Ladies and Gents, I am pleased to present: the Mermaid Cupcake
I had a sweet tooth when this little cake came to me. The frosting was such a beautiful shade of green... and the cake was such a delicious shade of vanilla baked to perfection! I guess I just let my imagination take flight, and it ended up taking me to the sea.
I think this is the perfect shade of sea green to host a bed of pearl sprinkles. The raspberries provide just enough pop of color just like corals do in underwater landscapes.
Please ask questions if you find the pattern a confusing! You can DM me on Instagram (where I will reply the fastest), or via email at tquaredcrochet@gmail.com. You can find my contact info on my homepage.
Materials:
4mm hook
Mint green yarn (4-ply)
Light beige yarn (4-ply)
Pink yarn (4-ply)
Pearl beads of various sizes
Tapestry needle (to assemble the frosting)
Hot Glue (to attach the frosting to the cupcake, or you can use a tapestry needle here as well)
Fabric glue (for the pearls. You can also use hot glue or a tapestry needle.)
Stuffing (for the cake)
Instructions:
Frosting
Actually, I used the frosting from the free swirly cupcake hairclip pattern from Twinkie Chan's website!
Cake
(For Rounds 2 - 5, work in a spiral, meaning you do not have to close each loop as you go)
Begin with an adjustable loop. SC 6 in loop.
Rnd 2: (inc) x 6 (12)
Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) x 6 (18)
Rnd 4: (sc 2, inc) x 6 (24)
Rnd 5: (hdc 3, hdcinc) x 6 (30). Sl St to first hdc to close the round.
Rnd 6: Ch 1 (counts as one hdc). Hdc third loop in back for each previous stitch. Sl St to first hdc to close the round. (30)
Rnd 7: Ch 1 (counts as one hdc). (FPhdc, hdc) x 14, FPhdc. Sl st to first hdc to close the round. (30)
Rnd 8-9: Repeat Rnd 7
Rnd 10: Ch 1 (counts as one hdc). (FPhdc, hdcinc, FPhdc, hdc) x 7. Sl st to first hdc to close the round. (36)
Rnd 11: sc BLO for each previous stitch (36)
Rnd 12: (sc 5, dec) x 6 (30)
Rnd 13: (sc 4, dec) x 6 (24)
Rnd 14: (sc 3, dec) x 6 (18)
(you will want to begin stuffing your cake around this point)
Rnd 15: (sc 2, dec) x 6 (12)
Rnd 16: dec x 6 (6)
Cut yarn and tie off.
Small Raspberry
Begin with an adjustable loop. SC 3 in loop.
Rnd 2: inc x 3 (6)
Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) x 3 (9)
Rnd 4: Repeat Rnd 3
Rnd 5: (sc, dec) x 3 (6)
Rnd 6: dec x 3 (3)
Cut yarn and tie off. Shape piece into a raspberry by pushing the finished end into a cone shape.
Large Raspberry
Begin with an adjustable loop. SC 3 in loop.
Rnd 2: inc x 3 (6)
Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) x 3 (9)
Rnd 4-5: Repeat Rnd 3
Rnd 6: (sc, dec) x 3 (6)
Rnd 7: dec x 3 (3)
Cut yarn and tie off. Shape piece into a raspberry by pushing the finished end into a cone shape.
Attaching Frosting to Cake
(You may use the tapestry needle to sew the frosting to the cupcake as well, but here I will be instructing how to attach the frosting with hot glue.)
1. Make sure your hot glue gun is ready to go (it is hot enough to expel melted glue), and have in a mind the orientation you want your frosting to take on the cake.
2. Flip your frosting upside down and locate the center of the piece. This is the side of the frosting that will not be shown. Place a generous wad of hot glue in the center.
3. While it is still hot, flip the frosting back over and carefully place it above the center of your cake. Gently push the frosting into the cake to ensure adhesion and hold it in place. (don't be afraid to squash it and re-shape it later!) The glue should solidify within a minute.
4. Carefully glue the inner edges of the frosting to the cake, making sure you hold the piece in place until the glue dries. Try not to let the glue be visible.
Attaching Pearls
(Here, you can choose to sew your beads to the frosting as well, or use hot glue if you prefer. I chose to use fabric glue, because I find it is the sturdier glue when attaching plastic to yarn.)
1. Have an idea of where you want to place the pearls on the frosting. I think it looks great when the small and large pearls are scattered everywhere!
2. Add a small drop of fabric glue to each pearl and place it on the frosting. Hold it in place until the glue is dry enough to keep the pearl in place.
Attaching Berries
(You may use the tapestry needle to sew here as well, but I will be using hot glue.)
1. Have in mind the orientation you want your berries to look on the cake.
2. Flip your berry upside down and locate the center of the piece. This is the side that will not be shown. Place a small wad of hot glue in the center.
3. Slowly place it on the frosting and hold it in place until the glue dries.
4. Do the same for the other berry.
And here you have it! I hope you enjoy your very own Mermaid Cupcake today!
Honestly, I always appreciate when there is a free pattern out there for me to crochet from. I wanted to do the same favor for someone else out there.
Happy crocheting, friends. <3