Jun
Making the Body First Because That’s What Makes Sense
So the stingray body is basically a flat oval that you’re gonna work in rounds but it stays flat. I made my first one in spring 2022 when I was binge-watching that show Severance and honestly the repetitive rounds were perfect for that kind of TV watching where you need to pay attention but also need your hands busy.
Start with a magic ring, chain 2 which counts as your first half double crochet. Then you’re putting like 10 hdc into that ring. Pull it tight. The thing that annoyed me SO MUCH about this pattern is that the body wants to curl up at the edges no matter what you do, and you have to block it later which I hate doing because I never have blocking pins in the right place when I need them.
For the second round you’re increasing in every stitch so you end up with 20 stitches. Third round is increase, regular stitch, increase, regular stitch pattern. Keep going like that but here’s where it gets weird because stingrays aren’t circles they’re more diamond shaped or kite shaped I guess?
Shaping the Diamond Thing
Around round 5 or 6 you need to start thinking about where the increases go. Instead of spacing them evenly you want to put more increases at what will be the left and right “wings” of the stingray. So if you imagine the circle has four quadrants the top and bottom get fewer increases and the sides get more.
I used Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn in like a greyish blue color for my first one. The second one I made in summer 2024 I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in that silver grey shade and it looked way better honestly the texture was smoother. My cat kept trying to lay on it while I was working which made counting stitches absolutely impossible.
You’re gonna work maybe 12-15 rounds total for the body depending on how big you want it. Mine ended up being about 8 inches wide at the widest point. The pattern I loosely followed said to do 18 rounds but that seemed massive and I’m impatient so.
The Tail Is Annoying But Simple
Okay so the tail. You attach yarn at what you’ve decided is the back point of your diamond body. Chain like 30 or 35 stitches. This is gonna be the tail and it should be longer than you think it needs to be because stingray tails are weirdly long in real life.
Then slip stitch back down the chain. That’s it. Some people do single crochet back but slip stitch makes it thinner and more tail-like. I did one tail where I decreased every few stitches to make it taper and that looked cool but took forever.
If you want the barb thing on the tail you can make a small triangle separately and sew it on. I used a chain of like 8, then decreased each row until it was a point. Used black or dark brown yarn for contrast. Honestly most people don’t notice it though so you could skip it.
The Underside Belly Piece
This is optional but makes it look way more finished. You basically make another flat piece the same shape as your top body piece but maybe one or two rounds smaller. I usually use white or cream colored yarn for this because stingray bellies are pale.
Work it the same way as the top starting with magic ring and increasing but stop earlier. When I made one during summer 2024 I used Red Heart Super Saver in Off White and it was fine. Nothing special but it worked.
Before you attach the belly to the body you need to stuff it a little bit. Not like amigurumi stuffed but just enough that it has some dimension. I use polyfil stuffing and just put small amounts around the outer edges leaving the center pretty flat.
Attaching Everything Together
Pin the belly piece to the body piece wrong sides together or right sides I guess since there’s not really a wrong side. I use regular straight pins because I still haven’t bought proper blocking pins even though I keep saying I will.
Whip stitch around the entire edge using matching yarn. This takes forever and my hand always cramps up. Start at the tail end and work your way around. When you get back to where you started weave in the end and trim.
The tail gets sandwiched between the two layers at the back so make sure that’s positioned right before you sew too far. I’ve had to undo stitches because I forgot about tail placement which is frustrating when you’re already frustrated with how long whip stitching takes.
Eyes and Face Details
Safety eyes work great if you’re putting them on before you close up the body. I use 9mm or 12mm black safety eyes. Position them on the top piece closer to the front point maybe like an inch or two from the edge and pretty far apart because stingray eyes are on the sides of their head kind of.
If you already closed it up you can sew on buttons or felt circles or embroider eyes. I’ve done all three methods and they all look fine honestly. The embroidered ones look most professional but take the most time.
Some stingrays have those spiracle things behind their eyes which are like breathing holes or whatever. You can embroider those with a few stitches in a C shape behind each eye. I usually skip this detail because most people don’t know what they are anyway.
Adding Texture and Details
Real stingrays have spots or patterns sometimes. You can add these with surface crochet or embroidery. I made one where I used a darker shade of the body color and just randomly did some French knots across the back. Looked pretty cool actually.
For surface crochet you insert your hook through the body pull up a loop of contrasting yarn and slip stitch across in whatever pattern you want. Makes raised lines that add texture. I did this on the one I made in summer 2024 and it gave it more of an ocean creature vibe instead of just a flat grey thing.
The edges can get a border if you want. Single crochet around the entire outer edge after everything is assembled makes it look more polished. Use the same color as the top or the belly color or even a contrast color. I did one with a light blue border on a grey stingray body and it looked like water which was…
Yarn Weight and Hook Size Stuff
I’ve made these with worsted weight yarn and a 5mm hook mostly. You could use sport weight with a smaller hook for a smaller version. The bigger the yarn the faster it works up obviously.
Tension matters more than usual because you want the body to be flat not ruffled. If your edges are ruffling you’re increasing too much. If it’s cupping up like a bowl you’re not increasing enough. I usually end up frogging and redoing rounds 4-6 at least once because I mess up the increase spacing.
Cotton yarn works really well for these because it has good stitch definition and lays flat naturally. I used Lily Sugar’n Cream once in that denim color and it made a great stingray. The texture was different than acrylic obviously but I liked how solid it felt.
Size Variations and Adjustments
You can make tiny ones by stopping the body increases after like round 6 or 7. These are good for keychains or ornaments. I made a bunch of small ones as Christmas ornaments one year and they were actually pretty cute.
For bigger ones just keep increasing for more rounds. The problem with going too big is you need more stuffing and the body wants to fold in half when you pick it up. I made one that was probably 14 inches across and it was floppy and weird. Looked cool hanging on the wall though.
The tail length should scale with body size. Small body means shorter tail like 15-20 chains. Big body needs longer tail maybe 40-50 chains. It’s not an exact science just eyeball it.
What Went Wrong When I Made Them
The first one I made the increases were uneven so one wing was bigger than the other. It looked drunk. I kept it anyway because I’d already spent like three hours on it and wasn’t gonna start over.
Second one the eyes were too close together and it looked cross-eyed. Fixed that by making the next one with eyes further apart but then they were almost falling off the edges so there’s a sweet spot you gotta find.
The belly attachment always puckers a little bit no matter how careful I am with pinning. I think it’s just the nature of attaching two flat pieces. Blocking helps but again I hate blocking so I usually just live with minor puckers.
Ran out of yarn once right at the end of the belly piece. Had to use a slightly different dye lot for the last two rounds and you can totally see the color difference if you look close. Nobody else notices but I know it’s there.
Making It Actually Look Like a Stingray
The proportions matter more than you’d think. The body should be wider than it is long from front to back. If it’s too circular it looks like a weird fish pancake not a stingray.
The front point should be more rounded than the back point. I shape this by doing my last few rounds with increases only in the side sections and regular stitches everywhere else. Creates that distinctive stingray silhouette.
Color choice helps a lot. Greys browns and tans look most realistic. I made a bright blue one once and it looked more like a cartoon character than an ocean creature. Which was fine for what I was making it for but just saying realistic colors help if that’s what you’re going for.
The tail needs to be thin. If you’re doing single crochet back down the chain instead of slip stitch it gets too thick and looks more like a snake than a tail. Slip stitch keeps it narrow and whippy looking.
Optional Additions That Are Cool
You can add little fins along the edges by doing like 3-4 chains and slip stitching back down at intervals around the body. Makes it look more dynamic like it’s swimming. I did this on one and it looked cool but the fins got bent and weird pretty fast.
Wire in the tail makes it poseable which is fun. Thread some thin craft wire through the center of the tail before you close everything up. Then you can bend the tail into different positions. Just make sure the wire ends are tucked in good so they don’t poke through.
Attach a string or ribbon to hang it up. These look really good hanging from the ceiling or in a window. I’ve given them as gifts to people who like ocean stuff and they usually hang them somewhere.
Add more body texture by working in back loops only for some rounds. Creates ridges that look kind of like the texture real stingrays have. I experimented with this and it worked okay but made the whole thing take longer.
Practical Uses for Crocheted Stingrays
They’re good baby toys if you use safe eyes or embroidered features and wash them first. The flat shape is easy for little hands to grab. My friend’s kid carried one around for like six months until it was basically destroyed.
Wall decorations for ocean themed rooms obviously. I’ve made sets of different sea creatures and the stingray is always part of it along with fish and octopus and whatever else.
Cat toys if your cat is into that kind of thing. Mine ignores them completely but I’ve heard other cats like batting them around because they’re flat and slide across floors easily.
Coasters maybe? I haven’t tried this but the flat shape would work. You’d want to use cotton yarn and maybe make them smaller and stiffer.
The process itself is pretty straightforward once you get the shaping down and honestly it’s one of those projects where you can zone out for most of it except when you’re doing the increases. Works up faster than you’d expect for something that looks this detailed when you’re done.
