🧟 Resurrecting the Real Walking Dead

This is the final act in my three-part zombie yarn saga. 🧟‍♂️

In Part 1 – Pattern Peek, I looked at the suspiciously polished free pattern and wondered if the zombie shown was too good to be true.

In Part 2 – Pattern Panic, I followed the pattern exactly and confirmed: it was a mess. Eyes that didn’t match the photo, ears that didn’t exist, and a “hair patch” that looked like a tiny gray hat.

This post picks up right where Part 2 left off: I used the head I crocheted from that original failed attempt and gave it a second (better) life through sculpting, styling, and full amigurumi redemption.

🧠 The Eye That Shouldn't Be

I started this phase with the "big eye"—and that became a whole journey on its own.

The first one was too flat. The second? Too big. So I went back to the first, sculpted it with a felting needle, and added a splash of gruesome flair: red yarn tendons to attach it. It now dangles just enough to be grotesque but charming.

🪡 Sculpting the Face

I used yarn to pull the safety eye inward and create an eye socket. Then I added the same effect to the other side—even before knowing what I’d do with the second eye. It worked. Stylized, asymmetrical, and cartoonish.

Here’s what it looked like mid-sculpt:

No mouth needed. But it did need a nose—so I whip-stitched one right onto the head using the yarn from the bottom. Boom. Button nose activated.

🧶 Building the Body

Once I had the head, I realized something important: I should’ve started this zombie from the feet up. 😅

I skipped the neck entirely (on purpose) and left the body open at the bottom. Why? To keep it flexible—literally. If I ever want to add joints, or pose the limbs, this gives me options.

Here’s what the project looked like mid-body construction:

🖐️ Finger Freakout

I made 8 tiny fingers (4 per hand), each from 4 sc in a magic ring with 3 more rounds. Then I free-handed the palm and arm, shaping it with decreases and leaving it unstuffed.

I even remembered to mirror the thumb. Bonus points for zombie anatomy!

🩳🧥 Zombie Fashion Week

Next came the pants and shirt—both freehanded off the body. He was fully dressed before I attached the head—and somehow, it worked. Classic chaotic-good crochet energy.

This was the state of things just before final assembly:

💇‍♂️ Scraggly Hair & Final Touches

I cut strands of gray yarn into 3–4 inch lengths, unraveled them into wispy threads, and felted them into the scalp one by one. Eye shadow (from my beloved Morphe 35M palette) added grime and personality.

And just like that… he was finished.

📸 The Final Look

💬 Would I Make This Again?

Not exactly. But I loved the sculpting, the improvising, and the chance to turn a poorly executed pattern into something I’m genuinely proud of.

If you want to recreate this version, I won’t be writing a formal pattern—but everything I did is documented in the steps above. Feel free to follow the chaos stitch by stitch and make it your own! 🧟‍♂️💚

📌 Legal & Creative Notes

This zombie was inspired by the image shown in the Walking Zombie Amigurumi pattern by Punqa.com, which did not match the instructions provided. The photo appears to be AI-generated, and the pattern was likely written afterward.

All steps and techniques in this version are my own, based on that image.

🧵 Stay Stitchy!

— Ann @ Laughing Yarns

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