Amigurumi & Toys · Mini Project
Mini Turtle Crochet Pattern
Crochet a 6 cm turtle with a rounded shell, joined belly, built-in legs and tail, and a shaped head. Exact stitch counts and the standard- and plush-yarn head options are included.
About 6 cm long1.25 mm hookUS terms18 original photos
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Materials
- Fine cotton-blend yarn, approximately 100 g / 330 m, in green, light green, white and black
- 1.25 mm crochet hook
- 6 mm safety eyes or half beads
- Stuffing, embroidery needle and scissors
- Optional shell embroidery yarn
Source size: approximately 6 cm / 2.4 in long, 3 cm / 1.18 in wide and 2.5 cm / 0.98 in high. Your tension and yarn can change the result.
Construction
Make the domed shell and flat belly separately to 36 stitches. Join them through the back loops while forming four chain legs and one chain tail. Leave three stitches on each layer unjoined; those six exposed edge stitches become the head.
Safety: small plastic eyes and glued beads are not suitable for children under three. Use securely embroidered eyes for a young child’s toy.
Abbreviations
MR magic ring · r round · ch chain · sc single crochet · inc two sc in one stitch · dec single crochet two stitches together · sl st slip stitch · BLO back loops only.
Work continuously unless a join is stated. Place a marker in the first stitch and move it up after each round.
Step 1 of 8
Crochet the shell
With light green, work six single crochets into a magic ring. Increase evenly to 36 stitches over six rounds, then work two rounds even.
Complete written pattern
Shell — light green
R1: 6 sc in MR. 6
R2: inc around. 12
R3: (1 sc, inc) × 6. 18
R4: (2 sc, inc) × 6. 24
R5: (3 sc, inc) × 6. 30
R6: (4 sc, inc) × 6. 36
R7–8: sc around. 36
Fasten off.
Belly — green
Repeat Shell R1–6, ending with 36 stitches. Do not fasten off.
Join shell, belly, legs and tail
Place the shell and belly together with wrong sides facing. Work through the BLO of both layers:
3 sc; ch 4, sc in the second chain and next 2 chains, sl st to the same body stitch for leg 1; 9 sc; repeat the ch-4 leg; 5 sc; ch 3, sc in the second chain and next chain, sl st to the same body stitch for the tail; 4 sc; repeat the ch-4 leg; 9 sc; repeat the ch-4 leg; 3 sc.
The 33 joined body stitches plus the three unworked stitches equal the original 36 positions. The three unworked stitches on each layer form a six-edge-stitch head opening.
Head — standard yarn
Continue directly around the six exposed opening stitches.
R1: inc in each of the 6 edge stitches. 12
R2: inc around. 24
R3–6: sc around. 24
R7: (2 sc, dec) × 6. 18
Insert 6 mm safety eyes between R5–6, leaving 8–9 stitches between them. Stuff the head.
R8: (1 sc, dec) × 6. 12
R9: dec around. 6
Fasten off and close through the front loops. Leave a tail only if you plan to sculpt the eye area.
Plush-yarn head option
Work R1–2 as above, then R3–5 at 24 sc. R6: (2 sc, dec) × 6 = 18. Insert 10 mm safety eyes between R4–5 with 8–9 stitches between them. R7: (1 sc, dec) × 6 = 12. R8: dec around = 6. Close and weave in the end.
Face and shell finishing
For half-bead eyes, shape the eye points between R5–6 before attaching the beads. Add small white yarn highlights. Embroider the shell only if desired, keeping every thread end secure inside the body.
Original construction photos
Count and shape checks
- Shell and belly both finish with 36 stitches.
- The boundary joins 33 stitches and leaves 3 unworked on each layer.
- Four legs each contain 3 sc; the tail contains 2 sc.
- Six exposed head-edge stitches each receive an increase for 12.
- The next head increase round reaches 24.
- Head decreases reconcile from 24 to 18, 12 and 6.
Frequently asked questions
Is the head sewn on?
No. It continues directly from the opening left while joining the shell and belly.
Why are only 33 body stitches joined?
The remaining three stitches on both layers create six exposed edge stitches for the head foundation.
Can I use plush yarn?
Yes. Use the shorter plush-head sequence supplied above and 10 mm eyes as specified in the source.
Can I resize the turtle?
A different yarn and hook will change the finished size, but this article does not invent new stitch counts or grading.
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