Caped Crusader Doll

By: Shellie Wilson for CraftBits

It's no secret who the best super hero is...with a slew of awesome gadgets, cars, and costumes, Batman is a hero among heroes...and you can pay tribute to this awesome nocturnal crime fighter with this Caped Crusader Doll. Amigurumi patterns like this one make great gift ideas for little boys and girls alike, and they'll love snuggling up to a doll that will protect them from bedside monsters and bad dreams.

Crochet Batman Doll

Materials:

9 or I crochet hook
8 oz 4-ply knitting worsted type yarn in navy blue (for boots, gloves, shorts, cape and mask)
2 oz. 4-ply knitting worsted type yarn in fisherman or light beige (for head)
2 oz. 4-ply knitting worsted type yarn in gray (for body suit)
Small amounts of black, red and bright yellow yarn for trim
100% polyester fiber for stuffing
Large embroidery needle

Instructions:
The doll is crocheted in rounds from feet to top of head. The arms are attached. The cape and mask are separate.

Beginning with one boot, ch 2 in navy blue yarn.
Round 1: Work 8 sc in the second ch from the hook. 8 sc.
Round 2: Place 2 sc in each st around. 16 sc.
Round 3: Sc around, inc 4 evenly spaced. 20 sc.
Rounds 4-6: Sc around. 20 sc.
Round 7: Sc around, dec 4 evenly spaced. 16 sc.
Round 8: To begin the heel, crochet 4 hdc, 8 sl sts, and 4 hdc. 16 sts. Crochet sl sts loosely so hook will go in easily next time around.
Rounds 9-13: Repeat Round 8 making sure the sl sts are below sl sts and hdc’s are below hdc’s. 16 sts. Stuff to stretch sts slightly.
Round 14: Sc around, inc 2 evenly spaced. 18 sc.
Rounds 15-16: Sc around. 18 sc. Take 2 sc more to end round in center back of the leg.
Round 17: Sc around, inc 2 evenly spaced. 20 sc.
Rounds 18-19: Sc around. 20 sc. Break off navy blue and tie on gray yarn. Round 20: Sc around, inc 2 evenly spaced. 22 sc.
Rounds 21-28: Sc around. 22 sc. Make 1 sl st and break off yarn. Make another leg identical to the first. Stuff the feet with fiber.
Round 29: Place the legs side by side, feet to the front with the last leg made on your right. Count 8 sts back from the top front to the inner side of each leg. Pin the legs together at the top at this point which will slant the feet outward. Beginning in the center back of the right leg attach navy brown yarn and crochet around the outside and across the front of the right leg and to the point where the legs are pinned together. Skip over to the left leg and crochet completely around this leg until you again reach the pin. Skip to the right leg and crochet around the back to the place where you began. Be sure your sts are crocheted tightly where the two legs meet. You will have a shape like two circles attached and will have used up the sts in both legs. 44 sc.
Round 30: Sc around only to the center back. All rounds from here on will begin and finish in the center back of the doll.
Round 31: Sc around, inc 4 evenly spaced. 48 sc.
Rounds 32-34: Sc around. 48 sc. Tie on yellow yarn for belt.
Rounds 35-36: Sc around. 48 sc. Break off yellow and attach gray yarn.
Round 37: Sc around. 48 sc. Stuff legs and body to stretch sts slightly.
Rounds 38-40: Sc around, inc 2 evenly spaced. Round 40 will have 54 sc.
Rounds 41-43: Sc around. 54 sc.
Rounds 44-47: Sc around, dec 9 evenly spaced. In Round 44 sc every 5th and 6th st together; in Round 45 sc every 4th and 5th st together, in Round 46 sc every 3rd and 4th st together, and in Round 47 sc every 2nd and 3rd st together. Round 47 will have 18 sc. Take 2 sc more to end Round 47 in center of back. Break off gray and attach Fisherman yarn for head.
Round 48: Sc around. 18 sc. This round marks the neck.
Round 49: Sc around, inc 18 by placing 2 sc in each st. 36 sc. Take 1 sc more to end in center back of head.
Round 50: Crochet 12 sc, in each of the next 12 sts place 2 sc each, and crochet 12 more sc. 48 sc.
Round 51: Sc around, inc 2 by placing an extra sc in the 4th st from the center back on each side. 50 sc.
Round 52: Sc around, inc 2 by placing an extra sc in the 5th st from the center back on each side. 52 sc.
Round 53: Sc around, inc 2 by placing an extra sc in the 6th st from the center back on each slde. 54 sc.
Round 54: Sc around, inc 6 evenly spaced. 60 sc.
Rounds 55-59: Sc around. 60 sc. Stuff the head and continue to stuff as you finish.
Round 60: Sc around, dec 12 by crocheting every 4th and 5th st together. 48 sc.
Rounds 61-65: Sc around. 48 sc.
Rounds 66-68: Sc around, dec 4 evenly spaced. Round 68 will have 36 sc.
Rounds 69-72: Sc around, dec 6 evenly spaced. Round 72 will have 12 sc. Crochet every 2 sts together until head is closed. Knot and work end thread inside.

Arms

To begin on arm at the glove ch 2 in navy blue yarn.
Round 1: Place 8 hdc in the second ch from the hook. 8 sts.
Round 2: Sc around placing 2 sc in each st. 16 sc.
Round 3: Sc around, inc 4 evenly spaced. 20 sc.
Rounds 4-6: Sc around. 20 sc.
Round 7: Sc around, dec 10 by crocheting every 2 sts together. 10 sc.
Round 8: Sc around. 10 sc.
Round 9: Sc around, inc 5 evenly spaced. 15 sc.
Rounds 10-16: Sc around. 15 sc. Tie on gray yarn.
Round 17: Sc around, inc 3 evenly spaced. 18 sc. Stuff the glove.
Rounds 18-27: Sc around. 18 sc. Take 2 sl sts. Break off leaving yarn to attach. Make another arm. Stuff the arms with less fiber near the top 1/2″ by shoulders. Whipstitch the top of the arm shut and sew it horizontal to the head in the second round of gray body sts down from neck. There should be about 10 body sts between the two arms in front.

Facial Features

With black yarn doubled on your embroidery needle make two black eyes in the 11th and 12th round of head sts up from the gray suit. The eyes can be made with 15 or 20 horizontal sts about 1/2″ long and filling in a small area about 1/2″ high for each eye. The eyes should be 6 head sts apart. With red yarn doubled on your needle embroider a small red nose centered on the face in the second round below the eyes. Backstitch a red smile 2″ long. The center of the smile will be in the 6th round up from the gray suit. Backstitch a 1″ horizontal line and then curve it upward 1 round to end at a point below the inner corner of each eye. Work all end threads inside.

Mask
The mask is crocheted in rounds from the top of the head down to the eyes, then in rows to make an opening slit for the eyes, then back in rounds below the eyes.

To begin the mask ch 2 in navy blue yarn.
Round 1: Place 6 hdc in the second ch from the hook. 6 sts.
Rounds 2-5: Sc around, inc 6 evenly spaced.
Round 5 will have 30 sc. Take 3 sc more so as not to make pointed edges on the circle you’re crocheting.
Rounds 6-9: Sc around, inc 6 evenly spaced. Round 9 will have 54 sc.
Rounds 10-17: Sc around. 54 sc. The beginning round of the mask fits over the closing of the head. Everyone stuffs head a little differently. If the mask is too loose with 54 sc, you can dec a few sts in Round 11 so that it fits snuggly over the head. If the mask is too tight, you can add a few sc in Round 11. Round 17 should come down to a line right above the eyes. If it covers the eyes on your doll, pull out Round 17. If it doesn’t reach down far enough, add an extra round now. Then ch up 1 and turn.
Row 18: Sc across 44 sts only. This row covers the side and back of the head. The 10 unused sts leaves an opening for the eyes to look out. 44 sc.
Row 19: Sc across. 44 sc. Ch up 1 and turn.
Row 20: Sc across. 44 sc. Ch up 10 and sl st this ch to the beginning of Row 20. Try the mask on the head. The ch should stretch across the face below the eyes. You may need to add a few extra ch sts or take off a few of the ch sts depending on how much stuffing you used in the head. Do not ch up 1 but turn hook around so that you can crochet back across ch.
Round 21: Sc around the mask by first placing 1 sc in each ch st and then continuing around 44 sc. 54 sc.
Round 22: Sc around, dec 6 evenly spaced. 48 sc.
Round 23: Sc around. 48 sc. This round finishes the strip that goes below the eyes and covers the nose. It should be above the mouth. Ch 1 and turn.
Row 24: Sc across 38 sts only. The 10 unused sts of Round 23 will complete the strip above the mouth.
Row 25: Sc across, dec 4 evenly spaced. 34 sc. Ch 1 and turn after each row. Try on the mask to see if it fits snuggly. You may need to inc or dec sc’s in next few rounds to keep it fitting snug.
Rows 26-29: Sc around, dec 4 evenly spaced. Round 29 will have 18 sc.
Rows 30-31: Sc across. 18 sc. Knot and work end threads inside. To complete the mask a small center strip will be crocheted and tacked on between eyes. Ch 4 in navy blue yarn. Row 1: Beginning in the 2nd ch from the hook, place 3 sc back along ch. 3 sc. Ch 1 and turn after each row. Rows 2-4: Sc across. 3 sc. Knot and break off leaving yarn to attach. With end thread on your needle tack the piece to center of eye slit in mask so that its rows are horizontal. Row 4 can be tacked to Round 17 of mask and beginning ch 4 can be tacked to the masks ch st directly below eyes.

Mask Ears
The ears are crocheted in one long piece which is folded in half and crocheted around to make a double thickness.

Ch 9 in navy yarn.
Row 1: Beginning in the 2nd ch from the hook, sc across. 8 sc. Ch up 1 and turn after each row.
Row 2: Sc across. 8 sc.
Row 3: Sc across, dec 1. 7 sc. Place all dec and inc at the beginning or end of a row.
Rows 4-5: Sc across. 7 sc.
Row 6: Sc across, dec 1. 6 sc.
Rows 7-8: Sc across. 6 sc.
Row 9: Sc across, dec 1. 5 sc.
Row 10: Sc across. 5 sc.
Row 11: Sc across, dec 1. 4 sc.
Row 12: Sc across. 4 sc.
Rows 13-15: Sc across, dec 1. Row 15 will have 1 sc. Ch 1 and turn.
Row 16: Sc across 1. 1 sc. Ch 1 and turn.
Rows 17-19: Sc across, inc 1. Row 19 will have 4 sc.
Row 20: Sc across. 4 sc.
Row 21: Sc across, inc 1. 5 sc.
Row 22: Sc across. 5 sc.
Row 23: Sc across, inc 1. 6 sc.
Rows 24-25: Sc across. 6 sc.
Row 26: Sc across, inc 1. 7 sc.
Rows 27-28: Sc across. 7 sc.
Row 29: Sc across, inc 1. 8 sc.
Rows 30-31: Sc across. 8 sc. Fold this long piece in half at Rows 15-16 and with yarn still attached crochet 2 halves together. Be sure to poke your hook through both thicknesses as you sc around the triangle. Place 2-3 sc in each corner of the triangle to make the corner turns smoother. Break off leaving yarn to attach. Make another ear. Tack the ears onto the sides of the mask so that the base of the ear (Rows 1 and 31) will be centered above the arm attachment and in Round 16 of the mask. Tack the bottom 3″ of the ears to the mask (Rounds 10-16) sewing across the ear base, up the side of the ear for 1 1/2″ across the ear to opposite side of ear, and down 1 1/2″ along other side of ear back to where you began. This will make the ear attachment secure and help the ears to stand up straight. Be sure that your sc’s going around the double thickness of ear are to the outside. The ears should stand straight up and not bend. Work end threads in.

Cape

Ch 62 in navy blue to begin the cape at its top.
Row 1: Work 1 sc in the second ch from the hook and in each ch across. 61 sc. Ch 1 and turn.
Row 2: Sl st in 16 sts to make one tie, then hdc 29, ch 2 and turn. The unused 16 sts of Row 1 will be for the other tie.
Rows 3-4: Dc across. 29 sts. Ch 2 and turn at the end of each row.
Row 5: Dc across, inc 8 by placing 2 dc in 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th, 21st, 25th and 29th sts. 37 dc.
Row 6: Dc across, inc 14 by placing 2 dc in 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 18th, 20th, 23rd, 25th, 28th, 30th, 33rd and 35th sts. 51 dc.
Rows 7-16: Dc across. 51 dc. After Row 16, ch up 1 only.
Row 17: To make a pointed edge along the bottom of the cape, crochet 1 sc in 1st and 2nd st, then crochet * 1 sc, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 2 tr in same st, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc and 1 sl st. Repeat from * 5 more times. To finish row place 1 sc in each of last 2 sts. 57 sts. Knot and work end threads into cape. The cape will reach across the back and to half the width of each arm. The tie is short and ties into a small bow so that it does not cover the bat emblem on his chest.

Bat Emblem
The emblem is a bat tacked onto a horizontal oval.

To begin the oval, ch 6 in yellow yarn.
Round 1: Place 3 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook. Crochet 3 sc along the ch picking up only one thread from each ch st. Place 3 sc in the first ch st, then working along the other side of the ch, place 3 sc along it picking up other thread of each ch st. 12 sc.
Round 2: In next 2 sts, place 2 sc each, then sc 4, in next 2 sts place 2 sc each, then sc 4 to finish round. 16 sc.
Round 3: Sc around oval placing 2 sc in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, and 11th sts. 22 sc.
Round 4: Sc around. 22 sc. Take 2 sl st. Knot and break off leaving yarn to attach. Tack the oval horizontally on chest so that it covers the 2nd to 7th round of gray sts down from the neck. The longest length of the oval goes from side to side. Work end threads in.
To make the bat’s head ch 2 in navy blue yarn. Place 4 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook. Take 1 sl st to your 1st sc. Knot and break off. To make the bat’s body ch 8 in navy blue yarn. Beginning in the 2nd ch from the hook place 7 sc back along ch. Knot and break off. Using the navy blue end thread tack the head to the yellow oval centered and covering the 2nd and 3rd round of yellow sts down from the top of the oval. Tack the body strip directly below the head and slightly bent so that it ends curve upward. As you tack, take several sts down from the body directly below the head. These should be in a “V” shape to make the bottom tail of the bat. As you tack on the body also take several sts straight up from each wing and straight down from each wing. Work end threads in.

Optional Trims

Belt Buckle

Follow directions for Bat Emblem given above using only Round 1 in yellow yarn. Sl st last sc to 1st sc. Knot and break off. Tack on small oval horizontally to center of yellow belt on body.

Boot Trim

The boots have 3 ridges near their top. Turn the doll upside down and tie on navy blue yarn in the center back at the first round of blue boot sts down from the gray leg. Sc around top of boot poking hook through boot sts as you go. Sl st to 1st sc, sl st down to 3rd round of boot down from gray leg and sc around here. Sl st to 1st sc of this round and sl st down to 5th round of boot. Sc around and sl st to 1st sc of this round. Knot and work end threads in. Do other boot the same way.

Glove Trim

The backside of the glove has 3 points on it which extend from the top of the glove down to the hand. Tie on navy blue yarn to the backside of the dolls left arm at the wrist. You will be crocheting towards the head. Ch up 3, place 1 sc and 1 hdc back along ch. Sl st to the glove, sl st up a round on the glove and ch up 3, place 1 sc and 1 hdc back on ch. Sl st up a round on the glove, ch up 3, place 1 sc and 1 hdc back on ch. Sl st to glove. Knot and break off. Tie on navy blue yarn to backside of doll’s right arm at elbow and crochet towards hand. Do the ch up 3 with 1 sc and 1 hdc back along ch to make 3 points on this glove. Sl st between each point to finish.