Crochet Tutorial: Cherry Picnic Cat – Free Crochet Pattern

Meet the Cherry Picnic Cat – a soft gray amigurumi kitty dressed in a peach gingham picnic dress, a little salmon-pink cardigan, a matching beret, and a cream crossbody bag with tiny cherries. She comes with extra crochet goodies: loose cherries and a lattice-topped cherry pie ready for a sunny garden picnic.




Please note: I strive for accuracy in every pattern, but occasional errors can happen. Thank you for understanding and for enjoying my designs.


Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • MR – magic ring
  • ch – chain
  • st(s) – stitch(es)
  • sl st – slip stitch
  • sc – single crochet
  • hdc – half double crochet
  • dc – double crochet
  • inc – increase (2 sc in same st)
  • dec – invisible decrease (sc 2 sts together through front loops only)
  • BLO – back loop only
  • FLO – front loop only
  • FO – fasten off

All rounds are worked in continuous spirals unless otherwise stated. Use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of each round.


Materials

  • Sport or light DK weight yarn in:
    1. Medium gray (main cat body)
    2. Cream or light beige (muzzle, inner ears, pie crust, bag)
    3. Warm peach or light terracotta (dress)
    4. Salmon/brick pink (cardigan and beret)
    5. Dark red (cherries, pie filling)
    6. Soft green (stems and leaves)
    7. White (plate, whipped cream accent if desired)
    8. Dark brown or black embroidery thread (eyes, whiskers, mouth if not using safety eyes)
  • 8 mm safety eyes (pair)
  • Crochet hook 2.5–2.75 mm (or size that gives tight stitches)
  • Polyester fiberfill stuffing
  • Tapestry needle for sewing
  • Stitch markers and pins
  • Optional thin floral wire for whiskers (keep ends well secured and not sharp if used for children)

Finished size with these materials is approximately 22–24 cm (8.5–9.5 in) tall.


Gauge & General Notes

Gauge is not critical, but your stitches should be firm so the stuffing doesn’t show. With sport weight yarn and a 2.5 mm hook, you’ll get around 5–5.5 sc per 1 inch.

The cat is worked in separate pieces:

  • Legs joined into the body
  • Head, ears, arms, and tail sewn on
  • Clothes and accessories are removable

Stuff firmly as you go, especially the head and body so the doll stands nicely for display.


Cherry Picnic Cat – Body

Use gray yarn unless noted.

Legs (make 2)

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)
Rounds 5–6: sc around (24) – shape the foot.
Round 7: (4 sc, dec) x 4 (20)
Round 8: (3 sc, dec) x 4 (16)
Rounds 9–15: sc around (16)

Stuff the foot and leg firmly. FO the first leg. For the second leg, work to Round 15 but do not FO.


Join Legs & Work Body

Round 1: From the second leg, ch 3, join to the first leg with a sc into any st on the inner side of the first leg.
Sc around first leg (16), sc in each of 3 ch on opposite side, sc around second leg (16). (35 sts total)

Round 2: (6 sc, inc) x 5 (40)
Rounds 3–6: sc around (40)
Round 7: (6 sc, dec) x 5 (35)
Round 8: (5 sc, dec) x 5 (30)
Rounds 9–10: sc around (30)
Round 11: (3 sc, dec) x 6 (24)
Round 12: sc around (24)
Round 13: (2 sc, dec) x 6 (18)

Stuff body firmly, rounding the belly just a little.

FO, leaving a tail if you prefer to sew the head on with this strand.




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Head

Use gray.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)
Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x 6 (30)
Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x 6 (36)
Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x 6 (42)
Rounds 8–13: sc around (42)

Insert safety eyes between Rounds 10 and 11, about 7 stitches apart.

Round 14: (5 sc, dec) x 6 (36)
Round 15: (4 sc, dec) x 6 (30)
Round 16: (3 sc, dec) x 6 (24)
Round 17: (2 sc, dec) x 6 (18)

Stuff the head very firmly as you decrease.

Round 18: (sc, dec) x 6 (12)
Round 19: dec around (6)

FO and close the hole. Leave a long tail for sewing.


Muzzle

Use cream/beige.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: (sc, inc) x 3 (9)
Round 3: (2 sc, inc) x 3 (12)
Round 4: (3 sc, inc) x 3 (15)

Sl st, FO leaving a long tail. Lightly stuff.

Embroider a small triangle nose in brown at the top center of the muzzle and a short vertical line down with a gentle “W” mouth.

Position muzzle centered under the eyes, covering about 3–4 rounds. Sew in place carefully, shaping the sides to be slightly oval.

For whiskers, you can either embroider them with dark thread on each side of the muzzle or carefully knot short pieces of thread and pull them through so they stick out.


Ears (make 2)

Outer part: gray. Inner part: cream.

Outer ear
Round 1: 4 sc in MR (4)
Round 2: (sc, inc) x 2 (6)
Round 3: (2 sc, inc) x 2 (8)
Round 4: (3 sc, inc) x 2 (10)
Round 5: (4 sc, inc) x 2 (12)
Round 6: sc around (12)

FO leaving tail.

Inner ear (flat)
With cream: ch 5.
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (4). Turn.
Row 2: ch 1, sc2tog, sc2tog (2). Turn.
Row 3: ch 1, sc2tog (1). FO.

Sew inner ear triangle onto the outer ear, then lightly pinch the base of the ear and secure with a stitch so it has a slight curve. Attach ears to the top sides of the head, angled slightly outward.


Arms (make 2)

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: (sc, inc) x 3 (9)
Round 3: (2 sc, inc) x 3 (12)
Rounds 4–6: sc around (12)
Round 7: (2 sc, dec) x 3 (9)
Rounds 8–14: sc around (9)

Stuff lightly, mostly in the lower part. FO leaving a long tail for sewing.


Tail

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: (sc, inc) x 3 (9)
Rounds 3–10: sc around (9)

Stuff lightly, just enough to hold a gentle curve. FO with long tail for sewing.


Assembly of Cat

  • Sew head securely onto body, making sure the face looks straight over the center of the torso.
  • Attach arms to the sides of the body around Round 11–12, tilted very slightly forward.
  • Sew tail low at the back, angled down toward the ground.

Weave in all visible ends.


Clothing

Picnic Gingham Dress

Use peach for the dress base. You can add a gingham effect after by working surface slip stitches in cream to create vertical and horizontal lines.

Skirt

Round 1: ch 54, join with sl st to form a ring (54)
Round 2: ch 1, sc in each ch around (54)
Round 3 (BLO): sc around (54)
Rounds 4–11 (BLO): sc around (54) – gives the skirt a nice soft drape with subtle vertical texture.

Round 12 (waist shaping): (7 sc, dec) x 6 (48)
Round 13 (BLO): sc around (48)

FO. Seam should be at center back.

Bodice

Lay skirt flat with seam at center back. Count 18 sts centered on the front for bodice.

Row 1: Attach peach yarn in first of those 18 sts, ch 1, sc 18. Turn.
Rows 2–5: ch 1, sc 18, turn.

Row 6 (neckline shaping): ch 1, sc2tog, sc 14, sc2tog (16). Turn.
Row 7: ch 1, sc 16, turn.
Row 8: ch 1, sc2tog, sc 12, sc2tog (14). FO.

Straps (make 2)

Attach yarn at each front corner of bodice.

Strap 1: ch 18, sl st to the back waistline roughly above where the shoulder should sit. FO.
Repeat for Strap 2 on the other side. Cross the straps at the back before sewing for a neat fit.

Gingham Effect (Optional but matches the photo)

With cream yarn and a smaller hook if needed, work surface slip stitches:

  • Vertical lines: choose every 3rd stitch around the skirt and run a vertical surface sl st from hem to waist.
  • Horizontal lines: work a round of surface sl sts around the middle of the skirt.

Keep the lines loose enough that the skirt still drapes naturally.


Salmon Cardigan

Use salmon/brick pink yarn.

The cardigan is worked flat in one piece from bottom up; sleeves are worked onto the armholes later. It’s short and hangs open.

Body

Ch 38.
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (37). Turn.
Rows 2–8: ch 1, sc across (37). Turn.

Row 9 (armhole row):
sc 9 (right front), ch 4 (skip 4 sts), sc 11 (back), ch 4 (skip 4 sts), sc last 9 (left front). (37 including chains). Turn.

Row 10: ch 1, sc 9, sc 4 in armhole ch, sc 11, sc 4 in armhole ch, sc 9 (37). Turn.
Rows 11–13: ch 1, sc across (37). FO.

Sleeves (make 2)

Attach yarn at bottom of an arm opening.

Round 1: sc around armhole, evenly spacing 18 sts (18)
Rounds 2–5: sc around (18)
Round 6: (4 sc, dec) x 3 (15)
Round 7: sc around (15)

FO and weave in ends. Repeat for second sleeve.

Place the cardigan on the cat over the dress. The fronts naturally roll open a little. If you want tiny “buttons” like in the photo, embroider two small French knots in darker salmon on the right front edge.


Cherry Beret

Use salmon yarn.

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

Round 10 (start brim): (5 sc, dec) x 6 (36)
Round 11: (4 sc, dec) x 6 (30)
Round 12: sc around (30)

FO and weave in. Shape into a shallow dome and flatten slightly.

Little top nub:
With salmon, ch 4, sl st back along chain to make a short cord. FO and sew to the center top of beret.

Beret should sit flat on kitty’s head, tilted just a bit to one side.


Cherry Crossbody Bag

Use cream yarn.

Bag Body

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Rounds 4–7: sc around (18)

Round 8: sl st in each st around to level the edge (18). FO.

Press the bottom slightly flat so the bag has a rectangular feel.

Strap

With cream: ch 60 (or length to fit across your cat’s body). FO.

Sew each end of the strap to opposite sides of the bag opening so it can be worn crossbody.

Cherry Motif on Bag

With red: make 2 tiny cherries.

Cherry (make 2):
Round 1: 6 sc in MR, tighten, sl st to first sc. FO leaving tail.

With green, embroider a short “V” stem and a small leaf above the cherries on the bag front. Sew cherries side by side at the end of the stem.


Picnic Accessories

Loose Cherries (make 2–3 pairs)

Cherry: with red, Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6). FO tightly, leaving a tail to help secure to stem.

Stem and leaf: with green, ch 7. Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc 3, ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in next ch (forms leaf), sl st down remaining foundation chains.

Tie or sew two cherries to the bottom of the stem chain so they hang as a pair.




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Cherry Pie with Lattice Crust

Pie Base

Use cream for crust.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)
Round 5: BLO sc around (24) – creates the side wall.
Rounds 6–7: sc around (24)

FO and weave in ends.

Filling

Use dark red.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)

Place the filling circle inside the crust base; sew edges together, adding a little stuffing if you want a domed pie.

Lattice Strips

With cream, ch 16, sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (15). FO. Make 4–5 strips.

Lay strips over the top of the pie in a crisscross lattice. Sew ends down at the crust edge, trimming if needed.


Pie Plate

Use white.

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)
Round 5: FLO sl st around (24)

FO and weave in. Sit the pie on top of the plate for display.


Final Styling

Dress your Cherry Picnic Cat in this order:

  1. Slide the dress up from the feet and settle at the shoulders; cross and sew the straps at the back.
  2. Put on the cardigan so it sits just above the skirt hem and hangs open.
  3. Slip on the beret, tilting it slightly to one side.
  4. Place the crossbody bag over one shoulder so it rests near the front of the dress.
  5. Arrange the loose cherries and cherry pie on a small cloth or wooden surface around the cat.

Your Cherry Picnic Cat is ready for photos in a garden, on a wooden picnic table, or on a cozy sofa – looking just like a real handmade crochet friend enjoying a sunny cherry-pie afternoon.

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