There is no quicker route to a handmade holiday wardrobe than a crochet bikini top: two little cups, some straps, a ball of cotton yarn, and an afternoon is honestly all it takes. I love that a top this small can carry so much personality — fringe, shells, granny squares, stripes, lace bands — and that every single one ties, wraps or buttons to fit your body exactly, which no shop-bought bikini has ever done for me. Throw one over a sarong or under a sheer cover-up and it stops being swimwear and starts being an outfit.
So I have gathered 20 of my favourite bikini top and bralette patterns for women — classic triangles, a flower-motif festival top, beaded tassels, a made-to-measure linked-stitch design and a band-first bralette that ties in a bow — and every single one is free. Expect beginner-friendly stitches, plenty of custom-fit options and lots of ideas for styling each one at the beach, the pool and beyond. Pick your cotton, measure once, and let's find your new favourite bikini top.
1. A Flower to Start the Party
Kristin's Hannah top begins somewhere no other bikini on this list does: with a delicate five-pointed floral motif at the centre of each cup, growing outward into a pretty tied festival top. It is worked in sport weight yarn with a small hook, so the fabric is fine, lacy and light, and the ties make the fit flexible across a 32 to 36 inch bust with a smaller cup. The cluster stitches give it that handmade, heirloom feel that photographs beautifully at golden hour. I would wear it with a flowing maxi skirt and bare feet for a festival, then swap in denim shorts for the beach. If you love a top with a story, start here.
Pattern: Hannah Crochet Festival Bikini Top by Kristin Omdahl — Get the free pattern
2. The One-Afternoon Classic
The Weekend Getaway top is the bikini I recommend to anyone making their first one: simple single crochet cups in three sizes, small, medium and large, finished with a pretty lace border along the bottom band. Jenny and Teddy worked their sample in a cotton blend DK, and there is a full video tutorial if you like to crochet along. Because the cups are plain, the lace band does all the decorative work — and it does it very well. Make it in white for a fresh beach look, then wear it under an open shirt with linen trousers for lunch. This is the pattern you will remake in every colour.
Pattern: The Weekend Getaway Bikini Top by Jenny and Teddy — Get the free pattern
3. Desert-Star Detailing
Shaz calls this her Sahara Bralette, and it is the quick-and-comfortable one she is known for: smooth half double crochet cups shaped with a little shell at the centre, then a gorgeous star-stitch border worked all the way around both cups. That textured border is the clever part — it extends the coverage at the sides and finishes in long ties you pull from double strands of yarn, so the fit adjusts beautifully. The pattern walks you through adding or removing rows until the cup is exactly your size. Her samples are soft neutrals, and they look wonderful with a floaty sarong and a wide-brim hat. A bralette that genuinely earns the word comfortable.
Pattern: Sahara Bralette by Shaz at The Knotty Lace — Get the free pattern
4. Rainbow Lace, Head Turner
If subtle is not your thing, this is your top: joyful rainbow stripes worked into lacy, open cups with treble fan details, then airy mesh side panels that stretch comfortably around the body. The Stardust Gold Crochet pattern is written as a proper tutorial with the cup, side mesh and finishing rows all explained step by step, and she is honest that the stitch patterns reward a careful first read. The result is a festival-ready top that looks far more advanced than it is. Pair it with white high-waisted shorts so the colours do all the talking, or go full rainbow with a tie-dye sarong. Sunshine, in crochet form.
Pattern: Rainbow Crochet Bikini Top at Stardust Gold Crochet — Get the free pattern
5. Five-Colour Seaside Stripes
DROPS' Sea View top is a stripe lover's dream: cups worked from the bottom up in five shades of their fine Safran cotton — olive, heather, rose, orange and pistachio — each stripe just one row deep, so the colour changes keep you hooked. The shaping is smart, increasing and then decreasing through the middle of the cup for a fit that follows your body, and the neck tie is crocheted straight from the top of the cup. It comes in sizes S to L, matched to cup sizes A to C. The back fastens with a twisted cord threaded through the lower edge, which gives a lovely adjustable finish. Wear it with a white linen skirt and let those sorbet stripes sing.
Pattern: Sea View (DROPS 95-35) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
6. The True Beginner Basic
The Basic B top was designed for a summer blog hop, and it shows in the best way: the pattern is written so you can make any size, in any yarn you already own. The cups are plain single crochet worked until they fit you, with a neat row across the bottom and strings you can decorate with beads if you fancy — hers have little rose beads at the top. Because there is no fixed gauge or size chart to fight, this is a brilliant first bikini for a nervous beginner. Make yours in a worsted cotton, like the sample, and it will hold its shape swim after swim. High-waisted shorts, a big smile, done.
Pattern: Basic B Bikini Top at Knotty Gurl Crochet — Get the free pattern
7. Shells, Picots and a Front Tie
Carrie's Sophia top pairs neat single crochet cups, edged in a sweet picot trim, with a wide decorative body band of shells and lace that turns a bikini top into something you can wear out to dinner. The long chain straps weave through the tops of the cups, and a separate chain ties at the front with little tassels on the ends — my favourite detail on this whole list. It is worked in worsted cotton with a 5 mm hook, so it grows satisfyingly fast. Because the band gives extra coverage and support, it styles like a crop top with a midi skirt or palazzo pants. Elegant enough that nobody will guess it started as swimwear.
Pattern: Sophia Crop Top by Crochet with Carrie — Get the free pattern
8. Fringe or Ruffle, Your Call
Julie's Sand Dollar top is the most polished pattern here: five sizes from extra small to extra large, cups worked in joined rounds in DK yarn, and a choice of finishes — swingy fringe along the bottom, or a pretty ruffle. She even includes instructions for hand-sewing a simple lining, which is the secret to a crochet bikini that truly behaves in the water, plus a help section for swapping yarn weights. The shell edging gives it a real sand-dollar prettiness. Make the fringed version in a sandy neutral for boho beach days, or the ruffle in coral with a matching sarong. A pattern written the way patterns should be.
Pattern: Sand Dollar Bikini Top by Julie King at Gleeful Things — Get the free pattern
9. Lace Band and a Front Tie
The Gracious top earns its name: two half double crochet cups with a delicate shell border, sewn onto a wide lace band of picots and chain loops, with straps and a cord that ties at the front. The sizing is the most generous on this list — cups from A to G and bands from XS to 3XL — and the full written pattern is right there on the page with measurements in centimetres and inches. It is made in worsted cotton, so it works up quickly despite the fancy-looking lace. Wear it with a short denim skirt for the beach bar, or a floaty cover-up skirt for a pool party. Charming is exactly the word.
Pattern: Gracious Bikini Top at Magic Knit Crochet — Get the free pattern
10. The Drawstring Bow Top
The Purple Poncho's Bikini Bow Top has the cleverest sizing trick here: you crochet two triangles, gather their bottom edges onto a long woven tie like a drawstring, and the fit comes from the yarn itself — a fine sport cotton makes an A/B cup, a chunkier yarn makes a C/D. The edges get a simple lace row, and you can add extra rows at the top of each triangle whenever you want more coverage. That bow, tied at the front or the back, is the whole personality of the top. I love the black version with a red sarong, very vintage pin-up. Quick, custom, and endlessly adjustable.
Pattern: Bikini Bow Top at The Purple Poncho — Get the free pattern
11. Picot-Edge Festival Favourite
Taylor Lynn designed her Perfect Beginner Bando at a country music festival, and it has that energy: two single crochet cups joined at the centre, a picot border all the way around, and long chain ties at the neck and back. It is written for small, medium and large with the simplest stitches there are — if you can single crochet, you can make this top tonight. Her sample is in wine-red Sugar 'n Cream cotton, and she points out it cost less than two dollars in yarn. Wear it with high-waisted shorts and boots for a festival, or a swishy skirt at the beach. The picots make it look far fancier than a one-skein project has any right to.
Pattern: Perfect Beginner Bando by Taylor Lynn Crochet — Get the free pattern
12. The Easy Everyday Triangle
Sometimes you want the straightforward one, and Toyslab Creations delivers: classic double crochet triangle cups with a marked centre stitch, worked up in DK yarn on a 5 mm hook, with neck straps crocheted on at the end. The pattern is rated easy, includes both US and UK terms, and is written for a 34 inch bust with the cup rows easy to repeat for a bigger or smaller fit. No fuss, no tricky stitches — just a clean, classic bikini top. Make it in a bright tropical colour and wear it with a printed sarong and sunglasses. Every crochet wardrobe needs this reliable friend.
Pattern: Crochet Bikini Top at Toyslab Creations — Get the free pattern
13. Scallop Drops in Pink and Peach
Shaz's Arielle bralette is the girly one: instead of plain cups and a plain band, she adds drops of scallops along the bottom edge and a pop of contrast colour on the band, so the whole top feels soft and romantic. She designed it to accommodate any body type using only basic stitches, and there is a full video tutorial alongside the written pattern. The yarn is a stretchy cotton blend, which makes it genuinely swim-friendly and comfortable for long beach days. Her pink and peach sample is adorable, but imagine it in white with a gold-tan and a straw bag. Sweet without being sugary.
Pattern: Arielle Bralette by Shaz at The Knotty Lace — Get the free pattern
14. Fringe Benefits
Pam's Freya bralette is the boho statement of the list: an elegant patterned bodice you can make as long as you like, with an optional fringe that swings as you walk. The pattern is written for five sizes, extra small to extra large, rated intermediate but explained so clearly that a confident beginner will manage, and there are left and right handed video versions. It takes only about 120 to 160 yards of worsted yarn — cotton, like her sample, is perfect. Wear the fringed version with suede-look shorts and layered necklaces for full festival energy, or skip the fringe and wear it as a pretty bikini top under a kimono. Either way, it turns heads.
Pattern: Freya Fringe Bralette by Pam Carr at Carroway Crochet — Get the free pattern
15. The Band-First Bralette
Kim's Lilac Beach Bralette starts somewhere different: you crochet the long band first — it wraps around your body and ties in a bow at the back — and then build the cups onto it, shaping with gentle increases. That construction means the band does the supporting, the cups do the covering, and the whole thing adjusts with one bow. It is a relaxing, mostly half double crochet make, written so you can customise the band length to your own ribcage. Her lilac sample is soft and pretty with a white beach skirt. A lovely one for anyone who finds halter neck ties uncomfortable.
Pattern: Lilac Beach Bralette by Crochet With Kim — Get the free pattern
16. Open Shells, Breezy Fit
Carrie's Sierra top is the airiest here: double crochet cups sewn onto a body band worked in an open shell pattern that grows lacier as it goes, so the whole top breathes on a hot day. The cups are worked until they fit you — no fixed cup maths — and the long chain straps weave through the tops of the cups in that classic adjustable way. Because the band is openwork, this one styles beautifully as a festival top over shorts, and Carrie notes you can add rows at the sides if you want more coverage. Make it in a sunset colour and wear it from beach to barbecue. Lightweight, quick, and very wearable.
Pattern: Sierra Crop Top by Crochet with Carrie — Get the free pattern
17. Granny Squares Go Swimming
DROPS' Vanina might be the happiest top on this list: each cup is three little granny squares sewn into a triangle, worked in rotating rounds of green, peach, raspberry, ice blue and sunny yellow. The charted squares are basic stitches only, and the two cups are joined with a neat edging, then finished with a twisted three-colour cord laced through the front and cords that tie behind the neck. It is a wonderful scrap project — every square can eat a different leftover ball. Wear it with white shorts and let the patchwork colours do the smiling. Retro, joyful, and completely addictive to make.
Pattern: Vanina (DROPS 178-72) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
18. Beaded Tassels and Mesh
This DROPS design is pure drama in the best way: solid double crochet cups flow into a triangular mesh front, and along both sides of that triangle hang tassels, each finished with a wooden bead and a knot. The cups are shaped through the middle with increases then decreases, the back ties are proper crocheted straps, and it comes in sizes S to L in fine Safran cotton. Those beaded tassels move when you walk — it is a top that announces itself. Keep the rest of the outfit simple: a plain black sarong or shorts, and let the front do the performing. For beach parties, this is the one.
Pattern: Bikini Top with Tassels (DROPS 95-26) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
19. Made to Measure, Linked Stitches
Sophia's Basic Bikini solves the oldest crochet swimwear problem — see-through double crochet — by using linked double crochet, which closes up the gaps and gives a smooth, solid fabric. It is fully made to measure: you work a gauge swatch, crochet the cups to your own measurements, join them with straps, add the band, and finish with i-cord strings, so it fits any body in any size. The free download needs just one or two skeins of yarn. This is the pattern I would hand to anyone who has been disappointed by a one-size bikini pattern before. Make it in sky blue, like her sample, with a white cover-up shirt thrown over.
Pattern: The Basic Bikini by Sophia Prinz — Get the free pattern
20. Full-Coverage Classic
We end with the classic perfected: Abigail's Clover top is a traditional string bikini shape — two triangle cups joined by a single chain that doubles as the back tie — but the cups are cut taller, so you get real coverage and a flattering lift. It uses only single and half double crochet in a worsted cotton, which makes it sturdy, quick and beginner friendly, and it is a free download. Sometimes the simplest design in a great colour beats every fancy stitch going. Make it in a deep clover green or classic red, add high-waisted shorts or a sarong, and you have the bikini top equivalent of a white t-shirt: it goes with everything, forever.
Pattern: Clover Bikini Top by Abigail Haze — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
Twenty tops, and not a single fixed size chart you have to squeeze into — that is the joy of crochet swimwear: ties, cords and made-to-measure cups mean the bikini fits you, not the other way round. Whether you fell for the flower-motif Hannah, the fringed Sand Dollar, the granny-square Vanina or the beaded tassels, every pattern here is free, quick, and ready to pair with the sarongs and shorts already in your wardrobe. My honest advice: start with the Weekend Getaway or the Basic B if it is your first, the Freya if you want the compliments, and line your cups if you plan to actually swim. Tell me in the comments — which top are you making first, and are you team fringe or team classic? Tag me when yours is done, because nothing makes my week like seeing your beach makes out in the wild.
Happy crocheting, friends!
