Penguin the Summer

There is something gentle and joyful about seeing a little penguin dressed for summer — bright blues, soft whites, and a tiny snorkel ready for warm-day adventures. When I first crocheted Penguin the Summer, I wanted to capture that light and playful feeling you get from seaside mornings: calm air, natural textures, and colors that feel fresh and inviting.

This free pattern is a warm invitation to crochet a penguin with simple shaping and clean details. Whether you enjoy working with soft cotton yarn or pairing it with a trusted 2.5 mm crochet hook, this project offers a peaceful rhythm from start to finish.

About the pattern

Penguin the Summer is designed with friendly proportions and clear color transitions, inspired directly by the finished doll you see in the photos. Its rounded body, snorkel mask, bright trims, and wide flippers create a cheerful summer theme while staying true to Lennutas’ handmade style.

Skill Level

• Intermediate — includes shaping, multiple color changes, and small add-on parts.

If you enjoy steady, relaxing projects, you might like this curated list of beginner-level patterns — warm and easy to follow.

Estimated Time

• Around 12–16 hours, depending on your pace and stitch tension.

PDF Options

• A Free PDF is available for Close Friends members (ad-free, printable).
• A Paid PDF with full step-by-step photos is available in the shop.

© Lennutas by Thao Nguyen.
This pattern is for personal use only. You may sell the finished items made by hand in small quantities, but please credit Lennutas as the designer. Copying, sharing, or redistributing this pattern (in part or full) is not allowed.

How To Crochet A Penguin?

Now that you’ve seen the details behind Penguin the Summer, let’s gently step into the making process. If you’re ready to crochet a penguin with calm, steady stitches, the free pattern begins just below. Take your time, enjoy the rhythm, and let this little summer friend come to life slowly in your hands.

The sections are arranged in a clear, natural order so you can follow along comfortably.

Materials

To crochet a penguin like mine, you’ll need fine-weight yarns and a 2.3 mm crochet hook, which can be purchased on ETSY. You’ll also need to know how to change colors and join yarn in amigurumi, but don’t worry if you’re not familiar with these skills – tutorials are available on my blog.

The finished size is 17 cm (~6.6 inches) (sport yarn)

Working with soft, breathable fibers can make a big difference. Here’s a quiet walkthrough of my favorite amigurumi yarns for small toys.

Abbreviations (US)

If you’d like a gentle refresher before you crochet a penguin, you can explore my guide to the basic stitches — calm, simple, and beginner-friendly.

• Sc: Single crochet
• Inc: Increase single crochet
• Dec: Decrease single crochet
• Ss: Slip stitch
• Sk: Skip stitch
• […] … x time: Repeat instructions x times
• (…): Number of stitches of each round
• {…}: Work instructions within brackets into the same stitch

Legs (x2)

*Second leg: do not fasten off

Start with orange yarn

• Rnd 1: sc 6 into a MR (6sts)
• Rnd 2: inc 6 (12sts)
• Rnd 3: [inc, sc] 6 times (18sts)

Change to blue yarn

• Rnd 4: [inc, sc 5] 3 times (21sts)
• Rnd 5: sc 21 (21sts)

Fasten off. (image-1)

Body

Continue from the second leg. Ch 6, join to the first leg (image-2)

• Rnd 6: sc 21 (first leg), sc 6 (chain), sc 21 (second leg), sc 6 (chain) (54sts)
• Rnd 7-9(3rnds): sc 54 (54sts) (image-3)

Color transitions are essential in this design. Here’s a calm guide on how to change yarn neatly when you crochet a penguin with multiple shades.

Change to cream yarn on BOLD stitches to make the belly 

• Rnd 10: sc 19, sc 12, sc 23 (54sts)
• Rnd 11: sc 18, sc 15, sc 21 (54sts)
• Rnd 12: sc 17, sc 17, sc 20 (54sts)
• Rnd 13: sc 16, sc 19, sc 19 (54sts)
• Rnd 14-15 (2rnds): sc 15, sc 21, sc 18 (54sts)
• Rnd 16: sc 15, sc 22, sc 17 (54sts)
• Rnd 17: sc 14, sc 23, sc 17 (54sts)
• Rnd 18: sc 14, sc 24, sc 16 (54sts)
• Rnd 19-20 (2rnds): sc 15, sc 23, sc 16 (54sts)
• Rnd 21: sc 16, sc 22, sc 16 (54sts)
• Rnd 22: sc 17, sc 20, sc 17 (54sts)
• Rnd 23: sc 18, sc 18, sc 18 (54sts)
• Rnd 24: sc 19, sc 17, sc 18 (54sts)
• Rnd 25: sc 18, sc 19, sc 17 (54sts)
• Rnd 26: sc 17, sc 21, sc 16 (54sts)

Change to light blue yarn on BLUE stitches to make the glasses

• Rnd 27: sc 17, sc, sc 6, sc 7, sc 6, sc, sc 16 (54sts)
• Rnd 28: sc 17, sc 8, sc 5, sc 8, sc 16 (54sts)
• Rnd 29: sc 17, sc 9, sc 3, sc 9, sc 16 (54sts)
• Rnd 30: sc 17, sc 10, sc 2, sc 10, sc 15 (54sts)
• Rnd 31: sc 17, sc 22, sc 15 (54sts)
• Rnd 32-33 (2rnds): sc 18, sc 21, sc 15 (54sts)
• Rnd 34: sc 18, sc, sc 19, sc, sc 15 (54sts)
• Rnd 35: sc 19, sc, sc 18, sc, sc 15 (54sts)
• Rnd 36: sc 20, sc 19, sc 15 (54sts)

* Place the safety eyes between round 31 and 32, the distance between 2 eyes is 11 stitches. 

Start stuffing.

• Rnd 37: [dec, sc 7] 2 times, dec, [sc 7, dec] 2 times, sc 7, dec, sc 7 (48sts)
• Rnd 38: [dec, sc 6] 2 times, dec, sc, sc 5, dec, sc 6, [dec, sc 6] 2 times (42sts)
• Rnd 39: [dec, sc 5] 2 times, dec, sc 2, sc 3, dec, sc 4, sc, [dec, sc 5] 2 times (36sts)
• Rnd 40: [dec, sc 4] 2 times, dec, sc 2, sc 2, dec, sc 2, sc 2, [dec, sc 4] 2 times (30sts)
• Rnd 41: [sc 3, dec] 6 times (24sts)
• Rnd 42: [sc 2, dec] 6 times (18sts)

End stuffing.

• Rnd 43: [sc, dec] 6 times (12sts)
• Rnd 44: dec 6 (6sts)

Fasten off, and weave in ends.

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FLIPPERS (x2)

Use blue yarn

• Rnd 1: sc 6 into a MR (6sts)
• Rnd 2: inc, sc 5 (7sts)
• Rnd 3: {sc 3}, sc 6 (9sts)
• Rnd 4: inc, sc 8 (10sts)
• Rnd 5: {sc 3}, sc 9 (12sts)
• Rnd 6: inc, sc 11 (13sts)
• Rnd 7: {sc 3}, sc 12 (15sts)
• Rnd 8: inc, sc 14 (16sts)
• Rnd 9: {sc 3}, sc 15 (18sts)
• Rnd 10: inc, sc 17 (19sts)
• Rnd 11: {sc 3}, sc 18 (21sts)

Fold and crochet on both sides using sc: sc 10 (10sts)

Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing.

Frame of Swim Goggles

Use orange yarn

• Ch 75 (or more), ss into the second chain from the hook, ss 73 (74sts)

Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing.

BILL/BEAK

Use yellow yarn

• Rnd 1: sc 6 into a MR (6sts)
• Rnd 2: [inc, sc 2] 2 times (8sts)
• Rnd 3: [inc, sc] 4 times (12sts)
• Rnd 4: [inc, sc 2] 4 times (16sts)

Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing.

Dinosaur Couple

• The printable beautiful and no-ads PDF file.
• The pattern is in English, with many photo and video tutorials.
• Instant download after payment.

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TAIL

Use blue yarn

• Rnd 1: sc 6 into a MR (6sts)
• Rnd 2: [inc, sc] 3 times (9sts)
• Rnd 3: [inc, sc 2] 3 times (12sts)
• Rnd 4: sc, inc 2, sc 9 (14sts)
• Rnd 5: [inc, sc] 3 times, sc 8 (17sts)

Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing.

SNORKEL

Start with orange yarn, and work in row.

• Row 1: sc 6 into a MR (6sts)

Use i-cord technique, crochet row 2.

Change to light blue yarn

Stuffing as you go.

• Row 3-41(39 rows:) 6sts 

Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing.

Swim Fins (x2)

Part 1: use light blue yarn

Work in row, ch 1 at the end of each row, and turn.

• Row 1: ch 6, sc to the 2nd chain from the hook and in each stitch across (5sts)
• Row 2-5(4 rows): sc 5 (5sts)
• Row 6: sc 2, inc, sc 2 (6sts)
• Row 7: sc 3, inc, sc 2 (7sts)
• Row 8: sc 3, inc, sc 3 (8sts)
• Row 9: sc 4, inc, sc 3 (9sts)
• Row 10: sc 4, inc, sc 4 (10sts)
• Row 11: sc 5, inc, sc 4 (11sts)

Fasten off, and weave in ends.

Part 2: use blue yarn

Insert the hook into the last stitch of row 1 of part 1 and ch 1 (image-11)

• Sk 2 sts, {dc 6}, ss to the first stitch of row 1, ss the first stitch of row 11, sc 2, ss 2, sc, {sc, ch, sc}, sc, ss 2, sc 2, ss to the last stitch of row 1.

Fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing. (image-12)

Part 3:  use orange yarn (image-13), work in joining round:

• Ch 21, join into the first chain to make a ring.
• Rnd 1: Ch 1, sc 21 (21sts)
• Rnd 2: Ss 21 (21sts)

Fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing, and sew part 3 to part 1. (image-14)

ASSEMBLY

If sewing small parts feels tricky, this sewing tutorial shares how to attach limbs securely without distorting the shape.

• Sew the swim goggles to the head from round 27 to round 35
• Sew the flippers to the body from round 16 to round 24
• Sew the tail to the back at round 10
• Sew the snorkel to the left side of body

Thank you for spending your time here and choosing to crochet a penguin with me. Every handmade stitch carries a little warmth, and I hope this pattern brings the same calm joy to your day as it did to mine. If you finish your own summer penguin, feel free to share a photo, tag @lennutas, or send it in a message — it’s always a gift to see how each maker brings their own touch to the design.

Free Pattern PDF File

A printable version of this pattern is available as a Free PDF through my Close Friends Membership.
If you’re enjoying the calm process of learning to crochet a penguin, you might appreciate having an ad-free, beautifully formatted file to craft from at your own pace.

Related Patterns

If you enjoyed this gentle project and are exploring more crochet ideas, here are a few patterns that pair beautifully with Penguin the Summer. They offer different moods and personalities while staying true to the soft, handmade style we love.

• Unicorn the Summer — another seasonal companion with bright colors and an easygoing spirit.
• Penguin the Chef — a cheerful kitchen-themed penguin with detailed accessories and charming expressions.
• Dabbing Penguin (Paid PDF) — a playful, modern penguin pose that adds fun to any collection.

Feel free to explore more patterns on the blog and continue building your own little world of handmade characters.

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