Free Velvet Snake Amigurumi Pattern: Crochet Your Own Cuddly Serpent

Soft velvet yarn turns a simple crochet snake into a toy you want to pick up. This free velvet snake amigurumi pattern is written for all skill levels, so a first time toy maker and a seasoned crocheter can both work it.

The finished serpent is cute, huggable, and just as happy coiled on a shelf as it is tucked into a child’s arms.

The design comes from a site that features free amigurumi crochet patterns, and the steps below follow that source closely: the same yarns, the same hooks, the same stitch counts.

If you want to read the original free velvet snake amigurumi pattern exactly as the designer wrote it, the source page is worth opening. For another soft toy project in the same spirit, our duck crochet amigurumi free pattern collection is a friendly next step.

List of Materials Needed:

Everything in this project is soft, thick, and easy to hold, which is exactly why velvet style yarn suits a snake so well. Gather the full list before you start so you can keep the same yarn and the same hook from the first stitch to the last.

The sample in the original pattern used 2 skeins of YarnArt DOLCE and 1 skein of Himalaya Dolphin Baby, for 3 skeins in total.

The two yarns sit comfortably next to each other in the same turquoise family, and the designer notes that the yarn color may vary slightly. That small difference becomes part of the charm once the body is worked.

Color changes happen on the body in a simple repeating rhythm: 4 rows, then 2 rows, then 4 rows, then 2 rows, and so on. Plan your skeins around that sequence so the next color is always ready when you need it.

The 3.5 to 4.0 mm hook handles the thick velvet yarn for the head, body, and tail. Switch to the 2.0 mm hook only for the tongue, where the thinner cotton yarn needs a much smaller hook to keep the stitches tight and narrow.

All pattern calculations are based on the specified yarns. If you substitute a different weight, the stitch counts still work, but the finished size and the look of the fabric will change.

Keep the two body yarns together in one bag so the 4 row and 2 row color rhythm never slows you down.

Abbreviations:

The pattern uses a short list of standard crochet abbreviations. Read them once and the round by round instructions become much quicker to follow.

• MR means magic ring
• ch means chain
• SC means single crochet
• INC means increase
• DEC means decrease

A note in brackets such as (2SC, INC) x n means you repeat everything inside the brackets n times. The number at the end of a row, for example (20), tells you how many stitches you should have when that row is finished.

Counting that number at the end of each row is the simplest way to catch a mistake early, before it changes the shape of the head.

PATTERN

The pattern is divided into five parts: Head, Body, Tail, Tongue, and Head Decoration. Work them in that order. The head begins with a short chain and is worked around it, and the body continues straight from the last stitch of the head, so the yarn is never cut between those two sections.

Read through all five parts once before you pick up the hook. Keep a marker at the start of each round, because the head is worked in continuous rounds where the beginning and the end are easy to lose track of.

If you want to compare shapes before you commit to a long body, an easy crochet snake pattern beginner version shows how other designers handle the same taper, and the differences are useful to see before you choose your yarn.

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Head

Stuff the head lightly as you crochet it. Add small pinches of stuffing instead of one large ball, so the velvet fabric stays smooth and the shape keeps its roundness.

Round 7 is where the eyes will sit later. The two increases in that round open up a slightly wider area, and the eyes are placed between those increases, which keeps them evenly spaced across the face.

Rounds 15 and 16 pull the head back in with decreases, taking it from 32 stitches down to 28 and then to 24. Those last two rounds shape the neck, and the body carries on from the same 24 stitches without any break in the yarn.

Count your stitches at the end of every round in the head. One missed increase here changes where the eyes land later.

Body

The body picks up exactly where the head ends. Rounds 17 through 190 are worked as 24 single crochet in every round, with no increases and no decreases, so the snake keeps the same thickness from the neck all the way to the start of the tail.

Stuff the body lightly while you crochet. The pattern is clear on this point: firmer stuffing makes the body less flexible, and a stiff snake cannot coil the way it should. Light, even stuffing keeps the toy soft enough to bend and pose.

That long stretch of plain single crochet is also the easiest part of the project to carry around. Because the stitch count never changes, you can work a few rounds while you travel, and the color changes keep the rhythm interesting.

If you want the finished snake to curl into a coil, add the stuffing in small amounts as you go and check the flexibility with your hands before you close the tail.

Tail

The tail is shaped with one decrease at the beginning of each row. That single decrease is enough to narrow the body gradually, so the snake tapers to a point instead of ending in a blunt tip.

• Round 191: DEC, 22 SC, giving 23 stitches
• Round 192: DEC, 21 SC, giving 22 stitches
• Round 193: DEC, 20 SC, giving 21 stitches

From there, continue the same decrease at the beginning of every row until the tail narrows to a point. The final row in the source is a decrease followed by 3 single crochet, after which you cut the yarn and secure it.

One small note on the original text: the tail rows are numbered in a way that runs past the body numbering, and the last tail row is listed as Round 110.

That looks like a slip in the written pattern rather than a real change of direction, so it is safer to follow the taper itself. One decrease at the start of each row closes the tail neatly into a point.

Stuff the last part of the tail lightly as well, using the tip of your hook or a small tool to push the filling down. A tail that is packed too firmly will not curve.

Tongue

The tongue is a small forked piece worked in the dark gray cotton with the 2.0 mm hook. It takes only a few minutes, and it is the detail that makes the snake look alive.

1. Chain 16.
2. Single crochet into the second chain from the hook, then work 5 more single crochet.
3. Chain 6.
4. Single crochet into the second chain from the hook, then work 5 more single crochet.
5. Single crochet into each remaining chain of the first chain.

That short second chain creates the fork. Cut the yarn at the end, but leave a long tail. You will use that tail to sew the tongue to the head, and you can also use it to embroider the mouth line.

Keep the stitches firm and even. Cotton yarn does not hide small gaps the way velvet yarn does, so a steady tension on the 2.0 mm hook gives a cleaner tongue.

Head Decoration

The last step is placement. Before you sew anything, mark the points on the head so the face sits straight.

• Points 1 and 2: where the tongue is sewn
• Points 3 and 4: where the mouth is embroidered
• Point 5: where the eyes are attached

Mark the points first, then look at the head from the front and from the side. Move the marks before you sew if the face looks off center, because velvet yarn shows needle holes.

Sew on the tongue and the eyes, then embroider the mouth. The beads used for the eyes measure 8 to 10 mm, so they sit in proportion with the head without covering the increases from Round 7.

Use a strong thread for the beads and knot it firmly on the inside. If the snake is going to a small child, the eyes are the part to check twice. Sew them so they cannot be pulled loose, or replace them with embroidered eyes if the toy is meant for a baby.

When the tongue, mouth, and eyes are in place, the toy snake is finished. A light brush with your fingers settles the velvet fibers, and the snake is ready to coil on a shelf or travel to its new home.

If you enjoy small finishing projects in soft yarn, a free crochet pearl oyster keychain is a good way to use the yarn left over from the body.

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