Meet Your New Favorite Quick Crochet Project 🐢
Okay, confession time. I somehow went my entire crochet design career without ever making a turtle. Not even one! And the moment I finally sat down to design this little hatching sea turtle? I completely got the hype. They are so squishy, so tiny, and those little flippers… honestly my favorite part of the whole thing.
The best part is that these are totally no-sew and take under 30 minutes each. So once you finish one, you will absolutely want to make a whole nest of them. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
These are perfect if you need a quick gift, something cute for a craft fair, or just a fun little project to unwind with. I already know a basket full of these would sell out at any market table.
Why You’ll Love This Pattern
No sewing required. Everything is crocheted in one piece so there is no tedious assembly at the end. Just weave in your ends and you are done.
Super fast. Each turtle takes under 30 minutes, which makes them great for batch crocheting the night before a craft fair.
Beginner friendly. If you know your basic stitches, you can make this. I also filmed a full video tutorial to help with the flipper technique, which is the trickiest part.
Great for gifting. The tiny size and the “aww” factor make these an instant hit with pretty much everyone, kids and adults alike.
Make them in any size. Just switch up your yarn weight and hook size to go from a tiny 3 inch turtle all the way up to a chunky 5 inch one.
Want a Clean Printable Version?
Scrolling through a pattern on your phone while you’re trying to crochet is honestly a struggle. If you’d rather have a tidy PDF you can print or save to your tablet, grab it from my shop! It includes all the photos and instructions in one clean place, with no ads to scroll past.
And a little bonus: the PDF bundle includes the Land Turtle version too, so you get two patterns for the price of one!
Land Turtle (Tortoise) Pattern
If you’re looking for a land turtle version with cute round legs, don’t forget to check out my Baby Land Turtle (Tortoise) pattern as well. It’s just as tiny and perfect if you want a little friend for your sea turtle!
Don’t Forget the Egg Shell!
A hatching turtle needs a shell to hatch from, right? Pair this pattern with my free Hatching Egg Shell pattern and the cuteness level goes through the roof.
Project Overview
Real quick: use tight stitches so your stuffing doesn’t show through. We’ll be working in a continuous spiral, so no joining rounds.
I always recommend skimming through the whole pattern before picking up your hook. it just makes things smoother!
We will crochet the head first, then move on to the bottom shell and attach the head to it. Next, we will crochet the top shell, then join the bottom and top shells together to finish the turtle.
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What You’ll Need
The pattern can be customized with different yarn weights to create smaller or larger turtles.
Bigger Size: Length: 12 cm ~ 5 inc
- Yarn: Weight #6 yarn : Premier Basix Chenille Bright or Bernat Blanket
- Quantity: 12 g of the main body color and 8 g of the top shell color.
- Hook: 5.5mm US 9
- Safety eyes: 11 mm
Smaller Size: Length: 8 cm ~ 3 inc
- Yarn: Weight #6 yarn: Premier Parfait Chunky
- Quantity: 7g of the main body color and 4g of the top shell color.
- Hook: 4.5mm US 7
- Safety eyes: 8 mm
Other materials and tools:
Stitches & Abbreviations (US Terms)
This pattern uses US crochet terminology.
This pattern is written in US crochet terminology.
slst: slip stitch
sc: single crochet stitch
hdc: half double crochet stitch
dc: double crochet stitch
st, sts: stitch, stitches
dec: single crochet decrease
inc: single crochet increase
Rnd: round
FLO: crochet through front loops only
BLO: crochet through back loops only
Bobble-4-dc: Bobble stitch made of 4 incomplete double crochet stitches
One more tip: skim through the whole pattern once before you pick up your hook. It makes everything flow so much more smoothly once you start!
Video Tutorial
If you learn better by watching, I filmed a full step by step video on YouTube. I walk through the flippers and the no-sew joining so you can see exactly how it all comes together.
Questions I Get Asked a Lot
How long does each turtle take? Under 30 minutes from start to finish! They are great for a quick crafting session or for making a big batch in one evening.
Is this pattern okay for beginners? Yes! If you are comfortable with single crochet and slip stitch, you can do this. The video tutorial walks through the flipper technique in detail so you won’t get stuck.
What yarn works best for amigurumi turtles? A weight 6 super bulky yarn gives the best results for both sizes. Chenille yarns like Premier Basix Chenille or Bernat Blanket give a really soft, plush finish that looks and feels amazing.
Can I sell finished turtles? Absolutely! You are welcome to sell finished items made from this pattern. Please just don’t resell or redistribute the pattern itself.
Do I need the egg shell pattern too? The turtle is cute on its own, but the egg shell really makes it special. You can grab the free egg shell pattern here.
Hatching Sea Turtle Free Pattern
Head
Begin with beige yarn. Work in spiral rounds.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in the magic ring [6]
Rnd 2: 6 inc [12]
Rnd 3 – Rnd 4: 12 sc [12] [2 Rounds]
Insert safety eyes between Rnd 3 and Rnd 4 with 6 sts apart. Stuffing the head as you go.
Rnd 5: 6 dec [6]
Fasten off. Do not close.
Bottom Shell
Begin with beige yarn. Work in spiral rounds.
Rnd 1: 8 sc in the magic ring [8]
Rnd 2: 8 inc [16]
On Rnd 3, we will crochet the legs and tail for the sea turtle. The legs and tail will be crocheted into the front loops only, so please put the stitch markers to the back loops of the stitch on Rnd 2 where the legs and tail are crocheted to: 1st, 3rd, 7th, 11th, 15th, so you can crochet Rnd 3 and Rnd 4 easier.
Rnd 3: At the end of this round, you should have a total of 16 sts.
– Tail: slst in to the front loop of the 1st stitch of Rnd 2, chain 2, start to crochet into the second chain from the hook: 1 sc, slst into the same front loop of the first stitch of Rnd 2. Continue to crochet through both loops: 1 sc.
– The first flipper: slst in to the front loop of the 3rd stitch of Rnd 2, chain 4, start to crochet into the second chain from the hook: 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, slst into the same front loop of the 3rd stitch of Rnd 2. Continue to crochet through both loops: 3 sc.
– The second flipper: slst in to the front loop of the 7th stitch of Rnd 2, chain 4, start to crochet into the second chain from the hook: 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, slst into the same front loop of the 7th stitch of Rnd 2. Continue to crochet through both loops: 3 sc.
– The third flipper: slst in to the front loop of the 11th stitch of Rnd 2, chain 4, start to crochet into the second chain from the hook: 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, slst into the same front loop of the 11th stitch of Rnd 2. Continue to crochet through both loops: 3 sc.
– The fourth flipper: slst in to the front loop of the 15th stitch of Rnd 2, chain 4, start to crochet into the second chain from the hook: 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 hdc, slst into the same front loop of the 15th stitch of Rnd 2. Continue to crochet through both loops: 1 sc.
On Rnd 4, we will crochet to attach the head to the bottom shell.
Rnd 4: At the end of this round, you should have a total of 16 sts.
– Skip the tail, 1 sc into the back loop remaining of Rnd 2, then crochet 1 sc.
– Skip the first flipper, 1 sc into the back loop remaining of Rnd 2, then crochet 3 sc, skip the second flipper then crochet 1 sc into the back loop remaining of Rnd 2.
– Attach the head by crochet through both layers of the head and the shell: 3 sc.
– Skip the third flipper, continue to crochet 1 sc into the back loop remaining of Rnd 2, 3 sc.
– Skip the fourth flipper, 1 sc into the back loop remaining of Rnd 2, 1 sc.
Fasten off.
Top shell
Begin with gold yarn. Work in spiral rounds.
Rnd 1: 8 sc in the magic ring [8]
Rnd 2: 8 inc [16]
Rnd 3 – Rnd 4: 16 sc [16] [2 Rounds]
On Rnd 5, we will crochet through Rnd 4 of the top shell and the last round of the bottom shell (start from the last stitch of the bottom shell) to attach the shells together. Stuff the body as you go.
Rnd 5: (3 sc, 1 inc) * repeat 4 times [20]
To attach the shells together, first, insert the hook into the next stitch of the top shell.
Next, insert the hook to inside then out through the bottom shell.
Then finish 1 sc as usual. Do the same with the next stitches.
Slst in the next stitch and fasten off.
You’re Done! Now Make Ten More!
Once your turtle’s body is done, weave in your ends and tuck it into its egg shell. These little guys are made for a quick, satisfying crochet session. If you’re doing a craft fair, honestly? Make a whole basket of them! I think they will sell like crazy!
Show Me Your Turtles!
I would love to see what you make! Tag me @greenfrog.crochet on Instagram or use #greenfrogcrochet so I can find your post and share it with the community.
Thank you so much for crocheting with me today. If you enjoyed this pattern, please pin it or share it with a friend who loves to crochet. It really helps more people find the pattern and it means the world to me! 💚
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Happy Crocheting!
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© 2026 Green Frog Crochet. All rights reserved. Please do not redistribute or sell this pattern as your own. Finished items may be sold.
