Rory the Plush Ray

CROCHET PATTERN BY
Welcome!
I hope you will enjoy the creation of this little ray! Please don't hesitate to contact me at
hello@theresascrochetshop.com with any questions that you may have along the way. Have fun!

Did You Know?

• There are many different types of rays – electric rays, manta rays, eagle rays,
butterfly rays, stingrays, skates, and guitarfish.
• Rays have no bones in their body. Their skeleton is completely made up of
flexible cartilage.
• Rays vary quite a bit in size – from 4 inches (10 cm) wide all the way up to 29
feet (8.8m)!

The pattern and images contained in this document are the sole
property of Theresa's Crochet Shop. This written pattern is for
personal use only.

Please do not redistribute or sell this pattern in whole or in part.

You may sell the finished product, but please credit

Theresa's Crochet Shop as the designer.

© 2023, Theresa’s Crochet Shop

Rory the Plush Ray i
Materials You Will Need
• Crochet hook size: 5 mm
• #6 super bulky weight yarn*: blue or gray or brown (20 yards needed) and white (15 yards
needed); (optional: 10 yards of dark brown and 10 yards of yellow for syrup and butter for a
pancake-inspired ray)
• 1 strand of black embroidery floss for the smile (and eyebrows - optional)
• Yarn needle
• 12mm black safety eyes (see note 1)
• Polyester fiber fill stuffing

*For this pattern, I used #6/super bulky weight yarn. You can also follow the pattern as written
using your yarn weight of choice. A ray made from this pattern with #4/medium weight yarn will
be 4 inches (10 cm) wide and 3.5 inches (9 cm) long.

Abbreviations
ch – chain
st(s) – stitch(es)
sc – single crochet
inc – increase stitch (see note 2)
sl st – slip stitch

Size
Final measurement for the finished plush ray is 5 inches (12.5 cm) wide and 4.5 inches (11.5 cm)
long.

Videos
Did you know I have a YouTube channel? You can find a full step-by-step video tutorial for this
pattern, as well as a quick overview of making the ray:

Channel: youtube.com/@theresascrochetshop
Vid #1: Full Step-by-Step Video Tutorial - https://youtu.be/0FyWso2WaMI
Vid #2: Making a Ray Overview - https://youtube.com/shorts/e9x8eVGo7ys
Vid #3: Syrup and Butter Tutorial - https://youtu.be/bV23Nw1YC5M

Notes
1. Safety eyes can be found on Etsy, Amazon, eBay, or at your local craft store.

2. Increase stitch explanation: work 2 single crochet stitches together into the designated stitch.

3. Except for the optional syrup instructions for a “sea pancake,” this ray pattern is crocheted back
and forth in rows (not rounds).

© 2023, Theresa’s Crochet Shop

Rory the Plush Ray ii
 www.TheresasCrochetShop.com

Instructions
Body, Part 1
With blue or gray yarn,
R1: Ch 4, turn, and starting in the 2nd ch from your hook:
sc 1, inc, sc 1 (4 sts)
R2: Ch 1, turn, inc 4 (8 sts)
R3: Ch 1, turn, inc, sc 6, inc (10 sts)
R4: Ch 1, turn, inc, sc 8, inc (12 sts)
R5: Ch 1, turn, inc, sc 10, inc (14 sts)
R6: Ch 1, turn, inc, sc 12, inc (16 sts)
R7: Ch 1, turn, inc, sc 14, inc (18 sts)
R8: Ch 1, turn, sc 18 (18 sts)

Fasten off, leaving just a short yarn tail for weaving in. There
are 18 sts across; you will be crocheting the “head” of the ray
on the middle 6 sts. So, insert your crochet hook into the 7 th Figure 1: Finished Body, Part 1
stitch from the right in R8 and continue:

R9: Sc 6 (6 sts)
R10: Ch 1, turn, sc 6 (6 sts)

Wait to fasten off. Your ray’s body will now look as shown in
Figure 1. Next, insert the safety eyes between R9-10 of the
body, 3 sts apart (Figure 2). Firmly press the backs onto the
eyes.

Body, Part 2 Figure 2: Eye Placement

With white yarn,
Repeat the exact same steps as Part 1 of the body. Only,
when you finish R10, fasten off, leaving a short yarn tail for
weaving in. Now lay the blue top of the body onto the
bottom, and inserting your hook where you left off at R10 of
Part 1 of the body (where you waited to fasten off), insert
your hook through the top and bottom of the ray (Figure 3)
and single crochet a border around the ray’s body to join the
2 pieces.

About 10 sts before you finish crocheting the 2 parts Figure 3: Crocheting the Body Pieces

together, insert a little bit of stuffing into the middle of the

© 2023, Theresa’s Crochet Shop

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 www.TheresasCrochetShop.com

body, leaving the 2 sides flat so they can bend up. You will
also sew on the smile before you finish crocheting the 2 ray
pieces closed.

Smile
For the smile, thread a long strand of black embroidery floss
onto your yarn needle. Insert it through the opening that is
left between the top and bottom of the ray and out through
the bottom white piece. Now sew a small “V” in the middle of
R9 – as the smile (Figure 4). Before securing the floss, you can
Figure 4: Finished Smile
also sew 2 tiny eyebrows onto the ray; I loved the eyebrows
on the ray when I made it with acrylic yarn, but found it tricky
to get them to look right on the plush ray.

Now secure the floss to the beginning end of the strand with
a knot and tuck inside the body. Now, finish crocheting the
top and bottom of the body together. Do a slip stitch to join
to your first border stitch; then fasten off, and weave in the
ends.

Tail Figure 5: Crocheting the Tail

You will crochet the tail right to the body (no sewing
required!). Insert your crochet hook into the center stitch at
the back of the ray’s body (Figure 5). Do a slip stitch to join
your yarn to the ray’s body. Then crochet the tail as follows:

R1: Ch 9 (9 sts)
R2: Turn, sl st 8 (8 sts)

Then do 1 last sl st to join to the body. Fasten off, leaving a

short yarn tail for weaving in. Weave in the ends.
Figure 6: Finished Ray

If you would like to make a pancake-inspired ray, skip the

Spots section below and go on to the Syrup section.

Spots
Thread a long strand of white yarn onto your yarn needle,
insert it through the bottom of the body and out at the top.
Sew little sts sprinkled on the top of the ray; I sewed on 11
spots (Figure 6). Then weave your yarn back through to the
bottom and secure with a knot. Weave in the ends.

© 2023, Theresa’s Crochet Shop

Rory the Plush Ray 02
 www.TheresasCrochetShop.com

For an easy pancake-inspired ray or “sea pancake,” you can

add a drizzle of syrup and a pat of butter!

Syrup
Note: Unlike the rest of the pattern, this syrup piece is crocheted
in rounds, not back and forth in rows.
With dark brown yarn,
R1: Ch 2, sc 8 in first ch* (8 sts)
*if you prefer to start with the magic circle, work 8 sts into your magic
circle
R2: 2 sc in each st around (16 sts)
R3: (Ch 4, sc 3)* on top of the final st from R2, sc 3, (ch 3, sc
2), sc 3, (ch 4, sc 3), sc 4, (ch 4, sc 3), sc 5, sl st (16 sts)
*the instructions inside the ( ) are crocheted on top of the previous stitch
and thus do not count toward the final stitch count Figure 7: Syrup

Fasten off, leaving a yarn tail for sewing. Fit the syrup onto
the top of the ray, with the widest stretch between drizzles
fitted behind the eyes. Use the invisible seam stitch to sew
the syrup to the ray – inserting your needle down through the
top of the syrup piece and up a few sts over. Be sure to do a
stitch into the tip of each drizzle to secure them. Secure with
a knot and weave the ends inside the ray’s body.

Butter
With yellow (or cream) yarn,
R1: Ch 3, turn, and starting in the 2nd ch from your hook, sc 2
(2 sts)
R2: Ch 1, turn, sc 2 (2 sts)

Wait to fasten off. Starting where you left off at the end of R2,
single crochet a border all the way around the little square
until you are back where you started – 6 single crochet sts
around.

Fasten off, leaving a yarn tail for sewing. As you did with the
Figure 8: Finished “Sea Pancake”
syrup, use the invisible seam stitch to sew the butter to the
top of the syrup. Secure with a knot and weave in the ends.
And now, your ray is finished! Thank you so much for joining
me in making this ray. Enjoy!

© 2023, Theresa’s Crochet Shop

Rory the Plush Ray 03