As with a lot of things I make, this started with an idea from someone. They had an idea of what they wanted because they saw a picture… Of a paid pattern. Now, I typically stay away from paid patterns on general principal, but I had a weak moment. I bought the rather pricey pattern… I knew I shouldn’t, but I did. It was absolutely dreadful! It had good reviews and was written decently, but I found it just awful. It was made of motifs that you connected as you went… OK, I can do that. However when you did connect them it left gaping holes in the pattern and did not look like scales at all! Just not for me… so here is what I came up with after I got rid of that hideous attempt.
Measurements:
Tail to top 42 inches
Tail to tip of fin 12 inches
Top width 38 inches
size H hook
worsted weight yarn: The best estimate I have on how much I used until I duplicate this more is a total of 1600 yds. Now the one pictured I used Bernat super value (426 yds per skein) in lilac and light damson. Then the variegated yarn was 2 skeins (since they come in 275 yd skeins) in fresh lilac. As always though everyone can use different amounts of yarn depending on how tight or loose you crochet. Please err on the side of having extra yarn. As I have made more this is roughly accurate. Notice though I find I need extra yarn of the two solid colors (not just one skein of the super value) and so I can do a two stranded fin.
Edit: So I’ve been grabbing 2 skeins each of the solid color and 2 of the variegated yarn. I swear every time I make this I have different amount of yarn leftover… The last two I’ve made the fin out of the solid colors because the variegated almost ran out. The solid colors I am left with over a half of one and all over 3/4 of the other… Trying to get down the yardage for this has been tearing my hair out. The yarns are not exactly the same is my thought.
Also for those who need to resize the pattern, Rachel Z. Commented this:
“Thanks for the great pattern. I just finished a child size one and I’ve seen a lot of request for the modifications… my top chain was 128 (includes 2 turning chains). If you work in multiples of 6 and add 2 for turning, it always works out. I did 42 5dc rows then joined it together. After joining, I did 15 5dc rows. When reducing to a 3dc pattern, I followed the remaining instructions until I had 14 st at the close. I made the same fin, which the top reduces to 7 st and it attaches to the tail perfectly. I hope this helps others wanting to make a child sized blanket :)”
Also for those with problems understanding the crochet language a fellow hooker named HAB posted this: “For instructions of terminology you don’t understand, use Google search engine to ask or go to a yarn website and search for abbreviations. At the very least buy a basic crochet book. sctog = single crochet two together. http://www.lionbrand.com/faq/
For Knit and Crochet abbreviationshttp://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-
This free pattern is written by someone who is not a professional pattern writer. I applaud her efforts. To understand how she writes her pattern requires being very familiar with crochet terminology and patterns in general. Or locating instructions/terms unfamiliar to you in a crochet book or online crochet information source. Here is a great one:http://www.craftyarncouncil.
To help you decipher her instructions I suggest you copy and paste into a word processor and then begin labeling rows and rounds. Make sure you understand *the stitch pattern* (the crocodile stitch) as noted in the first paragraph following the initial chains: *sc in first dc, sk 2 dc, 5 dc in next, sk 2 dc* (this makes what I will call 5dc (stitch) pattern for the rest of the (mermaid) pattern) My (stitch) pattern ended on a sc. ch 2 and turn”
Note on the color changes. I started changing color after the first 5dc pattern row and changed color after each row. Being that I was using 3 different yarns that made things easier and less ends to weave in because I never bound off at the end of the row. I simply dropped one color, picked up the next and went. Now, I did NOT carry behind the work. I truly just let it stay there. Believe it or not, it works and doesn’t mess up the color pattern you are doing. After you have all three colors joined in you will see that when you end a row you just pick up the strand you had left before. Sounds so much more difficult than it really is, but so much a time saver not having to weave in all those ends.
Also note. Your work might not be the exact same counts as mine. That’s cool. It might end on a sc where I had 3dc. That’s cool. It is really just that 5 dc shell pattern you want for the scales. If your row ends on a sc, ch 2 turn, 2dc in first then go with the pattern. If your row ends on a dc group, sc in last st, ch 1 turn and sc in first the go with the pattern. It is really simple once you get used to it.
To start, ch 153 (this gave me the width I was looking for, so if you are altering for a different size start with a chain that works for your project)
dc in third chain and across, chain 1
*sc in first dc, sk 2 dc, 5 dc in next, sk 2 dc* (this makes what I will call 5dc pattern for the rest of the pattern) My pattern ended on a sc. ch 2 and turn
2dc in first st (that last sc), sk 2 st, sc in the 3rd dc of the 5 dc shell, sk 2 st, then follow the 5dc pattern until last sc where you only do 3dc, ch 1 and turn
sc in first st, sk 2 st, then follow the 5dc pattern until the end where you sc in that last st/dc. ch 2 and turn
Now you just do those last two rows for 72 5dc pattern rows. This made the lapghan go down to about the calf length (in case you are re-sizing the pattern).
Now we are going to start going in rounds instead of rows. How you might ask? Very carefully… Make sure when you pull the ends together the right side of the first row of dc is facing out. Or not, either way would be fine I imagine honestly. Just keep the strands of the none working yarn to the back/inside of the tail and change colors where it looks best to you.
What follows is how I brought the two sides together so I could work more of a spiral because that made things easier on me and doesn’t leave a seam. Truly, you could just do what makes sense to you as you look at the work in your hands. As long as you are still doing the 5dc pattern, it will all be good. Just relax and have a drink and go with it.
Sl st to the 1st dc of the row, ch 1, sc in joining, then proceed on with 5 dc pattern.
Sl st to 1st sc, changing colors, ch 2 and 4dc in same as join. 5 dc pattern to last sc. Now sc tog last sc to the 2nd dc from the beginning, make sure to change color.
Ch 1, sc in same as join then go on with the 5 dc pattern.
From here you should be able to just go in a spiral, changing colors as you get back to the start of the spiral. I did a total of 20 rounds counting from the beginning of the original join. This took the me down to about covering the foot when the foot is pointed.
Now you get to start bringing it in to a close. So that means you are almost done!
Keep doing the pattern and color changing around, but instead of the 5dc, do only 3dc, still skipping 2 stitches. On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th round only sk 1 st in-between the dc and the sc. Do this for a total of 4 3dc pattern rounds.
Then you are going to 3dc, sc tog (tog is also known as a decrease) where the next 2 sc would go (in the 2nd dc of the 3 dc group). Do your 3dc pattern until every 3rd sc spot, then sc tog.
Next round, change colors in the first sc spot, 3dc then sc tog (in the 2nd dc of the 3 dc group). Do your 3dc patten until every 3rd sc spot, then sc tog.
This next round 3dc, sc tog over the next 2 sc spot. Do your 3rd dc patten until every 3rd sc spot, then sc tog.
This should leave it almost closed up and you tired of turning your work around and around. So go ahead and change colors in the first sc, then sc tog where every sc spot should be for 2 rounds.
Bind off, and leave a tail so you can go ahead and sew the tail closed.
Join your yarn on the outside of the opening where you joined the rounds and sc around the opening. Placing 3 sc in the corners. Bind off and weave in the end.
Feels great to be done with that part doesn’t it? Now on to the much easier to do fin. Again, I sized it for the lapghan I was working on.
Fin
I did the fin in the variegated yarn. If you want a thicker fin, use two strands held together. The fin shape will have a straight side with the opposite side decreasing in, then increasing back out. The straight side will be the top where you do your sc tog to then sew it on the tail.
Another option on the tail can be found here (https://handcraftsofjoy.com/2015/10/14/handcrafts-of-joys-mermaid-tail-fin-pattern/) it works up well and it is a bigger version of what I did.
Ch 43
dc in 4th chain and dc across, ch 2 and turn
*dc tog, dc in rest of stitches, ch 2 and turn
dc across, dc tog in last two dc, ch 2 and turn*
repeat this pattern for a total of 5 times
now do 2 dc tog, dc in rest of stitches, ch 2 and turn
dc across and do 2 dc tog in last 4 st, ch 2 and turn
2 dc in each of the next 2 st, dc across, ch 2 and turn
dc across, put 2 dc in each of the last 2 dc, ch 2 and turn
*2 dc in first dc, dc across, ch 2 and turn
dc across, 2 dc in last st, ch 2 and turn*
repeat this pattern for a total of 5 times
dc across, ch 1 and turn
sc around, making sure to put 3 sc in the corners except the last corner you come to. Ch 1 and turn so that now you are working on the top of the fin (where you just have a bunch of dc, not the dc tog or 2dc)
sc tog across, ch 1
sc tog across, ch 1
*sc tog, sc* ch 1
*sc tog, sc * ch 1
bind off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Now you are going to sew this where the bottom of your fin is… where you sewed it close. It is worth noting that I sewed the sides of the sc rows to the tail as well as the sc. I thought it looked better and helped hold the fin out.
There you have it… a cozy mermaid tail!
Mad Hooking!
I am definitely gonna try to make this for my great neice. wish me luck
To anyone wanting to do this look up “shell stitch” on utube and you will understand the pattern and they show a video. I understand what she was saying now about ending up on a single crochet or a group of doubles.. also if you follow the shell stitch pattern you will have straight edges and it won’t get wider as you go. I’ve just restarted the project and see a huge difference in how the stitches lay flat already. It’s just not written exactly right but if you know crochet you can figure it out. I’m excited to keep going and see how it goes. I would finish off after each row. It’s a lot of ends to sew in but I think a much better result in the end.
Great idea! I hope I did a better job explaining it on the step by step in finishing up… I’m still trying to get better at writing patterns.
I just want to chime in and say that I’m finding the instructions to work beautifully. Maybe a “slightly crowded” shell stitch (5 rather than 6 — tho I don’t see any difference between your directions here and Shelley’s…??) is what is giving me a dimensionality to the work that I really love — a suggestion of scales. (It looks like I’m using many colors, simply because the mohair-ish variegated yarn I chose has only very GRADUAL color-changes… from aqua to sea-foam to olive to periwinkle. My oh-so-symmetry-loving husband thought it was a mistake!)
As for people having problem w/ their work widening, I’m guessing it’s an early stitch error (dc’s rather than sc @ end of row?) that gets exponentially worse w/ each row. Mine is completely flush & square, so thank you Shelley!!
Thank you so much for making me feel better! I’m on my third one and I haven’t had any problem, but then I was wondering if it was just me… I agree it is most likely a 3dc where a sc should be. That would make it go not square, but you wouldn’t notice it right away. I did it on the second one and I didn’t see it for over 10 rows I think. I’m so interested in what colors you choose!
You’re so welcome, Shelley. You’ve done us all a HUGE favor by working this out, and while admittedly I haven’t gotten to the more difficult parts yet (decreasing, attaching, starting spiral, etc.), I find your instructions to work very well.
I also meant to include the fact that I cannot IMAGINE finishing off after each row, yikes! Each time I come to the end and see that next color sitting there waiting, I think of you in gratitude. I kind of draw it up and stitch it together w/ the ending color into that last sc, and you can barely see the small lengths of yarn down the edges–and w/ the sc border around at the end, that will all go away anyway.
I did upload a photo, but it didn’t “go”…? Maybe it was too big a file. I’ll downsize it and try again now!
The ends would have had me crying honestly… That was why I originally used 3 stands. I typically do exactly what you are saying you do with the ends, but just letting them chill until you need the color works well too. That was the way I described it in the step by step, trying to be less confusing….
I look forward to the picture! If it doesn’t work, let me know and I’ll nudge my husband…
I’ve tried uploading twice now… I click on “Browse,” select my photo in the directory and click “Open” and then it indeed shows up here on the screen, as if it has worked… but after I click “Post Comment” it’s not there. Something’s not quite working…
Hi Marcy,
Something odd seems to be going on with the image upload functionality. I just tested it and while it does upload the image it’s not putting it with the comment for whatever reason. Thanks for the heads up, I will make sure I get this resolved.
Regards,
Dan (Shelley’s Husband)
Oops–I did upload a photo but am not seeing it w/ my comment… sorry about that!
So, I think I answered my own question on the color changes. I really like how it is turning out so far. We’ll see how I do as I get closer to the fin. 😉
We bought that stupid/pricey pattern, also. I crochet A Lot, those motifs looked like a ROYAL PAIN.
I decide to do two with ‘Crocodile” stitch on top/fin area. Figured I’d do DC for body as need open weave as othey are going to TX.
I figure I’ll use your measurements!!
Hint for gal that wants pattern in PDF; I always just ‘cut and paste” what i NEED into a Text Document.
KISS, right?
That’s true. I really want to make this for my two granddaughters who r 6 and 11. For their birthdays. I have been crocheting for Yeats but find the instructions all spread out and hard to put tog. As a full simple pattern I can just follow. I would like to know if you have any idea when you will have the updated one done and posted on this sit so I can get it asap. My email is [email protected]. I don’t know if it could be sent to me I would really appreciate it. I want to start as soon as I can. Thanks so Mich for this. My granddaughters will love them,
Thanks for sharing your pattern have started to try and follow your instruction.Seems to be easy but mine is not laying flat ?? mine is more ruffled??? and suggestions?? Thanks Darlene
It will be bumpy and raised a little. That’s exactly it so it gives the scale illusion more.
Mine.is too did she answer your question I would love to know the answer.
Hello… umm… this is amazingly awesome! I want one!!!
Good evening. could I see a picture of your tail. I am having issues with it. Am I doing it as one piece?
thank you, Heather.
Yep, one piece. The eventual top will be straight and the opposite side will make a w shape.
I love this pattern! I need some help: I followed the rail instructions and it seems very small and misshapen. Is there a way to clarify the instructions?
You should be decreasing and increasing only on the one side of the fin. The other should be a straight line. When you repeat for a total of five times it refers to the last two rows you did, not just the last row.
Little confused on color changes. Did you use a varigated yarn for the body too?? The green color does not look like a complete row, but looks to be every once in a while??? Confused. Please help
Yep. Two solid colors and a matching variegated yarn.
Thank you for the photos in your pattern. I am basically a self taught crocheter. I don’t read patterns at all. I look at something then make it. I can’t remember how many pattern books I have bought only to be discouraged by all the unexplained numbers and abbreviations. Without explaining the simple steps how on earth is someone supposed to determine what the pattern means? I have some of my work posted on Facebook: Fishnet Crochet is my page.
How many would you put on your beginning chain if you were making this for a child with a waist of about 22 inches? Thanks.
Hi, how old is this child in the photo… i would like to make this for my grand daughter who is 5 yrs old… thank you … Teresa
I love this pattern and am going to make it for a friend of mine! I was wondering if anyone has tried it with all variegated yarn and if so how it turned out? Thanks!
Hello, wondering how long this would take and also for what age child it is suitable? thanks! It’s lovely!
Hi Shelley, I’m not able to read crochet patterns! You did mention that you were going to do a video. Do you have any idea when this will be? I would love to make the Mermaid Tail for my Grand-daughter.
Much appreciate
Do you sell/ship these? If so how much do you charge
Hi. I don’t know if this idea has been put forth, but here goes: After crocheting two rows of the pattern, I thought that the shells would look more like scales if the single corchet was done in the Back of the previous row’s shell. I tried it and now that I have done that in several rows it does look more “scaley”. One thing to to be aware of is that there will be a ‘right’ side and a ‘wrong’ side. The single crochet should always be on the ‘wrong’ side. It takes a little more time, but I think it looks worth the trouble. Thanks for posting this pattern. It is working up beautifully. Oh, and I plan to sew on some sequins to represent drops of water or the iridescence of real scales. <3
Working on my mermaid afghan. Loving the yarn combo it looks really cool in the shell stitch pattern. I know you hate sewing in ends but I’m doing it the hard way and finishing off every row and starting again. So far it’s not that bad. Thanks for the pattern. I am a little confused on the directions when you start to go in rounds. Do you fold the afghan in half completely and slip stitch it together and work in round from the point you slip stitched it or is it folded on a diagonal? I’m confused. Not quite there yet but wondering when I get there what to do. Thanks again!
love love love this idea. I’ve bought all the yarn and was going to start it, but saw you were working on a step-by-step pattern. Can’t wait to get started! Thanks in advance!!
O would like the pa.ttern. to try. Interesting feedback