I’m sharing the third pattern in the Toy Box Crochet Along with CAL Central Crochet. To fit the In the Garden theme, I designed a crochet worm pattern for the Friendly Inchworm! This little fella stands on its own with a weighted base and wears a jaunty baseball cap. Change up the cap color to that of your favorite team, or even make multiple caps and change them out as the mood strikes you!
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I’m sharing this crochet worm pattern for the Toy Box Crochet Along with CAL Central Crochet! To join the Toy Box Crochet Along:
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Scroll down for the free crochet worm pattern for the Friendly Inchworm. Confession time: I’m not much of a gardener. Other than the pea shoot microgreens I grow on the windowsill during the spring, I don’t have any plants and I certainly don’t have a green thumb. So when I saw the theme of In the Garden for the Toy Box CAL, I thought about a snake. My friend Mary Beth steered me towards the much cuter inchworm instead.
I love crochet characters that stand on their own, so I thought an inchworm with a weighted base could be fun. It looked a little too plain when I was finished, and I thought a baseball cap with a brim that could be folded up or down was the perfect finishing touch to give this crochet worm pattern a bit more personality!
If you make your own Friendly Inchworm, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Bluesky as @UndergroundCrafter, Facebook as @UndergroundCrafter, or on Instagram as @ucrafter. You can also share a picture in the Underground Crafters Facebook group. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and get a coupon code for your choice of one of my premium patterns and private access to my vault of subscriber goodies. Plus, you’ll never miss one of my free patterns again!
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Friendly Inchworm
Crochet Worm Pattern by Underground Crafter
This crochet worm pattern stands on its own with a weighted base. It’s a no-sew project that you can adjust to be taller or shorter. Accessorize your inchworm with baseball caps in multiple colors! This is the third pattern in the Toy Box Crochet Along with CAL Central Crochet.
Finished Size
- Approximately 7.5” (19 cm) tall after stuffing.
Materials
- Big Twist Value yarn (100% acrylic, 6 oz/170 g, 380 yd/347 m) – 1 skein each in Slime (CA), Black (CB), and Chocolate Brown (CC), or approximately 95 yd (87 m) in CA, 1 yd (1 m) in CB, and 15 yd (14 m) in CC in any medium weight yarn.
- US Size E-4/3.5 mm crochet hook, or any size needed to obtain correct gauge.
- Yarn needle.
- Locking stitch markers.
- I used the MECHEER crochet hook set including yarn needles, stitch markers, scissors, measuring tape, and case.
- 6 mm black safety eyes – 1 pair.
- Fiber filling.
- Fairfield Poly-Fil Poly-Pellets weighted stuffing beads.
- Pair of stockings or tights.
Gauge
- Through Rnd 4 in pattern = 1.5” (4 cm) diameter. Exact gauge is not critical for this pattern. Stitches should be small so fiber filling doesn’t show through.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
- BL – back loop only – Fiber Flux has a helpful video tutorial demonstrating how to identify the back loop on crochet here.
- CA – Color A
- CB – Color B
- CC – Color C
- ch – chain
- FL – front loop only – A helpful video demonstrating how to identify the front loop is available below.
- If you can’t see the front loop video above, click HERE to watch it on YouTube.
- hdc – half double crochet
- invdec – invisible decrease – Insert hook in front loop only of each of next 2 sts, yo and draw up a loop, yo and draw through 2 loops. Planet June has helpful photo and video tutorials for the invisible decrease here.
- pm – place stitch marker
- rm – remove stitch marker
- Rnd(s) – Round(s)
- sc – single crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- yo – yarn over
- [] Repeat instructions within brackets as indicated.
Pattern Notes
- When choosing colors, note that CA is the color of the inchworm Body, CB is the color of the Smile, and CC is the color of the Baseball Cap.
- Pattern for Body and through Rnd 7 on Baseball Cap are worked in the round in unjoined spirals with the right side facing out. Move the stitch marker up each round to mark position of the last stitch.
- Oombawka Design Crochet has helpful photo and video tutorials for starting with the magic adjustable ring here.
- A helpful video tutorial for the embroidery back stitch for embellishment on crochet is available at the end of this pattern.
- A helpful video demonstrating joining with a single crochet seam is available below.
- If you can’t see the video above demonstrating the single crochet seam, click HERE to watch it on YouTube.
Pattern Instructions
Body
- With CA, start at the crown of the Head with a magic adjustable ring (see Pattern Notes).
- Rnd 1: Ch 1, 6 sc in ring, tighten magic ring to close, pm in last st to mark position. (6 sts)
- Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] around. (18 sts)
- Rnd 4: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts] around. (24 sts)
- Rnd 5: Sc in each st around.
- Rnds 6-9: Repeat Round 5, 4 times.
- Position safety eyes approximately 3 rounds above between Rnds 6 & 7. When satisfied with positions, secure by attaching washers firmly inside.
- Rnd 10: [Invdec, sc in next 2 sts] around. (18 sts)
- Thread yarn needle with a strand of CB approximately 12” (30.5 cm) long. Use the embroidery back stitch (see Pattern Notes) to create Smile. Secure CB firmly with knots on inside.
- Rnd 11: [Invdec, sc in next st] around. (12 sts).
- Stuff Head firmly.
- Rnds 12-13: Repeat Rnd 5 twice.
Second Body Segment
- Rnds 14-15: Repeat Rnds 3-4 once.
- Rnds 16-20: Repeat Rnd 5, 5 times.
- Rnds 21-22: Repeat Rnds 10-11 once.
- Rnd 23-24: Repeat Rnd 5 twice.
- Stuff previous segment of Body firmly.
Third Body Segment
- Rnds 25-35: Repeat Rnds 14-24 once.
- Stuff previous segment of Body firmly.
- Continue on to Final Body Segment, or if you’d like a longer inchworm, continue to repeat Rnds 25-35. Please note that a longer inchworm many not stand on its own even with a weighted Base.
Final Body Segment
- Rnds 36-42: Repeat Rnds 14-20 once. Fasten off CA. Do not stuff.
Base of Body
- Repeat as for Body through Rnd 4. Do not fasten off.
- Cut off toe of stocking. Pour 1 to 1.5 tablespoon of Poly-Pellets into stocking foot. Do not overstuff. Tie top of stocking with a knot. Insert stocking with knot side up into the Body.
- Join Base of Body to Body with single crochet seam (see Pattern Notes) as follows: insert hook into BL on Base and on Body and scBL into each st around. Join with sl st. Fasten off CA. With yarn needle, weave in remaining yarn tails on inside of Body.
Baseball Cap
- With CC, repeat as for Body through Rnd 7, rm.
- Begin working in short rows to form Brim.
- Row 1: SlstFL in next 2 sts, scFL in next 2 sts, hdcFL in next 2 sts, scFL in next 2 sts, slstFL in next 2 sts, skip remaining 14 sts. (10 sts)
- Row 2: Skip first st, sl st in next st, sc in next 2 sts, hdc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, sl st in next st, skip next st. (8 sts)
- Row 3: Skip first st, sl st in next st, sc in next st, hdc in next 2 sts, sc in next st, sl st in next st, skip next st. (6 sts)
- Fasten off CC. With yarn needle, weave in remaining yarn tails on inside of Baseball Cap. Inchworm can wear the Baseball Cap with the Brim up (fold along unworked back loops at Row 1) or down.
