There is something about a crochet penguin that no other amigurumi quite manages — that round little tummy, the smart black-and-white "outfit" it is born wearing, and a waddle you can almost see even when it is sitting perfectly still on a shelf. Penguins feel like winter and cocoa, but honestly I make them all year round — a handmade penguin is a gift nobody is ever disappointed to receive.
So I have gathered twenty of my favourite penguin patterns for you, every single one genuinely free: huggable plushies and a floppy ragdoll, tiny no-sew minis, a baby lovey and a rattle, appliqués for blankets and coasters, a glowing porch luminary, and even a penguin hat with earflaps. I have noted the yarn, sizing and honest little details for each one — pick your favourite, warm up your hook, and let's build a whole colony.
1. Penguin Buddy in Soft, Sleepy Greys
We are starting with a gentle twist on the classic penguin: Briana K's Penguin Buddy swaps the usual black for soft greys, ivory and warm neutrals, so he looks like a little stone pebble that fell asleep standing up. He stands about seven and a half inches tall, is worked in DK yarn with a 4 mm hook, and is rated advanced beginner — the body, arms, a separate headpiece, a beak and the sweetest feet, built from little joined toe pieces. His eyes are embroidered as sleepy curves — a safe, soft choice for little ones — and the full pattern is free on her blog once you pop your email into the unlock box on the page. Briana also sells an ad-free PDF in her shops if you prefer printing, and the same post even includes a bonus newborn penguin bonnet and wrap set for photo props.
Pattern: Penguin Buddy by Briana K Designs — Get the free pattern
2. Theo the Penguin, Straight From a Storybook
This little fellow has a story behind him: Jade Wang at Sweet Softies designed Theo from the children's book *Theo's Heart*, written by Amy Kwong, and he carries his signature pink heart right on his tummy. He is crocheted mostly in super bulky blanket yarn in soft grey and white, with the white front and belly worked in as you go using colour changes, so there is no belly piece to sew on, and his wings are crocheted straight onto the body — far less sewing than most amigurumi. The full pattern is free on her blog, and it generously includes a bonus mini Theo, just six centimetres tall in worsted yarn, who is perfect on a keychain or as a pocket pal. Big Theo finishes around sixteen centimetres, uses 9 mm safety eyes, and there are short video tutorials for the wings and feet if you get stuck. A paid PDF of both sizes is in her shops too.
Pattern: Theo the Penguin by Jade Wang at Sweet Softies — Get the free pattern
3. Snuggles the Penguin in Sweet Aqua
Stephanie Lau's Snuggles might be the most hugged penguin on the internet, and he breaks the black-and-white rule in the loveliest way — his egg-shaped body is a soft aqua blue, with a round white belly sewn on, pink felt cheeks, and a red-and-white striped scarf that is actually a sturdy little crocheted tube, so it holds its shape and slips off when spring arrives. The complete pattern is free on its own page at All About Ami, worked in worsted weight yarns, and her step-by-step blog post walks through the whole make with photos. Attaching the flat belly to the round body takes a little patience; Stephanie's trick is a touch of stuffing tucked behind it. She also sells an inexpensive ad-free PDF on Etsy; the blog pattern costs nothing. Finished penguins from this pattern may be sold with credit to the designer, though never mass-produced.
Pattern: Snuggles the Penguin by Stephanie Lau at All About Ami — Get the free pattern
4. Chilly the Penguin, the Squishiest Colour Swap
Here is the cleverest shortcut in the whole collection: Sarah Zimmerman's Chilly is her beloved Quackers the Duck plush pattern worked in black Bernat Blanket yarn, with two simple white eye patches (full instructions on her post) — and suddenly a duck becomes the chubbiest penguin you have ever squeezed. The base Quackers pattern itself is a free download over on Yarnspirations, and one 300-gram skein of black makes the whole penguin — a brilliant budget stash project. Sarah shares variations too: grey for a baby penguin look, a simple white oval tummy patch for the classic style, or festive colours for the beak and feet at Christmas. Blanket yarn means he works up fast and comes out big and seriously huggable. If you have already made the duck, you are honestly most of the way there.
Pattern: Chilly the Penguin by Sarah Zimmerman at Repeat Crafter Me — Get the free pattern
5. The Jumbo Penguin Pillow Plush
If your penguin philosophy is "go big or go home", this is your pattern: the Jumbo Penguin from Little World of Whimsy is crocheted in jumbo velvet yarn and finishes about twelve inches tall and ten inches wide — a proper pillow-sized plush for a child's bed or a very eccentric sofa cushion. The sample is an unexpected soft pink, which I secretly adore, but the pattern works the same in classic black or icy blue, with a white belly, yellow beak and 10 mm safety eyes. The complete pattern is free on her blog, with genuinely useful velvet-yarn tips — size down your hook if stuffing peeks through, and avoid frogging, because velvet sheds. The shaping is all simple increases and decreases, so a confident beginner can tackle him. She sells an ad-free PDF on Etsy as well, for offline crocheting.
Pattern: Jumbo Penguin by Little World of Whimsy — Get the free pattern
6. The Cuddly Penguin With the Little Chain Scarf
Lauren Espy's Cuddly Penguin is a palm-sized bundle of softness: just five inches tall, worked in super bulky yarn with a 7 mm hook, so he practically crochets himself in an evening. His white face and belly are shaped with colour changes as you go, his wings and feet are quick little pieces, and the finishing touches are what make him — round pink felt cheeks glued on, and a tiny scarf made from a simple chain with strands of fringe knotted at the ends. The whole pattern is free on A Menagerie of Stitches, and Lauren suggests plush yarns like Premier Parfait Chunky if you cannot find her original (now discontinued) sample yarn. Finished penguins may be sold at markets with credit and a link back to her, though not mass-produced. An optional ad-free printable PDF is on her site; the blog version is complete.
Pattern: Cuddly Penguin by Lauren Espy at A Menagerie of Stitches — Get the free pattern
7. The Floppy Penguin Ragdoll
Not every penguin wants to stand up straight — Stephanie Pokorny's Penguin Ragdoll is designed to flop, drape and be dragged around by one wing, exactly as a beloved toy should be. He is built from two flat body panels in worsted yarn held triple-stranded — her clever trick for using stash yarn instead of buying blanket yarn — with a white tummy panel, pink cheeks, a tiny beak, and a bow you can park on top as a hair bow or at the neck as a bowtie. Finished, he measures about fourteen inches from wingtip to wingtip and thirteen inches tall — a really generous cuddle size. The complete pattern is free on Crochetverse, panels, edging and assembly all included, and the panels are joined by crocheting around the outside, stuffing as you go. Finished ragdolls may be sold if you made them yourself; no mass production, please.
Pattern: Penguin Ragdoll by Stephanie Pokorny at Crochetverse — Get the free pattern
8. Baby Penguin, Just Four Inches Tall
Elisa Sartori's Baby Penguin captures that fluffy grey chick stage perfectly: a black head with the white face worked in through colour changes, then a soft grey body underneath, with pink cheeks, little wings and even a tiny tail at the back. He finishes about four inches tall in medium weight cotton with a 3.5 mm hook, and Elisa points out he is the ideal size to hang from a crib mobile — imagine a whole row of them waddling above the cot. The complete instructions are free on Elisa's Crochet and beginner-friendly; for a bigger penguin, just use chunkier yarn and a larger hook. An ad-free PDF with photos is sold on her Etsy, but the page version is the full pattern. Finished toys may be sold with designer credit, though the pattern itself is for your personal use only.
Pattern: Baby Penguin by Elisa Sartori at Elisa’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
9. Baby Penguin Lovey for Winter Baby Showers
ChiWei Ranck's Baby Penguin Lovey pairs a sweet amigurumi head with a fluffy twelve-inch granny square body, so a baby gets a soft toy and a comfort blanket in one — and those flat little feet become the taggies babies love to fiddle with. Designed for Lion Brand's 12 Weeks of Christmas series in cloud-soft Baby Soft Boucle, the complete lovey pattern — square, head, face, nose, feet, fins and even a scarf — is free on One Dog Woof. One thoughtful note from the designer: leave the scarf off for babies and always supervise play, since little extras are for older children. Paid versions sit in her shops and a Lion Brand kit, but the blog version costs nothing. As winter baby shower gifts go, this one is unforgettable.
Pattern: Baby Penguin Crochet Lovey Security Blanket by ChiWei Ranck at One Dog Woof — Get the free pattern
10. Little Winter Penguin With a Pompom Hat
Caitie at Thoresby Cottage dresses her Little Winter Penguin properly for the season: he gets his own crocheted hat with earflaps, finished with a turned-up brim and a fluffy pompom on top. The body is worked in a pretty washed teal DK cotton rather than black, with a white oval tummy sewn on, folded-circle flippers and a tiny mustard beak, finishing about four inches tall — ornament and stocking size. The complete pattern is free on her blog, beginner-suitable, in US terms, with a small 2.75 mm hook for a firm finish. Caitie wrote it in the Southern Hemisphere, where Christmas is warm, which makes me love it even more — snow is a state of mind. She sells a low-cost ad-free printable in her shops, but the blog pattern is the whole thing, hat included.
Pattern: Little Winter Penguin by Caitie at Thoresby Cottage — Get the free pattern
11. Mini Penguin With a Fringed Scarf
Day nine of Erica Dietz's Mini Amigurumi Advent gave us this classic little gentleman: black and white, about four inches tall, with a deep red scarf wrapped round his neck and a touch of fringe at the ends. The head and body are crocheted in one piece, and the clever part is the face — it is worked flat in rows and finished with two tiny shell bumps, and the 6 mm safety eyes sit right inside those bumps for a wide-eyed expression. Face, belly, wings, beak, feet and scarf are separate quick pieces sewn on at the end, in ordinary worsted yarn with a 4.25 mm hook — a true scrap-yarn project. The complete pattern is free on 5 Little Monsters, as part of her collection of twenty-four advent minis. Hang him on the tree, pop him in a stocking, or make the whole colony for a mantelpiece parade.
Pattern: Penguin Mini Amigurumi by Erica Dietz at 5 Little Monsters — Get the free pattern
12. Tiny No-Sew Penguin, Done in One Piece
If sewing amigurumi parts together is your least favourite step, clear your evening: Ami Saigon's Tiny Penguin is completely no-sew, worked in one piece from the top of the head down, with the wings and feet created right in the rounds using popcorn stitches that pop out exactly where they should. The white face and tummy are colour changes, the lower body turns soft grey, and the whole thing uses a 2.5 mm hook with 6 mm safety eyes, so he comes out truly tiny — keychain, bag charm and desk buddy territory. The complete pattern is free on the Ami Saigon site, with a matching tutorial on their YouTube channel. It is quick enough for a whole colony in different colours in one sitting — and I fully support that plan.
Pattern: Tiny Penguin Amigurumi by Ami Saigon — Get the free pattern
13. Pebble the Penguin in Plush Blanket Yarn
Pebble the Penguin, from The Mary Jay, is the one to make when you want maximum squish with minimum fuss: he is worked in super bulky blanket yarn with a 6.5 mm hook, and his round belly appears through neat colour changes inside the body rounds — no separate piece, with a tiny tail formed along the way. Her sample is the sweetest surprise — baby blue and white with a buttercup beak — though classic black looks wonderful too. The complete written pattern is free on her site, and she includes a step-by-step video tutorial alongside it if you are a visual learner. He uses 18 mm safety eyes, and the designer gently reminds us that safety eyes are a choking hazard for very young children and pets, so embroider instead for baby gifts. Finished Pebbles may be sold, as long as you credit The Mary Jay for the design.
Pattern: Pebble the Penguin by The Mary Jay — Get the free pattern
14. The Four-Inch Penguin, With a Polar Bear Bonus
Two patterns for the price of none: Valley Yarns' Crocheted Penguin and Polar Bear, designed by Sara Delaney, is a genuinely free PDF download from yarn.com, and both little friends finish about four inches tall. The penguin's body is worked in the round in black worsted wool, stuffed as you go, with a small white tummy panel crocheted flat and sewn on, plus shared feet pieces mixing single, half double and double crochet for texture. One skein each of black, white and gold makes several animals, which is why the designer suggests them as stocking stuffers, package toppers and tree decorations. Rated intermediate, mostly for the assembly, and uses a 4 mm hook. A tiny penguin tied to a wrapped gift with baker's twine? That is the kind of detail people keep.
Pattern: Crocheted Penguin and Polar Bear by Sara Delaney for Valley Yarns — Get the free pattern
15. Penguin Baby Rattle on a Wooden Ring
Amanda at Love Life Yarn turned a penguin into the sweetest baby toy: his striped body is crocheted as one long flat piece, seamed into a ring around a 3.75-inch wooden teething ring, and his head hides a one-inch jingle bell sealed safely inside with the stuffing, for a gentle rattle. He finishes about six inches tall in soft blue, white and orange baby yarn — Amanda chose a yarn tested to be free from harmful substances, which matters for things that will be chewed. The complete pattern is free on her blog, worked with a 5.5 mm hook; wings, beak and feet are small separate pieces sewn on at the end. She sells an ad-free PDF in her shop if you want it, but the blog version is complete. In blue he is a penguin dressed for colder water; in black, perfectly classic.
Pattern: Penguin Baby Rattle by Amanda at Love Life Yarn — Get the free pattern
16. Pretty Penny Appliqué — and Earrings, Too
Amber Millard's Pretty Penny is the two-for-one design of the collection: one penguin pattern written two ways, as a five-and-a-quarter-inch appliqué in worsted cotton that works beautifully as a coaster, and as tiny one-and-a-half-inch earrings worked in crochet thread with a steel hook. Her samples skip the expected black — the coaster is cream and purple, the earrings white and blue — with puffy paint eyes and beak adding loads of personality. Both versions are free on Divine Debris, including stiffening and earring-finishing instructions. Amber offers an ad-free PDF in her Ravelry shop as well. Sew the appliqué onto a tote, a onesie or the front of a plain cardigan, and wear the earrings to match — full penguin coordination.
Pattern: Pretty Penny Penguin Appliqué and Earrings by Amber Millard at Divine Debris — Get the free pattern
17. Playful Penguin Appliqué for Baby Blankets
This cheerful flat penguin comes from Alessandra Hayden's Playful Penguin Blanket, and Marly Bird hosts it with a gift for the rest of us: a long-format version where every repeat is written out stitch by stitch, so you never lose your place, plus video tutorials. The appliqué is a bold black-and-white penguin designed to sit in the middle of a baby blanket, turning a simple blanket into the gift everyone asks about. The complete instructions are free on the Marly Bird post, and of course the same appliqué happily stitches onto hats, scarves, bibs and tote bags — anything that needs a penguin, which is most things. If counting repeats is where patterns usually lose you, this written-out version feels like a friend crocheting beside you.
Pattern: Playful Penguin Blanket Appliqué by Alessandra Hayden at Marly Bird — Get the free pattern
18. Pampering Penguin, the Bath-and-Dishes Helper
Heidi Yates' Pampering Penguin is a penguin with a job: a stack of crocheted circles in graduated sizes threaded onto a central chain with a hanging loop, so the layers puff into a five-inch penguin who helps with dishes or bath time, then hangs up to dry. Worked in about 200 yards of cotton for kitchen duty (acrylic if he is purely decorative), with button eyes, he is a wonderful craft-fair make. The complete pattern is free on Snappy Tots, circles, wings, head and assembly order all included. A penguin supervising the washing up is deeply cheering, and tucked around a bottle of nice hand soap he makes a gift that is hard to beat.
Pattern: Pampering Penguin by Heidi Yates at Snappy Tots — Get the free pattern
19. Penguin Luminary for the Porch
For the penguin who greets your guests: Heidi Yates' Penguin Luminary is a crocheted cover that slips over a quart mason jar, complete with a flip-down stocking hat with a pompom, a red scarf stripe, button eyes and little wings, so a battery candle inside glows through the stitches on the porch. Worked in worsted yarn with an H hook in a simple shell pattern, the complete pattern is free on Snappy Tots — Heidi also sells an ad-free downloadable file in her Ravelry shop if you prefer that. There are instructions for a crocheted or wire handle, and he matches her snowman luminary from the same series. Use a flameless candle and he can shine safely all season — a row of glowing penguins along a winter walkway is the most welcoming sight in the neighbourhood.
Pattern: Penguin Luminary by Heidi Yates at Snappy Tots — Get the free pattern
20. The Penguin Hat With Earflaps
We are finishing with the one penguin you get to wear: Kali's Penguin Hat at The Friendly Red Fox starts with her free double-crochet beanie with earflaps, then adds a big white face panel with two little peaks at the top, round eyes with a sparkle of white stitched in, and a small folded beak. The face instructions are free on the post, the base beanie pattern is free on her site too, and she walks through the toddler, child and adult differences so the whole family can match — add stitched eyelashes if you want the extra-girly version. It is made in black worsted yarn with a 5 or 5.5 mm hook, plus earflap tassels, as every good winter hat deserves. Kali sells an ad-free printable PDF on Etsy as an option, but everything you need is free on her site. Photograph the family in these and your Christmas card is sorted.
Pattern: Penguin Hat by Kali at The Friendly Red Fox — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty penguins, my friend — storybook plushies and pillow-sized giants, a floppy ragdoll, no-sew minis, a lovey and a rattle for the littlest penguin fans, appliqués for blankets and earrings, a kitchen helper, a glowing porch greeter, and a hat so the whole family can join the colony. New to amigurumi? Start with the tiny no-sew penguin or Cuddly Penguin; for a showpiece gift, Theo with his storybook heart or the Baby Penguin Lovey will melt anyone. My practical tip: penguins are the perfect scrap-yarn project — black, white and a pop of orange live in almost every stash, and a basket of little penguins solves a whole season of gift-giving.
Now tell me — which penguin is waddling onto your hook first, and are you team classic black-and-white or team pastel penguin? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your colonies!
