Free Crochet Spider Pattern: Spook Your Friends (and Your Hook)

Whether you’re decorating for Halloween, adding to an amigurumi collection, or just someone who appreciates the eight-legged wonders of the world, a crocheted spider is one of those projects that delivers maximum impact for minimal time investment. This free crochet spider pattern will walk you through every step, from magic ring to final leg, so you end up with an adorable (or creepy, depending on your aesthetic) little arachnid you can display, gift, or scatter around the house to terrorize unsuspecting family members.

Let’s dive in.

Why You’ll Love This Pattern

Crocheted spiders are endlessly versatile. Make them small and use them as ornaments. Make them large and stuff them generously for a plush toy. String a dozen of them along a piece of twine for the most charming Halloween garland your porch has ever seen. They work up quickly enough that you can make a whole colony in an evening — and they’re a great stash-buster for all those small balls of black, gray, or brown yarn you’ve been hoarding.

This pattern is written for beginners but includes notes for more experienced crocheters who want to modify the size, texture, or finishing details. No special stitches are required. If you can work in the round, single crochet, and increase or decrease, you have everything you need.

Materials You’ll Need

Before you start, gather the following:

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn in black, dark gray, or brown. You won’t need much — a single skein will make several spiders. If you want a pop of color, go wild. Purple, orange, and green spiders are absolutely valid life choices.

Hook: 4.0 mm (G hook) for worsted weight, though you can size up or down depending on your yarn and your preferred tension. For amigurumi, you generally want to go a size or two smaller than the yarn label recommends so your stitches are tight enough to hold the stuffing in without gaps showing.

Stuffing: Polyfil or any craft stuffing for the body. The head will be small, so you won’t need much.

Safety Eyes: 6 mm or 9 mm safety eyes work beautifully here. For a spookier look, use two pairs of eyes (four eyes total) or push it to eight if you’re a perfectionist about spider anatomy. If you’re making this for a small child, skip the safety eyes entirely and embroider the eyes with yarn instead.

Stitch Marker: Any kind will do. A removable clip or even a piece of scrap yarn works perfectly.

Scissors and Yarn Needle: For finishing and weaving in ends.

Wire (Optional): If you want poseable legs, thin floral wire or pipe cleaners threaded through the leg tubes will let you bend and arrange them any way you like.

Pattern Notes and Abbreviations

This pattern is written in US crochet terms.

MR — Magic ring
ch — Chain
sl st — Slip stitch
sc — Single crochet
inc — Increase (two single crochets in one stitch)
dec — Invisible decrease (insert hook through front loops of next two stitches, yarn over, pull through both loops, yarn over, pull through remaining two loops)
BLO — Back loop only
FLO — Front loop only
St(s) — Stitch(es)
PM — Place marker
MR — Magic ring

Work in continuous rounds unless otherwise noted. Do not join rounds unless specifically instructed. Use a stitch marker to track the beginning of each round.

Free Crochet Spider Pattern

Part One: The Abdomen (Back Body)

The abdomen is the larger, rounder section of the spider’s body — the big round part at the back.

Round 1: Start with a magic ring, sc 6 into the ring. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)

Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)

Round 4: Sc 2, inc repeat around. (24 sts)

Round 5: Sc 3, inc repeat around. (30 sts)

Round 6: Sc 4, inc repeat around. (36 sts)

Rounds 7–11: Sc in each st around. (36 sts) — 5 rounds even

Round 12: Sc 4, dec repeat around. (30 sts)

Round 13: Sc 3, dec repeat around. (24 sts)

Before you close this up completely, insert your safety eyes between rounds 4 and 5, spaced about 4 stitches apart, toward what will be the front of the abdomen. If you’re doing multiple eyes, place them in a slight arc.

Round 14: Sc 2, dec repeat around. (18 sts)

Begin stuffing the abdomen firmly. Continue to add stuffing as you work the remaining rounds so you can get it packed in evenly.

Round 15: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (12 sts)

Round 16: Dec around. (6 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Use your yarn needle to weave through the front loops of the remaining 6 stitches, pull tight to close, and weave in the end securely. Set the abdomen aside.

Part Two: The Cephalothorax (Front Body / Head)

This is the smaller front section of the spider. In the finished piece, it will sit just in front of the abdomen and will also hold the legs.

Round 1: MR, sc 6. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)

Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)

Round 4: Sc 2, inc repeat around. (24 sts)

Rounds 5–7: Sc in each st around. (24 sts) — 3 rounds even

Round 8: Sc 2, dec repeat around. (18 sts)

Round 9: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (12 sts)

Stuff the head lightly — not as firmly as the abdomen. You want it to have a slightly flatter, rounder shape.

Round 10: Dec around. (6 sts)

Close and fasten off, leaving a long tail for seaming. Set aside.

Part Three: The Legs (Make 8)

Each leg is a simple tube. The key to good-looking spider legs is consistent tension and a little bit of gentle shaping at the end.

Foundation chain: Ch 25.

Row 1: Starting in the second chain from the hook, sc in each chain across. (24 sts)

Do not turn. Fasten off, leaving a tail of about 6 inches. This tail will be used to attach the leg to the body.

That’s it. Twenty-four little single crochets in a chain, and you have a leg. Make eight of these. If you want thicker legs, work two rows instead of one, or use a thicker yarn for just the legs.

Optional: If you want poseable legs, cut a piece of floral wire slightly shorter than the leg tube and carefully thread it through the center of the crochet tube before attaching. Bend the ends back slightly so they don’t poke through.

Part Four: The Chelicerae / Fangs (Optional, Make 2)

These are the little fang-like appendages near the mouth. They’re a small but satisfying detail that makes your spider look extra dramatic.

Round 1: MR, sc 4. (4 sts)

Rounds 2–3: Sc in each st around. (4 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a tail for attaching. Do not stuff. These should be flat little nubs.

Assembly

Now comes the fun part: putting your spider together.

Step 1 — Attach the head to the abdomen. Use the long tail on the cephalothorax to whipstitch it to the front of the abdomen. The two body sections should sit side by side with the head slightly elevated. The seam doesn’t need to be invisible — in most finished photos, the join is hidden by the legs anyway. Stitch all the way around the edge where they meet and secure with several knots before weaving in the tail.

Step 2 — Attach the legs. This is where you get to channel your inner arachnologist. Spiders have four legs on each side of the cephalothorax, emerging from the underside. Use the long tail at the end of each leg to stitch them directly to the sides of the cephalothorax, four on each side. Position them so they extend outward and slightly downward from the body.

Sew each leg on firmly, making several passes with your yarn needle before knotting off. If a leg falls off after all this work, you will be sad. Stitch it well.

If you want a spider that hangs dramatically from a web or ceiling, attach a length of yarn to the top of the abdomen now before the legs make it awkward to work in that area.

Step 3 — Attach the chelicerae (if using). Stitch the two small fang nubs to the very front bottom of the cephalothorax, side by side. They should hang down slightly, like the spider is ready for business.

Step 4 — Shape the legs. Bend and curl the legs into a natural spider pose. If you used wire, this is especially satisfying. If you didn’t, the yarn legs will stay in roughly the shape you arrange them, especially if you spray the finished piece lightly with a fabric stiffener.

Finishing Touches and Styling Ideas

Eyes: If you used only two safety eyes, consider embroidering a few smaller additional eyes with white yarn and a french knot. It adds dimension and makes the spider look genuinely unsettling (in the best possible way).

Web: Crochet a simple circle motif or use store-bought decorative web to place your spider on. Alternatively, stretch out some pulled-apart cotton batting in a spider-web shape behind your finished spider for a dramatic display.

Sizing Up or Down: This pattern at worsted weight produces a spider with an abdomen roughly 2.5 to 3 inches wide. Use bulky yarn and a 6 mm hook for a giant spider. Use fingering weight and a 2 mm hook for a tiny spider about an inch wide — perfect for earrings or a charm on a bag.

Color Variations: Don’t feel limited to black. Brown and tan yarn makes a beautiful wolf spider. Bright red and black is classic black widow territory. Variegated yarn in autumn colors makes a gorgeous decorative spider for fall. If you’re crocheting for Halloween, adding a tiny orange bow tie or a little witch hat to the top of the abdomen will make it completely irresistible.

Tips for Getting Great Results

Working amigurumi-style in the round can be fiddly if you’re not used to it, so here are a few things that will make your spider look polished and professional.

Always use a stitch marker and move it up at the beginning of every round. Without it, you’ll lose count and end up with a lopsided spider. A lopsided spider can still be charming, but a symmetrical one is more satisfying.

Your magic ring should be pulled very tight before you start working round two. A loose center will leave a visible gap at the top of the abdomen that stuffing can peek through. If your magic ring is stubborn, give it one good tug before you start and then don’t pull on it again until you’ve worked several rounds.

When working the invisible decrease, always go through the front loops only. This keeps the decrease smooth and invisible from the outside of the work. A regular decrease (inserting through both loops of two adjacent stitches) leaves a slight bump that you can see, especially in dark yarn.

Stuff the abdomen as you go rather than all at once at the end. If you wait until the opening is very small, it’s nearly impossible to get the stuffing in evenly and you’ll end up with lumps. Add a little stuffing every few decrease rounds.

If you’re new to attaching limbs, it helps to pin the legs in place first with sewing pins before you commit to stitching. Hold the spider up and see how it looks. Adjust the angles until you’re happy, then sew them on.

Ideas for Using Your Finished Spiders

A finished crocheted spider is surprisingly versatile. Here are some ways people put them to use.

Tie a length of black thread to the abdomen and hang them from a chandelier, curtain rod, or tree branch for Halloween. A whole cluster of them swaying in a doorway is genuinely atmospheric.

Glue a pin back to the top of the abdomen and wear your spider as a brooch. Dark academia fashion enthusiasts especially love this look.

Tuck a spider into a gift bag or box as a surprise element. Some people will scream. Those people are your favorite people.

Place one on each place setting at a Halloween dinner party. Guests can take theirs home as a little favor.

Make a spider in school colors and give it to a student before exams — a good luck charm with a sense of humor.

String several spiders along a length of orange or black ribbon for a Halloween garland that your friends will ask you to make for them.

Attach a magnet to the back and put your spider on the refrigerator where it will alarm houseguests indefinitely.

A Note on Gifting Handmade Items

If you’re making this spider for a child under three, skip the safety eyes entirely and embroider all facial features with yarn. Safety eyes, despite the name, are small and hard and present a choking hazard for very young children. Embroider the eyes using black yarn and a simple satin stitch — they look just as cute and are completely safe.

Always weave in your ends very securely when making items for children. Give the finished piece a good tug in all directions before handing it over. Children are thorough.

Pattern Recap at a Glance

For those who want a quick reference once they’ve read through the full instructions:

Abdomen: 6 rounds of increasing to 36 sts, 5 rounds even, 5 rounds of decreasing, stuff and close.

Head: 4 rounds of increasing to 24 sts, 3 rounds even, 2 rounds of decreasing, stuff lightly and close.

Legs: Ch 25, sc in each ch across. Make 8.

Fangs: MR, 4 sc, work 2 rounds even. Make 2.

Assembly: Join head to abdomen, attach 4 legs per side, attach fangs at front.

Final Thoughts

This free crochet spider pattern is proof that the most satisfying projects don’t have to be complicated. With a little yarn, a hook, and an afternoon, you can produce something genuinely charming — and surprisingly expressive. There’s something about giving a spider a pair of little eyes and eight carefully placed legs that makes it look almost friendly. Almost.

Share your finished spiders over at thecaffeinatedsnail.com or tag your projects on social media. There’s a whole community of crocheters out there making wonderful, weird things, and your spider deserves to be seen. Happy hooking, and may your tension be ever even.