I am a bit of a yarn hoarder. I never ever throw away my yarn scraps. I use them for stuffing, mixed with polyfil. I also never throw out the tiny bits of yarn leftover from projects. It might be more than I would scrap for stuffing, but not quite enough for a project. The No-Sew Octo is the perfect design for the problem of tiny yarn balls taking over your home!
Maybe you are not being invaded and overrun by tiny yarn balls, as I am. That’s really none of my business, now is it. Well then, you can use this as just a fun project, making perfect handheld toys for your markets. That’s fine too!
These cute little octopuses are great for just getting your crochet groove back. Small pojects are super satifying, when you have a mountain of unfinished large projects haunting you. You can throw this together in 30 minutes, and then taunt those endless projects with how quickly you’ve finished!
The No-Sew Octo is an adaptation of my old No-Sew Small Octopus design, and currently only available here on the blog, and on Ravlery. You can purchase the PDF on Ravelry for a small fee, but if you prefer the free version here, I still appreciate you being here! A great way to support my blog is simply by sharing! Thank you for supporting my business!
Materials:
Scrap worsted weight yarns, in any colors
Small amount of worsted weight yarn for the eyes
– OR 6mm solid black safety eyes
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch marker
***If you wish to make it even smaller, here are some helpful materials for turning it into a keychain!
Paintbox Cotton DK – very small amount
Metal Pull Ring Rivets with Screws
Metal Lobster Claw Clasp and Split Key Rings
Fabri-Tac, Permanent Adhesive, Fabric Glue
Terms and abbreviations to know:
magic ring
rnd, rnds – round, rounds
ch, chs – chain, chains
st, sts – stitch, stitches
sk – skip
sl st – slip stitch
sc – single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
dc – double crochet
inc – work 2 sc sts together into the same st – always in reference to sc
FLO – front loop only
BLO – back loop only
invsc2tog – invisible single crochet 2 together, this is essentially a decrease, but done in such a way as to make the continuous stitching smoother, and the decrease not as noticeable.
- Insert hook into front loop only of next stitch, DO NOT yarn over.
- Insert hook into front loop of second st.
- Yarn over. Pull through 2 loops.
- Yarn over and pull through last 2 loops.
Notes:
The No-Sew Octo is worked in continuous rounds from the top down, with no joining. This scrap-yarn octopus is made all in one piece with no sewing! Just add the eyes before closing. He is made small enough to use scrap yarns, and only a tiny bit of stuffing! Use safety eyes for the eyes, or keep him soft with just some black yarn. Easy peasy! With just a few additional materials (listed above) you can make this into a fun keychain as well!
No-Sew Octo
Beginning at the top of the head
Start with magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring; 6 sts
Rnd 2: inc in each st around; 12 sts
Rnd 3: (inc, sc in next st)6x; 18 sts
Rnd 4: (inc, sc in next 2 sts)6x; 24 sts
Rnds 5-6: sc in each st around; 24 sts
Rnd 7: (invsc2tog, sc in next 2 sts)6x; 18 sts
Rnds 8-9: sc in each st around; 18 sts
Rnd 10: (invsc2tog, sc in next 7 sts)2x; 16 sts
Join to the FLO of the first st with sl st, but do NOT fasten off.
Tentacles
Rnd 11: [Ch 13, turn and beginning in 2nd ch from hook, (inc, sc in next ch)3x, 2 hdc in next ch, hdc in next ch, 2 hdc in next ch, dc in last 3 chs, sk next st of rnd 10, sl st into FLO of next st]8x, your very last sl st will go into your beginning sl st; 8 tentacles with 17 sts each
Eyes
With about 6 inches of black yarn, sew the eyes over one st between rnd 7 and 8. Wrap yarn around the st twice, and then do the same thing 2 sts over. Knot inside the octopus.
If using the safety eyes, securely place them 2 sts apart, between rnds 7 and 8.
***If you are turning it into a keychain, assemble these attachments as well, before closing your no-sew octo. Push the screw up the center of the head from the inside, so it is poking out the top where the magic ring began. Add fabric glue to the top of the screw and immediately screw on the pull rivet. The fabric glue helps to make sure it will not come unscrewed while in use! After closing, you can add the other key ring attachments.
To close
Stuff the body with fiberfill.
Continue with same yarn from the tentacles, using the unworked BLO of rnd 10.
Rnd 12: 8 invsc2tog through BLO; 8 sts
Fasten off, leaving a short tail, about 4 inches, to sew closed. Using your tapestry needle, sew the bottom closed by weave the tail into the FLO of each st, and pulling closed. Knot, and weave the end into the body.
I hope you have enjoyed making the no-sew octo! If you love this design concept, be sure to check out some of my other keychain designs such as the basketball keychain, or unicorn! , always free on the blog! If you loved making any of these patterns, and show them off on Instagram, please be sure to tag @ekaygdesigns to let me know, and I will share in my stories!
