Octo Amigurumi Rewrite!

I got a request to rewrite my Octopus pattern, some people where having a hard time reading the Blue font agains a grey backround.  So here it is---

Amigurumi Octo

A beginers tutorial and pattern

You will need the fallowing--
A small amount of yarn any color you like- if its balled the size of a tennis ball should be more then enough to make one or even two
A stitch marker so you can see where your rounds starts and stops-  I used to use a scrap of contrasting yarn but I have had it get pulled out on accident (I think the cats do it on purpose but i will call it an accident till I catch them) so now I just use a bobby pin and it works great but like i said you dont have to go out and buy some fancy set of stitch markers a scrap of yarn will do (unless you have kitties like mine)
Crochet hook- Any size will work but check the lable of the yarn you are using (if there is no label just the thinner the yarn the smaller the hook the thicker the larger) The smaller the hook the smaller the finished item with turn out and vice versa large hook large octo.  I just used a US size F hook because my yarn is WW
Stuffing of choice -I use polyfil
Eyes - I used Safty eyes because they are child safe , but you can felt on eyes, or sew buttons on as eyes, or even embroider on eyes!
Yarn needle for finishing.

HEAD
You can start any way you feel works best for you I show two methods for how I start


 Start A Chain 2, then make 6 sc in the second chain stitch from the hook (the first loop)

 Start B Magic Ring 6 sc  (here is a video of how to start with a magic right it was made for my Penguin but its the exact same process )

R2- Increase (Inc) in each stitch (12)

 R3- Inc, sc repeat all the way around (18)

 R4- Inc, sc2 repeat (24)

R5- Inc, sc3 repeat (30)

R6-11 SC all (30) (you will repeat this round till you have 11 rows)

 R12- This is the decrease and leg's round- you can choose if you want to work the legs as part of the body (so you dont have to sew them on later) or if you want to have more then 6 legs just work the decrease and ignore the parts in bold where I have you chain a length to add in the legs.  I am going to have you do a FLO (front loops only) decrease which means you only hook under the loop closes to you and not both loops of a stitch this leaves a more eye appealing decrease and does leave a large gap that a normal decrease can cause.
 Work one dec, 'chain 22 (or if you want the legs longer/shorter chain more/less) DC twice into the 3rd chain stitch from the hook (I tend to add 3 or 4 if I am working with a thin yarn to get the twist really started), then 2 DC in each chain (or more if you want a tighter spiral) then SC into the next st' sc2  repeat from begining You should end up with 6 legs and 24 st's

 R13-Dec sc 2 (18) The dec should fall right at the leg spirals so you can just pick up a stitch on either side of the legs and work those for the dec and sc all other stitches

 R14- Dec, sc (12)

 From here you want to finish off the work, start by attaching your eyes and any other features you may like, then stuff.  I like to weave my working yarn tail threw the front loops of the last round of stitches and cinch it tight then secure and sew it shut. If you did the legs separate this is when you should find a placing you like and sew them in. I find between rounds 12-13 look best. The images I have of my progress where worked with the legs not attached but the process is exactly the same if you fallow the pictures and work them as part of the body.


I sorta rushed threw this so if something is unclear or worded in a way you dont understand just ask and I will help out!!

Felted eyes with a Jellyfish fuffle above the legs

Finished Juicy Fruits blanket!

So I finished!! I love how the colors seem to wiggle upwards. Now I feel like running around screaming 'I finished it!!!' My second baby blanket and this one is perfect, 40x36 inches evenly.

I would realy like to make this pattern again in black and gray only larger say 60x80.  Only thing stopping me is lack of yarn and $$$ to buy said yarn would take like 30 skeins.

Speaking of yarn my husband is so cute he came home the other day with three skeins of yarn, red/green/blue for me for no reason at all and two crochet magazines. I love that he thinks of me when he sees yarn its sweet.

Now that is this out of the way I am going to focus on what I am calling my 'Fall into Me' spiral vest.

Update time!

So I slacked off a bit with crochet and have not updated any new posts in a few weeks.  Sorry!!!

I have some news and a two WIP )works in progress( to show off.


First up, is the Juicy Fruits blanket pattern by Red Heart that I am working on.  You will notice the diffrence between mine and the original in the link above I am making mine smaller so it will be a perfect square, the pattern is worked in groups of 6 stitches so I just chained I believe 132 at the start instead of their recommended 152.  I also am using a J hook, and a variegated yarn that my sister gave to me with out a label.  I decied I didnt want to keep doing the color changes the way they are done in the pattern, firstly because weaving/hiding all those tails would take for ever, secondly I would rather work out a way to carry the color changes up so your not wasting 4 to 6 inches every change because in the end that's A LOT of yarn wasted.  I do think after I finish the blanket I am working on I will try this pattern again, but do it in black and gray's for myself and see if I cant find a better way to carry up the color change instead of wasting all that yarn.

Here is the project I have been working on since June, it took a bit of a back burner spot since I started the above pattern.  I think I am going to just turn it into a circle vest, there are still quite a few rounds left to finish this one, sadly my attempts to free form the spiral Phoenix like wings failed.  I really did try but I could not get wings to have that spiral affect and still line up and look like it was still part of the same project.

Here I will end with some happy/sad news.

Due to the person who placed first in the Stitch and Share not living with in the bounds of the contest regulations (sad news for her) they decided to pass the gift on to seconed place (happy dance news for meh).  They emailed me since I was their second place (insert more happy dance because they called me second place!!) and asked if I would like the prize.

Its 29 sample spools of artistic thread.  My favorite is that skein laying across the spools, its a beautiful teal colored Kreinik Silk Mori (4044) thats 100% silk and so soft.  I want to work it into a bracelet, but I want to honor the tread and not just make it into something to use it but make it into something beautiful.  My first thought was a granny square bracelet, I just need to find some squares that I think will do justice to this beautiful thread.

On a side note, why is it that when I get a project out to crochet on the cats migrate to it and lay on it?

Above our Black and White short hair american is Dayton, and below is our short hair Tortie Connie.

Impossible blanket

6 or 7 months ago my sister got this lovely crochet blanket. She brought it to me today to fix it. It was literally falling apart. I'm not sure who made it but whoever it was did not secure their color changes and it is falling apart at the color changes I did a quick fix for today but Jordan my niece could not go to sleep without her blankie so I am in the process of trying to recreate the blanket without having any idea what stitch this is.  It looks like a huge loop with a single double trouble crocheted into it but I'm not sure how she did the huge lips because they don't look like a huge loop a single crochet in a large hook would make but migh possably be a Broomsticks alteration or anything like that?

If anyone has some input it is greatly welcomed as this is my nieces favorite blankie she loves digging her fingers and toes into it and stretching.