Last week, I introduced 4 new crochet patterns all designed around Christmas. There was a Santa Claus (of course), an elf named Ollie, Comet the Reindeer, and the crochet gingerbread man, Ronald. They are all easy to make and available for purchase over in my Etsy shop. But today I’m sharing the full free crochet amigurumi pattern for Ronald! Of the 4 Christmas plushies, he is the easiest to make and the most fun because you can decorate him however you like. So, let’s get started with our gingerbread recipe pattern.
If you’re new to toy making and amigurumi, Ronald the crochet Gingerbread Man is the perfect place to start. I wanted to keep his shape and design simple so he’s worked all in one piece and only the head and arms need to be seamed on. The legs and the body of Ronald are all worked as one piece so there’s less to attach. The shapes in this amigurumi crochet pattern are very simple too – I’ve only used basic increases, decreases, and single crochet stitches to make this guy!
Let’s get to know Ronald a little bit. Ronald was named after a certain other ginger with a sweet tooth and he’s the most dapper little gingerbread man! Ronald loves Christmas time because that means he can bake as much as he wants for his family and his gingerbread house always smells sweet and yummy. Every year, he makes big batches of his favorite treats to give out as Christmas gifts. He comes from a big family so there is always an occasion to bake for, but nothing is really quite like Christmas.
Christmas Plushies: An Adorable Collection of Amigurumi!
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, Red, White, and Forest
- 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: Beginner/Intermediate – some amigurumi experience is helpful but not necessary
- Sizing: 8″ tall x 3″ across body
- Gauge: 6S X 5R per inch
Ronald the Crochet Gingerbread Man Crochet Pattern
Arms (make 2):
Round 1: With yarn in Cognac (body color), 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).
Rounds 4-16: SC around for 13 rounds. Then BO leaving a long tail for sewing.
Legs (make 2):
Round 1: With yarn in Cognac (body color), 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).
Rounds 4-18: SC around for 15 rounds. Then BO the first leg.
Leg 2: Make the leg the same way as the first one, but don’t BO. With the yarn still attached to Leg 2, SC 9, SC around the 18 stitches of Leg 1, and then SC 9 on Leg 2 to join the legs to the body.
Body:
Rounds 1-10: SC around for 10 rounds (36).
Round 11: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Round 12: SC 1 round.
Round 13: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Round 14: SC 1 round.
Round 15: *SC 2, dec* around (18).
Round 16: SC 1 round. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Head:
Round 1: With yarn in Cognac (body color), 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).
Round 8: SC around for 9 rounds. Add the safety eyes to the 5th round from the last increase, about 5 stitches apart. Then secure the backings and add stuffing to the head.
Round 9: *SC 5, dec* around (36).
Round 10: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Round 11: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Round 12: *SC 2, dec* around (18).
Round 13: *SC 1, dec* around (12).
Round 14: Dec around and cut yarn (6). Then thread the tail through tapestry needle and run it under the front loops of the last 6 stitches. Secure yarn, and weave in the tail.
Bow:
Row 1: With Red yarn, chain 6. Turn and DC 4 starting in the 2nd space from the hook.
Row 2-9: DC for 8 rows and then BO.
Seam the short ends together and use spare yarn to wrap the center and pinch it into a bow shape. Secure the yarn with a knot and hide inside the wrapped section. Leave some tail for sewing onto the body.
Icing Hat
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).
Round 3:*SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *Ch 3, skip 3 spaces, sl st to next* 6 times. (6 ch-3loops).
Round 6: *[2 HDC, DC, 2 HDC] into ch-3 loop. Slip st into next loop.* Repeat around and then BO.
Assembly
The next step in our crochet gingerbread man pattern is to assemble all the pieces and decorate! Start by threading the tail end of the yarn you left on the arm onto a tapestry needle. LIne the arm up to the sloped sides of the body and begin seaming around. Go through each space on the arm and the corresponding space on the body to get a secure hold. Fasten off the yarn and hide the excess inside the body. Then repeat with the other arm.
Next, use the tail end from the body to sew on the head. Make sure your head is placed in the right position and facing forward, then go through each space around the body and the corresponding stitch on the head. Secure the yarn and weave in the end.
With the tail end of yarn from the icing hat, sew the hat onto the top of the head. Finally, sew on the bow tie.
Decorating
Now to finish off this crochet gingerbread man, I added the icing and decorations to Ronald! First, I used the same white yarn as the hat and a tapestry needle to embroider on some icing around the arms and legs. Just use big, straight stitches to create a zig-zag all the way around each limb and use the stitch as guides to keep them as even as possible.
Then, use a chain stitch to embroider on a smile. Optionally, you can even hot glue some mini pom poms to the body as gumdrop buttons! Decorate however you like and once you’re done, trim all the excess yarn and weave in any loose ends.
And here is the finished Ronald! I love how my gingerbread man turned out and I had fun making him. I would love to see your version and how you choose to decorate yours. If you make one, share a picture on Instagram and tag me!
Check out the entire Christmas Buddies PDF Collection!
Looking for another Christmas-themed amigurumi crochet pattern? Check out the rest of the set! Santa Claus, Comet the reindeer, and Ollie the elf are also available in my shop (along with Ronald and more) as large print, ad-free PDFs. Thanks so much for reading and be sure to subscribe down below to get on the email list and get new patterns and tips delivered right to your inbox every week.
See you soon 🙂
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