With little girls in our house, we often find ourselves engaged in pretend play revolving around fairies, princesses, pirates, and mermaids. For a while, Myla absolutely LOVED mermaids and she asked if she could have a mermaid tail! I had seen crocheted mermaid tails floating around the internet, so I excitedly looked for a pattern so that I could try making one for my sweet girl! There were various patterns available involving different stitches (e.g. shell stitch mermaid tail found HERE), but I wanted to try using the crocodile stitch since they emulate the look of scales so beautifully! I found a free pattern by Felene Grammer on Ravelry HERE and was delighted that there was not only a written pattern but also a full video tutorial as well. Keep in mind that you MUST reference both resources as it will be difficult to make this mermaid tail blanket if you only go by the written pattern as there are a couple of errors (as noted by the comments on Ravelry). The video tutorial makes it much clearer where you should be working the stitches and how to begin and end the rows.
I knew that this mermaid tail blanket would potentially eat up a LOT of yarn since I would be using the crocodile stitch, so I purchased huge skeins of yarn from Michaels in some complementary shades. Myla’s favourite colour is blue, so we bought Phentex Worsted in the colours “Light Green” and “Emerald” (each 400 g) and Loops & Threads Impeccable Big in “Aqua” (396 g). We had plenty of yarn left over and I did not have to worry at all about running out of yarn! I would approximate that I used about 137 grams of the blue and dark green and about 172 g of the lighter green (I used more of this colour since it was used for the fin).
There are three sizes available (Adult, Teen/PreTeen, Child), and I went with the middle size (Teen/Preteen) as some Ravelry commenters noted that the smallest size started off a bit small (I love reading Ravelry comments for tips based on others’ experiences). The tail starts off with a ring and then some V-stitches. The way that this tail is constructed is with alternating rounds/rows of V-stitches and crocodile stitches. The crocodile stitches are worked around the posts of the V-stitches, as I will explain in more detail further below!
I switched colours after every two rounds/rows so that each layer of scales was a different colour. I tried to crochet over the ends whenever possible so that there would be fewer ends to weave in at the end!
Below you can see I worked V-stitches along the round and then closed it up. It was then time to work crocodile stitches! This was my first project that used the crocodile stitch, and it is actually a very fun stitch that results in such unique texture and dimension! You can check out this video tutorial by Brittany of B.hooked Crochet HERE to see how to work the crocodile stitch!
First, you chain 3 to begin the round, and it also serves as the first double crochet. You then work four double crochets along the first post of the V-stitch below as shown in the picture.
Half of the crocodile stitch has been completed!
Then you need to turn your work so that the stitches you just completed are at the bottom towards you. You chain 1, and then work the next series of stitches around the second post of the V-stitch as shown below.
The crocodile stitch is now complete! So you worked the stitches down one side of the V-stitch, turned your work, and then worked the stitches up the other side of the V-stitch!
To create staggered crocodile stitches, you work each crocodile stitch in every other V-stitch. Thus, you skip the next V-stitch, and work your next crocodile stitch in the V-stitch beside the skipped one. You repeat the process to complete a whole round of crocodile stitches!
It was so much fun seeing the staggered crocodile stitches build up in these shades of blue and green!
At a certain point, you begin working in turned rows rather than rounds so that the mermaid tail blanket can split open. This makes it easier for the person to put their legs in and have the top of the blanket spread across their lap!
When I was happy with the height of my mermaid tail (I completed 31 rows/rounds of crocodile stitches for 3 year old Myla, but then extended it to 35 rows for 5 year old Myla), I added the shell stitch border at the top and began crocheting the fin! I absolutely love how the fin is constructed and how it folds!
Brielle was just a baby when I first crocheted this mermaid tail blanket for Myla, but this past summer, she declared that she wanted one too! Of course, I always anticipated that this would happen since Brielle loves copying whatever Myla does! Thus, I started making Brielle her own mermaid tail blanket and managed to complete it within a week- I was powering through the crocodile stitches and was strongly motivated by a patient and eager little girl! I asked her which colours she wanted, and she chose red (her favourite colour), blue and yellow- they are such festive and bright colours and also the colours of Wonder Woman haha!
I was ecstatic when both mermaid tails were officially complete many many crocodile stitches later!
I think it’s so special how each blanket incorporates their favourite colours- you can go with so many beautiful colour combinations!
Here are Myla and Brielle wearing their Crocodile Stitch Mermaid Tail Blankets! Aren’t they the sweetest?
Once in a while, one sister will say to the other, “Hey, let’s be mermaids!” as they’ll giggle and transform themselves by sliding on their tails!
They love pretending to be stuck on land and having to do the mermaid shuffle by shimmying and wiggling their way across the floor. They lift their feet to flip their fins like Ariel and also like to keep cozy in them on the couch!
It honestly melts our hearts whenever we see the girls playing together. They are both very creative and imaginative as they make up their own storylines, dream up new games to play, and enjoy each other’s company. Of course, they do have their little tiffs every now and then that Ryan and I have to referee, but overall they get along so well, and they will frequently proclaim that they love each other and give hugs!
These mermaid tail blankets are labours of love since they require a lot of crocheting and many stitches (each crocodile stitch is comprised of 10 double crochets)! If you take on this project, be sure to work on it in stages and give your wrist and hands frequent breaks! These would make very special gifts if you’ve got some mermaid lovers in your life! Get the free pattern by Felene Grammer on Ravelry HERE and watch her YouTube videos HERE! If you want to crochet a mermaid tail blanket but perhaps not with the crocodile stitch, you could try this pattern using the shell stitch by Lion Brand Yarn HERE or this pattern HERE by M.J.’s Off the Hook Designs. You could also try these other fun crochet blankets that slip over the legs such as the shark blanket, dragon blanket, or butterfly blanket all designed by Michelle of M.J’s Off the Hook Designs!
I love crocheting items that are so well-loved by my darlings, and I can keep adding more rows as they grow taller and taller! I hope you enjoyed reading about the making of our Crocodile Stitch Mermaid Tail Blankets! Happy crocheting and mermaiding, everyone!
