A group of jellyfish is called a bloom, and honestly, that is exactly what happens to your craft table once you start making a crochet jellyfish — one drifting cutie appears, and suddenly you need a whole bloom of them in every colour. They are the happiest kind of amigurumi: a simple round bell, a frilly little skirt, and those wonderful curly tentacles that do all the showing off. Hang them in a nursery, string them into a mobile, clip one to your beach bag, or line them up on a sunny windowsill — they bring a little bit of the seaside wherever they float.
So here are twenty of my favourite jellyfish designs, and every single one is genuinely free. There are no-sew minis you can finish in an evening, a keychain, a sleepy chunky plush, a comfort jelly made for the tiniest babies, flat ragdoll styles, a sparkly galaxy version, and even a red-white-and-blue party guest. I have noted the yarn, the size and the honest little details for each one as we go — pick your first, raid the stash, and let's start your bloom.
1. The Sparkling Galaxy Jellyfish (No-Sew)
We are starting with the showpiece. Janie's Galaxy Jellyfish at Sweet Softies is worked in a sparkly, self-striping worsted yarn — hers is a colourway called Tidal Pool — so the bell shades itself from deep sea blue to teal without a single colour change from you. The whole jellyfish is no-sew: the domed head, six curly tentacles, four wispy thin tentacles and the base all grow out of one continuous piece, finishing around eight inches tall with big 14 mm safety eyes giving it that wide-eyed, deep-sea wonder. The written pattern is completely free on her page; just know the free version is text-only, and if you want step-by-step photos there is an optional paid PDF. In a child's bedroom window, with the light catching the sparkle, it looks like something that drifted in from another galaxy entirely.
Pattern: Galaxy Jellyfish by Sweet Softies — Get the free pattern
2. Jenni, the One-Piece Beginner Jellyfish
If you have never made a plushie before, Jenni is where I would send you first. Shehla at The Blue Elephants designed her to be crocheted completely in one piece — no seaming, no sewing on fiddly parts — with a clever front-loop ruffle round and simple chain tentacles you work straight onto the body. She is a genuine beginner pattern that takes about one to two hours, the head is roughly three and a half inches tall, and you can get about three jellyfish from a single skein of medium-weight yarn, which is why she became a craft-fair staple for the designer. The full pattern is free on the blog, with an inexpensive printable PDF if you prefer paper. Make one in pale aqua like hers, then a pink, then a lilac — they multiply happily.
Pattern: Jenni the Jellyfish by The Blue Elephants — Get the free pattern
3. The Classic Two-Piece Jellyfish in Plummy Purple
This is the jellyfish that started my own obsession, a classic amigurumi shape from Loops & Love Crochet. The head is worked in two pieces — a domed top and a flat base — then crocheted together with stuffing tucked inside, and finished with a frilly little edging of three-double-crochet shells. The tentacles are spirals in mixed lengths, around six of them, sewn to the underside so they dangle and bounce at different heights. It measures about six inches from the top of the head to the tips of the tentacles, perfect for small hands, and the designer's sample in Red Heart Soft's rich "Plummy" shade is still the prettiest purple jellyfish I have seen. The pattern is free on her site; an ad-free printable PDF is available to buy if you like. Add the optional loop on top and she hangs beautifully.
Pattern: Jellyfish Amigurumi by Loops & Love Crochet — Get the free pattern
4. The Little Jellyfish with a Skirt and Eyebrows
Kati's jellyfish has more personality per inch than almost any on this list. The body sits just three and a half inches tall — about nine inches with the tentacles dangling — and it wears a proper flouncy skirt, stitched eyebrows, and the sweetest vintage details borrowed from its first life in Happily Hooked Magazine; the rights came back to the designer, and she now shares it free on her blog. It is worked in Red Heart Super Saver with little accent colours, three hooks' worth of simple stitches, and nothing a confident beginner cannot handle. Kati suggests stringing several into a baby mobile, and she is right — a drift of these in cherry red, lemon and aqua over a cot would be pure seaside storybook.
Pattern: Jellyfish by Hooked by Kati — Get the free pattern
5. Julie and Her Rainbow Tentacles
Julie is the jellyfish for colour lovers. Nicole Chase gives her a smooth teal body with a dainty shell-stitch hem, and then three different kinds of tentacles in three different colours: mint curled "oral arms" in the centre, purple single-crochet strands, and coral slip-stitch strands around the edge. Add an embroidered smile and pink blush cheeks and she is all cheerful seaside charm, about eight inches tall including her tendrils. The pattern is classed as advanced beginner, and it is a lovely next step if you have one amigurumi under your belt, because the free blog version includes step-by-step photos and a full video tutorial; an ad-free PDF is there if you want it. She is also a brilliant stash-buster, since each tentacle colour needs only scraps.
Pattern: Julie the Jellyfish by The Nicole Chase — Get the free pattern
6. Mochi, the Two-Tone Jellyfish with a Flower
Mochi might be the prettiest colour story on this page: Holly Lanier at Storyland Amis worked hers in a purple top and mint-green underside — her "Little Mermaid" palette — with a tiny crocheted flower sewn to the side of her head. She is almost entirely no-sew: the tentacles (three curly ones in the middle, eight straighter ones around the edge) are tied into the bottom piece, and then the top and bottom are crocheted together with the stuffing going in as you close. At about five and a half inches tall she is that perfect not-too-big, not-too-small size, and the free pattern on the blog comes with a full video tutorial if you like to stitch along; a printable ad-free PDF is available in her shop. Make a whole smack — that really is the collective noun — in sister colourways.
Pattern: Mochi the Jellyfish by Storyland Amis — Get the free pattern
7. Julia the Keychain Jellyfish, Built Legs-First
Julia does everything backwards, and it is genius. Instead of crocheting a bell and sewing tentacles on afterwards, Spin a Yarn Crochet has you make five little legs first and then join them directly into the body, so the dangly bits are simply part of the construction. She belongs to their Sea Creature Keychain Collection, worked in worsted cotton — Bernat Handicrafter in a soft Lavender — with a 3.5 mm hook, and she is sized to take a keychain ring through the top as a bag charm. The pattern is short, sweet and completely free on the blog. A lavender jellyfish swinging from a canvas tote or a set of keys is exactly the kind of small handmade joy I cannot resist, and she works up fast enough to make as party favours.
Pattern: Julia Jellyfish by Spin a Yarn Crochet — Get the free pattern
8. The Mini Jellyfish That's Also a Gift Pouch
Sarah Zimmerman at Repeat Crafter Me designed the multitasker of the jellyfish world. Her mini is worked all in one piece with a scalloped edge and six curly tentacles in alternating lengths, and then you get to choose her destiny: stuff her and stitch the bottom closed for a plushie, or leave her open — with an optional little button — as a drawstring-style pouch for gift cards, jewellery, sweets or tiny treasures. The pattern is free on her blog with a video as well, in cheerful Red Heart yarns with a size H hook. I keep picturing a row of these in peach, mint and coral as table favours at a mermaid birthday party, each one hiding a treat inside. Quick, cute and genuinely useful — my favourite combination.
Pattern: Mini Crochet Jellyfish by Repeat Crafter Me — Get the free pattern
9. The Delicate Fine-Yarn Mini Jellyfish
For the makers who love their amigurumi small and delicate, AmiguWorld's jellyfish is worked in fine 2.5 mm yarn with a 3.0 mm hook and tiny 6 mm eyes, so it comes out petite and jewel-like rather than plush. The cleverness is in the finishing: a round worked in back loops only leaves a ring of front loops behind, and both the little frill and the six slender tentacles are crocheted straight out of those loops, giving an unusually neat, seamless underside. Their sample is a clear aquamarine, and the full written pattern is free on the page, rounds and all. A set of these in sea-glass shades — aqua, foam green, softest blue — strung on a line across a bathroom mirror would be the prettiest thing.
Pattern: Jellyfish Amigurumi by AmiguWorld — Get the free pattern
10. The No-Sew Jellyfish with a Bow
If sewing pieces together is your least favourite part of amigurumi, this one was designed for you. Cuddly Stitches Craft's jellyfish is genuinely no-sew: the belly is crocheted directly onto the head, a decorative wavy hem ripples around the join, ten two-tone tentacles hang underneath, and a tiny pink bow perched on top finishes her off. In sport-weight yarn on a 3 mm hook she stands about ten inches tall, so she is a satisfying, huggable size, with friendly 12 mm eyes and embroidered lashes. The written pattern is free on the page with step-by-step photos and video help; there is an optional ad-free PDF on Etsy and Ravelry if you prefer print. Worked in two blues like the sample, she looks like she swam straight out of a storybook sea.
Pattern: No-Sew Jellyfish by Cuddly Stitches Craft — Get the free pattern
11. The Clever Front-Loop No-Sew Jellyfish
Sophie Tinie's jellyfish uses the smartest trick in this whole roundup. Three decrease rounds are worked in back loops only, which quietly leaves three rings of front loops behind on the body — and then the frill, twelve short tentacles and nine long tentacles are all crocheted straight into those reserved loops. Nothing is sewn, nothing is attached afterwards; the jellyfish simply grows its own skirts and streamers. She finishes about 17 centimetres (6.7 inches) tall from only around 20 grams of light, weight-3 yarn on a 3 mm hook, so she is a wonderful scrap-yarn project, with rosy cheeks embroidered on at the end. The full pattern is free on Sophie's site. If you love an elegant construction, this little engineering marvel is the one to try.
Pattern: Jellyfish No-Sew by Sophie Tinie — Get the free pattern
12. The Hanging Jellyfish Ornament
Debbie Chapman's jellyfish at One Little Project was designed with a hanger in mind, and it shows in the best way. The body is only two and a half inches tall and about three inches across, with a pretty ruffle worked into the ridge left by a back-loop round, five curly tentacles underneath, and a neat yarn loop on top — about nine inches of jellyfish, or eleven inches including the hanger. Every round is photographed, which makes this a reassuring first amigurumi, and alongside the free written pattern on the page there is a free printable PDF to download. Her best tip is the scaling one: work the same pattern in blanket yarn with a bigger hook and your ornament becomes a big soft statement jellyfish. Hang a trio at different heights in a corner and watch them turn slowly all day.
Pattern: Crochet Jellyfish by One Little Project — Get the free pattern
13. The Double-Strand Jelly with Eight Big Curls
Lisa Auch's jellyfish is the sturdy, satisfying kind of make. She works with two strands of DK yarn held together on a 4.5 mm hook, so the fabric grows quickly and feels firm and squeezable, with a head and a separate bottom piece sewn together after the tentacles go on. And what tentacles: eight of them, each a chain of fifty with three single crochets worked into every chain, which twists them into the biggest, bounciest corkscrews on this list. A shell-stitch edging round finishes the bell, and the face is a simple embroidered mouth under safety eyes. The pattern is free on her site, written in her friendly, teacherly style. This is the jellyfish I would make for a toddler who will love it hard — it is built to be grabbed by those curls.
Pattern: Crochet Jelly Fish by Lisa Auch Crochet — Get the free pattern
14. The Sleepy Chunky Velvet Jellyfish
Ana at Little Crochet Farm designed this chunky jellyfish for her best friend's baby girl, and you can feel the love in it. She is part of the Sleepy Sea Creatures Collection, worked in soft velvet yarn with a 5 mm hook to a cuddly nine and a half inches tall, with a contrast-colour underside, eight simple slip-stitch tentacles, a shell-edged join, and the sweetest embroidered sleeping eyes — no plastic parts, so she is baby-safe from the start. The construction is beginner-friendly, the written pattern is free on the page, and there is a step-by-step video tutorial too; the PDF version is a member download on her site. In blush pink or powder blue velvet yarn, this is the baby-shower gift that gets passed around the room.
Pattern: Chunky Jellyfish by Little Crochet Farm — Get the free pattern
15. Amalfi, the NICU Comfort Jellyfish
This is the most meaningful pattern on the list. Rebekah Haas named Amalfi for the bright Italian coastal city, and designed her as a comfort jellyfish for premature babies: in the NICU, little hands reach for something to hold, and soft curly tentacles are said to remind babies of the umbilical cord, which can help them stay calm and keep tiny fingers away from tubes and wires. Everything about her is gentle and customisable — fully crocheted eyes with sleepy lids instead of safety eyes, a big rippling ruffle, and tentacles in as many colours as you like. One important note straight from the designer: if your jellyfish is for an infant, keep the tentacles at or under eight inches (22 cm) for safety. The written pattern is free on her blog, there is a free YouTube tutorial as well, and an optional PDF to purchase. If your local hospital accepts comfort donations, this is a beautiful way to crochet for good.
Pattern: Amalfi the Baby Jellyfish by Rebekah Haas — Get the free pattern
16. Marina, the Flat Cushion Jellyfish
Marina breaks every amigurumi rule in the nicest way: no rounds at all. Amigurumi Crafty works her in turned rows as two flat panels, which are crocheted together around the edges and only lightly stuffed, so she keeps a soft, flat, cushion-like shape that is completely her own. A rippling skirt row runs along the bottom, and five corkscrew tentacles — two double crochets in every chain — hang beneath it. The pattern gives you two sizes: a blue Marina and a slightly taller pink one, worked in YarnArt Jeans with a small 2.5 to 3 mm hook and 10 mm eyes. The full instructions are free on the page. She is part plushie, part little pillow, and she leans against nursery cushions or sits flat in a frame as wall art equally happily.
Pattern: Marina the Jellyfish by Amigurumi Crafty — Get the free pattern
17. The Ragdoll Jellyfish (No Decreases!)
Ragdoll-style crochet is having a moment, and Yarnhild's jellyfish shows exactly why. Two flat single-crochet panels — with no decreases anywhere in the pattern, which makes it wonderfully relaxing — are crocheted together with a little stuffing inside, then finished with five curly half-double-crochet tentacles. You can add the optional picot crown and a little shell skirt, or leave her plain and graphic; both ways are charming. In Drops Paris cotton on a 4.5 mm hook she measures about nine inches tall, and the pattern even includes the adjustments for a mini version on a 3 mm hook. The written pattern is free on Yarnhild's site, with a video too and an optional paid PDF on Etsy. Those big safety eyes on that flat, simple shape give her a sweet storybook-illustration look I adore.
Pattern: Ragdoll Jellyfish by Yarnhild — Get the free pattern
18. Waffles, the Waffle-Stitch Jellyfish
Trust a Norwegian designer to invent the waffle jellyfish. Ragnhild at Yarnhild was inspired by waffles with brunost — brown cheese, a Norwegian classic — and built this jellyfish's head in real waffle stitch, with front-post double crochets making that deep, gridded, squishable texture. Worked in velvet yarn in a warm light brown with a pink skirt, she has big 20 mm eyes, embroidered lashes, and two kinds of tentacles: three fat half-double-crochet curls and three slimmer strands tipped with bobble stitches. The skirt is worked into the leftover loops of the body, neat as you like. The written pattern is free on her site with video tutorials in English and German; an ad-free version lives on Etsy if you want it. She is the cosiest-looking jellyfish here — pure comfort food, in yarn form.
Pattern: Waffles the Jellyfish by Yarnhild — Get the free pattern
19. The Jellyfish Appliqué for Blankets and Bags
Not every jellyfish needs stuffing. Maria's Blue Crayon's jellyfish is a flat appliqué from her free Ocean Themed Afghan series — fifteen sea-creature appliqués sewn onto granny squares — and she takes minutes to make. The bell is worked in half double crochet rows, a scalloped edge runs along the bottom, and four little chain-loop tentacles are worked straight into the edge stitches. In worsted yarn on a G hook, in her cheerful pink, she is a perfect scrap-buster. The full pattern is free on the blog post. Sew one onto a baby blanket square like the original, or borrow her for a tote bag, a onesie, a beach hat or the front of a birthday card — anywhere that needs a small splash of the sea.
Pattern: Jelly Fish Appliqué by Maria’s Blue Crayon — Get the free pattern
20. The Red, White and Blue Celebration Jellyfish
We are finishing with a party guest. Sarah Zimmerman's patriotic jellyfish — her second appearance in this roundup, because she keeps designing irresistible ones — is worked in Red Heart Super Saver in Royal Blue, Cherry Red and White, and finishes a generous ten inches long. She has a scalloped skirt, six red-and-white coil tentacles, big cartoon safety eyes, and the detail that steals the show: five teeny tiny crocheted stars stitched onto her head (there is a linked free star pattern, or you can use star buttons). My favourite construction touch is the hanger — a yarn loop threaded right through the body, so it is extra sturdy and she hangs perfectly straight. The full pattern is free on Repeat Crafter Me. Make her for the Fourth of July, of course, but also for any summer barbecue, boat day or beach-house mantel that needs a smile.
Pattern: 4th of July Jellyfish by Repeat Crafter Me — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty jellyfish, my friend — no-sew minis and a sparkling galaxy swimmer, a keychain, a gift pouch, a sleepy velvet plush, flat ragdolls, an appliqué, and one very special comfort jelly made for the tiniest babies of all. If you are brand new to amigurumi, start with Jenni or the little One Little Project hanger; if you love a clever construction, Sophie Tinie's front-loop trick and Julia's legs-first build will make you grin; and if you crochet to give — to nurseries, to hospitals, to everyone you know having a baby this year — there is something here with your name on it.
Now tell me — which jellyfish is going on your hook first, and what colour is she going to be? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your blooms!
