Our Kozu Palm Pets series of small animals has gotten even cuter with the addition of this small crochet monkey! How adorable is this little guy? This small monkey pattern is perfect for someone who enjoys quick, low-sew amigurumi projects. This little monkey is just 4 inches tall, making him perfect for pretend play! If you prefer a larger, more cuddly monkey, you can crochet him with super bulky yarn and he will stand at 11.5 inches tall!
About this Small Crochet Monkey Pattern
This small monkey is just 4 inches tall when crocheted with DK yarn and a 2.75mm crochet hook. However, with super bulky yarn, it turns out to be 11.5 inches tall! He takes just two hours to crochet.
Overall, the pattern is easy. It uses just basic stitches and techniques for amigurumi such as single crochet, chains, magic circles, and colour changes.
I love the little hair strands on the top of his head – I feel like they give him a real feel of cuteness. We link to a photo tutorial below with details on how to make those strands of hair.
Now enough monkey business, let’s get started!
If you want to save this pattern for later, save it to your Pinterest board.
Small Crochet Monkey Free Pattern
This pattern is for your personal use only and cannot be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way without permission from the designers. You may sell finished objects made from this pattern in small quantities but please give credit to chaicoffeecrochet.com as the pattern designer.
Tools & Supplies You Need to Crochet a Monkey
- Yarn: You need a very small amount of yarn in brown and beige
- 2.75 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Polyfill stuffing
- Two 7 mm safety eyes
Crochet Monkey: Stitches and Abbreviations Used
This pattern is written in US terms and crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise.
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: single crochet
INV DEC: invisible decrease
INC: two SC in the same stitch
BLO: back loops only
Crochet Monkey: Pattern notes
- Difficulty level: Easy
- This pattern is written in US terms
- This pattern is crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker on the first stitch of every round so that you don’t lose track of the start of your round.
- This monkey was made using DK yarn. However, you may use any yarn with the relevant hook (usually, for amigurumi you go down 2-3 sizes from that recommended on the yarn label).
- This is a low-sew amigurumi pattern. The legs, body, arms, and head are all crocheted in. You must first crochet the arms before continuing onto the body.
Crochet Monkey Finished Size
This monkey is approximately 4 inches tall if crocheted using DK yarn and a 2.75mm crochet hook.
Sizing adaptations for Your Amigurumi Monkey
You can make this monkey in multiple sizes. We made it using DK yarn and a 2.75mm hook and it turned out to be approximately 4 inches tall. In velvet yarn with a 3.25mm hook, the monkey was approximately 6 inches tall. And with super bulky blanket yarn with a 7 mm hook and 16mm safety eyes, this amigurumi monkey was 11.5 inches tall.
How to Crochet a Small Monkey
Arms (make 2)
Do not stuff
Begin with beige
Round 1: 6 SC into a magic circle (6)
Change to brown
Round 2-6 (5 rounds): SC around (6)
Now pinch the two ends of the arm together, chain one, and 3 SC through both sides to close the arm. See our tutorial on how to close the arms of your monkey, if you are unfamiliar with this. Fasten off.
Legs
Begin with beige
Stuff the legs lightly as you go.
Round 1: 4 SC into a magic circle (4)
Round 2: INC in each stitch (8)
Change to brown
Round 3: SC around in BLO (8)
Round 4: SC around (8)
Fasten off. Make sure that you’ve pulled the magic circle tight so that stuffing doesn’t escape from it.
Repeat rounds 1-4 for the second leg but don’t fasten off.
Body
Stuff as you go. Now we will begin joining the legs (see the end of the pattern for a photo tutorial)
Round 5: Chain 2 and SC in the next unworked stitch of the first leg. Place a stitch marker in this stitch to mark the start of your round. SC in the remaining 7 stitches of the first leg until you reach the chain, SC in each of the 2 chains, SC in the 8 stitches of the next leg, and SC on the other side of each of the two chains until you reach your stitch marker. (20)
Round 6-10 (5 rounds): SC around (20)
Round 11:(8 SC, INV DEC) twice (18)
Round 12: SC around (18)
During the next round (Round 13), you will crochet the arms into your monkey on either side of the body by crocheting through both the body and the arm. See our tutorial on how to attach arms to amigurumi without sewing.
Round 13: SC around (18)
Round 14: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Head
Round 15: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 16: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 17: (3 SC, INC) six times (30)
Round 18-24 (7 rounds): SC around (30)
If you’re using safety eyes, insert them between Rounds 19 and 20, eight stitches apart. Ensure that you have stuffed the body well, especially the neck.
Round 25: (3 SC, INV DEC) six times (24)
Round 26: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 27: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Ensure that you have stuffed the head well.
Round 28: INV DEC six times (6)
Fasten off and leave a tail. Insert the needle in front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close.
Muzzle
The muzzle is crocheted around the foundation chain in an oval shape. If you are unfamiliar with how to do this, see our tutorial on crochet ovals.
Using beige
Round 1: Chain 5. Starting in the second chain from the hook, 3 SC, 3 SC in the next chain as your work turns. Now continue on the other side of the chain. 2 SC and INC in the last chain (10)
Round 2-3 (2 rounds): SC around (10)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff the muzzle and sew it onto your monkey between Rounds 18 and 21.
Ears (make 2)
Begin with beige
Do not stuff
Round 1: 5 SC into a magic circle (5)
Round 2: INC in each stitch (10)
Round 3: (SC, INC) five times (15)
Change to brown
Round 4: (2 SC, INC) five times (20)
Round 6: SC around in BLO (20)
Round 7: (2 SC, INV DEC) five times (15)
Round 8: (SC, INV DEC) five times (10)
Round 9: INV DEC five times (5)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Insert the needle in front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close. Bring the your yarn tail through the ears and bring it out to the side of the ear so that you can sew it onto your monkey. Sew the ears on the side of your monkey’s head between Rounds 19 and 21.
Tail
Using brown
Do not stuff
Round 1: 5 SC into a magic circle (5)
Round 2-15 (14 rounds): SC around (5)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Sew the tail on the back of your monkey between Rounds 6 and 7, centered to the middle of the back.
Hair
Now cut two strands of yarn approximately 3 inches long. Latch them onto the top of the head of your monkey. If you need a tutorial on how to latch hair on amigurumi, see our small crochet duck pattern.
Your small crochet monkey is now complete!
What yarn do you need to crochet a monkey?
You can use any yarn to crochet your monkey, depending on your preference. We used DK acrylic yarn but you could use cotton or any other fibre that you prefer. You just need to ensure that you use the correct hook size for the yarn (for amigurumi we usually use a hook that is 2 to 3 sizes smaller than that on the yarn label). The thickness of the yarn that you use will determine the size of your monkey.
How long does it take to crochet this monkey?
Like with all crochet projects (and frankly all things in life!), the time it will take you to complete this monkey will depend on your own personal speed. However, this pattern is very fast to make and can take between 90 minutes and 2 and a half hours – which is super quick! If you use super bulky yarn, you will have a large monkey complete in no time for your next craft show!
How do you crochet a large monkey?
If you would like to crochet a large monkey, you can use a thicker yarn with a larger crochet hook. With super bulky blanket yarn, this pattern is 11 inches tall. If you would like a crochet monkey with DK yarn or worsted weight yarn, you can try our Mika the crochet Monkey, which works out to be 8 inches tall.
Is it hard to crochet a monkey?
It is not hard to crochet this monkey – it is an easy pattern that is suitable for familiar beginners. You could also try out Mika the crochet monkey from our Juna Series of easy crochet animals.
How do I make the monkey tail curl?
Because the tail is made of a small tube, it will naturally curl to an extent, like ours does in the photograph. If you would like to be more flexible and poseable, you could add a pipe cleaner or wire into the tail. However, I don’t recommend this if you’re giving it a little child, as the wear and tear of play could expose the wire.
