Disclaimer: The original pattern is written by Atsuko with inputs from Rheatheylia (thanks ladies!). I have slightly modified their pattern (changes tracked in red) to incorporate more character details like the belt and arm bands. For your convenience, I have appended the full set of instructions here.
PREVIOUSLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FROM MY OLD BLOG):
- What is the size of your finished turtles?
Mine was about 7-8″ tall. The size of the turtles could vary depending on yarn weight, hook size, and your crochet tension.
- Is it on purpose that the finished product has the ‘wrong’ side facing out?
Yup, it is intentional for this pattern. Personal preference; I liked the rougher (tougher) look for the turtles.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- G/4.25mm crochet hook (for head, body, arms, and legs)
- H/5.00mm crochet hook (for mask)
- J/6.00mm crochet hook (for shell)
- 8-ply yarn in light green (for head, arms and legs)
- 8-ply yarn in dark green (for shell)
- 8-ply yarn in yellow (for body)
- 8-ply yarn in red/blue/purple/orange (for mask, arm and leg bands)
- Metallic button (for belt buckle – if you want to add this feature, please keep the turtle away from young children as the button can be a choking hazard.)
- Safety eyes 12mm
- Embroidery thread in black (for mouth)
- Polyester stuffing
- Scissors and yarn needle
*Please see reference guide before starting your project.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Head
With the light green yarn and G/4.25mm hook,
Rnd 1: 8 sc in a magic ring
Rnd 2: (sc, inc) around [12]
Rnd 3: (sc, inc) around [18]
Rnd 4: (2sc, inc) around [24]
Rnd 5: (2sc, inc) around [32]
Rnd 6: (3sc, inc) around [40]
Rnds 7-12: sc around [40]
Rnd 13: (3sc, dec) around [32]
Rnd 14: (2sc, dec) around [24]
Rnd 15: (2sc, dec) around [18]
Rnd 16: (sc, dec) around [12]
Add stuffings to the head.
Add the mask (see pattern below) by sandwiching it between the eyes and head & tie the mask ends to the back of head.
Embroider mouth.
Rnd 17: (sc, dec) around [8]
FO and weave in ends.
Mask
With the red/blue/purple/orange yarn (depending on which character you’re making) and H/5.00mm hook,
Row 1: ch 60 or 65, depending on how big your turtle head is
Rows 2-3: sc in each st, ch 1 and turn
Row 4: sc in each st until the second last st
FO and weave in ends.
Body
With the yellow yarn and G/4.25mm hook,
Start magic ring with a 24-inch tail to sew the head and arms to the body.
Rnd 1: 8 sc in the magic ring
Rnd 2: sc around [8]
Rnd 3: (sc, inc) around [12]
Rnd 4-5: sc around [12]
Rnd 6: (2sc, inc) around [16]
Rnds 7-9: sc around [16]
Rnd 10: (3sc, inc) around [20]
Change to red/blue/purple/orange yarn…
Rnds 11-12: sc around [20]
Change back to the yellow yarn…
Rnd 13: (3sc, dec) around [16]
Rnd 14: (2sc, dec) around [12]
FO and sew the button in the centre of Rnds 11-12.
Add stuffings to the body.
Use yarn needle to sew the opening flat using a whipstitch.
Leave a 24-inch tail to sew the legs to the body. Weave in other ends, except for the 24-inch tail.
Shell
With the dark green yarn and J/6.00mm hook,
Rnd 1: 8 sc in a magic ring
Rnd 2: inc around [16]
Rnd 3: (sc, inc) around [24]
Rnd 4: (2sc, inc) around [32]
Rnd 5: sc around [32]
Rnd 6: (2sc, dec) around [24]
Rnd 7: (sc, dec) around [16]
Rnd 8: dec around [8]
FO and add stuffings to the shell.
Leave a 12-inch tail to sew the shell to the body. Weave in other ends, except for the 12-inch tail.
Arms
With the light green yarn and G/4.25mm hook,
Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring
Rnd 2: inc around [12]
Rnds 3-5: sc around [12]
Rnds 6: (4sc, dec) around [10]
Rnds 7-8: sc around [10]
Change to red/blue/purple/orange yarn…
Rnds 9-10: sc around [10]
Change back to the light green yarn…
Rnds 11-12: sc around [10]
Add stuffings to the arms.
Sc across the opening to make it flat and FO.
Weave in ends.
Legs
With the light green yarn and G/4.25mm hook,
Rnd 1: 6 sc in a magic ring
Rnd 2: inc around [12]
Rnds 3-5: sc around [12]
Rnds 6: (4sc, dec) around [10]
Rnds 7-8: sc around [10]
Change to red/blue/purple/orange yarn…
Rnds 9-10: sc around [10]
Change back to the light green yarn…
Rnds 11-13: sc around [10]
Add stuffings to the feet only, so that the turtle can sit and stand with support.
Sc across the opening to make it flat and FO.
Weave in ends.
Assembly
Using the tail ends of the body and shell, you can either whipstitch or ladderstitch the various parts to the body. Weave in ends and give yourself a pat on the back 😉
Hope this tutorial was clear enough. Happy crocheting!
Others who have tried this pattern:
If you’d like me to feature your works, just tag me on FB or IG ~ @myartpetite 🙂
My ARTpetite 
is.it.american.or.uk.instructions.please?
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American 🙂
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Would anyone make these sets to sell?
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You can always ask one of your crocheter friends to help make them! It’s a free pattern anyway 😉
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I would like to sell some, but there are oodles of people already selling them on Etsy. I made a set for my sister to give to a step grandchild, and she loved them.
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Good to hear that your sis loved them! Yeah if you think of them as gifts for people whom you treasure, then it makes everything much simpler. There won’t a need to fret over how to make profit out of these turtles 🙂
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So cute i haven’t crochet much for the last few years but i have to try these.
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❤ Have fun crocheting!
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Thank you for this amazing pattern!! My granddaughter will love these
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You’re most welcome! Happy crocheting!
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Can you please tell me how I can print the pattern?
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Just click File > Print in your internet browser.
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Hi. My 4 yo twin grandsons would go crazy – but I need a knitting pattern! HELP please. email nbober1@gmail.com. Thank you- Benita
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This pattern is only available in crochet. Try Pinterest. There may be a knitting pattern out there.
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What fiber is the yarn…cotton, polyester? Also, 6-ply is the largest yarn I’ve found. Where might I find 8-ply? These ninja’s are so cute I would like to get started on them. 🙂
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I normally go for Wool/Acrylic yarns. 6-ply yarn works fine as well. The turtles will just turn out slightly smaller, possibly even cuter! You may have to use a 2mm/3mm hook instead, since the yarn is thinner. Hope this helps! 🙂
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Do you know if I could use 4 ply red heart super saver yarn for these turtles?????
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Yup, any yarn ply will work. All that varies is the size of your turtles.
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When I printed the pattern several lines were cut off at the top of each page due to the logo “My Art Petite” being at the top of the page. I had to check the pattern online against the printed pattern and write in the missing lines. Just wanted everyone to watch for that and double check the pattern.
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Hi Patty, it’s probably your printer settings. You can try exporting it as a PDF before printing. Alternatively, select the “remove header and footer” checkbox before hitting print. I tried both methods and it worked for me!
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I copied from the top of the pattern all the way through to the bottom, posted into a word document and then printed that. It’s much faster and will save the ink and paper for the extra logo space. (Just be sure to copy the link and add at the bottom of the word doc so that you can find it again and can give proper credit.)
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Pasted, can’t figure out how to edit on my phone, sry!
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How big do you think would be if I used 10 ply yarn?
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Probably 13-14″ tall. It depends on your choice of hook and crochet tension too.
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Hello lovely!
I was wondering if I can sell a finished product made from this pattern? Xo
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Hi Brittany, no issues with me 🙂 I think we all deserve to sell our handmade creations that we have poured our heart, time and effort in ❤
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Where did you find the metallic buttons?
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I got them from my aunts’ button stash. I have seen similar ones at my local craft stores. You should try yours too.
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Any chance the head and body can be crocheted as one piece? I just made a small mermaid this way and loved it! Where ever I can cut a sewing step out, I try!!
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I suppose so, since the ending rnd for the head and the starting rnd for the body have the same number of st. However, crocheting it in a continuous piece would make the head flimsier, unless you add a pipe wire/sufficient stuffing within to support it.
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Usually when doing this, you want to start at the head, finish all adornments and stuffing before you move on to the body. I’m the same way… I LOVE amigurumi and am the “go to” for these types of things among pretty much my entire Facebook friends list as well as family and friends… But attaching pieces together is STILL enough to make me want to say “Nope! I’m done!” There’s a style I’ve been doing recently (the most common Star Wars items that you see are in this style) where had to toe is one piece. They end up smaller and maybe not as detailed, but boy is that easier! haha
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Could u mail ninja turtles pattern. And a catalog with animals.
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You can print or export it as a PDF via your internet browser. If by “catalog of animals” you mean my other crochet patterns, you can scroll to the bottom of my blog and filter the posts by categories.
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Hello, you have repeated row 2 as row 3…..one of them needs to be removed.
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Sorry read the pattern wrong….but if you have 18 stitches and you increase everyother, it won’t equal 24
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Please read the pattern correctly (again). It says “increase every third” to get 24st.
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Thanks to everyone for the timely remarks about yarn weight. 🙂 Also, when I have trouble printing something I copy/paste it to my word processor. Works every time.
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Thanks Juanita for sharing this tip with the rest 🙂
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I know that terms can vary from location to location, but 8-ply doesn’t mean anything to me (in the US) in terms of weight. I normally use a G (for me it’s 4mm) hook for amigurumi with worsted/medium/size 4 yarn. I just read a blog post that said Aussie 8-ply is the same as DK in the States and that 10 ply is the same as worsted. But this is confusing because if I were to use a DK weight yarn, I’d need a smaller hook than a G. I have a dream that one day everyone in the world will use the same terms, but for now, could you say what brand you used so I can look up the weight to find an equivalent available where I am?
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Good point. For clarity, I am referring to Australian yarn ply. Based on this yarn conversion chart (https://www.laughinghens.com/yarn-conversion-chart), its equivalent is Aran/Worsted for US yarn type. The brand of yarn I used is 4seasons – pure wool entwine.
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Thanks so much. That helps a bunch.
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I am in the U.S. as well. A friend requested I make these but I am not sure about the yarns. I see you say that you used 4Seasons yarn. Those are $15 each according to their site, which is quite expensive for here. I am trying to find U.S. alternatives but I am having trouble understanding how much to use. Do you know how much you used of each skein per turtle? I am trying to figure out how many of each color to get to do all four turtles.
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Ok I actually found a site where the yarn is $3.99. That is much better. How many skeins did you need to make all four? And do you know the colors you used specifically?
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Hi Crystal, I can’t recall the exact amount of skeins used as I made these turtles 3yrs ago. I usually get the 500g skeins to minimise the possibility of joining yarns.
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Thanks for the pattern! It is awesome! Do you happen to have a size for the buttons? I am ordering online as my local shop doesn’t have any gold!
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Hi Lindsey, if my memory serves me right, it should be about 1cm in diameter 🙂
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thank you!
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I am going to try to make these.
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Is there a YouTube video on this pattern. I cannot read patterns so I don’t understand. I can watch videos and write the pattern so I can understand. Thanks!
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Hi Debbie, there isn’t a YouTube version of this pattern. I may do one eventually. Will let you know if so.
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if you read from ( . ) to ( . ) period to period only I learned to read patterns that way.. just one step at a time.. ch 6. join. etc…
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Do you know how many pages you get when you only know one way to print the pattern off 12 pages of comments first
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You can export it as a PDF and select the pages you want to print (i.e. less off the comments).
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I read the pattern and I read a: fo not sure what that is and a whipstitch and ladderstitch never heard of them before. Can you please explain or is there a place I can learn this stitch/sew! Thank you Donna
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Hi Donna, I have added the illustrations for both stitches to my Reference Guide. You can access it through the landing page on my blog.
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After making the body with a G hook, it seems extra tiny! The picture makes it seems as though a larger hook was used for the body than was used for the head. My shell also seems a little large in proportion compared to everything else. When I switched the recommended hook for the shell with the one for the body and vice versa, the pieces turned out how I wanted them to look and more like the picture. Did anyone else have this same problem? I love the pattern and my niece will love these little ninja turtles. Thanks for sharing!
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Hi Kaylyn, someone pointed out earlier that the yarn/hook terms differ across locations. For clarity, please refer to the Reference Guide in the landing page on my blog. Happy crocheting! 🙂
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Hi there
My turtle body also came out very small and weird. Kaylyn did you use the J hook for the body and the G for the shell? Maybe I must try that too 🙂
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Hi all
Just would like to know how do I get the rough look? “wrong side facing out”? Do I do the head for example and after I am done I turn it inside out before I stuff it and sew FO?
Cannot wait to start .
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Yup you’re right. The “wrong side” is the side where there is a bar at the bottom of the V stitch.
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Thanks 🙂
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thank you for the pattern, I will try it, my Grandson loves them!
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Hi just started these and not sure what you mean by dc, do you mean skip a stitch. Like when you say dc every third does that mean skip every third stitch and start again into the forth ( i’m not so good at understanding patterns and have found people sometimes use the same abbreviations for complete different things 🙂 ) thank you, my beautiful step-daughter is going to love these she’s 27.
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Hi Dee, dec stands for decrease. It means to crochet two stitches into one in every third stitch.
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I’m still confused by this. like for row 14 is it sc, sc then decrease in 3 and 4,or is it sc, decrease in 2 and 3?
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(2sc, dec) around
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Sorry I meant dec, thanks again
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Was wondering f you could tell me what colors were used in this pattern. Having a hard time matching them up. Thank you.
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It’s already written in the pattern? See under “What You Need”.
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Doesn’t say which shades of green, blue, or purple is why I am askind. The red, orange, and yellow were no problem matching up.
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What I did was to google some images of TMNT and chose yarn colours that are close to them and to my liking i.e. lime green, royal blue and brinjal purple.
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Is it possible to see a back view of a turtle? I’m not sure how much stuffing I need to put in their shells. I was happily making baby blankets until my grandsons said they wanted turtles!
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Sure you can refer to this image on my FB page – https://scontent-hkg3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1560450_261769260699448_7070305549908610921_n.jpg?oh=1b924b7db38c3768d77ecfdd054073cf&oe=5937BE13
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Thank you – I’m not on Facebook so that won’t work, however, I figured it out & two turtles are now in the post on their way to my grandsons. Thanks very much for the pattern, it was clear & easy to follow x
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You’re most welcome 🙂 Cheers!
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This is my first project that is not a afghan or poncho. My question is at the end of each round do you sip stitch and chain 1 before beginning next round or do you keep crocheting in a circular manner?
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Keep crocheting in a circular manner
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Where do you place the eyes?
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It’s somewhere around rnd 10, 5 st apart for mine.
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Do you sew the end of the head fully closed when you’re done? My first time trying a pattern like this.
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Nope, just leave it at 8st and FO at the last st 🙂
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I made these recently. Very easy pattern. I needle felted the eyes for more detail. Very versatile. Can’t seem to tag the page, but happy to share what they look like with the different eyes if interested.
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Hi I’m making my first turtle and I’ve just finished the head but looking back over the pattern but can’t find where or when your suppose to add the eyes
Is it on the mask or the head? And what row should I do it on?
Thanks
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Hi Katie, you can insert the eyes somewhere between Rnd 6 and 7, 5-6 stitches apart. Don’t forget to attach the mask between the eyes and the head 🙂
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