It makes sense that Katara is the next to join the Avatar: The Last Airbender pattern collection, since she’s the first one to stand alongside Aang and encourage him on his journey (and her own!) Katara is such a boss – compassionate and fierce in equal measure! She has some of the coolest outfits during the show, but I’ve stuck to one of her earliest looks for her crochet version. More of the gaang to come in this free avatar crochet pattern collection!
What materials will you need?
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The colour codes in the brackets are for Stylecraft Special DK yarn, my preferred amigurumi yarn. You can use any DK weight yarn.
- 3.00mm crochet hook
- Tan yarn (1064 Mocha)
- Brown yarn (1054 Walnut)
- White yarn (1001 White)
- Blue yarn (1708 Petrol)
- Light blue yarn (1841 Cornish Blue)
- Black thread
- Stuffing
- 2 x 8.00mm safety eyes
- Scissors
- Pins
When finished, your doll should be about 17.5cm (or about 12 inches) tall. Your doll may have slightly different dimensions depending on the hook, yarn and your crocheting tension.
Quick reference for beginners
Check out some of the tutorials below if you get stuck, or want a refresher, on any of the stitches we use in this pattern! All of my human dolls, but particularly the detailed ones like Avatar characters, can be a bit tricky for beginners. So take it slow, and take a break if you find yourself getting frustrated!
- How to read patterns
- Magic ring
- Single crochet
- Increase
- Decrease
- How to change colours
- Chain
- Attaching amigurumi limbs
- Back loop only
- Slip stitch
- Popcorn stitch
- Picking up stitches
If you get stuck anywhere else, check out the FAQ.
Katara – The last Airbender avatar crochet patterns free
HEAD
row 1: (in Tan) MR 6sc (6)
row 2: [ inc ]x 6 (12)
row 3: [ inc, sc ]x 6 (18)
row 4: [ sc, inc, sc ]x 6 (24)
row 5: [ inc, sc 3 ]x 6 (30)
row 6: [ sc 2, inc, sc 2 ]x 6 (36)
rows 7-12: sc 36 (36)
row 13: [ sc 2, dec, sc 2 ]x 6 (30)
row 14: [ dec, sc 3 ]x 6 (24)
row 15: [ sc, dec, sc ]x 6 (18)
Finish off with a slip stitch in the next stitch, and leave a tail approximately 20cm or 7.5 inches. Insert your safety eyes between rows 9 & 10, with about 5 stitches between them. Stuff firmly. Embroider the mouth using a few threads of black embroidery or cross stitch thread.
TIP: You can also use yarn to sew on the mouth, but it will make it a bit thicker. For a more expressive or detailed mouth, try felt.
HAIR CAP
row 1: (in Brown) MR 6sc (6)
row 2: [ inc ]x 6 (12)
row 3: [ inc, sc ]x 6 (18)
row 4: [ sc, inc, sc ]x 6 (24)
row 5: [ inc, sc 3 ]x 6 (30)
row 6: [ sc 2, inc, sc 2 ]x 6 (36)
rows 7-12: sc 36 (36)
Finish off, leaving a tail approximately 20cm or 7.5 inches. Use the tail to attach the wig cap to the stuffed head. I don’t go through every stitch of the wig cap, it only needs to be secured in 4 or 5 places to hold properly.
TIP: Depending on the yarn you use for the head and hair, as well as your tension, you may need more than 12 rows, or less than 12 rows to find the right fit for the wig cap. Adjust as needed.
EARS
row 1: (in Tan) ch 3 (3)
row 2: ch 1, turn, sl st, sc, sl st (3)
Finish off, leaving a tail approximately 12cm or 5 inches.
Next, I use pins to position the ears, and then use the tails to attach them. I try to give them a curve, like real ears would have. The top of the ear should be in line with the middle of the eye, and about 5 stitches away from the eye.
Sewing the hair
Embroidering the hair can be a bit tricky, so I’ve tried to include plenty of pictures. I also find it helps to pull up a couple of reference pictures of the hairstyle I’m trying to create – looking at what hair does in real life can help a lot. Dark yarn can be difficult to photograph, but hopefully you can see what’s going on here! Owlishly has a great tutorial on embroidering hair, and is where I originally learnt this technique: http://owlishly.typepad.com/owlishly/2007/08/amigurumi-hair.html
First we’re going to start outline the face. So take your length of brown yarn on a yarn needle and insert the needle under a stitch at the back of the head, at the base of the wig cap. You don’t want to go completely to the bottom of the wig cap, just to where the hair would naturally sit if it were in a low ponytail – it can help to find this spot by looking at the doll sideways and looking at reference pictures to compare.
So once the needle is threaded under we’re going to pull that brown yarn up to the top of the head, following the curve of the wig cap and bringing it up to the top centre of the head. Don’t pull the yarn all the way through, leave a length slightly longer than you want the braid to be, since we can trim it after braiding.
After we’ve gone through a stitch at the top of the head to help secure it, bring it back down to that same spot and thread the needle under a stitch again to secure it. Then, go back in the reverse again, leaving a large loop the same length as the initial piece of loose thread. This will eventually be the braid. I keep building that up in the same way, filling in the sides of the head until it feels like the braid is “full” enough.
Then start just filling in the gaps until the whole head is covered!
Then place your thumb or finger on that spot and wrap the yarn around it, going through that stitch again and then pulling it through so that it sits alongside the original part of the braid to help add to its thickness. This loop that is left behind is the loop of Katara’s hair.
I also like to do a couple of small stitches at the join to keep the loop in place – just going across all of them to help secure them.
Once the hair has been fully covered, it’s time to braid and trim the hair. Cut the large loops of the braid and then simply split into three equal pieces and plait like you would real hair. Use either wool or a clear plastic to secure the braid, and then trim the end of it to tidy.
And of course, we want to make sure we don’t forget the important hair loopies. You want the top of the loopy to come out just about in line with the outer edge or centre of the eye.
Then it goes back down to the big loop at the base of the head. Take a length blue yarn and embroider the little tie for the loopies. And then we’re done!
ARMS (make 2)
row 1: (in Tan) MR 6 (6)
row 2: [ inc, sc 2 ]x 2 (8)
rows 3-4: sc 8 (8)
row 5: sc 3, 4sc popcorn, sc 4 (8)
row 6: sc 8 (8)
rows 7-9: (in Blue) sc 8 (8)
rows 10-12: (in Tan) sc 8 (8)
rows 13–15: (in Light Blue) sc 8 (8)
The arms are so small there’s no need for stuffing. Leave a tail approximately 20cm or 7.5 inches long and finish off.
See this tutorial here if you haven’t picked up stitches before.
Sleeve
row 1: (in Light Blue) pick up a row of stitches between rows 13 & 14 (8)
row 2: sc 8 (8)
TIP The popcorn stitch in the arm is the thumb. If it’s a bit tricky or you prefer straight arms, simply replace it with a sc.
LEGS (make 2)
row 1: (in Brown) MR 6 (6)
row 2: [ inc ]x 6 (12)
row 3: [ inc, sc ]x 6 (18)
row 4: BLO sc 18 (18)
rows 5-7: sc 18 (18)
row 8: sc 3, dec 6, sc 3 (12)
row 9: sc 12 (12)
row 10: (in Blue) [ inc, sc ]x 6 (18)
row 11: sc 12 (12)
row 12: [ dec, sc ]x 6 (12)
rows 13-19: sc 12 (12)
Finish off the first leg. Leave the second leg on the hook. This will make it easier to join.
Take the two legs and position them so that both feet are pointing correctly. I like to place two bobby pins or stitch markers across the stitches where the legs will join to make it a little easier to keep track of. Position both legs. Make sure the feet are pointing forwards, and the start of the round is at the back to avoid visible colour changes.
BODY
rows 1-2: (in Blue) sc 24 (24)
row 3: (in Light Blue) [ sc 3, dec, sc 3 ]x 3 (21)
(at this point, stuff the legs)
row 4: [ dec, sc 5 ]x 3 (18)
row 5: (in White) sc 18 (18)
row 6: FLO sc 18 (18)
row 7: (in Light Blue) [ inc, sc 2 ]x 6 (24)
row 8: sc 24 (24)
row 9: [ sc 3, dec, sc 3 ]x 3 (21)
row 10: [ dec, sc 5 ]x 3 (18)
row 11: [ sc 2, dec, sc 2 ]x 3 (15)
row 12: (in Tan) [ dec, sc 3 ]x 3 (12)
row 13: sc 12 (12)
row 14: [ inc, sc ]x 6 (18)
Finish off and stuff the rest of the body.
TIP Stuff the legs before beginning the decreases. Make sure it’s not stuffed too much. You should be able to press the bottom of the feet in and have the doll stand.
SKIRT (make 2)
row 1: (in Blue) sc 8 (8)
rows 2-10: ch 1, turn, sc 8 (8)
row 11: (in White) ch 1, turn, sc 8 (8)
Finish off, leaving a tail long enough to sew onto the body later.
TIP If your piece has trouble lying flat, try ironing it. Some acrylic yarns may melt under the heat of an iron, so you can place a piece of baking wax paper or a towel between them to keep that from happening.
Putting your water bender all together
Attach the skirt. I like to pin them in place to get an idea of where they should be placed and then use the tail of the skirt to whipstitch it into place, going through every stitch for a neat finish. Do this for the front skirt and the back, and then do the same thing for the arms, which are attached as a flattened piece.
Next, with white yarn, make a chain of 20 stitches for the white crossover edging on the dress. I use pins to position it, starting at the waist, wrapping around the neck and then meeting again. Use the tails to sew into place.
Take a length of blue yarn and embroider the necklace around Katara’s neck. Then take a length of the light blue yarn and embroider the necklace – or alternatively, you can glue a small circle of light blue felt.
Finally, attach the head. There should have been 18 stitches in the last round of the head and the body, so they match up evenly. Simply align the head, and whipstitch closed. Sometimes I get halfway and then realise the head is off-centre. That’s fine, just undo the stitches and move it right or left as needed.
Other free avatar crochet patterns in the series
Teamwork makes the dream work right? The rest of the Avatar Gaang is free on the blog as well. Check out the Avatar: The Last Airbender collections for more patterns from this series! Don’t forget to tag @53stitches on Instagram or Tumblr if you share your work online, I love to see your creations!
