UPDATE: I remembered to buy hooks finally <3
Okay, so, firstly, my finished product isn’t photographed yet because I forgot to buy hooks today while we were out shopping. I needed to buy 3 things at the store today and got a bunch of stuff except NOT those three things. Ha! Anyone else relate?
So, what started this project is that over on my Facebook Page – also called The Burgundy Basket – I started an A-Z Challenge this year where my page followers give me challenges for the letters of the alphabet. We started the letter F in June and they gave me so many great ideas that I am still on the letter F!!! At the rate I am going it will take me years to finish the letters, but anyway, one of my F suggestions was Fish.
Shortly after getting this suggestion, I was thrifting at one of my local thrift shops and scored two big fishing poles – one is an 8′ pole and the other 10′ and they are so fabulous! As soon as I saw them I knew I wanted to crochet some fish and hang them from the poles to either use as a piece of art propped in a corner or hanging across a wall with the fish hanging down. And I finished both of the poles, but forgot hooks to hang from the wall and they just are not photographing very well standing up since the poles are so tall -so, while this pattern was still fresh in my head I decided to go ahead and put it down here and update this post with a final photo. *you should need my scribble number notes when I was writing these – since they are almost not discernable I knew I needed to put it down now.
So, here you go… I wrote three sizes of the fish for my project.
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Kristi Bergin-Smith and The Burgundy Basket, 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to me, Kristi Bergin-Smith and The Burgundy Basket with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Hooks: J and K – hese are the exact hooks I use and worth every penny:
Yarn: I used mostly scraps of leftover skeins. I used some Lion Brand Homespun in Brown and some leftover Barcelona in the color Leafy. I mixed with it some creams, green and blues.
I also used buttons for the eyes.
I held two strands of yarn throughout each fish. I did the large fish with the J hook, but switched to my K hook for the other sizes.
They have such great texture!
These large fish measure 17-18″
For this large size, I started with my J hook.
Starting/Increasing:
Chain 2.
Single crochet 6 in the second chain from the hook and work over your starting tail.
Starting in the first sc make 2 sc in that stitch and in each stitch around. (12) *Still work over the starting tail.
After getting done with all 12 sc for that round, pull the starting tail to cinch up the opening. You can now trim that tail or weave it in or just leave it if it will be on the inside of your work.
You want to move your stitch marker – if you use them – to the last stitch of each round so you know when you get to the end.
Round 3: (Make 1 sc in next stitch, make 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat around (18)
Rounds 4-5: Sc in each stitch around (18)
Round 6: (Make 1 sc in next 2 stitches, make 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat around (24)
Rounds 7-10: Sc in each stitch around (24)
Round 11: (Make 1 sc in next 3 stitches, make 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat around (30)
Rounds 12-21: Sc in each stitch around (30)
*this is where I stopped and sewed on my button eyes so that I could tie off the ends inside the head. I did not stuff my fish since fish are mostly flat, but if you choose to lightly stuff start and continue as needed.
Round 22: (decreasing) : (Make 1 sc in next 3 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (24)
Rounds 23-25: Sc in each stitch around (24)
Round 26: on this round decrease two stitches. We need to go from 24 sc to 22 sc. It doesn’t matter where so much just space them apart – so, maybe (sc in the next 10 stitches, inv dec) repeat once (22)
Round 27: Sc in each stitch around (22)
Round 28: on this round decrease two stitches. We need to go from 22 sc to 20 sc. It doesn’t matter where so much just space them apart – so, maybe (sc in the next 9 stitches, inv dec) repeat once (20)
Round 29: Sc in each stitch around (20)
Round 30: on this round decrease two stitches. We need to go from 20 sc to 18 sc. It doesn’t matter where so much just space them apart – so, maybe (sc in the next 8 stitches, inv dec) repeat once (18)
Rounds 31-32: Sc in each stitch around (18)
Round 33: (Make 1 sc in next 4 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (15)
Rounds 34-35: Sc in each stitch around (15)
Round 36: (Make 1 sc in next 3 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (12)
Rounds 37-38: Sc in each stitch around (12)
Round 39: (Make 1 sc in next 2 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (9)
Okay, now for the fins I didn’t completely write down a pattern, **BUT, this part is important. Flatten your fish out so the eyes are on each side of the body and the fish is laid on the side like in my photo – because you want your tail chain to be on the bottom most stitch at the end and then another part at the top of the fish – if you make your tail fins on each side of the fish – ex. straight down from the eyes – it may look odd. So, if you are not at the top of bottom of your fish on the last stitch in Round 39 make a few extra stitches to get to one of those spots.
I chained about 12-15 on these large fish and just worked back up the chain in an increasing size stitch to the middle and then back down again – so, for example – chain 12 and starting in 2nd chain from hook make these stitches back up the chain: hdc, hdc, dc, dc, tr, tr, tr, tr, dc, dc, hdc, slip stitch to next stitch on round 39 and slip stitch over to other side to make the next fin exactly the same way.
OR: chain 15 and starting in 2nd chain from hook make these stitches back up the chain: sc, sc, hdc, dc, dc, dc, tr, tr, tr, dc, dc, dc, hdc, sc slip stitch to next stitch on round 39 and slip stitch over to other side to make the next fin exactly the same way.
*those are just two examples. Play with it and change up the stitches to find a set you like.
When I was finished I left a tail to sew up the opening at the end.
This medium size is about 14″ and I used two strands and my K hook.
Starting/Increasing:
Chain 2.
Single crochet 6 in the second chain from the hook and work over your starting tail.
Starting in the first sc make 2 sc in that stitch and in each stitch around. (12) *Still work over the starting tail.
After getting done with all 12 sc for that round, pull the starting tail to cinch up the opening. You can now trim that tail or weave it in or just leave it if it will be on the inside of your work.
You want to move your stitch marker – if you use them – to the last stitch of each round so you know when you get to the end.
Round 3: (Make 1 sc in next stitch, make 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat around (18)
Rounds 4-5: Sc in each stitch around (18)
Round 6: (Make 1 sc in next 2 stitches, make 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat around (24)
Rounds 7-14: Sc in each stitch around (24)
*this is where I stopped and sewed on my button eyes so that I could tie off the ends inside the head. I did not stuff my fish since fish are mostly flat, but if you choose to lightly stuff start and continue as needed.
Round 15: on this round decrease two stitches. We need to go from 24 sc to 22 sc. It doesn’t matter where so much just space them apart – so, maybe (sc in the next 10 stitches, inv dec) repeat once (22)
Round 16: Sc in each stitch around (22)
Round 17: on this round decrease two stitches. We need to go from 22 sc to 20 sc. It doesn’t matter where so much just space them apart – so, maybe (sc in the next 9 stitches, inv dec) repeat once (20)
Round 18: Sc in each stitch around (20)
Round 19: on this round decrease two stitches. We need to go from 20 sc to 18 sc. It doesn’t matter where so much just space them apart – so, maybe (sc in the next 8 stitches, inv dec) repeat once (18)
Rounds 20-21: Sc in each stitch around (18)
Round 22: (Make 1 sc in next 4 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (15)
Round 23: (Make 1 sc in next 3 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (12)
Rounds 24: Sc in each stitch around (12)
Round 25: (Make 1 sc in next 2 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (9)
Okay, now for the fins I didn’t completely write down a pattern, **BUT, this part is important. Flatten your fish out so the eyes are on each side of the body and the fish is laid on the side like in my photo – because you want your tail chain to be on the bottom most stitch at the end and then another part at the top of the fish – if you make your tail fins on each side of the fish – ex. straight down from the eyes – it may look odd. So, if you are not at the top of bottom of your fish on the last stitch in Round 25 make a few extra stitches to get to one of those spots.
I chained about 10 on the medium fish and just worked back up the chain in an increasing size stitch to the middle and then back down again – so, for example – chain 10 and starting in 2nd chain from hook make these stitches back up the chain: sc, hdc, dc, dc, tr, dc, dc, hdc, sc, slip stitch to next stitch on round 25 and slip stitch over to other side to make the next fin exactly the same way.
When I was finished I left a tail to sew up the opening at the end.
The small fish measure around 10″ and I used two strands and my K hook.
Starting/Increasing:
Chain 2.
Single crochet 5 in the second chain from the hook and work over your starting tail.
Starting in the first sc make 2 sc in that stitch and in each stitch around. (10) *Still work over the starting tail.
After getting done with all 10 sc for that round, pull the starting tail to cinch up the opening. You can now trim that tail or weave it in or just leave it if it will be on the inside of your work.
You want to move your stitch marker – if you use them – to the last stitch of each round so you know when you get to the end.
Round 3: (Make 1 sc in next stitch, make 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat around (15)
Rounds 4-6: Sc in each stitch around (15)
Round 7: (Make 1 sc in next 4 stitches, make 2 sc in the next stitch) repeat around (18)
Rounds 8-12: Sc in each stitch around (18)
Round 13: (Make 1 sc in next 4 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (15)
Rounds 14-15: Sc in each stitch around (15)
Round 16: (Make 1 sc in next 3 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (12)
Rounds 17-18: Sc in each stitch around (12)
Round 19: (Make 1 sc in next 2 stitches, make an inv dec over the next two stitches) repeat around (9)
Rounds 20-21: Sc in each stitch around (9)
Okay, now for the fins I didn’t completely write down a pattern, **BUT, this part is important. Flatten your fish out so the eyes are on each side of the body and the fish is laid on the side like in my photo – because you want your tail chain to be on the bottom most stitch at the end and then another part at the top of the fish – if you make your tail fins on each side of the fish – ex. straight down from the eyes – it may look odd. So, if you are not at the top of bottom of your fish on the last stitch in Round 21 make a few extra stitches to get to one of those spots.
I chained about 7 on the small fish and just worked back up the chain in an increasing size stitch to the middle and then back down again – so, for example – chain 7 and starting in 2nd chain from hook make these stitches back up the chain: hdc, dc, tr, tr, dc, hdc, slip stitch to next stitch on round 25 and slip stitch over to other side to make the next fin exactly the same way. Or make this sequence after chaining 8: sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc *play around with your stitches and make a tail you like.
When I was finished I left a tail to sew up the opening at the end.
And that is it for my pattern! I hope you enjoyed it and hope you can make up a fun fish project for yourself. I can’t wait to get my poles up on the wall to show you how cute it is. It would be darling in a little boys room with an outdoor theme. Tag me with your finished projects over @theburgundybasket on IG.
