I know a little one who absolutely adores goldfish crackers – I am an big fan of them too and had the idea to make a crochet goldfish cracker, but rather than just a stuffed toy I decided to make a goldfish cracker that would hold smaller goldfish crackers, perfect for a little one to play with and put them in and out of!  

It has taken me quite a while to get the pattern together for this, and I have restarted more times than I would like to remember but I think I have finally cracked it! Instead of just using a dc stitch to make it, I decided (just to make it even more complicated) to use a spike stitch which I had seen in simply crochet issue 27.  This stitch would add a bit more texture to the goldfish rather than just a sc stitch. To do this stitch you do a sc stitch into the next stitch on the current row, then you do a sc stitch into the next stitch but not on the current row but on the previous row. The stitch was really easy to get the hang of, the hard part was where I was increasing and decreasing the rounds, but I think I have managed to get it all to work.    

I made 5 smaller goldfish to fit into the bigger one, any more would be a bit of a tight squeeze, but you could make as many as you wanted.     Very happy with this one, I’m off to eat some crackers! 

Crochet Goldfish Crackers pattern:

Materials:

• 4mm hook.

• Yellow and orange wool.

Big Goldfish:

In Yellow:

Round 1: Make a magic ring, ch1, 11sc into ring (11). 

Round 2: 2sc into same stitch, 4sc, 2sc into same stitch, 4sc, 2sc into same stitch (14). 

Round 3: 6sc, 2sc same stitch, 6sc, 2sc into same stitch (16).

Round 4: spike stitch (sc into next sc on the current row, then sc into next sc in the previous row below) 7 times, into the next stitch: (sc on current row, then sc into previous row), sc (17).

Round 5: into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 8 times (18).

Round 6: into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 7 times, sc, into next stitch: (sc on the row below, then sc into current row), sc into row below (20).

Round 7: into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 9 times, sc (21).

Round 8: into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 4 times, sc, into next stitch: (sc on the row below, then sc into current row)x2, sc into next stitch on the row below, spike stitch 4 times (24).

Round 9: into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 7 times, sc, into next stitch: (sc on the row below, then sc into current row), then sc into row below), spike stitch 3 times, sc (27).

Round 10: sc into previous row, spike stitch 6 times, 2sc into next stitch, sc into previous row, spike stitch 6 times (28).

Round 11: spike stitch 7 times, into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 6 times, sc (29).

Round 12: sc into previous row, spike stitch 9 times, 2sc into next stitch, sc into previous row, spike stitch 4 times (30).

Round 13: spike stitch 10 times, into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 4 times, sc (31).

Round 14: sc into previous row, spike stitch 15 times (31).

Round 15: sc, into next stitch: (sc on the previous row then sc into current row, then sc on the previous row), spike stitch 14 times, sc (33).

Round 16: sc into previous row, spike stitch 16 times (33).

Round 17: sc, sc2tog, sc on the previous row, spike stitch 14 times, sc (32). 

Round 18: sc on the row below, sc2tog, sc on the previous row, spike stitch 14 times (31).

Round 19: spike stitch 15 times, sc (31). 

Round 20: sc on the previous row, spike stitch 15 times, sc (31).

Round 21: spike stitch 15 times, sc (31). 

Round 22: sc on the previous row, spike stitch 15 times, sc (31).

Round 23: spike stitch 15 times, sc (31). 

Round 24: sc on the previous row, spike stitch 15 times, sc (31).

Round 25: sc2tog, spike stitch 13 times, sc2tog, sc into previous row (29).

Round 26: spike stitch 6 times, sc2tog, spike stitch 7 times, sc (28).

Round 27: sc on the previous row, spike stitch 6 times, sc2tog, sc on the previous row, spike stitch 6 times (27).

Round 28: sc2tog, spike stitch 6 times, sc2tog, sc, sc on the previous row, spike stitch 4 times, sc (25).

Round 29: sc on the previous row, sc2tog, sc on previous row, spike stitch 5 times, sc2tog, sc on the previous row, spike stitch 4 times (23).

Round 30: spike stitch 10 times, sc2tog, sc (22).

Round 31: sc on previous row, spike stitch 10 times (22).

Round 32: spike stitch 4 times, sc2tog, spike stitch 6 times (21). 

Round 33: into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 4 times, (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 5 times, 2sc into next stitch (24).

Round 34: sc on the previous row, spike stitch 5 times, 2sc into next stitch, sc on the previous row, spike stitch 5 times, 2sc into next stitch(26).

Round 35: 2sc into next stitch x2, spike stitch 5 times, 2sc into next stitch x3, spike stitch 5 times, 2sc into next stitch (32).

Round 36: sc on the previous row, 2sc into next stitch, sc on the previous row, spike stitch 13 times, 2sc into next stitch x3 (36)

Round 37: spike stitch 1, into next stitch: (sc on the current row, then sc into previous row), spike stitch 16 times, 2sc (37).

Round 38:  sc on the previous row, spike stitch 18 times (37).

Round 39: spike stitch 4 times, 6 slip stitches, spike stitch 6 times, 6 slip stitches, spike stitch 2 times, sc.

Round 40:  sc on previous row, spike stitch 3 times, 8 slip stitches, spike stitch 4 times, 8 slip stitches, spike stitch 3 times.

Fasten off.

Using an orange thread sew on the mouth and eye on both the back and front.

Small Fishes:

In yellow:

Ch6.

Row 1: sc into second chain from hook, sc along row.

Row 2: ch1 (does not count as a stitch), sc2tog, sc, sc2tog.

Row 3: ch1 (does not count as a stitch), sc2tog,  sc.

Row 4: ch1 (does not count as s stitch) 2sc.

Row 5: ch1 (does not count as a stitch) 2sc into same stitch twice.

Row 6: ch1 (does not count as a stitch) 2sc into same stitch, 2sc, 2sc into same stitch.

Row 7: ch1 (does not count as a stitch) sc along row.

Row 8: ch1 (does not count as a stitch) sc2tog, 2sc, sc2tog.

Row 9: ch1 (does not count as a stitch) sc2tog twice.

Row 10: ch1 (does not count as a stitch) sc2tog. 

Fasten off. 

Complete another small fish, then do not fasten off but sc around both fish pieces, at the tail 3sc along do not sc into the chain but sc into the row below to create detail on the tail, continue as normal around the rest of the fish and fasten off.

Using orange sew in the eye and mouth detail on both the front and back.