There is something about a crochet squirrel that makes people smile before they even pick it up — the perky ears, the impossible fluff of that tail, the tiny paws that seem made for holding one precious acorn. Squirrels are the comedians of the woodland world, and in yarn form they become the sweetest little shelf-sitters, gifts and autumn decorations I know. Whether you love a realistic red, a classic grey or a cheeky cartoon cube, there is a squirrel in this list with your name on it.
So here are twenty of my favourite squirrel designs for you, every single one genuinely free: palm-sized amigurumi, a baby squirrel tucked into an acorn, a Christmas squirrel with her own pinecone, keychains, appliqués, a tapestry potholder and four blanket squares for the graph-lovers among us. I have noted the yarn, the size and the honest little details for each one as we go. Pick your favourite, warm up your hook, and let's go squirrel-spotting.
1. The Hygge Squirrel With the Big Fluffy Tail
Kati Brown of Hooked by Kati designed this handsome fellow as the third in her Hygge woodland series — he has a hedgehog and an owl for company — and the complete pattern is published free as a guest post at Underground Crafter. He stands about seven inches tall, worked in Red Heart Soft for the body with a strand of bulky Hygge yarn giving the tail its wonderful fluff. The clever part is the construction: a series of mid-row colour changes and shaping tricks curve that tail up his back exactly the way a real squirrel carries it. The pattern is rated easy, with clear notes on assembly order so the pieces come together neatly. In warm cocoa and cream he is pure autumn, and he looks adorable perched on a bookshelf guarding a bowl of acorns.
Pattern: Hygge Squirrel by Hooked by Kati (Kati Brown) at Underground Crafter — Get the free pattern
2. A Baby Squirrel Tucked Into an Acorn
Sweet Softies has created the tiniest treasure in this collection: a baby squirrel just two and a half inches tall, small enough to curl up inside a crocheted acorn. The full squirrel pattern is free on her page, worked in worsted yarn with a 2.75 mm hook, and she rates it intermediate because of the small scale and colour details. The squirrel was designed to peek out of her Acorn Box pattern, which is a separate free pattern linked from the same page, so you can make the whole hideaway scene at no cost. There is an optional paid ad-free PDF bundle if you prefer printing, but nothing about the free version is held back. Worked in soft rust and cream, this is the make that gets the biggest "oh!" when you open your palm.
Pattern: Baby Squirrel in Acorn by Sweet Softies — Get the free pattern
3. Grey or Red, With a Tiny Acorn of His Own
Stella's Yarn Universe gives you one pattern and two squirrels: work it in slate grey for a city-park grey squirrel, or in caramel and rust for a woodland red. At around six centimetres in DK cotton, he is a pocket-sized make, complete with embroidered features, fluffy ear tips and a miniature acorn to hold — because a squirrel without a snack is only half dressed. The complete written pattern is free on her page, and there is a free three-part video series if you like stitching along with company. An optional paid PDF is available on Etsy and Ravelry for printers, which she mentions openly on the page. This is a lovely evening project and a very gift-able little fellow.
Pattern: Amigurumi Squirrel by Stella’s Yarn Universe — Get the free pattern
4. Peanut, the Easy Sitting Squirrel
Natasha at Yarn Over with Natasha released Peanut on one of her Tuesday free-pattern days, and he has been charming her readers ever since. He is an easy-level make in DK yarn with a 3 mm hook, built from a round head, a plump body and sturdy haunches that let him sit up properly all by himself. My favourite detail is the tail: it is stitched up along his back so it stands tall and proud instead of flopping behind him. You can use safety eyes or embroider them, and the face is finished with simple stitched highlights. The whole pattern is free on her blog; an optional ad-free PDF is sold on Etsy and Ravelry if you want a printable copy.
Pattern: Peanut the Squirrel by Yarn Over with Natasha — Get the free pattern
5. The Realistic One, With a Proper Heel and a Bent Tail
If you like your amigurumi anatomically convincing, Jen Hayes has designed the squirrel for you. Her intermediate pattern, free in full on her blog, teaches you two delightful tricks: shaping a real heel on the foot, and putting a genuine bend in the tail so it curls the way a squirrel's does. The legs are joined and the body worked as one piece, finishing at about eight and a quarter inches in worsted Caron Simply Soft — her samples in brown tweed, grey heather and bright pumpkin orange show how much the yarn choice changes his character. The post was sponsored by the makers of Poly-fil stuffing, and an inexpensive ad-free PDF is offered on Ravelry and Etsy, but the blog pattern itself is complete. Ambitious beginners, she specifically invites you to try.
Pattern: Crochet Squirrel by Jen Hayes Creations — Get the free pattern
6. A Baby Squirrel With Painted-On Markings
Elisa Sartori of Elisa's Crochet works a little magic with colour changes in this baby squirrel from her Baby Amigurumi Collection. Instead of sewing on separate pieces, the cream face markings are crocheted right into the head as you go, so the finished five-and-a-half-inch baby has that soft, blended look of a real young squirrel. Orange yarn tufts sprout from the ear tips, there are embroidered head stripes, rosy cheeks, and even a tiny cross-stitched belly button. The complete pattern is free on her page, rated intermediate mainly for those tidy colour changes. She also sells an ad-free PDF with extra photos on Etsy, entirely optional. In beige, brown and rust cotton, this one is nursery-shelf perfection.
Pattern: Baby Squirrel by Elisa’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
7. The Cube Squirrel in Three Sizes
Crafty Bunny Bun looked at a squirrel and thought: what if cube? The result is this gloriously simple design, where the body is worked in rounds and then shaped by firm stuffing and a good press on each side until it sits as a soft little block. The pattern is written for three sizes from one set of instructions — small in DK yarn with a 3 mm hook, medium in chenille with a 5 mm hook, and a big squishy one in chunky chenille with a 7 mm hook. The tail is left with an extra-long yarn end so you can pin and stitch it into that perfect curl against the body. The full pattern is free on her site and also listed free on Ravelry. Make the whole family; they stack.
Pattern: Little Cube Squirrel by Crafty Bunny Bun — Get the free pattern
8. Sasha, the One-to-Two-Hour Mini
Mariska Vos-Bolman of DIY Fluffies is famous for patterns that work in absolutely any yarn, and Sasha the squirrel is a perfect example. Crochet her in sport-weight cotton and she is a seven-centimetre mini, small enough for a keychain; switch to super bulky chenille and the same pattern gives you a fifteen-centimetre plush. She is beginner-friendly and quick — about one to two hours from magic ring to finished squirrel. The pattern is a free download on Ravelry, so you will need a free Ravelry account to save the PDF, and a full video tutorial is included if you prefer to follow along visually. Quick, customisable and stash-friendly — Sasha is the one to make in multiples for gifts.
Pattern: Sasha the Squirrel Amigurumi by Mariska Vos-Bolman (DIY Fluffies) — Get the free pattern
9. The Christmas Squirrel With Her Pinecone
Puqqu's festive squirrel is ready for the mantelpiece: about nine to ten inches tall sitting, with a cream muzzle and belly worked right into the rounds, wispy white ear tufts made from fuzzy yarn, and a bright red scarf around her neck. The finishing touch is a small real pinecone tucked between her paws — the pattern shows you exactly how to pose the arms around it. It is rated intermediate for the colour changes and careful assembly, and the complete pattern, including tail-shaping and styling tips, is free on the page. Worked in light brown worsted with snowy accents, she holds her own in any Christmas display. If you only make one seasonal squirrel, make it this proud little pinecone guardian.
Pattern: Christmas Squirrel with Pinecone by Puqqu — Get the free pattern
10. The Squirrel With a Basket of Mushrooms
This industrious squirrel, published free on the Crazypatterns blog, has clearly been out foraging: she carries a woven-look basket filled with tiny mushrooms and acorns. At about twenty centimetres in Catania cotton with a 3 mm hook, she is a satisfying intermediate project with lots of small, rewarding parts to make. The complete pattern is on the page, from the squirrel herself right down to each little mushroom in the basket. I love her as an autumn table decoration — she looks wonderful among real acorns and fallen leaves. If your gift recipient is a mushroom-foraging, farmers-market sort of person, her present is sorted.
Pattern: Squirrel with Mushroom Basket by Crazypatterns — Get the free pattern
11. Ace, the Tiny One With the Brushed-Out Tail
Sharon Ojala of Amigurumi To Go is a legend of free amigurumi, and her Ace the Tiny Squirrel is one of her most-loved little designs. The full written pattern is on the page, supported by her two-part video tutorial, so every step is covered twice. The signature trick comes at the end: you brush the tail out with a pet slicker brush until the yarn blooms into a soft, feathery plume that is bigger than Ace himself. Sharon offers all her patterns freely and simply welcomes donations from happy makers, which the page mentions — a lovely, honest arrangement. Make Ace in greys for a red-squirrel's silver cousin, or in warm browns for the classic look.
Pattern: Ace the Tiny Squirrel by Sharon Ojala at Amigurumi To Go — Get the free pattern
12. The Flat Rag Doll Squirrel
A Stitch Whimsy's rag doll squirrel is worked in flat panels and lightly stuffed, giving him that soft, floppy, huggable quality that toddlers adore. He finishes at about eight and a half inches in worsted cotton, dressed with a cosy scarf and finished with felt acorn details. Because rag dolls are built from simple shapes, this is a relaxing make without tricky three-dimensional shaping. The flat construction also means he travels well — slipped into a tote bag or a car seat pocket for entertainment duty. The complete pattern is free on her page. In heathered grey with a rust-red scarf, he looks like he wandered out of a storybook.
Pattern: Rag Doll Squirrel by A Stitch Whimsy — Get the free pattern
13. The Pocket-Sized Squirrel Keychain
The Sun and the Turtle's little keychain squirrel proves that a handful of rounds is all a squirrel really needs. The body is crocheted in simple rounds, and then — the charming part — the feet, the two front teeth and the sweep of the tail are finished in felt, which gives this tiny make a sweet mixed-media look. It is a genuinely quick project, the kind you can finish in an evening and attach to your keys before bed. The full pattern is free on the page. Make a few in different shades and you have instant stocking fillers, party favours and teacher gifts. Small squirrel, big mileage.
Pattern: Amigurumi Squirrel Keychain by The Sun and the Turtle — Get the free pattern
14. The Flat Appliqué Squirrel
Kerri's Crochet specialises in flat appliqué animals, and her squirrel is worked in tidy rows of 4-ply cotton with a fine 1.25 mm hook, so every curve of the tail is crisp. The full pattern is free on the page in both US and UK terminology, which is a thoughtful touch I always appreciate. A flat squirrel like this is endlessly useful: sew one onto a tote bag, a cushion cover, a baby blanket or the front of a greetings card. Because it is worked flat and small, it is also a gentle introduction to shaping with increases and decreases. In classic russet with a cream tummy, it reads "squirrel" from across the room.
Pattern: Crochet Squirrel Appliqué by Kerri’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
15. The Woodland Granny Square Squirrel
Maria's Blue Crayon designed this squirrel appliqué for her much-loved Woodland Blanket series, and the appliqué itself is written out in full, free on this page. You crochet the squirrel flat — she even gives you two tail options, one plain and one worked with fun-fur yarn for maximum fluff — then stitch him onto a plain granny square to make a blanket block. There is a video on the page as well if you want to watch the assembly. The finished blanket pattern is sold separately as a PDF, but everything you need for the squirrel square is right here at no cost. A blanket of these woodland squares is the cosiest baby gift I can imagine.
Pattern: Woodland Squirrel Appliqué by Maria’s Blue Crayon — Get the free pattern
16. The Tapestry Potholder for Your Kitchen
Raffaella of Raffamusa Designs brings the squirrel into the kitchen with this tapestry crochet potholder, where the squirrel's portrait appears stitch by stitch as you carry the colours along each row. The complete written instructions — every row, spelled out — are free on her page, so chart-averse crocheters can make it without ever reading a graph. One honest note: the colour chart version is included only in her optional paid PDF, so if you love working from charts you may want it, but the free written pattern is fully sufficient. Worked in sturdy cotton, the finished potholder is thick, practical and far too pretty to hide in a drawer. Hang it by the stove all autumn.
Pattern: Tapestry Crochet Squirrel Potholder by Raffamusa Designs — Get the free pattern
17. The C2C Square From the Wildlife Graphghan
Kinga Erdem's squirrel is Block 20 of her Wildlife Graphghan series at My Hobby Is Crochet, and it is a beauty — a lifelike squirrel worked corner-to-corner over a 25 by 25 tile grid, finishing at roughly fifteen inches square. Generously, the page gives you both the colour graph and the complete written row-by-row colour counts, so you can follow whichever format your brain prefers. The full pattern is free on the page. Crochet the whole graphghan if you are feeling ambitious, or let this one square become a cushion front or the centrepiece of a woodland baby blanket. In tawny browns against a deep green background, it looks like a page from a nature journal.
Pattern: Squirrel C2C Square by Kinga Erdem at My Hobby Is Crochet — Get the free pattern
18. The Big C2C Squirrel Panel
Melissa Hassler of Lovable Loops specialises in corner-to-corner designs, and this is her statement squirrel: a bold 49-row panel that finishes at about fourteen inches square, big enough to anchor a whole blanket. The complete written C2C rows are free on the page, and she also offers the graph as a free PDF download on the same page — no hoops, no sign-up walls. The design is graphic and modern, all strong shapes and clean colour blocks, so it works beautifully as a wall hanging or a cushion as well as in a graphghan. If you are new to C2C, her rows are a friendly place to learn the rhythm. Big, bold, and unmistakably a squirrel.
Pattern: C2C Crochet Squirrel Panel by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
19. The Little Seven-Inch Squirrel Square
Melissa's second squirrel in this collection is the panel's baby sister: a sweet single-crochet square of 25 rows that finishes at about seven inches, designed to mix and match with her other animal squares. The full written rows are free on the page, along with the graph, so this little squirrel is completely self-contained. Small squares like this are wonderfully flexible — join nine or twelve into a baby blanket, or use a single square as a cushion front, a tote panel or a framed nursery picture. The smaller scale also makes it a fast, satisfying weekend square. Two Lovable Loops squirrels in one list, and honestly, both earned their place.
Pattern: Squirrel Crochet Square by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
20. The Harvest Blanket Squirrel Square
We finish with a chart-lover's treat from E'Claire Makery: a corner-to-corner squirrel square designed for her Harvest Blanket, all autumn attitude and clean pixels. The C2C graph is a free download on the page, ready to print and follow square by square. One honest disclosure so there are no surprises: the written row-by-row version of this square lives in her paid Harvest Blanket ebook, so this free option suits crocheters who are comfortable reading a C2C chart — if that is you, it costs nothing at all. The square pairs beautifully with pumpkin, owl and leaf motifs for a full autumn blanket. A satisfying finale for graph fans.
Pattern: Squirrel Blanket Square by E’Claire Makery — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty squirrels, my friend — plush and pocket-sized, appliquéd and corner-to-cornered, every single one free and every single one far too cute to resist for long. If you want a quick win, start with Ace, Sasha or the little keychain squirrel; if you are settling in for a bigger love affair, the Jen Hayes squirrel, the Christmas pinecone guardian or one of the blanket squares will keep your hook happily busy. My best tip: make the first one in classic squirrel colours, and the second in whatever wild shade your stash offers — a lavender squirrel is a joy nobody expects.
Now tell me — which of these twenty is going on your hook first, and are you team realistic woodland red or team chubby cartoon cube? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your squirrels!
