A beach-themed collection wouldn’t be complete without a mermaid and I adore this crochet mermaid pattern! Meet Melly the Mermaid, the latest addition to our Beach Buddies and a really fun and easy design. I loved playing around with the hair for this piece so that it’s long and flowy, perfecting for braiding and styling however you like. So, let’s get started with the free crochet pattern!
Melly the Mermaid, naturally, loves being in the water and exploring all the wonders of the deep blue sea. She could spend all day exploring shipwrecks and riding the tides with all the dolphins and sea turtles, but her very favorite thing is finding islands that no one else has ever seen. She’s an explorer and loves going out on expeditions with Percival the Pirate to find rare and beautiful things. They met years ago when Percy was just a new sailor and got lost near Melly’s home. She led him home and they’ve been fast friends ever since!
This is part of my Beach Buddies Collection along with a couple of other patterns. Over the course of the month, I’ll be releasing 7 patterns for free on the blog here. You can check back every time I post a new pattern, OR you can grab the bundle of all the patterns at once, as premium ad-free PDF files, plus a bonus pattern! The pattern bundle is on sale below for $14, which is 70% off what it would be to get each other patterns separately. Click the image or the button below to check it out!
The full free pattern is written out below. For those who’d prefer to print the pattern and take it with you for on-the-go and to markup as you go, you can buy the inexpensive printable PDF from my Etsy and Ravelry shops. The PDF is formatted without ads or comments, so it’s easy to read.
Materials:
- 3.25mm crochet hook / D hook*
- #4 medium weight yarn – I used Yarn Bee Soft Secret in Biscuit, Golden, and Ombre Sea Breeze
- stitch markers*
- tapestry needle*
- 9mm safety eyes*
- Polyfill stuffing*
*denotes affiliate link
Abbreviations:
- ch – chain
- SC – single crochet
- DC – double crochet
- HDC – half double crochet
- sl – slip stitch
Pattern Notes:
- Skill level: Intermediate – some amigurumi experience is helpful but not necessary
- Sizing: 9″ tall
- Gauge: 6S X 5R per inch
Melly the Mermaid Plushie: Free Crochet Mermaid Pattern
Head:
Round 1: With yarn in Biscuit (skin color), create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).
Rounds 7-13: SC around for 7 rounds. Insert safety eyes to round 4 after the last increase round, about 5 stitches apart. Start to add the stuffing.
Round 14: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Round 15: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Round 16: *SC 2, dec* around (18). Finish adding stuffing.
Round 17: *SC, dec* around (12).
Round 18: Decrease around (6). Cut the yarn and thread the tail through a tapestry needle. Run the needle under the front loops of each stitch and secure the yarn. Weave in the end.
Arms (make 2):
Round 1: With yarn in Biscuit (skin color), create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Rounds 3-17: SC around for 15 rounds. BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Body:
Round 1: With yarn in Sea Breeze (tail color), create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: SC around for 1 round.
Round 3: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Rounds 4-7: SC around for 4 rounds.
Round 8: *SC, inc* around (18).
Rounds 9-11: SC around for 3 rounds.
Round 12: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Rounds 13-14: SC around for 2 rounds.
Round 15: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Rounds 16-19: SC around for 4 rounds.
Round 20: Working through FLO for this round, 3HDC into each space around. Slip stitch to the top first space in the round and BO. Attach yarn in skin color to the back loop of the same round and SC around through BLO.
Rounds 21-22: SC around for 2 rounds.
Round 23: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Rounds 24-27: SC around for 4 rounds.
Round 28: *SC 2, dec* around (18).
Rounds 29-30: SC around for 2 rounds.
Round 31: Decrease around (12).
Round 32: SC around for 1 round. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Fins (make 2):
Round 1: With yarn in Sea Breeze (tail color), create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Round 2: SC around for 1 round.
Round 3: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Rounds 4-5: SC around for 2 rounds.
Round 6: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 7: Decrease around (12).
Round 8: Decrease around (6). BO and leave a long tail for sewing.
Hair:
Round 1: With yarn in hair color, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into it. Place a stitch marker.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).
Rounds 7-10: SC around for 4 rounds. Then BO, leaving a long tail for sewing it on later.
Cut around 60-70 strands of yarn double the length that you want for the hair. It’s easiest to do this by wrapping the yarn several times around a book or cardboard and then cutting along one side to release it. Lay the strands across the circle “wig cap” you just crocheted and use a tapestry needle and matching yarn or embroidery floss to sew a line of backstitches down the center to secure the strands of hair in place. You can use clips to hold everything in place as you work.
Tank Top:
Row 1: With any yarn, chain 16. Turn and SC along the row (15).
Rows 2-4: *Ch1, turn and SC along* for 3 rows. Then BO.
Attach a new piece of yarn to the 6th stitch from the end and chain 10, slip stitch to the 1st space, and BO to make the strap. Repeat on the 6th stitch from the other end.
Use the ends to tie the tank top onto the crochet mermaid. Weave in and trim any excess yarn to finish.
Assembly
Now that we have all the parts of our crochet mermaid pattern ready, we can start assembling! Add stuffing to just the ends of the arms, and all of the body if you haven’t already. Then position the arms along the sides and use the tail yarn to sew them in place.
Thread the tail yarn of the fins onto a tapestry and sew them both onto the tip of the body. Make sure to go through the end of the tail but also between the two fins to secure them in place.
Next, use the tail from the body to attach the head, going through one space on the body to one space on the head. Use pins to hold it in place as you sew and go through each space around. This makes sure that the head doesn’t wobble around. For the hair. position it on the head like a cap and use pins to hold it in place. Then use the tail yarn from the cap (make sure it’s not a hair strand!) and whipstitch it all the way around.
Thread a tapestry needle with black embroidery floss and embroider on three short stitches at the corner of each eye for eyelashes. Secure the ends, trim the floss and tuck the excess inside the head. Thread the needle with yarn in the same color as the face and stitch across 3 spaces in the center of the face 4-5 times to make the nose. Secure the yarn and tuck the ends inside. Weave in any other ends and trim the excess yarn to finish. Dress her in the tank top and you’re done!
And you’re done!
Melly the Mermaid was fun to make and I enjoyed experimenting with this method of doing yarn hair! It was pretty quick and easy compared to crocheting strands of hair, but let me know what you think. Melly is part of a collection of beach and seaside-themed patterns, so check out the 6 other patterns below. Like this pattern, you can get the others as free patterns on the blog, or visit the shop to grab the bundle of all 7 PDF Beach Buddies patterns.
Beach Buddies Collections
- Jenni the Jellyfish
- Melly the Mermaid
- Axel the Axolotl
- Percival the Pirate
- Shelby the Turtle
- Gulliver the Seagull
- and Danny the Diver
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