Crochet a Charming Tiger Cub With Holiday Style

This little tiger brings together classic amigurumi shaping with fun character details, including a striped orange head, white muzzle, tiny ears, long tail, burgundy shoes, and a cozy cream sweater. The finished toy has plenty of personality without feeling overly complicated, making it a great choice for anyone searching for a free tiger amigurumi crochet pattern with clear step-by-step construction and a playful seasonal look.

A Detailed Amigurumi Project for Gifts and Display

The pattern combines separate arms, legs, muzzle, ears, collar, and tail with embroidered facial details and tiger stripes for a polished handmade finish. A small Christmas tree on the sweater adds a festive touch, so this tiger works especially well for holiday decor, handmade gifts, winter craft projects, or an animal amigurumi collection.

Free Tiger Cub Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

Designer: Yulia Ladygina
Instagram: @ly_toys_

Materials and Tools

• Yarn: Quantities not specified.
  • YarnArt Jeans No. 23 – Orange
  • YarnArt Jeans No. 70 – Dark brown
  • Alize Cotton Gold Tweed No. 62 – Cream
  • YarnArt Jeans No. 66 – Burgundy
  • YarnArt Jeans No. 01 – White
  • YarnArt Jeans No. 52 – Green
• Thin white and black thread for shoelaces, eye whites, and eye accents
• Fiberfill
• Two 8 mm eyes
• 2 mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• Yarn needle for sewing
• 0.8–0.9 mm wire
• Adhesive medical tape
• Red bead or other small decoration for the sweater tree

Crochet Abbreviations

• MR – Magic ring
• ch – Chain
• sc – Single crochet
• inc – Increase, 2 sc in one st
• dec – Decrease, sc 2 sts together
• BLO – Back loop only
• FLO – Front loop only
• st(s) – Stitch(es)
• (…) x n – Repeat the instructions in parentheses n times

Finished Size

Approximately 16 cm / 6.3 in using the specified materials.

Important Pattern Notes

• The source does not specify whether circular sections are worked in joined or continuous rounds.
• The tail and upper arms are not stuffed.
• Wire is used inside the tail and arms. Bend both wire ends and cover them with adhesive tape before insertion.
• The designer notes that the lower feet sit slightly turned toward each other.
• The muzzle is lightly stuffed during assembly.

Tiger Cub Step-by-Step Crochet Instructions

Tail

Yarn Color: Orange.
Stuffing: Do not stuff.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: (sc, inc) x3 (9)
Rounds 3–24: 9 sc (9)

Prepare a wire piece the same length as the finished tail. Bend both ends inward and cover them with adhesive tape. See Photo 1.

Insert the wire into the tail. See Photo 2.

Flatten the opening and work 4 sc through both sides.

Fasten off and cut the yarn.

Upper Arms (Make 2)

Stuffing: Do not stuff.
Starting Yarn Color: Orange.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: (sc, inc) x3 (9)
Rounds 3–4: 9 sc (9)

Change to cream yarn. Fasten off and cut the orange yarn.

Round 5: 9 sc in BLO (9)
Rounds 6–16: 9 sc (9)

Fasten off and cut the yarn. See Photo 3.

Make the second arm the same way.

Arm Sleeve Edge

Attach cream yarn to the unused front loops of Round 4 and work 9 sc around. See Photo 4.

Fasten off and cut the yarn. See Photo 5.

Lower Legs (Make 2)

Starting Yarn Color: Burgundy.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc x6 (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18)
Rounds 4–6: 18 sc (18)
Round 7: 5 sc, dec x4, 5 sc (14)
Round 8: 5 sc, dec x2, 5 sc (12)
Round 9: 4 sc, dec x2, 4 sc (10)

Change to orange yarn, but do not cut the burgundy yarn.

Round 10: 10 sc in BLO (10)
Rounds 11–15: 10 sc (10)

Work 5 additional sc so the marker sits on the inner side of the leg.

Fasten off and cut the orange yarn for the first leg. Stuff the leg.

Boot Edge and Shoelaces

For the boot edge, hold the foot facing you. Using the burgundy yarn left from Round 9, attach to the unused front loops of Round 9 and work 10 sc around.

Fasten off and cut the yarn.

Embroider the shoelaces with thin white thread as shown in Photo 6.

Make the second leg the same way, but do not cut the orange yarn after Round 15.

Body

Continue with orange yarn from the second leg.

Round 16: 5 sc, ch 6, work 10 sc around the first leg, 6 sc along the ch-6 bridge, 5 sc around the second leg (32)
Round 17: (7 sc, inc) x4 (36)

The designer positions the feet slightly turned toward each other.

Round 18: (8 sc, inc) x4 (40)
Round 19: (4 sc, inc) x8 (48)
Rounds 20–21: 48 sc (48)

Attaching the Tail

Round 22: 2 sc, work 4 sc through the body stitches together with the 4 flattened tail stitches, 42 sc (48). See Photo 7.

Change to cream yarn. Fasten off and cut the orange yarn.

Round 23: 48 sc (48)
Round 24: 48 sc in BLO (48). See Photo 8.

Begin stuffing the body.

Round 29: (6 sc, dec) x6 (42)
Round 30: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36)
Rounds 31–32: 36 sc (36)
Round 33: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30)
Round 34: 30 sc (30)
Round 35: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24)

Joining the Arms to the Body

Round 36: 7 sc, work 5 sc through the next 5 body sts together with 5 sts of the left arm, 6 sc, work 5 sc through the next 5 body sts together with 5 sts of the right arm, 1 sc (24)

Round 37: 7 sc, work 4 sc through the next 4 body sts together with the remaining 4 sts of the left arm, 6 sc, work 4 sc through the next 4 body sts together with the remaining 4 sts of the right arm, 1 sc (22). See Photo 9.

Round 38: 2 sc, (dec, 4 sc) x3, dec (18). See Photo 10.

Change to orange yarn. Fasten off and cut the cream yarn.

Rounds 39–40: 18 sc (18)

Fasten off and cut the yarn.

Arm Wire Support and Stuffing

Cut a piece of wire approximately 25 cm long. Bend both ends inward and cover them with adhesive tape. See Photo 11.

Insert the wire through the body and into both arms as shown in Photo 12.

Finish stuffing the body. See Photo 13.

Sweater Edge

Yarn Color: Cream.

Attach to the front half-loops of Body Round 22 and work 48 sc around, holding the hook as shown in Photo 14.

Fasten off and cut the yarn. See Photo 15.

Head

Yarn Color: Orange.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc x6 (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24)
Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30)
Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36)
Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42)
Rounds 8–9: 42 sc (42)

Round 10: inc x6, 6 sc, inc x6, 24 sc (54)
Rounds 11–16: 54 sc (54)
Round 17: (2 sc, dec) x3, 6 sc, (dec, 2 sc) x3, 24 sc (48)
Round 18: (dec, sc) x3, 6 sc, (sc, dec) x3, 24 sc (42)
Round 19: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36)
Round 20: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30)
Round 21: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24)
Round 22: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18)

Stuff the head firmly.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. See Photo 16.

Ears (Make 2)

Work back and forth in rows. Do not pull the MR closed; ch 1 and turn the work as instructed.

Starting Yarn Color: Orange.

Row 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Row 2: Ch 1, 6 sc (6)
Row 3: Ch 1, inc x6 (12)

Change to dark brown yarn. Leave a sufficiently long orange yarn tail for sewing the ear.

Row 4: Ch 1, 12 sc (12)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Make the second ear the same way. See Photo 17.

Muzzle

Yarn Color: White.

Round 1: Ch 9. Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, work 3 sc in the same ch, 6 sc, 3 sc in the last ch; continue along the opposite side of the foundation chain and work 6 sc (18)
Round 2: inc, sc, inc, 6 sc, inc, sc, inc, 6 sc (22)
Round 3: inc x2, sc, inc x2, 6 sc, inc x2, sc, inc x2, 6 sc (30)
Rounds 4–6: 30 sc (30)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. See Photo 18.

Collar

Yarn Color: Cream.

Work back and forth in rows.

Row 1: Ch 8. Starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, 7 sc (7)
Row 2: 7 sc in BLO, turn, ch 1 (7)
Rows 3–26: Repeat Row 2 (7)

Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing the collar.

Tiger Cub Amigurumi Assembly Instructions

Attach the Head

Sew the head to the body, catching one stitch loop from below and the stitch loop directly above it on the head. See Photos 19–20.

Attach the Muzzle

Sew the muzzle to the head. Position the upper edge between Head Rounds 10–11 and the lower edge between Rounds 16–17.

Lightly stuff the muzzle while sewing; the designer notes that this allows a small shaping pull afterward. See Photo 21.

Attach the Eyes and Embroider Eye Details

Insert and glue the eyes between Head Rounds 10–11 with 4 stitches between them along Round 10.

With thin white thread, embroider the eye whites; with thin black thread, embroider the small arrow-style eye accents. See Photo 22.

Embroider the Eyebrows

Embroider the eyebrows with dark brown yarn.

Mark their positions with pins: the upper edge sits between Rounds 5–6 and the lower edge between Rounds 7–8.

Make 3–4 stitches, then wrap those stitches with the threaded needle to build the eyebrow shape. See Photos 23–24.

Embroider the Nose

Embroider the nose with dark brown yarn as shown in Photo 25.

Attach the Ears

Sew on the ears. Position the upper edge of each ear between Head Rounds 4–5 and the lower edge between Rounds 10–11. See Photo 26.

Embroider the Tiger Stripes

With dark brown yarn, embroider the tiger stripes on the head as shown in Photos 27–28.

Attach the Collar

Fold the collar in half, fit it around the neck, and sew the edges together. See Photo 29.

Decorate the Christmas Sweater

Embroider the green Christmas tree on the sweater and decorate the top with a red bead. See Photo 30.

Finish the Tail and Legs

Embroider dark brown stripes on the tail and lower legs in a varied arrangement as shown in Photos 31–32

Designer Credits

This free tiger cub amigurumi crochet pattern is designed by Yulia Ladygina, Instagram: @ly_toys_. Thank you to the designer for this charming holiday-style tiger crochet pattern.