Yumi the Doll – Complete Step-by-Step Pattern

Original design by Sevgili Ilmkler (@sevgili_ilmkler). Let’s grab our hooks and bring this lovely doll to life!

1. Materials & Abbreviations

Let’s gather our supplies! Using a smooth, fine cotton yarn will give Yumi beautiful stitch definition, making all those lovely clothing and hair details truly pop.

• Yarn: Sport weight yarn (e.g., Lanosa Alara or YarnArt Jeans). You'll need approx. 50g of each:
  • Body/Skin: Color 73 (or 937)
  • Hair: Color 70 (or 992)
  • Dress: Dark Red (Color 24) and Dark Green (Color 32 or 1915)
  • Accents: Pink (Color 20), White (Color 03), Yellow (Color 88), Black (Color 53)
• Hook: 1.60 mm (or size needed to achieve a tight, stuff-proof gauge).
• Notions:
  • 10 mm safety eyes (or glue-on eyes)
  • Thin black embroidery floss (for eyes) and thin brown floss (for eyebrows)
  • Soft wire (~70 cm total, for arm/leg armatures)
  • Poly-fil stuffing, tapestry needle, scissors, stitch markers
  • Fabric glue/hot glue, and a small piece of stiff plastic (e.g., yogurt lid) for shoe soles.

Abbreviations:

• MR: Magic ring
• ch: Chain
• sc: Single crochet
• hdc: Half double crochet
• dc: Double crochet
• inc: Increase (2 sc in 1 stitch)
• d.inc: Double increase (3 sc in 1 stitch)
• dec: Decrease (invisible decrease recommended)
• sl st: Slip stitch
• BLO: Back loop only
• FLO: Front loop only

What you'll master: Working with fine cotton yarns, gauge management, and familiarization with standard international crochet abbreviations.

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2. Head & Facial Features

The head is worked in a continuous spiral, building up to a beautifully rounded shape before gradually decreasing to form the neck.

• Rnd 1 (Skin color): 6 sc in MR (6)
• Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, inc) x 6 (18)
• Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)
• Rnd 5: (3 sc, inc) x 6 (30)
• Rnd 6: (4 sc, inc) x 6 (36)
• Rnd 7: (5 sc, inc) x 6 (42)
• Rnd 8: (6 sc, inc) x 6 (48)
• Rnd 9: (7 sc, inc) x 6 (54)
• Rnd 10: (17 sc, inc) x 3 (57)
• Rnd 11-18: 57 sc (57) [8 rounds]
• Rnd 19: 23 sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc, 9 sc, ch 1, skip 1 sc, 23 sc (57)
  • Important detail: These chain spaces create the openings for the eyes!
• Rnd 20: 57 sc (work 1 sc into each ch space)
• Rnd 21: 20 sc, (inc, 2 sc) x 6, 19 sc (63)
• Rnd 22-24: 63 sc (63) [3 rounds]
  • Eye Placement: Insert 10 mm safety eyes into the chain spaces of Rnd 19. Space them 8 stitches apart before inserting, which will become 6 stitches apart after insertion.
• Rnd 25: 20 sc, (dec, 2 sc) x 6, 19 sc (57)
• Rnd 26: 2 sc, (7 sc, dec) x 6, 1 sc (51)
• Rnd 27: 5 sc, dec, (6 sc, dec) x 5, 4 sc (45)
• Rnd 28: 2 sc, (5 sc, dec) x 6, 1 sc (39)
• Rnd 29: (3 sc, dec) x 6, (sc, dec) x 3 (30)
• Rnd 30: (3 sc, dec) x 6 (24)
• Rnd 31: 1 sc, dec, (2 sc, dec) x 5, 1 sc (18)
• Finishing: Stuff the head firmly. Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Weave the tail through the front loops of the remaining 18 stitches and pull tight to close the hole.

Face Decoration:

• Eyebrows: Embroider on Rnd 15 using thin brown floss.
• Nose: Embroider between Rnd 21 and 22 using skin-colored yarn.
• Blush: Use peach-colored dry pastel or cosmetic blush to tint the cheeks and nose.

What you'll master: Spiral increase sequences, precise safety eye placement, and structured decreasing for spherical shaping.

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3. Ears, Hair & Accessories

These small details add so much personality and style to Yumi’s look!

Ears (Make 2, Skin color):

• Instructions: In MR, work: 2 ch, 4 dc, 2 ch, sl st.
• Finishing: Pull the tail tight to form a neat semi-circle. Leave a long tail for sewing. Attach to Rnd 20-21 of the head, 7 stitches away from the eyes.

Hair Base (Hair color):

• Rnd 1-10: Work increases from 6 sc up to 57 sc, matching the head's circumference (similar to Head Rnd 1-10).
• Rnd 11-17: 57 sc (57) [7 rounds]
• Rnd 18: 23 sc.
• Strands: Now, work the hair strands directly into Rnd 18:
  • Chain 14, turn, starting in 3rd ch from hook work 12 hdc, sl st to base, skip 1 st on base.
  • Repeat with varying chain lengths: Chain 13 (11 hdc), Chain 12 (10 hdc), Chain 11 (9 hdc) x 5 times, then reverse the lengths back up to Chain 14.
• Inner Layer (FLO of Rnd 3): Work longer strands: Chain 36 (35 hdc) x 34 times, then Chain 37 (36 hdc) x 9 times.

Hair Buns (Make 2, Hair color):

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
• Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
• Rnd 3: (Chain 25, turn, work 2 hdc in each of the remaining 22 chains, join to next stitch with 1 sc) x 6 times around the base.
• Finishing: Pin the buns to the sides of the head and sew securely.

Flowers:

• Big Flowers (Make 2, Pink): In MR, work: (2 ch, 2 dc, 2 ch, sl st) x 5.
• Small Flowers (Make 4, White/Yellow): In MR, work: (ch, hdc, ch, sl st) x 5.
• Assembly: Attach the flowers to the hair buns using fabric glue or by sewing.

What you'll master: Radial expansion, chaining long textured strands, and attaching multiple repetitive elements seamlessly in the round.

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4. Arms & Sleeves

The arms feature a cute little "thumb" detail created with a bobble stitch, and they are designed to be inserted into custom crocheted sleeves.

Arms (Make 2, Skin color):

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
• Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
• Rnd 3-4: 12 sc (12) [2 rounds]
• Rnd 5: 3 sc, 1 bobble stitch (3 dc with a common top), 8 sc (15)
• Rnd 6: 3 sc, bobble stitch closed, 8 sc (12)
• Rnd 7: (1 sc, dec) x 4 (8)
• Rnd 8-18: 8 sc (8) [11 rounds]
• Rnd 19: (1 sc, inc) x 4 (12)
• Finishing: Fasten off. Do not stuff. Leave a long tail. Insert wire (15-20 cm) when attaching to the body.

Dress Sleeves (Make 2, Dark Green):

• Rnd 1: Chain 25, starting in 2nd ch from hook, work 24 sc, join with sl st to form a ring (24)
• Rnd 2-13: Work decrease rounds to taper the sleeve down to 12 sc.
• Rnd 14: Insert the pre-made arm into the sleeve and crochet 12 sc through both the sleeve and the arm simultaneously to join them.
• Rnd 15: 12 sc.
• Rnd 16: 3 sc, sl st. Fasten off, leaving the remaining 8 sc unworked to create a thumbhole.

What you'll master: Creating uniform tubular limbs, clean color changes, and flat-folding techniques for seamless closures.

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5. Legs, Feet & Body

The legs feature a shaped foot with a plastic sole for stability, then transition seamlessly into the torso. We'll join the legs to crochet the body in one continuous piece.

Feet & Legs (Make 2, start with Pink):

• Rnd 1: Chain 5, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 3 sc, 1 d.inc (3 sc in last st), 3 sc, 1 d.inc (12)
• Rnd 2: 1 inc, 3 sc, 3 inc, 3 sc, 2 inc (18)
• Rnd 3: 1 sc, inc, 4 sc, (1 sc, inc) x 4, 5 sc, inc, 1 sc (23)
• Rnd 4: 23 sc in BLO (23)
• Rnd 5: 23 sc.
  • Important detail: Cut a plastic sole to match Rnd 4, and sandwich it between Rnd 4 and 5, securing with a dab of glue.
• Rnd 6: 2 sc, (dec, 1 sc) x 6, 3 sc (17)
• Rnd 7: 4 sc, 3 dec, 7 sc (14)
• Rnd 8: 14 sc. Change to Skin color.
• Rnd 9-28: 14 sc (14) [20 rounds]. Stuff the foot and gradually stuff the leg as you go. Insert wire (~25 cm) at Rnd 10.
• Rnd 29: 11 sc, sl st. Fasten off on the first leg. On the second leg, work 7 sc and do not fasten off.

Joining & Body (Skin color):

• Rnd 1 (Joining): From the last st of the 2nd leg, chain 4. Work 14 sc around the 1st leg, 4 sc along the chain, 14 sc around the 2nd leg, 4 sc along the chain. (36 sts total)
• Rnd 2-10: 36 sc (36) [9 rounds]
• Rnd 11: 36 sc. Change to Pink yarn (for the dress).
• Rnd 12: 36 sc in BLO (36). Fasten off pink yarn.
• Rnd 13-15: Continue with Green yarn (dress body), 36 sc (36) [3 rounds].

Attaching Arms to Body:

• Rnd 16: 8 sc (body), 3 sc (through right arm & body), 14 sc (body), 3 sc (through left arm & body), 8 sc (body) = 36 sc. Ensure thumbs are facing forward!
• Rnd 17: 3 sc, dec, 3 sc (body), 3 sc, dec, 4 sc (arm), 2 sc, dec, 2 sc, change to Skin color, 2 sc, dec, 2 sc (body), 4 sc, dec, 3 sc (arm), 3 sc, dec, 3 sc (body) = 42 sc.
• Rnd 18: (5 sc, dec) x 2, 4 sc, change to Skin, 1 sc, dec, 2 sc, change to Green, 3 sc, dec, (5 sc, dec) x 2 = 36 sc.
• Rnd 19-20: Continue decreasing and color-changing to shape the waist and neck, ending with 18 sc.
• Rnd 21-24: 18 sc (18) [4 rounds].
• Finishing: Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Stuff the body firmly. Twist the arm wires together at the neck for stability.

What you'll master: Complex foot shaping with plastic inserts, seamless multi-piece joining, and mid-round limb attachment.

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6. Clothing Details & Assembly

No doll is complete without a fabulous wardrobe and final assembly!

Belt (White):

• Chain 37, starting in 2nd ch from hook, work 36 sc, join with sl st. Work 2 more rounds of 36 sc. Fasten off and wrap around the doll's waist.

Collar (Pink):

• Chain 39, starting in 2nd ch from hook, work 38 sc. Fasten off. Glue around the neck, tucking the ends into the belt.

Final Assembly:

1. Head to Body: Sew the head securely to the top of the body using the long tail. Ensure the neck is stuffed firmly so the head doesn't wobble.
2. Hair: Pin the hair cap to the head (aligning the MR with the MR of the head). Distribute the strands: long strands at the back, shorter strands over the ears, and style the bangs. Sew or hot-glue in place.
3. Face: Embroider the nose, mouth, and delicate eyelashes. Add a hint of blush to the cheeks with pastel chalk.
4. Dress Up: Slide the dress and belt onto your doll, and admire your handiwork!

What you'll master: Multi-step structural assembly, surface embroidery for expressive facial features, and professional finishing techniques for wearable doll accessories.

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Final Section: Where to Go from Here

Congratulations! By completing Yumi the Doll, you have mastered foundational spiral shaping, complex foot construction with inserts, and intricate garment detailing. This project is a fantastic confidence-builder and makes an absolutely heartwarming gift.

From here, try experimenting with different yarn colorways to create a whole "friend group" of dolls, or adapt the dress and sleeve patterns to design custom outfits for other amigurumi figures in your collection. Happy crocheting!