anna knits - knit octopus 2

I am in the midst of knitting another pink/green octopus. I hope to finish this weekend, and will follow up with more images.

In the meantime, check out this awesome video about octopus camouflage. I didn't know they were masters of disguise!

knitting, etc. - starting a new project

Starting a new project:

Since posting my Octopus Tea Cosy, I have gotten a few requests for similar tea cosies and little octopus toys. So I've decided to put off some of my fall knitting projects to make a few octopuses(?), octopi(?). I am planning to use the same Kambgarn sport / 5 ply yarn in Rosebloom and Glacier Green that I got in Iceland and used for my first Octopus Tea Cosy.

The first thing I like to do when starting a new knitting project is assemble my materials and pack my knitting bag. This way everything is in one place, and I can take my knitting on the go. It usually consists of the pattern, yarn, scissors, tapestry needle, pencil/pen, and needles.

Knitters - how do you prepare to start a new knitting project?

anna knits - octopus tea cosy

At the beginning of the summer I was asked to make an ocean inspired tea cosy. Well, it took me the entire summer, but I've finally finished! Enter the octopus tea cosy; modeled after a design on Ravelry by the user Cephalopot. It fits a large, six-cup tea pot.

For the octopus, I used this pattern by Hansi Singh via Ravelry. While the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, I opted for Kambgarn sport / 5 ply yarn in Rosebloom and Glacier Green, which I had bought in Iceland (read about my trip here!) with size US2 double pointed needles. This of course made the octopus smaller and more delicate, which I liked. You can see more pictures of the octopus, including execution pictures, here.

For the tea cosy itself, I used this pattern by the blog Cast On Cast Off. It is a modified ribbed pattern, which I thought kind of mimicked an ocean rock. I knit it with Cascade 220 Heathers in Dark Charcoal, color no. 4002, which has a nice color variation going on, making it look more earthy, or rock-like in this case.

I then embellished the tea cosy with a seaweed design made using tambour crochet. You can learn how to tambour crochet here. I used a left over green yarn that I had gotten second-hand, so I don't know its specs.

While this project took me a while, it was a lot of fun to knit. I like knitting amigurumi (see my pug, bulldog, tea cup), and the tea cosy itself was quick and easy. Tea cosies are great because you are encouraged to be creative. I'm currently brainstorming ideas for my next tea cosy, so let me know if you have a fun idea!