This lilac cat is a small, flat-faced amigurumi in a purple hat with an orange ruffle and a matching skirt. She is about 15 cm tall, worked in cotton, and the two things that make her look like a character rather than a ball are the muzzle — a cluster of increases on the front of the head — and the double-crochet skirt, which is worked into the front loops of the body’s last round.
The head is worked with a series of stacked increases on one side, then a matching set of decreases, which is what flattens the face. It sounds fussy; it is really just counting three groups of stitches instead of one.
Everything is written out below, including the hat’s two colour changes and the ruffle rounds in chain spaces.
What you need
- Yarn: cotton in lilac, violet, orange, light grey, black and white
- Hook: 3.5 mm
- Safety eyes: 6 mm
- Notions: stuffing, wool needle, scissors
Abbreviations
- MR magic ring, sc single crochet, dc double crochet
- inc increase, dec decrease, BLO back loop only, ch chain
- Rnd round
Head (lilac)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
- Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18)
- Rnd 4: sc in every stitch (18)
- Rnd 5: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24)
- Rnd 6: sc in every stitch (24)
- Rnd 7: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30)
- Rnd 8–11: sc in every stitch (30) — 4 rounds
- Rnd 12: 7 sc, 3 inc, 12 sc, 3 inc, 5 sc (36)
- Rnd 13: 7 sc, (sc, inc) x3, 12 sc, (sc, inc) x3, 5 sc (42)
- Rnd 14–16: sc in every stitch (42) — 3 rounds
- Rnd 17: 7 sc, (sc, dec) x3, 12 sc, (sc, dec) x3, 5 sc (36)
- Rnd 18: 7 sc, 3 dec, 12 sc, 3 dec, 5 sc (30)
Flatten the head on the table: the increases from Rnd 12 sit at the sides, and the flat area between them is the face. Place the safety eyes between Rnd 9 and Rnd 10, 6 stitches apart, and stuff the head with fibrefill. Do not cut the yarn — the body follows.
Body (lilac)
- Rnd 19: 15 dec (15)
- Rnd 20: BLO 14 sc, inc (16)
- Rnd 21: 15 sc, inc (17)
- Rnd 22: 16 sc, inc (18)
- Rnd 23: sc in every stitch (18)
- Rnd 24: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24)
- Rnd 25–27: sc in every stitch (24) — 3 rounds
- Rnd 28: BLO 24 sc (24)
- Rnd 29–30: 24 sc (24) — 2 rounds
Stuff the body.
- Rnd 31: 12 dec (12)
- Rnd 32: 6 dec (6)
Close the hole and hide the thread. Rnd 28’s back loops close the bottom; its front loops are where the skirt goes.
Legs (make 2)
Start in black.
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
- Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
- Rnd 3: BLO sc in every stitch (12)
Change to light grey.
- Rnd 4: BLO sc in every stitch (12)
- Rnd 5: 2 sc, 4 dec, 2 sc (8)
- Rnd 6–10: sc in every stitch (8) — 5 rounds
Stuff only the foot, close the hole and leave a thread for sewing. When you sew the leg on, the Rnd 5 decreases face upwards.
Arms (make 2, light grey)
- Rnd 1: 8 sc in MR (8)
- Rnd 2–7: sc in every stitch (8) — 6 rounds
Stuff, close and leave a thread for sewing.
Ears (make 2, grey)
- Rnd 1: 5 sc in MR (5)
- Rnd 2: 5 sc (5)
- Rnd 3: inc in every stitch (10)
- Rnd 4: 10 sc (10)
Close and sew. The ears go on the sides of the head, just above the increases.
Tail (grey)
Attach the yarn at the lower centre back, chain 11, then skip a stitch and work from the second chain: 6 inc, 4 sc. Close and hide the thread — the tail is a little curl, not a stuffed piece.
Skirt (violet)
Make a slip knot and attach it to the front loop of Rnd 28. Chain 3, then work 5 double crochet together in each stitch around. Change to orange and work (1 sc, ch 2) in every stitch of the last round. Fasten off and hide the threads.
Hat (violet)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
- Rnd 2–4: 6 sc (6) — 3 rounds
- Rnd 5: sc, inc (9)
- Rnd 6–8: 9 sc (9) — 3 rounds
- Rnd 9: 2 sc, inc (12)
- Rnd 10: 3 sc, inc (15)
- Rnd 11: 4 sc, inc (18)
- Rnd 12: 5 sc, inc (21)
- Rnd 13: 6 sc, inc (24)
- Rnd 14: 7 sc, inc (27)
- Rnd 15: BLO 8 sc, inc (30)
- Rnd 16: 2 sc, inc
- Rnd 17: 3 sc, inc
Change to orange for Rnd 18 and work (1 sc, ch 2) in every stitch. Close and hide the threads. Then, in orange, make a slip knot and attach it to Rnd 14, and work slst all the way around to make the hat band. Close and hide.
Finishing
- Embroider the eyes with white and black, and the nose with a small triangle of white.
- Sew the ears on the sides of the head.
- Sew the head to the body.
- Sew the legs under the body, decreases facing up.
- Sew the arms at the sides.
- Put the hat on, slightly tilted, and sew it down at the back.
Notes
The ruffle rounds are worked in chain spaces, which is why they flare without any increases: (1 sc, ch 2) in every stitch gives a scalloped edge twice the circumference of the round below. If you want a fuller skirt, use (1 sc, ch 3).
For more cats, Little Miki Cat is a hooded version, the cream and brown kitty is a jointed one, and Cucho the Cat is the smallest. Everything is on the patterns page.
Pattern source: Cat Anne amigurumi, as shared by the original designer on the amigurumi pattern blogs.
If you want a cat you can carry, Cat Keychain with a Donut is 7 cm at a 2 mm hook, with a donut on the ring.
Another dressed cat: Esperanza Cat, 24 cm in cotton with a chain ruff collar.
The baby-safe project in the collection is Cat Rattle: cotton, 2 mm, and a bell in the stuffing.
