Little Reindeer – Free Crochet Reindeer Pattern (christmas ornaments)

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If you’re hunting for a free crochet reindeer pattern that works up fast, looks extra cuddly in plush yarn, and still feels beginner-friendly, this Little Reindeer might become your new Christmas favorite. 🎄🦌

I designed this little reindeer crochet pattern to be small enough for ornaments and gift toppers, but chunky enough to cuddle, thanks to super-soft chenille yarn. The tiny green hat, puffy brown feet, and chubby muzzle give it that classic “storybook reindeer” look without complicated shaping. You’ll use simple stitches (single crochet, increases, invisible decreases, and a few puff stitches), so it’s perfect if you’ve already made a couple of amigurumi and want a slightly more detailed winter project.

This Little Reindeer looks adorable next to your free crochet gingerbread man pattern and the squishy free crochet snowman pattern on your holiday shelf – they make the cutest tiny Christmas trio!

In the steps below, I’ll walk you through:

• which yarns and tools work best for a crochet reindeer with hat,
• a detailed, round-by-round free crochet reindeer pattern in US terms,
• how to join the hat directly to the head so it never goes missing, and
• easy customization ideas so you can turn your Little Reindeer into Rudolph, a keychain, or a tree ornament.

Materials & Tools for Your Little Reindeer Crochet Pattern 🦌

Because this free crochet reindeer pattern is worked in plush yarn, the materials you choose will make a big difference to how soft and squishy your Little Reindeer feels.

Yarn

I used super soft plush / chenille yarn in these colors:

• Khaki / light brown – main body and head
• Light beige – belly patch and hat stripes
• Brown – antlers & puff-stitch feet
• White – muzzle, hat trim and tiny forehead spots
• Green – cozy winter hat
• Red – nose

Plush yarn gives you a chubby, huggable reindeer, but you can absolutely use regular DK cotton or acrylic if that’s what you have in your stash. Just pick a hook one or two sizes smaller than the yarn label recommends so the stuffing doesn’t show through the stitches.

If you’re unsure which hook size to choose with different yarns, my
yarn weight, gauge and hook size guide
has a handy chart to help you match everything.

Hook & Notions

• Hook: about 4.0 mm (adjust to match your yarn and tension)
• 2 safety eyes: 6–8 mm (or embroidered eyes for baby-safe gifts)
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Yarn needle & scissors
• Optional: a little blush or pink yarn to tint the cheeks

Skill Level

I’d call this a confident beginner / advanced beginner amigurumi pattern:

• You’ll need to be comfortable working in continuous rounds, increasing and invisible decreasing in single crochet.
• There are a few color changes and some decorative puff stitches for the feet.
• The hat is joined directly to the head so you don’t have to worry about kids losing it later!

If you’re still learning to read patterns in US terms, don’t worry, we’ll go through everything step by step in the next part.

Abbreviations & Notes for This Free Crochet Reindeer Pattern

Here’s a quick refresher before we jump into the rounds. All stitches are in US terms.

If you’re still getting used to pattern shorthand, my guide on how to read an amigurumi pattern walks through these abbreviations in detail.

Abbreviations (US):

• MR – magic ring
• ch – chain
• sc – single crochet
• inc – increase (2 sc in same st)
• dec – invisible decrease (sc2tog)
• dc – double crochet
• BLO – back loop only
• FLO – front loop only
• puff – puff stitch
  • (yo, insert hook, yo, pull up loop) ×3, yo, pull through all loops on hook

If you’re still choosing between a magic ring and starting chains, you can compare both methods in Magic Ring vs Chain Circle.
And for neat shaping, the invisible decrease tutorial is your best friend in this Little Reindeer.

Work in continuous rounds unless a round says otherwise. Use a stitch marker and stuff firmly as you go.

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Little Reindeer with Hat – Full Crochet Pattern (US Terms)

Body & Head

Colors: khaki, light beige, brown
Start with khaki.

• R1: MR, 6 sc (6)
• R2: inc around (12)
• R3: BLO sc, inc ×6 (18)
• R4: sc, inc, sc ×6 (24)
• R5: 3 sc, inc ×6 (30)
• R6: sc around (30)
• R7: 9 sc, inc ×3 (33)
• R8–9: sc around (33)
• R10: 5 sc, inc, 5 sc ×3 (36)
• R11: 11 sc, inc ×3 (39)

R12 – side flaps (still khaki)

This round creates 2 little flat flaps on the sides of the belly. The dc stitches are decorative only and are not counted in the stitch total.

• R12: 9 sc,
  ch 5, turn, dc in 2nd ch from hook and next 3 ch (4 dc), turn back to work on the body,
  8 sc,
  change to light beige: 5 sc,
  change back to khaki: 8 sc,
  ch 5, turn, dc in 2nd ch from hook and next 3 ch (4 dc), turn back,
  9 sc (39)

If you need a refresher on tidy color changes in amigurumi, check changing colors in amigurumi.

• R13:
  6 sc, inc, 9 sc,
  change to light beige: 3 sc, inc, 3 sc,
  change to khaki: 9 sc, inc, 6 sc (42)
• R14:
  13 sc, inc, 3 sc,
  change to light beige: 8 sc,
  change to khaki: 2 sc, inc, 13 sc, inc (45)

R15 – brown feet (puff stitches)

We’ll add the tiny puff-stitch feet in brown.

• R15:
  18 sc in khaki,
  change to brown: puff in next 5 sts (1 puff per st),
  change to khaki: 6 sc,
  change to brown: puff in next 5 sts,
  change to khaki: 19 sc (45)

Puff stitch reminder:
(yo, insert hook in st, yo, pull up loop) ×3 (7 loops on hook), yo, pull through all loops, ch 1 to close.

📍 Place safety eyes now: between R8 and R9, about 4 stitches apart.

• R16: BLO sc, dec ×15 (30)
• R17: sc, dec ×10 (20)
• R18: dec around ×10 (10)
• R19: dec around ×5 (5)

Fasten off and weave the opening closed.
Stuff the little reindeer firmly as you go, especially the neck area so the head stays upright.

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Antlers (make 2)

Color: brown

• R1: MR, 4 sc (4)
• R2: 2 sc, ch 3, turn and work 2 dc back along the chain, then 2 sc in remaining sts
  → you still have 4 sc in the round; the dc form a side branch.
• R3–5: sc around (4)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
Sew both antlers to the top of the head around R4.

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Ears (make 2)

Color: khaki

• R1: MR, 6 sc (6)
• R2: inc around (12)

Fasten off, leaving a tail.
Fold each ear slightly in half and sew to the sides of the head around R5.

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Hat (joined to the head)

Colors: white + green
Start with white.

• R1: MR, 8 sc (8)
• R2: 4 dec (4)

Change to green:

• R3: sc, inc ×2 (6)
• R4: 2 sc, inc ×2 (8)

Change to white:

• R5: 3 sc, inc ×2 (10)
• R6: sc around (10)

Change to green:

• R7: (2 sc, inc, 2 sc) ×2 (12)
• R8: sc around (12)

Change to white:

• R9 – brim & join to head:
  Working through FLO of this round and the FLO of Body R2 together,
  sc, inc ×6 to join the hat to the head (18).

With light beige yarn, embroider or wrap a few stripes around R4–R6 of the hat for a cozy winter look.

If you ever switch to UK patterns later, my US vs UK crochet terms conversion chart will help you translate this little reindeer crochet pattern.

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Nose & Muzzle

Colors: white + red

With white yarn:

1. Ch 5.
2. Starting in 2nd ch from hook and working around the chain to form an oval:
   • 2 sc in 2nd ch from hook,
   • sc in next 2 ch,
   • 3 sc in last ch,
   • continue on the back side of the chain: sc in next 2 ch,
   • sc in the first ch (where you made 2 sc at the beginning).
     → 10 sc around.
3. Sl st to the first sc if you’d like a neat edge. Fasten off, leaving a tail.

With red yarn, embroider a French knot or tiny oval right in the center of the muzzle to make the nose.
Sew the muzzle centered under the eyes.

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Finishing Touches

• Sew ears and antlers in place if you haven’t already.
• Add tiny white spots on the forehead and a little blush on the cheeks with embroidery or fabric paint.
• Weave in all remaining ends.

Now your Little Reindeer with Hat from this free crochet reindeer pattern is ready to hop onto your Christmas tree, sit on a shelf, or join your growing amigurumi family. 🦌✨

📌 Pin this amigurumi reindeer pattern for later 💾

Turn Your Little Reindeer into an Ornament or Keychain 🎄

One of the best things about this free crochet reindeer pattern is how easily it turns into a Christmas decoration.

As a Christmas Tree Ornament

• When you finish the hat, use white yarn or thin ribbon to:
  • attach a small loop to the very tip of the hat, or
  • sew a loop directly onto the back of the hat so the reindeer hangs straight.
• Make the loop long enough to slip over a branch, but not so long that your crochet reindeer ornament droops.

Because the body is chubby and the feet are puffy, the ornament sits really nicely on fuller tree branches or even on a garland.

If this is one of your first amigurumi Christmas projects, you might also enjoy the mini Santa hat crochet pattern to create a whole set of matching tiny decorations.

As a Cute Keychain or Bag Charm

To turn your little reindeer crochet pattern into a keychain:

1. Finish sewing on the antlers, ears, muzzle and hat.
2. Use strong thread or matching yarn to:
   • sew a small metal keychain ring to the top of the hat, or
   • attach a lobster clasp so you can clip it to bags, zippers or backpacks.
3. Double or triple-stitch through the hat to make sure the reindeer hangs securely and doesn’t twist too much when carried.

Plush yarn makes the finished reindeer extra squishy, so it works really well as a tactile bag charm as long as you remind the recipient not to tug too hard on the hat loop.

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Customization Ideas for Your Christmas Crochet Reindeer 🦌✨

Once you’ve made one Little Reindeer, it’s hard to stop at just one! Here are some fun ways to customize this christmas crochet reindeer so every version feels unique.

Turn Your Little Reindeer into Rudolph

• Keep the red nose but make it a bit larger:
  • embroider a slightly bigger oval, or
  • sew on a tiny red crochet circle instead of a knot.
• Add a tiny white highlight stitch on the nose to make it look shiny, perfect for a Rudolph the red nosed reindeer crochet version.
• Work the antlers in a slightly darker brown for extra contrast.

Change the Color Palette

• Swap the green hat for:
  • classic red and white for a Santa-style look,
  • soft pastels for a cozy winter nursery theme, or
  • deep forest green + gold stripes for a more elegant decoration.
• Use cream or very light brown for the body if you want a softer reindeer, or go darker for a woodland look.

This pattern is perfect for experimenting with colors, especially if you enjoy stash-busting leftover plush yarn.

Make a Matching Reindeer Family

You can also:

• Crochet a smaller version with thinner yarn and a smaller hook for baby reindeer.
• Make a whole herd in different hat colors to line up on a shelf or under the tree.
• Pair your Little Reindeer with beginner-friendly projects from your first amigurumi step-by-step guide so new crocheters in your life can build confidence while making a whole festive set.

FAQ – Free Crochet Reindeer Pattern

Final Thoughts on Your Little Reindeer 🦌

I hope you love making this free crochet reindeer pattern as much as I loved writing it. With its cozy hat, puff-stitch feet and squishy plush yarn, this Little Reindeer is perfect for ornaments, keychains, stocking stuffers or small handmade gifts.

Once you finish your first Little Reindeer, try playing with colors, noses and hat stripes to create a whole reindeer family. And if this free crochet reindeer pattern becomes part of your yearly Christmas traditions, don’t forget to pin it, share it with a crochet friend, or tag your photos so other makers can find it too. 🎄💕