Crochet Donkey Free Pattern Amigurumi 4-Inch Christmas Toy

Four inches tall with its head down and an apple at its feet. The grazing pose is what makes this crochet donkey pattern different from every stiff standing animal, and tan scraps cover the whole thing.

The head hangs low rather than sitting upright on this crochet donkey free pattern amigurumi 4-inch christmas toy, which is what gives it the grazing posture. A cream muzzle covers the lower half of the face against a tan body, with two upright ears and a short grey mane running between them. Four legs stand it up on its own, each ending in a grey hoof. The tiny red apple works separately in a few rounds. Angle the neck forward as you attach the head.

Crochet Donkey Christmas Amigurumi

A donkey holding an apple is not the most obvious Christmas toy, but put one down on the table and someone will immediately want to know how to make it. The shape is round and forgiving, the stitch count stays low throughout, and the whole thing comes in around four inches, which is the sweet spot for a make that builds real skill without taking a week. The muzzle is worked in two alternating colours, which sounds complicated and is not, and the mane is just short lengths of yarn knotted on. There is a lot of technique packed into a small project, and every part of it is manageable on your first attempt.

Christmas Countdown Math

• One donkey with apple, start to finish: three to four hours for a first-time maker working carefully. Two hours if you have made a few amigurumi before.
• A batch of six: allow fifteen to eighteen hours across the batch. You will be faster by number three and noticeably faster by number five, especially on the legs.
• Latest start for one gift: two days before. Latest for six: ten days out if you are working an hour or two a day.
• The mane is the slowest assembly step, longer than it looks on the finished toy. Give it its own half hour rather than tacking it onto the end of a tired evening.

Techniques for Beginners

Read this section before you start the pattern, not during it. Knowing what these terms mean before you hit them makes everything faster.

• The magic ring is how almost every amigurumi piece begins. You wrap the yarn into a loop around your fingers, work your starting stitches into the loop, then pull the tail end to close the hole at the centre. The result is a small tight disc with no hole in the middle. If you have only ever started with a chain and a join, this will feel strange for the first thirty seconds and then obvious forever after.
• Continuous rounds mean you never join at the end of a round and never chain up to start the next one. You just keep going in a spiral. This is how amigurumi holds its shape without a seam running up the side. The catch is that without a join, you lose track of where one round ends and the next begins. A stitch marker solves this. Move it up on every round, and you always know where you are.
• The stitch marker can be a proper locking marker, a safety pin, or a short piece of contrast yarn looped through the first stitch of each round. Any of these work. The point is to mark round boundaries so you can count accurately without losing your place.
• Increases mean two single crochets worked into the same stitch. This is how a flat disc becomes a sphere, pulling the fabric out wider on each round.
• Decreases close a sphere back down. A standard decrease works two stitches together as one. This pattern uses one modified decrease on the head only, worked through the front loops only on Round 7. Working through the front loop leaves the back loop visible on the surface, creating a small ridge that defines the snout. Everything else uses a standard decrease.
• Closing a sphere once you reach the final six stitches: cut the yarn leaving a long tail, thread it onto your needle, and run it through the front loop of each remaining stitch. Pull tight, and the hole closes. Push the needle through the body and pull the tail to the inside before trimming.
• Carrying yarn in the muzzle is the technique used across Rounds 1 to 4, where you alternate cream and brown every stitch or two. The unused colour travels underneath the work, getting worked over by the active colour. Keep your tension even and do not pull the carried yarn too tight or it will pucker the back of the piece.

Safety Eyes

• The eyes are sewn on in this design using black yarn, not safety eyes. That means there is nothing to attach before closing the head. Even so, read this before you start.
• If you decide to substitute safety eyes, insert them during Round 5 or 6 of the head, before stuffing. Once the head is stuffed and closed, you cannot get a hand inside to fit the backing washer, and a loose safety eye is not a toy-safe fix.
• For any child under three, or for anything going into a party bag or classroom set, embroidered eyes are the right choice regardless. Sewn yarn cannot be levered out. A safety eye sometimes can, even a properly fitted one.
• The instructions below give placement for embroidered eyes at the assembly stage.

What You Need

• Double knit weight yarn in brown, cream, gray, and red. Small amounts of black and green.
• 3.5 mm crochet hook for all main pieces.
• 2.5 mm crochet hook for the apple and the mane attachment.
• Polyester fibrefill toy stuffing.
• A stitch marker, or a short piece of contrast yarn.
• A yarn needle (also called a tapestry needle).
• Scissors.

Abbreviations

• st, sts: stitch, stitches
• sc: single crochet
• inc: increase, meaning 2 sc worked into the same stitch
• dec: decrease, meaning 2 stitches worked together as one
• rnd, rnds: round, rounds
• dc: double crochet
• sl st: slip stitch
• BLO: back loop only
• FLO: front loop only

All rounds are worked continuously unless a bullet states otherwise. Move your stitch marker at the start of every round.

Pieces List

• Head: 1, in brown
• Muzzle: 1, alternating cream and brown
• Body: 1, in brown
• Legs: 4, in gray with brown
• Ears: 2, in brown
• Tail: 1, in brown with gray fringe
• Mane: cut strands of brown and gray, attached with a hook
• Apple: 1, in red with a green stalk

The Pattern

Head

• Rnd 1: Using a 3.5 mm hook and brown yarn, make a magic ring, ch 1, sc 4. Pull the tail to close. (4)
• Rnd 2: Inc in every st around. (8)
• Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) x 4. (12)
• Rnd 4: Sc 1, inc, sc 1 in the first 3 sts, then inc x 6, then sc 1, inc, sc 1 in the last 3 sts. (20)
• Rnd 5: Sc 4, (sc 1, inc) x 6, sc 4. (26)
• Rnd 6: Sc 26. (26) — By this round the piece should be a flattish oval rather than a round disc, wider across the middle than the top and bottom. That oval shape is the donkey’s face and is correct.
• Rnd 7: Sc 4, (sc 1, dec in FLO) x 6, sc 4. (20) — This is the front-loop-only decrease that creates a shallow ridge across the centre of the face. Work only the front loop on each decrease stitch in the middle section. Do not use FLO on the straight sc 4 sections at either end.
• Rnd 8: Sc 1, dec, sc 1 in the first 4 sts, then dec x 6, then sc 1, dec, sc 1 in the last 4 sts. (12)
• Stuff the head firmly now through the opening.
• Rnd 9: Dec x 6. (6)
• Sl st into the first st, cut yarn, and close using the needle-and-front-loop method described under Techniques. Leave a long tail for sewing.

Muzzle

The muzzle alternates cream and brown every one or two stitches across Rounds 1 to 4. Carry the unused colour underneath, worked over by the active colour. Switch colours on the last pull-through of the stitch before the new colour begins.

• Rnd 1: Using a 3.5 mm hook and cream yarn, make a magic ring, ch 1. Sc 1 in cream, sc 1 in brown, sc 1 in cream, sc 1 in brown. Pull the tail to close. (4)
• Rnd 2: Inc in cream, inc in brown, inc in cream, inc in brown. (8)
• Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) in cream, (sc 1, inc) in brown, (sc 1, inc) in cream, (sc 1, inc) in brown. (12)
• Rnd 4: Sc 3 in cream, sc 3 in brown, sc 3 in cream, sc 3 in brown. (12) — The four coloured quarters should be roughly even in size now, sitting as a small disc with distinct colour blocks. If the colours are bleeding into the wrong sections, the carrier yarn is pulling too tight.
• Rnd 5: Drop cream entirely. Sc 12 in brown only. (12)
• Sl st into the first st, cut yarn and fasten off. Leave a long tail for sewing. Do not close the back; it will be stuffed after pinning.

Body

• Rnd 1: Using a 3.5 mm hook and brown yarn, make a magic ring, ch 1, sc 4. Pull to close. (4)
• Rnd 2: Inc x 4. (8)
• Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) x 4. (12)
• Rnd 4: (Sc 2, inc) x 4. (16)
• Rnd 5: (Sc 3, inc) x 4. (20)
• Rnds 6 to 8: Sc 20 around. (20 each round) — After Rnd 8 the body should look like a small barrel, sides roughly straight, and about the same height as a large spool of thread.
• Rnd 9: (Sc 3, dec) x 4. (16)
• Rnds 10 to 12: Sc 16 around. (16 each round)
• Rnd 13: (Sc 2, dec) x 4. (12)
• Stuff the body firmly now.
• Rnd 14: Dec x 6. (6)
• Sl st, fasten off. Thread the tail through the remaining stitches and pull closed. Set aside.

Legs, Make 4

• Rnd 1: Using a 3.5 mm hook and gray yarn, make a magic ring, ch 1, sc 8. Pull to close. (8)
• Rnd 2: Switch to brown yarn. Working in BLO only, sc 8. (8) — The BLO round in brown creates a visible colour boundary that reads as the hoof line. The front loops of Rnd 1 stay exposed as a small ridge at the base of the leg, and this is correct.
• Rnds 3 to 7: Sc 8 around. (8 each round)
• Fill each leg lightly with stuffing before closing. Too much stuffing makes the legs rigid and hard to sew in at the right angle.
• Rnd 8: (Sc 2, dec) x 2. (6)
• Sl st, fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Make 4.

Ears, Make 2

• Using a 3.5 mm hook and brown yarn, make a magic ring, ch 1. Sc 2, dc 1, sc 2. Pull the ring closed and sl st into the first st. (5)
• Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. The ear is a small flat oval, roughly teardrop-shaped because of the single double crochet in the middle. Make 2.

Tail

• Using a 3.5 mm hook and brown yarn, ch 6. Starting from the back loop of the second ch from the hook, sl st back down the chain to the base. (5 sl sts)
• Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Three gray yarn strands are added to the tip at assembly — see Assembly notes.

Apple

• Using a 2.5 mm hook and red yarn for this piece.
• Rnd 1: Magic ring, ch 1, sc 6. Pull to close. (6)
• Rnd 2: Inc in every st around. (12)
• Rnd 3: Sc 12 around. (12)
• Rnd 4: Dec x 6. (6)
• Sl st, stuff lightly, and sew the hole closed. The apple is a small ball, about the size of a large marble, and it should be firm enough to hold its shape but not so tight that the stitches pull open.
• Stalk: Thread a short length of green yarn onto your needle, tie a knot at the end, and sew it through the centre top of the apple. Trim to about 1 cm. Tie it off securely inside.

Stuffing

• Firm in the head, firm in the body, light in the legs, nothing in the ears or tail.
• The head carries the weight of the face, so pack it until it holds its shape when you squeeze it and springs back rather than denting. The muzzle gets stuffed only after it is pinned and partly sewn — stuff it just before you finish the seam, not before you pin it, or the shape shifts during placement.
• Legs want only a light fill, enough to give them some structure without making them stiff. An overstuffed leg sticks out at the wrong angle and will not press flat against the body when sewn on.
• Over-stuffing shows in the body at Rounds 5 and 6, where the increases are densest and the stitches are most likely to gap. If you can see white through the fabric, reduce the fill slightly.

Assembly

Pin everything before you sew anything. On a four-inch toy, one stitch in the wrong direction moves a feature further than you expect.

• Muzzle to head: Pin the muzzle over head Rounds 6 to 8, centred on the front face. Stuff the muzzle lightly through the open back, then finish sewing it down. Use a whip stitch around the base, keeping stitches tight to the edge.
• Head to body: Sew the head onto body Rounds 10 to 12. The head should sit towards the upper end of the body with no visible gap at the neck. Work right around the join, not just at four points.
• Front legs: Sew to body Rounds 11 to 12, two stitches apart at the front. Both should point straight down when the body is upright.
• Back legs: Sew to body Rounds 4 to 5, two stitches apart at the back.
• Ears: Sew to head Round 4, approximately four stitches apart, one on each side of the centre top.
• Mane: Cut brown and gray strands to roughly 1.5 to 2 inches. Using your 2.5 mm hook, attach them with larks-head knots along head Round 3 at the front, and along the central back of the head from Rounds 1 to 7. Pull each knot firm and trim the ends to a consistent length once all knots are in. The mane runs from forehead to the top of the neck.
• Tail: Before sewing on, attach three gray yarn strands to the tip with larks-head knots and trim into a small triangular fan shape. Sew the tail base to body Round 3 at the back.
• Eyes: Using black yarn and a needle, embroider the eyes onto head Rounds 5 to 6, approximately eight stitches apart. Work each eye as a small vertical satin stitch, three or four passes, and bury the ends deep in the head. Pull the second eye taut while still on the needle to create a very slight concave impression, which gives the face more life than two flat stitches.

The Character Dial

Two directions and both are genuinely achievable on a first make.

• Warmer and simpler. Keep the body exactly as written but switch the muzzle to a single colour cream, skipping the colour-carrying rounds entirely. Give it embroidered eyes in brown rather than black, slightly smaller than the suggested size. That version is faster, softer-looking, and still clearly a donkey. If you are a beginner who is unsure about the colour alternation, this is the version to make.
• More Christmassy. Work the body in warm red instead of brown and make the muzzle in a single colour cream. The legs and hooves stay in gray and the contrast is quite striking. Add a small white yarn pom-pom at the top of the head where the mane would otherwise start, sewn flat. The apple can stay red, or switch it to green for contrast.

Colourways

• Stable at Midnight. Dark chocolate brown body, charcoal gray legs, ivory muzzle. Black embroidered eyes, green apple. Muted and grown-up enough to live in a decorative bowl rather than a toy box.
• Winter Fog. Soft mid-gray body and legs, cream muzzle, pale oatmeal ears. Looks like an animal that has been standing in cold air for an hour. Red apple for the only pop of colour.
• Festive Barn. Deep red body, gray legs, cream muzzle. The most Christmas-specific of the four. Works well next to green decorations because the colour combination reads as a wreath.
• Undyed and Honest. Natural ecru or oatmeal throughout, cream muzzle, legs in a slightly darker natural. No dye, no Christmas associations, useful as a year-round toy long after December. A red apple still pops against it.

Display Ideas

• A wooden bowl or low basket with a few pinecones and this donkey sitting upright among them. The four legs mean it sits flat without any support.
• On a book shelf in a child’s room alongside other small animals. It is small enough that three or four together fill a shelf nicely without crowding.
• A gift tied to the outside of a wrapped present, tucked under the ribbon. Better on a medium or large box than a small one.
• A windowsill with artificial snow cotton underneath. The donkey’s proportions read well from across the room, which not all amigurumi do.

After the Season

Store it loose in a cotton bag or a pillowcase, not at the bottom of a box under heavier things. The mane knots can tangle if the toy is pressed against something for months, and untangling larks-head knots from yarn is slower than it sounds. If you store it flat with nothing on top, it comes out next December looking like it was finished last week.

Quick Answers

• I have never made a magic ring before. Is it really necessary? It is the best way to start with no hole in the centre, but if you cannot get it to work, chain 4 and join the ends with a slip stitch, then work your first round into the ring of the chain. The result is nearly identical and the small hole in the centre closes up once stuffed.
• What does “continuous rounds” mean exactly? You do not join at the end of a round and you do not make a turning chain. When you finish your last stitch, the next stitch is just the first stitch of the next round. Mark the first stitch of every round with your stitch marker and move the marker up as you go. Once you do it for one complete piece you will not need reminding again.
• My muzzle looks lumpy where the colours switch. What went wrong? The carried yarn underneath is probably too tight, pulling the fabric. When you carry a colour, let it sit loose enough that the fabric does not pucker. Spread the stitches you just made slightly on the hook before pulling the new colour through, which gives the carrier a fraction more room to breathe.
• Can I skip the mane? It looks complicated. Skip it and the donkey still reads as a donkey. The mane is the longest part of the assembly and has no structural role. If you want something there but faster, work a row of surface single crochets in a contrasting colour along the top of the head, which takes about five minutes.
• The legs keep falling out of position when I try to sew them. How do I fix this? Pin all four legs at the same time before sewing any of them, and stand the donkey upright while pinning so you can see the balance. Sew each leg through the body, not just along the surface, and take at least eight stitches around the base. A leg attached in fewer stitches will shift every time the toy is picked up.