Today we’re kicking off a brand-new collection! Yay! This time, we’re diving deep into the sea with a no-sew baby toy series, starting with this adorable and easy Crochet Octopus pattern! While the official name of this collection is still a work in progress (naming things is harder than it looks, haha), the idea is simple: a group of cuddly, sea-themed no-sew patterns designed to be just the right size for tiny baby hugs. This little octopus is soft, squishy, and so fast to make that you might just want to crochet a whole ocean full of them. Plus, I’ve added plenty of step-by-step photos to guide you, so even if you’re new to crochet, you’ll be totally covered!
Crochet Octopus
The craze for crochet octopuses in neonatal care started when nurses and parents noticed something magical: babies, especially preemies, seemed to calm down when cuddling with a small crochet octopus. The curly tentacles reminded them of the umbilical cord, giving them a sense of comfort and safety that helped regulate their breathing and heart rate. Since then, crochet octopuses have made their way into NICUs around the world, bringing handmade love and a sense of security to the tiniest humans.
If you’re looking for even more crochet inspiration, I recommend starting here with the other free crochet patterns available on the blog.
Grab your yarn and hook—let’s crochet this adorable octopus together!
For a low-cost, ad-free and printable pattern, with a photo tutorial, you can find it in Ravelry here! And on Etsy here!
Take a look at other free crochet patterns
Crochet Tutorials
Before we start, I will leave here a couple of helpful tutorial links in case you need further help creating your beautiful little creature!
- Easy way to make a magic ring
- How to do single crochet (SC)
- The perfect way to finish your amigurumi.
- How to increase (inc)
- What is invisible decrease (invDEC or DEC)
- How to back post slip stitch (BPSC)
PIN IT FOR LATER!
NO-SEW CROCHET OCTOPUS
List of Materials:
- 6mm crochet hook,
- Chenille yarn of your preference. I used Hobbii Baby Snuggle, made one in blue and the other one in pink.
- Black embroidery thread for the eyes.
- Sewing needle,
- Stuffing material hypoallergenic polyester,
- Scissors
Finish size:
10 cm (4 inches) of the head and 18cm (7 inches) including the tentacles.
For a low-cost, ad-free, and printable pattern, with a photo tutorial, you can find it in Ravelry here! And on Etsy here!
Octopus Pattern Instructions
OCTOPUS BODY
With blue yarn start,
1 rnd 6sc in a magic ring
2 rnd 6inc Total 12sts
3 rnd (1sc, 1inc) repeat 6 times Total 18sts
4 rnd (2sc, 1inc) repeat 6 times Total 24sts
5 rnd (3sc, 1inc) repeat 6 times Total 30sts
6 to 8 rnd 30sc
9 rnd (8sc, 1dec) repeat 3 times Total 27sts
10 rnd (7sc, 1dec) repeat 3 times Total 24sts
11 rnd (6sc, 1dec) repeat 3 times Total 21sts
12 rnd (5sc, 1dec) repeat 3 times Total 18sts
13 rnd (7sc, 1dec) repeat 2 times Total 16sts
• Add stuffing material
• For the next round, we will work the tentacles!
TENTACLES
14 rnd FL (chain 13, skip the first chain, 2sc in each of the next 4 chains, 4hdc, 4dc, skip one stitch from the round, join in the FL of the stitch with a slip stitch) repeat until the end of the round.
15 rnd 16blsc
16 rnd (2sc, 1dec) repeat 4 times Total 12sts
• Cut the yarn and fasten off
ASSEMBLY
- Embroider the eyes on round 9, leaving 4 stitches between them.
- Embroider a tiny mouth one round below the eyes.
EYELID
Right Eye: Introduce the needle and blue yarn one round above the eye, make 1 sl, 1 sc, and 1 sl going one round down.
Left Eye: Introduce the needle and blue yarn one stitch beside the eye, make 1 sl going up, then 1 sc and 1 sl in a round above the eye.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You finished your Crochet Octopus amigurumi!
If this free pattern was useful to you and you are happy with your results, post a picture and tag me on social media so I can see your final product!
Take a look at other patterns here for your next WIP!
Happy crocheting!
Ana
