Want a cute fall ghost with a cozy twist? Crochet this little amigurumi with bobble-stitch arms, a ruffled skirt, and a ribbed purple beanie.
A tiny crochet ghost becomes even more charming when you give it a soft purple beanie. This crochet fall decoration combines a simple rounded ghost body with bobble-stitch arms, a playful ruffled hem, and a handmade ribbed hat that can be adjusted for a snug or relaxed fit.
The body is worked from the top down in continuous rounds, so you can shape the ghost, add the eyes, and create the skirt-like bottom without sewing separate arms or a base. Then you’ll make the crochet beanie as a flat ribbed rectangle, seam it into a tube, and cinch the top before folding up the brim.
Credit from littlespot
Materials and Tools
- 5-ply milk cotton yarn
- White for the ghost
- Purple for the beanie
- Black for the embroidered mouth
- 3.0 mm crochet hook
- Safety eyes
- Fiberfill stuffing
- Tapestry or yarn needle
- Stitch markers
- Scissors
- Blush: Optional, for the cheeks
Finished Size and Customization
With 5-ply milk cotton yarn and a 3.0 mm hook, the finished ghost will typically be around 3–4 inches tall, although your final size will depend on yarn, tension, and stuffing.
The easiest part to customize is the beanie. You can make it longer by adding more starting chains to Row 1, keeping in mind that part of the rectangle will later fold upward to form the brim. You can also add or remove rows to change the circumference of the finished hat.
For a different seasonal look, switch the purple beanie to orange, black, green, burgundy, or another color that works with your décor.
Abbreviations
This pattern uses US crochet terms.
- MR: Magic Ring
- sc: Single crochet
- inc: Increase – 2 sc in the same stitch
- dec: Decrease – invisible decrease recommended
- hdc: Half double crochet
- sl st: Slip stitch
- ch: Chain
- FLO: Front Loop Only
- BLO: Back Loop Only
Bobble Stitch
The bobble used for the ghost’s arms is made from 4 dc worked into the same stitch.
Yarn over, insert the hook into the stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through the first 2 loops. Repeat this process 3 more times in the same stitch until you have 5 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops.
Crochet the Ghost Body
Use white yarn and a 3.0 mm hook. Work the body in continuous rounds, placing a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round.
The body starts as a small circle and gradually widens before the lower section is shaped into the ghost’s ruffled skirt.
Round 1: Make a MR, ch 1, and work 6 sc into the ring. Pull the ring tight. [6 sts]
Round 2: Inc in each st around. [12 sts]
Round 3: [1 sc, inc] repeat around. [18 sts]
Round 4: [2 sc, inc] repeat around. [24 sts]
Rounds 5–9: Sc in each st around. [24 sts each round]
Add the Ghost’s Bobble Arms
The arms are created directly into the body rather than made separately.
Round 10: 10 sc, 1 bobble stitch, 3 sc, 1 bobble stitch, 9 sc. [24 sts]
The two bobbles should sit opposite one another around the body, creating the small raised arms on either side.
If you are using safety eyes, insert them between Rounds 6 and 7 now. Check their placement from the front before pushing the backs into position so the eyes sit evenly above the arms.
Rounds 11–13: Sc in each st around. [24 sts each round]
Create the Ruffled Ghost Skirt
The lower edge uses the front loops to create a soft ruffle. This is what gives the ghost its flowing, floating appearance.
Round 14: Working in FLO only, work [1 sl st and 2 hdc] in the first stitch, skip 1 stitch, then repeat [1 sl st and 2 hdc in the next stitch, skip 1 stitch] around. Join with a sl st to the first stitch.
Work this round with a relaxed tension. The extra hdc stitches need room to fan outward; pulling them tightly will make the ruffle look cramped instead of soft.
Build the Base Behind the Ruffle
Flip the ruffle upward so you can see the unworked back loops from Round 13.
Round 15: Working in the BLO of Round 13, ch 1 and sc in each back loop around. [24 sts]
This creates the lower section underneath the ruffle while leaving the decorative edge free.
Round 16: [2 sc, dec] repeat around. [18 sts]
Round 17: [1 sc, dec] repeat around. [12 sts]
Shape and Close the Ghost
Add fiberfill through the opening and stuff the ghost firmly enough to give it a rounded body, but avoid packing it so tightly that the stitches stretch open.
Once the shape looks even, cut the yarn leaving a long tail.
Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle and weave it in and out through the FLO of the remaining 12 stitches. Pull the yarn firmly to cinch the opening closed, then weave the end back into the body to hide it.
Give the Ghost a Simple Face
The safety eyes provide most of the expression, so the mouth can stay very simple.
Thread a needle with black yarn and embroider a short horizontal line between the eyes.
For a softer, sweeter expression, add a small amount of blush to each cheek.
Crochet the Purple Beanie
The beanie is worked flat rather than in rounds. You’ll first create a ribbed rectangle, then seam the short ends together and gather one opening closed.
Use purple yarn and the 3.0 mm hook.
Row 1: Make a slip knot and ch 12. Skip the first 2 chains from the hook. Starting in the 3rd ch, work 1 hdc in each ch across. [10 hdc]
Row 2: Ch 2; the turning chains do not count as a stitch. Turn and work 1 hdc in each stitch across through the BLO. [10 hdc]
Rows 3–15: Repeat Row 2. [10 hdc each row]
The original 15-row length is designed to fit the ghost’s head, but the hat can be adjusted before seaming.
Beanie Fit Check
Before sewing the beanie closed, wrap the rectangle around the ghost’s head.
The row count controls the circumference, while the original chain length controls the height of the ribbed panel. Remember that the bottom edge will be folded upward to create the brim, so don’t make the panel only as tall as the visible hat you want.
If the panel feels too tight around the head, add rows. If it looks too loose, remove a few.
Once the fit is right, cut the yarn leaving a long sewing tail.
Shape and Finish the Beanie
Seam the Hat
Thread the long purple tail onto your tapestry needle.
Fold the ribbed rectangle in half so the two short edges meet. Sew those edges together with a whip stitch. The ribbing is reversible, so either side can face outward.
Once the seam is secure, you should have a simple tube.
Cinch the Top
Keep the same yarn tail attached.
Thread the needle in and out around the edge of the top opening, working through the rougher row-edge stitches. Continue all the way around.
Pull the yarn gradually until the opening closes completely. Add a few extra stitches across the gathered center to secure it, then bring the yarn tail inside the beanie, tie it off, and weave in the end.
Fold the Brim
Turn the lower edge upward to form the beanie’s folded brim.
Place the finished hat over the ghost’s head and adjust it until the brim sits evenly around the top of the body.
Finish Your Cozy Ghost
Your ghost is now ready for fall decorating. The white body, raised bobble arms, and ruffled bottom give it a floating ghost shape, while the ribbed purple beanie adds a cozy seasonal detail.
For a small display, make several ghosts with different beanie colors. You can also vary the hat length and fit to give each ghost a slightly different personality while keeping the body pattern the same.
