Christmas Sloth Crochet Pattern Amigurumi With Santa Hat

Arms nearly as long as the body let this crochet christmas sloth hang from a branch or a shelf instead of sitting on it. A santa hat set at an angle over one ear is the only seasonal piece, so the same pattern works year-round without it.

Long arms are what a sloth is, and this christmas sloth crochet pattern amigurumi with santa hat runs them nearly the length of the body so the finished toy hangs off a branch or a shelf edge rather than sitting flat. Head, body, arms, legs, and a rounded muzzle work in the round. A small santa hat sews on at an angle over one ear. Weight the hands with extra stuffing and the arms drape properly instead of sticking out.

Crochet Amigurumi Christmas Sloth

Sport weight cotton, a 3 mm hook, and a bangle from a craft store. The sloth hangs off a crocheted wreath with arms stitched around the ring, which means once it is on the bangle it stays there and hangs flat. That is the part that surprises people there is no loop, no wire, no separate hanger. The sloth grips the wreath and that is what holds it. Seven pieces total, plus the wreath itself. Keep your stitch count tight enough that polyfill does not push through between stitches.

Materials and Tools

Sport weight cotton yarn works best. The original uses Alize Cotton Gold. You will need at least two shades for the sloth body and face, plus green for the wreath, red for the hat and white for the hat brim. A 3 mm hook throughout, with an optional 4.5 mm hook if your white yarn is fluffy or textured. One small bangle for the wreath foundation. Safety eyes and a small safety nose, or black embroidery yarn for both. Polyfill stuffing, a yarn needle and scissors. A stitch marker for tracking continuous rounds.

Pieces List

Eight pieces, not counting the wreath covering.

• Head and body worked continuously — make 1
• Sloth face panel — make 1
• White eye patches — make 2
• Arms — make 2
• Legs — make 2
• Santa hat — make 1
• Wreath over the bangle — make 1

Safety Eyes

Safety eyes go into the centres of the white eye patches before the patches are sewn onto the face. The face panel then gets sewn onto the head. This means the eyes are locked in place before anything closes, which is the correct order. Attach the safety nose at the same stage. For any ornament that will go near a child under three, embroider the eyes in black yarn instead and skip the plastic hardware entirely.

The Pattern

Work in continuous rounds unless a step says otherwise.

Head and Body

• Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. Pull closed. [6]
• Round 2: Work 2 sc into every stitch around. [12]
• Round 3: Work (1 sc, 1 inc) 6 times around. [18]
• Round 4: Work (2 sc, 1 inc) 6 times around. [24]
• Round 5: Work (3 sc, 1 inc) 6 times around. [30]
• Round 6: Work (4 sc, 1 inc) 6 times around. [36] Checkpoint: a flat disc around 7 to 8 cm across. If it cups into a bowl shape you are increasing too tightly; if it ruffles outward your increases are too loose.
• Rounds 7 to 14: Work 1 sc in each stitch around for 8 rounds. [36] Checkpoint: a round ball taking shape, roughly half closed. This is where the sloth head gets its volume, so do not rush these rounds.
• Round 15: Work (4 sc, 1 front-loop-only dec) 6 times. [30]
• Round 16: Work (3 sc, 1 front-loop-only dec) 6 times. [24]
• Round 17: Work (2 sc, 1 front-loop-only dec) 6 times. [18] Checkpoint: the head is mostly closed. The front-loop-only decreases leave a ridge of back loops that separates the head from the body in the next round. Do not miss this detail or the head and body will look like one undivided lump.
• Round 18 — body transition: Working into the front loops only, work (2 sc, 1 inc) 6 times. [24]
• Round 19: Work (3 sc, 1 inc) 6 times. [30]
• Round 20: Work (4 sc, 1 inc) 6 times. [36]
• Rounds 21 to 29: Work 1 sc in each stitch around for 9 rounds. [36] Stuff the head firmly before this section closes further.
• Round 30: Work (4 sc, 1 dec) 6 times. [30]
• Round 31: Work (3 sc, 1 dec) 6 times. [24]
• Round 32: Work (2 sc, 1 dec) 6 times. [18] Continue adding stuffing as the body narrows.
• Round 33: Work (1 sc, 1 dec) 6 times. [12]
• Round 34: Work 6 decreases around. [6] Checkpoint: a small tight opening. Cut yarn leaving a long tail, thread through a needle, weave through the front loops of the remaining stitches and pull to close. Secure and weave in ends.

Sloth Face Panel

• Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. [6]
• Round 2: Work 1 inc in every stitch around. [12]
• Round 3: Work (1 sc, 1 inc) 6 times around. [18]
• Round 4: Work (2 sc, 1 inc) 6 times around. [24]
• Round 5 — face shaping:
• 4 sc.
• 2 hdc.
• 4 dc.
• 3 dc all into the same stitch.
• 1 hdc into the next stitch.
• 2 slip stitches.
• Repeat in reverse for the other side: 1 hdc, 3 dc into the next stitch, 4 dc, 2 hdc, 3 sc, finish with 1 slip stitch.
• Leave a long tail for sewing. Checkpoint: the face panel should look like two rounded lobes side by side, like a figure eight lying on its side. If both lobes point the same direction you reversed the wrong side.

Still learning how amigurumi patterns work? That’s totally okay, follow the video tutorial below and check the written pattern as you go!

 

White Eye Patches (Make 2)

• Work a magic ring with 6 sc. [6]
• Work 1 inc into each of the first 2 stitches, then slip stitch to join. Leave a long tail for sewing. Checkpoint: a small oval rather than a full circle. Insert the safety eye into the centre before sewing the patch onto the face.

Arms and Legs (Make 4)

Both start the same way.

• Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. [6]
• Round 2: Work (1 sc, 1 inc) 3 times. [9]
• Rounds 3 to 12: Work 1 sc in each stitch around for 10 rounds. [9] Checkpoint: a narrow tube about 3 to 4 cm long, depending on your tension.
• For the 2 arms: Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
• For the 2 legs — final round only: Work (2 sc, 1 inc) 3 times, slip stitch, and leave a long tail. [12]

Christmas Wreath

• Attach green yarn to the bangle with a knot.
• Work sc continuously all the way around the bangle until it is fully covered.
• Leaf edge — Round 1: Chain 3, work 4 dc into that same stitch.
• Work 4 slip stitches along the base.
• Into the next stitch, work 5 dc.
• Repeat (5 dc, 4 slip stitches) all the way around the ring. Checkpoint: a ring of small leaf-shaped petal fans standing upright around the bangle. If they lie flat instead of fanning, your dc tension is too tight. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Santa Hat

• Round 1: Work 6 sc into a magic ring. [6]
• Rounds 2 to 5: Work 1 sc in each stitch around for 4 rounds. [6]
• Round 6: Work (1 sc, 1 inc) 3 times. [9]
• Rounds 7 to 9: Work 1 sc in each stitch around for 3 rounds. [9]
• Round 10: Work (2 sc, 1 inc) 3 times. [12]
• Round 11: Work (2 sc, 1 inc) 4 times. [16] Checkpoint: a clean cone with a narrow tip. The tip should not droop to one side. If it does, your starting rounds have a consistent lean from working into the same spot each round — offset your starting point slightly on the next make.
• Rounds 12 to 14: Work 1 sc in each stitch around for 3 rounds. [16]
• White brim: Switch to white yarn (and optionally a 4.5 mm hook if the yarn is fluffy). Work 1 sc in each stitch around. [16] Fasten off. Add a small yarn bobble to the tip if desired.

Assembly

Pin everything before a single stitch goes in. The face panel sits angled slightly to one side of the head rather than centred, which is what gives the sloth its sleepy look. Sew it down with the tail, catching just the outer edge. Arms attach high on the body sides pointing upward. Legs go low on the sides pointing downward. Once those are secure, place the body over the bangle and stitch the front arms and back legs together around the ring so the sloth grips it. The hat tilts down over one side of the head and gets sewn or fabric-glued at the base.

Stuffing

Head goes in firmly. The body needs less pressure than the head because the arms and legs pull on it during wreath attachment and a hard body resists that adjustment. Leave the arms and legs completely unstuffed so they drape and wrap around the bangle naturally. Stuffed limbs will not close around the ring cleanly. Over-stuffing shows first at rounds 21 to 29 where the body is widest — the sc stitches spread apart and white fibrefill shows through at the belly.

Yarn Substitution and Size Scaling

Sport weight cotton on a 3 mm hook gives a sloth that fits a standard bangle, roughly 7 to 9 cm at the bangle’s inner diameter. The finished sloth body comes in at approximately 10 to 12 cm tall, estimated rather than stated. Moving up to DK on a 3.5 mm hook grows everything by around a third and needs a larger bangle. Worsted weight on a 4.5 mm hook produces a mantelpiece sloth too large for most bangles, so you would need to switch to a wooden ring. Avoid acrylic for the wreath covering as it slides on the bangle rather than gripping.

FAQ

• Where do I get the bangle? Craft stores sell plain wooden or plastic bangles in the jewellery section, usually for very little. The inner diameter needs to match your sloth’s body width roughly. Too large and the sloth hangs lopsided; too small and the arms cannot reach around.
• Can I hang this without a bangle? Not easily. The whole ornament structure depends on the sloth gripping something rigid. Without the bangle you would need to sew a hanging loop into the head and it would not have the wrapped-around pose at all.
• The leaf petals on the wreath are flopping flat. Your double crochets are a little short. Try adding a chain 1 between each petal section rather than slip stitches, which will lift the fans upright.