The itty bitty crochet kitty is the cutest little crochet cat pattern. It works up very quickly (great for beginners!) and would make the sweetest gift for any cat lover.
This kitty crochet project is perfect if you are looking to take a dive into making amigurumi. If you are new to amigurumi, head over to my tips for making amigurumi to ensure your project turns out perfectly.
You can personalize your crochet kitty too by adding stripes or spots, changing up the colors or even using fluffy novelty yarn!
Materials
DK cotton (I used Vinni’s Colors, Nikkim. Paintbox yarns would do just fine too!). Main body color as well as contrast color(s) for the facial details
3.25mm crochet hook (larger cat)
2.75mm crochet hook (smaller cat)
Stuffing
Notes:
- This crochet cat pattern is written using US crochet terms. If you are unfamiliar with any of the abbreviations, please visit the crochet terms page.
- Have a look at my tips for crocheting amigurumi before you start this project!
- It’s also worth looking at my tutorial for the magic ring if you are unfamiliar with how to make one.
- Some parts of this pattern are worked in continuous rounds. Don’t slip stitch to close the ring unless instructed to do so!
- A low cost, ad free, printable version of this pattern is available in my online stores.
>> PIN NOW, MAKE LATER! <<
Crochet Cat Pattern
Body
R1. Mr 6 sc (6)
R2. sc 2 in each (12)
R3. [sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] repeat around (18)
R4. [sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st] repeat around (24)
R5. [sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st] repeat around (30)
R6. [sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st] repeat around (36)
R7 – 8. sc around (36)
R9. [sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog] repeat around (30)
R10 – 12. Sc around (30)
R13. [sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] repeat around (24)
R14 – 17. sc around (24)
R18. [sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] repeat around (18)
R19. sc around (18)
Stuff. (*If you are adding safety eyes, do so now!)
R20. Hold the top two edges together and crochet through both sides.
ch1, dc into the first st, sc into the next 7 sts, dc into the last st. Bind off and weave in ends.
Tail:
R1. Mr 5 sc (5)
R2. 2 sc in each (10)
R3. sc around (10)
R4. [sc2tog, sc in next 3], repeat (8)
R5 – 6. sc around (8)
R7. [sc2tog, sc in next 2] repeat (6)
Stuff the end of the tail lightly.
R8 – 15. sc around (6)
Bind off and leave a tail for joining. No need to add more stuffing!
If you want to add stripes, change color every 2 – 3 rounds.
You can have great fun adding character to your little kitty!
The eyes are stitched in place first, approximately 1 – 2 stitches apart and 5 rows down from the top. Have a look at this tutorial for how to embroider eyes onto your kitty.
*You can also use safety eyes, but make sure to attach them before you do the final row!
Stitch the ear details and nose in pink. Add cute little whiskers in a softly contrasting color and stitch any other details (such as stripes on the back). Stitch the tail in place. Give your kitty lots of little cuddles!
More Itty Bitty Kitty patterns!
If you loved this crochet cat pattern, why not check out my kitten rattle pattern or some of the other great patterns over on the patterns page (including an adorable Christmas hat for your kitty!). Happy stitching!
Yours in craft,
Caitie x
Such a cute pattern! It is one of my first crochet projects, and the instructions were very easy to follow. I ended up with a grey little cat with a black striped tail. I also crocheted the little christmas hat. I will give it the hat on in December. Thank you for this adorable pattern!
Hi! I love this pattern; made some cute ones for my coworkers but I am now very curious: If I wanted a bigger kitty, other than using larger yarn/larger hook, is there a way to size this up?
So glad you like the pattern! They will make the sweetest gifts. Using the existing pattern, the easiest way to make kitty a bit bigger is to up your yarn and hook size (as you say). To make it much bigger would require a rewrite of the pattern. You could easily make kitty a bit taller though by adding a few more rounds (around rnd 7 and rnd 14). Hope that helps!
Hi! I’m in Canada and was wondering if you could tell me what the gauge with this yarn and 3.25mm hook would be so that I can find something comparable here.
Hello! Gauge isn’t all that important with this project, but if you use a size C hook and light worsted cotton you will get a kitty of a very similar finished size. Let me know if you have further questions!
Cutest Itty Bitty Kitty ever! I’m going crazy with all my kids home because of school closures, so I may have made far too many of these already and don’t plan to stop 🤣
Hi Caitie, are there some rows missing from the pattern? The pattern for the body seems to jump from row 7 to 9, 10 to 13 and 14 to 18 and my cat looks rather short and wide. 🙁
Nope, there aren’t rows missing, but I can see where you have come unstuck. If you go to row 7, you will see it says “R7 – 8. sc around”. This means that for rows 7 and 8, sc around (i.e. sc around for row 7 and sc around for row 8). Further down in the pattern the same is so for rounds 10 to 12 and again for rounds 14 to 17. I hope that makes sense! Let me know if you have any further questions.
Thank you, Catie, that makes sense!
Love this pattern! Question though… do I slip stitch before starting a new row/round?
Glad you like the pattern! Nope, this pattern is worked in continuous rounds (i.e. no slst between rounds, unless specifically instructed)
Okay Thanks!!!
Hey Caitie
these kitties are lovely,
will a 4.mm hook work I haven’t got any smaller!!
thanks
Bx
Hi Bonny,
Of course you can use a 4mm hook! You may need to change your yarn to something slightly thicker though to make sure that the stitches are nice and tight. Your kitty will also end up being a little bigger. Happy stitching!
Thank you for such a sweet pattern!
Did you use French knots for the eyes on your kitty that is pictured?
Yes, I did French knots (that I secured around the edges so that they don’t pull out) but I have also used safety eyes. Both work!
Also, what did you mean by ” sc2tog?
I’m making this with size four yarn and H/8 5.00mm hook, it was much bigger than I thought it would be
Yes, a larger hook and thicker yarn will certainly make a larger kitty! If you want to have a small kitty, then I would suggest using a smaller hook (such as 2.75mm – 3mm)
Also, what did you mean by ” sc2tog?
sc2tog is the terminology for stitching 2 single crochets together. i.e. a decrease.
This was such a quick and easy pattern and so adorable!
hi thanks for sharing this cute pattern but what does -8sc mean
If you are referring to the rnd after rnd 6, it means for rnd 7 to 8, sc around. Hope that helps!
What does repeat around mean?
Does it mean to repeat that round again, or do a round of SC?
“Repeat around” means repeat the stitch pattern or stitch until the end of the round. Hope that makes sense!
Very easy pattern to follow. My itty bitty kitty turned out cute!
Thank you for sharing your pattern!! These are adorable!
Adorbs!
Can you make this print friendly? Or am I missing something?
Glad you like the pattern! At the moment I haven’t put together a print friendly version of the pattern.
These kitties are so cute! My daughter is in love! 🙂
Lisa | Stitch In Progress
These are so adorable! I must make a few of them!
How darn cute are these!? I cannot wait to make a few for my kiddos!