Crochet crab pattern — twelve pieces, 85 rounds written out
This free crochet crab pattern makes a wide red crab about 17 cm from claw tip to claw tip and about 5 cm tall, worked on a 4 mm hook in five colours over roughly three hours. Both halves of the shell start on a chain of eight rather than a magic ring, and the belly's fifth round takes its 34 stitches through both fabrics at once, so the body is closed by the crochet instead of by a seam. All 85 rounds are written out below across twelve pieces, each carrying the stitch count it ends on.
Maths verified, not yet made. Every one of the 85 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 Medium
Medium: rounds 5 to 7 of each claw carry seven coral stitches against eight red, and the belly's last round works its 34 stitches through two pieces at once while the stuffing goes in.
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 — five colours, all weight 4
1 skein (~60 g)Worsted / aran acrylic
~25 gWorsted / aran acrylic
~20 gWorsted / aran acrylic
scrapsWorsted / aran acrylic
scrapsWorsted acrylic or six-strand embroidery floss
Tools
5 you probably own, 2 to buyYou likely have
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch markers
Pins
Measuring tape
You need to buy
6 mm black safety eyes ×2
Polyester stuffing (~25 g)
Optional
A stitch marker in a contrast colour for the round start
Black embroidery floss for a finer mouth
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 bigger crab and eats a little more yarn.
Finished size
~17 cm from claw tip to claw tip, ~5 cm tall
How to make the crab, piece by piece
Switching rewrites every round:US16 sc around a chain of 8UK16 dc around a chain of 8Work a US sc as a UK single crochet and the fabric comes out looser and taller.
1
01The shell
An oval that starts on a chain instead of a ring, grows three rounds…6 RNDS
starts in tomatoRed· picked up· Piece 1 of 12
First six rounds[16] [22] [28] [34] [34] [34]
The foundation oval
RND 1–11[16]
Growing at the ends
RND 2–42[22]
3[28]
4[34]
Straight sides
RND 5–65[34]
6[34]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneLeave a long tail. Set it aside face down — the belly gets joined to it later, and the shell wants to keep its curve in the meantime.
2
02The belly
The same oval in cream, one round shallower, and then a red round…5 RNDS
starts in cream· picked up· Piece 2 of 12
First five rounds[16] [22] [28] [34] [34]
1[16]
2[22]
3[28]
4[34]
5[34]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneThe crab now has its shape. Everything from here hangs off this oval.
3
03The claws
Two the same. Out to fifteen stitches for the pincer, three rounds…12 RNDS
starts in tomatoRed· magic ring· Piece 3 of 12
First six rounds[6] [8] [12] [15] [15] [15]
The pincer opening out
RND 1–41[6]
2[8]
3[12]
4[15]
The coral underside
RND 5–75[15]
6[15]
7[15]
The wrist
RND 8–98[8]
9[6]
The arm
RND 10–1210[6]
11[6]
12[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneStuff the pincer end firmly and leave the arm empty and flat, so the claw sits out from the body rather than sagging.
4
04Right claw
— the same 12 rounds again, worked from piece 0312 RNDS
starts in tomatoRed· magic ring· Piece 4 of 12· mirrors the claws
First six rounds[6] [8] [12] [15] [15] [15]
1[6]
2[8]
3[12]
4[15]
5[15]
6[15]
7[15]
8[8]
9[6]
10[6]
11[6]
12[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
5
05The front legs
The longest pair. Six stitches around, eight rounds straight, no…8 RNDS
starts in coral· magic ring· Piece 5 of 12
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]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneLeave a long tail on each and set the pair aside. All six legs are sewn on in one go, once the three lengths can be laid out side by side.
6
06Right leg 1
— the same 8 rounds again, worked from piece 058 RNDS
starts in coral· magic ring· Piece 6 of 12· mirrors the front legs
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]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
7
07The middle legs
The same six-stitch tube, seven rounds instead of eight. One round…7 RNDS
starts in coral· magic ring· Piece 7 of 12
First six rounds[6] [6] [6] [6] [6] [6]
1[6]
2[6]
3[6]
4[6]
5[6]
6[6]
7[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneUnstuffed and flattened like the first pair. Hold one against a front leg: one round shorter should read as a small step, not a jump.
8
08Right leg 2
— the same 7 rounds again, worked from piece 077 RNDS
starts in coral· magic ring· Piece 8 of 12· mirrors the middle legs
First six rounds[6] [6] [6] [6] [6] [6]
1[6]
2[6]
3[6]
4[6]
5[6]
6[6]
7[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
9
09The back legs
The shortest pair, two rounds shorter than the front. The graduation…6 RNDS
starts in coral· magic ring· Piece 9 of 12
First six rounds[6] [6] [6] [6] [6] [6]
1[6]
2[6]
3[6]
4[6]
5[6]
6[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is donePin the three pairs along the sides of the shell before sewing any of them, and check from above that the spacing matches on both sides.
10
10Right leg 3
— the same 6 rounds again, worked from piece 096 RNDS
starts in coral· magic ring· Piece 10 of 12· mirrors the back legs
First six rounds[6] [6] [6] [6] [6] [6]
1[6]
2[6]
3[6]
4[6]
5[6]
6[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
11
11The eye stalks
Two short tubes, white at the tip and red at the base, with a safety…4 RNDS
starts in white· magic ring· Piece 11 of 12
First four rounds[6] [6] [6] [6]
1[6]
2[6]
3[6]
4[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
When this piece is doneSew both stalks to the front of the shell, about four stitches apart, angled slightly outward. Finish with a small black mouth embroidered between and below them.
12
12Right eye stalk
— the same 4 rounds again, worked from piece 114 RNDS
starts in white· magic ring· Piece 12 of 12· mirrors the eye stalks
First four rounds[6] [6] [6] [6]
1[6]
2[6]
3[6]
4[6]
US termsmrmagic ringscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasest(s)stitch, or stitchesreprepeat
You are here
Twelve pieces from seven lists. Five lists — the claws, the front legs, the middle legs, the back legs and the eye stalks — are written once and worked twice, identical round for round; the grey bars are piece length, all drawn to the same scale.85 ROUNDS IN ALL
Ten notes on the crab
Read themClose
01An original Crochet Genie design.
02Everything is worked in a continuous spiral. Nothing is joined and nothing is turned, so mark the first stitch of each round and carry the marker up as you go.
03The shell and the belly both start on a foundation chain rather than a magic ring. Chain 8, then work 16 single crochet around both sides of it — 7 along one side, one into the end chain, 7 back along the other side, one into the last chain. The app records that as round 1 of 16 stitches, which is what sits in your hands once the ring closes.
04Rounds 2 to 4 of both shell pieces each add 6 stitches, three spread across each rounded end and none along the two straight sides. That is what keeps the shape an oval rather than letting it grow into a circle.
05The last round of the belly is worked through both layers, holding the belly against the shell with wrong sides together. Feed the stuffing in when about two thirds of that round is closed, then finish it. The count stays at 34 — it is an ordinary single crochet round that simply catches two fabrics instead of one.
06Claw rounds 5 to 7 carry a coral run of 7 stitches. Work the round start at the top of the claw so the coral lands underneath, carry the unused colour loosely behind the stitches, and pick each colour up under the other so the change does not gap. The stitch counts are unchanged.
07The pincer is shaped after the crochet, not during it. Flatten the wide end of the claw with the coral run underneath, then run a sewn line from the closed tip back along the middle for about two rounds. That divides the end into an upper and a lower point without adding a piece the format cannot count.
08The six legs are three matching pairs, worked shortest at the back and longest at the front. Leave them unstuffed and pinch each one flat before sewing so it bends like a leg instead of standing like a peg.
09Push each safety eye shank through the open centre of its eye stalk's magic ring before you cinch the ring right down, and snap the washer on inside. Stuff the stalk lightly with a pinch of fibre, then sew it upright to the front of the shell.
10For a toy going to a child under three, leave the safety eyes out and embroider two black french knots on the white tips 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 crab?
How much yarn will the crab take?
What hook will the crab need, and what is the finished size?
How long will the crab 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 12, round of — and hands it back where you left it.
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