I love a good hat, but I do not always love what a hat does to my hair — which is exactly why crochet ear muffs have become my favourite winter accessory of all. Two cosy little cups on a band keep your ears properly warm while your ponytail, bun or blow-dry stays exactly where you put it. They slip into a coat pocket, they take an evening at most to make, and they are endlessly giftable.
So here are twenty of my favourite ear muff designs for you, every one with two real ear cups — no plain ear-warmer bands sneaking in. There are plush faux fur pairs, an overlay-crochet flower, a whole flock of sheep, emoji faces, a skull pair for your alt-winter era, and clever covers that give a tired old pair a brand-new life. Most are written patterns that are free on the designers' own pages; where a design is taught as a video instead, I have labelled it clearly, and wherever there is an optional paid PDF, a free-account download or a personal-use note, I have told you honestly in that item.
1. The Classic Stuffed Circles in Cheerful Worsted
We are starting with the design that taught a generation of crocheters how simple earmuffs can be: Niftynnifer's classic pair from her blog. Four worsted-weight circles are crocheted in continuous single crochet rounds, sewn together in pairs with a little stuffing tucked inside, and joined by a crocheted tube that slides right over a plain shop-bought headband — no fancy hardware needed at all. Her sample uses Red Heart Super Saver in the gloriously neon "Blacklight" colourway with a 4.5 mm hook, but any smooth worsted from your stash will work beautifully. She even shares the honest maker tip she learned from her daughter's pair: a dab of hot glue at the band ends keeps everything from working loose. Bright, sturdy and endlessly customisable, this is the pair to make first.
Pattern: Ear Muffs by Niftynnifer — Get the free pattern
2. Shaun-Style Sheep With Loopy Fleece
Joanne Loh at Craft Passion took one look at Shirley, the big fluffy sheep from Shaun the Sheep, and turned her into the most huggable earmuffs on this list. The muff bodies are worked in loop stitch so they grow their own fleece, then little black amigurumi heads, ears and legs are sewn on, wiggly eyes are glued in place, and soft fleece circles line the inside against your ears, with the headband hidden inside a fabric pocket. It is an advanced-beginner pattern, and I will be honest with you: Joanne designed it for her daughter, so it is written as a children's pattern — but she notes herself that a headband of about twelve and a half inches fits a child and a slightly longer one adapts it for an adult, and the four-inch sheep sit happily on grown-up ears. Matching mother-and-daughter pairs, anyone?
Pattern: Sheep Crochet Earmuffs by Joanne Loh at Craft Passion — Get the free pattern
3. Faux Fur Cat Ears for Grown-Up Whimsy
Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops proves that cat ears are absolutely not just for children. Her muffs are plump little domes of Lion Brand Go for Faux, worked in half double crochet and shaped with gentle decreases, then lightly stuffed and sewn closed over a headband that she wraps in yarn with a little hot glue for a seamless finish. The finishing touch is a pair of small, neat triangle ears sewn to the top of the band. The pattern is beginner-friendly, rated for basic stitches in simple repeats, and it is written in one size to fit most teens and adults — the complete instructions are free on her blog. In cream or soft grey faux fur these look genuinely boutique; over a black coat they are pure winter glamour with a wink.
Pattern: Faux Fur Ear Muffs with Cat Ears by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
4. Behind-the-Head Holly Motifs With Chin Ties
Laura at Modesty by Laura was inspired by the granny-square earmuffs all over South Korean fashion, and her Holly Earmuffs wear in that pretty behind-the-head style that keeps your hairstyle completely untouched. Each earpiece is a cloud of faux fur yarn, and on top of it she sews an openwork motif in worsted yarn — little rings of double crochet finished with puff stitches — before a slim crocheted headpiece and two chin-tie straps complete the bonnet-like fit. The whole pair takes about an hour, and because every strap is simply worked to your desired length, you can size it to your own head even though her photos show her children modelling. The written pattern is free on her blog; an inexpensive ad-free PDF is also available on Ravelry if you prefer printing.
Pattern: Holly Earmuffs by Laura at Modesty by Laura — Get the free pattern
5. Bear Hugs for Your Ears in Faux Fur
The Bearmuffs from Little World of Whimsy might be the cutest sentence I get to write all winter: they feel, in the designer's own words, like two tiny bear hugs on your head. Four faux fur circles form the muffs, two of them dressed with cream-coloured muzzles, safety eyes and embroidered triangle noses, and the clever joining round around your headband shapes little bear ears at the top as you go. She designed them during a teeth-chattering New England winter and wore them constantly, so they are properly adult-tested, and her page is full of kind, practical tips for surviving faux fur yarn — feel for your stitches, and pop a marker in every few. The full pattern is free on her blog, with an optional ad-free PDF on Etsy if you want it offline.
Pattern: Bearmuffs (Bear Earmuffs) by Little World of Whimsy — Get the free pattern
6. Heart-Eyes Emoji Faces in Sunny Yellow
If your winter style leans joyful, Nicole Riley at Nicki's Homemade Crafts has your pair: big round emoji faces in smiley yellow, complete with little red heart eyes and a wide black grin. The clever construction is in the circles — one flat, one worked with a short wall in the back loops — so each muff has real depth to cup your ear, and they are stuffed before the final seam and mounted on a headband wrapped in its own crocheted cover. Nicole designed them for older kids, teens and adults, and the pattern first appeared in her Advent Calendar crochet-along, so there is a full video walking beside the written instructions. The pattern is free on her blog; an ad-free, printer-friendly PDF can be bought on Ravelry or Etsy for a small fee if you like.
Pattern: Heart Eyes Emoji Crochet Earmuffs by Nicole Riley at Nicki’s Homemade Crafts — Get the free pattern
7. One-Hour Chenille Circles, Soft as Snow
Rajeshwari Singh of Raji's Craft Hobby shared this fuzzy little pair as a guest post on Underground Crafter, and it might be the fastest make on the whole list — she clocks it at under an hour. Four plush chenille circles are crocheted in double crochet, joined in pairs with single crochet around a whisper of stuffing, and then the headband itself is covered by working double crochets right around it, so the finished piece looks soft from every angle. One honest note, straight from the designer: her sample was made on her daughter's hairband, but she is clear that the size is easily customised for adults — use your own headband and add an increase round if you want a wider muff. The pattern is offered for personal use only, which simply means make lots for yourself and for gifts.
Pattern: Fuzzy Crochet Ear Muffs by Rajeshwari Singh of Raji’s Craft Hobby, via Underground Crafter — Get the free pattern
8. Skull Muffs for Your Alt-Winter Era
Not every pair of earmuffs wants to be cute, and B.L. Koller's Trevor's Skull Earmuffs are gloriously, deliberately spooky. Each muff is shaped into a grinning skull in soft, chunky blanket yarn and crocheted directly around a slim headband, so the finished pair reads like wearable Halloween that decided to stay for the whole winter. It is a brilliant choice for the friend whose wardrobe is ninety percent black, and it would steal the show at any winter market. The pattern lives on Ribblr as a free interactive ePattern — the kind that highlights your line as you work, which is genuinely lovely for shaped pieces — and you will need a free Ribblr account to open it. If your crochet taste runs alternative, consider this your sign from the universe.
Pattern: Trevor’s Skull Earmuffs by B.L. Koller — Get the free pattern
9. Striped Covers That Give Old Earmuffs New Life
Here is the cleverest idea in the whole collection, from Lucy Croft in Simply Crochet magazine: instead of making earmuffs from scratch, you crochet beautiful striped covers for a plain pair you already own. Worked in a self-striping Caron Cake, the pattern gives you an inside and an outside piece for each cup, joined neatly around the cups of a shop-bought pair, plus a matching cover for the headband — a tired, scuffed pair comes out looking like a boutique accessory. It is a wonderful scrap-friendly refresh for the earmuffs sitting in your hallway drawer, and the complete written pattern is free on the Simply Yarn site. One practical note: it is written in UK crochet terms, so North American makers should translate as they go — a UK double crochet is a US single crochet.
Pattern: Earmuff Covers by Lucy Croft for Simply Crochet — Get the free pattern
10. Chunky Two-Tone Muffs on a Wire Frame
Alyssa Brinegar at The Soulful Now builds her Oli Polie Earmuffs the way a milliner would — starting with a frame. Florist's wire is wrapped around a headband to form two neat ovals, then a flat inside cover and a rounded outside cover are crocheted for each side and sewn together around the wire, with a simple single-crochet panel wrapping the band itself. Worked in a cosy number five or six weight yarn — her sample pairs a root-beer brown with fluffy white for a two-tone look — the finished muffs are soft, structured and surprisingly professional-looking. The pattern is a free PDF download from her site, rated advanced beginner, and it includes stitch charts alongside the written steps; like many indie patterns it is offered for personal use only. Structured, snug and seriously cute.
Pattern: Oli Polie Earmuffs by Alyssa Brinegar at The Soulful Now — Get the free pattern
11. Overlay-Crochet Flower Mandalas
If you have ever wanted to try overlay crochet, Tatsiana Kupryianchyk's Floral Ear Muffs at Lilla Björn Crochet are a small, stunning place to begin. Each muff front is a flower mandala built over eleven rounds in four shades — long overlaid stitches drawing petals out of the rounds beneath — while the backs are plain spirals, and the two layers are joined around your headband with a little stuffing inside. Her sample uses Scheepjes Stone Washed leftovers, which makes this a true stash-buster, and she points out the same covers can dress up a pair of headphones. It is an intermediate pattern, written in US terms with generous technique notes, and it is free on her blog; her terms ask that you keep it to personal use, and credit her if you sell a finished pair.
Pattern: Floral Ear Muffs by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk at Lilla Björn Crochet — Get the free pattern
12. The Neat, Go-With-Everything Pair
Sometimes you do not want a character or a statement — you want the pair that goes with every coat you own. Lion Brand's own Earmuffs pattern is exactly that: two clean, well-shaped muffs, each about four and a half inches across, with the yarn wrapped and secured neatly around a plain headband for a tidy, shop-bought finish. It is rated intermediate, is designed for women, and the pattern costs nothing at all — it is a $0.00 download on the Lion Brand site, and as with their other patterns you simply need a free Lion Brand account to download it. Worked in a heathered neutral or a deep forest green, this is the pair that lives in your everyday coat pocket from November to March. Understated, warm, done.
Pattern: Earmuffs (Crochet) by Lion Brand Yarn — Get the free pattern
13. Heart-Shaped Covers for a Ready-Made Pair
Valentine's Day called, and it wants your earmuffs. This sweet pattern, shared on Craftorator, shapes its covers into actual hearts: four pieces are worked in double crochet rounds, and the final two rounds coax the circle into a heart with a neat little point, before each pair of pieces is seamed around a ready-made earmuff form — or even around your favourite headphones — with a matching crocheted cover for the band. The sample is worked in a worsted aran yarn, the terms are US, and the skill level is an honest easy, so a confident beginner can absolutely manage it. In classic red or the softest blush pink, these turn the plainest winter walk into a small celebration. Hearts are not just for February, either — I would wear these all season.
Pattern: Crochet Ear Muffs Covers by Craftorator — Get the free pattern
14. Plump White Cushions on a Crocheted Hair Hoop
This cosy pair from Crochet Patterns In is a complete step-by-step walkthrough rather than a formal pattern, and it is a lovely, methodical way to build earmuffs from the band outwards. You begin by working single crochet directly around a plain hair hoop until it is fully covered, then crochet two plump cushions in double crochet, shaping them closed with half-double-crochet decreases, stuffing them firmly and fixing them to the hoop. Their two-colour sample — a black covered band with snowy white cushions — is smart enough for a city coat, and the page walks a beginner-to-intermediate maker through every stage with tips on tension and positioning. If you like your instructions in a calm, numbered order with nothing skipped, this one will feel like a friend guiding you.
Pattern: Crochet Earmuffs Pattern by Crochet Patterns In — Get the free pattern
15. Pastel Circles With Pom-Pom Straps (Video Tutorial)
This pretty pair comes as a free video tutorial from Vii Crochet, so if you learn best by watching hands rather than reading rounds, settle in with a cup of tea. She crochets two soft, stuffed circles in the sweetest pastel shades — light purple and light yellow in her sample — covers the headband with neat double crochet rows, and finishes the design with little chin straps tipped with pom-poms, which keep the muffs snug and look completely adorable. Everything you need is worked with a 4.5 mm hook and a pom-pom maker, and the tutorial is beginner-friendly with on-screen abbreviations and materials. One practical note: the narration is not in English, but the video carries English subtitles — just switch on the captions and crochet along happily.
Pattern: Simple Crochet Earmuffs (Video Tutorial) by Vii Crochet — Get the free pattern
16. Two-Tone Spiral Swirls (Video Tutorial)
Spirals are hypnotic to crochet and even better to wear. In this free video tutorial, crochetaccs works each muff as a two-colour spiral swirl — hers pairs a fleecy off-white yarn with a fresh green — building the swirl round by round until it is exactly ear-sized, then joins the pair into finished earmuffs you can wear straight out the door. She calls the design beginner friendly, and the format proves it: you simply follow her hands, with the spiral doing all the decorative work for you. She pictures them worn for ice skating and winter walks around town, which is precisely the energy these have — playful, a little retro, and guaranteed to start conversations. This one is a video tutorial only, so pop it on a tablet and pause as often as you like.
Pattern: Spiral Earmuffs (Video Tutorial) by crochetaccs — Get the free pattern
17. The Fast, Budget-Friendly Weekend Pair (Video Tutorial)
Henri Purnell's earmuff tutorial is the one to open on a Friday night when the temperature is dropping and your ears have filed a formal complaint. His whole pitch is in the title — fast, easy and cheap — and the supply list is gloriously short: yarn, a hook, a wool needle, a hot glue gun and a plain hairband to build on. The video is an in-depth beginner tutorial that takes you from the first stitch to a finished, very Pinterest-worthy pair of muffs without assuming any experience at all. Because the construction is so simple, the design is a blank canvas: make it in cream for a minimalist look, in cherry red for pure joy, or match it to your favourite winter coat. This is a video tutorial, free on his YouTube channel.
Pattern: Crochet Ear Muffs Tutorial (Video) by Henri Purnell — Get the free pattern
18. Cloud-Soft Chenille Rounds (Video Tutorial)
If the words "super bulky chenille" make your ears prick up, Daniela at Crocheted by Daniela has your tutorial. In her free step-by-step video she crochets round, pillowy earmuffs in a cloud-soft chenille yarn with a 6 mm hook, stuffs them lightly with fiberfill and mounts them on a plain headband — the kind of pair that feels like wearing two little cushions. She talks beginners through every stage at a friendly pace, and the materials list is pinned right in the video description so you can gather everything before you press play. Worked in a warm oatmeal or dusty rose chenille, these look like the earmuffs from a very expensive winter catalogue. As with the others in this little video corner of the list, it is a video tutorial rather than a written pattern.
Pattern: Round Earmuffs Tutorial (Video) by Crocheted by Daniela — Get the free pattern
19. Hearts, Stars and Daisies on One Headband (Video Tutorial)
Why choose one shape when you can learn three? Mahum Crochets' in-depth free video tutorial teaches heart-shaped earmuffs, round muffs topped with a star, and the sweetest daisy flower muffs — all built on the same covered-headband technique, so once you have the method you have a whole wardrobe of winter looks. She is wonderfully practical about yarn, too: the tutorial shows two ways of covering the headband, one for regular acrylic yarn and one for chunky yarn, so you can work with whatever is already in your stash. Her pacing is slow, clear and beginner-friendly, and she mentions that written versions of her designs live on her blog if you want notes beside you. Three designs, one video, endless colour combinations — this is joyful crochet.
Pattern: Cute Earmuffs — Heart, Star & Flower (Video Tutorial) by Mahum Crochets — Get the free pattern
20. The Simple Two-Circle Starter Pair
We are finishing where every beginner should: with the simplest construction of all, laid out as a calm step-by-step guide by Carol Jensen at Crochet Blog. You crochet two sets of single-crochet circles, sandwich a little stuffing between each pair and crochet around the edges to seal them into plump, pillowy muffs, then sew them onto a sturdy headband — or, her cleverest tip, add little crocheted loops so the muffs slide on and off and you can swap colours with your outfit. The guide also wanders happily through personalisation: stripes by changing yarn each round, a flower or a pom-pom on top, or fluffy yarn for extra softness. If earmuffs have ever felt like a "one day" project, this gentle walkthrough makes today the day. Happy hooking, my friend.
Pattern: How to Crochet Cute Earmuffs (Step-by-Step Guide) by Carol Jensen at Crochet Blog — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty pairs of ear muffs, my friend — faux fur bears and cats, loop-stitch sheep, emoji smiles and grinning skulls, overlay flowers and heart-shaped covers, plus a handful of friendly video tutorials for those of you who crochet by watching. If you are brand new, start with Carol's two-circle pair or Melissa's faux fur cats; if you are feeling fancy, Tatsiana's floral mandalas are worth every careful stitch. My honest advice? Make one sensible pair in a neutral you will wear daily, and one completely joyful pair you have no excuse for at all. Between the two, your ears — and your hairstyle — are set for the whole winter.
Now tell me — are you team classic and neutral, or team full-on character muffs, and which of these twenty pairs is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
