Free Crochet Shamrock Pattern
If you’re looking for a free crochet shamrock pattern, you’ve come to the right place! This step by step tutorial has instructions for both a shamrock and a rainbow.
While I may or may not actually have Irish ancestry (my family says Scottish for sure), my heart sure has a fondness for St. Patrick’s Day. That’s because my husband and I met for the first time on this day many (many!) years ago!
To crochet something small in honor of the holiday this year, I came up with a simple crochet shamrock and rainbow pattern.
I’ve included instructions for making it into a hair clip, as you’ll see pictured, but you can adapt this pattern as you see fit. Make the shamrock by itself and pin it to your outfit for a bit of green so you don’t get pinched. Or make multiple shamrocks and rainbows and string them up as a festive garland.
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You can find a printer-friendly PDF version of this pattern on Ravelry or Etsy. The premium version of the pattern includes detailed, full-color photo illustrations for each step.
Crochet Shamrock and Rainbow Pattern
The pattern is made with two shamrocks, one for the front and one for the back. Then the rainbow is sandwiched in between. If you choose to add a hair clip, it is sewn to the back. Pretty simple, right? Ready to get started?
Materials:
- Yarn – Scheepjes Stone Washed (see here for multi-color pack) in the following colors:
Red – “Red Jasper”
Orange – “Coral”
Yellow – “Citrine”
Green – “Fosterite” (slightly lighter) and “Malachite” (slightly darker)
Blue – “Blue Apatite”
Purple – “Garnet”
- Size US E/3.5mm crochet hook
- Yarn needle (for weaving in ends)
- Scissors (for trimming ends)
- Snap hair clip (sometimes called a sleep clip)
Stitches/Abbreviations Used:
- R – round/row
- magic ring
- ch- chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – triple crochet
Finished Size:
The crochet shamrock measures about 2 1/4” tall by 2 1/4” wide. From one end of the shamrock to the end of the rainbow measures about 4 1/4”.
The yarn pictured is Scheepjes Stonewashed, which is a sport weight yarn. Your personal tension while crocheting, as well as if you substitute a higher or lower weight yarn, will affect the measurements of your finished shamrock and rainbow.
Crochet Shamrock Pattern:
Shamrock (make two):
Begin with a magic ring and ch 2.
Into the ring, work 2 hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr, ch 2, sl st in ring, ch 2, 2 tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, sl st into top of beginning chain 2.
Fasten off, leaving a six-inch yarn tail.
Repeat 3 more times for 4 total “hearts”. Weave in all ends from beginning magic rings.
Sew hearts together in the shamrock shape pictured. Weave in remaining ends. Repeat for a total of two shamrocks (which will be sewn back to back after attaching the rainbow below).
Rainbow:
Next, you’ll make the rainbow that will later be sewn in between the two shamrocks. When changing colors between rows, finish each row by pulling up the last loop of the last sc with the color for the next row.
Using red, ch 17.
R1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Ch 1, turn. (16)
R2: Using orange, sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
R3: Using yellow, sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
R4: Using green, sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
R5: Using blue, sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
R6: Using purple, sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Fasten off. The rainbow now has loose ends on both sides. Decide which end of the rainbow will be showing, and weave those ends through to the top of the rainbow. Knot and trim all remaining ends except for green (since these ends will be sandwiched between the shamrocks, I weave them through and then knot them).
Putting it all together
Use the green yarn end to sew the rainbow to one of the shamrocks, using backs of stitches only so it doesn’t show through on the other side. Cut green yarn about 18” long and fasten inside one of the shamrocks with a knot. Sew the two shamrocks together, with right sides out, by sewing under each of the stitches of the original “hearts”, as pictured.
Place a snap clip along the back of the shamrock, and use remaining yarn on yarn needle to sew over and around it to attach, as pictured. If your rainbow is curving too much, wet it and block it by pinning flat until it dries.
See, simple, right?! I hope you enjoy gifting or wearing this cute crochet shamrock hair clip and find the gold at the end of the rainbow this year.
Looking for even more free crochet patterns? Take a look here!
© 2026 Crochet to Play
All rights reserved. Designed and written by Jennifer Percival. This pattern is property of Crochet to Play. The written pattern and images are for personal use only. Please do not redistribute, transfer, or sell the pattern or images, in part or in whole. Thank you.
