STITCH ROUND Crochet a submarine with periscope and propellers
Tick off 40 rounds to crochet a submarine with periscope, portholes, and three propellers.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Rounds
- 14 rounds
- Yarn weight
- Super Bulky
- Hook
- 6 mm
- Time
- 5-7 hours
Intermediate
What the original page called it. Nothing here is graded a second time.
14 rounds
Each one gets its own line, with a box beside it to tick as you go.
Super Bulky
What the sample was made in. Any weight works — the size moves with it.
About this pattern
This crochet submarine comes together in stages: a periscope lens and tube worked separately, then a hull built from Round 1 through Round 40. The foundation rounds (1-8) shape the nose of the hull, Rounds 9-11 bring it up to full circumference, and the long stretch from Round 12 to Round 40 shapes the body before portholes and three propellers get attached. Each stage has its own finish line, so the project reads as a series of short, checkable tasks rather than one unbroken round count.
The shaping load sits in two places: the transition through Rounds 9-11, where front-loop and back-loop-only stitching changes the surface texture, and the Half Color Change worked into Round 10 to shift from Silver to Faded Denim mid-round. Slow down through Rounds 12-40 as well, since that stretch carries most of the hull's contour with nothing but the round count to guide it. Watch loop placement closely on every front-loop or back-loop-only round, since skipping the direction flattens the ridge the shaping depends on.
The finished submarine measures about 12 inches long and 9 inches tall, made with soft, eco-friendly yarn recycled from plastics — a quick, satisfying make for anyone already comfortable with amigurumi techniques.
- Work the periscope lens through its foundation and increase rounds, then fasten off and stuff it.
- Build the periscope tube from a magic ring, shaping it through a run of increase and loop-only rounds.
- Start the submarine hull with foundation rounds, increasing steadily until the circumference sets at round eleven.
- Add the portholes to the finished hull and attach the completed periscope in place.
- Crochet three matching propellers and attach them to finish the submarine.
What goes wrong
- Mixing up loop directions Back-loop-only and front-loop-only rounds create the visible ridges that shape the hull. Check which loop a round calls for before starting it, since working both loops flattens the ridge.
- Sloppy invisible joins Every round closes with an invisible join and slip stitch rather than a standard join. Take the extra few seconds per round, since a loose join shows as a visible seam line down the hull.
- Skipping the propeller count The propeller section calls for three matching pieces, not one. Crochet all three before attaching so the finished submarine sits balanced rather than lopsided.
Yarn, hook and the rest
Copied from the source pattern's own materials list.
- Lion Brand® Re-SPUN THICK & QUICK® yarn in Silver (A), Faded Denim (B), and Whipped Cream (C)
- Large-eyed blunt needle
- Crochet hook size J-6 mm
- Fiberfill stuffing
Progress tracker
0 of the 14 rounds on this page are ticked.
The pattern, round by round
Kept in the order and the wording the source used. Tick a round as you finish it; the ticks stay on this device.
Rounds 1-8: Foundation and Increase
With Yarn A, make a magic ring.
Round 1
Work 8 sc in ring; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Round 2
Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around – 16 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Round 3
Ch 1, * 1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st; rep from * around – 24 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Round 4
Ch 1, * 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * around – 32 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Round 5
Ch 1, sc in each st around – 32 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Round 6
Ch 1, * 1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * around – 40 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Rounds 7–8
Ch 1, sc in each st around – 40 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Rounds 9-11: Increased Circumference
Round 9
Ch 1, * 1 sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st; rep from * around – 48 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Round 10
Ch 1, work in back loop, sc in each st around – 48 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc. (Work this Rnd with the Half Color Change technique.)
Round 11
Ch 1, work in front loop, sc in each st around – 48 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
For Rounds 12-40: Shaping the Structure
Rounds 12–24
Ch 1, sc in each st around – 48 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.Rnd 25: Begin stuffing and continue until piece is completed. Additional rounds (Rnds 26-40) follow, each detailed with either consistent stitching, decreasing, or special loops to shape the submarine. Includes instructions for final stuffing and ending the piece.
Lens Part
With Yarn C, make a magic ring.
Round 1
Work 8 sc in ring; invisible join with sl st in first sc.
Round 2
With Yarn B, ch 1, work in back loop, sc in each st around – 8 sc; invisible join with sl st in first sc.Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Stuff the Lens.
Tube Part
With Yarn B, make a magic ring.
Rounds 1–11
Starting with 8 sc in ring, various rounds introduce increasing and working in different loops to form the tube.
Final steps include attaching the lens to the tube and attaching the completed periscope to the submarine.
PORTHOLES
Large (make two) Beginning with Yarn C, through rounds of increasing and joining, form the larger portholes, finishing with a slip stitch in the back loop with Yarn A.
Small (make two) Similarly start with Yarn C and follow steps to create smaller portholes, also finishing with Yarn A.
Final assembly instructs sewing portholes to the submarine.
PROPELLERS (MAKE THREE)
With Yarn A, start with a magic ring and progress through rounds to shape the propellers.
Finish with "Fasten off leaving a long tail." to enable attaching the propellers to the submarine.
Additionally, use the embroidery French Knot technique to add detail with bolts.
Finish
- Weave in the long tail left after fastening off the periscope lens before it gets stuffed.
- Stuff the periscope tube and the submarine hull firmly as the rounds close, packing fiberfill evenly before the last stitches shut.
- Close the final round of the hull, then attach the portholes, periscope, and all three propellers.
Bigger or smaller
- Larger
- Use a hook a size up from the J-6 mm called for and a slightly heavier yarn, or repeat one round within the rounds twelve to forty shaping stretch, to add both girth and length to the hull.
- Smaller
- Drop to a smaller hook and a lighter yarn than the Thick & Quick called for, which tightens every stitch and shrinks the hull, periscope, and propellers together.
FAQs
Asked and answered
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.
What yarn and hook does this submarine call for?
The pattern uses Re-Spun Thick & Quick yarn in Silver, Faded Denim, and Whipped Cream, worked with a J-6 mm hook. Fiberfill stuffing and a large-eyed blunt needle finish the assembly.
Why does Round 10 change color mid-round?
Round 10 uses the Half Color Change technique to shift from Silver to Faded Denim without a visible jog at the join. It keeps the color transition smooth rather than stepped.
How many propellers does the submarine need?
The propeller section is labeled to make three, and all three attach to the finished hull. Crochet them together so they match before attaching.
Which part of the pattern takes the longest to work through?
The stretch from round twelve to round forty carries most of the hull shaping and has no shortcuts. Budget extra time for that section compared with the shorter foundation and periscope rounds.