Jack Skellington Free Crochet Pattern

And now for something completely different!

If you’re familiar with my patterns (or if you browsed around the blog at all), you will know that this type of pattern is not my usual design. But, I love all types of amigurumi and crocheting in general, and it’s fun to mix it up sometimes!

I don’t do commissions often but recently I was asked if I could make a Jack Skellington amigurumi for someone to give as a gift so I got to work drafting a pattern. I shared some of my progress pictures on Instagram and many of you said you would be interested in a pattern here on the blog so here we are!

The pattern is worked in the traditional amigurumi style (i.e. in the round) using US crochet terminology. It’s worked from the bottom up and, best of all, there’s very little sewing involved! Everything is worked seamlessly and crocheted together, except for the feet, the boot/wrist cuffs and the belt. 

I encourage you to follow the sequence of the pattern as I’ve laid it out. Since it’s made seamlessly, the arms and coattails must be completed first, before the body, so that you can attach them as you go.

Additionally, my patterns usually have a “Pattern” section and a separate “Assembly” section. However, since this pattern is done all in one piece, the “assembly” is done throughout the pattern itself, so make sure to read everything as you go!

Since Jack is so spindly, he doesn’t actually stand up on his own, but he would look great in a doll stand or sitting on a shelf! He is super fun to play with too! Not just to look at 🙂

His finished measurements are approximately 15.5″/40 cm tall. I decided to use craft wire throughout the entire pattern so that I could manipulate his arms, legs, and fingers. I also used it to get that crinkly look on his hat, and to stabilize his neck. That being said, you can make the entire pattern without any wire at all, but just be aware that his arms and his hat will not be able to stay in position and his head may be a bit wobbly from the weight of the hat.

Let’s get started! (Or Pin/Shop for later!)

If you’d prefer a downloadable or printable version of this pattern, an inexpensive, formatted, and ad-free PDF can be purchased HERE or through the “Shop It” button above!

Materials:

• 3.25mm hook;
• Caron Simply Soft in Harvest Red for suit;
• Bernat Super Value in White for hands and head;
• Bernat Super Value in Black for boots and belt; 
• Bernat Pipsqueak in Whitey White for cuffs/trim;
• Bernat Super Value in Topaz for sack;
• Black crochet thread for mouth;
• Black felt for eyes;
• Black sewing thread and sewing needle to sew on eyes;
• Red Heart Super Saver Chunky in Goldenrod for belt buckle (itty bitty amount);
• Lion Brand Homespun in Hepplewhite for beard;
• Stuffing;
• Craft wire and wire cutters (or sturdy scissors that you don’t mind using to cut wire);
• Chopstick or similar to help insert stuffing.

Reading and Working this Pattern:

This pattern is worked in continuous rounds (i.e. do not slst/join each round), so you will definitely want to use a stitch marker. You will want to work the stitches as tightly as possible to eliminate spaces so the stuffing doesn’t show through. 

Since the arms and legs are quite narrow, I used a chopstick to help insert the stuffing. You will need to insert stuffing consistently after every 3 or 4 rows.

Terms and Special Stitches:

MR – Magic Ring

Ch – chain

Slst – Slip stitch

Sc – single crochet

Inc – increase (work 2 sc in the same st)

Dec – decrease (work 2 sc together). Whenever I decrease in the round, I always use the invisible decrease. I recommend you do too.

Hdc – Half double crochet

Hdc2tog – Half double crochet two together (i.e. a hdc decrease)

BLO – Back Loops Only

Fpdc – Front post double crochet

Bpdc – Back post double crochet

Hands and Arms (with 3.25mm hook):

To make the arms, we need to start with the hands and fingers. Unfortunately, this is by far the worst most tedious and fiddly part of this pattern. Luckily, we’re going to get it out of the way right off the bat!

First thing’s first, if you are using wire, cut a very long length of it, fold it over and twist it together to make a shorter, stronger piece of wire. Then, starting with the pinky finger, fold a small section of the wire over on itself at one end and twist together to make the first finger. Continue doing this until you have five fingers. Leave the remaining wire attached (this will go up through the arm; refer to the photos below if you’re unsure).

Rnd 1: Ch 5, join chs together to create a circle and sc 5 around (5 sts)

Rnd 2: Sc around (5 sts)

Rnd 3: Inc in each stitch around (10 sts)

Rnd 4: Sc around (10 sts)

Rnd 5: Sc around (10 sts)

Now, insert your wire into the hand so that the crocheted hand is sitting beneath the wire fingers. The crocheted hand has 10 stitches. We are going to crochet into two stitches back and forth to crochet up and around each finger (2 sts per finger x 5 fingers = 10 sts). Take a look at the second photo below to see how the stitches will be matched up; use the stitches marked “A” for the thumb, the stitches marked “B” for the pointer, and so on. We will finish 1 finger first and then move on to the next. Start with the thumb. The key to making the fingers is to keep your stitches a bit on the looser side, so you can turn easily.

First finger: Sc into next st (marked “A”), then skip 8 sts and sc into the last st of the round (also marked “A” i.e. the st on the opposite side). Continue crocheting around these two sts until the thumb is covered, about 3 rounds. Tie off. Weave tail down through the thumb to cover any wire that may be showing through.

Rnd 6: Reattach white yarn in the st next to the thumb and crochet around remaining sts (8 sts)

Second Finger: Sc into the st next to the thumb (the st marked “B”), then skip 6 sts and sc into the last st of the round (the other st marked “B”, i.e. the st on the opposite side). Sc back and forth into these two stitches to crochet up and around the wire for the pointer finger until wire is covered. Tie off. Weave yarn tail down through finger.

Third Finger: Reattach yarn and sc into the st next to the pointer finger (marked “C”), then skip 4 sts and sc into the last st (marked “C”). Crochet around until wire is covered and tie off. Weave in tail.

Fourth Finger: Reattach yarn and sc into the next st (marked “D”), then skip 2 sts and sc into the last st (marked “D”). Crochet around the wire as usual until covered. Tie off. Weave in tail.

Fifth Finger: Reattach yarn and sc into the next st (marked “E”), sc in last st (also marked “E”). Crochet back and forth around wire until pinky finger is covered. Tie off. Weave in tail.

When crocheting the arm, be sure to use your chopstick or dowel to stuff after every 3 or 4 rounds. Also, I kept the wire in place by crocheting the first stitch of every round around the wire to keep it secure.

Now, turn the hand over so that the fingers are pointing down. Continue to row 7 below.

Rnd 7: Attach the red yarn into the beginning chains of the hand and sc in each ch around (5 sts)

Rnds 8-33: Sc around (5 sts)

Tie off. Repeat all of the above for the second arm and set them aside for later.

Coattails (with 3.25mm hook):

The coattails are worked as a flat panel. We will make the two flaps and then join them together. In red:

Row 1: Ch 2, sc 1 (1 st)

Row 2: Inc (2 sts)

Rows 3-4: Sc across (2 sts)

Row 5: Inc in each st (4 sts)

Rows 6-12: Sc across (4 sts)

Tie off. Repeat rows 1-12 for second flap. Now, place both flaps next to each other and crochet across both of them in row 13:

Row 13: Sc 3, inc twice, sc 3 (10 sts)

Rows 14-17: Sc across (10 sts)

Row 18: Inc, sc 8, inc (12 sts)

Row 19: Sc across (12 sts)

Do not tie off. Ch 1 and crochet around the entire panel. Slst to first st to join and tie off. Weave yarn tail in.

Move on to the body section below!

Legs (with 3.25mm hook):

If you are using wire, cut two long lengths (about 40cm/15″), double each of them up and twist together to make two strong pieces (you can cut an even longer length and double it up two times if you want the legs to be super duper pliable and sturdy). The wire will go up through each leg; to secure it in place, crochet the wire into the first st of each round, just as we did with the arms.

Start in black:

Rnd 1: Ch 5, join the chains with a slst to create a circle and sc in each ch around (5 sts)

Rnds 2-9: Sc around (5 sts)

Switch to red. When switching colours, insert your hook into the last st of row 9, pull up a loop in black, then join the red and pull through both loops with red. Continue with red:

Rnd 10: Sc around (5 sts)

Rnds 11-45: Sc around (5 sts)

Remember to stuff the leg after every 3 or 4 rounds and crochet the wire into the first st of each round to secure it in place.

Tie off. Repeat rows 1-45 for second leg and continue to the body section below.

Body (with 3.25mm hook):

Now we will join the legs together by crocheting 5 sc around the first leg and then 5 sc around the second leg in one continuous round:

Rnd 46: Crochet around both legs to join them (10 sts)

Rnd 47: Sc around (10 sts)

Rnd 48: [Sc 4, inc], repeat [ ] once more (12 sts)

Rnd 49: Sc around (12 sts)

Now we will join the coattails to the body. The top of the coattail panel has 12 sts across and the body has 12 sts around, so to join them, you will wrap the coattails around the body, lining up the front and back of the coattails to the front and back of the body. In row 50, sc through both the panel and the body in each st around to attach them.

Rnd 50: Sc coattails to body (12 sts)

Rnd 51: [Sc 5, inc], repeat [ ] once more (14 sts)

Rnds 52-53: Sc around (14 sts)

Rnd 54: [Sc 6, inc], repeat [ ] once more (16 sts)

Rnd 55: [Sc 3, inc], repeat [ ] three times more (20 sts)

Rnd 56: [Sc 4, inc], repeat [ ] three times more (24 sts)

Rnd 57: Sc around (24 sts)

Rnd 58: [Sc 7, inc], repeat [ ] twice more (27 sts)

Rnds 59-61: Sc around (27 sts)

Rnd 62: [Sc 8, inc], repeat [ ] twice more (30 sts)

Rnd 63: Sc around (30 sts)

Now we will attach the arms.

Rnd 64: Sc 12, sc 5 around first arm, sc 15, sc 5 around second arm, sc 3 (40 sts)

Rnd 65: Dec around (20 sts)

Rnd 66: Dec around (10 sts)

Stop here and stuff.

Rnd 67: [Sc 3, dec], repeat [ ] once more (8 sts)

Now we will start the neck. Switch to white.

Rnd 68: In BLO, sc around (8 sts)

Rnds 69-70: Sc around (8 sts)

Rnd 71: Inc around (16 sts)

Rnd 72: [Sc, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (24 sts)

Rnd 73: [Sc 2, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (32 sts)

Rnd 74: [Sc 3, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (40 sts)

Rnd 75: [Sc 4, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (48 sts)

Rnds 76-85: Sc around (48 sts)

This is where I stopped and stitched on the mouth using black crochet thread. I recommend doing it now so that you will have room to get your hand inside and stitch it in place.

Stitch a long, curved mouth. The mouth spans about four rows in height at either end and then curves up one row in the middle. When stitching on the mouth, I used black sewing thread and a sewing needle to actually sew the crochet thread in place but you could easily just stitch it on through the stitches of the head like normal. To finish the mouth, make small vertical stitches all the way across.

Rnds 86-88: Sc around (48 sts)

Rnd 89: [Sc 6, dec], repeat [ ] five more times (42 sts)

Rnd 90: [Sc 5, dec], repeat [ ] five more times (36 sts)

This is where I stopped and stitched on the nose and eyes. 

With black felt, cut out two ovals approximately 20mm wide and 26mm long. Place them at a bit of an angle to each other. Using your black sewing thread and sewing needle, sew the ovals into the head. Then, using black yarn, make two small stitches between the eyes for the nostrils. I also used black crochet thread to make some stitches above and below the eyes to frame the eyes a bit and give Jack a more sinister look.

Rnd 91: [Sc 4, dec], repeat [ ] five more times (30 sts)

Rnd 92: [Sc 3, dec], repeat [ ] five more times (24 sts)

Rnd 93: [Sc 2, dec], repeat [ ] five more times (18 sts)

Rnd 94: [Sc, dec], repeat [ ] five more times (12 sts)

Rnd 95: Dec around (6 sts)

Tie off, leaving a long tail for closing. Stuff the head fully.

You should also insert a dowel or some wire to reinforce the neck now, before you close. Once the hat is on, his head will be a bit wobbly from the extra weight. I didn’t have a dowel so I used some wire. To do this, I took a (really) long piece of wire and doubled it up, twisting it together, then doubled it up again, and then one final time to make a super thick, sturdy piece of wire. I then inserted it down through the head, right down into the torso.

Weave the tail up and down through the remaining stitches then down through the opening and out a stitch in the back of the head. Tug on the tail to close the top. Poke yarn tail back into the piece using the back of your tapestry needle.

Yay! Just the finishing touches left now! Scroll down for the rest of our regularly scheduled pattern after this onslaught of photos:

Feet (with 3.25mm hook):

Rnd 1: In black, MR 5 (5 sts)

Rnds 2-5: Sc around (5 sts)

Tie off, leaving a tail for closing. Stuff the foot. Weave tail up and down through the stitches, then down through the middle and out a stitch in the side. Pull yarn tail to close and poke the tail back inside. 

Repeat rounds 1-5 for second foot. Sew them to the bottom of the legs.

Boot and Wrist Cuffs (with 3.25mm hook):

Row 1: Using the fuzzy Pipsqueak yarn, Ch 9, sc across chains (8 sts)

Tie off, leaving a long tail for sewing it onto Jack. Make three more cuffs. Sew them onto Jack at the top of his boots and at the bottom of his sleeves.

Belt (with 3.25mm hook):

Row 1: In black, Ch 20, sc across (19 sts)

Depending on the yarn you are using and your tension, you may need more or less chains to make the belt fit comfortably around Jack’s torso. No worries! Modify your number of chains as necessary! 

Sew the belt onto the torso using black yarn. When secure, poke the yarn tails inside. Finish the belt by making three stitches in yellow (I used a chunky yarn to make it more pronounced) in the shape of a square (but with only three sides! The top, left and bottom.)

Hat (with 3.25mm hook):

Starting with the fuzzy Pipsqueak yarn, we will make the band first in one long panel and then join the panel to make a circle. You may need less or more rows in order to ensure the band of the hat fits snugly around Jack’s head; adjust your number of rows as necessary.

Row 1: Ch 5, sc across (4 sts)

Rows 2-33: In BLO, sc across (4 sts).

Do not tie off. Instead, line up the short ends of the panel and sc them together to make a circle. Turn the band right-side out so that the seam is facing inward. Ch 1 and continue to round 34 below:

Rnd 34: Sc evenly around the band using fuzzy Pipsqueak yarn (40 sts). Slst to beginning st to join.

Now we will switch to red. Join your red yarn and chain 1. All rounds will be worked continuously from now on. 

You will also want to insert a length of wire here as well (doubled up, twisted together, and then doubled up and twisted again). Secure it by crocheting the wire into the first st of each round (you will need to hold it in place for the first 2 or 3 rounds so it doesn’t slip out of place).

Rnd 35: In red, Hdc around (40 sts)

Rnd 36: [Hdc 8, hdc2tog], repeat [ ] three more times (36 sts)

Rnd 37: [Hdc 4, Hdc2tog], repeat [ ] five more times (30 sts)

Rnd 38: [Hdc 3, hdc2tog], repeat [ ] five more times (24 sts)

Rnd 39: [Hdc 2, hdc2tog], repeat [ ] five more times (18 sts)

Rnds 40-42: Hdc around (18 sts)

Rnd 43: [Hdc, hdc2tog], repeat [ ] five more times (12 sts)

Rnds 44-46: Hdc around (12 sts)

Rnd 47: Hdc2tog around (6 sts)

Rnds 48-65: Hdc around (6 sts).

Tie off. Your wire should now be secured through the stitches all the way down the inside of the hat. Feel free to shape it with some zigzag shapes, or whatever you please!

Pompom (with 3.25mm hook):

Rnd 1: Using fuzzy Pipsqueak yarn, MR 6 (6 sts)

Rnd 2: Inc around (12 sts)

Rnd 3: [Sc 2, inc], repeat [ ] three more times (16 sts)

Rnds 4-6: Sc around (16 sts)

Rnd 7: [Sc, dec], repeat [ ] three more times (12 sts)

Rnd 8: Dec around (6 sts).

Stuff pompom. Tie off, leaving a long tail for closing and for sewing onto the hat. Weave yarn tail through the stitches and tug to close. Sew the pompom to the end of the hat. If there is any wire sticking out of the end of the hat, you can insert it right into the pompom to make it even more secure. Snip off any extra wire if it’s too long to fit inside the pompom.

Beard (with 3.25mm hook):

The beard is worked in a flat panel using Lion Brand Homespun in Hepplewhite. I liked the bumpy/fuzzy texture of this yarn for the beard, but feel free to use the fuzzy Pipsqueak yarn instead if you prefer. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Row 1: Ch 2, sc (1 st)

Row 2: Inc (2 sts)

Row 3: Sc across (2 sts)

Row 4: Inc, sc (3 sts)

Rows 5-6: Sc across (3 sts)

Row 7: Sc, inc, sc (4 sts)

Row 8: Sc across (4 sts)

Row 9: Sc, inc, sc 2 (5 sts)

Rows 10-15: Sc across (5 sts)

Row 16: Inc, sc 3, inc (7 sts)

Now we will crochet one of the “sideburns” if you will and then come back and do the other one after. So you will be crocheting only one stitch before chaining 1 and turning, etc to make a long column.

Rows 17-24: Sc (1 st).

Tie off. Reattach your yarn on the other side and repeat rows 17-24 but do not tie off. Instead, ch 1 and sc around the entire panel to finish it. If you want to sew your beard directly onto Jack’s head, you can stop here, join with a slst to beginning st and tie off. If you’d prefer to make the beard removable, continue to ch 25 and then slst to the other side to create a loop that you can put over Jack’s head but under his hat to secure his beard in place (you may need to adjust your number of chains, depending on tension, to get the right fit for your Jack). Weave in yarn tails. (Note that I took the below photo before I decided to add the loop to the beard! Check out the video if you want to see the loop in action)

Santa Sack (with 3.25mm hook):

The sack is worked in continuous rounds.

Rnd 1: MR 8 (8 sts)

Rnd 2: Inc around (16 sts)

Rnd 3: [Sc, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (24 sts)

Rnd 4: [Sc 2, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (32 sts)

Rnd 5: [Sc 3, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (40 sts)

Rnd 6: [Sc 4, inc], repeat [ ] seven more times (48 sts)

At this point, you will have a flat disc for the bottom of the bag. Now we will start working up the sides of the bag.

Rnd 7: In BLO, hdc around (48 sts)

Rnds 8-12: Hdc around (48 sts)

Rnd 13: [Hdc 6, hdc2tog], repeat [ ] five more times (42 sts)

Rnds 14-17: Hdc around (42 sts). Slst to join.

Rnd 18: Ch 2, [fpdc, bpdc], repeat [ ] around (42 sts). Join.

Rnd 19: Ch 2, 2 dc in each st around (84 sts)

Tie off.

Tie for Sack (with 3.25mm hook):

Row 1: Ch 101, slst across (100 sts)

Tie off and weave in yarn tails. Weave the tie in and out through the fpdc and bpdc sts of round 18. Pull together and tie a bow.

Hey, look at that! You made it! Congrats and enjoy! 

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