Free Crochet Bat Pattern: A 13-Step Halloween Amigurumi
This free crochet bat pattern makes a round black amigurumi bat with big white eyes, two pointed ears and two small wings, worked from seven simple pieces: one body, two ears, two eyes and two wings. The whole bat takes 502 stitches, and about 60% of them go into the body.
Below you get the full free crochet bat pattern in 13 photo steps: the ears, the eyes, the body with its two tiny feet, the folded wings, the sewing and the smile. Then come the usual mistakes, the hook size, a safety note and five more free bats.
One note before you start: this pattern gives no finished size, yarn amount or gauge, and we don’t invent them. We give every figure the designer does state, one count of our own, and sizes from other designers who publish theirs.
- What you need
- Stitches and abbreviations
- The pattern at a glance
- Step by step
- Where it goes wrong
- Hook size, finished size and yarn
- Is it safe for children?
- Five more free crochet bat patterns
- FAQ
- Where to go next
- Sources
What You Need for This Free Crochet Bat Pattern
The bat is worked in plush velvet yarn, the soft chenille kind, in black for the body, ears and wings and in white for the eyes. Everything else is basic amigurumi kit.
| Item | What to use |
|---|---|
| Yarn | Plush velvet (chenille) yarn: black for the bat, white for the eyes. The designer does not publish a weight category or a yardage. |
| Hook | 5.0 mm (H-8) |
| Filling | Polyester fibre filling |
| Eyes | Two small black beads or plastic eyes for the pupils, glued or sewn on |
| Smile | White sewing thread or thin white yarn |
| Tools | Scissors, a large yarn needle, superglue if you glue the eyes |
| Pieces | 7: 1 body, 2 ears, 2 eyes, 2 wings |
| Start | Chain 2 and work into the second chain from the hook, so no magic ring is needed |
Stitches and Abbreviations for a Crochet Bat
The pattern uses only a handful of stitches. Crochet has two naming conventions, and we give both names.
| Abbreviation | Name used here | Other naming convention |
|---|---|---|
| ch | Chain | Chain |
| sc | Single crochet | Double crochet |
| dc | Double crochet | Treble crochet |
| inc | Increase: 2 sc in one stitch | Increase: 2 dc in one stitch |
| dec | Decrease: 2 stitches worked together | Decrease: 2 stitches worked together |
| sl st | Slip stitch | Slip stitch |
| 3-dc bobble | Three double crochet worked into one stitch and closed together (used for the feet) | Three treble crochet worked into one stitch and closed together |
Stitch multiple: none. The bat is worked in rounds from a chain of 2, so there is no long starting chain to size and no stitch multiple to match.
Every piece starts the same way: chain 2, then work the first round of stitches into the second chain from the hook. The stitch counts in the table below tell you whether you are on track after each round.
The Free Crochet Bat Pattern at a Glance
Make the small pieces of the free crochet bat pattern first, then the body, then sew everything on.
| Piece | Make | Rounds and stitch counts |
|---|---|---|
| Ears | 2 | R1: 4 sc. R2: 6. R3: 9. R4: 9 sc. R5: 6. R6: 4. Leave a 20 cm tail and cut. |
| Eyes | 2 | R1: 6 sc in white. Slip stitch, leave a 20 cm tail, cut. |
| Body | 1 | R1: 6 sc. R2: 12. R3: 18. R4: 24. R5: 30. R6 to R10: 30 sc. R11: 24. R12: 18. R13: 12 with the two feet. Stuff. R14: 6. |
| Wings | 2 | R1: 6 sc. R2: 12. R3: 12 sc. R4: 18. R5: fold in half and edge both sides. |
| Sewing | Eyes between body rounds 6 and 9. Ears on rounds 3 and 4. Wings on rounds 7 to 9. |
Our count: the body has 6 + 12 + 18 + 24 + 30 stitches in its first five rounds, 150 in the five rounds of 30, and 24 + 18 + 12 + 6 in the last four. That is 300. Each ear has 38, each wing 57 with its 9 edge stitches and each eye 6. Together it is 502 stitches, so about 60% of a free crochet bat is body. We counted the two foot bobbles as one stitch each and skipped the starting chains.
How to Crochet the Bat: Free Crochet Bat Pattern, Step by Step
Each step of this free crochet bat pattern has a photo to check your work against.
Step 1: Make the two ears
Chain 2 and work 4 sc into the second chain from the hook. Round 2: (1 sc, inc) 2 times, which makes 6. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) 3 times, 9. Round 4: 9 sc. Round 5: (1 sc, dec) 3 times, 6. Round 6: (1 sc, dec) 2 times, 4. Leave a 20 cm tail and cut. Make a second ear.
Step 2: Make the two white eyes
Change to white plush yarn. Chain 2 and work 6 sc into the second chain from the hook. Close with a slip stitch, leave a 20 cm tail and cut. Make two, one for each side.
Step 3: Start the body
Back in black, chain 2 and work 6 sc into the second chain. Round 2: 6 increases, 12. Round 3: (1 sc, inc) 6 times, 18. Round 4: (2 sc, inc) 6 times, 24. Round 5: (3 sc, inc) 6 times, 30. Rounds 6 to 10: 30 sc in each round. The piece is now a plain ball, which is the easy part.
Step 4: Shape the feet and close the body
Round 11: (3 sc, dec) 6 times, 24. Round 12: (2 sc, dec) 6 times, 18. Round 13 is the tricky one: (1 sc, dec) 2 times, a 3-dc bobble for the first foot, dec, 1 sc, dec, a second 3-dc bobble for the other foot, dec, 1 sc, dec. You end with 12 stitches. Stuff the body firmly now. Round 14: 6 decreases, 6 stitches, then tighten the hole and fasten off.
Step 5: Start a wing
Chain 2 and work 6 sc into the second chain. Round 2: 6 increases, 12. Round 3: 12 sc. Round 4: (1 sc, inc) 6 times, 18. You now have a flat round disc.
Step 6: Fold and edge the wing
Round 5: chain 2, fold the disc in half and crochet through both sides: dc, sc, sl st, sc, dc, sc, sl st, sc, dc, then ch. The 18 stitches of round 4 fold into 9 pairs, and the 9 edge stitches give the wing its pointed shape.
Step 7: Finish and repeat
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Make a second wing exactly the same.
Step 8: Pin the eyes and ears
Place the eyes between rounds 6 and 9 of the body, with 1 sc between them, and line them up with the feet. Pin the ears on rounds 3 and 4. Pinning first lets you check the face before any sewing.
Step 9: Sew on the eyes
Thread each eye tail on a large yarn needle and sew the eye down through the body, going round the edge of the white circle until it sits flat.
Step 10: Glue on the black pupils
Glue a small black bead or plastic eye onto the middle of each white circle with superglue. If you use beads you can sew them on instead. This is the step that gives the bat its wide-eyed look.
Step 11: Sew on the ears
Sew each ear to rounds 3 and 4 of the body with its tail, using small stitches at the base. Check that both ears sit at the same height before you knot off.
Step 12: Sew on the wings
Sew the wings to rounds 7 to 9, one on each side, with the pointed tip facing out. Sew along the whole straight edge so the wing does not flop.
Step 13: Stitch the smile
With white sewing thread or thin white yarn, embroider a small smile under the eyes. Weave in the last ends and your bat is finished.
Where a Free Crochet Bat Pattern Usually Goes Wrong
Three mistakes cause most trouble, and each shows early.
- A wrong count in round 13. The round must end on 12 stitches with both bobble feet in it. Count before you stuff. With 11 or 13 the feet drift and the eyes will not line up with them.
- Stuffing too late. Round 14 shrinks the opening to 6 stitches, so the filling goes in at the end of round 13, before you close it.
- Eyes too far apart or too high. The eyes belong between rounds 6 and 9 with only 1 stitch between them. Pin first, look at the face, then sew.
Hook Size, Finished Size and Yarn for a Free Crochet Bat Pattern
This free crochet bat pattern uses a 5.0 mm hook (H-8) with plush yarn. Other free bats use anything from 2.5 mm to 8 mm, because the hook follows the yarn, not the pattern. Mariska Vos-Bolman’s bat is 3 in (8 cm) tall in sport cotton on a 2.5 mm hook and 7 in (18 cm) tall in chenille on a 5.0 mm hook, so the hook and the yarn together set the size.
The two bats we checked that name a yarn weight both use a hook below the Craft Yarn Council crochet range. A weight 4 bat on 4.0 mm sits under the 5.5 to 6.5 mm range, and a super bulky bat on 8.0 mm sits under 9.0 to 15.0 mm. That is normal for amigurumi, where a tight fabric keeps the stuffing from showing, not a mistake. If you swap the yarn, swap the hook too, or the bat will come out a different size.
The designer publishes no finished size, no yarn amount and no gauge, so we won’t guess. Here is what other free bats state:
- 3 in (8 cm) in sport cotton on 2.5 mm, and 7 in (18 cm) in chenille on 5.0 mm (Mariska Vos-Bolman).
- 4 in tall in medium weight yarn on 4.0 mm (StringyDingDing).
- 5 in tall in super bulky yarn on 8.0 mm, using about 35 yd of black and 1 to 2 yd of white (The Loopy Lamb).
- About 14 cm (5.5 in) in chenille on 6.0 mm (EmmaCraftsDesign).
Buy one small ball of black plush yarn and a little white, and expect a small toy. Chenille is bulky, so a 5.0 mm hook on plush yarn is closest to the 7 in bat above, but that is a comparison, not a measurement.
Is This Free Crochet Bat Pattern Safe for Children?
Not with bead or plastic eyes. Small glued-on parts can come loose, and toys for children under 3 must not have small parts, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. For a young child, embroider the pupils and the smile instead, and sew every piece on firmly. For a Halloween shelf or a garland the bead version of this free crochet bat pattern is fine.
Five More Free Crochet Bat Patterns
- Mikey the Bat Amigurumi by Mariska Vos-Bolman: body, 2 ears and 2 wings in two sizes, 3 in (8 cm) or 7 in (18 cm).
- Crochet Bat by Hello Yellow Yarn: beginner bat in 8 ply (DK) yarn on 3.5 mm with 9 mm eyes and embroidered fangs.
- Bat Amigurumi Garland by StringyDingDing: a 4 in bat on 4.0 mm that hangs from a chain.
- Easy No Sew Crochet Bat by The Loopy Lamb: one piece, no sewing, super bulky yarn on 8.0 mm, 5 in tall.
- Berty the Bat by EmmaCraftsDesign: chenille bat about 14 cm tall on 6.0 mm.
Free Crochet Bat Pattern FAQ
Is this free crochet bat pattern good for beginners?
Yes. This free crochet bat pattern uses chains, single crochet, increases and decreases. The two harder moments are the bobble feet in round 13 and the folded wing edging, and both are short.
What hook do I need for this free crochet bat pattern?
A 5.0 mm (H-8) hook, worked with plush velvet yarn.
Do I need a magic ring?
No. Every piece starts with chain 2 and stitches worked into the second chain from the hook.
How big is the finished bat?
The designer of this free crochet bat pattern does not publish a size. Other free bats in chenille on a 5.0 mm hook come out around 7 in (18 cm).
How much yarn does it take?
No yardage is published, so we don’t guess. A comparable 5 in bat in super bulky yarn uses about 35 yd of black and 1 to 2 yd of white.
Can I make this crochet bat for a young child?
Embroider the eyes and smile instead of using beads or plastic eyes. Toys for children under 3 must not have small parts that can come off.
Where to Go Next
This free crochet bat pattern has Halloween siblings: the free crochet spider pattern is the same kind of plush toy, and the crochet snowy owl pattern uses chenille too. For cosy squares, try Halloween granny squares. Or browse our baby toys and every free pattern on the site.
Sources
- Mariska Vos-Bolman, Mikey the Bat Amigurumi
- Hello Yellow Yarn, Crochet Bat
- StringyDingDing, Bat Amigurumi Garland
- The Loopy Lamb, Easy No Sew Crochet Bat
- EmmaCraftsDesign, Berty the Bat
- Craft Yarn Council, yarn weight system
- Consumer Product Safety Commission, small parts for toys
Pattern credit: this amigurumi bat is a design by the crochet channel Crochet with CloverToys. Find more of their work on their YouTube channel, Crochet with CloverToys.
