Jun
okay so octopus amigurumi are actually way easier than they look which is good because I made one last spring when my sister’s kid wanted ocean stuff for their birthday and honestly I was stressed about it for nothing
the main thing with octopus patterns is you’re basically making a head and then eight legs which sounds like a lot but it’s really just the same thing eight times. I used Red Heart Super Saver in that teal color because it was cheap and I had like three skeins already sitting around from another project I never finished. some people get all fancy with the expensive yarn but for amigurumi you want something that holds its shape and isn’t gonna stretch out weird
start with a magic ring for the head. if you don’t know magic ring just look it up on youtube real quick because trying to explain it in text is annoying and everyone does it slightly different anyway. I do 6 single crochet in the ring to start, then you’re gonna increase every round for like 6-8 rounds depending how big you want the head. the pattern is pretty standard – round 1 is 6sc, round 2 is increase in each stitch so you get 12, round 3 is sc then increase repeated so you get 18, and you just keep going with that pattern
one thing that really annoyed me was stuffing the head evenly because polyfil gets lumpy SO fast and you gotta keep smooshing it around to make it look round and not like a weird potato. I was watching that baking show on netflix while doing this part and kept getting distracted which didn’t help
for the eyes you can either use safety eyes which you gotta put in before you close up the head completely, or embroider them after. I used 12mm safety eyes because they were what I had but honestly 15mm would’ve looked better for the size I made. just poke them through between rounds and make sure they’re even – I always count the stitches between them because eyeballing it (ha) never works for me
the body part is where you stop increasing and just work even rounds of single crochet. I usually do like 8-10 rounds straight which gives you that round octopus shape. then you’re gonna stuff it firm but not rock hard because you need to be able to sew the legs on later without it being impossible
before you close the bottom completely you gotta think about whether you want a flat bottom or rounded. flat bottom means your octopus can sit up which is cute, rounded is more realistic but then it tips over. I did flat by just doing a round of decreases and then sewing it shut flat across
now the legs are where it gets repetitive but also kinda meditative? each leg starts the same – magic ring with 4 or 5 sc depending on how thick you want them. I did 5 because skinny legs looked weird on my chubby octopus head. then you just work in a spiral doing single crochet for like 20-25 rounds. some patterns tell you to increase slightly in the middle of the leg to make it more tentacle shaped but honestly I skipped that because it seemed fussy
here’s the thing nobody tells you – you don’t have to make all eight legs the same length. like in nature octopus legs are slightly different and also if you make some shorter it actually looks more natural and less robotic. I made six legs about 25 rounds and two legs about 20 rounds and it looked way better than when I tried to make them all identical
stuffing the legs is optional and this is where people have strong opinions. I stuffed mine about halfway down each leg using a chopstick to push the polyfil in, then left the bottom third unstuffed so they could curl and pose. if you stuff them all the way they stick out straight which looks kind of stiff. some people use wire in the legs so you can pose them but I never bother with that because it seems like a lot of work and also my cat would probably find a way to pull it out and eat it
oh and when you’re finishing each leg don’t cut the yarn super short – leave like a 12 inch tail because you’re gonna use that to sew them onto the body. this saves you from weaving in a million ends later which is the actual worst part of any crochet project
attaching the legs is where you gotta think about placement. I laid the body upside down and arranged all eight legs around it in a circle before I started sewing to make sure the spacing looked right. you want them evenly spaced obviously but also think about which way you want them to face if you posed them at all. I used a yarn needle and just whip stitched each leg onto the bottom of the body going around in a circle
the sewing part took me like 45 minutes which was way longer than I expected and my hand cramped up halfway through. make sure you’re going through both the leg and the body securely because kids (or cats) will pull on these and you don’t want legs falling off
some patterns add little suckers to the bottom of each tentacle using French knots or just sewing on tiny circles of white or cream colored yarn. I tried this on my first octopus and it looked cute but took forever so now I usually skip it unless someone specifically asks for it. if you do want suckers though, Lily Sugar’n Cream in white works good because it’s thin enough to not look bulky
color wise you can do literally whatever – I’ve seen people make rainbow octopi which look cool, or do color changes in the legs for stripes. the one I made last spring was solid teal but I’ve also done one in Caron Simply Soft in that purple heather color and it turned out really nice and soft. Caron is actually probably better for kids stuff because it’s machine washable and softer than Red Heart but also more expensive so depends on your budget
oh and gauge doesn’t matter that much for amigurumi as long as your stitches are tight enough that the stuffing doesn’t show through. I usually go down a hook size from what the yarn label recommends – so if the yarn says use a H hook I’ll use a G. this makes the fabric tighter and sturdier
one thing I wish I’d known earlier is that you can make baby octopus really fast as little gifts or ornaments. same pattern just stop the increases on the head earlier and make shorter legs. I made like six tiny ones in an evening once using sock weight yarn and a smaller hook and they were adorable
if you want to add details you can embroider a little smile with black yarn or embroidery floss. I usually do just a simple curved line or sometimes a little wavy mouth. some people get real elaborate with expressions but keeping it simple looks better in my opinion – too much detail can make it look busy
the other optional thing is adding texture to the head by doing some surface crochet or embroidery to suggest the octopus texture but again this is one of those things that looks nice in photos but in real life you can’t really tell so I don’t usually bother unless I’m making one to keep for myself
trouble shooting stuff – if your octopus head is coming out cone shaped instead of round you’re probably increasing too fast or not enough. count your stitches each round to make sure you’re hitting the right numbers. if it’s ruffling you’re increasing too much, if it’s cupping you’re not increasing enough
if the legs are twisting as you crochet them that’s normal for working in a spiral, they’ll straighten out mostly when you stuff them and attach them. you can also block them with a little steam if they’re really twisted but I’ve never actually done this because it seems like… there’s gotta be better ways to spend your time
the magic ring can be tricky if you’re not used to it and sometimes it loosens up over time leaving a hole in the head. you can start with chain 2 and work into the first chain instead if magic ring isn’t working for you, then just pull the starting tail really tight and weave it in secure
I’ve made probably five or six octopi at this point and honestly each one goes faster because you memorize the pattern. the first one took me like three days working on and off, now I can do one in an evening if I’m focused and not watching TV or whatever
yarn amounts – for a medium sized octopus maybe 6-7 inches tall you’ll use probably 150-200 yards total. I always have yarn left over though so don’t go buying a ton. one skein of worsted weight is usually enough for the whole thing unless you’re making it huge
you can also do different textures by using like a fuzzy yarn for the head and smooth for the legs or whatever but mixing yarn types can look weird if they’re too different in weight. stick with all the same weight yarn even if you change colors or textures
honestly the best thing about octopus patterns is they’re forgiving – if you mess up a few stitches it’s not gonna be obvious because the shape is organic and lumpy anyway. not like making a sweater where everything has to be perfect or it won’t fit right
last tip is take breaks when you’re doing all eight legs because it gets boring and you’ll start getting sloppy. I usually do 2-3 legs then switch to something else for a bit then come back to it
