Rainbow Tropical Fish

I love a good striped pattern: you work through it colour by colour, and it looks far trickier than it actually is! Here, five shades run from red to blue to build the fish’s body, with a light blue fin and tail breaking up the straight lines. Read the grid band by band rather than row by row — it goes much faster, and you’ll instantly spot if one colour has crept into the next. The little black eye goes on last; a single bead is enough to bring the fish to life. Iron both sides so the beads hold together well, and take your time with the tail, since the thinner point needs a gentler touch with the iron. Hung by a thread in front of a window or stuck on a magnet, this fish will happily brighten a kid’s room or a bathroom shelf alike.