STITCH ROUND Crochet turtle memory game with a lift-off shell
20 rounds build the shell, 8 the head: crochet a turtle memory game with hidden baby pairs.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Rounds
- 40 rounds
- Yarn weight
- DK
- Hook
- 10 mm
- Time
- 6-10 hours
Intermediate
What the original page called it. Nothing here is graded a second time.
40 rounds
Each one gets its own line, with a box beside it to tick as you go.
DK
What the sample was made in. Any weight works — the size moves with it.
About this pattern
This design builds a full memory game: one mama turtle with a removable shell plus a litter of baby turtles to hide beneath it. The shell and body take 20 rounds to complete, the head adds 8 more, and each of the four legs ticks off in 4 rounds apiece. Multiply that by nine to twelve baby turtles and the project turns into a steady stack of short, repeatable rounds rather than one long marathon piece.
Shaping stays simple increase math until two spots ask for care. Round 8 on the shell and body is where legs and head get crocheted directly into place, so pin everything first and double-check positions before working the stitches. Round 10 slows things down again, working front-loop increases and then a back-loop pass to fold the shell rim into shape. Take that round stitch by stitch rather than rushing through it.
- Crochet the shell's foundation round directly around the elastic hair band to set its dome shape from the start.
- Increase the body upward in standard rounds until it reaches the point where limbs get added.
- Pin the legs and head into position before crocheting the round that joins them to the body.
- Work the front-loop-then-back-loop round to fold the shell edge into its ridged rim.
- Crochet a set of baby turtles in beige, giving each pair its own matching tummy color.
- Embroider the faces last and check the shell still lifts cleanly off the elastic underneath.
What goes wrong
- Using an elastic with metal parts Metal snags plush yarn and can poke through the shell over time. Stick to a plain, smooth elastic hair band with no metal pieces.
- Skipping the pin-and-place step Crocheting legs and head into the body without pinning first can leave them crooked or off-center. Pin each piece in position and check it from above before working that round.
- Rushing the shell rim round Working the front-loop increases and back-loop pass too fast blurs the folded ridge that reads as a shell edge. Slow down and check each stitch lands in the correct loop.
- Losing track of tummy color pairs Without a plan, it's easy to crochet two babies in different shades meant to match. Lay out the yarn skeins or write down the color pairs before starting any baby turtles.
Yarn, hook and the rest
Copied from the source pattern's own materials list.
Yarn
- Himalaya Dolphin Baby, 131 yards / 3.5 oz (120 m / 100 g), in beige and green. You will need 1 skein of each color to make 1 big turtle and 9-12 baby turtles.
Stuffing
- fiberfill
Eyes
- Black beads, 1/3 inch (8-10 mm), 2 pieces for the mama turtle
Hook
- size 7 (4.5 mm)
- A piece of black yarn for embroidering facial features
- Small amounts of assorted colored yarn for baby turtle tummies
- Elastic hair band, diameter 2 inches (5 cm)
Tools
- Transparent glue
- Sewing needle
- Stitch markers
Progress tracker
0 of the 40 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.
Legs
Make 4 Crochet with beige color.
Round 1
5 sc in MR (5)
Round 2
5 inc (10)
Rounds 3–5
(3 rounds): 10 sc
Round 6
(3 sc, dec) x 2 (8)Stuff the detail.Fold the detail in half and crochet 3 sc, grasping the stitches of both edges.Fasten off and cut the yarn, hide the end.Crochet the rest of the legs in the same way.
Baby Turtle
Crochet with green color.
Round 1
6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2
6 inc (12)
Round 3
(1 sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Round 4
(inc, 2 sc) x 6 (24)
Round 5
24 sc for the front loops onlyChange the color to beige.
Round 6
crochet the body, legs and head for the back loops only of the 4th round: 2 sc; 1st leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop; 5 sc; 2nd leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop; 2 sc; Head: (1 sc, 2 ch, 2 tc) in one loop, (1 tc, 1 dc, sl st) in one loop; 2 sc; 3rd leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop; 5 sc; 4th leg: (1 sc, 4 ch, 1 sc) in one loop; 2 sc
Round 7
(1 sc, dec) x 7, 1 sc, sl st (16)Do not crochet the legs and head; leave them between the stitches of the decrease.Change the color to blue (or any other color you choose for the tummy).
Round 8
crochet for the back loops only: 8 dec (8)
Stuff the body. Cut the yarn, leaving a long end for sewing the hole. Tighten the hole. You can glue on the eyes.
Baby is ready! Crochet 9-12 of these babies with tummies of different colors.
Head
Crochet with beige color.
Round 1
6 sc in MR (6)
Round 2
6 inc (12)
Round 3
(1 sc, inc) x 6 (18)
Round 4
(inc, 2 sc) x 6 (24)
Rounds 5–8
(4 rounds): 24 sc
Round 9
12 dec (12)
Round 10
(4 sc, dec) x 2 (10)
Rounds 11–17
(7 rounds): 10 scStuff the detail.Fold the detail in half and crochet 4 sc, grasping the stitches of both edges.Fasten off and cut the yarn, hide the end.
Shell / Body
Crochet with beige color.
Round 1
24 sc in elastic band
Round 2
(3 sc, inc) x 6 (30)
Round 3
(inc, 4 sc) x 6 (36)
Round 4
(5 sc, inc) x 6 (42)
Round 5
(inc, 6 sc) x 6 (48)
Round 6
(7 sc, inc) x 6 (54)
Round 7
(inc, 8 sc) x 6 (60)In the next round, crochet together the stitches of the body, legs and head.
Round 8
7 sc, 3 sc with leg, 10 sc, 3 sc with leg, 5 sc, 4 sc with head, 5 sc, 3 sc with leg, 10 sc, 3 sc with leg, 7 sc, crochet the tail: 4 ch, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 2 sc, sl stChange the color to green.
Round 9
60 sc
Round 10
crochet for the front loops only: (9 sc, inc) x 6 (66); crochet for the back loops only: 60 sc (60)
Rounds 11–15
(5 rounds): 60 sc
Round 16
(dec, 8 sc) x 6 (54)
Round 17
(7 sc, dec) x 6 (48)
Round 18
(dec, 6 sc) x 6 (42)
Round 19
(5 sc, dec) x 6 (36)
Round 20
(dec, 4 sc) x 6 (30)
Round 21
(3 sc, dec) x 6 (24)
Round 22
(dec, 2 sc) x 6 (18)
Round 23
(1 sc, dec) x 6 (12)
Round 24
6 decCut the yarn, tighten the hole. Fasten the yarn, hide the end inside. Sew the neck to the shell. Glue or sew eyes. You can add black felt circles. Embroider eyelashes and mouth.
Check your count
- Legs · Round 1: 5 sts
- Legs · Round 2: 10 sts
- Legs · Round 6: 8 sts
- Baby Turtle · Round 2: 12 sts
- Baby Turtle · Round 4: 24 sts
- Baby Turtle · Round 7: 16 sts
Finish
- Stuff the body, head, and legs firmly before closing the last round of each piece.
- Weave in ends on the shell, body, limbs, and every baby turtle before moving to faces.
- Embroider the facial features with black yarn and confirm the shell still slides on and off the elastic without force.
Bigger or smaller
- Smaller
- Drop to a finer yarn with a smaller hook while keeping the same stitch counts; the mama and baby turtles finish tighter and smaller than the listed measurements.
- Finished Size
- Big turtle: 12 x 5 inches (30 x 12 cm). Baby turtles: 4 x 2.5 inches (9 x 4 cm).
Photographs of this one
Every photograph on this page was taken by whoever published the pattern, and they are printed in the order the source listed them.
FAQs
Asked and answered
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.
Does the elastic band size matter for the shell shape?
Yes, the shell is built around a 2 inch diameter elastic hair band, and that size sets the dome shape. A different diameter will change how tall or flat the finished shell sits.
How many baby turtles should be made for the game?
One skein of each color yarn makes 9 to 12 baby turtles alongside the big turtle. For a full memory game, plan 6 different tummy colors with 2 babies each to reach 12.
Why use plush yarn instead of a smooth cotton?
The plush texture of the listed yarn hides small stitch irregularities that would otherwise show. Swapping to a smoother yarn makes increases and the shell rim more visible, so stitches need to stay neater.
Can the shell be removed once it's finished?
Yes, that is the point of crocheting Round 1 directly around the elastic band. The shell should lift on and off the body so the baby turtles can hide underneath for the memory game.