#Needleworkmonday - Octopus... Octopuses... Octopi?

First off let me apologise to my fellow Needleworkers - I have been a bad friend for the past few months! I havent opened Steemit it over 3 months, so Ive missed a heck of a lot of posts and makes, but I think I am back :) Since I last posted I got some incredible crochet mojo and have been really busy working on marine animals and animal heads! Ive set up a FB page for my newly named crochet 'business' - Kimmy's Creations - and started listing on Etsy, with a long term view of crocheting full time. Work is still hectic, but im feeling motivated again to try to improve the situation.

So long story short, I have a bit of a catalogue of work to share with you guys, but I hope to do this on a more routine basis again, rather than once a quarter!

I had a quick scroll through the group today and cant believe the variety of skills that people have brought to the table now - really inspiring.

To get back in the swing of things, I want to share a collection of my makes in each post, starting this week with the octopuses :D

I follow Vanessa Mooncie's Octopus pattern from her Crochet Sea Creatures book, because it is one of my favourites. Her patterns always end up looking so lifelike and they are really easy to follow, with both diagrams and written instruction for all the parts. Sewing together is also limited, with a lot of the larger pieces being crocheted together, which is a huge plus for me! Im getting better with the needle, but it is far from my favourite part of the making process!

The Giant Green Octo is the best of my bunch I think. I didnt make him for anybody, so colour choice etc was all my own, which makes him special to me :) Ive been playing about with chunky yarn, and have found that using a 4.5mm hook, gives a really thick fabric that retains its shape quite well. The finished Octo is ~40cm wide and his tentacles are semi-manouverable.

Green Octopus (cropped).jpg

Ive finished this pattern a few times now, and here a few tips that you might find useful if/when you fancy trying it out:

  • A really important stitch in Mooncie's pattern is during Rows - she will often turn, then chain 1 and sc into the stitch in front. This boggled my mind when I was first starting these animals, but it is really easy and is a natural way of gaining a curve in the work - ideal for 3D items! I would advise the first time putting a stitch marker into your last stitch of your row, so that you can see where the hook goes - its really easy to either miss a stitch, or put an extra stitch in where it is not needed causing issues with the shape. It can also be quite tricky getting the hook through the backside of this new stitch, as it becomes quite tight from the way it is created - I use my nail to manipulate the hook through the right section.

  • Carefully count stitches when doing the legs - the pattern is repetative (8 legs x 2 pieces) so it can be easy to miss sections - Ive missed whole rows before, and while some errors can be hidden when stitching together, it can change the shape of the piece.

  • The bottom of Octo is given texture using bobble stitches - these should line up nicely if you've counted stitches! - and these pop out on the wrong side of the work. Ive gone through and popped mine back through to the right side on one project, which took ages and didnt look right.

  • When stitching together, you can significantly change the way the legs twist by playing with missing stitches/stitching two together etc. I like to create a bit of personality by making the legs twist and turn. If you like the legs to sit curled evenly all the way around, then you must line up your stitches - this is more difficult when stitching the foundation chains together, but pinning helps :)

  • Finally, dont be afraid to experiment with colour combos! I like my animals to have a bit of realism, but then infect some character in with unusual colours, so play about! Some of the combos Ive tried are below. The Yellow/blue beast was actually one requested, and I thought the colours were going to clash so badly, but I quite liked the finished thing!

Yellow & Blue Octopus.jpg

Pink & Grey Octopus.jpg

Pink & Beige Octopus.jpg

I hope you all find some useful tips here - if anyone wants to try the pattern and needs some advice, please just drop me a message, and I will try to help, but generally the instructions are very easy to follow and relatively quick to work up.

Thanks and hope to hear from you all soon!

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Very cuddly looking octopuses @kimbolo86! I like the colours too and thank you for sharing with us tips on crocheting this pattern.

Thanks @marblely :) they are certainly cuddly - 8 legs worth of cuddle!! Hopefully the tips are useful to someone!

Congratulations on your shop!!! I stalked liked you on facebook and I love your shop,: such cute and artful animals and creatures. I hope you will be successfull with your shop, because I think your artworks will make many people happy <3
And your Octupuslovelys are amazing, as are your helpful tips (but sadly I am to lazy to do crochet something so elaborate)
Thank you for sharing and hello back :-D

Thanks so much @neumannsalva! Your support is very appreciated :)

Wow these octopuses are quite amazing! Your crochet skills just get better and better! They really do look lifelike, I can see why you prefer her patterns. I really like the green and cream colored one as well as the orange and blue one! The way that blue pops on the bottom is intriguing.

I’ve missed seeing you around but I know how busy life can get. Congratulations on your business I’m sure it will do well. Thanks for sharing with us this week, it’s really great to see you here! 😊

Thanks so much! And its great to be back seeing how much progress you guys have made. Really well done! I look forward to sharing more soon :) xx

You’re very welcome!

Oh thank you! We look forward to seeing this initiative grow even more. It’s been a pleasure supporting this community :)

I love your tentacled animals - especially the color!

These short rows where you go back in the row you can do with knitting and crocheting, it's a great way to give something a shape.

Thanks @muscara - I love trying out unusual colour combos - really gives the stuffies some character :) Next one I do, I really want to add spots or something! The shaping rows are ingenius! When you first read the pattern it looks mega complicated, but once you understand how these stitches form shape, you realise how clever it is! Ive got a couple of Vanessa Mooncie's books and she routinely uses this technique :)