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Meet Lagoona the Mermaid. When she’s not exploring with her sea friends, she’s stealing hearts with her magical singing. Keep scrolling to learn how to make her with my free crochet mermaid pattern.
Pattern Notes
This mermaid is made using continuous rounds and is about 12 inches tall. This could vary if you choose to use a different hook or yarn than I did, or depending on how you stuff it. I recommend stuffing it firmly.
Stitches and Abbreviations
Here are the crochet stitches and abbreviations I use. Click on them if you need a refresher on how to do any of these.
- magic ring – mr
- chain – ch
- single crochet – sc
- half double crochet – hdc
- double crochet – dc
- treble crochet – tr
- slip stitch – slst
- increase – inc
- decrease – dec
- back loops only – BLO
- back post single crochet – bpsc
Any parts of the pattern written in brackets [ ] will tell you that this part needs to be repeated. It will be followed by an ‘x’ to let you know how many times it should be repeated.
Materials
- size 5 or F crochet hook
- scissors
- needle for weaving in ends
- yarn for the tail (I used Red Heart Super Saver in Minty)
- yarn for the body (I used Red Heart Super Saver in Buff)
- yarn for the shells (I used Red Heart With Love Metallic in White)
- yarn for the hair (I used Lion Brand Yarns Mandala Sparkle in Nova)
- fiberfill for stuffing
- safety eyes
- A little bit of black embroidery floss for the mouth and eyelashes
- optional fabric glue
You don’t have to use the same hook and yarn I did. It just might affect the finished size. I love the yarns I chose for the shells and hair because they’re sparkly. It helps add a little extra magic!
You could also use buttons for the eyes, or you could embroider them.
Crochet Mermaid Pattern
I like to begin with the tail and body and sew on the pieces as I go.
Tail
With the Minty yarn, create a magic ring. Stuff firmly as you go to make sure you get an even stuffing.
Round 1: 3 sc in mr (3)
Round 2: [inc] x 3 (6)
Round 3: [inc, sc] x 3 (9)
Round 4: [sc, inc, sc] x 3 (12)
Round 5: [3 sc, inc] x 3 (15)
Round 6: [2 sc, inc, 2 sc] x 3 (18)
Round 7: [inc, 5 sc] x 3 (21)
Round 8: [3 sc, inc, 3 sc] x 3 (24)
Round 9: [7 sc, inc] x 3 (27)
Round 10: [4 sc, inc, 4 sc] x 3 (30)
Round 11: [inc, 9 sc] x 3 (33)
Round 12: [5 sc, inc 5 sc] x 3 (36)
Round 13: [11 sc, inc] x 3 (39)
Round 14: [6 sc, inc, 6 sc] x 3 (42)
Round 15: [inc, 13 sc] x 3 (45)
Round 16: [7 sc, inc, 7 sc] x 3 (48)
Round 17: [15 sc, inc] x 3 (51)
Round 18: [8 sc, inc, 8 sc] x 3 (54)
Round 19: [inc, 17 sc] x 3 (57)
Round 20: [9 sc, inc, 9 sc] x 3 (60)
Round 21: [19 sc, inc] x 3 (63)
Round 22: [10 sc, inc 10 sc] x 3 (66)
Round 23: [inc, 21 sc] x 3 (69)
Round 24: [11 sc, inc, 11 sc] x 3 (72)
Round 25: sc around (72)
Change from the Minty color to Buff, and continue on to the body.
Body
Round 26: bpsc around (72)
Rounds 27-47: sc around (72)
Now would be a good place to attach the safety eyes between Rounds 42 and 43 about 13 stitches apart. I also went ahead and embroidered a mouth and eyelashes, but you could wait until the body is complete to do that.
Round 48: [5 sc, dec, 5 sc] x 6 (66)
Round 49: [dec, 9 sc] x 6 (60)
Round 50: [4 sc, dec, 4 sc] x 6 (54)
Round 51: [7 sc, dec] x 6 (48)
Round 52: [3 sc, dec, 3 sc] x 6 (42)
Round 53: [dec, 5 sc] x 6 (36)
Round 54: [2 sc, dec, 2 sc] x 6 (30)
Round 55: [3 sc, dec] x 6 (24)
Round 56: [sc, dec, sc] x 6 (18)
Round 57: [dec, sc] x 6 (12)
Round 58: [dec] x 6 (6)
Fasten off by slip stitching to the first stitch of Round 58. Weave the end of the yarn around the posts of the stitch of the last row. Pull it tight, knot it, and hide the end. If she’s looking kind of like an ice cream cone, you know you’re on the right track!
Fringe Around the Waist
When you back post single crocheted around the tail in Round 26, you pushed all the tops of the stitches of Round 25 forward. With the mermaid facing head down, attach the Minty color yarn to the top of the last stitch of Round 25.
Round 1: [skip 2 stitches, 5 dc in the next stitch, skip 2 stitches, slst in the next stitch] x 12
The last slip stitch should be done where you first joined the yarn. Fasten off, and hide end.
Tail Fins
Make 2.
With the Minty yarn, create a magic ring.
Round 1: 3 sc in mr (3)
Round 2: sc around (3)
Round 3: [inc] x 3 (6)
Round 4: sc around (6)
Round 5: [inc, 2 sc] x 2 (8)
Round 6: [inc, 3 sc] x 2 (10)
Round 7: [inc, 4 sc] x 2 (12)
Rounds 8-9: sc around (12)
Round 10: [dec] x 6 (6)
Rounds 11-12: sc around (6)
Fasten off by slip stitching to the first stitch of Round 12. Do not stuff. Leave a long tail for attaching.
Attach on either side of the the bottom of the tail.
Arms
Make 2
With the Buff yarn, create a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in mr (6)
Round 2: [inc] x 6 (12)
Rounds 3-6: sc around (12)
Before fastening off, stuff and fold them in half and crochet across to close.
Attach arms to the body.
Shells
Make 2.
With the sparkly, white yarn, create a magic ring. Make it fairly big!
Round 1: hdc, dc, hdc, slst, hdc, 2 dc, 3 tr, 2 dc, hdc, slst all in mr
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for attaching. Tighten the magic ring as much as you can to create the shell shape.
Sew all the way around the shells to attach them to the body.
Hair
With whatever yarn you are using for the hair, create a magic ring.
Round 1: 6 sc in mr (6)
Round 2: in BLO, [inc] x 6 (12)
Round 3: in BLO, [inc, sc] x 6 (18)
Round 4: in BLO, [inc, 2 sc] x 6 (24)
Round 5: in BLO, [inc, 3 sc ] x 6 (30)
This creates the base of the hair, a circle with all the exposed front loops from Rounds 1-4.
Next, slip stitch to the first stitch of Round 5. Chain 36. Starting in the second chain from the hook, slst into each of the remaining 35 chains. This creates one strand of hair.
Repeat that process (slst, ch 36, starting in second ch from the hook slst into the remaining 35 chains) for each of the stitches in Round 5. This creates the bottom layer of hair.
Continue creating strands of hair in this way by slip stitching to the exposed front loop of the last stitch of Round 4.
Create strands of hair using the same process into each of the exposed front loops, spiraling inwards until there is a strand of hair coming from each of the exposed loops. Fasten off and hide end.
Attach the hair by flipping it over, placing a liberal amount of fabric glue on the center, and securing it to the top of the head. Alternatively, you could sew the hair onto the head. I like this way because it’s a lot quicker and easier, but make sure you give it plenty of time to dry.
If you like, you can leave it like this and be done. It just means that anytime you flip her over, she will look bald on the sides. But maybe you like that if you want your mermaid to look a little edgier.
I glued down most of the strands from the bottom layer. I left the strands in front of her face alone, but I took the rest of the stands of the bottom layer and glued them about halfway down along the back of her head.
This way she’s never left bald. You could even glue down every single strand of hair, if you wanted, so they all stay exactly where you want them. However, I like being able to move the hair.
And there you have it! Your mermaid is done. My little girls love mermaids and fight over this one all the time!
If your Lagoona gets lonely, make her some friends with my unicorn and dragon patterns to complete the magical collection.
