I hope you guys enjoyed the free crochet pattern for Ollie the elf on Monday! So far, You’ve seen Ronald the gingerbread man, Ollie the elf, and today we’re making Comet the reindeer. I originally released all 4 patterns (including the Santa Claus plushie) all at once on Etsy so you can grab the printable versions and get to working on them, but I also love having free crochet patterns available here on the blog. Today, let’s make our crochet reindeer pattern!
Comet is a really easy crochet reindeer pattern. His arms, legs, and body are super simple and done entirely in single crochets, with some strategic color changes to make his fur. His head is a simple shape too, and then I added the features separately to really make him look like the reindeer. All the pieces are easy and this tutorial will guide you through it.
You may know one of Santa’s more famous reindeer, but here’s a little bit about Comet. He’s the fastest flyer on Santa’s team! Comet the reindeer always loved running when he was a kid, and one day as he tried going faster and faster through the winter woods, his feet just left the ground and he was soaring! There’s nothing like flying over the world with a sleigh full of Christmas gifts at your back and all the twinkling lights and Christmas decorations below. Comet can’t wait to visit his favorite places in the world with Santa and all his friends this year. Now you can make one with this free crochet reindeer pattern!
Christmas Plushies: An Adorable Collection of Amigurumi!
The full free crochet 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, Cocoa, White, and Black
- stitch markers*
- tapestry needle*
- 8mm safety eyes*
- Polyfill stuffing*
- Mini pom poms
- Hot glue gun
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: 11.5″ tall x 4″ across body
- Gauge: 6S X 5R per inch
Comet the Free Crochet Reindeer Pattern
Arms & Legs (make 4):
Round 1: With yarn in Black, 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 through back loop only for 1 round.
Rounds 6-9: SC normally for 4 rounds.
Rounds 10-23: Switch to Cocoa yarn, SC for 14 rounds.
Round 24: *SC 2, dec* around (18). Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Tail:
Round 1: With yarn in Cocoa, create a magic loop and work 5 SC into it. Place a stitch marker.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (10).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (15).
Rounds 4-6: SC for 3 rounds.
Round 7: *SC, dec* around (10).
Round 8: SC 1 round. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Body:
Round 1: With yarn in Cocoa, 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)Attach yarn in Biscuit. For the rest of the body, work half the round in Biscuit and the other half in Cocoa, crochet over the color you aren’t using. It’s the only slightly tricky part of this free crochet pattern. This gives you the two-sided body. Be sure to work a little looser so the body isn’t too tight here.
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).
Round 7: *SC 5, inc* around (42).
Rounds 8-17: SC around for 10 rounds.
Round 18: *SC 5, dec* around (36).
Rounds 19-20: SC around for 2 rounds.
Round 21: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Round 22: Switch to white yarn. *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Rounds 23-24: SC around for 2 rounds. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Head:
Round 1: With yarn in Cocoa (skin color), 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 8-17: SC around for 10 rounds. Insert safety eyes to round 5 after the last increase round, about 5 stitches apart. Start to add the stuffing.
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. Then run the needle under the front loops of each stitch and secure yarn. Weave in the end.
Ears (make 2):
Round 1: With yarn in Cocoa, create a magic loop and work 5 SC into it.
Round 2: *SC, inc* twice (7).
Round 3: *SC, inc* 3 times (10).
Round 4: *SC, inc* 5 times (15).
Rounds 5-9: SC around for 5 rounds.
Round 10: Decrease 7 times, SC the last stitch (8).
Round 11: SC 1 round. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Antlers (make 2)
Row 1: With black yarn, chain 26. Turn and SC 25.
Rows 2-4: SC 3 rows. BO, and with the long tail, sew the rectangle in half lengthwise.
After that, insert a pipe cleaner into the tube. Bend it into the shape of the antler. Leave the rest of the tail for sewing them onto the head.
Snout:
Round 1: With yarn in Biscuit, chain 7. Turn and SC 6, work 3 SC into the last space, turn to work into the other side of the chain and SC 4, 2 SC into the last space (15).
Round 2: SC, inc, SC 4, *SC, inc* 3 times, SC 4, *SC, inc* 2 times. Slip stitch to the next space and then BO, leaving a long tail.
Assembly
Now that you have the pieces for this free crochet pattern, let’s put it together! Use the tail yarn to sew the snout onto the bottom half of the face. Work all the way around. Then position the ears and antlers and sew them in place using the tails too. The ends of the pipe cleaners will go into the head.
Next, add stuffing to the arms, legs, and body. Position the arms and legs on either side and sew them in place using the tail ends. They’ll be half on one body color, half on the other.
Sew the tail on to the back of the reindeer. Finally, hot glue a small black pom for his nose. If the pom is too small, just glue two together and then onto the snout. Weave in any loose ends and trim the excess yarn.
Finally, here is Comet, ready to take off! This was so much fun to make and I love the two-toned effect you get on the body just by changing colors in the round. I used black poms to make his nose, but you can just as easily use red to make him into a Rudolph if you wanted. Let me know what you think of this free crochet pattern. If you make one, share a picture on Instagram and tag me @_theblueelephants.
Check out the entire Christmas Buddies PDF Collection!
Looking for another Christmas-themed free crochet pattern? Check out the rest of the set! Santa Claus, Ollie the elf, and Ronald the gingerbread man are also available in my shop (along with Comet) 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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