Crochet an Amigurumi Mermaid with this Free Pattern!
Zoya the crochet mermaid doll is a the second free pattern in our Zayd and Zoya crochet dolls collection and is so much fun to make. We wanted to crochet a larger and cuddlier amigurumi mermaid to compliment Ayla the mini crochet mermaid from our Kozu Palm Pals series. We just love how Zoya turned out!
Crochet mermaids are some of our best-selling amigurumi toys in our store here in Karachi. Mermaids allow children’s imaginations to run wild! There’s something so fun about a half human and half fish – imagine all the adventures that could be had! They really make play time magical and are a great gift to crochet for any little girl in your life!
And the best part? You can vary the haircaps with other dolls from the series, making it truly unique!
About this Easy Crochet Mermaid Pattern
This crochet mermaid pattern is an easy pattern and can be made by crocheters of all skill levels! Our mermaid doll comes with a cute side braid and bangs. Plus, you can crochet her with any of the hair caps from the other crochet dolls in our our Zoya and Zayd crochet doll series – so you can try a variety of different looks!
This free crochet pattern is quite easy and works up quite fast. It’s an easy crochet doll pattern that is suitable for beginners (without legs, crochet dolls are easier to make!). Our mermaid amigurumi doll is about 10.5 inches in height.
If you want to add a little accessory for the doll, you could add our no-sew crochet fish as a little friend – or stuffie – for your mermaid! You can even crochet her a little mermaid as a younger sibling!
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Crochet Mermaid Free Pattern
This pattern is for your personal use only and cannot be sold, copied, or reproduced in any way without permission from the designers. You may sell finished objects made from this pattern in small quantities but please give credit to chaicoffeecrochet.com as the pattern designer.
Tools and Supplies You Will Need
- Yarn: Less than 50 grams of DK yarn in skin, mermaid tail, and hair colour and a small amount in the bikini top and flower colours. While we used DK yarn, any yarn with the relevant hook will do.
- 2.75mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch marker
- Polyfill stuffing
- A pair of 10 mm safety eyes or you can crochet eyes for children under 3
- Embroidery thread in black for the eyelashes and light pink for the mouth.
Stitches Used and Abbreviations
This pattern is written in US terms and crocheted in continuous rounds, except where specified otherwise.
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: single crochet
INV DEC: invisible decrease
INC: two SC in the same stitch
BLO: back loops only
HDC: Half double crochet
HDC INC: two HDC in the same stitch
Finished size: Approximately 10.5 inches tall
How to Crochet a Mermaid Doll
Arms (make 2)
Use skin colour yarn. Stuff the arms lightly at the bottom and leave the rest of the arm unstuffed.
Round 1: 7 SC in a magic circle (7)
Round 2-17 (16 rounds): SC around (7)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Tip: If you want to crochet the arms on your mermaid instead of sewing them on, see our tutorial on crocheting arms to your amigurumi to see how to finish off the arms.
If you prefer to sew the arms to your mermaid amigurumi doll, fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Body
Use the mermaid tail colour
Stuff as you go.
Round 1: 6 SC in a magic circle (6)
Round 2: SC around (6)
Round 3: (SC, INC) three times (9)
Round 4: SC around (9)
Round 5: (2 SC, INC) three times (12)
Round 6: SC around (12)
Round 7: (3 SC, INC) three times (15)
Round 8: SC around (15)
Round 9: (4 SC, INC) three times (18)
Round 10-11 (2 rounds): SC around (18)
Round 12: SC, INC, 3 SC, (SC, INC) three times, 3 SC, (SC, INC) twice (24)
Round 13-17 (5 rounds): SC around (24)
Round 18: 2 SC, INC, 3 SC, (2 SC, INC) three times, 3 SC, (2 SC, INC) twice (30)
Round 19-23 (5 rounds): SC around (30)
Round 24: (9 SC, INC) three times (33)
Round 25-27 (3 rounds): SC around (33)
Round 28: 31 SC, INV DEC (32)
Change to skin colour
Round 29: SC around in BLO (32)
Round 30: SC around (32)
Round 31: (14 SC, INV DEC) twice (30)
Round 32-34 (3 rounds): SC around (30)
Change to bikini top colour.
Round 35: SC around (30)
Round 36: SC around in BLO (30)
Round 37: (8 SC, INV DEC) three times (27)
Round 38-39 (2 rounds): SC around (27)
Change to skin colour.
Round 40: (7 SC, INV DEC) three times in BLO (24)*
Round 41: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Round 42: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
We will now continue onto the head. Do not fasten off.
Head
Round 43: SC around (12)
Round 44: (SC, INC) six times (18)
Round 45: (2 SC, INC) six times (24)
Round 46: (3 SC, INC) six times (30)
Round 47: (4 SC, INC) six times (36)
Round 48: (5 SC, INC) six times (42)
Round 49: (6 SC, INC) six times (48)
Round 50-59 (10 rounds): SC around (48)
Be sure that body is positioned so that the increases from Rounds 12 and 18 are to the side – so that the wider part of the mermaid tail is in the front. Insert safety eyes on the front of your doll between Rounds 55 and 56, eight stitches apart. Once you are satisfied with the placement of the eyes, embroider on the eyelashes. Put the washer firmly on the back. Ensure that the neck has been firmly stuffed.
Tip: It’s really important to stabilise the neck of your doll firm to avoid a wobbly head. See our tutorial on how to prevent wobbly head for your doll).
Round 60: (6 SC, INV DEC) six times (42)
Round 61: (5 SC, INV DEC) six times (36)
Round 62: (4 SC, INV DEC) six times (30)
Round 63: (3 SC, INV DEC) six times (24)
Round 64: (2 SC, INV DEC) six times (18)
Ensure that the head is well stuffed.
Round 65: (SC, INV DEC) six times (12)
Round 66: INV DEC six times (6)
Fasten off and leave a long tail to embroider on the nose. Insert needle in front loop of each stitch and pull tight to close. Use the yarn tail to embroider on the nose by making two to three passes over three stitches, one row below the eyes. Use light pink to embroider on the mouth two rows below the nose. Add a little blush on the cheeks if you like, using regular blush and a paintbrush. If you haven’t added the arms yet, you can now sew them on between Rounds 40 and 41.
Mermaid Tail Frill
Use the mermaid tail colour
Turn your mermaid doll upside down and attach yarn in the back of the doll, in the front loops left unworked from Round 28. We will be working in joined rounds for this. The chain 1 doesn’t count as a stitch.
Round 1: Chain 1. (3 HDC in the same stitch, sl st in the next stitch) sixteen times. Sl st to the first stitch of the round.
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Mermaid Bikini Top Frill
Use bikini top yarn
Turn the doll upside down and attach yarn in the back of the doll, in the front loops left unworked from Round 35. We will be working in joined rounds for this. The chain 1 doesn’t count as a stitch.
Round 1: Chain 1. (9 SC, INC) three times. Sl st to the first stitch of the round. (33)
Round 2: Chain 1. SC in each stitch around. Sl st to the first SC of the round. (33)
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
Bikini Straps (make two)
Use the dress colour yarn.
Chain 6 and fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Sew the bikini straps onto the shoulders of your doll.
Hair Cap
Use hair colour yarn
Round 1: 6 SC in a magic circle (6)
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: (3 SC, INC) six times (30)
Round 6: (4 SC, INC) six times (36)
Round 7: (5 SC, INC) six times (42)
Round 8: (6 SC, INC) six times (48)
Round 9-15 (7 rounds): SC around (48)
Note: The hair cap width can vary based on the yarn that you’re using so try it onto your doll’s head and see if you want to increase or decrease rounds here before working on the final round.
Round 16: 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 16 of the hair cap:
- First we will begin by making eight bangs in the front of the head: [Chain 5, starting from the second chain on the hook, 4 sl st back down the chain, slip stitch in the next SC in the hair cap]. Repeat until you have a total of eight bangs.
- 11 SC
- Now we will make 3 strands of hair for the braid. [Chain 36, starting from the second chain on the hook, 35 HDC back down the chain, slip stitch in the next SC in the hair cap]. Repeat until you have a total three strands.
- 26 SC
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Sew onto head. Put one stitch into each of the bangs on the doll’s forehead while you are sewing to keep them in place.
Flower
Use the flower colour yarn.
In a magic circle, (chain 6, sl st) five times.
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Braid the three long strands of hair on your doll’s hair cap and sew the flower onto the end to hold it in place.
Mermaid fin
Use the mermaid tail colour yarn.
When you begin your magic circle, leave a long tail, as that will be used to sew your fin onto your amigurumi mermaid.
Round 1: 6 SC in a magic circle (6)
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: (3 SC, INC) six times (30)
Round 6: (4 SC, INC) six times. Sl st to the first stitch. (36)
Round 7: Chain 1. (3 HDC in the same stitch, sl st in the next stitch) eighteen times. Sl st to the first st. Fasten off and weave in this end. Use the long tail from your magic circle to sew the fin onto the bottom of the tail of your crochet mermaid doll, like the base of a wine class.
Your Zoya amigurumi mermaid doll is now complete! We hope you enjoyed this free crochet mermaid pattern! Want a mini version? Try our Ayla, the mini crochet mermaid pattern from our Kozu Palm Pals series. We would love to see your crocheted mermaids, so share them on our Facebook group Amigurumi with Chai Coffee Crochet or tag us on Instagram @chaicoffeecrochet We like to share a selection of makes from our patterns in our stories and highlights.
How do you crochet a small mermaid?
Sometimes you want to crochet something a little smaller so we have the perfect small crochet mermaid pattern for you! Our Ayla the small crochet mermaid is similar in design but is just a much smaller version – just 4.5 inches tall! She is part of our Kozu Palm Pals series of small crochet dolls so you can also vary her hair by using that from the other dolls in the series.
Another way of crocheting a smaller mermaid doll, would be to use this pattern with a thinner yarn (such as sports weight yarn) and a smaller hook (usually, for amigurumi, you go down one to two sizes down from the yarn recommended on the yarn label).
How do you crochet a larger mermaid?
If you would like to crochet a larger mermaid doll, no problem! Use a thicker yarn and a larger hook and you will have a really nice and large doll of cuddly goodness! With super bulky yarn and a 7mm hook, you will end up with a huge crochet mermaid doll with 24 inches of cuddly cuteness!
What yarn do you use to crochet a mermaid doll?
You can actually use any yarn for amigurumi, based on your preference. We crocheted this mermaid doll using acrylic DK yarn. However, we have seen our mermaid crocheted in a variety of yarns. Some people prefer cotton yarn because of the stitch definition that it allows for.
People also use a variety of yarn weights to crochet this mermaid. For example, we use DK yarn, as it’s the one that we have easily available here in Pakistan. However, worsted weight or aran yarn is very popular for this mermaid – she just turns out slightly bigger. We have also seen her crocheted in super bulky blanket yarn and she turned out to be large, cuddly, and adorable. So honestly, the sky is the limit. Use whatever yarn you’re comfortable with!
Is it hard to crochet this mermaid doll?
Not at all – it is actually quite easy to do once you get the hang of it! Crochet dolls mostly just use the simplest stitch: single crochet. And this mermaid doll is particularly easy to crochet because the body is in one piece and doesn’t have any legs to join. It is a great doll for beginners to try. If you would prefer to try an easy two-legged doll, you can try our easy crochet ballerina pattern!