Pikachu Free Crochet Pattern

Hi, friends!

A while back, my 3 year-old niece made a special request for an Elsa doll. After that, my 6 year-old niece also made a special request for a one of a kind amigurumi. She is a huge Pokémon fanatic and so a specially made Pikachu fit the bill perfectly. This Pikcahu pattern caused me significantly *less* stress than Elsa’s did so I was able to put the pattern together without too much trouble and share it with you! Yay!

As usual, this pattern is made in the same style as my Ragdoll patterns; separate pieces worked in flat rows and then joined together to give them that unique 2-D look. This pattern has 16 separate pieces but it’s honestly not as daunting as it may seem! 

The finished measurements are approximately 27cm/10.5″ high.

Let’s get started! (Or Pin/Shop for later!)

If you’d prefer a downloadable or printable version of this pattern, an inexpensive, formatted, and ad-free PDF can be purchased HERE or through the “Shop It” button above!

Materials:

• 3.25mm hook (I use THESE hooks!);
• Red Heart Super Saver in the following colours:
  • Bright Yellow;
  • Black;
  • Cafe Latte;
  • Cherry Red.
• Bernat Handicrafter Crochet Thread in black for nose, mouth and toes;
• 12mm safety eyes;
• Black sewing thread and sewing needle (for mouth – optional)
• Stuffing;
• Tapestry needle;
• Stitch markers.

Terms and Stitches:

Ch – Chain

MR – Magic Ring

Slst – Slip stitch

Sc – Single crochet 

Inc – Increase. Work a regular sc increase.

Dec – Decrease. Work a regular sc decrease.

Hdc – Half double crochet

Reading this Pattern:

There is some colour work involved in this pattern so here’s the low down on colour-changing. Carry the yarn on the back of the panels by dropping the working yarn when you switch colours and picking it back up again when you need it in the next part of the row. Always carry the yarn on the wrong side (instead of carrying it inside the stitch as you go); this ensures the front of the panel has clear lines and colours without any of the yarn carries showing through.

When switching to a new colour, insert your hook into the stitch for the last stitch of Colour A and pull up a loop, then, with Colour B, yarn over and complete the stitch by pulling through both loops with Colour B. Drop your working yarn in Colour A and continue with Colour B. You will pick your Colour A working yarn back up again when you need it.

Since the whole pattern is worked in sc stitches, I have omitted the usual “sc” in front of the stitch counts in any rows with colour-changing and used the associated colour letter instead. For example, “B3, Y1” means to work the next 3 stitches in black and the next stitch in yellow. “Ydec” means to work a regular sc decrease in yellow yarn, Binc means to work a regular sc increase in black yarn, and so on.

Colour Legend:

B – Black

Y – Yellow

Legs:

Using a 3.25mm hook and yellow yarn. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row. 

Row 1: Ch 6, sc 5 (5 sts)

Row 2: Inc, sc 2, inc twice (8 sts)

Row 3: Inc twice, sc 5, inc (11 sts)

Row 4: Inc, sc 9, inc (13 sts)

Tie off. Insert a stitch marker into the last st of row 4.

Repeat rows 1 to 4 for the second leg but do not tie off. Position the first leg so that the stitch marker is pointing to the right. In row 5, we will join the two pieces by crocheting across both. Ch 1 and turn and move on to row 5:

Row 5: Inc, sc 11, inc in last st of first leg, join next leg, inc in first st, sc 11, inc in last st (30 sts)

Rows 6-13: Sc across (30 sts)

Row 14: Dec, sc 26, dec (28 sts)

Rows 15-20: Sc across (28 sts)

Row 21: Dec, sc 24, dec (26 sts)

Row 22: Sc across (26 sts)

Row 23: Dec, sc 22, dec (24 sts)

Row 24: Sc across (24 sts)

Row 25: Dec, sc 20, dec (22 sts)

Row 26: Sc across (22 sts)

Now we will start increasing for the head.

Row 27: Inc, sc 20, inc (24 sts)

Row 28: Inc, sc 22, inc (26 sts)

Row 29: Inc, sc 24, inc (28 sts)

Row 30: Sc across (28 sts)

Row 31: Inc, sc 26, inc (30 sts)

Rows 32-36: Sc across (30 sts)

Row 37: Dec, sc 26, dec (28 sts)

Row 38: Sc across (28 sts)

Row 39: Dec, sc 24, dec (26 sts)

Rows 40-41: Sc across (26 sts)

Row 42: Dec, sc 22, dec (24 sts)

Row 43: Dec, sc 20, dec (22 sts)

Now we will start increasing for the ears.

Row 44: Inc, sc 20, inc (24 sts)

Row 45: Inc, sc 22, inc (26 sts)

Now we will start the first ear. You will be crocheting only part way across the previous row before chaining and turning.

Row 46: Inc, sc 6 (8 sts)

Row 47: Sc across (8 sts)

Row 48: Inc, sc 5, dec (8 sts)

Row 49: Dec, sc 5, inc (8 sts)

Row 50: Sc 6, dec (7 sts)

Now we will start the colour work of the ear, so I will use the colour legend for each st (Y and B).

Row 51: Y6, [Y, B] in same st (8 sts)

Row 52: B2, Y4, Ydec (7 sts)

Row 53: Ydec, Y3, B2 (6 sts)

Row 54: Binc, B1, Y2, Dec (6 sts)

Row 55: Ydec, B4 (5 sts)

Row 56: B3, Bdec (4 sts)

Row 57: Bdec, B1, Binc (4 sts)

Row 58: B2 (leave last 2 sts unworked) (2 sts)

Tie off.

Turn work. Skip 1 st and join your yellow yarn in the 2nd st to the left of the ear. Now we will work the last row of the head.

Row 46: Sc 10 (10 sts)

Tie off.

Do not turn work. Skip 1 st and join your yellow yarn in the 2nd st to the left of the head. Now we will start the second ear.

Row 46: Sc 6, inc (8 sts)

Row 47: Sc across (8 sts)

Row 48: Dec, sc 5, inc (8 sts)

Row 49: Inc, sc 5, dec (8 sts)

Row 50: Dec, sc 6 (7 sts)

Now we will start the colour work of the ear.

Row 51: [B1, Y1] in same st, Y6 (8 sts)

Row 52: Ydec, Y4, B2 (7 sts)

Row 53: B2, Y3, Ydec (6 sts)

Row 54: Ydec, Y2, B1, Binc (6 sts)

Row 55: B4, Ydec (5 sts)

Row 56: Bdec, B3 (4 sts)

Row 57: Binc, B1, Bdec (4 sts)

Row 58: In black, slst 2, sc 2 (4 sts)

Tie off.

Repeat all of the above for the back body panel. Set aside for later.

Feet:

With 3.25mm hook and yellow yarn. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Row 1: Ch 5, sc 4 (4 sts)

Row 2: Sc across (4 sts)

Row 3: Dec twice (2 sts)

Row 4: Dec (1 st)

Tie off. Stitch on two little toe lines. Repeat rows 1-4 for second panel. Put both panels together and sc around them to join. (Sc, ch 1, sc) in the top two corners. Stuff lightly. Slst to beginning st to close. Repeat for the second foot. Set aside for later.

Arms:

With 3.25mm hook and yellow yarn. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Row 1: Ch 6, sc 5 (5 sts)

Row 2: Dec, sc 2, inc (5 sts)

Row 3: Inc, sc 2, dec (5 sts)

Row 4: Dec, sc 2, inc (5 sts)

Row 5: Inc, sc 2, dec (5 sts)

Row 6: Dec, sc 2, inc (5 sts)

Row 7: Inc, sc 2, dec (5 sts)

Row 8: Dec, sc 2, inc (5 sts)

Row 9: Dec, hdc, dec (3 sts)

Tie off. Repeat rows 1-9 for back panel. Place both panels together and sc around to join. (Sc, ch 1, sc) in the top two corners (where it will attach to the body). Stuff when you’ve crocheted 3/4 of the way around. Slst to beginning st to close. Repeat for second arm. Set aside for later.

Stripes:

With brown yarn and 3.25mm hook. The stripes are worked by crocheting around the foundation chain.

Top stripe:

Rnd 1: Ch 16, sc 14, [4 sc] in last ch, working on opposite side of chains, sc 13, [3 sc] in last ch. Slst to beg st to close. (34 sts)

Bottom Stripe:

Rnd 1: Ch 18, sc 16, [4 sc] in last st, working on opposite side, sc 15, [3 sc] in last ch. Slst to first st to close. (38 sts)

Set aside for later.

Tail:

Piece 1:

Starting with brown yarn and 3.25mm hook. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row unless otherwise specified.

Row 1: Ch 8, sc 7 (7 sts)

Row 2: Sc across (7 sts)

Row 3: Dec, sc 5 (6 sts)

Row 4: Slst 3, sc 3 (6 sts)

In the next row, you will crochet only part way across the previous row before chaining and turning.

Row 5: Sc 3 (3 sts)

Switch to yellow.

Row 6: Inc, dec (3 sts)

Tie off.

Piece 2: 

With 3.25mm hook and yellow yarn. Ch 1 and turn after each row unless otherwise specified.

Row 1: Ch 4, sc 3, ch 5, turn (3 sts + 5 chs)

Row 2: Starting in 2nd chain from hook, sc 4 along chs, sc 3 (7 sts)

Now we will join Piece 1 and 2 together in the next row.

Row 7: Sc 7 across Piece 2 (the one on your hook), ch 3, join Piece 1 and sc 3 (10 sts + 3 chs)

Row 8: Inc, sc 2, sc 3 across chs, sc 5, dec (13 sts)

Rows 9-10: Sc across (13 sts)

Row 11: Dec, sc 10, inc (13 sts)

Tie off.

Turn your work so that the brown section is on the right. Join yellow yarn in 8th st.

Rows 12-13: Sc 6 (6 sts)

Row 14: Inc, sc 5 (7 sts)

Row 15: Dec, sc 5 (6 sts)

Row 16: Sc 6, ch 13, turn (6 sts + 13 chs)

Row 17: Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc 12 across chs, sc 5, inc (19 sts)

Row 18: Sc across (19 sts)

Row 19: Inc, sc 17, inc (21 sts)

Row 20: Sc across (21 sts)

Row 21: Sc 20, inc (22 sts)

Row 22: Sc 21, inc (23 sts)

Row 23: Sc across (23 sts)

Row 24: Inc, sc 22 (24 sts)

Row 25: Inc, sc 23 (25 sts)

Row 26: Slst 5, sc 20 (25 sts)

In the next row, you will crochet only part way across the row before chaining and turning.

Row 27: Sc 17 (17 sts)

Row 28: Slst 6, sc 10, inc (18 sts)

Crochet only part way across in the next row.

Row 29: Sc 7 (7 sts)

Tie off. Repeat for the back panel of the tail. Place both panels together and, starting in the top left corner, starting joining the panels together by crocheting around the outside in yellow. (Sc, ch 1, sc) in each corner. Switch to brown when you get to the bottom. As you crochet up the opposite side, you will want to stuff after every 4 or 5 stitches. Stop when you get to the top and top up stuffing. Be sure to crochet loosely across the top of the tail to get a smooth line. Continue to top up stuffing as you go. Slst to beginning st and tie off. Weave tail inside.

OPTIONAL:

When we get to assembly, the tail will be attached by stitching it to the side of the body. However, if you prefer to have the tail attached to the back of the body, you have 2 options: (1) attach the tail as is to the middle of the back panel at the end of assembly. If you go with this option, you will not be able to see the full tail when looking at Pikachu from the front.  The other option is: (2) extend the bottom of the tail by crocheting several rows until it reaches the middle of the back panel.

Cheeks:

With 3.25mm hook and red yarn. The cheeks are worked in the round. 

Rnd 1: Work 6 sc into a MR (6 sts)

Rnd 2: 2 hdc in each st around (12 sts)

Tie off. Repeat for second cheek.

Move on to assembly below!

Assembly:

Step 1: Face and Stripes

Here are the pieces you’ll have so far.

The first thing we need to do is stitch on all the accessories.

I started by stitching on the cheeks. This will give you a good reference for the rest of the face. 

Next, insert the 12mm eyes.

Stitch on the nose using black crochet thread by simply stitching around a stitch several times. The nose should line up with the top of the cheeks.

Finally, stitch on the mouth. I used a sewing needle and black sewing thread to stitch the crochet thread in place to give the mouth curves. 

For the back panel, stitch on the two stripes with the shorter stripe on top. I opted to stitch them on in a slight curve, but straight would also look great!

Step 2: Body, Arms, Legs and Tail

These are the pieces you’ll have at this step:

Before you begin, cut three pieces of yellow yarn about 30cm/12″ long and set aside for later.

Place the two panels together matching up all sides. Make sure the front is facing you as you crochet around.

Starting on the left side at the top of the ear, begin attaching the panels together. Insert your hook into both panels, chain 1, and then single crochet around the outside of the panels starting in black. Switch to yellow where appropriate.

When crocheting around, try to crochet with a looser tension than usual. Crocheting loosely, especially around the curved areas, helps keep all the edges curved. 

Crochet to the bottom of the head. Now we will attach the first arm. The arm will be attached by placing it on top of the panels and crocheting through all three pieces. Be sure that the arm is facing downward, toward the belly.

Continue crocheting to the bottom of the leg. With a piece of yarn that you set aside earlier, stitch the first foot in place by placing it between the panels and stitching through all three pieces, the top panel, the foot, and the bottom panel. Tie a knot and hide the yarn tails inside the body panels. Continue crocheting around. When you get to the foot, simply crochet in the stitches of the front panel only, since this portion is already sewn shut. 

Continue crocheting around and repeat for the second foot when you reach the bottom of the next leg. 

Next, attach the tail using a piece of yarn you set aside earlier. Place it between the panels and stitch it in place. Tie a knot and hide the yarn tails inside the panels. *If you chose to attach the tail to the middle of the back panel, you can skip this part and attach the tail at the end.*

Begin stuffing the body.

Continue crocheting up the body. When there are about 6 stitches left before you get to the bottom of the head, attach the second arm.

Continue to top up stuffing. Crochet up the other ear. Switch to black where appropriate. (Sc, ch 1, sc) in the top of the ear. Crochet down the other side of the ear, switching back to yellow and stuffing as you go. 

Crochet across the top of the head (loosely to create a nice curve!) and up the other ear. Be sure to top up stuffing after every two or three stitches. Switch back to black, (Sc, ch 1, sc) in the top of the second ear. When you are satisfied with the stuffing, close with a slst and tie off. Poke yarn tails back inside the piece.

Finish off the piece by needle sculpting the eyes to give Pikachu some character and you’re done! Here’s how to needle sculpt:

1. With a piece of yellow yarn and your tapestry needle, insert into a st behind Eye A and out a stitch from behind Eye B.
2. Insert your tapestry needle into a different stitch behind Eye B and out the back of the head.
3. Reattach your tapestry needle to the yarn still hanging from Eye A. Insert your needle into a different stitch behind Eye A and out the SAME stitch in the back of the head as the other yarn tail.
4. Pull both yarn tails to sculpt the face.
5. When satisfied, tie a knot to secure and poke back inside.

Pika pika!

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