Spooky Crochet Skulls & Skeletons | 10 Free Patterns
What is it about skeletons that fascinates us so much? Everybody has one. Yet when we find them outside the body, all of a sudden they’re spooky. Perhaps it’s what they represent—reverence for the dead, acceptance of our own mortality, or pure scientific curiosity. No matter why you’re drawn to skeletons, you can capture their intrigue with these crochet skeletons, skulls, and bones (free patterns).
From an amigurumi perspective, skeletons give us a wealth of opportunities for creative expression. Each bone itself has a unique shape, and they’re all combined in a complex structure. Translated into crochet, we can use all sorts of interesting amigurumi techniques to shape and attach each element.
These crochet skeleton patterns are a mix of creepy, cute, and even anatomically correct. Whether you like your Halloween scary or sweet (or a little of both), you will be able to create a gorgeous Halloween crochet project to proudly display your crochet artistry and technical skill!
I’ve collected these crochet skull and skeleton patterns with the permission of the designers and by using images they have authorized me to use. These patterns are all designed by REAL PEOPLE, no artificial intelligence involved, and will help you create the art that inspires you.
Find out more about getting the best patterns from safe, reputable sources.
Table of Contents
Life-Sized Anatomical Skeleton
Sugar Skull Reversible Amigurumi
Skelly Pig
by Hooked by Kati
This creepy cute Skeleton Guinea Pig (Skelly Pig for short) adds a playful element to your Halloween decor. To get the free PDF pattern, complete a Halloween treasure hunt around the Hooked by Kati website. You have until October 31st, 2024 to solve the clues and grab your free pattern. Sure, you can wait for the full pattern to come out later but then you’ll miss out on the fun of the treasure hunt!
Start the Treasure Hunt to find the pattern here.
Find and Follow Hooked by Kati (me!)
Bone Amigurumi
by Yarn Andy
One of the downsides of not having flesh is there’s nothing to hold the bones together. So naturally, sometimes all you may find of a skeleton is a single bone. You could work up this free pattern with a few different yarn weights and hook sizes to scatter around your home. They’d also make a great complement to some of the skulls in this roundup.
Find and Follow Yarn Andy
Crochet Skull + Skeleton
by Complicated Knots
Looking for a quick crochet project for Halloween? You can make this guy’s skull in less than an hour to use for a keychain or small decor accent. Or keep on going and crochet the whole skeleton. Free video tutorials are available for both the skull and the full skeleton. If you prefer written instructions, you can also purchase the PDF pattern.
Get the Skull Tutorial here and the Skeleton Tutorial here.
Find and follow Complicated Knots.
Skeleton Cat Amigurumi
by Little Crochet Farm
When you’re figuring out how to crochet a skeleton, one challenge is dealing with the open space between the bones. This adorable skeleton cat stuffie uses a black background to represent the negative space, with the bones embroidered on. This makes it great for little ones to squeeze and cuddle. This free crochet kitty pattern is part of a set, which includes a Cat Dracula and Mummy Cat as well.
Find and Follow Little Crochet Farm
Life-Sized Anatomical Skeleton
by Adventures into Anatomical Crochet
This realistic, life-sized crochet skeleton is as much a study in anatomy as it is a crochet pattern. Actually, it’s not a pattern but a collection of free patterns that includes every bone in the human body except for the ear bones! This is a challenging project that requires a significant time commitment, but with impressive results. However, the designer offers a smaller crochet skeleton pattern as well.
Get the links to all the patterns here.
Find and Follow Adventures into Anatomical Crochet
Pirate Skull
by The Nomad Knot
This skull pirate amigurumi comes with details characteristic of the live variety—a red bandana and an eye patch. The free pattern includes a photo tutorial that shows how to use pins to attach the parts in exactly the right place, which is a handy skill to have in your amigurumi toolkit. This skull plush fits in your hand and would be perfect to tuck into a Halloween treat bag.
Find and Follow The Nomad Knot
Crochet Skull/Sugar Skull
by Irene Strange for Gathered
You can keep this crochet skull simple or embellish it with floral appliques in celebration of Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). The eye sockets and nose hole are left open, then covered with black patches on the wrong side, which gives the impression of emptiness. This free pattern includes a detailed photo tutorial.
Find and Follow Irene Strange
Sugar Skull Reversible Amigurumi
by Underground Crafter
Here’s another fun skull amigurumi for Día de los Muertos. This reversible rag doll style softie displays a basic skull on one side and a colorful sugar skull on the other. The simple shapes are easy to create, making this the perfect free beginner amigurumi pattern for Halloween.
Find and Follow Underground Crafter
Small Skull + Mini Skull
If you’re looking for a quick but rewarding Halloween crochet pattern, look no further! These little skulls would make fun earrings or surprise additions to a candy bowl. The ultra miniature skull has only 40 stitches in the entire pattern. So while it’s a somewhat challenging pattern, you can still complete it in about 10 minutes—perfect for the experienced crocheter who’s short on time . You’ll find links to both skull patterns from the page linked below.
Find and Follow Club Crochet
Don’t you love these free crochet skulls, skeletons, and bones patterns?!
I hope you found an amazing new project and maybe even found a new designer to follow!
If you loved these, please follow the designers and share this post with others via social media or Pinterest.
For more free patterns from safe and reputable designers, check out all of the Hooked by Kati free patterns and all of my crochet pattern roundups!
Yarn on,
Kati