Rainbow Pastel Jellyfish Keychain: Free Crochet Pattern

If you’ve been searching for a crochet project that’s whimsical, quick to finish, and absolutely impossible to resist, you’ve just found your next favorite make. This Rainbow Pastel Jellyfish Keychain free crochet pattern is everything a crafter could want — it’s portable, beginner-friendly, and results in the most adorable little sea creature you’ve ever seen dangling from a set of keys. Whether you’re making one for yourself, gifting a dozen to friends, or selling them at a craft fair, these tiny jellyfish are guaranteed to turn heads and spark joy everywhere they go.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know to crochet your own rainbow pastel jellyfish keychain, from materials and stitches to step-by-step instructions and finishing tips.

Why You’ll Love This Pattern

There’s something genuinely magical about miniature crochet projects. They use up yarn scraps, they work up in an evening, and they give you the satisfaction of a finished object without the weeks-long commitment of a blanket or garment. This jellyfish keychain hits all of those sweet spots.

The pastel rainbow color palette is having a major moment right now, and it’s easy to see why. Soft lavenders, mint greens, baby pinks, and buttery yellows together create a dreamy, ethereal look that feels both nostalgic and fresh. When those colors are combined into a tiny crocheted jellyfish with flowing tentacles, the result is something truly special.

This pattern is also a wonderful introduction to amigurumi-style crochet for beginners. You’ll learn how to crochet in the round, how to increase and decrease, and how to stuff and close a small piece — all skills that will open up a whole world of crochet possibilities once you’ve mastered them here.

Materials You’ll Need

Before you start, gather your supplies. One of the best things about this pattern is that it requires very little yarn — it’s a perfect scrap-buster project.

Yarn: You’ll need small amounts of worsted weight or DK weight yarn in a selection of pastel colors. For a rainbow effect, choose at least five colors. Some beautiful options include soft pink, lavender, mint, peach, baby blue, and pale yellow. You can use all of them or pick your favorites — there are no strict rules here.

Hook: A 3.5mm or 4.0mm crochet hook works best for worsted weight yarn. If you’re using DK weight, a 3.25mm hook will give you a nice tight fabric that keeps the stuffing hidden inside.

Other supplies:

• Polyester fiberfill stuffing (just a pinch for each jellyfish)
• A keychain ring or lobster clasp
• A short length of chain or a jump ring to attach the jellyfish to the keychain
• A yarn needle for weaving in ends
• Scissors
• A pair of 6mm safety eyes (optional but highly recommended for adding personality)
• Stitch marker

That’s genuinely all you need. You can make several of these with materials that cost just a few dollars, which makes them fantastic for gift-giving or selling at markets.

Abbreviations and Stitch Guide

This pattern uses standard US crochet terminology. Here’s a quick reference for the stitches used throughout:

MR — Magic ring (also called a magic circle or adjustable ring)

ch — Chain stitch

sl st — Slip stitch

sc — Single crochet

inc — Increase (2 single crochets worked into the same stitch)

dec — Decrease (also called an invisible decrease — insert your hook through the front loops of the next two stitches and work a single crochet through both)

FLO — Front loops only

BLO — Back loops only

st(s) — Stitch or stitches

rnd — Round

If you’re new to crocheting in the round, it helps to place a stitch marker at the beginning of each round so you always know where one round ends and the next begins. Move it up as you go.

Understanding the Construction

This jellyfish is worked in three separate sections that are then assembled into one finished piece:

The bell (the dome-shaped body at the top) is worked in the round from the top down, stuffed, and closed. This is the main body of the jellyfish and the part where most of your color choices come into play.

The ruffle or frill is an optional but beautiful detail worked around the opening of the bell before it’s closed. It gives the jellyfish that characteristic flowing, scalloped look you see on real jellyfish.

The tentacles hang from the bottom of the bell and are made using simple crochet chains with a slip-stitch edge that causes them to curl naturally. This curling effect is one of the most satisfying parts of the whole pattern — it looks incredibly intricate but takes almost no effort at all.

Free Crochet Pattern: Rainbow Pastel Jellyfish Keychain

Part One: The Bell (Body)

Start with your main color — this will be the top of the jellyfish. You can use a single color for the whole bell, or change colors every couple of rounds for a gradient effect that looks stunning.

Round 1: Make a magic ring. Work 6 sc into the ring. Pull the tail to close the ring. (6 sts)

Round 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)

Round 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)

Round 4: Sc 2, inc repeat around. (24 sts)

Round 5: Sc 3, inc repeat around. (30 sts)

Round 6: Sc 4, inc repeat around. (36 sts)

Round 7: Sc in each st around. (36 sts) — This is a good round to switch colors if you’d like a stripe effect.

Round 8: Sc in each st around. (36 sts)

Round 9: Sc 4, dec repeat around. (30 sts)

Round 10: Sc 3, dec repeat around. (24 sts)

Round 11: Sc in each st around. (24 sts)

Now is the time to attach your safety eyes if you’re using them. Place them between rounds 6 and 7, about 6 stitches apart. You can also embroider a small smile using black yarn or embroidery floss if you’d like to give your jellyfish a face.

Round 12: Sc 2, dec repeat around. (18 sts)

Stuff the bell firmly but not overly so — you want the dome to hold its shape without feeling hard. Add your stuffing now.

Round 13: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (12 sts)

Round 14: Dec around. (6 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread onto a yarn needle and pull through the remaining 6 stitches to close the opening. Weave in the end securely.

Part Two: The Ruffle (Optional but Recommended)

The ruffle is attached at what is now the open bottom edge of the bell — which in this construction is actually worked before you close the bottom. You have two options: work it as you go, or reattach your yarn after the fact to the bottom edge.

For simplicity, the easiest method is to join a new color of yarn to any stitch along round 12 (or to the last full round before your decreases bring the opening too small) and work the ruffle there.

Ruffle Round 1: Join yarn in any stitch from the BLO. Working in BLO only, sc 1, ch 3, sc 1 in same st around, sl st to join. This creates a simple ruffle. (You can make it more dramatic by working more chains or adding double crochets.)

For a fuller ruffle, try this version instead:

Ruffle Round 1: Join yarn in FLO of the round you’ve chosen. Work 3 dc into each stitch around. Sl st to join.

This creates a beautiful, ruffled frill that cascades around the bottom of the jellyfish bell, mimicking the bell margin you see on real jellyfish. Use a contrasting pastel color here for a rainbow effect — if your bell is lavender, try a mint or peach ruffle.

Part Three: The Tentacles

The tentacles are the real showstoppers of this keychain. They curl naturally when you work a slip stitch row along one side of a chain, creating a twisting, spiraling tentacle that looks completely lifelike and impossibly intricate.

Make between 6 and 10 tentacles per jellyfish, varying the lengths for a natural look.

Short tentacle: Ch 20. Starting in the 2nd ch from hook, sl st in each ch across. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for attaching.

Medium tentacle: Ch 30. Starting in the 2nd ch from hook, sl st in each ch across. Fasten off, leaving a long tail.

Long tentacle: Ch 40. Starting in the 2nd ch from hook, sl st in each ch across. Fasten off, leaving a long tail.

Make your tentacles in a rainbow of pastel colors — one pink, one lavender, one mint, one peach, one baby blue, and one pale yellow makes a gorgeous set. The curling that happens naturally when you work the slip stitches will cause each tentacle to spiral delightfully. You can encourage more or less curl by adjusting your tension.

Thread the yarn tail of each tentacle onto your yarn needle and pull it up through the bottom of the bell from the outside, coming out near the top of the dome, then back down again. Tie it off securely on the inside. Alternatively, use a crochet hook to pull the tail through the body and knot it inside, trimming the excess close to the fabric.

Attach tentacles in a ring around the bottom of the bell for the most natural look. You can sew them directly to the last round before the ruffle.

Finishing: Adding the Keychain Hardware

Once your jellyfish is fully assembled and you’ve woven in all your ends, it’s time to attach the keychain hardware.

Take a small jump ring and open it slightly using two pairs of pliers (or carefully with your fingers). Thread it through the top of the jellyfish dome at the very tip, where you pulled your yarn through to close the magic ring. This is the strongest point and will hold the weight of the keychain ring and keys without distorting the shape of the jellyfish.

Close the jump ring securely, then attach your lobster clasp or keychain ring to the jump ring. That’s it — your rainbow pastel jellyfish keychain is complete.

If you’d like extra security, you can sew a few stitches through the top of the dome and around the jump ring before threading the jump ring through. This ensures the hardware stays put even with daily use.

Color Combination Ideas

One of the most fun parts of making jellyfish keychains is choosing your colors. Here are some palette ideas to inspire you:

Classic Rainbow Pastel: Pink bell with a lavender ruffle, and tentacles in mint, peach, baby blue, pale yellow, and lilac.

Ocean Dreamer: Baby blue bell with a white ruffle, and tentacles in varying shades of aqua, teal, and soft turquoise.

Cotton Candy: Alternating pink and lavender stripes on the bell, white ruffle, and tentacles in pink, lavender, and pale rose.

Golden Hour: Peach and soft yellow gradient bell, cream ruffle, tentacles in apricot, gold, pale orange, and warm pink.

Moonlight: Pale grey bell with a white or silver ruffle, tentacles in lilac, soft blue, and lavender. This one looks ethereal and elegant.

You really can’t go wrong — the small scale of the project means that even color combinations you’re uncertain about tend to look charming once they’re crocheted up and assembled. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Tips for Success

Keep your tension consistent. A tight, even tension will give your jellyfish a smooth, professional finish and ensure the stuffing doesn’t show through. If you tend to crochet loosely, try going down a hook size.

Don’t overstuff. A lightly stuffed bell holds its dome shape beautifully. Too much stuffing will make it bulge awkwardly and lose its elegant shape. Use just enough fiberfill to give it structure.

Use a stitch marker from round one. It’s easy to lose count in a tiny project like this. Mark your rounds consistently and you’ll avoid the frustration of misaligned shaping.

Leave long tails when fastening off. This gives you plenty of yarn to work with when attaching tentacles and other elements. You can always trim the excess, but you can’t add more.

Block the ruffle if needed. If your ruffle isn’t as open and floppy as you’d like, a light spritz of water and gentle shaping with your fingers will encourage it to bloom outward. Let it dry pinned to a foam mat for the best results.

Make them in batches. Once you’ve made your first one, you’ll find the whole construction goes very quickly. Making the bells for several jellyfish at once, then all the tentacles, then assembling everything is an efficient way to produce a whole collection for gifts or a market booth.

Gifting and Selling Your Jellyfish Keychains

These little jellyfish make wonderful handmade gifts for people of all ages. They’re charming for children, whimsical enough for teenagers, and sweet enough for adults who appreciate handmade things. A handwritten tag naming the pattern and the fiber content adds a beautiful finishing touch.

If you’re thinking about selling your finished pieces at a craft fair or online, jellyfish keychains are consistently popular. Their small size means you can make a large variety without a huge investment of time or materials, and pastel rainbow colorways tend to photograph beautifully — which matters a lot if you’re listing them on platforms like Etsy.

When photographing them for sale, try laying a few together on a light background or hanging them from a small piece of driftwood. Natural light always flatters handmade crochet work.

Final Thoughts

The Rainbow Pastel Jellyfish Keychain free crochet pattern is one of those projects that has a way of multiplying — you’ll start with one and find yourself making five, then ten, then a whole ocean’s worth for everyone you know. They’re fast, they’re fun, and they’re the kind of thing that makes people stop and say “Wait, did you make that yourself?” with genuine delight.

Whether you’re brand new to crochet or a seasoned maker looking for a quick and satisfying project, this jellyfish keychain has something for everyone. It uses up scraps, teaches useful techniques, and produces something genuinely lovely.

So gather your pastels, put on a good playlist, and let’s get crocheting. Your very own rainbow jellyfish is waiting.

If you make this pattern, I’d love to see how yours turns out! Share your finished jellyfish in the comments below or tag your photos so the whole community can enjoy them. Happy crocheting!