Mini Crochet Octopus - An Amigurumi Pattern From The Tide

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Mini Crochet Octopus - An Amigurumi Pattern From The Tide

★★★★★ 4.6 · 96

Greta Lindholm15.07.2026JUMP TO TUTORIAL

I designed this little fellow after a low-tide walk on the Washington coast, where a giant Pacific octopus arm once slid briefly over my boot before vanishing under a rock. He is small enough to finish in an evening or two, soft enough for small hands, and — like every creature I put a hook to — built with real anatomy in mind, right down to the curl of his eight arms.

A Small Cephalopod, Field-Noted

The giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) lives in the cold, kelp-shadowed water a few hours from my house, and Puget Sound holds one of the healthiest wild populations left on the coast. It has no bones at all — just eight muscular arms lined with suckers, a beak hidden at the center, and skin that can shift color and texture in under a second to vanish against rock or sand.

Rangers who work the coastal parks taught me to look for the telltale midden of empty crab shells outside a den before ever spotting the animal itself. My yarn version keeps things simpler: one round head, eight curling arms, and a soft blue that has nothing to do with camouflage and everything to do with what was on the shelf.

Gathering What You Need

Everything for this project fits in one hand, which is part of the charm. I laid mine out on the workbench exactly as you see here: a single skein of chunky plush yarn in a washed sky blue, a fat wooden hook, a small pair of 8mm safety eyes, sharp scissors, and a yarn needle for the finishing work.

• Yarn: a chenille-style chunky yarn works up soft and forgiving — the plush texture hides small tension mistakes beautifully
• Hook: I used an 8mm, sized generously for the yarn weight so stitches stay loose enough to stuff
• Eyes: 8mm safety eyes for anyone past the choking-hazard age; embroidered eyes if this octopus is headed for a crib

Nothing exotic, nothing that needs a special trip — which is exactly how a good beginner trailhead should feel.

The Magic Circle Begins

Every amigurumi I have ever made starts the same way, and this octopus is no different: six single crochets worked into a magic circle, pulled snug into a tiny dome. You can see it here on the hook, barely bigger than a thumbnail, the plush yarn already puffing out around the stitches.

Increase evenly over the next few rounds — I go 6, 12, 18, 24 — checking after each one that the circle is still lying flat rather than cupping or ruffling. A ruffled edge means you have increased too much for the round; a cupped, bowl-like edge means not enough. By round four you should have a shallow saucer shape that will only start to dome upward once you stop increasing and work even rounds instead.

Rounding Out the Head, Stuffing as I Go

Somewhere around round six or seven, the saucer finally curves inward and starts to look like an actual head rather than a hat brim. This is the moment in the photo — the dome half-filled with a soft cloud of polyester stuffing, hook still resting in the last stitch, one hand cradling the shape to feel how firm it is.

1. Stuff a little at a time, not all at once — you want to check firmness as the rounds close rather than fight a solid ball later
2. Press gently, not tight; plush yarn already has body, and overstuffing will show as strain lines between stitches
3. Leave the last two rounds unstuffed until after the eyes go in, so you can still reach fingers behind the fabric

A slightly lumpy head at this stage is completely normal — mine always look a bit uneven until the final closing rounds pull everything into a proper sphere.

Setting the Eyes

This is the step that turns a stuffed blue blob into a small creature with an expression, and it happens fast — one press of each safety eye stem through the fabric, and suddenly he is looking back at you. I space mine about six stitches apart on the front of the head, roughly a third of the way down from the crown, angled slightly toward each other.

Place both eyes loosely first and step back before locking the washers on — a millimeter of difference in spacing changes the whole personality of the face, and safety eyes are far kinder to fix before they are permanently seated than after.

Once I am happy with the placement, I push the plastic washer on firmly from inside the head, finish stuffing around it, and close the remaining rounds. For an octopus destined for a toddler’s toy box rather than a shelf, I would embroider the eyes instead with a few satin stitches in black embroidery floss — no small parts, same charming face.

Eight Tentacles, Curling One by One

Here is where the pattern earns its name. Working around the base of the head, I crochet eight short legs directly onto the last round — each one just a chain of single crochets, decreasing slightly toward the tip so it tapers the way a real arm does. You can see the range of progress in this photo: two legs already curled and settled, several more still standing straight and a bit stiff, waiting their turn.

The curl is not a separate step — it happens naturally as the plush yarn relaxes after a few hours, though I help mine along by wrapping each finished leg gently around a pencil for a minute right off the hook. Real giant Pacific octopus arms are not identical either; a slight variation in length or curl from leg to leg only makes the finished piece feel more alive, not less finished.

The Finished Octopus, Out in the Grass

And here he is, set down on the wooden table with the grass soft and green behind him — all eight arms curled and settled, sitting upright the way the real animal never quite manages to on land. I photographed this batch outside among his pastel neighbors, a rabbit and a bear from earlier weekends, because that is genuinely how they end up around here: a small crowd of finished creatures waiting for their turn on the library craft table.

Finished size runs about 4 inches (10cm) across the arms when made with a chunky yarn and 8mm hook as described. Weave in your last ends along the underside where they will not show, give him a gentle fluff with your fingers to even out the plush pile, and he is ready for a shelf, a backpack, or — Juniper permitting — a windowsill nap in the sun.

DIY-Tutorial Pin Print

Mini Crochet Octopus - An Amigurumi Pattern From The Tide

★★★★★ 4.6 · 96 ratings

A field-tested crochet flower blanket pattern with daisy granny squares in teal, cream, and mustard — full photo tutorial from magic ring to finished throw.

Amigurumimini crochet octopus

PREP TIME10 min

Work Time120 min

TOTAL TIME130 min

Yield1 mini octopus

DifficultyEasy

Costca. $12

Materials

• Materials
• 1 skein (approx. 100g/120m) chunky plush or chenille-style yarn, sky blue
• 1 crochet hook, size 8mm (US L-11), or size to match your yarn weight
• 1 pair 8mm black safety eyes (or black embroidery floss for under-3s)
• Polyester fiberfill stuffing, a small handful
• 1 yarn needle, for weaving in ends
• Small sharp scissors
• Stitch marker, optional, for tracking rounds

Steps

1

Gather your materials

Lay out your yarn, hook, eyes, stuffing, scissors, and yarn needle before you start so nothing interrupts the rhythm once you begin. Check that your hook size gives a firm, closed fabric with your particular yarn — stuffing should not peek through the stitches.

2

Start the magic circle

Work 6 single crochets into a magic circle and pull it closed snugly. This tiny dome is the crown of the head and should sit flat in your palm, not curl or bowl.

3

Increase the head

Work increase rounds of 12, 18, and 24 stitches, checking after each that the circle still lies flat rather than ruffling or cupping. Switch to even rounds (no increases) for 5-6 rounds once you reach 24 stitches, until the shape domes into a proper sphere.

4

Stuff gradually

Begin adding polyester stuffing a little at a time as the head rounds close, pressing gently rather than packing tight. Leave the last two rounds unstuffed until the eyes are set.

5

Set the safety eyes

Place both eye stems loosely about six stitches apart on the front of the head and check the expression before locking the washers on from inside. Finish stuffing firmly around the eyes once you are happy with the placement.

6

Close the head

Work the final decrease rounds down to 6 stitches, then fasten off and weave the tail through the remaining stitches to close the hole neatly.

7

Crochet the first tentacle

Attach yarn at the base of the head and work a short chain of single crochets, decreasing slightly toward the tip so the leg tapers naturally. Fasten off, leaving a short tail for weaving in later.

8

Repeat for all eight legs

Space the remaining seven tentacles evenly around the base of the head, matching each one roughly in length to keep the octopus balanced when it sits upright.

9

Curl and finish

Wrap each finished leg briefly around a pencil to encourage a gentle curl, then weave in all remaining ends along the underside where they will not show. Fluff the plush yarn with your fingers for an even, finished texture.

Hi! I'm Greta

Hi, I'm Greta! Park ranger for 18 years, crocheter for 30, and the maker behind Pin & Pine. I design nature-accurate amigurumi and crochet…

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This little octopus took me two quiet evenings, most of it spent on those eight small arms, and he is still sitting on my windowsill weeks later, none the worse for Juniper’s curiosity. A small, slow make like this one is exactly the kind I keep coming back to.

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Slow hands, long thoughts,

Greta 🌲