Eyeball Octopus

Eyeball Octopus Knitting Pattern by Dawn Finney

What Is Being Made

The Eyeball Octopus is a charming knitted amigurumi-style toy designed by Dawn Finney. This beginner-friendly project creates a small, stuffed octopus with a unified body and eight arms, topped with two prominent bulbous eyeballs. The finished octopus measures approximately 7cm (2.75 inches) wide by 9cm (3.5 inches) tall, including the arms, making it an ideal small decorative piece or toy.

Construction Method

The octopus is constructed in distinct sections that are knitted separately and then assembled. The body and all eight arms are created as a single continuous piece of knitting, which is then stuffed with fiberfill or similar material and sewn closed. Two separate eyeballs are knitted independently and subsequently attached to the body, creating the distinctive facial feature that gives this pattern its name.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches Used

• Stocking Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the pattern, created by alternating knit rows and purl rows to produce a smooth, classic knitted fabric
• Knit (K): The fundamental knit stitch used in every other row
• Purl (P): The reverse stitch used in alternating rows to create stocking stitch
• Increases (Inc): Accomplished using the Kfb (knit into front and back) method, which creates new stitches by working twice into the same stitch to shape the octopus body and eyeballs
• Decreases (Tog): Stitches worked together to reduce stitch count and shape the design
• Seaming: The stuffed pieces are sewn together using mattress stitch or similar techniques to create seamless joins

Tension and Gauge Specifications

Achieving the correct tension is critical to this pattern's success. The recommended working tension is 32 stitches and 43 rows to a 4-inch (10cm) square. This tight gauge is intentionally specified to prevent stuffing from showing through the knitted fabric once the octopus is filled.

Needles and Materials

This pattern uses DK weight yarn, which is a light, versatile yarn weight ideal for detailed amigurumi work. The pattern calls for US2 (2.75mm) knitting needles. Notably, the designer recommends using needles that are two to three sizes smaller than the minimum recommended size for your chosen yarn. For example, if your DK yarn recommends US5 needles, you would use US2 instead. This deliberate downsizing creates the tight, dense fabric necessary to contain stuffing effectively.

Additional materials required include a stitch holder or third needle for managing stitches during construction, and fiberfill or polyester stuffing for filling the body and eyeballs before they are sewn closed.

Skill Level

Classified as a beginner difficulty pattern, the Eyeball Octopus is accessible to knitters new to amigurumi or three-dimensional knitted projects. The pattern employs only fundamental stitches and straightforward shaping techniques, making it an excellent introduction to stuffed toy knitting.