Banana Free Crochet Pattern 2 Ways: Peeled and Unpeeled

Get ready for a TRUE fact that might blow your mind… humans share about 50% of our DNA with bananas. 100% NOT joking. I’m actually not even sure what exactly to think about that. Does that say something about us, or something about the under-appreciated banana, which is actually a berry grown on a plant that is considered an herb (also not joking). So there’s a little food for thought (pun intended) to ponder while you’re whipping up this banana free crochet pattern!

Jump into the banana pattern now, or PIN it for later here!

This banana pattern is supported by ads on my blog. You can find the 8-page PDF printable, ad-free pattern of this banana amigurumi on my Etsy shop here, or on Ravelry here.

This banana free crochet pattern is written in US terms. If needed, you can find a handy term conversion chart right here in my Resource Library.

This pattern includes the method for crocheting the fruit in 2 different ways: unpeeled and peeled, which includes the banana and a removable peel. I recommend giving the pattern a read-through before you begin so you can visualize the big picture and consider any specific notes for help along the way! The printable pattern in my Etsy shop or my Ravelry shop comes with LOTS of in-the-making photos for each step of the way as well.

Banana Free Crochet Pattern Notes & Tips:

Size & Gauge:

Size: The banana will end up being about 7 inches.

Gauge: 4”x4” of single crochet = 28 stitches x 30 rows. Ultimately with toys, gauge doesn’t matter. It won’t have to fit someone’s body or a specific space. My patterns will include the size of the finished toy based on the yarn and hook I use. But if you want it smaller or bigger, just use a bigger yarn and hook! Just remember, when crocheting toys, crochet tightly and choose a hook one size smaller than the yarn size recommends in order to avoid holes between each stitch where the stuffing will show through.

Yarn & Stuffing:

Yarn: Take your choice of yarn! Choose colors that bring you joy and fibers that feel good between your fingers. I use 100% organic cotton yarn because I make these toys for my kids and need them to be functional. Cotton is natural, washable, soft, and relatively inflexible so the toys don’t stretch and sag – even after being thrown across the house, down the stairs and adventured through every part of the garden!

Stuffing: Stuff more than you think you should. Not enough for the stitches to stretch and show holes, but enough to make the toy stiff and able to withstand the rough trials of toy life. The filling will compress a bit over time. I encourage you to use an alternative to poly-fill (unless it’s recycled!). Try using leftover yarn scraps and snippets or old non-donate-able clothes and materials cut into strips.

Policies & Disclaimers:

This pattern is for PERSONAL USE ONLY. This pattern or parts of it may not be reproduced, resold, distributed, published, altered, translated, posted or shared without authorization. You can sell your finished items provided that you credit Off the Beaten Hook as the designer using this verbiage, “This pattern was designed by Lindsey Roe and Off the Beaten Hook.” Thank you for your respectfulness!

This post contains affiliate links for materials I use and love. If you purchase something using one of these links I may earn a small commission which in no way affects the cost to you. These partnerships help me support my small business which allows me to provide you with free crochet patterns. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!

What makes this pattern eco-friendly and sustainable?

THE YARN: I use only sustainable and eco-friendly yarn that has been ethically grown/raised and processed, putting the people and the planet first. This is why I chose Rico Essentials Organic Cotton DK (organic versus conventional cotton) for this pattern.

THE STUFFING: I used Hoooked 100% Recycled Fluffy Cotton Filling to stuff this toy. You can also use left over yarn snippets (save them all – they add up fast!) or old fiber you’ve cut into strips.

THE SLOW YARN MOVEMENT: I’m participating in the Slow Yarn Movement. There’s far too much to talk about here, but please take a few minutes to learn about what this means by reading the article I wrote about the Slow Yarn Movement as part of my 6-part Sustainable Crochet Series.

I’M MAKING SUSTAINABLE TOYS FOR MY KIDS: This is the reason I learned how to crochet to begin with! I wanted my son to have mostly sustainable toys to play with as I eliminated a huge amount of non-renewable plastics from our home. I replaced his plastic food and veg toys with crochet ones instead!

If you’re interested in learning more about sustainable crochet you can read all about it in the 6-part series I did covering everything about Sustainable Crochet and how to implement it into your own crafting starting today!

Materials you will need:

YARN:

Rico Essentials Organic Cotton DK | 100% Organic Cotton | Weight: 3/DK/Light Worsted

Colors:

Mustard: x1 ball
Cream: x1 ball
Brown: leftovers of whatever you have on hand
Green: leftovers of whatever you have on hand

YARN SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS:

If you can’t access the recommended yarn, want to explore other colors, or would just prefer to use a different yarn, here are some others that will work well! All of these are DK weight:

100% Cotton Options:

Cotton Blend & Other Fiber Options:

Scheepjes Linen Soft (Cotton/Linen/Acrylic)
Paintbox Yarns Simply DK (Acrylic)
Stylecraft Bamboo & Cotton Blend
Sirdar Stories DK (Cotton/Acrylic)
Valley Yarns Haydenville DK (Wool/Acrylic)

OTHER TOOLS & MATERIALS:

Crochet Hook: 3.00 mm / US C
Tapestry Needle
Stitch Markers
Measuring Tape
Scissors
Stuffing (here’s a great chance to use all those tiny yarn snippets you’ve been saving for stuffing!)

Abbreviations used in the banana free crochet pattern:

ch – chain
st – stitch
hk – hook
sl st – slip stitch
sc – single crochet
inc – increase
dec – decrease
(…) x – repeat instructions indicated number of times
[…] – number of stitches in row/round

You can find the printable, AD-FREE version of this pattern here:

SHOP ETSY

SHOP RAVELRY

The Banana Free Crochet Pattern

Notes:

The banana is worked in continuous rounds – do not join after each round
Stuff the banana as you go along

PEELED BANANA:

Rnd 1: st 6 sc in a magic circle [6]

Rnd 2: (sc, inc) x3 [9]

Rnd 3: (sc 2, inc) x3 [12]

Rnd 4: (sc 3, inc) x3 [15]

Rnd 5: (sc 4, inc) x3 [18]

Rnd 6: (sc 5, inc) x3 [21]

Rnd 7-41: sc around [21]

Rnd 42: (sc 5, dec) x3 [18]

Rnd 43: (sc 4, dect) x3 [15]

Rnd 44: (sc 3, dec) x3 [12]

Rnd 45: (sc 2, dec) x3 [9]

Rnd 46: (sc, dec) x3 [6]

Snip, leaving a long tail. Using a tapestry needle, weave the yarn through the front loop of the remaining 6 st and pull to close. Bring yarn to inside and back outside one of the side walls. Snip clean with surface.

BANANA PEEL:

NOTES:

The start of the banana peel is worked in continuous rounds until you get to the split peels. Then, the split peels are worked in turning rows.
Chain 1 and turn at the end of the turning rows unless otherwise specified.

Begin with the brown yarn

Rnd 1: st 6 sc in a magic circle [6]

Switch to the green yarn

Rnd 2: (sc, inc) x3 [9]

Switch to the yellow yarn

Rnd 3: (sc 2, inc) x3 [12]

Rnd 4: (sc 3, inc) x3 [15]

Rnd 5: (sc 4, inc) x3 [18]

Rnd 6: (sc 5, inc) x3 [21]

Rnd 7: (sc 6, inc) x3 [24]

Rnd 8-26: sc around [24]

Divide the peel into 3 sections – 8 stitches each.

You will now crochet the 3 banana peel splits in turning rows. Remember to ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Row 1-15: sc 8 [8]

Row 16: dec, sc 4, dec [6]

Row 17: sc across [6]

Row 18: dec, sc 2, dec [4]

Row 19: sc across [4]

Row 20: dec twice [2]

Row 21: sc across [2]

Row 22: dec [1]

Fasten off. Slip knot onto your hook and rejoin yarn in the next available stitch on round 26 and repeat Row 1-15 for the 2nd and 3rd splits of the peel. ON THE 3rd AND FINAL SPLIT, STOP AFTER ROW 19 – do not proceed to row 20 as you will come back and use those final 4 stitches to create the stem, after crocheting the border around the splits.

Instead, on the 3rd split, after completing row 19, chain 1 and, making your way down the side of the peel, continue along and create a border around the entire split peel, ending on the opposite side of Row 19 of the 3rd peel split, then continue straight away with the stem:

Begin the stem: ch 4 and create a small circle by making a slip st to the first st of row 19 – being sure the circle closes to the INSIDE of the peel. Ch 1 and turn (in order to crochet back into the ch and along the top of row 19).

Rnd 1: sc in each of the 4 ch’s and in each of the 4 st on Row 19 [8]

Switch to the green yarn

Rnd 2-4: (sc 2, dec) x2 [6]

Switch to the brown yarn

Rnd 5: sc around [6]

Snip, leaving a tail. Using a tapestry needle, weave the yarn through the front loop of the remaining 6 st and pull to close. Take a few stitches back and forth along the base of round 5 and snip clean with the surface.

Using a tapestry needle and the tail from the yellow yarn, take several stitches back and forth across the open end of the banana stem to close it up.

UNPEELED BANANA:

Begin with the brown yarn

Rnd 1: st 6 sc in a magic circle [6]

Switch to the green yarn

Rnd 2: (sc, inc) x3 [9]

Before you switch to yellow yarn, snip a length of about 12” and tie it to the starting brown yarn from the magic circle. You’ll use this long piece to pull and curve the banana later. As you crochet the banana in yellow, keep this long tail dangling out the top along one side of the banana, between the stuffing and the wall – you’ll use this long yarn to curve the banana later. Switch to yellow yarn.

Rnd 3: (sc 2, inc) x3 [12]

Rnd 4: (sc 3, inc) x3 [15]

Rnd 5: (sc 4, inc) x3 [18]

Rnd 6: (sc 5, inc) x3 [21]

Rnd 7-41: sc around [21]

Rnd 42: (sc 5, dec) x3 [18]

Rnd 43: (sc 4, dec) x3 [15]

Rnd 44: (sc 3, dec) x3 [12]

Rnd 45: (sc 2, dec) x3 [9]

Thread a tapestry needle onto the long piece of yellow yarn and pull gently to curve the banana. Take several stitches at the top between rounds 44 & 45 and bring yarn to inside and then back outside one of the side walls. Snip even with the surface.

Switch to green yarn

Rnd 46: sc around [12]

Rnd 47: (sc 2, dec) x3 [9] Stuff again.

Rnd 48-49: sc around [9]

Rnd 50: (sc, dec) x3 [6]

Switch to brown yarn

Rnd 51: sc around [6]

Snip, leaving a long tail. Using a tapestry needle, weave the yarn through the front loop of the remaining 6 st and pull to close. Take a few stitches back and forth along the base of round 50 and snip clean with the surface.

You did it! Well done!

I would love to see your completed bananas. Please post pictures on instagram and tag me @offthebeatenhook and use #offthebeatenhook. Cheers!