Crochet Nurse Doll Amigurumi Pattern Free For Beginners

Thank-you gift baskets for hospital staff gain a personal touch with this crochet nurse doll amigurumi, dressed in a white protective suit and blue mask. Nursing graduates and healthcare workers can prop a small nurse amigurumi doll beside the computer at the nursing station.

Hood up and mask on, the crochet nurse amigurumi doll fits in one palm. Two pieces of surface stitching do all the suit detail. Make it, stuff it, done. Meaningful gift for the nurse in your life who keeps a small thing on their desk to remind them someone noticed.

Crochet Nurse Amigurumi Doll

Hood pulled up, mask covering the lower half of the face, and a full coverall suit with blue seam lines running down the front and across the chest. The face inside the hood is worked in a warm beige, and only the eyes show above the mask. Two black beads sit close together in the small opening between hood and mask. Parts break into body and legs as one tube, the hood, the arms, and the mask sewn across the lower face. Straightforward build. No shaping tricks beyond the basic rounds, and the blue lines on the suit are surface stitching added at the end.

Beginner Technique Notes

These are the four techniques this pattern relies on. Read each one before you start.

The Magic Ring

A magic ring, sometimes called an adjustable ring, is how almost every amigurumi piece begins. Loop the yarn around two fingers, insert the hook through the loop, pull up a loop of working yarn, chain 1, then single crochet the number of stitches the pattern says into the ring. When you are done, pull the short tail tight to close the hole. If you leave the ring too loose the centre of the piece will have a gap, and on a stuffed toy the white fiberfill shows straight through. Practice closing it firmly before you move on.

Continuous Rounds

This pattern is worked in a continuous spiral, meaning you do not join at the end of each round and you do not chain up to start the next one. You just keep going. This is standard for amigurumi. The only way to track where each round starts and ends is a stitch marker. Place it in the first stitch of every round and move it up as you go. Without it you will lose count, usually around Round 8 when all the stitches look identical.

The Invisible Decrease

Wherever the pattern says decrease, use the invisible decrease rather than the standard sc2tog. Insert the hook through the front loop only of the first stitch, then through the front loop only of the second stitch, yarn over and pull through both, yarn over and pull through the remaining two loops. It creates a much flatter, neater surface than the standard method, which is especially important on a doll's face and body where every stitch shows.

Marking Your Round

Your stitch marker is the most important tool on the hook. Every time you reach a marked stitch, move the marker into the new stitch you just made and count the total stitches in the completed round. If the count does not match the number in the brackets, find the error before you continue. Frogging two rounds is much less painful than frogging ten.

What You Will Need

Yarn amounts are estimated from the construction, not stated in the original pattern.

• Skin tone yarn, roughly 40 to 50 g estimated, for the head, body and arms
• White yarn, roughly 20 to 25 g estimated, for the uniform and hat
• Blue or pink yarn, a small amount, for accessories
• Black or brown yarn, roughly 10 to 15 g estimated, for the hair
• A crochet hook suited to your yarn, usually around 2.5 mm to 3.0 mm for amigurumi weight
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Safety eyes, two
• An embroidery needle
• Scissors
• Stitch marker

Finished height is approximately 8 to 10 inches estimated in sport or DK weight. Most people finish in 5 to 8 hours spread over a few sessions.

Pieces List

• Arms, make 2
• Legs, make 2, joined into the body at Round 11
• Body and head, worked as one continuous piece from the leg join
• Hair piece, make 1
• Nurse hat, make 1
• Nurse uniform, worked onto the body

The body and head are a single continuous piece. You do not sew the head onto the body, it grows directly from it.

Safety Eye Timing

• The pattern places safety eyes between Round 31 and Round 32 of the head. That falls in the middle of the straight rounds, while the head is still wide open. Do not wait until the decreases start at Round 36. By Round 38 the opening is too small to fit a washer through, and after stuffing it is impossible.
• Position the eyes roughly 7 stitches apart on the front of the head, which the assembly section specifies. Hold each eye in place and look at the face from the front before clicking the washer on. Once the washer clicks, the eye is permanent.
• For any doll going to a child under three years old, skip safety eyes entirely. Embroider both eyes with black thread, knot every end inside the head, and tug the embroidery firmly to confirm it is anchored.

Abbreviations

• sc, single crochet
• inc, increase, meaning two single crochet in the same stitch
• dec, decrease, invisible decrease preferred
• ch, chain
• sl st, slip stitch
• dc, double crochet
• BLO, back loops only
• R, round

The Pattern

Arms, Make 2

• R1: make a magic ring and work 6 sc into the ring (6)
• R2: sc in each stitch around (6)
• R3: sc in each stitch around (6)
• R4: sc in each stitch around (6)
• R5: sc in each stitch around (6). By Round 5 the arm should be a narrow tube roughly as wide as your little finger
• R6: sc in each stitch around (6)
• R7: sc in each stitch around (6)
• R8: sc in each stitch around (6)
• R9: sc in each stitch around (6)
• R10: sc in each stitch around (6). The finished arm is a long slim tube. Set it beside the second arm when it is done to check they match in length before fastening off
• Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing
• Repeat for the second arm

Legs, Make 2

• R1: make a magic ring and work 6 sc into the ring (6)
• R2: work 1 sc then 1 inc, repeat 3 times (9)
• R3: sc in each stitch around (9)
• R4: sc in each stitch around (9)
• R5: sc in each stitch around (9). The leg should read as a short compact tube, slightly wider than the arm
• R6: sc in each stitch around (9)
• R7: sc in each stitch around (9)
• R8: sc in each stitch around (9)
• R9: sc in each stitch around (9)
• R10: sc in each stitch around (9). The second leg: do not fasten off. Leave the yarn attached and set both legs aside ready for joining

Just picking up your first amigurumi project? The video tutorial below breaks it all down in a simple, beginner-friendly way!

Body, Joined from Legs

• R11: ch 3 and join to the first leg, then crochet around both legs and the chain bridge (24). This is the most unusual round in the whole pattern. The chain bridge connects the two legs and you work around the outside of the whole joined shape. Count to 24 before moving on, because a wrong count here carries through every round above it
• R12: sc in each stitch around (24)
• R13: sc in each stitch around (24)
• R14: sc in each stitch around (24)
• R15: sc in each stitch around (24)
• R16: sc in each stitch around (24). The body should now look like a hollow cylinder sitting on top of the two joined legs
• R17: sc in each stitch around (24)
• R18: sc in each stitch around (24)
• R19: work 2 sc then 1 dec, repeat 6 times (18)
• R20: sc in each stitch around (18)
• R21: sc in each stitch around (18)
• R22: sc in each stitch around (18)
• R23: work 1 sc then 1 dec, repeat 6 times (12). The waist is now narrow and the body shape is clear. Stuff the body firmly now before the head increases close the opening further
• Stuff the body firmly with fiberfill

Head, Continuing from Body

• R24: work 1 sc then 1 inc, repeat 6 times (18)
• R25: work 2 sc then 1 inc, repeat 6 times (24)
• R26: work 3 sc then 1 inc, repeat 6 times (30)
• R27: work 4 sc then 1 inc, repeat 6 times (36). The head should now be expanding noticeably wider than the body was, like a ball beginning to form above the neck
• R28: sc in each stitch around (36)
• R29: sc in each stitch around (36)
• R30: sc in each stitch around (36)
• R31: sc in each stitch around (36). Place the safety eyes now, between Round 31 and Round 32, roughly 7 stitches apart on the front of the head while the opening is still wide
• R32: sc in each stitch around (36)
• R33: sc in each stitch around (36)
• R34: sc in each stitch around (36)
• R35: sc in each stitch around (36). The head at this point should be a large open bowl, deep enough that you can almost rest your fist inside it
• R36: work 4 sc then 1 dec, repeat 6 times (30)
• R37: work 3 sc then 1 dec, repeat 6 times (24)
• R38: work 2 sc then 1 dec, repeat 6 times (18)
• R39: work 1 sc then 1 dec, repeat 6 times (12)
• R40: work 6 dec around (6). The head should be a full round ball now with only a small hole remaining
• Close the hole and weave in the yarn ends

Hair

• Make a magic ring and work 6 sc into the ring (6)
• Continue working increase rounds until the piece reaches 36 stitches. Work the same increase pattern as the head: adding 6 stitches every round
• For each strand: ch 15 to 20 stitches, then work sc back down the full length of the chain to form one strand
• Repeat the strand sequence all the way around the edge of the hair base
• Sew or attach the completed hair piece to the top of the head

Nurse Uniform

• Using white yarn, attach yarn at the waist area of the body
• Ch enough stitches to work around the waist, then work dc stitches around to begin the skirt
• Continue adding rounds of dc, working outward or downward to create a flared skirt shape
• Continue until the dress reaches your desired length
• Fasten off and weave in ends

Nurse Hat

• R1: make a magic ring and work 6 sc into the ring (6)
• R2: work 6 inc around (12)
• R3: work 1 sc then 1 inc, repeat 6 times (18). The hat piece should sit like a small flat disc at this point
• R4: sc in each stitch around, working in back loops only (18). Working in BLO here creates a ridge that gives the hat its brim, so make sure every stitch goes through the back loop only
• Fasten off and leave a tail for attaching
• Embroider a small cross in red or blue on the front of the hat

Assembly

1. Read this section before you start the head. The eye placement note lives here, not in the head rounds.
2. Place safety eyes between Round 31 and Round 32 of the head, roughly 7 stitches apart on the face, while the opening is still wide.
3. Embroider the nose and mouth after the head is stuffed and closed. A small Y or V for the nose and a short curved line for the mouth, both in embroidery thread, below the eye line.
4. Sew the hair piece to the top of the head, centred, with the strands hanging down the sides and back.
5. Sew both arms to the sides of the body at approximately Round 22, pinning them in place and checking the height matches on both sides before sewing either one.
6. Attach the hat on top of the hair, centred, with the cross facing forward.

Stuffing Guide

• Body: firm. This piece supports the arms and carries the head above it, so pack it well.
• Head: firm. Stuff through the closing rounds before Round 40. A soft head will not hold the hat upright.
• Arms: the pattern gives no stuffing instruction. Leave them unstuffed so they hang naturally. At 6 stitches they are too narrow for stuffing to add anything useful.
• Legs: no stuffing instruction given. A very light pinch in each leg keeps the tube shape, but they also sit fine empty.
• Hair and hat: no stuffing needed.

Toy Safety

• Safety eyes are not suitable for children under three. Embroider all facial features with thread for young children.
• Sew the hair piece down all the way around its edge, not just tacked at a few points. Hair strands get pulled.
• Weave every end into the stuffed interior, not along the surface.
• Hand wash only in cool water and reshape while damp.
• Skip glue on any part. Stitch all additions.

FAQ

• I have never made a magic ring before. Is it hard? It takes one or two tries but it clicks fast. Wrap the yarn around two fingers, insert the hook, pull through, chain 1, then sc into the loop. The most important part is pulling the tail tight afterward so no gap remains. Watch your first attempt carefully and redo it until the centre closes cleanly.
• What does working in back loops only mean? Every stitch has two loops at the top that form a V shape. The back loop is the one furthest from you as you hold the work. Inserting through only that loop instead of both creates a visible ridge, which is what gives the hat its brim in Round 4.
• How do I know where Round 11 starts when I join the legs? The chain bridge is your reference. After chaining 3 and joining to the first leg, work around the outside of both legs and the chain. Count every stitch as you go and stop when you have 24. Mark that as your round start before you continue.
• My decreases are leaving ridges on the head. What am I doing wrong? You are probably using a standard sc2tog instead of an invisible decrease. The invisible decrease goes through the front loops only of both stitches and sits much flatter. The technique notes section above explains it step by step.
• Can I change the yarn colours partway through? Yes, at any colour change point simply drop the old yarn and join the new one at the start of a round. Carry the old yarn end inside the work for a few stitches before trimming, or weave it in later with the needle.