I can’t say that I’ve ever felt the desire to hug an actual octopus, but a stuffed one has a distinct appeal: eight embracing arms! With such magnanimity, a Knit Octopus makes a pretty sweet companion!
What I didn’t know about designing an octopus was that it would put me on a deep-sea exploration of knitting’s inherent intelligence. Knitting, like the ocean itself, answers to an inscrutable essence, part natural law and part mystery. Bound by the mathematics of eight, this Knit Octopus practically created itself, and so to me, the result feels magically inevitable.
And for mathematical magic there’s nothing better than the purity of warm white. Blue Sky’s Sport Weight Alpaca in Natural White brings a lovely serenity and simplicity to the Knit Octopus, while the wonderful softness of 100% baby alpaca (doubled!) brings us back to all that hugging I was talking about!
I hope, like me, that when you create your Knit Octopus you feel a little bit like the Jacques Cousteau of knitting, probing the fathomless world of knits and purls, learning a little something along the way! -Whitney
Materials
- 6 skeins of Blue Sky’s Sport Weight Alpaca – Solids, 100% baby alpaca, in the color Natural White. PLEASE NOTE: This pattern uses just about all of the 6 skeins. So if you’re worried about running out of yarn, please buy an extra skein. You can exchange it if you don’t end up needing it (click right here for Purl Soho’s return policy).
- A bag of Fairfield’s Poly-Fil stuffing
- About 2 yards of scrap yarn for the eyes. We used Blue Sky’s Sport Weight Alpaca in Natural Light Gray.
- US 6, 16-inch circular needles
- A set of US 6 double pointed needles
Gauge
4 1/2 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch, with the yarn doubled
Size
Circumference around widest part of Body: 20 1/2 inches
Height of Body: 7 1/2 inches
Length of each Arm: 10 inches
Note
You will use the Sport Weight Alpaca doubled throughout this pattern. The easiest way to do this is to pull from two balls at once.
Pattern
Body
Using two strands of the Sport Weight Alpaca, cast 6 stitches onto the double pointed needles.
Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Round 1: Knit into front and back (kfb) 6 times. (12 stitches)
Round 2: *K1, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (18 stitches)
Round 3: *K2, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (24 stitches)
Round 4: Knit.
Round 5: *K3, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (30 stitches)
Round 6: Knit.
Round 7: *K4, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (36 stitches)
Round 8: Knit.
Round 9: *K5, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (42 stitches)
Round 10: Knit.
Round 11: *K6, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (48 stitches)
Round 12: Knit.
Round 13: *K7, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (54 stitches)
Rounds 14 and 15: Knit.
Round 16: *K8, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (60 stitches)
Rounds 17 and 18: Knit.
Round 19: *K9, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (66 stitches)
Rounds 20 and 21: Knit.
Changing to the 16-inch circular needle…
Round 22: *K10, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (72 stitches)
Rounds 23-25: Knit.
Round 26: *K11, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (78 stitches)
Rounds 27-29: Knit.
Round 30: *K12, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (84 stitches)
Knit for 2 1/2 inches.
Next Round: *K12, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (78 stitches)
Knit 2 rounds.
Next Round: *K11, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (72 stitches)
Knit 4 rounds.
Next Round: *K11, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (78 stitches)
Knit 1 round.
Next Round: *K12, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (84 stitches)
Knit 1 round.
Next Round: *K13, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (90 stitches)
Knit 1 round.
Next Round: *K14, kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (96 stitches)
Set the Body aside without cutting the yarn.
First Arm
With the yarn doubled, cast 6 stitches onto three double pointed needles.
Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Round 1: Knit.
Round 2: K1, make 1 left (m1l), knit to end of round, make 1 right (m1r). (8 stitches)
Round 3: K4, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 4: K1, m1l, k3, p1, knit to end of round, m1r. (10 stitches)
Rounds 5 and 6: K4, p1, k1, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 7: K1, m1l, k4, p1, knit to end of round, m1r. (12 stitches)
Round 8: K6, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 9: K5, p1, k1, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 10: K1, m1l, k4, p1, k1, p1, knit to end of round, m1r. (14 stitches)
Rounds 11 and 12: K5, (p1, k1) 2 times, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 13: K6, p1, k1, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 14: K1, m1l, k5, p1, k1, p1, knit to end of round, m1r. (16 stitches)
Rounds 15 and 16: K6, (p1, k1) 2 times, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 17: K5, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 18: K1, m1l, k4, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1, knit to end of round, m1r. (18 stitches)
Rounds 19 and 20: K7, (p1, k1) 2 times, p1, knit to end of round.
Round 21 and 22: K6, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1, knit to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 19-22 until piece measures 10 inches from the tip, stuffing the Arm lightly as you go. End 5 stitches before the end of a Round 20. Cut a 12-inch tail.
Slip the next 11 stitches onto one double pointed needle and arrange the remaining 7 stitches onto another double pointed needle.
Now weave in the cast on tail to encourage the slight curl at the tip of the Arm. Weave the tail up the center stitch of the stockinette side.
And weave it back down toward the tip to secure.
Attach Arm to Body
Returning to the Body, knit 12 stitches.
**Flip the Body over so the circular needle is on the bottom and the knitting is on the top.
With wrong sides facing each other, hold the double pointed needle with 11 stitches parallel to the left-hand circular needle.
Using the 12-inch tail from the Arm, work Kitchener Stitch to graft the 11 stitches of the Arm to the next 11 stitches of the Body. (There will be one stitch from the Body remaining. Leave it on the circular needle.)
Put the Arm’s remaining 7 stitches on a piece of scrap yarn.
Flip the Body over again and with the right side facing you, knit the next 12 stitches.
Set the Body aside.
More Arms
*Knit another Arm identical to the first.
To attach it to the Body, repeat from ** of the Attach Arm to Body section.
Repeat from * until you have made and attached a total of eight Arms (Do not knit 12 stitches after attaching the final Arm).
You should now have 8 stitches on the circular needle, one between each Arm. Make sure the end-of-the-round marker is still in place.
Bottom
Now working with the circular needle and the yarn that is still attached to the Body…
Round 1: Pick up 1 stitch from between the last Arm attached and the next stitch on the needle. The red dot in this photo shows you where.
*Purl the next stitch, then pick up 1 stitch from between the stitch you just purled and the next Arm.
Slip the 7 stitches from the next Arm onto the left end of the circular needle. Remove the scrap yarn.
Working those 7 stitches, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1. Then pick up 1 stitch between the last stitch purled and the next stitch on the needle.
Repeat from * to the end of the round, finishing with the 7 stitches of the eighth Arm. (80 stitches)
Round 2: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Now is a good time to even out any tension issues from grafting on the Arms and to weave in the remaining ends.
Round 3: *(P1, k1) 3 times, p2tog, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (64 stitches)
Changing to the double pointed needles…
Round 4: *P1, k1, repeat from * to end of round.
Rounds 5 and 6: Repeat Round 2.
Stuff the Body so it is nice and plump, and keep adding stuffing as you finish.
Round 7: (P1, k1) 2 times, p2tog, k2tog, repat from * to end of round. (48 stitches)
Rounds 8-10: Repeat Rounds 4-6.
Round 11: P1, k1, p2tog, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (32 stitches)
Rounds 12-14: Repeat Rounds 4-6.
Round 15: *P2tog, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (16 stitches)
Knit 2 rounds.
Next Round: K2tog 8 times. (8 stitches)
Cut a 12-inch tail and thread it through the remaining stitches. Then sew the tail through the center of the Bottom up to the top center of the Body, causing the center Bottom to pull in a little bit. Weave in the tail.
Eyes
Using a tapestry needle and scrap yarn (I doubled a scrap of Blue Sky Sport Weight Alpaca’s Natural Light Gray), backstitch a sleeping eye onto the Body, a few rounds above the first round of decreases.
Make another eye to match the first.
Give your octopus a squeeze and you’re all done!
Update: Now in Season Alpaca!
August 8, 2018
For an update to our eight-legged friend we used our super soft Season Alpaca, doubled for twice the nice, in cool and simple Dove Gray. But like color-fickle octopuses themselves, we think practically any color would yield equally tantalizing tentacles! Read all about it here!
PRINT
I finally finished my octopus! I made it for my cousin’s baby who is turning one tomorrow. I must say eight legs is a lot:) But I’m so glad it turned out and thank you for an inspiring pattern! I love the PurlBee.
Is it possible to knit this on a circular needle? Are there any issues i might have?
Hello Kate!
Double Pointed Needles are a version of circular needles, but since they are disjointed they can accommodate projects in the round with very small circumferences, like the octopus’ tentacles! You could use connected circular needles to create this pattern, but you would need to use the magic loop method to create such small tubes of knitting.
Hope this helps and best of luck! -Alyson
Of course you can! You can do anything you like! There are no knitting police, and no one is going to stop you from using circulars. You can use the Magic Loop method, or use two circulars — or some other method. Who cares! It is YOUR knitting, so do whatever YOU need to do to get the job done! And enjoy yourself!!
Hi There, this is my first project using double pointed needles, and I may be in over my head! I finally finished the body, but I’m having the hardest time with the arms. The hardest part for me is m1L/R, I think because I have so few stitches and it’s difficult to see the “bridge”. Can I use another increase method or will the results be different? Thanks!!
Hello Magnolia!
Of course you can use a different increase! We chose m1R/L because we think they are the most elegant and invisible technique. Doing kfb would also totally work, and they would give the tentacles a little more texture.
Keep up the diligent work with the double pointed needles, once you master those you can make almost any shape with knitting! Enjoy! -Alyson
Hi,
I was wandering if I can use much thicker yarn tho make it really huge? I ‘ve got some polyester, fluffy and incredibly soft yarn that fits for 5 or even 6mm needles. Do you think that there’s the point to try this pattern with this kind of yarn?
Thanks in advance for your answer
Manuela
Hello, Manuela!
Thank you for writing in! You can totally use thicker yarn to make a larger octopus! Please keep us updated on your progress and let us know if you have any further questions!
Best,
Kumeko
Hi, I am knitting the octopus right now and am a little confused on the pattern. When attaching the final arm do you knit the 12 stitches you attach it to?
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for writing in! You will not knit 12 stitches after attaching the final arm of the octopus. Otherwise, you will follow the same directions for attaching the final arm as you did for the previous arms.
I hope that this clears things up!
Cassy
I have been looking for an octobus for a while its good for premiered babies to comfort them as umbilical cord. Thank you so much. X
Hi,
I would like to know how to design these kind of patterns; like the octopus. I like to believe I could so it to but maybe that is wishfull thinking. Is there a book to lwarn from or do you just need to be born wit these kind of designing skills? BR, Guillaumine (the Netherlands)
Hi Guillaumine,
Thanks you for the question! Designing your own patterns isn’t difficult if you are willing to put in the work and believe in your design enough to follow through and make it happen. The first thing you need is a lot of knitting experience because this helps you choose useful and creative techniques to knit what you need to. When I am designing I do tons of swatches and figure out my preferred gauge. From there you’ll do a lot of math based on your gauge. When knitting your sample it might not always turn our right and you’ll need a lot of patience and perseverance at this point! Best of luck and happy knitting!
-Adam
Hey Adam, thanks for your quick reply. I am glad to hear that there are no special skills or (multiple) study required. I have some experience with knitting but I do believe the experience I have might not be enough. I knitted the octopus and I am very happy with the end result. I am going to break my head about my own design then.. Thanks again! BR, Guillaumine.
Love this pattern! Finished the body and started working on the arms. I have a question about the ending though. How do not lose your needle when curling the center part of the bottom? Is there a special trick?
Hi Josie,
Thank you for writing in and for your kind words! There is no special trick here! You just want to be sure that you have left a long enough tail at your cast on (at least 6 inches), so that you have the room to weave the end in, secure the bit of curl and still have extra yarn to pull your needle out!
Best,
Cassy
Can you just buy it already made.?
Hi Jaimie,
Thanks for writing in! We do not sell the items premade. We do have all of the supplies available! We are also happy to answer any questions here on the project page!
Best,
Cassy
What is the purpose of knitting with two strands? Is it to give the fabric thickness so the stuffing doesn’t show through? Could I get a smaller size with one stand?
Hi Savannah,
Thanks for writing in! We hold the two strands together to get a good thick fabric that will not show the stuffing and to get the size of the octopus. You can certainly use a single strand of yarn to make this octopus. You will want to go down a needle size or two to get a goof tight fabric. Additionally, please do note that the smaller the yarn, the smaller the size of the octopus. You will certainly want to swatch and try out different needle sizes to get the fabric that will work for this lovely octopus!
Best,
Cassy
How much yarn was used for the tentacles? I have the crazy idea of hand dyeing some speckled on the yarn for the tentacles to give them a bit of dimension, and I want to have it all ready to go ahead of time.
Hi Lindsey,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, we did not note the amount of yarn used for each section of this project so I am not sure how much yarn each leg takes or how much yarn they take in toto. You could certainly knit one leg and note how much yarn you use and that will give you an idea of the amount all the legs together will take. I would wager that it is somewhere between 50 and 75% of of the total yardage but this is just a guess based on the size of each section.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Thanks Cassy! I purchased 8 50g skeins to have some extra, so my thought is to go ahead and dye 4 of them now, then I can do more later if needed. I’m looking forward to working on it!
Can you please explain what is meant by flipping the knitting over, when attaching the arms, so that the body is on top of the circular needles?
Hello Joan,
Thank you for writing us! This is just in reference to the orientation of the Octopus as you are working on it. When you begin to attach the arms to the bottom the the body you must flip the body so that the bottom of the body is ready to be worked on.
I hope this clears things up and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Thank you Marilla. I have been taken up by another project so I have only just seen your answer.
I did attach four arms before I had to put the octopus down and I sort of muddled my way through! I hope it all turns out OK when I finish it!
I did find it difficult though.
I am almost done and am confused by the very end. I weave in and close the bottom. I pull the rest of the tail where? To the top or to the side to get the nice tucked look? Thank you!
Hello Katrina,
Thank you for reaching out and congratulations on being almost done with this adorable project! Once you have threaded your tail through your remaining stitches with your tapestry needle you will sew the tail going bottom up and then weave in your tail.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I really appreciate that you answer all the questions posted. Thank you for your time! I did not understand this answer tho … after the tail is through the remaining stitches and you bring needle up thru the bottom … where does the needle go from the bottom? Just up and around the stuffing inside and then out against bottom or ?? Sorry for my confusion.
Hi Gabrielle,
No need to apologize, we’re happy to clarify anything! You will be pushing the needle up through the stuffing, straight through the center of the body, until it comes out at the top of the head, where you cast on to begin the body, and pulling the yarn tightly enough to indent the bottom of the body. You will then weave in your end at the top of the body to secure it.
I hope that clears things up!
Best,
Julianna
I am just reading through the pattern and I don’t understand the last instruction at the end of the finished first tentacle leg.
It reads “End 5 stitches before a Round 20”. What does this mean?
The way I read the pattern it seems that I will not have 20 stitches only 18 stitches on my finished leg Round and I am by this time knitting Round 21 and 22.
Tanya😦
I think I have figured it out as the Rounds 19-22 repeat to give the leg length, then I knit to the last 5 stitches of that last round Which will be a repeat of Round 20 to finish.
Hi Tanya,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, it does sound like you’ve got it! Please let us know if you run into any more problems and we will be happy to help!
Best,
Julianna
This looks to be 25 pages to print out – don’t think I need all the pictures – is there a button to click on to just get the text? Thanks!
Hello Gretchen,
Thank you for reaching out! If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. To remove images, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Thanks for your help – sorry to be so long in getting back with the “thanks” – I was caught up in knitting my octopus! Much as I find knitting seed stitch to be annoyingly tedious, it is the perfect stitch for the arms and underside and really takes this pattern out of the run of the mill and into “extraordinary”
I would like to attempt this project; however, I cannot afford 100% baby alpaca yarn. It indicates “sport” yarn, but sport yarn comes in different weights and textures. What other similar alternatives could you recommend?
Hi Catherine,
We hear you! We totally understand that sometimes our yarn suggestions are more of an inspiration than a reality for many people. We are always happy to recommend less expensive (but still beautiful!) alternatives. Sport refers to a standard yarn weight that is thicker than fingering weight but thinner than DK – however, since we held it double, you could also substitute a single strand of a worsted weight yarn! I would suggest either using a double strand of Cotton Pure, which will require three skeins, or a single strand of Cascade 220, which will require only two skeins.
Thank you so much for asking. We’re sure that lots of other readers will thank you, too!
Julianna
Hi!
Do you put stuffing in the arms or only the body?
Thanks!
Hi Janelle,
Thanks for reaching out! The arms are stuffed as well! We recommend that you stuff them as you go when knitting them to make it as easy as possible!
Best,
Cassy
Hi, I’ve just started knitting the body and the pattern seems to read like garter stitch the whole way but the image is clearly stocking stitch. Did I miss something?
Thanks.
Hi Zitah,
Thanks for writing in! Although knitting every row does create garter stitch when worked flat, when working in the round (as we do for our Knit Octopus), it creates stockinette stitch!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Very excited about this project! I’ve just finished the body and I’m a bit confused about how to begin the first leg. It says to set the body aside without cutting the yarn. How am I supposed to cast on the first leg without cutting the yarn from the body? I’m still fairly new to knitting and I’ve never made an animal before. Please help!
Hi Kathryn,
Great question! If you have another ball of yarn available, I would start the legs from that ball of yarn, or if you are working from a center pull ball of yarn, you could work from the opposite end of the same ball. If neither of those are an option, you can cut your yarn – the only downside is you will have an extra end or two to weave in when you are done.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi there!
This knitting pattern is awesome but I do have a question!
when it says to cast 6 stitches onto three double pointed needles, does that mean cast 6 onto each individual needle? I’m Just a bit lost.
I also wanted to ask if I’m supposed to continue using the thread from the body to start the first arm, as it says do not cut the yarn from the body ?
Thanks!
Faith
Hello Faith,
Thank you for reaching out! You will cast on a total of 6 stitches, so this means that you are casting 2 stitches onto each of the 3 needles. When you are moving onto the arm you will just start knitting with a new skein!
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi,
I have never knit a 3D, stuffed shape before. When I usually finish a project, I wash, block and dry the piece before completing it. Since this is stuffed, is that step removed from the process?
Thanks,
Meg
Hi Meg,
Great question! Usually stuffed animals are not blocked before stuffing, due to the inherent difficulty of wet blocking an empty three dimensional piece. Also, the stuffing and finishing process tends to pull everything into the correct shape without the need to block. If you find that it needs a light blocking after it is finished, I would recommend lightly spray blocking after stuffing.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi!
Cute octo! Is there a printable pattern available? Can’t wait to make this for my friends new baby! Thanks!
Karla
Hi Karla,
Thanks for reaching out! If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials. To remove images, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Thanks so much
I am loving this pattern so far! I have a question now that I have attached my first of eight arms. After I Kitchener stitch the arm to the body, I see the instructions say to knit the next 12 stitches of the body. Do i knit these next 12 stitches using the remainder of the tail from the arm, or do I use the tail from the body? Thank you! Happy Holidays!
Hello Adrienne,
Thank you for this question and congratulations on being almost done! You will se the yarn that is still attached to the Body. I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
In the instructions for the body, immediately following Round 30, it says “Knit for 2 1/2 inches.” Is that a typo? Should it say “2 rounds” instead?
Hello Allison,
Thank you for reaching out! This is not a typo, it is the point in the process of knitting your spherical body that you have stopped increases and not yet begun to decrease. I hope this makes sense and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi,
I am working on attaching the second arm and I’m a little confused about where the working strand for the body should be. Having knit the next 12 sts after attaching the first arm the working strand is now on the first stitch of the lefthand needle when I turn the project over to kitchener the second arm — meaning the stitch with the working yarn will be worked into the kitchener stitches. However, in the images it looks like the working yarn (when doing the kitchener stitch) is on the righthand needle. Is this an optical illusion? Where should the working strand be when I am attaching the subsequent arms?
Thanks,
Josephine
Hi Josephine,
Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like you are on the right track and it is a bit of an optical illusion! You will be working kitchener beginning with the last stitch you knitted from each set of 12, leaving the working yarn attached so after the kitchener stitch is complete you can continue knitting on the next set of stitches.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna