Small Amigurumi Mermaid Doll Free Pattern
We are really excited to introduce you to Ayla, our small crochet mermaid in this free pattern!
We had always wanted to make a mini crochet mermaid to go with our Kozu Palm Pals mini crochet dolls series because, well, who doesn’t love an amigurumi mermaid? Then, we heard of a design contest on Instagram and thought it was the perfect time to work on a small crochet mermaid to add to the series! And we are so glad we did because we are absolutely in love with our little crochet mermaid doll!
Her pretty flower and unique fin make her the perfect last-minute crochet gift or even a birthday party favour for your next mermaid-themed party! You can even attach a keychain ring to her — wouldn’t a small crochet mermaid make for an adorable bag accessory or backpack charm??
We hope you love crocheting this mermaid over and over again like we do!
About this Crochet Mermaid Pattern
This amigurumi mermaid was crocheted with DK yarn and 4.5 inches and is just adorable. She works up really fast – in just a couple of hours! So if you’re last-minute like me, this is a great quick gift to crochet for kids!
I love her fin. It’s not like a traditional mermaid fin but I just love the uniqueness of the design. It’s fun to play with the colours and crochet a small mermaid that is just in your own style!
Since this mermaid is part of our Kozu Palm Pals mini crochet dolls series, you can replace her hair cap with that of any of the mini amigurumi dolls in the series, since they are all the same size. Look how cute the different hair caps look on our little mermaid!
Recently, I crocheted this in super bulky yarn and she turned out to be 12″ tall – and worked up so fast! It was really fun trying this small crochet mermaid doll in thicker yarn for a more cuddly finish.
If you prefer not to use chunky yarn, for a large mermaid doll, you can try our Zoya Mermaid crochet doll. This doll is 10.5″ tall in DK yarn and, together, they make an adorable mama baby mermaid duo!
If you would prefer an ads-free, print-friendly PDF version of our pattern, you can buy it from our Ravelry store.
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Small Crochet Mermaid Free Pattern
This is a step-by step tutorial on how to crochet a small mermaid.
This pattern is for your personal use only and cannot be sold, copied, or reproduced without the designers’ permission. You may sell finished objects made from this pattern in small quantities but please give credit to chaicoffeecrochet.com as the pattern designer.
Tools & Supplies that You Will Need to Crochet a Small Mermaid Doll
- Yarn: You need a small amount in skin colour, hair colour, bikini top colour, and fin colour of your choice. I use DK yarn but worsted weight/aran yarn will work just as well.
- Crochet hook: For amigurumi, you typically go down one or two hook sizes from that recommended on your yarn.
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch marker: You can use a locking stitch marker but even a scrap of yarn will do! The doll pattern is worked in the round so place a stitch marker at the first stitch of each round so that you can keep track of where each row begins.
- Polyfill stuffing
- Safety eyes: I use 6 mm eyes for my dolls.
- Embroidery thread: A small amount of black and pink for eyelashes and lips.
Small Crochet Mermaid: Crochet Stitches and Abbreviations Used
This pattern is written in US terms and crocheted in continuous rounds unless specified otherwise. You will need to be familiar with the following stitches and abbreviations to crochet your small mermaid.
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: single crochet
INV DEC: invisible decrease
INC: increase
HDC: half double crochet
Finished size of Your Small Crochet Mermaid
This mermaid is approximately 4.5 inches using DK yarn and a 2.75mm crochet hook
Crochet Mermaid Sizing Adaptations
If you use super bulky yarn with a 7mm crochet hook, your mermaid will be approximately 12 inches tall. If you are using super bulky yarn, you will want to use 14mm safety eyes.
How to Crochet a Small Mermaid
Body
Begin with fin colour yarn. Stuff as you go.
Round 1: 4 SC in a magic circle (4)
Round 2: SC in each stitch around (4)
Round 3: INC in each stitch around (8)
Round 4: SC in each stitch around (8)
Round 5: (SC, INC) four times (12)
Round 6: SC in each stitch around (12)
Round 7: (2 SC, INC) four times (16)
Round 8-10 (3 rounds): SC around (16)
Change to skin colour.
Round 11: SC around in BLO (16)
Round 12: SC in each stitch around (16)
Change to bikini top colour.
Round 13: SC around (16)
Round 14: (2 SC, INV DEC) four times (12)
Change to skin colour.
Round 15: (2 SC, INV DEC) three times in BLO (9)
Round 16: (SC, INV DEC) three times (6)
Head
Round 17: INC in each stitch around (12)
Round 18: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 19: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 20-24 (5 rounds): SC in each stitch around (24)
If you’re using safety eyes, place them between Rounds 21 and 22, four stitches apart. Once you are satisfied with the placement of the eyes, remove the eyes and embroider eyelashes. Reinsert the eyes and put the washer firmly on the back.
Ensure that you have stuffed the body well; especially the neck to ensure that there is no neck wobble. I use a metal chopstick to get the stuffing in but you can use a pencil tip, the back of your crochet hook, or the point of a scissor to do so– anything small enough to really push the stuffing in to ensure that the neck is firm! Continue stuffing the head.
Round 25: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 26: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Ensure that you have stuffed the head well. Use your fingers to use the stuffing to shape the head. Make sure the bottom of the head is stuffed well, giving it a rounded shape.
Round 27: INV DEC six times (6)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for the nose and ears. Insert needle in front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close. Embroider the nose and mouth. I make the nose one row below the eyes and the mouth one row below the nose.
Frill on tail
Using the tail colour
We will now be working in the unworked front loops from Round 10 of the body.
Turn the doll upside down and attach yarn in the front loops of the Round 10 of the body. Chain 1. (3 SC in the same stitch, sl st in the next stitch) eight times. Sl st to the first SC. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Fin
Using the tail colour.
Round 1: SC 4 into a magic circle (4)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around (8)
Round 3: (SC, INC) four times (12)
Round 4: (2 SC, INC) four times (16)
Round 5: (3 SC in the next SC, sl st) eight times to make 8 frills at the end of the fin. Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Sew the fin on the bottom of the tail, like the stem of a wine glass.
Arms (make 2)
The arms are made of small tubes, which can sometimes be tricky to make. Planet June has a great tutorial on making these thin tubes here.
Use skin colour yarn.
Round 1: SC 4 into a magic circle (4)
Round 2-6 (5 rounds): SC around (4).
Sew the arms on between Rounds 14 and 15.
Bikini top straps
We will now be working in the unworked front loops from Round 14 of the body.
Attach the bikini top coloured yarn to one end of the bikini top in the front. Chain 6, slip stitch in the center stitch in the middle of the bikini top in the back, chain 6, slip stitch the front loop on the other end of the bikini top in the front, and fasten off. Weave in the ends.
Flower
Use the bikini top colour yarn.
Make a magic circle and (chain 4, sl st) five times. Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Hair cap
Note: This is the pattern for bangs and a long crochet side braid for your mermaid. However, any of the hair caps from our Kozu Palm Pals mini crochet dolls will fit this doll.
Using hair colour yarn.
Round 1: SC 6 into a magic ring.
Round 2: INC in each stitch around (12)
Round 3: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 4: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 5-8 (4 rounds): SC in each stitch around (24)
Round 9: The hair cap instructions for this round can be confusing so I’m going to break them down into sections. Please note that the next section of bullet points are all for Round 9 of the hair cap:
- First we will begin by making five bangs in the front of the head: (Chain 4, starting from the second chain on the hook, 3 sl back down the chain, slip stitch in the next SC in the hair cap) five times
- 3 SC
- Now we will make 3 long strands of hair that will be braided: *Chain 21, starting from the second chain from the hook, sl st back 20 stitches. You should now be at the bottom of your chain. Sl st into the next SC of the hair cap* repeat the part between ** for a total of 3 times
- 13 SC
- Slip stitch into the first stitch of this Round.
Sew the hair cap on. Put one stitch into each of the bangs while you are sewing to keep them in place. Braid the hair and sew the flower at the end to keep it in place.
Your mini crochet mermaid is now complete! We hope you enjoyed this free crochet mermaid pattern! We would love to see your finished mermaids, so share them them in our Facebook group Amigurumi with Chai Coffee Crochet or tag us on Instagram @chaicoffeecrochet
If you enjoyed this pattern, why not try some of the other Kozu Palm Pals mini dolls?
How do you crochet a large mermaid doll?
If you would like to crochet a larger mermaid doll, you can try our Zoya mermaid amigurumi doll. She is 10.5 inches tall using DK yarn and a 2.75mm hook and is adorable. Just like our small mermaid, our Zoya mermaid doll also has a number of hair cap options that you can choose!
Another option for a larger mermaid doll is to crochet our Ayla mermaid pattern using super bulky blanket yarn. I crocheted her with blanket yarn and a 7mm hook and she turned out to be 12 inches tall and still only took a couple of hours to crochet.
How do you crochet Ariel from The Little Mermaid?
While this pattern isn’t for a specific mermaid, you can adapt her to crochet any mermaid that you would like by varying the colours and the hair cap. For example, to crochet a mermaid that looks like Ariel the little mermaid, you could use red yarn for the hair and the hair cap pattern from our girl crochet graduation doll and I think that would turn out to be quite similar.
How do you crochet a mermaid keychain?
This pattern would make a great mermaid crochet keychain or bag charm. You can simply add a keychain ring by sewing it onto the top of the mermaid’s head. If you would like the mermaid to be smaller for your keychain, you can use a thinner yarn (sports weight – or even crochet thread if you’re feeling adventurous (and if you have better eyesight than I do – haha).
How long does it take to crochet a small mermaid?
This small crochet mermaid takes just a couple of hours to crochet! Isn’t that amazing! It is a perfect project for an evening in front of the TV.