Moss & Lichen Stag Cushion Pal: Free Crochet Amigurumi Pattern

Moss & Lichen Stag Cushion Pal: Free Crochet Amigurumi Pattern

Introduction

Meet your new desk buddy: a round, flat-backed little stag cushion worked in soft, earthy stripes of moss green, lichen grey, and stone taupe. This project is absolutely perfect for a complete beginner who has never held a crochet hook before, because it is built almost entirely from one simple stitch repeated over and over in a spiral. The finished pal is about 5.5 inches (14 cm) across and 1.25 inches (3 cm) thick, so it sits happily on a shelf, a windowsill, or beside your keyboard. It feels squishy and light in your hand, with a smooth single crochet texture and two flat brown antlers that give it a charming folk-art look. By the end you will have learned the magic ring, single crochet, increases, and simple seaming — a whole beginner's toolkit in one cozy little deer.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight (#4) acrylic yarn in 4 colors:
  • MC Moss Green — approx. 60 yd (55 m)
  • CC1 Lichen Grey — approx. 25 yd (23 m)
  • CC2 Stone Taupe — approx. 20 yd (18 m)
  • CC3 Bark Brown — approx. 15 yd (14 m)
• Hook: 3.5 mm (US E/4) crochet hook
• Stitch marker (one is enough; a safety pin or scrap of contrasting yarn works too)
• Tapestry needle (a blunt, large-eyed needle for sewing and weaving in ends)
• Scissors
• Polyester fiberfill (toy stuffing) — a small handful, about the size of a grapefruit
• Finished size: approx. 5.5 in (14 cm) diameter and 1.25 in (3 cm) thick

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• sc — single crochet: insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over (wrap yarn around hook), pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over again, pull through both loops. One loop remains. That is one single crochet.
• inc — increase: work 2 single crochet stitches into the same stitch. This makes the circle wider.
• dec — decrease: sc2tog, meaning single crochet two stitches together. Insert hook into the first stitch, pull up a loop, insert hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops. This makes the piece narrower. (Not used in this pattern, but listed so you recognize it.)
• ch — chain: yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook. This creates a small link.
• sl st — slip stitch: insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook at once. It makes a nearly invisible joining stitch.
• st(s) — stitch(es).
• BLO — back loop only: work into just the loop of the stitch that is farther from you. (Not used here, but common in amigurumi.)
• FLO — front loop only: work into just the loop closer to you. (Not used here.)
• MR — magic ring: a loop of yarn you wrap around your fingers, then work stitches into, so you can pull the center closed tight with no hole.
• Rnd — round: one full circle of stitches worked in a spiral.
• Row — one straight line of stitches worked back and forth (used for the antlers).
• sk — skip: leave that stitch or chain unworked and move to the next one.
• turn — flip your work over so you can crochet back the other way.
• yarn over — wrap the working yarn around your hook from back to front.
• fasten off — cut the yarn leaving a tail, then pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• whipstitch — a simple sewing stitch: bring the needle up through both layers, over the edge, and back down, repeating in small even stitches.

Gauge

20 sc x 22 rounds = 4 in (10 cm) in continuous single crochet.

Gauge means how many stitches and rounds fit into a square of fabric. It matters because it controls the finished size: if your stitches are bigger than the gauge, your stag will come out larger than 5.5 inches; if smaller, it will shrink. Gauge is not critical for this cushion (it is not a garment that must fit a body), but checking it keeps your result close to the photos.

How to make a gauge swatch: With your 3.5 mm hook and MC yarn, make a magic ring, work 6 sc into it, then increase each round as in the pattern until your swatch is about 4 inches across. Lay a ruler across the middle and count how many single crochet stitches fit in 4 inches, and how many rounds. If you have far more stitches than 20, go up one hook size; if far fewer, go down one hook size.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use your stitch marker every single round. Because you work in a spiral, there is no seam to tell you where a round begins. Place the marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Tension should feel relaxed. If your hook squeaks or fights you, you are pulling too hard — loosen your grip on the yarn.
• Count out loud. Every increase round is a repeating group of stitches (for example, "sc, inc" six times). Say the numbers as you work so you never lose your place.
• Keep the right side facing out. As your circle grows, it will want to curl. Push the fabric so the smooth "V" side of the stitches faces you — that is the front.
• Change colors at the last pull-through. To switch colors, work the final yarn-over of the last stitch of the round with the new color. This keeps the stripe edge neat.
• Stuff a little at a time. Add small pinches of fiberfill as you close the cushion rather than one big lump, so it stays even and round.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Important note: Work in continuous spirals unless told otherwise. Do not join rounds and do not turn. Move your stitch marker each round. Numbers in parentheses at the end of each round are your total stitch count.

Front Face (worked in stripes)

Begin with CC2 Stone Taupe.

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR. (6 sts)
• Rnd 2: inc in each st around. (12 sts)
• Rnd 3: [sc, inc] x6. (18 sts)
• Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] x6. (24 sts)
• Rnd 5: [3 sc, inc] x6. (30 sts)
• Rnd 6: [4 sc, inc] x6. (36 sts)
• Rnd 7: [5 sc, inc] x6. (42 sts)

Change to CC1 Lichen Grey.

• Rnd 8: [6 sc, inc] x6. (48 sts)
• Rnd 9: [7 sc, inc] x6. (54 sts)
• Rnd 10: [8 sc, inc] x6. (60 sts)

Change to MC Moss Green.

• Rnd 11: [9 sc, inc] x6. (66 sts)
• Rnd 12: [10 sc, inc] x6. (72 sts)
• Rnd 13: [11 sc, inc] x6. (78 sts)

Change to CC1 Lichen Grey.

• Rnd 14: [12 sc, inc] x6. (84 sts)
• Rnd 15: [13 sc, inc] x6. (90 sts)
• Rnd 16: [14 sc, inc] x6. (96 sts)

Change to MC Moss Green.

• Rnd 17: [15 sc, inc] x6. (102 sts)
• Rnd 18: [16 sc, inc] x6. (108 sts)
• Rnd 19: [17 sc, inc] x6. (114 sts)

Change to CC2 Stone Taupe.

• Rnd 20: [18 sc, inc] x6. (120 sts)
• Rnd 21: sc in each st around. (120 sts)

Fasten off and weave in the ends. This is the front face.

Back Panel

With MC Moss Green:

• Rnds 1–21: Work exactly as Front Face Rnds 1–21, but do not fasten off. (120 sts)

Antler Appliqués (make 2)

With CC3 Bark Brown, work flat in rows (turning at the end of each row).

• Row 1: Ch 12. Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (11 sts)
• Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first 5 sts, ch 4, sk 4 sts, sc in the last 2 sts. (7 sc + 4 ch)
• Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each ch and each sc across. (11 sts)
• Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first 3 sts, ch 3, sk 3 sts, sc in the next 2 sts, ch 3, sk 3 sts, sc in the last 3 sts. (8 sc + 6 ch)
• Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each ch and each sc across. (14 sts)
• Row 6: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (14 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25 cm) tail for sewing. The chain spaces from Rows 2 and 4 create the forked branches of the antler.

Assembly

• Rnd 22 (joining round): Hold the Front Face and Back Panel with wrong sides together and the Front facing out. Join MC Moss Green with a sl st through both layers at any stitch. Sc through both layers all the way around, stuffing firmly with fiberfill when about 2 in (5 cm) of opening remains. Continue to close the gap, then sl st to the first sc. (120 sts)
• Fasten off and weave in the end.

Assembly and Finishing

Sewing on the antlers: Thread the CC3 tail onto your tapestry needle. Pin one Antler Appliqué to the upper left of the Front Face so the base of the antler sits at about Rnd 14 and the branch tips angle outward. Using small whipstitches, sew all around the base and along the edges, catching only the surface of the cushion so the stitches do not show on the back. Pin the second antler to the upper right, mirroring the first, and sew it the same way.

Embroidering the face: With CC3 Bark Brown and your tapestry needle, make two small eyes about 3 stitches wide at Rnd 12, spaced 8 stitches apart. Work each eye as a few short straight stitches side by side. Then embroider a small triangular nose at Rnd 9, centered between the eyes: make one short horizontal stitch for the top and two angled stitches meeting below it.

Weaving in ends: Thread each loose tail onto the tapestry needle and run it through the inside of the cushion for about 1 inch, then back the other way for another inch, and trim close. This hides the tail securely.

Blocking: Lightly steam the antlers with an iron held a few inches above the fabric (never touch the iron to acrylic — it can melt). Let them cool and lie flat. Do not steam the stuffed body; simply reshape it with your hands and let it air dry if damp.

Care: Hand wash cold, reshape, and air dry flat.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the palette: Swap the stripes for autumn colors (rust, ochre, cream) or a wintery set (white, pale blue, silver) for a completely different mood. Keep the same round order so the stripe widths stay balanced.
• Make it bigger or smaller: Use a thicker yarn and larger hook (for example bulky yarn with a 5.5 mm hook) for a larger cushion, or fingering yarn with a 2.5 mm hook for a tiny ornament. The stripe rounds stay the same; only the finished size changes.
• Substitute the yarn: Cotton yarn gives a crisper, more defined stitch and is easy to wash; a soft acrylic-cotton blend is a good middle ground. Always check your gauge swatch so the cushion stays round and even.
• Add a hanging loop: Before the final joining round is closed, crochet a chain of 12 and sl st it back to the edge to make a loop, then continue joining. Now your stag can hang on a wall or a bag.