I made the first of these bright, little octopuses for @Tapestry’s daughter in the Use What You Have Swap. The second one is for me, because it’s a cute, quick pattern, and I like octopuses, too. All materials were from stash, but I did buy the pattern.
The pattern by Megan Lapp originally called for a heavier yarn and a bigger octopus. But, the amigurumi Jenn had pinned was tiny. I used fingering weight yarns, and the finished octopus has a 3.5"-long body with 4.5" arms (he has a reach of 11.5").
First up, in “Give Peeps a Chance,” a fingering weight superwash Targhee and nylon blend by Oink Pigments:
The second octopus is stitched up in “Cherry Blossom,” a fingering weight superwash Merino gradient yarn by Gypsy Girl Creations. The color is not well-liked by my phone camera.
They do not take much yarn at all. Maybe 20-25 grams of fingering weight. This would be a fun way to use up those little remnants of sock yarn or the mini skeins you’re hoarding (you know who you are, lol). But, you could make these in any yarn if you adjust your hook size.
Love these! We were just reading an octopus book* here and this would be the perfect little companion. I especially love that button placement on the cherry blossom one, it gives such personality.
*link to Simon&Schuster book page
When DS1 was a baby, I crocheted him an octopus, Jacques, and it got lost a few years later. It still makes me kind of sad. Octopuses don’t live very long. But, it’s nice to have a new one. I have lots of yarn scraps (I just sorted through them, and…hoo boy!), maybe I’ll stitch up a few more.
They are so adorable! They look like they’re having a whale of a time (sorry, couldn’t resist) exploring your sofa. I suspect they are devising an escape plan, perhaps that’s what happened to Jacques.
They are great! I am going to buy this pattern and make one. I love the buttons for eyes. That’s a great alternative to safety eyes. Thanks for sharing - I love them.
Thank you! Octopuses have weirdly-shaped pupils, so most safety eyes don’t look right to me. But, a two-holed button lets you make the pupil the right shape using a contrasting thread. And, this was a stash-only project…buttons were what I had. I have needle-felted octopus eyes before, and that can also look really nice.
