Who doesn’t love a gingerbread man? It was certainly my favorite cookie when I was growing up. My mom had cookie cutters for both a gingerbread man and a gingerbread woman. My favorite part of baking these cookies with my mom was to work the piping bag full of icing. It was so much fun to give the gingerbread woman crazy ringlets of hair and to decorate the gingerbread man with buttons or sometimes a tie.

Have fun decorating your gingerbread man. Use whatever you have on hand or come up with something entirely new. He doesn’t have to be a conventional cookie. Add a vest, chaps, and a handkerchief around his neck to make him a cowboy. Add an eye patch, peg leg, and striped shirt to make him a pirate. Give your gingerbread man a Speedo and six-pack abs. The skies the limit! Your gingerbread man can be anything he wants to be.

Finally, thread a ribbon through a stitch at the top of his head and your crochet gingerbread man will look right at home on your Christmas tree. He would also look quite sharp holding on to a bow on your present to someone special.

Visit the Great Cookie Countdown Page for the story behind this series and a complete directory of Christmas cookie ornaments.

Gingerbread Man Crochet Pattern

Finished size: 5″ tall

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn in medium brown
(Vanna’s Choice by Lion Brand in Toffee)
Worsted weight yarn in white
Worsted weight yarn in red
Size D-3 (3.25 mm) crochet hook
Tapestry needle
Polyester Fiberfill
0.5 mm round white buttons for eyes
1.0 mm white beads or buttons for “buttons”

Gauge:

5 sts = 1″
5 rows = 1″

Instructions:

Make 2 (front and back)

Legs

Ch 3

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sc in next sc, turn. (2)

Row 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in ea st across, turn. (4)

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in ea sc across, turn.

Rows 4-6: Rep row 3. FO.

Rep rows 1-6 to make second leg, but do not FO, turn.

Row 7 (join the legs and start the body): Ch 1, sc in ea of the next 3 scs, 2 sc in last sc. Pick up the first leg and 2 sc in first sc of first leg. Sc in ea sc across. Do not FO, turn. (10)

Body

Row 8-11: Ch 1, sc in ea sc across, turn.

Row 12: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 6 scs, sc2tog, turn. (8)

Row 13: Ch 1, sc in ea sc across, turn.

Row 14: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 4 scs, sc2tog, turn. (6)

Row 15: Ch 1, sc in ea sc across. Do not FO.

Arms

Row 1: Turn the body on its side and pull up a loop at the end of Row 15. (Not in two loops of the sc, but the post at the end.) Ch 1. Sc in the posts at the end of Rows 14, 13, and 12. Turn. (4)

Row 2-6: Ch 1, sc in ea sc across, turn.

Row 7: Ch 1, sc, sc2tog, sc. FO.

Repeat for arm on opposite side, working in the posts at the beginning of rows 15, 14, 13, and 12. FO.

Head

Row 1: Miss  1st sc. Pull up a loop in the next sc and join with slst. 2 sc in same sc, sc in ea of next 2 scs, 2 sc in last sc, turn. (6)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in ea sc across, turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in 1st sc, sc in next 4, 2 sc in last sc, turn. (8)

Row 4: Rep row 2.

Row 5: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 4, sc2tog, turn. (6)

Row 6: Rep row 2.

Row 7: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 2, sc2tog. FO

Work in all ends.

Assembly

Sew on the eyes and buttons and embroider the mouth.

Arrange the two sides with wrong sides facing, making sure that the holes at the ends and beginnings of each row line up.

Insert your crochet hook into one of the holes along the edge (through both the front and back), pull up a loop of white yarn, and slst. Rep for the next hole and so on all the way around until you have about an inch or so left.

Stuff the gingerbread man lightly.

Continue to sew the rest of the gingerbread man together using the slst method.

To end, insert your crochet hook up from the bottom, through the first slst and pull the last slst down to the back. FO.

Attach a ribbon, hook, or ring for hanging.