Crochet Tapestry Grid Pattern: Dolphin

ByEmila Lorein

This pattern is designed to be worked in single crochet (sc) stitches, carrying the unused yarn color(s) along the back of your work (tapestry crochet method).

Key:

  • LBS: Light Blue Stitch (main body color)
  • DBS: Dark Blue Stitch (shading/fin details)
  • BLS: Black Stitch (eye/outline)
  • WS: White Stitch (background/grid) – While the grid is white, in crochet, you would typically use your background color or simply leave these areas unworked if creating an applique. For a full tapestry, you’d fill them with a background color.

Yarn Colors Needed:

  • Light Blue (for the main dolphin body)
  • Dark Blue (for the shading and tail)
  • Black (for the outline and eye)
  • White or a contrasting color (for the background grid, if you’re making a full tapestry piece)

Instructions:

  1. Chain: Count the total number of squares across the widest part of the dolphin pixel art image. This will be your starting chain count. Add 1 for your turning chain. (Looking at the image, it’s about 24-25 stitches wide).
  2. Gauge: Work a small swatch in single crochet with your chosen hook and yarn to determine your gauge. This will help ensure your finished dolphin is the size you desire.
  3. Tapestry Crochet Technique:
    • When changing colors, insert your hook into the stitch with the old color, yarn over, pull up a loop (two loops on hook). Yarn over with the new color and pull through both loops to complete the stitch.
    • Carry the unused yarn colors along the top of the stitches and crochet over them to enclose them. This prevents them from showing through from the back.
  4. Reading the Chart: Work each row from right to left (if you are right-handed) and then turn your work and work left to right for the next row. Alternatively, you can work in rounds if you prefer, but for this shape, back-and-forth rows are more common.

Row by Row Breakdown (approximate – count your own grid carefully!):

  • Note: The grid provided has about 26 rows vertically and 25-26 columns horizontally. I will describe the rows as they appear from bottom to top, as is common for crochet charts. Each number represents a stitch. WS represents a background white stitch.

Example of how to read a row:

Row X: WS x 10, BLS x 2, LBS x 5, BLS x 2, WS x 6 (This would mean 10 white stitches, 2 black, 5 light blue, 2 black, 6 white)

Starting from the Bottom (Tail Fin):

  • Row 1: (Bottom point of tail) WS x 19, BLS x 1, WS x 6
  • Row 2: WS x 18, DBS x 3, WS x 5
  • Row 3: WS x 17, BLS x 5, WS x 4
  • Row 4: WS x 16, DBS x 7, WS x 3
  • Row 5: WS x 15, BLS x 9, WS x 2
  • Row 6: WS x 14, DBS x 11, WS x 1
  • Row 7: WS x 13, BLS x 13, WS x 0 (or end of row)

(Main Body Starts to Form):

  • Row 8: WS x 10, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 2, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 10
  • Row 9: WS x 9, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 4, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 9
  • Row 10: WS x 8, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 6, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 8
  • Row 11: WS x 7, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 8, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 7
  • Row 12: WS x 6, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 10, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 6
  • Row 13: WS x 5, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 12, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 5
  • Row 14: WS x 4, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 14, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 4
  • Row 15: WS x 3, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 16, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 16: WS x 2, BLS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 18, DBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 2

(Dorsal Fin and Head Section):

  • Row 17: WS x 2, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 17, BLS x 1, WS x 3 (note the dorsal fin forming)
  • Row 18: WS x 3, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 16, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 19: WS x 3, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 15, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 20: WS x 3, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 14, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 21: WS x 3, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 13, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 22: WS x 3, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 12, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 23: WS x 3, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 11, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 24: WS x 3, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 10, BLS x 1, WS x 3
  • Row 25: WS x 4, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 7, BLS x 1, WS x 4
  • Row 26: WS x 5, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 4, BLS x 1, WS x 5
  • Row 27: WS x 6, BLS x 1, LBS x 1, DBS x 1, LBS x 1, BLS x 1, WS x 7 (Snout of the dolphin)

Finishing:

  • Once you’ve completed all rows, fasten off your yarn and weave in all loose ends securely.
  • You can then block your finished piece to help it lay flat and define the stitches.

This detailed breakdown should allow a crocheter to accurately recreate the pixel art dolphin as a tapestry piece! Enjoy your project!