Yarn in lavender
DK (3) · 100% cotton
Authored material selection for the head, arms, and underside. Consumption has not been measured.
Amigurumi
No-Sew Mini Octopus Amigurumi Pattern
A little rounded octopus with eight curly arms
Crochet a small octopus with a rounded head, eight integrated curly arms, and an embroidered face. This original development draft uses an authored design rather than a supplied visual reference and requires human review and physical testing.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Hook
- 2.5 mm
- Yarn
- DK (3)
- Size
- Approximately 4–5 cm, excluding arms; unmeasured design target.
- Construction
- One piece with integrated curly arms.
Testing statusNot yet human-testedFREE
Nobody has made this one start to finish yet. Check your stitch counts as you go, and tell us if something does not add up.
- Intended overall width
- Approximately 9–11 cm with arms resting naturally; unmeasured design target.
- Height
- 5 cm
- Width
- 11 cm
- Terminology
- US terms
- Sewing
- No sewing
About This Pattern
Crochet a small octopus with a rounded head, eight integrated curly arms, and an embroidered face. This original development draft uses an authored design rather than a supplied visual reference and requires human review and physical testing.
You'll learn / practice
- Magic ring
- Working in continuous rounds
- Single crochet increases and decreases
- Working in front loops and reserved back loops
- Making curly chain branches
- Embroidering facial details
- Closing a small amigurumi opening
Pattern construction
Construction
One piece with integrated curly arms.
No sewing required
Needs stuffing
Polyester fiberfill
What you'll need
Gather these before you begin.
Materials (3)
Yarn in black
Fingering (1) · 100% cotton
Authored selection for embroidering two small eyes and a smile; use a short length. Consumption has not been measured.
Polyester fiberfill
Polyester
For the head only. Leave all eight arms unstuffed.
If you swap a material
Smooth DK acrylic yarn for the lavender cotton
The head may feel softer and the curls may hold a different shape; size and consumption can change.
Retain all stitch counts and choose a hook that produces closed fabric. Follow the replacement yarn's care instructions.
Tools (5)
2.5 mm crochet hook
Tapestry needle
Removable stitch marker
× 2
Scissors
Measuring tape
Abbreviations
- ch
- Chain.
- sc
- Single crochet.
- sl st
- Slip stitch.
- inc
- Work 2 single crochet stitches in one stitch.
- dec
- Single crochet the next 2 stitches together to make 1 stitch.
- FLO
- Front loop only.
- BLO
- Back loop only.
- st
- Stitch.
- Rnd
- Round.
Before You Start
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Instructions
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Round 1 of 12
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Round 1 — Octopus · Head Rnd 1
With lavender, make a magic ring and work 6 sc into it. Pull the ring closed.
Stitch count: 6 stitches
Round 2 — Octopus · Head Rnd 2
Inc in each st around.
Stitch count: 12 stitches
Round 3 — Octopus · Head Rnd 3
(Sc 1, inc) 6 times.
Stitch count: 18 stitches
Round 4 — Octopus · Head Rnd 4
(Sc 2, inc) 6 times.
Stitch count: 24 stitches
Round 5 — Octopus · Head Rnd 5
(Sc 3, inc) 6 times.
Stitch count: 30 stitches
Round 6 — Octopus · Head Rnds 6–9
Sc in each st around for 4 rounds.
Stitch count: 30 stitches
Tips
The head has a rounded crown and four straight rounds, with 30 stitches in each round.
Round 7 — Octopus · Head Rnd 10
(Sc 3, dec) 6 times.
Stitch count: 24 stitches
Tips
There are 24 stitches around the open lower edge. Keep the lavender working loop secured while adding the face.
Round 8 — Octopus · Embroider the face
Secure the lavender working loop with a marker. Choose the front opposite the round-start marker. With black yarn, embroider two short vertical eyes, each spanning the height of Head Rnd 7. Leave 4 stitch columns between the eyes. Below them, between Head Rnds 8 and 9, make a small V-shaped smile using 2 straight stitches: place the upper endpoints 2 stitch columns apart and the shared lower point one round lower, centered between them. Secure the black ends inside the open head and trim. Resume the lavender working loop.
Stitch count: 24 stitches
Tips
The face is complete, black ends are secured inside, and all 24 rim stitches remain available.
Round 9 — Octopus · Arm pass
Work only into the front loops of Head Rnd 10. Repeat the following sequence exactly 8 times: sc in the FLO of the next head st; ch 13; beginning in the 2nd ch from the hook, work 2 sc in each of the 12 chains back toward the head; sl st through both top loops of the rim sc made immediately before this chain; sc in the FLO of each of the next 2 head stitches. After the eighth repeat, all 24 head front loops have been used. Do not fasten off. Each arm has 24 sc; each repeat uses 3 head stitches. The 24 rim sc are counted separately from the arm stitches and anchoring slip stitches.
Stitch count: 24 stitches
Tips
Eight arms surround the head. There are 24 unused back loops immediately inside their bases.
Round 10 — Octopus · Underside Rnd 1
Fold the arms outward to expose the reserved back loops of Head Rnd 10. Without cutting the yarn, insert the hook into the first reserved back loop and begin the underside. Working into these reserved loops only, (sc 2, dec) 6 times. Each dec uses the next 2 reserved back loops. Mark the first underside sc. Ignore the stitches of the arm pass.
Stitch count: 18 stitches
Tips
All 24 reserved back loops are used exactly once, producing 18 underside stitches. The arms sit outside this new round.
Round 11 — Octopus · Underside Rnd 2
Working through both loops of the underside stitches, (sc 1, dec) 6 times. Add small tufts of fiberfill through the remaining opening. Fill the head evenly without packing the lower edge tightly; keep the arms unstuffed.
Stitch count: 12 stitches
Tips
The head is stuffed and the underside has 12 stitches. The base should remain gently flattened rather than bulging.
Round 12 — Octopus · Underside Rnd 3
Dec 6 times. Cut the lavender yarn, leaving a 15 cm tail, and pull the tail through the working loop.
Stitch count: 6 stitches
Tips
Six stitches surround the small final opening; close it with the yarn tail during finishing.
Round 1 — Octopus · Head Rnd 1
With lavender, make a magic ring and work 6 sc into it. Pull the ring closed.
Stitch count: 6 stitches
Assembly & finishing
Close the underside
Thread the lavender tail onto the tapestry needle. Pass it through the front loop of each of the 6 stitches from Underside Rnd 3, in round order. Pull gently to close the opening. Secure the tail with a small backstitch through the underside fabric, then pass it through the stuffed head and bring it out on the opposite side. Trim close so the end retracts inside.
Arrange all eight arms
Check that all 8 arms are outside the closed underside and free from trapped loops. Gently roll each arm between your fingers in its natural curling direction. Spread the arms around the head without stretching them straight. Weave any remaining lavender starting tail through the inside of the crown before burying and trimming it; do not attach any arm with a separate seam.
Maker tips
Mark the first reserved back loop before starting the arm pass so the underside starting point stays easy to find.
Count 12 worked chains on every arm. Missing the chain nearest the head produces a shorter curl.
Keep the anchoring slip stitch loose enough to avoid pinching the arm base.
Use small tufts of stuffing to preserve the head shape while keeping the underside shallow.
Troubleshooting
There are fewer or more than eight arms.
- Cause
- An arm repeat used a different number of head stitches.
- Fix
- Undo the arm pass to the error. Each repeat must use exactly 3 front loops: one for the arm-bearing sc and two for the following rim sc.
The underside has missing attachment loops.
- Cause
- Some arm-pass stitches were worked through both loops of the head rim.
- Fix
- Undo the affected arm repeats and remake them in FLO. Restore all 24 reserved back loops before beginning the underside.
An arm stays mostly straight.
- Cause
- The return row may contain one sc per chain instead of two, or the chain was stretched tightly.
- Fix
- Check that the arm contains 24 sc over 12 chains. Remake an incorrect arm before continuing, then gently encourage the natural curl with your fingers.
The underside protrudes below the arms.
- Cause
- Stuffing is packed too tightly against the lower opening.
- Fix
- Before the final decrease round, remove a little stuffing from the base and redistribute the remaining fill toward the crown.
Variations
Shorter curly arms
During each of the eight arm repeats, replace ch 13 with ch 10. Beginning in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 2 sc in each of 9 chains, giving 18 sc per arm. Keep the anchoring slip stitch, three rim stitches per repeat, all head counts, and all underside counts unchanged.
Two-color underside
Complete the lavender arm pass, then change to a second shade of the same selected yarn when pulling up the first loop of Underside Rnd 1. Work the entire underside in that shade with unchanged counts. Secure both color-change ends inside before stuffing.
Care & finishing
Care
For the selected cotton yarn and polyester filling, gently hand wash with mild detergent if their labels permit. Support the head, avoid pulling the arms, press out water without wringing, and reshape the curls before air drying completely.
Finishing ideas
Check every material label before washing. Reassess care if substituting yarn or filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this pattern require sewing?
No crocheted pieces are sewn together. All eight arms are crocheted directly onto the head. A needle is used to embroider the face, close the final opening, and secure ends.
Why are the arms worked in front loops only?
This leaves 24 back loops available for the underside. The underside uses those original head loops rather than the new arm-pass stitches.
Is this suitable for a first amigurumi project?
The individual stitches are simple, but returning to reserved loops and managing eight chain branches require careful stitch recognition. The pattern is rated intermediate for these construction steps.
Is the listed size guaranteed?
No. The dimensions are unmeasured design targets, and no measured gauge is available. Yarn, hook, tension, stuffing, and how the curls settle affect the finished size.
Has this pattern been physically tested?
No. This original development draft requires human review and physical testing before publication.
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