Plush Rainbow Fish Amigurumi Pattern – Free Crochet Tutorial

Last Updated on April 16, 2026 by Holly Lanier

It’s time for a new plush sea creature amigurumi pattern! Summer is approaching, and the warmer weather always makes me want to crochet sea creatures like my free Jonah the Whale Shark, or Mochi the Jellyfish amigurumi patterns. Although I designed this sweet rainbow fish with super bulky plush yarn, she also looks amazing in worsted-weight yarn, so don’t be afraid to experiment! This rainbow fish amigurumi pattern would make a unique gift paired with The Rainbow Fish children’s book.

Meet Coral the Rainbow Fish! This sweet fish loves swimming no matter the weather. She’s full of sunshine and rainbows, and nothing can get her down. With her sunny disposition and fun personality, Coral has no problem making friends!

You can purchase a printable, ad-free, beautifully formatted, concise version of this rainbow fish crochet pattern in my shop HERE. Otherwise, please keep scrolling down for the free version!

Disclaimer: Some links in this free plush rainbow fish amigurumi pattern may be affiliate links. Affiliate links are a way for me to make a small commission on certain products at no extra cost to you!

Materials You Need to Make this Rainbow Fish Amigurumi Pattern

• #6 super bulky yarn. I used Parfait Chunky by Premier Yarns and Honey Bunny by Hobbii. For the main teal color I used for the head and fins, I used Honey Bunny by Hobbii in the color “Turquoise,” and for the fish made with blue head and fins, I used Parfait Chunky in the color “Azure”. For the rest of the body, I used Parfait Chunky in the colors “Haze”, Tangerine”, “Sunshine”, “Key Lime”, and “Ballet Pink”.
• I (5.5 mm) crochet hook
• 15 mm black safety eyes
• Fiberfill (or your stuffing of choice) 
• Bent tip tapestry needle
• Scissors 
• Stitch marker 
• Straight pins

Abbreviation Key

Abbreviations are in U.S. terms.

• sc – single crochet
• st/sts – stitch(es)
• sl st – slip stitch
• dec – decrease (join the next 2 stitches together)
• inc – increase (2 single crochet in the next stitch)
• hdc – half double crochet
• dc – double crochet
• trc – triple crochet
• BLO – back loops only
• R1 – round 1
• rep – repeat
• ** – repeat the group of instructions between the asterisks the number of times indicated.

Note:  All rounds are worked continuously (that is, vs. joined rounds.) 

The finished size is approximately 8 in. (20 cm.) long. (Please be aware that your personal gauge, tension, hook size, and the brand of yarn you decide to use will all impact the finished size.)

The pattern and images in this post are the sole property of Storyland Amis. This written pattern is for personal use only. Please do not share, sell, or redistribute it in whole or in part.

You MAY sell the finished product, but please credit Storyland Amis as the designer. If you sell your finished items online, I would appreciate it if you could link them to my blog! You may not mass-produce items made from this pattern. Thank you for your understanding and respect.

Important Additional Info

Starting round: When starting my crochet pieces in the round, I always use the “ch 2 method.” That is perfectly fine if you prefer to start your pieces using the magic circle/ring instead. These two methods are interchangeable, and the end result will be the same regardless of your choice. Watch this short video to learn how to make the “ch 2 method”.

Right vs. wrong side: When working in the round, I always crochet with the “right” side of the stitches facing out. Watch my short video to see the difference between the “right” and “wrong” side of crochet stitches.

Yarn under vs. yarn over: I always yarn under (YU) instead of yarn over (YO) for all my amigurumi. Doing YO might make your amigurumi slightly larger than mine, so keep that in mind if you prefer YO. Watch my video on the differences between yarn under and yarn over.

Sewing pieces together: I sew all my pieces together using the whipstitch unless otherwise specified.

Stuffing: Check out my short video on how to stuff pieces properly here.Color changes: Insert hook into last st of round or section with old color, yarn over & pull hook through st. Take your new color of yarn, yarn over & pull hook through remaining 2 loops on hook. Now you’re ready to start the new round or section. Check out my video on color changes here.

Note on Sewing With Plush Yarn:

Sewing with certain brands of plush yarn can be tricky, as it will often shed and split while you are sewing. To avoid this issue, I like to use worsted-weight yarn in the same color as the plush yarn to sew with. For this pattern, I sewed all of the pieces together using the original plush yarn tails left on each piece. If you know the yarn you are using has a tendency to shed and split, however, I would recommend you do this for all sewing in this pattern. Plush yarn hides the worsted-weight yarn remarkably well, so it won’t be noticeable if you decide to go this route. 

Free Plush Rainbow Fish Amigurumi Pattern

Head (Starting in Teal or Blue Yarn)

R1: ch 2, starting in the 2^nd ch from hook, sc 6 (6 sts) (you can use the magic circle if you prefer, as it won’t make a difference in the end. In that case, you will make a magic circle and make 6 sc in the magic circle. Watch this video to see how to start crocheting in the round using the “ch 2 method”.)

R2: *inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)

R3: *sc 2, inc* rep 4 times (16 sts)

R4: *sc 3, inc* rep 4 times (20 sts)

R5: *sc 4, inc* rep 4 times (24 sts)

R6: *sc 5, inc* rep 4 times (28 sts)

R7: *sc 6, inc* rep 4 times (32 sts)

R8: *sc 7, inc* rep 4 times (36 sts)

R9-10: sc in all 36 sts (2 rounds total at 36 sts each)

Switch to purple yarn

R11: in BLO sc in all 36 sts (36 sts) (this is the last round we’ll crochet in the BLO until R13)

R12: sc in all 36 sts (36 sts)

Switch to orange yarn

R13: in BLO sc in all 36 sts (36 sts) (this is the last round we’ll crochet in the BLO until R15)

R14: sc in all 36 sts (36 sts)

Switch to yellow yarn

R15: in BLO sc in all 36 sts (36 sts) (this is the last round we’ll crochet in the BLO until R17)

R16: sc in all 36 sts (36 sts)

Adding the Eyes

Stop and insert your 15 mm black safety eyes between R8 and 9 of the head, spaced 15 sts apart, but wait to secure them with the washer until we embroider the white stitch over the eyes. (Hint: Insert the 1st eye. Count 15 sts from the hole where you inserted the 1st eye and insert the 2nd eye. There should be 13 visible sts between the two eyes. See pics. #1 and #2). Make sure the seams from the color changes are at the bottom of the fish.

Take two pieces of white yarn (you’ll need a separate piece for each eye), and embroider a small stitch over the outer top corners of the eyes (see pic. #3). Don’t pull the stitch too tightly until we secure the eyes, or the stitch will disappear under the eye. Secure the safety eyes with the washers. You can tighten the white stitch now, then tie the two white yarn tails together on the inside of the head to secure the stitch (see pics. #4 and #5).

Continuing With the Body

Switch to green yarn

R17: in BLO sc in all 36 sts (36 sts) (this is the last round we’ll crochet in the BLO until R19)

R18: *sc 4, dec* rep 6 times (30 sts)

Begin stuffing your fish. Do not stuff too firmly, as we want our fish to be more oval than round. Continue stuffing as you go, a little at a time.

Switch to teal or blue yarn

R19: in BLO sc in all 30 sts (30 sts) (this is the last round we’ll crochet in the BLO until R21)

R20: *sc 4, dec* rep 5 times (25 sts)

Switch to purple yarn

R21: in BLO sc in all 25 sts (25 sts) (this is the last round we’ll crochet in the BLO until R23)

R22: *sc 3, dec* rep 5 times (20 sts)

Switch to orange yarn

R23: in BLO sc in all 20 sts (20 sts) (this is the last round we’ll crochet in the BLO until R25)

R24: *sc 2, dec* rep 5 times (15 sts)

Switch to yellow yarn

R25: in BLO *sc 1, dec* rep 5 times (10 sts)

Do not finish off. Finish stuffing the tail.

Crocheting the Tail Closed

We are now going to crochet the opening closed. First, you want to make sure that when you press the opening closed, it lines up evenly between the eyes. Depending on where you positioned your eyes, you may need to crochet 1-2 stitches of the next round so that your crochet hook is positioned where you’ll be able to crochet the opening closed so that the tail is centered between the eyes (see pics. #6 and #7).

Once you have done that, press the opening closed so that the stitches are parallel to each other – five stitches on one side and five stitches on the other side. Insert your hook through both loops of the stitch closest to your hook and also through both loops of the stitch directly behind that stitch. Going through both those stitches, make a single crochet stitch. Now, insert your hook through both loops of the next stitch closest to your hook and through both loops of the stitch parallel to that one, and make a single crochet stitch. Continue this three more times for a total of 5 stitches (see pic. #8). Finish off and weave the tail into the body to hide it.

Top Fin (Using Teal or Blue Yarn)

The top fin is worked in rows instead of rounds.

Ch 10, starting in the 2^nd ch from the hook, make 1 sl st in each of the next 2 chs, sc 1, hdc 1, make 2 dc in the next ch, make 1 dc, 1 trc, 1 dc in the next ch, dc 1, hdc 1, sc 1 (12 sts) (see pic. #10, #11, and #12)

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Position the fin over the top of your fish, centered between the eyes. The end with the sewing tail should be at the front of the head. I positioned my fin over the last teal round of the head (R10) and stretched the back of it to the last teal round of the body (R20). Pin it into place with straight pins so that it stays in place while we sew it down (see pic. #13). Using the long tail we left and your tapestry needle, sew the fin to the top of the fish using the whipstitch (see first image in pic. #14).

When you are finished, weave the tail back to the front of the fin and knot it together with the starting tail to secure your sewing (see 2^nd image in pic. #14). Then weave the two remaining tails into the body.

Large Tail Fin (Using Pink Yarn)

The tail fin is worked in rows instead of rounds, so we will ch 1 and turn at the end of each row. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch, and we will not work into it.

R1: ch 13, starting in the 2^nd ch from the hook, sc 12, ch 1, turn

R2: sc 10, ch 1, turn

R3: sc 10, ch 1, turn

R4: sc 8, ch 1, turn

R5: sc 8, ch 1, turn

R6: sc 6, ch 1, turn

R7: sc 6

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Thread your tapestry needle with the tail we left and weave it through every other stitch on the even edge of the fin. Pull the tail tight to create the bunched look (see pic. #15).

Pin the tail fin to the bottom back of the fish (see pic. #16).

Sew the tail to the back of the fish using the whipstitch (see pic. #17). When you are finished, knot the remaining sewing tail and the starting tail from the fin together to secure the sewing. Weave the remaining tails into the body to finish (see pic. #18).

Small Tail Fin (Using Green Yarn)

The tail fin is worked in rows instead of rounds, so we will ch 1 and turn at the end of each row. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch, and we will not work into it.

R1: ch 9, starting in the 2^nd ch from the hook, sc 8, ch 1, turn

R2: sc 7, ch 1, turn

R3: sc 7, ch 1, turn

R4: sc 6, ch 1, turn

R5: sc 6, ch 1, turn

R6: sc 5, ch 1, turn

R7: sc 5

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. Thread your tapestry needle with the tail we left and weave it through every other stitch on the even edge of the fin. Pull the tail tight to create the bunched look (see pic. #19).

Then pin the tail fin to the back of the fish, above the large tail fin (see pic. #20).

Sew the tail to the back of the fish using the whipstitch (see pic. #21). When you are finished, knot the remaining sewing tail and the starting tail from the fin together to secure the sewing. Weave the remaining tails into the body to finish (see pic. #22).

Side Fins (Make 2 Using Teal or Blue Yarn)

The side fins are worked in rows instead of rounds, so we will ch 1 and turn at the end of each row. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch, and we will not work into it.

R1: ch 10, starting in the 2^nd ch from the hook, sc 9, ch 1, turn

R2: sc 7, ch 1, turn

R3: sc 7, ch 1, turn

R4: sc 5, ch 1, turn

R5: sc 5

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing (see pic. #23).

Fold each fin in half lengthwise and sew the short, even edges together (see pics. #24, #25, and #26). The two fins should be folded in opposite directions so they mirror each other.

Sewing the Fins to the Body

Position the fins to either side of the body over R14-16 so that the back of the fin is angled slightly up. You’ll want the short edge of the fin to be at the top and the long edge at the bottom. Pin the fins into place using straight pins (see pic. #27). Sew the folded top edge of the fin to the body using the whipstitch (see pic. #28).

When you are finished, knot the remaining sewing tail and the starting tail from the fin together to secure the sewing. Weave the remaining tails into the body to finish (see pic. #29).

Congratulations—you’re done! I hope you enjoyed making this free plush rainbow fish amigurumi pattern. I would love to see pictures of your finished project!

Please feel free to leave a comment down below with any questions or comments you have about this pattern. I always try to respond personally to all comments!

If you make this free plush rainbow fish amigurumi pattern, share your creations with me via social media or email me directly! You can find me on Instagram (@storyland_amis) and Facebook (Storyland Amis).

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, then – stay crafty!