Angler fish crochet pattern — eighteen pieces, 73 rounds written out
This free angler fish crochet pattern makes a deep navy fish about 18 cm from nose to tail and about 15 cm tall once the lure stands up, worked on a 4 mm hook in six colours over something like six and a half hours. Nine lists make eighteen pieces, because one of them — a four-stitch, three-round white cone — is worked ten times over for the teeth, and the pale belly band on rounds 9 to 18 of the body is per-stitch colourwork carried along inside the fabric. All 73 rounds are written out below, with the number of stitches it leaves you on printed beside it.
Maths verified, not yet made. Every one of the 73 rounds was checked against the round before it by machine — the counts, the increases and the decreases all add up. What nobody can promise you yet is how it sits in the hand.How we check
6 of 8 checks ran on 2026-09-04
- 1 format and stitch chainscripts/validate.py — 113 patterns, all counts chain.
- 2 catalogue auditscripts/audit-patterns.py — 113 audited, 0 errors, 66 warnings.
- 3 geometrygeometry-check.py — 113 checked, 0 errors, 4 warnings.
- 5 not a duplicate113 distinct display names across 113 patterns
- 6c target on the recordseo.headKeyword, confidence and demand present and cross-checked by scripts/validate.py
- 8 page readinessscripts/check-completeness.py --gate — 0 required fields missing, 114 editorial flags, 0 unearned claims.
Not yet checked
- 4 render matches the pattern — no image has been compared against its own prompt, so a render showing a piece the rounds do not make would not be caught here. Nothing has counted how many do.
- 6a recognisability — provenance.recognisability is empty in every pattern, so there is no feature list to check the parts against.
Why it is rated High
High: ten of the body's twenty-five rounds carry three colour runs each, and eighteen separate pieces have to be sewn on, ten of them teeth small enough to lose.
Sell what you make. Anything you crochet from this pattern is yours to sell — any quantity, no fee, no credit required.
00
00What you need before you start
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What you need before you start
Yarn — six colours, all weight 4
1 skein (about 30 g used)Worsted / aran acrylic, CYC 4
1 skein (about 20 g used)Worsted / aran acrylic, CYC 4
scraps, about 8 gWorsted / aran acrylic, CYC 4
scraps, about 8 gWorsted / aran acrylic, CYC 4
scraps, about 5 gWorsted / aran acrylic, CYC 4
scraps, about 5 gWorsted / aran acrylic, CYC 4
Tools
5 you probably own, 3 to buyYou likely have
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch markers
Pins
Row counter
You need to buy
9 mm black safety eyes ×2 — smaller than the chart suggests for an 18 cm piece, because an anglerfish's eyes sit small in its head
Polyester stuffing (~60 g)
One pipe cleaner or a 15 cm length of craft wire for the lure stalk
Optional
A contrast stitch marker for the round start
Glow-in-the-dark yarn or embroidery floss for the lure bulb, if you want it to read as lit
Long doll needle for pulling the jaw seam tight
Gauge and finished size
the last check before you cast onTension
Tight enough that no stuffing shows between stitches. Gauge is not critical here — a looser hand gives a larger fish and eats a little more yarn.
Finished size
~18 cm nose to tail, ~15 cm tall with the lure standing up
How to make the anglerfish, piece by piece
Switching rewrites every round:US6 sc in mrUK6 dc in mrWork a US sc as a UK single crochet and the fabric comes out looser and taller.
1
01The body
Eight rounds out to forty-eight, eight rounds straight, then back in…25 RNDS
starts in deepNavy· magic ring· Piece 1 of 9
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [30] [36]
Opening out
RND 1–81[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[30]
6[36]
7[42]
8[48]
Straight sides and the belly band
RND 9–189[48]
10[48]
11[48]
12[48]
13[48]
14[48]
15[48]
16[48]
17[42]
18[36]
Closing in
RND 19–2219[30]
20[24]
21[18]
22[12]
The tail stalk
RND 23–2523[12]
24[12]
25[12]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff it firmly through the tail stalk before you close it, and press the sphere gently flatter front to back — an anglerfish is deeper than it is wide.
2
02The lower jaw
A shallow bowl that starts black for the inside of the mouth and…7 RNDS
starts in black· magic ring· Piece 2 of 9
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [30] [30]
1[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[30]
6[30]
7[30]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneLeave a long tail. Pin it under the nose with the black side facing up and sew all the way round before you judge the angle.
3
03The teeth
A tiny white cone, four stitches wide and three rounds tall. Ten of…3 RNDS
starts in white· magic ring· Piece 3 of 9· make 10
First three rounds[4] [4] [2]
1[4]
2[4]
3[2]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneNo stuffing. Four stitches closing to two over three rounds is already a cone, and fibre pushed into one only widens the base.
4
04The lure stalk
Six stitches around, ten rounds straight up. A narrow tube that does…10 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 4 of 9
First six rounds[6] [6] [6] [6] [6] [6]
1[6]
2[6]
3[6]
4[6]
5[6]
6[6]
7[6]
8[6]
9[6]
10[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneSlide the pipe cleaner in now, while both ends are still open.
5
05The lure bulb
A small acid yellow ball with two violet flecks worked into round…7 RNDS
starts in acidYellow· magic ring· Piece 5 of 9
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [18] [18] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[18]
5[18]
6[12]
7[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneA light pinch of stuffing is plenty. Sew it over the top of the stalk so the wire is hidden inside it.
6
06The dorsal fin
Out to fifteen, one straight round, then a violet taper down to six…7 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 6 of 9
First six rounds[6] [12] [15] [15] [12] [9]
1[6]
2[12]
3[15]
4[15]
5[12]
6[9]
7[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneFlatten it and sew the last round closed, then sew it along the top of the back with the violet edge standing free.
7
07The pectoral fins
Two the same, four rounds each, the last round in violet. Small…4 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 7 of 9
First four rounds[6] [12] [15] [15]
1[6]
2[12]
3[15]
4[15]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneFlatten each one and sew it closed along the last round.
8
08Right pectoral fin
— the same 4 rounds again, worked from piece 074 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 8 of 9· mirrors the pectoral fins
First four rounds[6] [12] [15] [15]
1[6]
2[12]
3[15]
4[15]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
9
09The tail fin
A flat fan out to twenty-four, with a violet band on the last round.6 RNDS
starts in charcoal· magic ring· Piece 9 of 9
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [24] [24]
1[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[24]
6[24]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreaseBLOback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneLeave it unstuffed, flatten it, and sew it over the end of the tail stalk so it spreads sideways.
You are here
Eighteen pieces from eight lists. One list — the pectoral fins — is written once and worked twice, identical round for round; the grey bars are piece length, all drawn to the same scale.73 ROUNDS IN ALL
Ten notes on the anglerfish
Read themClose
01An original Crochet Genie design.
02Worked in a continuous spiral in single crochet from first round to last. The fabric is smooth single crochet all through — no ribbing, no openwork, no gaps anywhere in the piece.
03The mouth does not gape open. The body is a closed sphere and the lower jaw is a separate shallow bowl sewn under the nose with its black rounds facing upward, so the dark mouth is read rather than worked.
04Round 6 of the lower jaw is worked in back loops only. It is still 30 single crochet, 30 stitches in and 30 stitches out — working the back loop only changes where the hook goes, and it leaves a fold line so the jaw sits at an angle instead of lying flat.
05The teeth are ten small white cones sewn on one at a time, five along the top edge of the mouth and five along the jaw. Space them evenly and let them lean slightly inward.
06The pale belly band on rounds 9 to 18 is per-stitch colourwork. Carry the colour you are not using loosely along the inside of the fabric so the fish keeps its give.
07Thread a pipe cleaner up through the lure stalk before you sew it to the head, so the lure curves forward over the nose and stays where you bend it.
08Nothing in this pattern glows. The acid yellow bulb reads as light against the navy body; glow-in-the-dark yarn for the bulb is the only way to make it actually luminous.
09Stuff the body firmly and the lure bulb lightly. The fins and the tail stay flat and unstuffed — flatten each one and sew it closed along its last round.
10Safety eyes are a choking hazard. For a child under three, embroider the eyes in black instead.
Four questions this pattern answers
Not questions anybody asked. Each one is written from this pattern's own record, and every answer is read off the fields it names.
How is the colour worked into the anglerfish?
How much yarn will the anglerfish take?
What hook will the anglerfish need, and what is the finished size?
How long will the anglerfish take to crochet?
A round that will not add up?
Tell us the piece and the round number — the stepper already knows where you are.There is nowhere to send one yet.
Put the laptop down mid-round
The iPhone app keeps your place — piece of 9, round of — and hands it back where you left it.
