You know, I stumbled across the ‘Bruce the Shark’ crochet pattern on the web and gosh, it tickled my fancy! This little guy has charisma—with those pointy teeth and the cuddly fineness. Here’s the deal with this adorable crochet shark pattern: You start with that iconic shark grey yarn (I’m partial to a nice heather grey), then you’re gonna whip up a magic ring and work in rounds to shape that classic shark body—fins and all.
Oh, and those teeth, right? You’ll crochet a ridged white strip and attach it to his opening—just so it peeks out like he’s grinning at you (a sneaky grin, though!). Switching between single crochet for firmness and some increases and decreases for shaping, you’ll see Bruce come to life in your hands. Mind the gap—don’t miss a stitch; we wouldn’t want our shark buddy looking all wibbly-wobbly.
And let me tell you, this pattern is such a hoot! Every row brings you closer to creating a quirky sea pal that’s bound to be a conversation-starter. Plus, it’s an impeccable gift for any ocean lover or kiddo pining for a marine adventure (minus the wet suits and oxygen tanks, of course). Throw in some vibrant blues and greens in the background, and ka-pow!
You’ve got an underwater scene. Remember, darling, the magic is in the details—even the wonky ones add character!
Designer: My Cosy Crochet Sanctuary
Materials & Tools
- 7 mm crochet hook
- Blanke yarn
- Stitch markers
- Stuffing
- 20 mm safety eyes
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Black thread or felt to embroider face details
Notes
Finished size: 44 cm x 20 cm
Abbreviations
Mr – magic ring
Rnd – round
Sc – single crochet
Inc – increase
Dec – decrease
Hdc – half double crochet
Hdc inc – half double crochet increase
Dorsal Fin
Rnd 1: in Mr: 3 sc, 2 hdc, 1 sc (6)
Rnd 2: 3 sc, 2 hdc inc, 1 sc (8)
Rnd 3: 3 sc, 1 hdc inc, 2 hdc, 1 hdc inc, 1 sc (10)
Rnd 4: 3 sc, 6 hdc, 1 sc (10)
Rnd 5: sc all around (10)
Fasten off and leave a long enough tail for sewing.
Stuff the fin for it to keep the shape.
Pectoral Fin x2
Rnd 1: in Mr: 3 sc, 2 hdc, 1 sc (6)
Rnd 2: 3 sc, 1 hdc inc, 1 hdc, 1 sc (7)
Rnd 3: 3 sc, 2 hdc, 1 hdc inc, 1 sc (8)
Rnd 4: 3 sc, 1 hdc inc, 3 hdc, 1 inc (10)
Rnd 5: 3 sc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc inc, 3 hdc, 1 sc, 1 inc (12)
Rnd 6: 3 sc, 6 hdc, 3 sc (12)
Rnd 7: sc all around (12)
Rnd 8: crochet both sides together with 6 sc (6)
Fasten off and leave a tail long enough for sewing.
Depending on your tension you might need to add a stitch or two before closing to get the good shape.
Tail
Small Part
Rnd 1: 4 sc in Mr (4)
Rnd 2: (1 sc, 1 inc) x 2 (6)
Rnd 3: (2 sc, 1 inc) x 2 (8)
Rnd 4: (3 sc, 1 inc) x 2 (10)
Fasten off and leave a tail for closing the gap before round 2 of joining.
Big Part
Rnd 1: 4 sc in Mr (4)
Rnd 2: (1 sc, 1 inc) x 2 (6)
Rnd 3: (1 sc, 1 inc) x 3 (9)
Rnd 4: (2 sc, 1 inc) x 2 (12)
Rnd 5: sc all around (12)
Don’t cut, stuff both fins and continue with joining.
Joining
Rnd 1: 2 sc, 3 dec, 1 sc, join with the first stitch of small fin using 1 sc, 1 sc, 5 dec, 1 sc (14)
Rnd 2: 1 sc, 2 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec, 1 sc (9)
Rnd 3: (1 sc, dec) x 3 (6)
Body
Rnd 1: (1 sc, 1 inc) x 3 (9)
Rnd 2: sc all around (9)
Rnd 3: (2 sc, 1 inc) x 3 (12)
Rnd 4: (2 sc, 1 inc) x 4 (16)
Rnd 5: sc all around (16)
Rnd 6: (3 sc, 1 inc) x 4 (20)
Rnd 7: 2 sc, (1 inc, 3 sc) x 2, 2 sc, (3 sc, 1 inc) x 2 (24)
Rnd 8: (3 sc, 1 inc) x 6 (30)
Rnd 9-10: sc all around (30) for 2 rounds
Rnd 11: (4 sc, 1 inc) x 6 (36)
Rnd 12: sc all around (36)
Rnd 13: (5 sc, 1 inc) x 6 (42)
Rnd 14: (6 sc, 1 inc) x 6 (48)
Rnd 15-16: sc all around (48) for 2 rounds
Rnd 17: (6 sc, 1 dec) x 6 (42)
Rnd 18: (5 sc, 1 dec) x 6 (36)
Rnd 19: (4 sc, 1 dec) x 6 (30)
Rnd 20: sc all around (30)
Add safety eyes between row 18-19
Rnd 21: (3 sc, 1 dec) x 6 (24)
Rnd 22: sc all around (24)
Rnd 23: (1 sc, 1 dec) x 8 (16)
Rnd 24: sc all around (16)
Rnd 25: 4 sc, 4 dec, 4 sc (12)
Finish stuffing the body.
Rnd 26: dec all around (6)
Close the head.
Sewing Fins
Sew the pectoral fins on either side of the sharks body around rows 13 from the mouth. The tail should have the big part facing upward when doing this.
Sew the dorsal fin in the center of the shark top around 2 rows back from the pectoral fins.
Embroider Gills
Cut a piece of black yarn about 20cm/ 8 inches.
Just before the front edge of the pectoral fin, embroider 3 vertical lines decreasing by 2 stitches in length toward the mouth that are about a stitch apart from each other.
Entering from bottom of the shark and out point A, enter B (approximately 7 stitches apart) and exit C, (two rows toward the mouth and 1 stitch lower than A) then enter D (approximately five stitches apart) and exit E (two rows toward the mouth, and one stitch down from B) and finally enter F (approximately 3 stitches apart) and out from the bottom of the shark.Fasten off and weave in ends.
Embroider Mouth
Cut a piece of black yarn about 20 cm/8 inches.
Embroider the mouth: insert your needle under the head, and bring it up where your mouth starts. Draw the yarn through, leaving a short yarn tail.
Insert your needle about 8 stitch to the left and pulling your needle to another point through the center of the mouth.
Insert your needle in the same spot but around the black thread. Pull your needle through the right side of the mouth about 1 stitches up diagonally.
Put your needle downward about 2 stitch and go through the other side of the mouth about 1 stitch down diagonally. Go up about 2 stitch. Use your needle to go through the same spot to the starting point under the head.