A pocket octopus, about 5 cm across the arms, made from a self-striping worsted so every one comes out different. It takes 2 oz of yarn and about an hour, and the whole thing is built from two parts: a small nose and a body that carries its own eight arms.
Two things make it worth following. First, the body is closed and then reopened: round 6 is worked twice — once in the back loops to close the shell, once in the front loops to give the arms a second, offset layer to grow from. That is why the arms sit around the underside rather than hanging from a single edge. Second, the eight arms are not eight identical pieces: there are four different chains, each worked back along itself with a mix of stitches, and the set repeated twice.
And the curl is a choice. Work the arms clockwise and they curl up; anticlockwise, and they curl down. Same pattern, different animal.
What you need
- Yarn: 2 oz worsted — a colour-changing yarn does most of the work for you
- Hook: 3.5 mm, or whatever suits your yarn
- Notions: 6 mm safety eyes, fibre fill, sewing needle
Finished size: 5 cm from the top of the nose to the bottom of the body, and 10 to 12 cm from the nose to the tips of the arms.
Abbreviations
RND round, RW row, SC single crochet, MC magic circle, INC two sc in the next stitch, CH chain, DC double crochet, DEC two sc together, FO fasten off, HDC half double crochet, BLO back loop only, FLO front loop only, SLST slip stitch, SC3TOG three sc together, HDC3TOG three hdc together.
The nose
- R1: 6 sc in a magic circle
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4–5: sc in each stitch (18)
- R6: (sc, dec) ×6 (12)
- R7: (2 sc, dec) ×3 (9)
Turn, but do not close. Leave a long tail for sewing, stuff the nose now, and set it aside.
The body
- R1: ch 9, sl st into the first chain to close the ring
- R2–3: sc in each stitch (9)
- R4: (2 sc, inc) ×3 (12)
- R5: (2 sc, inc) ×4 (16)
- R6: in BLO, sc in each stitch (16)
Add the eyes now, between rows 2 and 3, about 4 or 5 stitches apart. This is also the moment to add the eyelids in a V shape — two stitches angled down towards the nose make the whole face look annoyed. Stuff the body, but lightly: it should stay somewhat flat, not round.
- R7: dec ×8 (8)
Close the hole, then reattach the yarn to the front loops left free by round 6.
- R6 (front loops): sc in each stitch (16)
- R7–8: sc in each stitch (16)
The arms
Work these from the second layer, one after another around the body. Each arm is a chain worked back along itself — you start at the tip and come home to the body.
- Arm 1: ch 20, turn, sl st into the 2nd chain from the hook, 5 sc, sc3tog, 2 sc, 5 hdc, 3 dc (you should now be at the base of the chain), skip 1 stitch, sc into the next stitch
- Arm 2: ch 15, turn, sl st into the 2nd chain, 7 sc, 6 hdc, skip 1 stitch, sc into the next stitch
- Arm 3: ch 18, turn, sl st into the 2nd chain, 3 sc, hdc3tog, 7 hdc, 3 dc, skip 1 stitch, sc into the next stitch
- Arm 4: ch 20, turn, sl st into the 2nd chain, 4 sc, 3 hdc, hdc3tog, 5 hdc, 3 dc, skip 1 stitch, sc into the next stitch
Once arm 4 is done, go back and repeat all four to make eight arms. Then sl st into the first chain of the first arm, turn, and leave a tail. With a needle and that tail, go around the small hole left by the skipped stitches and close it. Weave in the ends.
Which way they curl. Working clockwise gives arms that curl up, anticlockwise arms that curl down. Both are correct; the original works anticlockwise so that the arms hang downwards.
Assembly
With the tail left on the nose and an embroidery needle, sew the nose to the head. Start at the top of the head, closing the opening and tucking in the starting tail from the first chain as you go. Centre it between the eyes, with the eyelids angled towards it so the octopus appears to be glaring at its own nose.
Notes
The skipped stitch at the base of each arm is what separates one arm from the next. If you forget it, the eight arms merge into a ruffle — and the hole it leaves is what the finishing tail closes at the end.
Because the body is only nine stitches around at the base, the arms crowd each other. Work them firmly and keep the chains loose: a tight chain will not curl, it will kink.
For an advent calendar or a hanging ornament, leave the arms as they are and twist them around a branch — no hook needed.
More small sea creatures and toys: Anglerfish SAM is the wired deep-sea one, Pig in a Granny Square Blanket is the 7 cm pig, and Three Little Kittens are the 14 cm ones. Everything is on the patterns page.
Pattern source: Grumpy Mini Octopus.
For another 5 to 8 cm animal, Cute Cat is built from four tubes and a ring.
