Some crochet themes never lose their magic, and the crochet mermaid is right at the top of that list. There is something about that swishy tail, the flowing hair and all those sea-glass colours that turns a simple ball of yarn into pure storybook. Whether you are making for yourself, for a daughter or granddaughter, or for the friend who has always been a mermaid at heart, these are the projects that get squealed over when the wrapping comes off.
So here are twenty of my favourite mermaid designs, and every single one is genuinely free. There are cuddly amigurumi dolls (including one with a removable tail and one very lovable zombie), tail blankets in sizes from little kids to grown women over six feet tall, a purse, a pencil pouch, tiny treat bags, a twelve-centimetre keychain and a pretty appliqué to finish. I have noted the yarn, the sizing and the honest little details for each one as we go — pick your first, raid the stash, and let's dive in.
1. Melly, the Nine-Inch Plushie With Braidable Hair
We are starting with the sweetest little sea explorer: Melly, from The Blue Elephants, who stands about nine inches tall in worsted weight yarn on a small 3.25 mm hook. Her body is worked from the tail up with a pretty front-loop ruffle where the tail meets her waist, and her head, arms and fins are made separately and sewn on. The detail I adore is her hair — dozens of long strands stitched down the centre of a crocheted wig cap, so it hangs in proper mermaid waves that little fingers can braid and style. She even gets a tiny tie-on tank top to finish her outfit. The complete pattern is free on the blog, and there is an optional printable PDF in her Etsy and Ravelry shops if you prefer paper in your project bag.
Pattern: Melly the Mermaid Plushie by The Blue Elephants — Get the free pattern
2. A Velvet-Soft Coral Doll With a Flower Crown
If you have been waiting for an excuse to try plush chenille yarn, this twelve-inch beauty from 11Crochet is it. Coral is worked in velvet yarn (the designer suggests Himalaya Dolphin Baby or similar) with her body and softly tapering tail crocheted as one continuous piece on a 4 mm hook. A back-loop round at the waist gives that lovely ridged line where the coral-pink tail begins, and two little fin pieces are joined and sewn on at the tip. Her curly red hair is attached strand by strand to a crocheted base, then crowned with tiny five-petal flowers and leaves, and she wears a sweet little bikini top to match. The whole pattern, head to fin, is free on the page. She is rated intermediate, mostly because chenille yarn asks you to count carefully — but oh, the squish is worth it.
Pattern: Coral Mermaid Doll with Flower Crown by 11Crochet — Get the free pattern
3. Sunshine, the Doll With a Removable Tail
Maggie at Zamiguz has designed the cleverest dress-up doll: Sunshine is a complete little doll with legs, a bikini top and bottoms, and a separate shell-stitch mermaid tail she can slip on and off, so play can switch between land and sea. She measures about thirteen inches tall without the tail, and she is a low-sew design — worked from the feet up in continuous rounds, with the arms attached as you crochet the body, so there is hardly any sewing at the end. Her pink curly wig is built strand by strand around a cap, and the removable tail finishes with back-loop short-row fins that ripple beautifully. The designer makes her in skinny chenille with a touch of sparkly yarn for the tail. The full written pattern is free on her blog, with an optional paid PDF if you like a printable copy.
Pattern: Sunshine the Amigurumi Mermaid by Maggie at Zamiguz — Get the free pattern
4. Necrocia, the Zombie Mermaid With Glow-in-the-Dark Eyes
Stay with me, because Necrocia might be the most fun doll on this whole list. Kati at Hooked by Kati has created a fifteen-inch zombie mermaid in worsted weight yarn — spunky, hug-sized, and entirely more cute than creepy. She is worked top-down, so her one complete arm is crocheted directly onto the body (the other side has a playful exposed-bone detail, very on-brand for a zombie), her tail fin is worked in back loops for that ribbed, wavy edge, and she wears a little fish-bone top. The finishing touches are genius: safety eyes painted with glow-in-the-dark paint, and a swirl of pink "brains" nestled into her black fringed hair like a hair accessory. The free version of the pattern is written out in full on her page, and a premium ad-free PDF is there if you want it.
Pattern: Necrocia the Zombie Mermaid by Hooked by Kati — Get the free pattern
5. A Classic Cotton Mermaid With a Removable Shirt
This elegant thirty-centimetre mermaid from the Crazypatterns blog is rated easy, and she is a lovely first doll if amigurumi is new to you. She is worked in fine cotton — Schachenmayr Catania or a similar fingering-weight yarn — on a 2.5 mm hook, with her head and body in one piece and a pretty shell edge flaring where the rose-pink tail meets her waist. Her tail fins are crocheted separately and sewn on, and her long hair is a fringed wig cap you can style as you like. What lifts her from doll to dress-up doll is the little raglan shirt, worked in stripes with a Velcro or button fastening, so it comes off and goes back on like real clothes. The complete pattern is free on the Crazypatterns blog, photos and all.
Pattern: Mermaid Amigurumi Doll by Crazypatterns — Get the free pattern
6. A Dress-Up Doll With Her Own Flower-Trimmed Tail
Here is a two-in-one idea I wish more doll patterns offered: this Crazypatterns mermaid is a full doll with crocheted legs, and her mermaid tail is a separate piece worked from the feet up to a neat bodice, so she can wear it or take it off. The pattern is classed as advanced beginner and uses cotton yarn with a 3 mm hook; the doll's body is built in one piece from the joined legs, with the arms attached as you go. Her hair can be simple attached strands or a wig cap with pretty curled locks, and the tail is decorated with tiny crocheted flowers that make the whole thing feel like a festival outfit. The full pattern, with lots of step-by-step photos, is free on the Crazypatterns blog.
Pattern: Mermaid with Flower-Decorated Tail by Crazypatterns — Get the free pattern
7. Derin, With Long Curls and a Tiny Crop Top
Derin is a graceful, fashion-forward little mermaid designed by Guligurumi and shared in full on Craftorator. She is worked in YarnArt Jeans cotton with a fine 2.2 mm hook, which gives her that smooth, detailed finish amigurumi lovers chase. Her body flows in one piece from the head down into the tail, and the wide fin is cleverly worked in half-double-crochet short rows straight from the last stitches of the body — no separate fin to sew on at all. Her crowning glory is eighteen long double-crochet hair strands falling from a centre parting, and she finishes with a separate little crop top with a wavy edge that ties the whole look together. The complete pattern is free on the Craftorator page. She has real poise, this one.
Pattern: Mermaid Derin Amigurumi by Guligurumi — Get the free pattern
8. One Tail Blanket in Child, Teen and Adult Sizes
Now for the blankets, starting with the friendliest sizing on the list. Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops has written her mermaid tail in three sizes — child at 54 inches long, teen at 58, and a proper adult at 62 — all worked the same way for the first twenty-seven rounds. The tail is crocheted in the round from the tip up in double crochet on a big 9 mm hook with worsted yarn, so it grows satisfyingly fast, and the wide fin is added afterwards with back-loop half doubles worked in short rows for that lovely ribbed flare. Her sample is a glorious flamingo pink, but the simple stitch pattern takes any colour gracefully — ocean ombre, anyone? The pattern is free on her blog, and there is an optional PDF version in her Etsy shop.
Pattern: Mermaid Tail Blanket by Melissa Hassler at Lovable Loops — Get the free pattern
9. Five Sizes, Self-Striping Yarn and a Foamy Ruffle
Brittany at B.Hooked thought of everyone: her mermaid tail comes in five sizes from baby right up to an adult tail twenty-three inches wide and fifty inches long. It is worked mostly in double crochet with Bernat Pop! self-striping cake yarn on a 6 mm hook, so the mermaid colour changes happen all by themselves and there are hardly any ends to weave in. The body and the big gathered fin are made separately and sewn together, and then comes the signature finish — three rounds of ruffles crocheted around the top opening, like foam on a wave. The full written pattern is free on her page, with an optional PDF in her shop if you want to print it. Simple stitches, spectacular result.
Pattern: Crochet Mermaid Tail by B.Hooked Crochet — Get the free pattern
10. Spider Stitch, Two Strands and Ruffles Top and Bottom
Amelia's ruffled tail blanket is the prettiest excuse to learn the spider stitch — which, happily, is nothing more than single crochets and chains making a lacy little V, over and over. The body is worked flat with two strands of worsted held together on a chunky K hook, in soft pink and lilac, then seamed partway up to form a cosy foot pocket, with a ruffled fin at the bottom and a second ruffle around the top opening. It is written as one size fits most: genuinely comfortable for adults, and just as snuggly for kids with the top folded down. The complete pattern is free on Amelia Makes, with an optional ad-free PDF if you like one. Sixty rows of that soothing stitch repeat and you have a gift that looks like it took weeks.
Pattern: Mermaid Tail Blanket With Ruffles by Amelia Makes — Get the free pattern
11. The Chunky Three-Strand Lap Tail
If speed and squish are your priorities, Robin's mermaid tail is the one. She works three strands of yarn together — one chunky and two double-knit — on a 10 mm hook, so the fabric is thick, warm and fast-growing. The construction is clever: a closed foot pouch worked in rounds first, then the blanket continues in open rows, so it wraps your legs like a cocoon but is easy to slip in and out of, finishing around forty-two inches long before the fin — a perfect adult lap size. The two-piece fin is worked in back loops for a stepped, ribbed edge and gathered into shape before sewing on, and a contrasting band finishes the top. The full pattern is free on Hooked by Robin, and she positively encourages colour experiments. Variegated yarn for the fin is her own favourite trick.
Pattern: Crochet Mermaid Tail by Hooked by Robin — Get the free pattern
12. Shell-Stitch Scales for Mermaids Over Six Feet Tall
Nadia Fuad at YARNutopia sized her famous mermaid tail afghan by height, which is exactly how tail blankets should be sized: small fits a child of four to five feet, medium fits five to six feet, and the large is honestly made for anyone over six feet tall. All three are about fifty inches wide, worked flat in rows of five-double-crochet shells that stack up like scales, changing colour every row in her sea-glass trio of Macaw, Jade and Peacock in Red Heart Super Saver on a J hook. At the right length you join the work into rounds and decrease down to close the tail, then add a separate fin. The complete written pattern is free on her blog, video tutorial included; a printable PDF is sold separately on Ravelry.
Pattern: Mermaid Tail Afghan by Nadia Fuad at YARNutopia — Get the free pattern
13. Crocodile-Stitch Scales, a Free Ravelry Download
For the most realistic scales in crochet, nothing beats the crocodile stitch — and Felene Grammer's Mermaid Lap Blanket builds its whole tail from them, worked around the posts of V-stitches so every scale stands up in lovely overlapping rows. It comes in adult, teen and child sizes, cocoons snugly around the feet and ankles and then opens out into a lap blanket, with a ribbed fin to finish. The designer suggests a sparkle yarn like Caron Simply Soft Party for the fin, which catches the light exactly like sun on water. It is a yarn-hungry stitch, so budget generously — roughly 1,870 yards for the adult — and give your wrists little breaks as you go. The pattern is a free Ravelry download, and Felene's video walkthrough is linked there too.
Pattern: Mermaid Lap Blanket by Felene Grammer — Get the free pattern
14. The Bulky Snuggle Sack in Blanket Brights
Bernat's My Mermaid snuggle sack is the quick, cushy option: worked in Bernat Blanket Brights, a bulky chenille-style yarn, it comes together fast and feels like being hugged by a cloud. The finished sack measures about forty-six inches around and forty-five inches long, not counting the tail fin — a generous child size that smaller teens can absolutely claim for film night too. It is rated easy, and because the yarn is doing all the plush work, the stitch pattern can stay simple while the bright, ocean-inspired colourways do the showing off. The pattern is a free download from Yarnspirations, and no sign-up is needed — just click and save it. If you need a birthday gift by the weekend for a mermaid-obsessed small person, this is the fastest route from yarn pile to hero status.
Pattern: My Mermaid Crochet Snuggle Sack by Bernat at Yarnspirations — Get the free pattern
15. A Quick V-Stitch Cocoon in Bulky Yarn
Crochetto's tail blanket is built on the humble V-stitch — two double crochets in one place — and it is a masterclass in how far one simple stitch can take you. You start with an oval base and grow a closed cocoon for the feet, alternating plain and increase rounds, then switch to rows for the open top section, which you simply keep working until the blanket is the length you want. The fin is two identical ribbed pieces worked in back-post doubles, joined down the centre and sewn across the bottom. It takes about six hundred grams of bulky yarn and a 10 mm hook, so this is a genuinely quick make for confident beginners. The full pattern is free on her site.
Pattern: Mermaid Tail Blanket by Crochetto — Get the free pattern
16. A Shoulder Purse With a Crocodile-Stitch Rim
From blankets to bags — and this little purse from 5 Little Monsters might be the cutest carry in the whole roundup. It is built fin-first: you crochet the tail fin flat, then work up into a half-double-crochet pouch in the round, and finish with a full round of crocodile stitches around the top opening that look exactly like scales catching the light. The long strap makes it a shoulder bag as written, and it is easy to lengthen into a crossbody or shorten into a handle. The designer uses Red Heart Super Saver Stripes in the Parrot colourway, whose blue-green-purple shifts were simply made for mermaid projects — and one skein stretches to the purse plus both matching pouches in this collection. The complete pattern is free on her blog.
Pattern: Mermaid Tail Purse by 5 Little Monsters — Get the free pattern
17. A Pencil Pouch Shaped Like a Tail
The purse's smaller sister is just as smart: a pencil pouch that is literally a mermaid tail, fin at the bottom and a neat button flap at the top to keep everything inside. Like the purse, it starts with the flat fin and grows upward in half-double-crochet rounds, and the tapered flap closes with a simple chain loop over a button — no zips, no fuss. It is sized to hold brand-new pencils at full length, and the designer notes you can drop a few of the straight rounds to make a shorter version for crochet hooks, makeup brushes or glasses. One skein of self-striping yarn makes at least three pouches, and because each one starts at a different point in the colour run, no two ever match. The full pattern is free on 5 Little Monsters.
Pattern: Mermaid Tail Pencil Pouch by 5 Little Monsters — Get the free pattern
18. Drawstring Treat Bags With Scaly Trim
Farrah Hodgson designed these little fish-tail treat bags for a mermaid birthday party, and they are party-favour perfection. Each bag stands about six inches tall — ten with the tail — and four and a half inches wide, worked in worsted yarn on a G hook from just eighty to a hundred yards, so your odd part-skeins finally have a destiny. The fin is shaped in short rows first, then the body grows in half-double rounds, and the top is finished with two proud rounds of half-double crocodile stitch before a simple chain drawstring gathers it closed. The complete pattern is free on 365 Crochet, photo tutorial included. Fill them with sweets for a party, or make a set in your own colours for gift cards, jewellery and tiny treasures all year round.
Pattern: Mermaid Fish Tail Treat Bags by Farrah Hodgson at 365 Crochet — Get the free pattern
19. A Twelve-Centimetre Tail for Your Keys
The MerTail Mini from Sweet Sam Design is the smallest mermaid in the collection and quite possibly the most satisfying: a twelve-centimetre tail you can finish in under an hour from ten to fifteen grams of DK scraps. It is worked in one seamless piece, starting with the two fins and building the tail in the round with front-post double crochets that give a subtle, elegant scale texture — no sewing whatsoever. A little strap folds over a lobster clasp, and suddenly your keys, your tote or your zipper pull has its own mermaid tail. The pattern is free on her blog and includes a stitch chart as well as written instructions, with an optional printable PDF if you want one. They are craft-fair gold and the sweetest add-on to a wrapped gift.
Pattern: MerTail Mini Mermaid Tail Keychain and Bag Charm by Sweet Sam Design — Get the free pattern
20. A Flat Mermaid Appliqué in Three Sizes
We are finishing with the most versatile mermaid of all: Kerri's flat appliqué, built piece by piece — head, flowing hair in two layers, body, little bra top and that swishing tail — then stitched together into a mermaid you can sew onto almost anything. A blanket square, a tote bag, a cushion, the back of a denim jacket: she upgrades them all. The pattern is written so the yarn chooses the size — fine 2-ply cotton on a 1 mm hook makes a delicate mermaid of about eight and a half centimetres, 4-ply gives you a medium, and 8-ply yarn on a 3 mm hook makes a statement piece of sixteen by twenty-two and a half centimetres. The pattern is free on Kerri's Crochet, with an optional ad-free version for a dollar on Ravelry and LoveCrafts.
Pattern: Mermaid Appliqué by Kerri’s Crochet — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty mermaids, my friend — dolls with braidable hair and removable tails, a zombie with glow-in-the-dark eyes, blankets sized from small children to six-foot goddesses, and a whole shoal of bags, pouches and tiny treasures, every single one free. If you are new to amigurumi, start with the easy cotton doll at number five or the little keychain at nineteen; if it is film-night cosiness you are after, the Lovable Loops and B.Hooked blankets will not let you down. And do not overlook the scrap yarn possibilities here — mermaids were basically invented to use up beautiful leftover blues, greens and purples.
Now tell me — are you team doll, team blanket or team tiny-accessory, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
