Angelica the Mini Doll is my newest free crochet doll pattern! I designed this pattern several years ago, but she’s been sitting in my backlog for quite a while. I’m so excited to finally get the chance to publish her!
Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.
An adorable mini doll with luscious hair!
When setting out to design this pattern, I knew I wanted to make a mini doll from my mini doll base. I have quite a few dolls made from this base already, and I really love all the different variations that I’ve been able to come up with!
Dolls are some of my favorite projects to make (which is so funny, because I hated dolls growing up), and I love how my little portfolio is slowly growing!
The pièce de résistance for Angelica is her hair. Hair is often the most difficult part of making dolls, but Angelica manages to have a beautiful hairstyle that is surprisingly straightforward to make.
You’ll start with a small circle made from a magic ring, and then work a series of chains and single crochets (as if you were working in turned rows). This creates the individual strands of hair.
The best part is that as you work the hair, it will naturally curl into the beautifully textured hair you can see on the doll below.
After working all the hair strands, I have detailed instructions on how to arrange her hair exactly like the hairstyle you see below. It makes the whole process a lot less stressful and more achievable!
As always, I recommend pinning her hairstyle in place first to decide how you like it, and then I usually break out a glue gun to secure everything down. You can always sew the strands down individually as well, but that tends to more significantly more time consuming and might not result in as polished of a finish.
A new technique for making this doll: the FSC!
This doll uses several techniques that might be new to you, or at least the first time you’re using them in amigurumi.
One of the big ones is the Foundation Single Crochet. This is an amazing technique to have in your toolbox and one that I use frequently in my amigurumi projects.
In essence, the FSC is exactly the same structurally as working a chain and then working single crochet stitches back on top of it. However, an FSC creates both the bottom row of chains and the second row of single crochets at the same time. It’s kind of magic, and isn’t really much more difficult.
The main reason why I and many others choose to use this technique is because this results in a piece that is significantly stretchier. Working a chain means that there is very little elasticity, and often this can result in work that doesn’t stretch much at all in either direction.
Because the FSC creates a much stretchier end result, I much prefer it over using starting chains, especially when creating a (doll) garment. However, this concept extends to real life garments too! Hats that are started with a chain will always feel restrictive to put on, since it does not widen to accommodate your head and then shrink back down once you’ve put it on.
More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:
- My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
- What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
- How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)
Technical Notes
- If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!
Description
Angelica the Mini Doll is a petite sized Black doll with an elegant dress who fits in the palm of your hand. She is an intermediate amigurumi because of the patience and technique required with shaping her hair, along with creating the ruffle of her dress.
Yarn
Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!
- WeCrochet Brava Sport (sport)
- (<1 skein) Almond (light brown)
- (<1 skein) Sienna (dark brown)
- (<1 skein) Lady Slipper (pinkish purple)
- (<1 skein) White
- (<1 skein) Blush (pink)
Notions
- Size D 3.25mm Clover Amour hook
- 6.0mm safety eyes
- brown embroidery thread
- fiberfill stuffing
- tapestry needle
- stitch markers
- (optional) hot glue gun
Abbreviations
- BLO: back loop only
- ch: chain
- dec: decrease
- hdc: half double crochet
- hdc inc: half double crochet increase (work 2 hdcs in same stitch)
- inc: increase (work two single crochets in one stitch)
- MC: main color
- MR: magic ring
- rnd: round
- RS: right side
- S: strand of hair
- sc: single crochet
- sk: skip
- x sc: work x number of single crochets
- sl st: slip stitch
- st(s): stitch(es)
- (x sts): total number of stitches for the round
- (…) x: work all steps within parentheses x number of times
Technical Notes
- Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.
- When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
- To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
- Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.
- Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them.
Special Stitches
Final Size
4.5″ x 2″
The Pattern
LEGS (in light brown)
- Round 1: 5 sc in MR (5 sts)
- Round 2: sc around (5 sts)
- Round 3: sc, inc, 3 sc (6 sts)
- Round 4: sc around (6 sts)
- Round 5: 2 sc, inc, 3 sc (7 sts)
- Round 6: sc around (7 sts)
Stuff firmly, using the back of a crochet hook or chopstick to push the stuffing down. Finish off (this is leg 1) and then create a second leg identically, but do not finish off the second leg (this is leg 2).
Connect the legs (tutorial here): Chain 2 off the side of the leg, attach yarn to the remaining leg and sc 7 around the leg you just attached the yarn to. Sc 2 in the connecting chains, sc 7 around the first leg, sc 2 in the connecting chains. (18 sts)
BODY (in light brown)
- Round 1: inc x2, 7 sc, inc x2, 7 sc (22 sts)
- Round 2: inc, sc 10, inc, sc 10 (24 sts)
- Round 3: sc around (24 sts)
- Round 4: (dec, 2 sc) x6 (18 sts)
- Round 5-8 (4 rnds): sc around (18 sts)
- Stuff. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
HEAD (in light brown)
- Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
- Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
- Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
- Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
- Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
- Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
- Round 8: (6 sc, inc) x6 (48 sts)
- Round 9-15 (7 rnds): sc around (48 sts)
- Insert 6mm safety eyes between rounds 12 and 13, 8 stitches apart. Embroider a nose using MC directly between the eyes, 2 stitches wide.
- Round 16: (6 sc, dec) x6 (42 sts)
- Round 17: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36 sts)
- Round 18: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30 sts)
- Round 19: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
- Round 20: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18 sts)
- Round 21: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
- Stuff.
- Round 22: dec x6 (6 sts)
- Finish off and weave in end. Using the tail from the body, sew the head to the body. See fig. 1 below.
ARMS (in light brown)
- Round 1: 5 sc in MR (5 sts)
- Round 2: 2 sc, inc, 2 sc (6 sts)
- Round 3: sc around (6 sts)
- Round 4: 2 sc, dec, 2 sc (5 sts)
- Round 5-6 (2 rnds): sc around (5 sts)
- Do not stuff. Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. Sew to the left and right sides of the seam between the body and the head. See fig. 1 for finished doll base.
DRESS (Worked in turned rows until row 4, then in joined rounds. Begin in white. See Special Stitches for FSC.)
- Row 1: 20 FSC, chain and turn (20 sts)
- Switch to dark pink, leaving a long tail of dark pink at the top of the dress to use for seaming later. Do not cut the white yarn.
- Row 2: BLO, sc, hdc, 4 dc, hdc, 6 sc, hdc, 4 dc, hdc, sc, chain and turn (20 sts)
- Row 3: inc, dc inc, 4 sk, dc inc, inc, 4 sc, inc, dc inc, 4 sk, dc inc, inc, chain and turn (20 sts)
- Row 4: sc across, chain and turn (20 sts)
- Slip stitch to join and begin working in joined rounds.
- Round 5: chain, hdc inc x20, slst (40 sts)
- Round 6: chain, hdc inc, x40 slst (80 sts)
- Round 7-9 (3 rnds): chain, hdc around, slst (80 sts)
- Working in the front loops from row 2, continue working with White from Row 1. Work across on all the front loops. Slip stitch 7 times, then sc, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, sc, and slip stitch 7 times. (20 stitches total).
- Invisible finish off and weave in end. Put the dress on the doll (the back will be open). Using the Dark Pink tail from Row 2, sew the back of the dress closed. At this point the dress will not be removable.
HAIR (in dark brown)
- The hair is created by first crocheting a small circle, and then crocheting many hair strands stemming from the circle.
- Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
- Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
- We will now create 20 strands (S) of hair.
- S1-2 (2 strands): chain 35 and sc 34 back. Slip stitch into the back loop of the next stitch twice. Check to make sure that the hair is curling naturally. If these two strands did not curl, then redo and crochet all the hair strands with single crochet increases every 3 stitches or so. For tighter curls, work increases more frequently.
- S3-5 (3 strands): chain 35 and sc 34 back. Slip stitch into the next stitch twice (one slst in each stitch).
- S6-18 (13 strands): chain 25, sc 24 back, and slst into the next stitch twice (one slst in each stitch).
- S19-20 (2 strands): chain 35, sc 34 back, and slst into the front loop of the next stitch twice. These will overlap with strands 1 and 2.
- Finish off and weave in end. Glue the hair circle (not the hair strands) to the head with the right side downwards and continue following directions to pin down all the hair strands until you are satisfied with the hair style.
- Arrange the hair strands so that strands 1-5 oriented at the forehead. Pin down strands 6 to 18 around the back; these will form the main hair layer. Each hair strand is naturally curly after crocheting it, so uncurl the top of the strand so that it lies flat on the head, leaving the bottom curls (Fig. 4).
- Pull back strands 1-5 over the top of the head. Straighten out the upper portion of these strands and then tie them together with a scrap piece of dark brown yarn in a ponytail (Fig. 5, 6, and 7).
Strands 19 and 20 are secured to the right side of the face, left curly, acting as side bangs (Fig. 8 and 9). Glue down all hair strands using the hot glue gun, carefully removing each pin one by one. Begin with the base layer of hair strands (6-18), then secure the side bangs (19 and 20). Strands 1-5 are tied together in a ponytail.
BLUSH (in pink)
Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Invisible finish off and weave in end, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. Sew to the face directly beneath and to the right and left of the eyes (Fig. 10).
Using brown embroidery thread, embroider eyebrows above the eyes at an angle (Fig. 10)
Angelica the Mini Doll is all done! I hope you enjoyed crocheting her and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.
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