Meet the sweetest little dancer in the barnyard — this ballerina cow amigurumi pairs a soft plush body with tiny horns, embroidered lashes, and a gathered tulle tutu that makes her feel like a proper prima ballerina. She’s a wonderful nursery decor piece or a one-of-a-kind handmade gift.
This is a detailed master class style pattern — every part is explained step by step, right down to gathering the tutu skirt. Basic crochet skills (magic ring, increases, decreases, working in the round) are all you need to get started.
Table of contents
Materials
- 2 skeins of white plush yarn and 1 skein of pink yarn (or any colors you like that coordinate well together)
- Hollow fiberfill or synthetic down stuffing
- Thread matching the yarn color, for sewing the pieces together
- Black thread, for embroidering the eyebrows and eyelashes
- Any eyes you have available (2 cm eyes were used for the sample)
- A pair of buttons, for the nostrils
- Tulle or any fabric, for the skirt
- A head decoration of your choice — a ribbon, bow, lace, or flower
- Tools: a crochet hook, sewing needle, scissors, and a stitch marker
Pattern Instructions
Upper Legs (make 2)
Work in the round in a spiral. Start crocheting with pink yarn. Stuff only the very bottom part of the leg.
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring = 6 sc
- Rnd 2: 6 inc = 12 sc
- Rnd 3: (1 sc, inc) *6 = 18 sc
- Rnd 4: 18 sc in the back loop only = 18 sc
- Rnds 5–6: 18 sc
- Rnd 7: (2 sc, dec) *4, 2 sc = 14 sc
- Rnd 8: (2 sc, dec) *3, 2 sc = 11 sc
Change the yarn color to white.
- Rnds 9–25: 11 sc
Fold the two halves together and crochet them together with 5 sc. Fasten off and cut the yarn.
Lower Legs (make 2)
Work in the round in a spiral. Start crocheting with pink yarn. Stuff only the very bottom part of the leg.
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring = 6 sc
- Rnd 2: 6 inc = 12 sc
- Rnd 3: (1 sc, inc) *6 = 18 sc
- Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) *6 = 24 sc
- Rnd 5: 24 sc in the back loop only = 24 sc
- Rnds 6–7: 24 sc
- Rnd 8: (2 sc, dec) *6 = 18 sc
- Rnd 9: (2 sc, dec) *4, 2 sc = 14 sc
Change the yarn color to white.
- Rnds 10–33: 14 sc
Fold the two halves together and crochet them together with 6 or 7 sc, depending on how many you can make. Fasten off, cut the yarn.
Head
Work in the round in a spiral. Work in white (or any other color you like or that you have).
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring = 6 sc
- Rnd 2: 6 inc = 12 sc
- Rnd 3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 = 18 sc
- Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 = 24 sc
- Rnd 5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 = 30 sc
- Rnd 6–9: Work even = 30 sc
- Rnd 10: (4 sc, inc) ×6 = 36 sc
- Rnd 11: (2 sc, inc) ×12 = 48 sc
- Rnd 12–17: Work even = 48 sc
If you are using safety eyes, they can be inserted between Rounds 10 and 11, with 4–5 stitches between them.
- Rnd 18: (6 sc, dec) ×6 = 42 sc
- Rnd 19: (5 sc, dec) ×6 = 36 sc
- Rnd 20: (4 sc, dec) ×6 = 30 sc
- Rnd 21: (3 sc, dec) ×6 = 24 sc
Stuff the head firmly. Without cutting the yarn, continue crocheting the body.
Body
If you don't have enough yarn in the main color, use another color for the body — it will create a T-shirt-like effect.
- Rnd 22–23: Work even = 24 sc
- Rnd 24: 3 sc, place the upper leg and crochet it together with the leg using 5 sc, 7 sc, 5 sc on the second leg, 4 sc = 24 sc
- Rnd 25: (7 sc, inc) ×3 = 27 sc
- Rnd 26–27: Work even = 27 sc
- Rnd 28: (8 sc, inc) ×3 = 30 sc
- Rnd 29–30: Work even = 30 sc
- Rnd 31: (9 sc, inc) ×3 = 33 sc
- Rnd 32–33: Work even = 33 sc
- Rnd 34: (10 sc, inc) ×3 = 36 sc
- Rnd 35–36: Work even = 36 sc
- Rnd 37: (2 sc, inc) ×12 = 48 sc
- Rnd 38: (7 sc, inc) ×6 = 54 sc
- Rnds 39–47: Work even = 54 sc
- Rnd 48: 18 sc, place the lower leg and crochet them together with 6 sc, 18 sc, 6 sc together with the second lower leg, 6 sc = 54 sc
- Rnd 49: (7 sc, dec) ×6 = 48 sc
- Rnd 50: (6 sc, dec) ×6 = 42 sc
- Rnd 51: (5 sc, dec) ×6 = 36 sc
- Rnd 52: (4 sc, dec) ×6 = 30 sc
- Rnd 53: (3 sc, dec) ×6 = 24 sc
Stuff the body firmly.
- Rnd 54: (2 sc, dec) ×6 = 18 sc
- Rnd 55: (1 sc, dec) ×6 = 12 sc
- Rnd 56: 6 dec = 6 sc
Close the opening, cut the yarn, and hide the yarn end inside the body.
Ears (make 2)
Work in a spiral. Use white yarn or the main yarn color you are using. Do not stuff.
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring = 6 sc
- Rnd 2: (2 sc, inc) ×2 = 8 sc
- Rnd 3: (3 sc, inc) ×2 = 10 sc
- Rnd 4: (4 sc, inc) ×2 = 12 sc
- Rnd 5: (3 sc, inc) ×3 = 15 sc
- Rnd 6: (4 sc, inc) ×3 = 18 sc
- Rnd 7: (5 sc, inc) ×3 = 21 sc
- Rnd 8–9: Work even = 21 sc
- Rnd 10: Skip 5 stitches; in the 6th stitch from the hook, work 1 sc, 7 dec, sl st, cut the yarn, and hide the yarn end inside the ear
Sew the ears to the head using matching yarn.
Horns (make 2)
Work in a spiral. Use pink yarn or the additional color you are using.
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring = 6 sc
- Rnd 2: (1 sc, inc) ×3 = 9 sc
- Rnds 3–4: Work even = 9 sc
- Rnd 5: 3 sc, 3 inc, 3 sc = 12 sc
- Rnd 6: Work even = 12 sc
- Rnd 7: 3 sc, (1 sc, inc) ×3, 3 sc = 15 sc
Lightly stuff. Sew to the top of the head using matching yarn.
Muzzle
Work in the round, in a spiral around the foundation chain.
- 1. Ch 8, 6 sc starting in the second ch from the hook, 3 sc in one stitch, 5 sc, inc = 16 sc
- 2. inc, 5 sc, 3 inc, 5 sc, 2 inc = 22 sc
- 3. 1 sc, inc, 5 sc, (1 sc, inc) ×3, 5 sc, (1 sc, inc) ×2 = 28 sc
- 4. 2 sc, inc, 5 sc, (2 sc, inc) ×3, 5 sc, (2 sc, inc) ×2 = 34 sc
- 5. 3 sc, inc, 5 sc, (3 sc, inc) ×3, 5 sc, (3 sc, inc) ×2 = 40 sc
Try the muzzle on your cow. If it fits in size, you may skip Round 6 with increases — simply work the next round even and finish.
- 6. 4 sc, inc, 5 sc, (4 sc, inc) ×3, 5 sc, (4 sc, inc) ×2 = 46 sc
- 7. Work even = 46 sc
Fasten off and cut the yarn.
Finishing
Sew the muzzle to the head below the eyes using matching thread. Before sewing the last 2 cm, stuff the muzzle evenly, then finish sewing it closed. Sew buttons onto the muzzle as nostrils.
Glue on the eyes. Embroider the eyelashes and eyebrows with black thread. Add a head decoration of your choice.
Skirt
For the skirt, use tulle: 10 cm wide and at least 2 meters long — the longer it is, the fuller the skirt will be (two strips measuring 10 × 200 cm were used for the sample).
Thread a matching thread into a needle (doubled embroidery floss works well). Gather the tulle along the edge using a running stitch with the threaded needle. Leave the threads at the edges of the skirt, tie knots at the ends, and tie the skirt around your cow.
Tips for a Polished Finish
- Stuff the leg bottoms only — leaving the upper portion of each leg unstuffed keeps them soft and floppy, which is what gives the finished cow her relaxed, sittable pose.
- Take your time gathering the tutu — a slow, even running stitch along the tulle edge gives a much fuller, more even gather than rushing it.
- Angle the eyelash embroidery outward — this small detail is what gives the cow her sweet, feminine expression.
- Try the muzzle on before finishing it — the pattern's optional Round 6 lets you fine-tune the fit, so pause and check before committing to the last few rounds.
- Use two strips of tulle for extra fullness — as the designer notes, doubling up the tulle strips makes a noticeably fluffier tutu than a single strip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different fabric for the skirt instead of tulle?
Do I need safety eyes, or can I use something else?
Why does the pattern suggest changing body color if I run low on yarn?
Can I skip the tutu and leave the cow without a skirt?
How long does this pattern take to make?
Conclusion
And there she is — your very own ballerina cow, tutu, horns, sweet lashes and all! Between the color-changed legs, the shaped muzzle, and gathering that tulle skirt, this pattern is a lovely mix of crochet and simple sewing techniques. Thank you for crocheting along — I can't wait to see how your cow turns out, tutu color and all.
I'd love to see your finished ballerina cows! Tag me or share your makes online — happy crocheting! 🐄🩰