Free Crochet Grinch Pattern: Grinch & Friends Christmas Trio (Grinch, Cindy Lou & Max)

Transform your holiday decorating with this complete free crochet Grinch and his friends amigurumi trio pattern! Handcrafted in luxurious, ultra-soft plush chenille velvet yarn, each sweet pocket-sized character measures approximately 10 cm (3.9 inches) tall. Featuring the iconic Plush Grinch in his candy-cane striped scarf, sweet Cindy Lou Who in her pink winter dress with golden ringlet braids and hair bows, and trusty Max the Puppy with his single reindeer horn, this 3-in-1 Christmas set makes showstopping tree ornaments, stocking stuffers, or holiday gift toppers!

Materials & Tools Required

• Plush Velvet / Chenille Yarn (100g / 120m, 100% Polyester):
  • For Grinch: Pistachio Green (Wolans Bunny Baby #46); Khaki (Himalaya Dolphin Baby #361) for nose/eyebrows; White (#62) and Red (#26) for scarf.
  • For Cindy Lou: Bright Pink (#309), Skin/Beige (#353), Red (#318); Yellow (Himalaya Dolphin Fine #502) for hair; Pink (#74) and White (#62) for scarf.
  • For Max: Caramel Brown (Wolans Bunny Baby #19); Dark Brown (#336); Furry Brown (YarnArt Mink #333) for forelock; Red (#26) for collar.
• DK Weight Cotton/Acrylic Yarn (YarnArt Jeans, 50g/160m): Red, White, Pink for fine scarves.
• Crochet Hooks: 3.5 mm (main toys), 2.5 mm (Cindy’s hair and braids), 2.0 mm (striped scarves).
• Eyes & Noses: 8 mm sewing eye beads (or safety eyes); 12×10 mm black/brown safety nose for Max.
• Notions: High-grade polyester fiberfill, tapestry needle, stitch markers, black and pink embroidery floss.

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Character 1: The Plush Grinch (10 cm / 3.9 inches)

Body & Head (Worked Bottom to Top in Pistachio Plush Yarn, 3.5 mm Hook)

Stuff firmly with fiberfill as you crochet:

• Round 1: 7 sc into a magic ring. [7]
• Round 2: 7 inc. [14]
• Round 3: (1 sc, inc) × 7. [21]
• Round 4 (Seamless Feet): In Back Loops Only (BLO): 7 sc, HDC 3 together (first foot), 4 sc, HDC 3 together (second foot), 8 sc. [21]
• Rounds 5 – 7 (3 rounds): 21 sc. [21]
• Round 8: (5 sc, dec) × 3. [18]
• Round 9 (Seamless Arms): 6 sc; chain 7 and starting in 3rd ch from hook: HDC inc, 4 sl st (first arm); 6 sc; chain 7 and starting in 3rd ch from hook: HDC inc, 4 sl st (second arm); 6 sc. [18]
• Round 10: (1 sc, dec) × 6. [12]
• Round 11: 12 sc. [12]
• Round 12 (Head Expansion): 12 inc. [24]
• Round 13 (Cheeks Expansion): 11 sc, 4 inc in center front, 9 sc. [28]
• Rounds 14 – 15 (2 rounds): 28 sc. [28]
• Round 16: 9 sc, 2 dec, 4 sc in center, 2 dec, 7 sc. [24]
• Round 17: 24 sc. [24]
• Round 18: (2 sc, dec) × 6. [18]

(If using safety eyes, install between Rounds 17 and 18, leaving 5 sc between the eye stems).

• Round 19: 18 sc. [18]
• Round 20: (1 sc, dec) × 6. [12]
• Rounds 21 – 22 (2 rounds): 12 sc. [12]
• Round 23: 6 dec. [6]

Fasten off, weave tail through remaining 6 stitches, pull tight to close, and hide yarn end inside.

Grinch Forelock (Pistachio Plush Yarn)

Attach yarn directly to top of head:

• Ch 3, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 2 sl st, sl st into base.
• Ch 4, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 3 sl st, sl st into top.
• Ch 3, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 2 sl st, sl st into base.

Fasten off, cut yarn, and hide tails inside head.

Grinch Face Embroidery & Eye Sculpting

1. Eye Sockets: Sculpt indentations at Rounds 17–18 with sewing thread. Sew 8 mm eye beads into sockets.
2. Eye Whites: With white plush yarn, stitch small white crescents along the outer bottom edges of each eye.
3. Eyelashes: Embroider tiny diagonal eyelashes at outer corners with black thread.
4. Eyebrows: In Round 19, embroider angled eyebrows with dark khaki thread (2 sc wide, 3 sc apart).
5. Nose: Centered between Rounds 16 and 17, make 2 horizontal stitches 1 sc wide with khaki thread.
6. Smile: Embroider the Grinch’s signature mischievous asymmetric smirk curving up into the cheeks.

Grinch Candy-Cane Striped Scarf (2.0 mm Hook, YarnArt Jeans)

Worked in back-and-forth rows. Ch 1 and turn at the beginning of each row:

• With Red: Ch 3, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 2 sc, ch 1, turn. [2]
• Rows 2 – 3: Change to White, 2 sc, ch 1, turn. [2]
• Rows 4 – 5: Change to Red, 2 sc, ch 1, turn. [2]
• Repeat Rows 2–5 alternating 2 rows White and 2 rows Red until scarf reaches approx. 22 cm (8.5 inches). Fasten off and weave in ends.

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Character 2: Cindy Lou Who (10 cm / 3.9 inches)

Body & Head (Starts in Bright Pink, 3.5 mm Hook)

Stuff with fiberfill as you crochet:

• Round 1: 7 sc into a magic ring. [7]
• Round 2: 7 inc. [14]
• Round 3: (1 sc, inc) × 7. [21]
• Round 4 (Seamless Feet): In BLO: 7 sc, HDC 3 together (first foot), 4 sc, HDC 3 together (second foot), 8 sc. [21]
• Rounds 5 – 7 (3 rounds): 21 sc. [21]
• Round 8: (5 sc, dec) × 3. [18]
• Round 9 (Seamless Arms): 6 sc; chain 7 and starting in 3rd ch from hook: HDC inc, 4 sl st (arm); 6 sc; chain 7 and starting in 3rd ch from hook: HDC inc, 4 sl st (arm); 6 sc. [18]
• Round 10: (1 sc, dec) × 6. [12]
• Round 11: 12 sc. [12]

Change to Skin / Beige plush yarn. Cut pink yarn and secure:

• Round 12 (Head Expansion): 12 inc. [24]
• Round 13 (Cheeks Expansion): 11 sc, 4 inc in center front, 9 sc. [28]
• Rounds 14 – 15 (2 rounds): 28 sc. [28]
• Round 16: 9 sc, 2 dec, 4 sc in center, 2 dec, 7 sc. [24]
• Round 17: 24 sc. [24]
• Round 18: (2 sc, dec) × 6. [18]

(If using safety eyes, install between Rounds 16 and 17, 5 sc apart).

• Round 19: 18 sc. [18]
• Round 20: (1 sc, dec) × 6. [12]
• Round 21: 6 dec. [6]

Fasten off, pull tight to close opening, and weave tail inside.

Cindy Lou Face Details

• Eye Sculpting: Sculpt eye sockets between Rounds 16 and 17. Sew 8 mm black eye beads.
• Eye Whites & Lashes: Embroider white plush yarn on outer corners; embroider delicate upper eyelashes and black eyebrows in Round 18 (2 sc wide, 3 sc apart).
• Nose: With beige thread between Rounds 15 and 16, make 2 small horizontal stitches 1 sc wide.
• Smile: In Round 14, embroider a sweet pink smile with cotton thread.

Cindy Lou Hair Wig (Yellow Plush Fine Yarn, 2.5 mm Hook)

• Round 1: 6 sc into MR. [6]
• Round 2: 6 inc. [12]
• Round 3: (1 sc, inc) × 6. [18]
• Round 4: (2 sc, inc) × 6. [24]
• Round 5: (3 sc, inc) × 6. [30]
• Round 6: (4 sc, inc) × 6. [36]
• Round 7: 36 sc. [36]
• Round 8 (Hair Strands): *(Chain 8, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 7 sc; skip 1 st on cap, sl st in next st)* — repeat around cap until you have 18 curly strands.

Wig Assembly: Place wig cap onto Cindy’s head. Pin 14 strands toward the back and sides. Leave 4 strands centered on the forehead for bangs. Sew securely to the head.

Cindy Lou Braids & Red Bows (Make 2 of Each)

Braids (Make 2):

• With Red yarn and 2.5 mm hook: Ch 6, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 1 sc.
• Change to Yellow yarn, cut red: *(Chain 12, starting in 2nd ch from hook: 11 sl st, sl st in next foundation chain st)* — repeat 2 times.
• Braid the strands together neatly.

Red Hair Bows (Make 2):

• With Red yarn: Ch 2, in 2nd ch from hook work: 1 DC, ch 2, sl st in base, ch 2, 1 DC in base, ch 2, sl st in base.
• Fasten off leaving a tail. Wrap tail around center 4 times to form bow knot. Tie to bottom of braid. Sew completed braids to sides of Cindy’s head.

Cindy Lou Striped Scarf (2.0 mm Hook)

Ch 3, 2 sc per row alternating 2 rows Pink and 2 rows White until approx. 20 cm long.

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Character 3: Max the Puppy Dog (10 cm / 3.9 inches)

Body & Head (Worked in Caramel Brown Plush Yarn, 3.5 mm Hook)

Stuff with fiberfill as you crochet:

• Round 1: 7 sc into MR. [7]
• Round 2: 7 inc. [14]
• Round 3: (1 sc, inc) × 7. [21]
• Round 4 (Seamless Paws & Tail): In BLO: 7 sc, HDC 3 together (first paw), 4 sc, HDC 3 together (second paw), 8 sc; chain 5 and starting in 2nd ch from hook: 4 sc (tail). [21]
• Rounds 5 – 7 (3 rounds): 21 sc. [21]
• Round 8: (5 sc, dec) × 3. [18]
• Round 9 (Seamless Front Paws): 6 sc; chain 7 and starting in 3rd ch from hook: HDC inc, 4 sl st (front paw); 6 sc; chain 7 and starting in 3rd ch from hook: HDC inc, 4 sl st (front paw); 6 sc. [18]
• Round 10: (1 sc, dec) × 6. [12]
• Round 11: 12 sc. [12]
• Round 12 (Muzzle Expansion): 5 sc inc, 3 DC inc (sculpts the curved muzzle), 4 sc inc. [24]
• Round 13: 11 sc, 4 DC inc in center, 9 sc. [28]
• Rounds 14 – 15 (2 rounds): 28 sc. [28]
• Round 16: 9 sc, 6 dec in center across snout, 7 sc. [22]
• Round 17: 22 sc. [22]
• Round 18: (2 sc, dec) × 5, 2 sc. [17]

(If using safety eyes, install between Rounds 16 and 17, 5 sc apart).

• Round 19: 17 sc. [17]
• Round 20: (1 sc, dec) × 5, 2 sc. [12]
• Round 21: 6 dec. [6]

Fasten off, pull tight to close opening, and hide yarn tail inside.

Max Face, Floppy Ears & Furry Forelock

1. Eye Sculpting: Sculpt eye sockets between Rounds 16 and 17. Sew 8 mm eye beads; stitch white plush crescent highlights on outer eye edges.
2. Nose: Install 12×10 mm safety dog nose in center of muzzle between Rounds 14 and 15.
3. Eyebrows & Smile: Embroider black eyebrows in Round 18 (2 sc wide, 3 sc apart). Embroider cute puppy mouth in Round 13.
4. Floppy Ears (Make 2 directly on Head): Attach Dark Brown plush yarn in Round 19 (skip 4 stitches from eyes, ears are 7 sts apart): ch 10, starting in 3rd ch from hook: 8 DC. Skip 2 sts, sl st into next st. Fasten off and hide tails.
5. Furry Forelock: With brown YarnArt Mink furry yarn, make 8–10 fluffy stitches on the crown of Max’s head to create his adorable tuft.
6. Red Collar: With red yarn, chain 35. Tie snugly around Max’s neck in a double knot and hide ends inside body.