This little mermaid measures about 9.5 inches tall and is perfect for little hands. In this pattern, the tail, body, and head are worked up together as one piece, and then the fins and arms are made separately and sewn on afterwards.
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Materials:
- Worsted-weight yarn – I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Buff for the skin color, and then picked a hair color and a tail color. For my mermaid’s tail, I used Caron Simply Soft Party in Fuchsia Sparkle. For the hair, I used Red Heart Super Saver in Bonbon Print.
- 4.0mm (G-6) crochet hook (I seriously love these hooks!!)
- 9mm safety eyes
- Poly fil
- Yarn needle
Stitches Used:
- Sl St – Slip Stitch
- SC – single crochet
- HDC – half double crochet
- DC – double crochet
- Ch – chain
- MC – magic circle
- INV DEC – invisible single crochet decrease – insert hook into front loop of next stitch, then insert your hook into the front loop of the following stitch (3 loops on hook). Yarn over and draw through 2 loops (2 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 remaining loops on hook. There are many tutorials on this on YouTube. Check one out if you’d like to see the invisible decrease in action.
Important Notes:
- Magic Circle – Make a circle with your yarn, insert crochet hook into circle and draw up a loop. Use this loop to start your first chain 1 of the pattern. If you are unsure of how to make a magic circle, check out my Magic Circle Video Tutorial.
- Continuous Rounds – this pattern is worked in continuous rounds. Do not join at the end of each round. Use a stitch marker to help you keep count, if needed.
- Color Change – change colors at the end of the round before joining. Complete last single crochet of the round until the last yarn over. Yarn over with new color and pull through last step of the single crochet. So, your single crochet will go like this: insert hook into last stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over with new color, pull through both loops on hook.
- Stuff as you go – Add stuffing to the mermaid as you work it up. Make sure you are finished stuffing the tail and body section before your decreases make the opening too narrow. Also, be sure to add a lot of stuffing to the next area before you move on to the head. This will help minimize the head wobbling. (The Friendly Red Fox has some great tips to prevent head wobbling HERE).
The Pattern
Add stuffing as you go. Start with mermaid tail color.
Magic circle, ch 1, 5 sc in circle.
Round 1: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in the next 4 stitches. (6)
Round 2: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in the next 5 stitches. (7)
Round 3: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in the next 6 stitches. (8)
Round 4: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in the next 7 stitches. (9)
Round 5: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in the next 2 stitches, repeat around. (12)
Round 6: sc in each stitch around. (12)
Round 7: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 3 stitches, repeat around. (15)
Round 8: sc in each stitch around. (15)
Round 9: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 4 stitches, repeat around. (18)
Round 10: sc in each stitch around. (18)
Round 11: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 5 stitches, repeat around. (21)
Round 12: sc in each stitch around. (21)
Round 13: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 6 stitches, repeat around. (24)
Round 14: sc in each stitch around. (24)
Round 15: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 7 stitches, repeat around. (27)
Round 16: sc in each stitch around. (27)
Round 17: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 8 stitches, repeat around. (30)
Rounds 18-22: sc in each stitch around. (30)
Change to skin color
Round 23: sc in back loops only in each stitch around. (30)
Round 24: INV DEC, sc in next 8 stitches, repeat around. (27)
Round 25: INV DEC, sc in next 7 stitches, repeat around. (24)
Round 26: INV DEC, sc in next 4 stitches, repeat around. (20)
Round 27: INV DEC, sc in next 2 stitches, repeat around. (15)
Round 28: INV DEC, sc in next 1 stitches, repeat around. (10)
Round 29: INV DEC, INV DEC, sc in next stitch, repeat around. (6)
End of body – head section starts here. As an alternative, you can fasten off here and start the head with a new magic circle and 6 sc in the circle.
Round 30: 2 sc in each stitch. (12)
Round 31: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next stitch, repeat around. (18)
Round 32: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 2 stitches, repeat around. (24)
Round 33: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 3 stitches, repeat around. (30)
Round 34: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 4 stitches, repeat around. (36)
Rounds 35-42: sc in each stitch around (36)
*Place safety eyes between rounds 39 and 40, six stitches apart.
Round 43: INV DEC, sc in next 4 stitches, repeat around (30)
Round 44: INV DEC, sc in next 3 stitches, repeat around. (24)
Round 45: INV DEC, sc in next 2 stitches, repeat around. (18)
Round 46: INV DEC, sc in next stitch, repeat around. (12)
Round 47: INV DEC, repeat around. (6).
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Although I make the tail, head, and body as one piece, I add some stitches around the neck and base of head area to help minimize the head wobbling when the hair is added.
Arms (make 2)
Magic ring, ch 1, 3 sc in ring. (3)
Round 1-14: 2 sc in each stitch. (6)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing to body.
Sew arms onto body, about one round down from
Fins (make 2)
Magic ring, ch 1, 4 sc in ring. (4)
Round 1: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next stitch, repeat around. (6)
Round 2: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 2 stitches, repeat around. (8)
Round 3: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 3 stitches, repeat around. (10)
Round 4: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 4 stitches, repeat around. (12)
Round 5: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 5 stitches, repeat around. (14)
Round 6: INV DEC, sc in next 5 stitches, repeat around. (12)
Round 7: INV DEC, sc in next 4 stitches, repeat around. (10)
Round 8: INV DEC, sc in next 3 stitches, repeat around. (8)
Round 9: INV DEC, repeat around. (4)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew onto mermaid tail.
Sew the two fins together at the top and then sew to bottom of mermaid’s tail.
Bikini Top
Chain enough stitches to fit around mermaid’s body.
Sl st in 2nd chain from hook, and about 1/3 of the way across, *HDC, 3 DC in next stitch, HDC, Sl St*, repeat * *. Sl st to the end of the chain. Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew onto body.
Sew bikini top around body. Attach yarn to one side of bikini top (in the middle of the 3 DC stitches). Make enough chains to go around the mermaid’s neck and attach to the other side of the bikini top (in the middle of the 3 DC stitches).
Wig Cap
Magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring. (6)
Round 1: 2 sc in each stitch around. (12)
Round 2: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next stitch, repeat around. (18)
Round 3: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 2 stitches, repeat around. (24)
Round 4: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 3 stitches, repeat around. (30)
Rounds 5-8: 2 sc in first stitch, 1 sc in next 4 stitches, repeat around. (36)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew onto head.
Sew wig cap onto head and then add hair. If you are unsure of how to add hair. Check out The Friendly Red Fox’s tutorial on adding amigurumi hair. To make the pigtails, I added hair around the wig cap to make the hairline and then I added hair down the middle stitches to make a part, filled in some hair here and there in between and then tied a piece of yarn around each side to make the ponytails and then cut them short so they looked more like little pompom pigtails.
Add eyelashes and a mouth to your mermaid. I really like this tutorial by K and J Dolls for sewing mouths on amigurumi dolls. For doing the eyelashes, if you like thinner eyelashes, you can easily split the yarn into two strands (2-ply instead of the 4-ply).
You’re finished! I hope that you are in love with the adorable little mermaid you have just created!
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