Are you guys ready for another Christmas plushie pattern?! Today’s pattern is for a crochet nutcracker that I’m so in love with! He’s cute and easy to make and he goes so well with the other patterns I’ve already shared. If you haven’t already seen some of the other Christmas crochet plushies, I’ve linked them all below so you can make the whole set. But for today, let’s get started with our crochet nutcracker pattern!
I had a lot of fun looking up different nutcracker designs for this pattern, although I wanted to make it a bit cuter than most of the ones I saw. Something about the face always seemed a little creepy and stern. Also, most of the designs I saw were red and black, but I decided to go with a blue outfit instead since so many other Christmas things are either red or green. And I love the finished result!
The crochet nutcracker looks a little like Einstein without his hat! As always, I used simple stitches to create the basic shapes of this crochet plushie. Then I added in some extra details by embroidering on the gold laces on the boots and the buckle of his belt. The hair was easy to create too, following the same steps I used for other patterns, like Santa’s hair and beard.
The full free pattern is written out below. For those who’d prefer to print the pattern and take it with you for on-the-go and to markup as you go, you can buy the inexpensive printable PDF from my Etsy and Ravelry shops. The PDF is formatted without ads or comments, so it’s easy to read.
Materials:
- 3.25mm crochet hook / D hook*
- #4 medium weight yarn – I used Yarn Bee Soft Secret in Biscuit, Cobalt Blue, Black, White, and Honey
- stitch markers*
- tapestry needle*
- 8mm safety eyes*
- Polyfill stuffing*
*denotes affiliate link
Abbreviations:
- ch – chain
- SC – single crochet
- DC – double crochet
- HDC – half double crochet
- sl – slip stitch
Pattern Notes:
- Skill level: Intermediate – some amigurumi experience is helpful but not necessary
- Sizing: 11″ tall
- Gauge: 6S X 5R per inch
Check out the entire Christmas Buddies PDF Collection!
Crochet Nutcracker: Free Christmas Crochet Pattern
Head:
Round 1: With yarn in ivory, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).
Round 7: *SC 5, inc* around (42).
Rounds 8-16: SC around for 9 rounds. Insert safety eyes to round 5 after the last increase round, about 5 stitches apart. Start to add the stuffing.
Round 17: *SC 6, dec* around (42).
Round 18: *SC 5, dec* around (36).
Round 19: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Round 20: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Round 21: *SC 2, dec* around (18). Finish adding stuffing.
Round 22: *SC, dec* around (12).
Round 23: Decrease around (6). Cut the yarn and thread tail through a tapestry needle. Run the needle under the front loops of each stitch and secure yarn. Weave in the end.
We’ll add the hair later.
Body:
Round 1: With yarn in white, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).
Round 7: *SC 5, inc* around (42).
Rounds 8-10: SC around for 3 rounds. Then switch to the blue yarn.
Round 11: SC around for 1 round. Switch to the black yarn.
Round 12-13: SC around for 2 rounds. Switch to the blue yarn.
Rounds 14-16: SC around for 3 rounds.
Round 17: *SC 5, dec* around (36).
Round 18-19: SC around for 2 rounds.
Round 20: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Rounds 21-22: SC around for 2 rounds.
Round 23: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Rounds 24-25: SC around for 2 rounds
Round 26: *SC 2, dec* around (18). Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Coat is worked into the body!
With a new piece of black yarn, slip stitch over the round of black you already worked on the body and BO. Then use the blue yarn to work a row of SC under each slip stitch of the round. Do not join; instead, you’ll work in rows now to add the bottom edge of the coat.
Row 2-3: Ch 1, turn and SC in each space.
Row 4: Chain 1, turn. DC 5 in the second space, skip 2 spaces and SC around to the last 4 spaces. Skip 2 spaces, DC 5 into the next and slip stitch into the last. BO and weave in the ends.
Belt: Use a tapestry needle and some gold yarn to stitch on a square the center front of the belt for the buckle.
Arms (make 2):
Round 1: With white yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Rounds 3-7: SC around for 5 rounds. Then switch to the black yarn.
Rounds 8-9: SC around for 2 rounds. Then switch to the blue yarn.
Rounds 10-21: SC around for 12 rounds. Switch to the gold/honey yarn.
Round 22: SC around for 1 round. Then BO leaving a long tail for sewing.
Legs (make 2):
Round 1: With White yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Rounds 3-30: SC around for 28 rounds. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Boots (make 2):
Round 1: With black yarn, create a magic loop and work 5 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (10).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (15).
Rounds 4-17: SC around for 14 rounds.
Round 18: SC 7, 5 DC into the next stitch, SC 7 to end. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Laces: With gold yarn and a tapestry needle, add X shapes stitches to form the laces and secure the yarn on the inside of the boots.
Hat:
Round 1: With yarn in black, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: SC around through BLO.
Rounds 7-13: SC around for 7 rounds.
Round 14: SC around through FLO.
Rounds 15-16: SC around and then BO. Weave in the loose ends.
Hair
To make the hair for this crochet nutcracker, start by cutting strips of white yarn about 8 inches long. Then insert your hook through a space you want the hair to be, along the sides of the face for the sideburns and on the chin for the beard, and fold the yarn in half over the hook. Pull a loop through and bring the tails of the yarn through the loop to secure it. Add as many strands as you need to fill the space.
Then use a pet brush to brush out all the hair until it’s fluffy and more like hair. This will take a lot of the material off, so you may need to go back add a few strands. Once you’re happy with the fullness, trim the hair to the right length and clean up the shape and you’re done!
You can see a full tutorial on this step in my unicorn pattern here. In that post, I also straighten the hair with my flat iron but I skipped that for the crochet nutcracker!
Assembly
Now that we have all the pieces done, all that’s left of this crochet nutcracker pattern is to sew him together! Add stuffing to all the pieces if you haven’t already. Start by using the long tail ends left on the legs to attach them onto the body. It helps to use pins to hold the legs in position while you sew. Then, align the arms on either side of the body and sew them in place as well. Finally, sew the body and head together, making sure it’s on straight!
And you’re done! This crochet nutcracker was a lot of fun to make and I really enjoyed the details, like the hair and the little embroidered bits on his clothing.
Don’t forget to check out my other holiday patterns too!
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