Free Grinch Crochet Pattern (Cute Amigurumi Grinch Head with Santa Hat)

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Every year when the Christmas box comes down from the cupboard, my grandkids go hunting for one thing first: the grumpy green guy. So this time, instead of buying yet another Grinch ornament, I decided to design a free Grinch crochet pattern for a tiny head with a Santa hat that you can hang on the tree, use as a keychain, or tuck into gift wrap.

This Grinch crochet pattern is written in US terms, worked mostly in single crochet in the round, and uses lots of simple shaping plus facial embroidery to get that perfectly mischievous expression. The project is small, so it’s a great “evening on the sofa” make between bigger Christmas gifts. If you’ve already tried my free crochet snowman pattern or free crochet reindeer pattern, this little Grinch will fit right into the gang.

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What You’ll Make with This Free Grinch Crochet Pattern

With this free Grinch crochet pattern, you’ll crochet:

• A round Grinch head in green with sculpted cheeks and a slightly elongated face.
• A tall, floppy red Santa hat with a white pom-pom and a soft white brim.
• Expressive safety eyes with yellow highlights, embroidered nose, lashes and eyebrows to capture the classic “I’m up to something” Grinch look.
• An optional hanging loop so you can turn your Grinch into:
  • a Christmas tree ornament
  • a bag charm or keychain
  • a topper for gift boxes or jars
  • a funny little buddy to sit next to your free crochet gingerbread man pattern on the shelf

Finished with cotton yarn and a 2.0 mm hook, your Grinch head will measure around 5–6 cm (about 2–2.5″) tall without the hanging loop, which makes it perfect as a lightweight ornament that won’t drag down branches.

Materials for This Free Grinch Crochet Pattern

To make your Grinch head with Santa hat, you’ll need:

• Yarn:
  • Green – Grinch skin
  • Red – Santa hat
  • White – hat brim & pom-pom
    (Amigurumi cotton or similar light/ sport weight works beautifully.)
• Hook:
  • 2.0 mm crochet hook (or the size that matches your yarn and gives a tight fabric).
• Stuffing & hardware:
  • Fiberfill stuffing
  • 12 mm safety eyes ×2
  • Optional: keychain ring or hanging loop
• For embroidery & details:
  • Black embroidery thread (nose, mouth, lashes)
  • Yellow embroidery thread (eye highlights)
  • Small amount of green yarn/thread for eyebrows
• Tools:
  • Yarn needle
  • Stitch marker (to mark the first stitch of each round)
  • Scissors
  • Pins for positioning the hat and facial features

If you’re unsure which hook size to pair with your yarn to keep the stuffing from peeking through, my detailed yarn weight, gauge and hook size guide walks you through how to match them for amigurumi.

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Abbreviations (US Terms) & Skill Level

This free Grinch crochet pattern uses standard US amigurumi stitches:

• MR – magic ring
• ch – chain
• sl st – slip stitch
• sc – single crochet
• hdc – half double crochet
• inc – increase (2 sc in the same stitch)
• dec – invisible decrease (sc 2 sts together)
• FLO – front loop only
• BLO – back loop only

Skill level:
I’d call this pattern advanced beginner:

• You’re comfortable crocheting in the round
• You can increase and work invisible decreases
• You’re happy to do a bit of simple embroidery for the face

If this is one of your very first toys and you still feel shaky about reading patterns, you might like to warm up with my first amigurumi step-by-step guide and then come back to this grumpy little Christmas friend.

How to Crochet the Grinch Head (Step-by-Step)

For this free Grinch crochet pattern, we start by shaping the round Grinch head and then add all the facial details that give him his classic mischievous look.

Head (Green)

Work in continuous rounds unless otherwise noted. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of each round.

1. R1: MR, 8 sc into ring (8)
2. R2: inc in each st around (16)
3. R3: (sc, inc) ×8 (24)
4. R4: sc, inc, (2 sc, inc) ×7, sc (32)
5. R5: (3 sc, inc) ×8 (40)
6. R6: 2 sc, inc, (4 sc, inc) ×7, 2 sc (48)
7. R7: (5 sc, inc) ×8 (56)
   8–17. R8–R17: sc around (56) – 10 rounds
8. R18: (3 sc, inc) ×14 (70)
   19–21. R19–R21: sc around (70) – 3 rounds
9. R22: (3 sc, dec) ×14 (56)
10. R23: sc around (56)
11. R24: sc, dec, (2 sc, dec) ×13, sc (42)
12. R25: sc around (42)
13. R26: (sc, dec) ×14 (28)

Begin stuffing the head firmly and continue to add stuffing as you close.

27. R27: sc, dec, (2 sc, dec) ×6, sc (21)
28. R28: (sc, dec) ×7 (14)
29. R29: dec ×7 (7) – cut yarn, weave the tail through the remaining stitches and pull tight to close.

You now have a nicely rounded Grinch head ready for eyes and embroidery.

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Eye Placement

Insert the 12 mm safety eyes between rounds 15 and 16, leaving 7 stitches between them on the front of the face. Snap the backs on securely before you stuff any more.

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Face Embroidery

(All round numbers are counted from the magic ring at the very top.)

Eye highlights (yellow):
With yellow embroidery thread, stitch a tiny outline or a curved highlight around each eye to give the classic glowing Grinch stare.

Nose (black):
Over rounds 16–17, embroider a small horizontal nose about 4 stitches wide.
Pass the thread horizontally three times to make it bold and slightly raised.

Mouth (black):

1. First embroider a vertical line from round 17 down to round 23 right in the center.
2. Then add a curved smile from round 20 to 23, about 12 stitches wide in total. The vertical line should sit in the middle of this curve, so you have 6 stitches of the smile on each side.

Use pins to mark the center and the corners of the smile before you tighten the stitches—this makes it much easier to keep everything symmetrical.

Eyelashes (black):
At the outer corner of each eye, on rounds 13–14, add 2–3 tiny lashes pointing slightly upward.

Eyebrows (green or black):
With green yarn or thread, embroider slanted eyebrows across rounds 10–12, each about 4 stitches long, angled down toward the center for that perfect “I’m plotting something” Grinch expression.

Crochet the Grinch Santa Hat (Mini Hat Pattern)

This tiny Santa hat is what turns your green head into a full Grinch crochet pattern star. It’s worked from the white pom-pom down in red, then finished with a soft white brim.

Pom-Pom (White)

Work in continuous rounds.

Pom-Pom

• R1: MR, 6 sc into ring (6)
• R2: inc in each st around (12)
• R3: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
• R4–R6: sc around (18) – 3 rounds
• R7: (sc, dec) ×6 (12)
• R8: dec ×6 (6)

Lightly stuff the pom-pom and close the opening.
Do not cut the yarn if you want to continue directly, or fasten off and reattach red yarn into any stitch of R8 for the next part.

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Hat Body (Red)

Now you’ll build the tall cone of the Grinch Santa hat. We’ll number these rounds separately from the head to avoid confusion.

Join red yarn to any stitch of the last pom-pom round.

• R1: sc in each st around (6)
• R2: inc in each st around (12)
• R3–R4: sc around (12)
• R5: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
• R6–R8: sc around (18) – 3 rounds
• R9: (5 sc, inc) ×3 (21)
• R10–R11: sc around (21)
• R12: 3 sc, inc, (6 sc, inc) ×2, 3 sc (24)
• R13: sc around (24)
• R14: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
• R15: sc around (30)
• R16: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
• R17: sc around (36)
• R18: (5 sc, inc) ×6 (42)
• R19: sc around (42)
• R20: 3 sc, inc, (6 sc, inc) ×5, 3 sc (48)
• R21: sc around (48)
• R22: (7 sc, inc) ×6 (54)
• R23: sc around (54)
• R24: 4 sc, inc, (8 sc, inc) ×5, 4 sc (60)

You now have a tall, slightly floppy Grinch crochet hat with 60 stitches at the base, perfect for sitting snugly over the top of the head.

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Brim (White)

The brim is worked into the loops of R24 of the red hat body.

1. Slip stitch edge (FLO):
   • Join white yarn in the front loop only (FLO) of any stitch of R24.
   • sl st in each FLO around (60).
   • This creates a neat ridge and a crisp edge for the brim.
2. Brim height (BLO):
   • Now work into the back loops (BLO) of the same round (R24) behind that ridge.
   • Round A: hdc in each st around (60)
   • Round B: hdc in each st around (60)
   • Round C: sl st in each st around (60), fasten off and weave in the end.

You should now have a soft but structured white brim that frames the Grinch’s face nicely when the hat is in place. This is basically a tiny Grinch crochet hat pattern free variation you can also use on other Christmas characters.

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Attaching the Santa Hat to the Grinch Head

1. Position the hat:
   • Place the hat on top of the Grinch head, with the pom-pom at the back or slightly to one side.
   • Tilt it just a bit to give that playful, “I’m planning mischief” look.
2. Pin and sew:
   • Pin the brim all the way around so it sits evenly on the head.
   • Using green or white yarn, sew the inside edge of the brim to the head, catching one loop on the hat and one stitch on the head at a time.
3. Shape the flop:
   • Bend the top part of the hat to one side and tack it in place with a few invisible stitches so it flops naturally.
4. Add a hanging loop (optional):
   • If you want to use this free Grinch crochet pattern as an ornament or keychain, attach a yarn loop or metal keychain ring to the top of the pom-pom.

Your Grinch head with Santa hat is now complete and ready to hang on the tree, clip to your bag, or gift to a fellow Christmas-movie addict.

📌 Pin for later

Safety Tips for This Free Grinch Crochet Pattern

Even a tiny free Grinch crochet pattern can have small parts, so it’s important to think about who will be playing with the toy.

• Under 3 years old – avoid small parts:
  If your Grinch will be handled by babies or toddlers, skip the 12 mm safety eyes and embroider the eyes instead. Small plastic pieces can be a choking hazard if they come loose.
• Sew everything securely:
  Make sure the hat is firmly sewn to the head, and weave in your ends properly so there are no long loops or loose threads that little fingers can pull on.
• Use sturdy, washable yarn:
  Cotton or cotton-blend yarns are ideal because they’re durable and easy to wash. Avoid hairy or very fuzzy yarns for babies, as they can shed fibers.
• Check your stitches:
  Work with a hook small enough that stuffing does not peek between stitches. Invisible decreases also help keep the fabric neat and closed—if you need a refresher, my detailed tutorial on invisible decrease in crochet will help you avoid gaps.

If you want more general toy safety advice (choking hazards, batteries, magnets, age labels), the American Academy of Pediatrics has a very clear guide on how to choose safe toys for kids.

FAQ: Free Grinch Crochet Pattern

Final Thoughts: Enjoy Your Free Grinch Crochet Pattern

I hope this free Grinch crochet pattern brings a little bit of deliciously grumpy Christmas magic to your home. Once you’ve made one, it’s hard to stop. Suddenly, every gift bag, wreath, and doorknob “needs” its own tiny Grinch head with a floppy Santa hat.

Don’t be afraid to play with colors and expressions: make a softer pastel Grinch, a super-angry version with sharper eyebrows, or a sleepy one with droopy eyes. The basic head and hat stay the same, so you can experiment with faces and turn this free Grinch crochet pattern into a whole cast of funny holiday characters.

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More Free Amigurumi Patterns You’ll Love

If you enjoyed this free Grinch crochet pattern, you might also like:

• Free crochet pumpkin pattern – perfect for matching fall decor.
• Crochet ghost pattern – free variations – spooky-cute friends for your Grinch.
• Free whale crochet pattern – quick, chubby sea buddies.
• Free crochet Labubu pattern – another expressive little character if you love quirky faces.
• Amigurumi bunny free pattern – a soft, cuddly classic to balance all the Christmas mischief.