Nobody is in a hurry in the sloth world, and honestly, that is exactly the energy I want on my crochet hook. A crochet sloth is the ultimate slow-crafting companion: those long arms, that sleepy little masked face and a body that seems designed for hugging. They hang from branches, perch on bookshelves, dangle off plant pots and snooze on nursery shelves, and every single one of them makes people smile before they even realise they are smiling.
So I have gathered twenty of my favourite sloth designs for you, all genuinely free: big cuddly plushies, realistic loop-stitch fur, a rainbow stash-buster, two no-sew minis, a baby lovey, a bookmark, an appliqué and even a plant hanger. I have noted the yarn, the size and the honest little details for each one as we go. Pick your favourite sloth, pour something warm, and let's take our time — the sloths would insist on it.
1. Zippy, the Cuddle-Sized Classic
We are starting with a sloth who has been loved for years: Zippy from Storyland Amis, a cuddle-sized softie of about eight inches tall in cosy worsted yarn. His wide cream face is worked as an oval from a foundation chain, which gives him that gentle sloth "mask", and you can choose crocheted eye patches or use Holly's free felt patch template if you prefer a smoother finish. The arms and legs are finished with three little cream claws each, and she angles the arms so they rest naturally, ready for a hug. The full pattern is free on her blog; a printable ad-free PDF is available to buy in her shop if you like working from paper, and the pattern is for personal use. In warm brown and cream he is pure classic sloth, and he sits beautifully on a shelf edge with those long arms dangling.
Pattern: Zippy the Sloth by Holly Lanier at Storyland Amis — Get the free pattern
2. Amelia, the Realistic Two-Toed Showpiece
If you have ever fallen for the peaceful two-toed sloths at the zoo, Amelia from Hooked by Kati is your project. She has no dark mask; instead she has a sweet boop-able snout with bobble-stitch nostrils, and her famous fur is worked in loop stitch, then cut and brushed out until she is genuinely fluffy. Her legs are crocheted directly onto the body — no sewing them on — while her arms have wired fingers that can grip a branch, and she finishes about thirteen inches long. This is the advanced make of the list, and the free version is complete on her page; a premium PDF with extra photo guides is there if you want it. Made in tan and taupe worsted, she looks like she wandered straight out of the rainforest canopy.
Pattern: Amelia the Sloth by Hooked by Kati — Get the free pattern
3. The Customisable Ten-Inch Cuddler
The Friendly Red Fox's classic sloth is the one I point stash-rich crocheters to, because she made hers three times in three yarn weights and shows you exactly how each behaves. In worsted he comes out around ten inches tall; in bulky or faux-fur-style yarns he turns into an extra-cuddly armful, all from the same free pattern on her blog. He is built in pieces — ivory face first, then the long unstuffed arms and legs with their three crocheted toes — and the order of the face pieces matters, so follow her steps and he will charm you. Her patterns are for personal use, which she states clearly on the page. Grey, cedar brown or soft sterling: he sits up on his own and looks wonderful in every version.
Pattern: Sloth by The Friendly Red Fox — Get the free pattern
4. Seth, the Brushed-Fur Fluffball
Seth from The Loopy Lamb is all about texture: he is worked in a shaggy fur yarn, then brushed out with a wire pet brush until he reaches maximum fluff. His face begins as a flat oval in smooth yarn — much easier for embroidery and eye patches — before the fur takes over for the head, body and those dangly limbs. The effect is a sloth who looks permanently windswept and slightly surprised, which is to say, perfect. The complete pattern is free on her blog, and there is an ad-free PDF in her Ravelry and Etsy shops if you prefer one. If fur yarn has been sitting in your stash waiting for its moment, Seth is the moment.
Pattern: Seth the Sloth by The Loopy Lamb — Get the free pattern
5. The Sweet Seven-Inch Sitter
Grace and Yarn's sloth is the friendly middle size of this collection: about seven inches tall in his sitting position, with a round white face and dark eye patches angled down in that dreamy sloth way. Stephanie works the eye patches as little ovals crocheted around a foundation chain, and she sews the arms on at a downward angle so they rest across his legs when he sits — such a small detail, and it makes him look so natural on a windowsill or desk corner. The full pattern is free on her blog in cheery step-by-step rounds. He is a lovely first "proper" amigurumi animal if you have mastered the basics and want a finished friend by the weekend. Light brown with a cream face is the classic colourway, and it never misses.
Pattern: Sloth by Stephanie at Grace and Yarn — Get the free pattern
6. Scrappy, the Rainbow Stash-Buster
Scrappy from Hooked by Kati might be the happiest sloth on the internet: he is worked almost entirely from a "frankenskein" — all your leftover yarn scraps magic-knotted into one glorious rainbow ball. His fur is loop stitch from head to toe, and you can leave the loops loopy, snip them into strands, or brush them into a wild fluff; he looks brilliant all three ways. At twelve inches seated with a twenty-nine-inch arm span, he is a proper floppy armful, and his claws are cleverly crocheted first, then joined straight into the arms and legs. The free pattern is complete on her page, with a premium PDF available if you want the photo-rich version. If your scrap basket is overflowing, Scrappy is the most joyful clear-out you will ever make.
Pattern: Scrappy the Sloth by Hooked by Kati — Get the free pattern
7. Sid, the Beginner-Friendly Grey
Nicole Chase designed Sid to be kind to newer amigurumi makers: he is rated advanced beginner, worked in worsted yarn with a 4 mm hook, and her photo tutorials walk you through every step, including her neat trick for crocheting the arms and legs closed. He is a soft grey fellow with cream hands and feet, little dark eye spots, and a tiny slip-stitched hair tuft that gives him real character. The full pattern is free on her blog; an ad-free formatted PDF is available to buy if you like printing your patterns. She even suggests yarn swaps — fur yarn for the main colour if you want him fluffy, or chunky yarn and a bigger hook for a giant version. In grey he is the calmest face on any nursery shelf.
Pattern: Sid the Sloth by Nicole Chase at The Nicole Chase — Get the free pattern
8. The Softie With a Little Tail
Most crochet sloths skip the tail, but the Cuddly Stitches Craft softie has a tiny one, and it might be my favourite detail in this whole list. This is a generously sized, huggable softie built from separate head, body, arms and legs, with careful photo-guided assembly notes — she even tells you exactly which rounds to pin each limb to, so he sits up symmetrically first time. The nose and mouth are embroidered with her linked video tutorial to help, which is perfect if embroidered faces usually make you nervous. The complete written pattern is free on her blog. Make him in soft greys and creams for a gentle, storybook look that suits a reading corner or a child's bed equally well.
Pattern: Crochet Sloth Softie by Cuddly Stitches Craft — Get the free pattern
9. The Chenille Plush With Movable Arms
The Friendly Red Fox revisited her sloth for her Around the World series, and this chenille version is the plushie one: soft blanket yarn, a chubby body, a tiny hair tuft and — the clever part — arms attached with her favourite method so they stay movable. That means this sloth can genuinely hang from a branch, a curtain rod or the edge of a shelf, just like the real thing. He sits about nine to ten inches tall with a surprise little tail, and the full pattern is free on the page; the PDF is six dollars in her shop if you want the printable. Fog grey chenille with a winter-white face is her sample, and it looks like a cloud that learned to hug.
Pattern: Sloth Stuffy by The Friendly Red Fox — Get the free pattern
10. Dell, the Baby Two-Toed
Every showpiece sloth deserves a baby, and Dell is Amelia's: a nine-inch two-toed baby from Hooked by Kati with the same curly loop-stitch fur and the same adorable bobble-stitch nostrils worked right onto his snout. He is the easier of the pair — no wired fingers, no brushing out — and his four legs are worked directly onto openings left in the body, so the construction feels like magic when it comes together. The free version is fully written on her page; a premium PDF is available, and Dell and Amelia can also be bought together as a bundle if you plan to make the family. In soft taupe he is the sweetest nursery gift in this whole roundup.
Pattern: Dell the Baby Sloth by Hooked by Kati — Get the free pattern
11. Baby Zippy, the Mini With Two Arm Options
If Zippy stole your heart at number one, his baby version from Storyland Amis is the quick evening make of the list. Holly gives you two arm choices for this mini: teeny chain-stitched short arms for the tiniest finish, or proper little long arms so baby Zippy can dangle from a branch, a keyring or a car mirror. The face keeps all the family charm — oval cream mask, dark patches, three little claws — just shrunk down to pocket size. The pattern is free on her blog, written with the same care as the original. Make a whole sleepy family in graduated sizes and line them up along a windowsill; I dare anyone to walk past without smiling.
Pattern: Zippy the Baby Sloth by Holly Lanier at Storyland Amis — Get the free pattern
12. The One-Piece No-Sew Sloth
Stitch by Fay's little sloth is a small miracle of construction: the whole creature is worked in one continuous piece, so there is no sewing at all. His arms are clever chain loops crocheted straight into a body round and folded down, his toes are front-loop bobble stitches, and his masked face appears through tidy colour-change rounds as you work — no separate face pieces to attach. He finishes small and flat-bottomed, so he sits neatly on a desk or a stack of books, keeping you company at sloth pace. The complete pattern is free on her blog. If assembly is the part of amigurumi you always put off, this is the sloth that removes your last excuse.
Pattern: No-Sew Sloth by Stitch by Fay — Get the free pattern
13. The No-Sew Sloth With Crocheted-In Limbs
StringyDingDing's no-sew sloth takes a different clever route: you crochet the arms and legs first, then work them directly into the body as you go, and continue straight up into the head in the same piece. The only sewing in the entire pattern is the face — everything else is pure crochet, which makes him wonderfully sturdy for little hands. He is an intermediate make with a 3 mm hook and worsted yarn, fairly small as written, though she notes a bigger hook will size him up. The written pattern is free on her site; a PDF version is available to buy if you prefer. Simple two-tone browns give him a sweet storybook simplicity.
Pattern: No-Sew Sloth Amigurumi by StringyDingDing — Get the free pattern
14. Three Sizes From One UK-Terms Pattern
Off the Hook for You's sloth is a gift for crocheters who think in UK terms: the whole pattern is written in British terminology, double crochet rounds building a round head and a sturdy body with sewn-on limbs. One pattern gives you a family of sizes — including a large sloth whose arms need a wooden spoon's help with the stuffing, which tells you everything about his huggable scale. The full pattern is free on her site, and there is an ad-free PDF on Etsy and LoveCrafts if you want it saved. Because the design is simple and symmetrical, it is also a lovely pattern to recolour: greys, browns, even a blush pink sloth for a little girl's room.
Pattern: Crochet Sloth by Off the Hook for You — Get the free pattern
15. The Sleepy Sloth Ornament in a Hat and Scarf
Tiny Curl's sleepy sloth is dressed for winter: this little fellow wears a rose-pink hat and a striped scarf, and he is designed to hang from the Christmas tree by his own arm and leg loops, exactly as a sloth should. He is worked in fine Ricorumi cotton DK with a 2.25 mm hook, so he finishes around four inches — small, neat and utterly giftable. The pattern is free on Kristina's blog; the ad-free PDF with photo and video tutorials is five dollars if you want the deluxe version, and she happily allows selling finished sloths with designer credit. Make a dozen in different hat colours and your tree becomes the sleepiest, cutest tree on the street.
Pattern: Sleepy Sloth by Kristina Turner at Tiny Curl — Get the free pattern
16. The Santa Sloth Tree Ornament
Crafty Kitty Crochet's Santa Sloth is here to slow Christmas down to a civilised pace. He is about five inches tall including his glittery red Santa hat, worked in friendly worsted yarns — café latte, buff and white, with a sparkle yarn for the hat — and he hangs from your tree by a simple loop, arms ready for the branch. The pattern is free on her blog as part of her 12 Weeks of Christmas series, and it works up fast enough to make one for every stocking you fill. A sloth in a Santa hat is the exact energy December needs: festive, but make it leisurely. Add a tiny gold bell to his hat and he is pure holiday joy.
Pattern: Santa Sloth by Crafty Kitty Crochet — Get the free pattern
17. The Sloth Lovey on a Star Blanket
For the newest sloth fans, MummaJ Crochet's lovey pairs a sweet two-tone sloth head with a six-pointed star security blanket in soft cotton yarn. The head is a clever construction — a cream face ball stitched inside a shaped brown outer head — with purple eye patches, long dangly arms and three little cream claws chained onto each hand. The pattern is written in UK terms and is free on her blog, with right- and left-handed videos if you get stuck; a low-cost printable PDF is there too, and the pattern is for personal use. As a baby-shower gift it is perfect: part toy, part comforter, entirely huggable, and the star blanket drapes beautifully over tiny fingers.
Pattern: Sloth Lovey by MummaJ Crochet — Get the free pattern
18. Samson, the Bookmark Who Holds Your Page
Samson from Heart Hook Home has an important job: he is a bookmark, and he takes it very seriously. His round stuffed head — cream face, dark eye ovals worked in fine yarn on a tiny 2.25 mm hook — sits at the top of your book while a long flat strap of about nine inches marks your page, with three embroidered claws at the bottom edge. The pattern is free on Ashlea's blog, part of her much-loved animal bookmark series. He is a brilliant one-evening make from worsted scraps, and a thoughtful little gift to tuck inside a book for any reader you know. Fair warning: once Samson is on duty, every other bookmark you own will feel strangely unhelpful.
Pattern: Samson the Sloth Bookmark by Heart Hook Home — Get the free pattern
19. The Four-Inch Sloth Face Appliqué
Sometimes you do not need a whole sloth — you need that face, flat and ready to sew onto things. Lovable Loops' appliqué is a beginner-friendly four-inch circle in worsted yarn: a tan face in double crochet rounds, a brown outer round, and two neat half-double-crochet eye patches. The instructions are free on the page, with a video tutorial if you are a visual learner. Sew one onto a baby blanket, a tote bag, a cushion or the front of a plain cardigan and watch an ordinary make turn into a sloth make. They are quick enough to batch-produce, and a row of sloth faces along a nursery blanket border might be the cutest thing you crochet all year.
Pattern: Sloth Appliqué by Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
20. The Hanging Sloth Plant Hanger
We are finishing with the sloth who earns his keep: a hanging planter whose crocheted body wraps a three-inch plant pot while his long arms reach up and grip a wooden dowel, so he dangles from a hook or curtain rod with your succulent riding in his tummy. He is worked with two strands of worsted held together on a 5.5 mm hook — sturdy, quick and satisfyingly chunky — with a stuffed head, a sewn-on face and three little white claws on each hand and foot. The designer shared the complete pattern freely in the Lettuce Craft community, notes and all, sized for adventurous beginners. Hang him in a sunny kitchen window with a trailing plant for hair, and try not to smile every single time you make tea.
Pattern: Sloth Plant Hanger by its designer, shared on Lettuce Craft — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty sloths, my friend — brushed fur and smooth cotton, rainbow scraps and soft chenille, cuddle-sized classics, no-sew minis, ornaments, a lovey, a bookmark and one very hardworking plant hanger, every single one free. If you are new to amigurumi, start with Sid, the appliqué or the friendly seven-inch sitter; if you want a showpiece, Amelia's brushed loop-stitch fur or Scrappy's rainbow fluff will stop people mid-scroll. My one piece of advice is the sloth's own: whichever you choose, there is no deadline. Slow stitches are still stitches.
Now tell me — are you team realistic furry sloth or team neat-and-tidy mini sloth, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your sleepy makes!
