Worsted weight (Medium, #4) yarn — any color; about 20–40 yds per cone depending on size and dome chosen
4.50mm (US G/6) crochet hook, or size needed to get a firm, gap-free fabric
Stitch marker (a locking marker or scrap yarn works — these cones are worked in a continuous spiral, not joined rounds)
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Polyester fiberfill, if you want the finished cone stuffed before the base edge is closed off or hemmed
Abbreviation
Meaning
MR
Magic Ring
sc
Single crochet
inc
Increase — 2 sc in the same stitch
st(s)
Stitch(es)
rnd
Round
( )
Total stitch count at the end of the round
How Top-Down Shaping Works
This version starts at the very tip of the cone with a magic ring and builds outward, round by round, to a wide open base — the exact reverse of the bottom-up pattern. Because you're increasing instead of decreasing, the same rule flips: the faster the stitch count grows, the rounder and fuller the dome; the more slowly and gradually it grows, the longer and more pointed the tip.
Every version below builds up to the same 36-stitch body, so once your dome shaping is finished, all five continue with the identical straight rounds and base finishing described at the end of this pattern.
Top-down construction is especially handy when you want to add a brim, ribbed edge, or trim at the wide end after the dome is done — there's no seam or closure to work around, since the base is left open until you finish it the way you like.
1. Extremely Peaked — Long Spire Point
Increases are spread far apart and separated by plain rounds, so the tip grows very gradually into a long, narrow point before the sides begin — the top-down mirror of the Slightly Domed bottom-up cone.
Rnd 1: MR, 3 sc into ring. (3)
Rnd 2: inc in each st around. (6)
Rnd 3: inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 4: sc even around. (12)
Rnd 5: *sc 1, inc* around. (18)
Rnd 6: sc even around. (18)
Rnd 7: *sc 2, inc* around. (24)
Rnd 8: sc even around. (24)
Rnd 9: *sc 3, inc* around. (30)
Rnd 10: sc even around. (30)
Rnd 11: *sc 4, inc* around. (36)
Continue with the shared Body, Base Edge & Finishing rounds below.
The plain rest-rounds are removed, so the tip fills out over fewer rounds — still a bit of a point, but softer and shorter than the Slightly Domed version.
Rnd 1: MR, 3 sc into ring. (3)
Rnd 2: inc in each st around. (6)
Rnd 3: inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 4: *sc 1, inc* around. (18)
Rnd 5: *sc 2, inc* around. (24)
Rnd 6: *sc 3, inc* around. (30)
Rnd 7: *sc 4, inc* around. (36)
Continue with the shared Body, Base Edge & Finishing rounds below.
This is the classic, smooth amigurumi increase progression — six stitches added every round with no rest rounds — which produces an evenly curved, ball-like dome (think the top of an acorn or gumdrop).
Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6)
Rnd 2: inc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: *sc 1, inc* around. (18)
Rnd 4: *sc 2, inc* around. (24)
Rnd 5: *sc 3, inc* around. (30)
Rnd 6: *sc 4, inc* around. (36)
Continue with the shared Body, Base Edge & Finishing rounds below.
The fastest possible build-up: a full dozen stitches right in the magic ring, then two more increase rounds gets you to the full width. With almost no rounds spent narrow, the crown stays wide and rounded from the very start — the fullest, most rounded dome of the set.
Rnd 1: MR, 12 sc into ring. (12)
Rnd 2: inc in each st around. (24)
Rnd 3: *sc 1, inc* around. (36)
Twelve stitches into one magic ring is snug but manageable — pull the ring closed firmly and give the first round a gentle stretch before continuing, so the center doesn't pucker.
Continue with the shared Body, Base Edge & Finishing rounds below.
Once any of the five dome shapings above reaches 36 stitches, all versions continue identically:
Rnds (next 4): sc even around, working straight for 4 rounds to form the body of the cone. (36)
Repeat the even round as many extra times as you like for a taller cone before finishing the base — this is also the point to add fiberfill a little at a time as you work downward, if you're stuffing the cone.
On your final round, either fasten off and weave in the end for a plain rolled edge, or work 1 round of slip stitch for a neat, non-curling finish.
For a hat, bag topper, or ornament with a defined brim, don't fasten off — instead continue straight into a rib or shell border of your choice worked directly off the last round's 36 stitches.
If you'd rather close the base into a flat bottom (so the piece stands upright without an edging), reverse any of the five dome-shaping sequences above — worked as decreases instead of increases — starting from 36 stitches, exactly as in the companion bottom-up pattern.
Because the base is left open here, this top-down method is the better choice any time you plan to add a ribbed brim, seed-stitch trim, or contrasting edging — you're never fighting a closed tip to attach it to.
This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell finished items made from a mass-produced or exact copy of this written pattern without a commercial-use license, and do not reproduce, reprint, or resell this pattern itself in whole or in part.