the 4mm safety eyes
Rnd 8: sc 8, sc in the hole created by the ch 2, sc 4, sc in the hole created by the ch 2, sc 10 (24)
Rnd 9: sc 24 in each round (photo 1)
Cut out the keychain-sized felt face using the template on the last page. Cut holes in the felt where you see the little plus signs on the template. This allows you to poke the safety eye through the felt and into the head.
Push the pegs of the safety eyes into the holes you just cut into the felt (photo 2), then into the holes created in round 7 on the head (photo 3) and snap the backs on (photo 4). Begin stuffing the head.
Side Note: I found that the backs on the 4mm safety eyes are TOO BIG for such a small head. So to make them fit I had to trim the backing down to be a very small ring. If you have the same issue, just cut the outside ring of your safety eyes backs until they look like the middle ones in the picture below.
Your felt face may look a bit oversized at this point (photo 5) – if so, trim a bit of excess off the edges until the bottom of the face is flush with the end of rnd 8 and the top of the face doesn’t surpass the top of the head (photo 6).
In order to avoid cutting off too much, use very sharp scissors and trim off very little felt with each cut. Don’t trim off more than 1-2 mm at a time. It will take longer, but you’ll get a rounder shape and be less likely to trim off too much.
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Rnd 10: *sc (2), dec* 6 times (18)
Rnd 11: *sc (1), dec* 6 times (12) (photo G)
Stuff the head as much as you can.
Rnd 12: *dec* 6 times (6)
If you need any more stuffing, add it now.
You should now have 6 sts left. Cut the yarn leaving a tail about 6 inches long. Use a yarn/embroidery needle to thread the tail through the remaining loops (photo H). Pull tight to close the hole, similar to closing a drawstring bag. Then weave the tail in back through the head.
Don’t stitch your felt face down yet, I’ve found it’s best to wait until all the limbs, ears, and tail are sewn on so that your monkey’s face gets stitched on evenly and proportionately.
Body
Rnd 1: 7 sc in a MR (7)
Rnd 2: inc in each sc around (14)
Rnds 3-4: sc 14 each round
Rnd 5: *sc, dec* 4 times, then dec (9)
FO, leaving an 8 inch tail for sewing.
Stuff with the polyester fiberfill.
Arm (make 2)
Rnd 1: 4 sc in a MR (4)
Rnd 2: dec, sc 2 (3)
Rnd 3: sc 2 only, ending the rnd early
Sl st and pull through to finish off, leaving about a 6 inch tail for sewing on.
The arms don’t require any stuffing – just trim the tail left over from creating your MR and your arm is done! (photo below)
Leg (make 2)
Rnd 1: 5 sc in a MR (5)
Rnds 2-3: sc 5 in each rnd
Sl st and pull through to finish off, leaving about a 6 inch tail for sewing on.
The legs don’t require any fiberfill for stuffing. Just use your scissors to push the tail from your MR into the foot as “stuffing” (photo below) and you’re done!
Tail
This will be worked flat, not in the round.
Ch 8, then turn
Row 1: starting in the second ch from the hook, inc in every ch (14)
You’ll notice the tail will start to curve (photo I). Use your fingers to twist it up tighter until it looks like a little corkscrew (photos J, K).
FO leaving a 6 inch tail for sewing on.
Ear (make 2)
Rnd 1: 6 sc in a MR (6)
Rnd 2: sc 6
FO, leaving about a 6 inch tail for sewing on. Use your fingers to flatten the ear so that you get a flat half-circle shape (photo L). Trim the tail left over from creating your MR (photo M) and your ear is done! (photo N)
Assembly
First you’ll sew the body to the head. Center the body on the underside of the head, then use the yarn tail you left on the body piece to sew it onto the head. (photos O, P, Q, R)
Next you’ll sew the feet onto the front of the body. Begin stitching the right foot onto the front of the body starting on rnd 2 (photo S). You’ll want the foot to be on the front of the body so that it covers a portion of round 2, all of round 3, and a portion of round 4 (photos T, U). This helps ensure the feet are at the base of the body but not too far underneath the monkey.
Repeat with the left foot (photo V).
Side Note: With smaller crochet items it’s really easy for woven in tails to come loose. I recommend anchoring pieces together as you go to help reduce the chance of the tails coming out. You can find a post I made about it here.
Next you’ll sew the arms on. You’ll want to attach them at the very top of the body right where the body meets the head (photo W). The arms are so small it should only take a few stitches(photo X). Then anchor the tails from the arms together and weave in the ends. (photo Z)
Now you’ll stitch down the felt face of your monkey. Cut a 12” length of the beige embroidery floss and separate off two strands.
Begin by poking the needle into the head and up out of the felt face about ⅛” from the edge (photo .A).
Then whip stitch the edge of the felt to the monkey’s face. To whip stitch, poke the needle into the head just below where you poked out of the felt, and poke back out of the felt face about ⅛” from the edge again (photo .B). Repeat this stitch/step around the face until you’re back at the beginning (photo .C).
Then exit the head just to the right of where you first poked the needle with the embroidery floss into (photo .D).
Tie a knot and weave in your embroidery ends. (photos .E, .F)
Now you’ll start sewing on the ears!
You want them to span rnds 6-8 (photo .G). I start by inserting my needle
between rnds 8 and 9 and then have it exit between rnds 5 and 6 and then pulling the yarn through (photo .H). This helps keep the ear in position while sewing it on. Then continue to stitch the ear on until it’s secure (photo .I). Repeat this process with the right ear (photo .J).
After that you’ll sew the tail on the back of the body. Where you left a yarn tail earlier you’ll notice the end of the tail is flat. To sew the monkey tail on, you’ll want this end to be vertical, covering rows 2-4 on the center of the back of the body (photo .L).
Stitch it down with the yarn tail you left earlier. As you do this, make sure the bottom of the tail covers a lot of row 2 so that it is pulled towards the underside of the body (photo .K).
And your little friend is complete!
