This turtle crochet pattern is quick, adorable and fun to make! I truly believe that you saw this crochet turtle plushie all over the internet, so I wanted to bring my pattern for free in this blog so you can also make it by yourself! This pattern includes beginner-friendly instructions, so if you don’t have experience crocheting amigurumi, don’t worry: it can be your first amigurumi plush.
Materials Needed
- Super bulky plush velvet yarn (e.g., Himalaya Dolphin Baby or Bernat Blanket) in main color and shell color.
- Hook Size: 4.5 mm.
- Safety eyes: 14 mm.
- Polyfill stuffing
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Stitch markers
Abbreviations (US Terminology)
- MR: magic ring
- Ch: chain
- St: stitch
- Sc: single crochet
- Sk: skip (skip stitch)
- Sl st: slip stitch
- Inc: increase
- Dec: decrease
- CC: change color
- FO: fasten off
- FLO: front loops only
Not ready to start right now?
Free Turtle Crochet Pattern (Medium Size)
Crocheting the head
Start with main color yarn
Round 1: MR of 6 st (6)
Round 2: x6 inc (12) (you do one increase per each stitch).
Round 3: (1 sc, 1 inc)x6 (18) (you do one single crochet in the first stitch, then one increase in the following stitch, repeat this 6 times until the end of the row).
Round 4: (2 sc, 1 inc)x6 (24)
Round 5: (3 sc, 1 inc)x6 (30)
Round 6: (4 sc, 1 inc)x6 (36)
Rounds 7-10 (4 rounds): 36 sc (36)
Place safety eyes between R6 & R7. aligned horizontally.
Round 11: (4 sc, 1 dec)x6 (30)
Round 12: (3 sc, 1 dec)x6 (24)
Round 13: (2 sc, 1 dec)x6 (18)
Stuff firmly.
Sl st in the next st, FO and leave a very long tail for sewing after.
Crocheting the fins
Make two larger front fins and two smaller back fins:
Front fins (Make 2)
Round 1: MR of 6 st (6)
Round 2: x6 inc (12)
Round 3: (1 sc, 1 inc)x6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, 1 inc)x6 (24)
Round 5: (3 sc, 1 inc)x6 (30)
Round 6: (4 sc, 1 inc)x6 (36)
Fold the fin in half and crochet across both layers with sc to close it.
Back fins (Make 2)
Round 1: MR of 6 st (6)
Round 2: x6 inc (12)
Round 3: (1 sc, 1 inc)x6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, 1 inc)x6 (24)
Round 5: (3 sc, 1 inc)x6 (30)
Fold the fin in half and crochet across both layers with sc to close it.
Once you’ve made the four fins, change the orientation of the yarn tail in 2 of them (one front fin and one back fin) by passing the yarn through to the opposite end with a needle. This creates two pairs of symmetrical fins.
Crocheting the tail
Start with main colour
Round 1: MR of 5 st (5)
Round 2: x5 inc (10)
Rounds 3-5 (3 rounds): 10 sc (10)
Sl st in next st, pull the yarn and leave a tail for sewing.
Crocheting the shell
Starting with shell colour
Round 1: MR of 6 st (6)
Round 2: x6 inc (12)
Round 3: (1 sc, 1 inc)x6 (18)
Round 4: (2 sc, 1 inc)x6 (24)
Round 5: (3 sc, 1 inc)x6 (30)
Round 6: (4 sc, 1 inc)x6 (36)
Round 7: (5 sc, 1 inc)x6 (42)
Round 8: (6 sc, 1 inc)x6 (48)
Round 9: (7 sc, 1 inc)x6 (54)
Round 10: (8 sc, 1 inc)x6 (60)
Round 11: x60 sc FLO and place a stitch marker in the back loop of the first stitch, as you will need to return to it later. (60)
Round 12: CC to grey (main color) in the last stitch of the previous round, and do 60 sc in the 60 back loops you left behind in R11. (60)
Round 13: 6 sc, ch5, skip 5, 9 sc, ch4, skip 4, 4 sc, ch3, skip 3, 4 sc, ch4, skip 4, 9 sc, ch5, skip 5, 7 sc (60)
Round 14: (8 sc, 1 dec)x6 (54) (Note: Work in the FLO when working over the chain spaces).
Round 15: (7 sc, 1 dec)x6 (48)
Round 16: (6 sc, 1 dec)x6 (42)
Attaching Fins and Tail to the Shell
After R16, attach the fins and tail to the shell in the correct orientation (refer to photos as a guide).
Place the tail in the 3-stitch gap (the smallest one) and the two smaller fins in the adjacent left and right gaps. Place the two larger fins in the two front gaps of the shell.
Insert the edge of each piece slightly inside the gap and sew it securely, passing the yarn through both the edge of the hole and the piece until there are no gaps.
Note: I prefer placing the fins with the neat edge facing up for a cleaner look.
Round 17: (5 sc, 1 dec)x6 (36)
Round 18: (4 sc, 1 dec)x6 (30)
Round 19: (3 sc, 1 dec)x6 (24)
Round 20: (2 sc, 1 dec)x6 (18)
Stuff the body firmly.
Round 21: (1 sc, 1 dec)x6 (12)
Round 22: x6 dec (6)
Sew the remaining 6 stitches through the FLO, pull tightly to close, hide the yarn tail inside the shell, and cut.
Attaching the Head
Sew the head to the body right between the two front fins. Use an invisible sewing method: pass the needle upwards through the head stitches and downwards through the body stitches.
Details (Optional)
Add a touch of blush using pink yarn or thread below the eyes with a needle.
And that’s it!
I hope you enjoyed crocheting this free turtle crochet pattern just as much as I loved designing it. If you decide to make one, I would love to see how it turns out—don’t forget to tag me on Instagram (@crochetbysilvia) so I can admire your cute amigurumi!
Your support means the world and helps me keep creating and sharing more free patterns with you!
Don’t doubt to check our other free crochet patterns.
Happy crocheting!
This pattern is for personal use only. You may not copy, reproduce, alter, publish, or distribute this pattern in any format (including video tutorials). If you wish to share this pattern, please share a link to it rather than reprinting it on your site or blog.
You are welcome to sell finished items made from this pattern in small quantities, but do NOT use my photos as your listing or promotional photos. Please credit Crochet by Silvia as the designer.
