Opus the Octopus by Cate Carter-Evans

Opus the Octopus

Knitting
September 2014
DK (11 wpi) ?
19 stitches and 29 rows = 4 inches
in stockinette (held double)
1500 - 1600 yards (1372 - 1463 m)
Opus measures 36 in. / 92 cm in length, and head diameter 8.5 in. / 21 cm
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This pattern is available for free.

Who doesn’t need a life-sized, squishy, tentacled companion?

With his sleepy eyes and wonderfully squishable body, Opus the Octopus is equally at home perched on a sofa or at the head of a bed. He’s a great decoration for a child’s room, and would love to hang out with Inkling the Squid and Horatio the Nautilus (also by Cate Carter-Evans).

Opus’s design is inspired by the real thing (octopus vulgaris in particular), but minus the creepy parrot-like beak.

Octopuses (not octopi) are members of the Cephalopod family, which also includes squid, cuttlefish, and chambered Nautiluses. They’re highly intelligent, and able to unscrew jars, use tools, solve mazes, and, on occasion, accurately predict the outcome of Word Cup Soccer matches. They are masters of disguise, amazing escape artists, and exceedingly lovable -- possibly because they have three hearts.

Opus is worked in the round with intarsia tentacles worked flat.

Important note: Opus is for decoration only. This pattern does not meet safety requirements for children’s toys.

Errata

Round 56: should say work 7 rounds even, i.e. work even until round 63.

Round 104: Missing a k2. Round should read:  k2 ssk k12 k2tog k2 4 times.

In the Tentacles Section:
Using larger needles, slip the first 14 sts of the underbelly to a single needle; slip the first 14 sts of the body onto the sample needle (it should say “same”, not “sample”), to the right of the underbelly sts.