Tag: Octopus

This is Octocat, the mascot for GitHub, a software version control provider.

I don’t know quite what that is either, but Engel wanted it, and playfully pointed out that it has been a year or so since I last knit something for him… (he isn’t counting the slippers he stole, seeing as he stole them, they weren’t made for him.) So I relented and…

Not a bad likeness, eh? He’s based on the free pattern Octopuss by Bethany Hendrickson. You can’t see it so well in this photo, but he has suckers on his tentacles!

Here he is chilling at Engels work – there’s no one in his office at the moment so I like to think it’s keeping him company at least!

In other knitting news, my spinning is coming along! Engel jokes every time I ply my singles together I level up – when I finished plying balls 5 & 6, I could literally hear the Final Fantasy VII level up mysic…

So as you can guess, I’ve added to the wool stash, and decreased the fluff stash. That balances out, right? Course it does. And I was super good and gave three balls of my stash away this week to a pair of my friends who want to try knitting as something to help with the lockdown monotomy. (Lockdown is lifting, yes, but my friends and myself are being very cautious and treating life as if in still full lockdown for the most part.)

So yeah, the wool count was looking good, even more so after using 6 balls of wool this week. And then Ratman (a Nerf friend of mine) who does IT for a hospice, told me they were chucking out all the wool in the little charity shop they have, and the little cafe too where they encouraged people previously to craft whilst waiting on loved ones. Now, Mrs Ratman knits, so I figured once she had her share there wouldn’t be that much left, so yeah, I’ll take it, can’t have good wool just thrown in the bin.

283 balls.

Yes, that’s not a typo, 283 balls from 10g to 500g have been added to my stash. And on top of that, 5 more from a different friend who wants me to make him a dice bag with them…and keep the leftovers as payment…

Want to see the damage in numbers?

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 63 (6 this week)
Wool bought – 11
Wool given to me – 296 (up 288)
Wool gifted to others – 3 (Up 3!)
Wool handspun – 6 (Up 4!)

Total – 950 (it’s gone up, a lot…not had this much in my stash for a few years…)

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The 1984 quotes are still going strong! This one is about repair. Why?

Because of this cutie. (Demi Octopus by Jennifer Wang – the octopus itself is the free pattern).

One of my work colleagues has a favourite hat. But it had been worn that much it had developed a hole. He showed me it, asking for options and after going over what I could realistically do, including the dreaded darning, he decided to have a little fun with it.

The octopus is deliberately almost exactly the colour of the hat for he wants people to have to do a double take.

This conversation took place the day before lockdown started and was the first finished project of lockdown for myself. I’ve held off and held off on posting this as I wanted to give it to him before showing it off to the world, but as I am potentially be furloughed for another two months…

(I have offered to post it to him, but with the hot weather he is happy to wait for now until we see each other in person)I have had to resist the urge to knit a dozen more of these cuties I’ll be honest!!!

In other knitting news, I have been knitting more Christmas gifts and also a secret project. More on that next week.

In non knitting news, I have finished tearing up and redoing the garden! Apart from painting the fences. And cutting the grass. But the actual hard part is all done! Woo hoo!!!

What to tackle next…

Hope your all staying safe and enjoying the hot weather (I myself am fighting with the cats to get a spot on the cold slate floor in the kitchen as I don’t enjoy the heat…)

\no wool count this week as nothing has gone up or down despite the sheer amount of knitting I have done lately!

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Hee hee…I do love a good pun…seriously though, I finished my mystery creation!

*Drum roll*

An octopus hat!

Much like the story behind the aviator hat, Rabbie saw a crocheted octopus hat, and demanded suggested that I should make her one…that was back in March and put on the back burner until now as I couldn’t find anything pattern wise that was remotely doable.

With her birthday coming up, I resolved to just wing a pattern instead. I have to admit, I’m fairly pleased with it! Especially the tentacles!

So cute!

After much debate, I have posted the pattern up as a free pattern! You can find it in the free pattern section, or just click here. Not sure if many people would want to wear an octopus on their head mind you, Rabbie is certainly a one of a kind individual…

Speaking of Rabbie, I’ve just come back from visiting her in Scotland for a birthday bonanza! (More about that on her blog.) In short though, BBQ at other sister’s, murder mystery with this sister, a rather soggy doggy fun day, birthday cake bonanza, Walking With Dinosaurs arena show (so awesome), Kelpies, soft play, trampoline park, back home. That was crammed in between driving up Friday and driving back down Tuesday. No wonder I’m tired!

Oh, another cheer for the Hot Flash Dash on Ravelry:

Knit! Knit! Knit!
The dash will end in a bit!
Purl! Purl! Purl!
You’ve all done really well!

Wool count:

Starting total – 622

Wool used – 57 (1 since last post)
Wool bought – 8
Wool given – 6 (1 as a birthday present!)
Wool gifted – 0

Total – 579 (No change in net total)

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Ignore the title. I may be a little giddy and/or sleep deprived!

But! There is a reason for it!

Here’s the Octopus:

Its a wash cloth for Inkling – using the free pattern: Baby Octopus Cloth by Elaine Fitzpatrick. Believe it or not, this pattern and the wool had been picked out before Inkling was born, I just haven’t gotten round to knitting it until now! He’s been eating finger foods and desperately needed something that could scrub all the food off him in the shower!

And now for the pussy:

Free pattern Attachable Rainbow Kitty Ears by Saphy kun. I spotted these on Ravelry a while ago and knew I had to knit Engel a set, particularly for when he’s playing violent computer games and/or doing online gaming with our friends.

They have been used, not sure if it’s because he can’t get them off the headphones (they do have buttons so can be removed) or if he likes having the cat ears on himself…

Also this week, I finally sorted through my wool stash (this occurs every year or so to some extent) this time I’ve segregated it by colour and each ball is bagged with any matching friends of the same kind and dye lot. The lone balls of wool are put together with the other lone balls of wool of that colour group (so they don’t get sad and lonely) and now I can tell at a glance what wool is best for the size of project I’m doing. This will hopefully get me to focus on using up the odds and ends of my stash! And also future yarn purchases – I know what colours I have lots of, and not so much, so hopefully I’ll buy what I need, not what I want!

I don’t believe that either, but I can hope!

Oh, also, whilst I was sorting my wool out, these scampered out:

Yes. More tribbles. A  red subspecies of the pink mutant variant discovered, only two have been captured and sent for further study up North…

Early post this week as my sister is coming to visit and it’s going to be awesome!!! But before the fun and games start, I need to tidy up all the toys everywhere – it’s amazing how much mess two children, three cats and a husband can make in the blink of an eye…

Starting total – 622

Wool used – 11 (2 this week)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given – 5 (I mentioned to Engel I only had one ball of black DK wool, he brought home four more for me! And I didn’t even ask him to!)
Wool gifted – 0

Total – 613

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Hi all,

As promised, a bit more of an explanation as to my last post.

When Felix was born, there was complications. Lots. End result, emergency c-section. With Inkling, because of prior complications, we knew he would have to be a planned c-section.

Due to complications during my pregnancy the consultants decided that Inkling​ wouldn’t be removed at the previously planned 39 weeks, but two weeks early, with less than a weeks notice and some horrible, horrible steroid shots…

Ok…problem. Engels parents who were going to look after Felix for us, where on holiday that week. My family are 300 miles away and have their own commitments.

Panic. Panic. Panic.

Time to bank in on the good favours of others!

Thankfully, two people really helped us out, and as thank you gifts (and severe nerves/nesting energy) I whipped up these guys:

‘Octopus’ by Hansi Singh from her book ‘Amigurimi Knits’, you may recall this is the pattern used for Inklings first knitted toy – the blue ringed octopus.

Seemed fitting, and they went down a treat, as did the Thank you cards Felix made, and cat pompom keyrings she made (though Engel had to get the glue gun out once she was in bed as PVA does not hold pompoms together at all…)

And that’s the story, in a nut shell, not much on the details but some things are best left unshared!

Inkling is doing really well by the way, and we’re all happy at home, though very tired!

In other knitting news, I have a large project still on the needles but progress…yeah…that’s down to a crawl…ah well, I have an adorable, happy, whole little family to enjoy in, I think I’ll just go and enjoy them some more before I pick the needles back up…

On that note, blog posts for the foreseeable future are probably gonna be sporadic, will try to keep to my every Sunday update, but I make no promises.

Wool count!

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 48 (5 this week! Don’t expect to see so many used again any time soon!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 625

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So after all those chickens (there was more knitted, I didn’t actually know how many there are now, but Felix has claimed a number for her little farm) I felt it was time to knit Inklings (baby to be) first knitted toy.

After I got Felix to agree to let me.

What did she want? A crocodile for her farm.

Well, i’m not one to discourage creativity, and with all the animals she has there really should be a way to help control population numbers…A crocodile was knitted.

I regret nothing with this photo, it’s the circle of life! Anyhow, pattern used is ‘Baby Gators’ by Anna Hrachovec from her book ‘Knitted Mochimochi’.

Crocodile done, I could cast on for Inklings first toy.

What was that sweetie? You want six crocodiles like in the picture in the book?

Yeah…There isn’t six, yet, but they make a nice work and out and about project so eventually there will be no doubt. At home though, I did actually cast on for Inklings first hand knitted toy, and even finished it too in just four evenings!

One and a half of those four evenings was hand sewing all those blue spots btw.

Anyhow! Here is a blue ringed octopus (they do exist in real life) and I must admit I am really quite smitten with him! The basic octopus pattern is ‘Octopus’ by Hansi Singh from her book ‘Amigurimi Knits’. I am resisting the urge to knit a whole bunch of these guys, considering the outcome there was surprisingly little work!

Well, back to knitting crocodiles for the time being whilst I decide on my next project.

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 24 (2 since last post)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given – 46
Wool gifted – 16

Total – 656 (So close to getting back to that starting total!)

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