Who doesn’t need a pint-sized squishy, tentacled companion? Or better yet, an entire family of octopus friends?

Opie is the smallest member of my cephalopod collection, and a great place to start your creature knitting career. Opie’s best features include his sleepy eyes and wonderfully squishable body. Opie is 15 inches / 38 cm in length, and worked in the round with intarsia tentacles worked flat.

Octopuses (not octopi) are members of the cephalopod family. Opie’s knitted cephalopod family includes Opus and Opal the Octopuses, Inkling the Squid, and Horatio the Nautilus.

Kits including wool stuffing and specialty cat-pupil eyes are available here: www.infinitetwist.com/shop/opie-the-mini-octopus

Important note: Opie is for decorative purposes only. This item is not a toy, and the design does not meet any safety standards for toys. The kit and pattern are sold on an “as is” basis, therefore the risk of the quality and performance of the design is with the buyer.

About this Pattern

Skill Level: Beginner / Intermediate.

Skills Needed: Basic knitting skills, plus increases (m1r, m1l, kfb, kfbf), decreases (ssk, k2tog).
 
Finished Size: Head diameter: 4 inches / 10 cm, length: 15 inches / 38 cm

Yarn:
MC: Infinite Twist Handspun, Halo Heather or Cosmos suggested 150 yards.
CC: Helix, 200 yards.
Samples shown in Dragon / Celery, and Saffron / Winter Sun.

Yarn is held double on the underside of Opie’s tentacles, and
the eyelids are knitted with a single strand of yarn.

Needles:
U.S. size 5/3.75 mm DPNs, 2 sets, 10 needles total, or any size yielding gauge.
U.S. size 0/2.0mm DPNs, or short straight needles for eyelids

Gauge: 18 sts and 26 rows over 4 inches / 10 cm (for body).
 
Notions:
4 oz. /113 gm wool stuffing
Two (2) 5/8 inch / 18 mm cat pupil plastic safety eyes.
Stitch markers, 2 (different colors recommended)
Yarn needle