Free Rainbow Fish Knitting Pattern: A Colorful Project for All Skill Levels
If you’ve ever wanted to bring a splash of underwater magic to your knitting basket, this free Rainbow Fish knitting pattern is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Whether you’re a beginner just getting comfortable with basic stitches or an experienced knitter looking for a fun and rewarding project, this pattern has something for everyone. Inspired by the beloved children’s book by Marcus Pfister, the Rainbow Fish is one of the most iconic and recognizable characters in children’s literature — and now you can recreate that shimmering, colorful magic with your own two hands and a set of knitting needles.
In this post, you’ll find everything you need: a full free pattern, a list of materials, gauge information, stitch instructions, finishing tips, and ideas for how to use your finished fish. So grab your yarn stash, pour yourself a cup of tea, and let’s dive in.
Why Knit a Rainbow Fish?
Before we get into the pattern itself, let’s talk about why this project is so worth your time. Knitting toys and stuffed animals — often called “amigurumi” in the crochet world, but equally popular in knitting — has exploded in popularity over the past several years, and it’s easy to see why. These small, portable projects are perfect for using up leftover yarn, making handmade gifts, and adding a personal touch to a child’s toy collection.
The Rainbow Fish in particular is a wonderful choice because it teaches us something beautiful: generosity, sharing, and the value of kindness over vanity. Knitting a Rainbow Fish as a gift for a child who loves the book is an incredibly thoughtful gesture. It’s also a fantastic project for knitters who want to practice colorwork, shaping, and simple embroidery techniques in a low-stakes, playful context.
Plus, the finished fish is simply gorgeous. The combination of bright, multicolored scales against a shimmery or solid base makes for a striking little toy that will delight kids and adults alike.
Materials You’ll Need
For this pattern, you’ll want to gather the following materials before you begin. Because the Rainbow Fish is known for its iridescent, shimmering scales, choosing yarns with a little bit of metallic or sparkle content can really elevate the finished piece. That said, regular worsted weight yarn works beautifully too — especially if you’re making this for a very young child who might mouth or chew on the toy.
Yarn: Worsted weight yarn (approximately 100–150 yards) in a main color (MC) for the body. This might be a bright teal, deep blue, or aqua — something that reads as “ocean” and feels alive and vibrant. You’ll also need small amounts of four to six contrasting colors (CC1, CC2, CC3, etc.) in pinks, purples, oranges, silvers, and golds for the scales. If you want to incorporate a shimmery scale in the spirit of the original book, a single skein of metallic or sparkle yarn in silver or gold makes a wonderful accent.
Needles: US size 7 (4.5mm) double-pointed needles (DPNs) or a short circular needle for magic loop. You can also use straight needles if you prefer to seam, though knitting in the round gives a cleaner finish for stuffed toys.
Other supplies: Polyester fiberfill stuffing, a yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends, two safety eyes (9mm or 12mm work well, depending on the size you prefer), stitch markers, and scissors.
Gauge: Approximately 18 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Gauge is not critical for this project since it’s a stuffed toy, but it will affect the final size of your fish.
Finished size: Approximately 8–10 inches long and 5–6 inches tall, depending on your gauge and how firmly you stuff it.
A Note on Technique
This pattern is worked in the round from the tail end toward the head, with increases to shape the body and decreases to close the head. The fins are knitted separately and attached during finishing. Scales are added as duplicate stitch embroidery or small knitted patches sewn on after the body is complete — this makes the scale placement flexible and allows for a lot of creative freedom.
If you’re new to knitting in the round or working with DPNs, there are many excellent tutorials available online. The key techniques used in this pattern are the knit stitch (k), purl stitch (p), knit two together decrease (k2tog), make one increase (M1L and M1R), and a simple cast-on. Familiarity with picking up stitches is also helpful for attaching the fins.
The Pattern
Body
Cast on: Using MC and DPNs or circular needles, cast on 12 stitches. Divide evenly across needles and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round.
Rounds 1–2: Knit all stitches.
Round 3 (increase round): K1, M1L, k4, M1R, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 16 stitches.
Rounds 4–5: Knit all stitches.
Round 6 (increase round): K1, M1L, k6, M1R, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 20 stitches.
Rounds 7–8: Knit all stitches.
Round 9 (increase round): K1, M1L, k8, M1R, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 24 stitches.
Rounds 10–14: Knit all stitches.
Round 15 (increase round): K1, M1L, k10, M1R, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 28 stitches.
Rounds 16–20: Knit all stitches.
Round 21 (increase round): K1, M1L, k12, M1R, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 32 stitches.
Rounds 22–28: Knit all stitches. This is the widest part of the fish’s body. At this point, begin inserting stuffing loosely into the tail end to help the body hold its shape as you continue.
Round 29 (decrease round): K1, k2tog, k10, k2tog, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 28 stitches.
Rounds 30–32: Knit all stitches.
Round 33 (decrease round): K1, k2tog, k8, k2tog, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 24 stitches.
Rounds 34–36: Knit all stitches.
Round 37 (decrease round): K1, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 20 stitches.
Rounds 38–40: Knit all stitches.
Round 41: Before continuing, insert the safety eyes now, placing them on either side of the head between rounds 37 and 38, approximately 3–4 stitches in from the sides of the body. Once the eyes are secured, continue stuffing the body firmly but not tightly.
Round 42 (decrease round): K1, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 16 stitches.
Round 43: Knit all stitches.
Round 44 (decrease round): K1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1 — repeat to end. You will have 12 stitches.
Round 45: Add any remaining stuffing. K2tog — repeat to end. You will have 6 stitches.
Break yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail. Thread tail through remaining stitches with a yarn needle, pull snug to close, and secure. Weave in the end on the inside.
Tail Fin
The tail fin gives the Rainbow Fish its distinctive swept-back look. It is worked flat on straight needles or worked back and forth on DPNs.
Using MC, cast on 14 stitches.
Row 1 (RS): K2, p10, k2.
Row 2 (WS): K2, k10, k2. (All knit for garter border effect.)
Row 3: K2, p10, k2.
Row 4: K1, k2tog, k8, k2tog, k1. (12 stitches.)
Row 5: K2, p8, k2.
Row 6: K1, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k1. (10 stitches.)
Row 7: K2, p6, k2.
Row 8: K1, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k1. (8 stitches.)
Rows 9–12: Work in stockinette with garter border (k2, p to last 2 sts, k2 on RS; knit all on WS).
Bind off. Fold the tail fin in half along the length, seam the sides lightly, and sew to the cast-on end of the body. The tail should fan out gently and sit flat against the fish’s back end.
Dorsal Fin (Top Fin)
Using MC, cast on 8 stitches.
Rows 1–4: Work in stockinette.
Row 5: K1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1. (6 stitches.)
Rows 6–8: Work in stockinette.
Bind off. Sew the cast-on edge of the dorsal fin along the top of the fish’s body, centered between the head and tail. This fin gives the fish a lively, swimming silhouette.
Pectoral Fins (Side Fins) — Make Two
Using MC, cast on 6 stitches.
Rows 1–6: Work in stockinette.
Row 7: K1, k2tog, k2tog, k1. (4 stitches.)
Row 8: Purl.
Bind off. Sew one fin to each side of the body, just behind and below the eyes, so they look like the fish is ready to swim.
Adding the Scales
This is where the real fun begins. The Rainbow Fish is famous for its beautiful, shimmering, multicolored scales, so don’t rush this step — it’s where your fish truly comes to life.
There are two main approaches you can take. The first is duplicate stitch embroidery, where you use a yarn needle and your contrasting colors to embroider scale shapes directly onto the knitted fabric. A scale shape in duplicate stitch is essentially a V-shape or a small diamond worked over two or three stitches. By repeating these across the body in a staggered pattern — like real fish scales — and varying the colors between your contrasting yarns, you’ll create a gorgeous, textured effect.
The second approach is to knit or crochet tiny semi-circular patches in your contrasting colors and sew them directly onto the body. This gives more three-dimensional texture and looks especially striking. To knit a scale patch, simply cast on 6 stitches, work two rows of stockinette, decrease down to 2 stitches over two rows, and bind off. Sew these onto the body overlapping slightly, just as real scales would lie.
For the “special” shimmering scale — the one Rainbow Fish learns to share in the story — use your metallic or sparkle yarn for a single central scale that catches the light differently from all the others. Placing this one slightly off-center near the middle of the body creates a sweet nod to the original story.
Aim to cover roughly two-thirds of the body with scales, leaving the head area and tail end relatively plain. Stagger your scale placement so each row of scales falls between the ones above and below it, just like a real fish.
Finishing Touches
Once your scales are in place, take a moment to review the overall look of your fish. Smooth out any uneven seams, tuck in any remaining yarn ends securely, and give the stuffing a gentle squeeze to distribute it evenly through the body.
You can add a simple mouth using a length of black or dark yarn and a yarn needle — just two or three straight stitches in a gentle curve at the front of the head will do nicely. Some knitters also like to add a tiny bit of blush-colored yarn or embroidery floss near the cheeks for a sweet, rosy effect.
If you’re making this fish as a gift for a baby or very young toddler, it’s safest to embroider the eyes rather than using safety eyes, as all attachments should be examined for choking hazards with children under three. A simple pair of French knots or satin stitch circles in black with a tiny white highlight stitch makes a charming alternative.
Ideas for Using Your Rainbow Fish
A knitted Rainbow Fish is one of those projects that lends itself to a surprising number of uses. The most obvious is as a plush toy for a child who loves the book, but here are a few other ideas to spark your imagination.
As a gift set, pair the stuffed fish with a copy of Marcus Pfister’s original book for a truly special baby shower or birthday present. Tuck both into a small gift bag with a personalized tag and you have something truly memorable.
As a mobile component, knit several fish in different sizes and hang them from a wooden dowel or embroidery hoop to create a stunning nursery mobile. Varying the color palettes — some warm-toned, some cool-toned, all with their little shimmering scales — makes for a breathtaking display.
As a teaching tool, many early childhood educators and librarians love having tactile props to accompany storytime. A handmade Rainbow Fish that children can hold while the story is being read creates a multi-sensory experience that supports literacy development and emotional learning.
As a decorative piece, framed or displayed in a shadow box, a carefully crafted Rainbow Fish can be a piece of fiber art in its own right. Mount it against a piece of deep blue felt or velvet, surround it with a few seashell embellishments, and you have a piece of wall art that celebrates both the story and the craft.
Customizing Your Pattern
One of the best things about knitting your own toys is the limitless room for customization. Here are a few ideas for making this Rainbow Fish uniquely yours.
You can adjust the size significantly just by changing your yarn weight and needle size. Using bulky yarn and larger needles will give you a big, huggable fish perfect for older toddlers. Using fingering weight yarn and fine needles will produce a tiny, delicate fish that would make a charming ornament or bag charm.
You can also lean into different color stories. A deep-sea version might use navy, indigo, and teal with pearl-white scales. A tropical version might lean into hot corals, sunny yellows, and lime greens. A winter version in icy blues and silvers with white sparkle scales would make a lovely holiday ornament.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the scale placement and colors. There’s no wrong way to decorate your fish — in fact, the more whimsical and personal your choices, the more special the finished piece will be.
Final Thoughts
Knitting a Rainbow Fish is one of those projects that reminds you why you fell in love with this craft in the first place. It’s colorful, creative, and full of meaning. Every stitch you make is an act of generosity — because chances are, this fish isn’t for you. It’s for someone you love, someone you want to delight, someone you want to give a little piece of handmade magic.
Just like the Rainbow Fish himself, the most beautiful things we make are the ones we’re willing to share. So share this pattern freely, pass it along to your knitting group, adapt it and make it your own, and most importantly — enjoy every moment of the making.
Happy knitting, and may your yarn never tangle.
