If you've been wanting to try amigurumi but every pattern you find feels like it's speaking a different language, this one's for you. This little bear is built entirely from basic circles — no fancy stitches, no confusing shaping — just single crochets, increases, and decreases, worked in the round. It's the kind of project that teaches you the real fundamentals of amigurumi shaping while giving you something genuinely cute to show for it by the end.
This first pattern covers the head only, which you can finish off as a keychain or a little hanging charm on its own. The body, arms, and legs come together in a follow-up pattern, so consider this your foundation piece — once you've got these shapes down, the rest of the bear (and honestly, most other amigurumi animals) will make a lot more sense.
Quick Overview & Materials
You'll be making three small pieces for this project: a tiny snout, the main head, and a pair of ears. Here's what you'll need:
- Cotton thread in a brown, toasted, or chocolate shade for the head and ears (use whichever color you love most — the exact shade doesn't affect the pattern).
- White cotton thread for the snout piece.
- A small amount of silicone fiberfill stuffing.
- Chocolate brown thread for embroidering the nose and mouth detail.
- A pair of 8mm safety eyes (if you don't have safety eyes on hand, you can embroider the eyes instead — it works just as well).
- Stitch markers, to help you keep track of where each round starts and ends.
- Scissors.
- A yarn/tapestry needle — go with a metal one rather than plastic if you can, since plastic needles tend to be too thick for this kind of detailed sewing and can snap easily.
- A crochet hook sized to your thread. A 3.5mm hook was used for this project, but if you're newer to amigurumi, a 4mm or 4.5mm hook will likely feel easier to work with and give you better tension while you're still getting a feel for the stitches. If you'd rather practice with a soft, semi-thick wool or yarn instead of cotton embroidery thread, that's a great option too — wool tends to be more forgiving for beginners since it doesn't separate the way finer embroidery threads can, and a 4mm–4.5mm hook pairs nicely with it.
Stitch Abbreviations Used
- sc — single crochet ("punto bajo")
- inc — increase (2 sc worked into the same stitch)
- dec — decrease (2 stitches worked together as one, using an invisible decrease — more on that below)
- sl st — slip stitch
A note on the decrease technique used here: rather than a standard decrease, this pattern uses what's often called an "invisible decrease." Instead of working into both loops of the next two stitches, you insert your hook under just the front (outer) loop of the next stitch, then under the front loop of the stitch after that, yarn over, and pull through all three loops on your hook to complete it as one stitch. It takes a little getting used to, but it gives you a much cleaner, less visible decrease line — worth practicing since it makes a real difference in how tidy your finished amigurumi looks.
Part 1: The Snout
Worked in white thread. Because this piece needs to be sewn onto the head before the head is fully closed, make this one first and set it aside.
Round 1: Magic ring, work 5 sc into the ring (just 5, rather than the usual 6 — this keeps the snout a little smaller and more proportional). Close the ring and join with a sl st to your first stitch. Place a stitch marker here to mark where your rounds begin and end.
Round 2: Work an inc in each of the 5 stitches around. (10 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail — you'll use this tail later to sew the snout onto the face of the head.
Part 2: The Head
Worked in your chosen brown/chocolate thread.
Round 1: Magic ring, work 6 sc into the ring, close, and join with a sl st to your first stitch. Place a stitch marker.
Round 2: Work an inc in each of the 6 stitches around. (12 sts)
Round 3: Work "1 sc, inc" around, repeating the sequence 6 times. (18 sts)
Round 4: Work "2 sc, inc" around, repeating 6 times. (24 sts)
Round 5: Work "3 sc, inc" around, repeating 6 times. (30 sts)
Round 6: Work "4 sc, inc" around, repeating 6 times. (36 sts)
Rounds 7–12 (6 rounds): Sc in each stitch around, no shaping — every round stays at 36 sts. Take your time here and count carefully at the end of each round so you don't accidentally skip a stitch; it's much easier to catch a mistake round by round than to find it later once you've moved on.
Placing the Eyes and Attaching the Snout
Insert your safety eyes between rounds 9 and 10, spacing them 4 stitches apart on either side of the center. Position your last stitch marker at the back-center of the head as your reference point for placement.
Once your eyes are in place, sew the snout piece onto the face using the long tail you left earlier. Center it left-to-right, but position it slightly lower than the exact midpoint between the eyes rather than dead-center — this gives the face a more natural bear-like look. When sewing, work with the top strands of the stitches rather than sewing all the way through the fabric, since the head isn't stuffed yet at this stage.
Continuing to Close the Head
Round 13: Work "4 sc, dec" around, repeating 6 times. (30 sts)
Round 14: Work "3 sc, dec" around, repeating 6 times. (24 sts)
Round 15: Work "2 sc, dec" around, repeating 6 times. (18 sts)
Round 16: Work "1 sc, dec" around, repeating 6 times. (12 sts)
Stuff the head now, before closing it completely. Add the fiberfill gradually, working it into any hollow spots with your fingers as you go, and use your hands to shape the head into a smooth round ball as you fill it — this keeps the stitches from stretching or gapping open. Check that you have all 12 stitches before moving on to the final round.
Round 17 (final round): Work 6 decreases evenly around the remaining stitches. This will leave a small opening.
Closing the opening: Cut your yarn, leaving a tail long enough to sew with, and thread it onto your needle. Working around the small remaining opening, pick up the outer (front) strand of each of the 6 remaining stitches. Once you've gone through all 6, pull the tail tight to cinch the opening closed. Then pass your needle down through the center of the head and back out through a nearby gap in the stitches (rather than straight through the fabric, which can snap the thread) to hide the tail. Pass through a couple more times to reinforce the closure before trimming.
Embroidering the Nose and Mouth
Thread your needle with the chocolate brown thread — this embroidery is simple enough that you don't need a fine needle for it.
Bring your needle in from the back and out at a point about half a centimeter to the left of center, just above your snout piece. Work a horizontal stitch across, then bring the needle back through near where you started but exit a little lower, and work a second horizontal line directly below the first, the same length. Repeat once more for a third horizontal line. Keep your tension soft as you go — pulling too tight will distort the shape and make the embroidery look messy. Three stacked horizontal lines is enough to build up a solid little nose shape.
To finish, bring your needle out roughly at the center of the snout (right around the magic ring, or a touch lower if you prefer) and work a single straight stitch down from the nose to form the mouth line. Weave your needle through the inside of the head a few times to secure the thread without pulling too tight, then trim.
Part 3: The Ears (make 2)
Worked in the same brown/chocolate thread as the head.
Round 1: Magic ring, work 5 sc into the ring, close, and join with a sl st to your first stitch.
Round 2: Work an inc in each of the 5 stitches around. (10 sts)
Round 3: Sc in each stitch around, no shaping. (10 sts)
Round 4: Sc in each stitch around, no shaping. (10 sts)
Work one sl st into the next stitch to close, pull the yarn snug, and cut, leaving enough of a tail to sew the ear on later. This gives you a small half-circle shape — fold it in half, and that's your finished ear ready for attaching.
Repeat this entire pattern to make a second, matching ear.
Assembly
Attaching the ears: Fold each ear in half so it forms a little curved taco shape. Take your time deciding on placement before you start sewing — hold each ear up against the head and try a few different spots until you find a look you like. Once you've settled on a position, sew the ear on by catching the top strand of stitches along the fold and working around to secure it in place. Attach the second ear in the same position on the opposite side, checking that both ears sit evenly and match each other before you finish sewing. Cut your thread carefully once you're done, taking care not to snip the fabric itself.
Final shaping: This last step matters more than it might seem. After sewing on the eyes, snout, and ears, your bear will likely look a little uneven or misshapen — that's completely normal. Gently knead and shape the head with your hands, almost like working with a small ball of dough, adjusting the roundness and reinforcing the shape of the ears so everything looks balanced. Pay close attention to the eyes especially, since they tend to tilt slightly to one side after sewing — gently press and adjust them until they sit level and straight. This step makes a real difference in how polished the finished piece looks, especially if you're planning to photograph it or sell it.
And that's it — your bear head is complete! This version is left simple on purpose, with safety eyes and basic embroidery rather than a more detailed stitched face, so that it's approachable for a first amigurumi project. Once you're comfortable with these basic shapes — the increases that build a sphere, the decreases that close it back up, and the rhythm of counting your stitches round by round — you'll have everything you need to tackle the body, arms, and legs in the next part of this pattern, and plenty of other amigurumi animals beyond this one too.
