Pip the Round Cat Amigurumi — Free Crochet Pattern

Pip is a small, round-bodied cat amigurumi built from simple sphere shaping — a rounded head, a slightly larger round body, triangle ears, and a curled tail. No complicated shaping, just single crochet worked in continuous rounds throughout.

This is an original design worked out from scratch for this site. Every stitch count below has been checked for consistency, but nobody has crocheted this exact write-up yet — if you make one, we would genuinely love to hear whether anything did not add up.

Pip is built entirely from basic sphere shaping, so if you already know magic ring, increase, and decrease, you already have every skill this pattern needs — nothing new to learn partway through. The four straight-sided legs are worked without any shaping at all, which makes them a good place to practice even tension before tackling the head and body's increase rounds. A round, chubby cat shape is forgiving of small tension differences in a way a more angular design would not be, which makes this a comfortable project to slow down and enjoy rather than rush.

Swap the main colour for classic tabby orange, solid black, or calico patches worked in duplicate-stitch over the base colour once the head is finished. Work the ears in a contrasting pink lining by switching colour for just the last round before closing, to suggest the inner ear. For a kitten-sized version, drop to a 3mm hook and lighter yarn — the stitch counts stay identical, only the finished size shrinks.

Amigurumi (Japanese: ami = knitted/crocheted + nuigurumi = stuffed toy) is the craft of making small crocheted characters. You start with a magic ring, work in continuous spiral rounds of single crochet, and shape the piece through increases and decreases — no seams, no joins, no turning.

The magic ring creates a closable centre with no hole. Wrap yarn around two fingers, insert the hook, yarn over and pull through. Work your first round into this ring, then pull the tail to close tight. Practise a few times — it becomes effortless quickly.

The invisible decrease — insert your hook through the front loop only of the first stitch, then the front loop only of the second stitch. Yarn over, pull through both loops, then yarn over again and pull through the remaining two. Working through front loops only makes the decrease blend into the fabric instead of leaving a bump.

Tension matters most. Amigurumi needs tight, firm tension so stuffing can't show through. If you can see white fiberfill peeking between your stitches, go down one hook size. The fabric should feel dense and firm — like a tightly woven canvas, not a loose net.