Woodland Christmas Ball Ornaments: Free Crochet Pattern

These four woodland friends are Christmas tree ornaments: each one is a single stuffed crochet ball with a face, ears and a hanging loop. There is a ginger fox in a green scarf, a brown reindeer with antlers and a red nose, a grey owl with big white eyes, and a little grey mouse in a Santa hat.

Every ball starts from the same 13 rounds, so after the first one you only learn the small details. They make quick gifts and gift-tag toppers. Step-by-step photos show each animal, and there is a white and silver version at the end.

Jump to: Materials · Fox Ornament · Reindeer Ornament · Owl Ornament · Mouse Ornament · Hanging Loops · White and silver woodland ornaments · FAQ

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Woodland Christmas Ball Ornaments Free Crochet Pattern

What You’ll Need

Sport / fine (size 2) cotton yarn in orange, white, brown, beige, red, grey, light grey, pink, green and tan
2.5 mm crochet hook (a hook smaller than the yarn label suggests keeps the stitches tight)
8 mm safety eyes, 2 per ornament (or embroider the eyes)
Fiberfill stuffing
Tapestry needle, sewing pins and a stitch marker

The finished size depends on your yarn and hook: thicker yarn and a bigger hook make a bigger ornament.

Abbreviations (US terms)

MR magic ring
sc single crochet
inc increase: 2 sc in the same stitch
dec decrease (use the invisible decrease for a smooth finish)
sl st slip stitch
ch chain
R round; the number in brackets is the stitch count at the end of the round

Before You Start

Work in continuous rounds and move a stitch marker to the first stitch of each round.
New to safety eyes? See how to attach safety eyes to amigurumi.
Stuff as you go; this guide on stuffing amigurumi keeps the shapes smooth.

Fox Ornament

Fox ball (orange, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
R7: (5 sc, inc) ×6 (42)
R8-15: sc around (42)
Insert 8 mm safety eyes between Rounds 12 and 13, 6 stitches apart.
R16: (5 sc, dec) ×6 (36)
R17: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
R18: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
Stuff the head firmly and keep stuffing as you close.
R19: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
R20: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
R21: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off, weave the tail through the front loops and pull the hole closed.

Fox muzzle (white, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4-5: sc around (18)
Fasten off, leaving a tail. Embroider a black nose at the centre and sew below the eyes, stuffing lightly.

Fox ears (black, then orange, make 2)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
Change to orange.
R2: (1 sc, inc) ×3 (9)
R3-4: sc around (9)
R5: (1 sc, dec) ×3 (6)
Close: 3 sc through both layers (3)
Fasten off and sew to the top of the ball over Rounds 4-6, pointing up.

Fox scarf (green, make 1)

Ch 36. Row 1: sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across (35)
Fasten off. Wrap the cord around the neck and tie a loose knot at the side, letting the ends hang.

Reindeer Ornament

Reindeer ball (brown, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
R7: (5 sc, inc) ×6 (42)
R8-15: sc around (42)
Insert 8 mm safety eyes between Rounds 12 and 13, 6 stitches apart.
R16: (5 sc, dec) ×6 (36)
R17: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
R18: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
Stuff the head firmly and keep stuffing as you close.
R19: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
R20: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
R21: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off, weave the tail through the front loops and pull the hole closed.

Reindeer muzzle (beige, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4-5: sc around (18)
Fasten off, leaving a tail. Sew below the eyes, stuffing lightly.

Reindeer nose (red, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: sc around (12)
Stuff lightly.
R4: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off and sew to the top of the muzzle.

Antlers (tan, make 2)

R1: 5 sc in a magic ring (5)
R2-6: sc around (5)
Do not stuff. Fasten off, leaving a tail.

Antler branches (tan, make 2)

R1: 5 sc in a magic ring (5)
R2-3: sc around (5)
Fasten off and sew one to the side of each antler, then sew the antlers to the top of the ball.

Owl Ornament

Owl eye patches (white, make 2)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
Slip stitch to join and fasten off. Push a safety eye through the centre of each patch before fixing it in the ball.

Owl ball (grey, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
R7: (5 sc, inc) ×6 (42)
R8-15: sc around (42)
Make the eye patches first (next part). Insert the 8 mm safety eyes through the patches between Rounds 11 and 13, about 8 stitches apart.
R16: (5 sc, dec) ×6 (36)
R17: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
R18: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
Stuff the head firmly and keep stuffing as you close.
R19: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
R20: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
R21: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off, weave the tail through the front loops and pull the hole closed.

Owl beak (orange, make 1)

R1: 4 sc in a magic ring (4)
R2: (1 sc, inc) ×2 (6)
R3: sc around (6)
Stuff lightly and sew between the eye patches.

Owl ear tufts (grey, make 2)

R1: 4 sc in a magic ring (4)
R2: (1 sc, inc) ×2 (6)
R3-4: sc around (6)
Close: 3 sc through both layers (3)
Fasten off and sew to the top corners of the ball.

Owl scarf (red, make 1)

Ch 36. Row 1: sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across (35)
Fasten off. Wrap the cord around the neck and tie a loose knot at the side, letting the ends hang.

Mouse Ornament

Mouse ball (light grey, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
R7: (5 sc, inc) ×6 (42)
R8-15: sc around (42)
Insert 8 mm safety eyes between Rounds 12 and 13, 6 stitches apart.
R16: (5 sc, dec) ×6 (36)
R17: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
R18: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
Stuff the head firmly and keep stuffing as you close.
R19: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
R20: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
R21: dec ×6 (6)
Fasten off, weave the tail through the front loops and pull the hole closed.

Mouse ears (light grey, make 2)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: inc ×6 (12)
R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
R4: sc around (18)
Do not stuff.
Close: 9 sc through both layers (9)
Fasten off. Stitch a little pink in the centre and sew to the top sides of the ball.

Mouse nose (pink, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
Slip stitch to join and fasten off, leaving a tail to sew.

Mouse Santa hat (red, then white, make 1)

R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
R2: (1 sc, inc) ×3 (9)
R3: (2 sc, inc) ×3 (12)
R4: (3 sc, inc) ×3 (15)
R5: (4 sc, inc) ×3 (18)
R6: (5 sc, inc) ×3 (21)
R7: (6 sc, inc) ×3 (24)
R8: (7 sc, inc) ×3 (27)
R9: (8 sc, inc) ×3 (30)
R10: (9 sc, inc) ×3 (33)
R11: (10 sc, inc) ×3 (36)
R12: sc around (36)
Change to white.
R13-14: sc around (36)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Stuff the tip lightly, set the hat at an angle on the head and sew the white brim down.

Holly leaves (green, make 2)

R1: 4 sc in a magic ring (4)
R2: (1 sc, inc) ×2 (6)
R3-4: sc around (6)
Do not stuff.
Close: 3 sc through both layers (3)
Fasten off.

Hanging Loops

Hanging loops (red, make 4)

Ch 26. Row 1: sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across (25)
Fasten off. Fold into a loop and sew both ends to the top of the ball.

Assembly

Fox: sew the white muzzle below the eyes, the ears on top, and tie the green scarf around the bottom of the ball.
Reindeer: sew on the muzzle and the red nose, then the antlers on top and a small embroidered smile.
Owl: sew the beak between the white eye patches and the ear tufts on the top corners; tie the red scarf low on the ball.
Mouse: sew the ears to the top sides, the pink nose between the eyes, three white whisker lines each side, then the Santa hat at an angle with the two holly leaves on the brim.
Sew a red hanging loop to the top of each ball, between the ears or antlers.

For invisible seams, follow how to sew amigurumi pieces together, and for the nose see how to embroider faces on amigurumi.

Make a White and silver woodland ornaments

Make every ball in white and the scarves, loops and hat in pale silver grey; keep the red reindeer nose. They look like snow-covered ornaments on a dark green tree.

FAQ

How big are the ornaments?

Each ball is 42 stitches round at its widest. In sport weight cotton with a 2.5 mm hook that is about the size of a tangerine; thinner yarn makes them smaller.

Will they hang straight?

Sew the loop exactly at the top centre and stuff the ball evenly. A firmly stuffed ball hangs straight; a soft one tips forward.

Can I make them without safety eyes?

Yes, and it is a good idea if children will play with them. Embroider the eyes with black yarn over 2 stitches.

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