Sweet Crochet Sugar Skulls in Red Heart Amigurumi - LM6298 - Downloadable PDF

Sweet Crochet Sugar Skulls in Red Heart Amigurumi (LM6298) – Pattern Summary

Designed by Jessie Rayot and published by Red Heart, this free downloadable PDF pattern guides crocheters through creating charming amigurumi sugar skull figures — a playful, fiber-art take on the iconic Día de los Muertos motif. Each finished skull measures approximately 3½ inches (9 cm) tall, making these compact little figures perfect for decorative displays, gifts, party favors, or Halloween and Day of the Dead seasonal décor.

What Is Being Made

The project produces small three-dimensional crochet sugar skulls worked in the round using classic amigurumi construction methods. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed figures, and these sugar skulls follow that tradition closely — built from a sphere-like base that is shaped, stuffed, and embellished to create a recognizable skull silhouette with decorative detailing. At just 3½ inches tall, each skull is a satisfying quick make that can be completed in a single crafting session.

Techniques Used

• Working in the round: The skull body is constructed entirely in continuous rounds, a hallmark of amigurumi technique that creates seamless, three-dimensional shapes without visible seams.
• Increasing rounds: Multiple rounds of evenly spaced increases build the skull outward from a small starting point, shaping the rounded head form. Increase sequences such as [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] repeated around are used systematically across rounds 2 through 7 to expand the circumference progressively.
• Decreasing: The sc2tog (single crochet 2 stitches together) technique is used to close and shape the skull, drawing stitches together to form the rounded bottom of the figure.
• Color separation: The pattern includes a notable preparation technique where the crocheter separates different color sections of the yarn before beginning. The center color is popped out by gently pushing on the center of the ball so it comes out intact, and the point where the color changes is located — suggesting the use of Red Heart's multi-colored or variegated yarn to achieve the decorative, multi-toned sugar skull aesthetic without complex color-change techniques mid-row.
• Stuffing and assembly: As with all amigurumi, the finished crocheted pieces are stuffed before being fully closed, giving the skulls their characteristic firm, rounded shape.

Stitches Used

• Single crochet (sc): The primary and dominant stitch throughout the entire pattern, used to build every round of the skull body.
• 2 sc in next st (increase): Two single crochets worked into the same stitch to create a standard crochet increase, used repeatedly across the shaping rounds.
• sc2tog (single crochet 2 stitches together): A special decrease stitch defined within the pattern. It is worked by inserting the hook into the next stitch, yarning over and pulling up a loop, then repeating in the following stitch, and finally yarning over and drawing through all 3 loops on the hook. This creates a neat, tight decrease essential for closing the amigurumi form.

Stitch Count Progression

The pattern follows a structured increase sequence to build the skull's rounded shape:

• Round 2: 12 sc
• Round 3: 18 sc
• Round 4: 24 sc
• Round 5: 30 sc
• Round 6: 36 sc
• Round 7: 42 sc

This gradual, even expansion is a classic amigurumi shaping method that produces a smooth, symmetrical sphere-like form — the ideal base for a sugar skull figure.

Materials

This pattern is designed for use with Red Heart brand yarn, specifically a weight 4 (worsted / medium weight) yarn — referred to in the brand's amigurumi line as Red Heart Amigurumi yarn. The yarn's multi-color or self