Flat branched antlers rather than thin tubes are what make a crochet moose pattern free of the reindeer problem. Brown with a beige muzzle, and a template cut on paper first keeps the second antler matching the first.

A sitting velvet moose with three-branch antlers, an attached oval snout, embroidered face shaping and 20 mm safety eyes. The construction is low-sew: the ears and antlers attach directly during the head round rather than being sewn on afterward, which cuts finishing time significantly and keeps everything correctly spaced without pinning.

Crochet Moose Amigurumi

This pattern suits anyone comfortable with magic rings, continuous rounds and basic increasing and decreasing. One part the body is not included here and needs to come from a separate source; see the Pattern Note below.

Pattern Note

The body is explicitly deferred. The original pattern links to a separate base-body pattern in the video description, but does not write it out. Everything else — ears, antlers, head, nose, and face detail — is complete and written round by round. Source a compatible sitting animal body in chunky velvet yarn before you start, since the head attachment uses the body’s finishing tail and the sizing has to match.

Materials And Tools

• Chunky or velvet yarn in dark brown or latte for the body and head
• Off-white or tan yarn for the hand and foot bottoms
• Light brown or mushroom chunky yarn for the antlers
• Scrap of white plush yarn for the eye highlights
• Scrap of brown yarn for face shaping and nostrils
• 5.0 mm crochet hook
• 20 mm safety eyes, 2
• Stitch marker
• Tapestry needle and embroidery needle
• Scissors
• Polyfill stuffing

Abbreviations

• MR: magic ring
• sc: single crochet
• inc: increase, 2 sc in the same st
• dec: decrease
• sl st: slip stitch
• ch: chain

Pieces List

• Body, make 1, from a separate sitting animal base pattern, not written here
• Ears, make 2
• Antlers, make 2, each assembled from three small branch pieces
• Head, make 1, with ears and antlers attached directly during round 9
• Nose, make 1, worked from a foundation chain

Safety Eyes

Safety eyes go in after round 13 of the head, at the assembly step, while the head is still open. They must be placed before the nose is sewn on and before the head is stuffed and closed. About 2 rounds up from the open edge of the head, spaced roughly 8 stitches apart. Once the nose is sewn on, you cannot reach inside to seat the washers. For any moose going to a child under three, skip the safety eyes entirely and embroider two large oval eyes in white with a black satin stitch pupil in the same position, then do the face shaping pull over the embroidered eyes instead.

The Pattern

Ears — Make 2

• Round 1: MR with 6 sc [6]
• Round 2: Work 6 inc around [12]. Place a stitch marker in the last st of the round.
• Round 3: 3 sl st, then 3 sc into the next single st, then 3 sc up the side, then 3 sc into the next st, then 3 sc, then 3 sc into the last st of the round. Checkpoint: the ear should already be reading as a pointed oval rather than a flat circle, with the three-into-one clusters pushing out distinct points along one edge.
• Round 4: 5 sl st, then 3 sc into the next st, then 5 sc, then 3 sc into the next st, then 5 sc, then 3 sc into the last st [if in doubt, the sl st sections flatten the base while the clusters sharpen the tip]
• Finishing: 1 sl st into the next bottom st to tie off. Cut yarn with no long tail needed. Thread the magic ring tail to the bottom base of the ear so it is hidden when crocheted into the head. Repeat for the second ear.

Antlers — Make 2

Each antler is built from three small branch pieces. Two are joined first into a base stalk, then the third is added to branch off the side.

Small Branch — Make 3 Per Antler

• Round 1: MR with 8 sc [8]
• Round 2: 8 sc around [8]. Cut and tuck the magic ring tail.
• Round 3: Work 2 sc, 1 dec, repeated twice [6]
• Rounds 4 to 5: 6 sc around for 2 rounds [6]. Checkpoint: each finished branch should be a small tight cylinder about as wide as a thumb, firmly shaped and slightly rounded at the closed end.

Don’t let the stitch counts scare you off! Beginners can follow the video tutorial below and crochet this plushie right along with me.

Joining First Two Branches

• Lightly stuff both finished branch pieces
• For the first branch, cut and fasten off. For the second, do not cut the yarn.
• Using the working yarn on the second branch, work 12 sc all the way around both pieces to join them. On the 7th stitch where the gap between pieces falls, catch an extra loop from the centre connecting point to prevent a hole. Checkpoint: the two joined cylinders should sit parallel and snug against each other with no visible gap between them.

Shaping The Main Stalk

• Next round: 6 dec around [6]
• Next 3 rounds: 6 sc around for 3 rounds [6]
• Fasten off, add a little more stuffing, and tuck the tail.

Adding The Third Branch

• Work a third branch piece following rounds 1 to 5 as above. Stuff it, but do not cut the yarn.
• Join it to the main stalk using the same 12 sc method, catching the centre loop on stitch 7. Checkpoint: the third branch should angle away from the main stalk rather than lying flat against it — shape it with your fingers as you go, since velvet holds position quickly.
• Add a little stuffing.
• Next round: 6 dec around [6]
• Add a final round of 6 sc around [6]
• Stuff firmly to keep it solid.
• Flatten and work 3 sc through both sides to close. Leave a short tail for reinforcement sewing later.
• Repeat the entire process for the second antler.

Head

• Round 1: MR with 6 sc [6]
• Round 2: 6 inc around [12]
• Round 3: Work 1 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times [18]
• Round 4: Work 2 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times [24]
• Round 5: Work 3 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times [30]
• Round 6: Work 4 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times [36]. Checkpoint: by round 6 the piece should be a flat disc, sitting completely level without any dome forming in the centre.
• Round 7: Work 5 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times [42]
• Round 8: 42 sc around [42]. Checkpoint: walls should now be clearly rising upward from the base, giving you a shallow bowl rather than a disc.
• Round 9 — ear and antler attachment round:
• Work 9 sc
• Attach Ear 1: align the base of the ear to the head, work 6 sc through both the ear and the head simultaneously [6]
• Attach Antler 1: hold the antler in position folded inward, work 3 sc through both the antler and the head [3]
• Work 5 sc
• Attach Antler 2: work 3 sc through both the antler and the head [3]
• Attach Ear 2: work 6 sc through both the ear and the head [6]
• Work 10 sc to finish the round [total 42]. Checkpoint: both ears should sit symmetrically at the sides and both antlers should point upward and inward. Check the spacing now before moving on; you cannot reposition them after this round is closed.
• Round 10: 42 sc around [42]
• Round 11: 7 sc, 1 dec, 22 sc across the top, 1 dec, 9 sc
• Round 12: 6 sc, 1 dec, then work 3 sc and 1 dec repeated 4 times, then 2 sc, 2 dec, 6 sc
• Round 13: 2 sc, 1 dec, 5 sc, then work 1 dec and 3 sc repeated 3 times, then 5 sc, 1 dec, 2 sc
• At this point: use the short tails left on the antlers to stitch them securely to the head from the inside so they do not flop.
• Round 14: 8 sc, 2 dec, 4 sc, 2 dec, 8 sc
• Round 15: 11 sc, 1 dec, 11 sc [23]. Checkpoint: the opening should now be a small oval rather than a circle, the right shape to receive the nose. If it is still round, check that all decreases landed correctly from round 11 onward.
• Fasten off with a short tail, tuck it inside, and set aside for stuffing and eye placement during assembly.

Nose

• Ch 5
• Round 1: Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, work 1 sc with a stitch marker placed here as the round reference, then 2 sc, then 3 sc into the last ch. Rotate to work back down the opposite side of the chain: 3 sc, then 3 sc into the original skipped ch. Sl st to join.
• Round 2: Work 1 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times
• Round 3: Work 2 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times
• Round 4: Work 3 sc, 1 inc, repeated 6 times [30]
• Rounds 5 to 7: 30 sc around for 3 rounds [30]
• Round 8: Work 3 sc, 1 dec, repeated 6 times [24]
• Adjustment round: Work 1 dec to bring the count to 23 sts to match the head opening [23]. Checkpoint: the nose should be a firm oval at this point, longer than it is wide, shaped like a small mango rather than a ball.
• Cut a long tail for sewing. Stuff the nose firmly into an oval before attaching.

Assembly

Work in this order. First, place the 20 mm safety eyes through the open head, 2 rounds up from the edge and 8 stitches apart, then seat the washers firmly. Pull the face shaping thread now while you can still reach inside: enter from the inner top corner of one eye through to the inner top corner of the other, loop down to the lower inner corners, and pull until the snout pushes forward, then knot and bury the tail. Next, sew the nose onto the head stitch for stitch around the 23-stitch opening, adding extra stuffing as you close the last few stitches. Once the nose is on, stuff the head through whatever gap remains and use the body’s long finishing tail to whipstitch the head base to the body, alternating stitches between both pieces all the way around with the feet facing forward. The antler reinforcement stitching can happen at any point before the head is attached, while you can still reach the inside.

Stuffing Guide

The antler branches want firm stuffing right to the tips so they hold their angles. Soft branches droop within a day. The main stalk needs the same treatment. The head wants moderate-to-firm stuffing — too soft and the snout sags forward under the nose weight, too firm and the seams at round 11 onward pucker visibly. The nose itself is stuffed firmly into a clear oval before it goes on; stuffing it in situ through the sewing gap is much harder to control. The body follows whatever the base pattern recommends.

FAQ

• My antlers flop forward even after reinforcement stitching. The fix is almost always the stuffing in the branch cylinders. If the cylinders are soft, the joint cannot hold the angle. Poke more polyfill into each branch tip with a chopstick before assembly, and pack the stalk firmly before closing it.
• The nose opening is 23 stitches but my head opening came out different. Count your head at round 15 before fasten-off. If it differs, work one more decrease or add one sc to match it exactly. The adjustment round on the nose exists precisely for this — you can also add a second adjustment dec on the nose side rather than remaking the head.
• Velvet yarn keeps splitting on my hook. This is the most common velvet frustration and the only reliable fix is a hook with a deeper throat. Try an ergonomic or inline hook rather than a tapered one; the yarn falls into the groove instead of riding on top of it.