The Cutest Amigurumi Octopus Crochet Pattern (Beginner)

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The Cutest Amigurumi Octopus Crochet Pattern (Beginner)

★★★★★ 4.9 · 35

Wren Halloway21.07.2026JUMP TO TUTORIAL

I made three ‘test’ octopuses before this one turned out right, and the first attempt genuinely looked like a haunted potato with eyes. Friend, if you have ever wanted to try amigurumi but felt intimidated by all those tentacles, this is the pattern I wish someone had handed me years ago. It uses just two colors, one stitch you already half-know, and forgives every wonky round along the way.

Why This Little Octopus Won My Heart

I picked this project up on a rainy Tuesday when Mochi had claimed my good chair and I needed something small enough to work on my lap. Amigurumi octopuses are one of the friendliest first ‘creature’ projects because the body is just a sphere, and the tentacles are simple straight tubes — no shaping math required.

This one uses chunky velvet-look yarn, which hides beginner tension wobbles beautifully. If your stitches look a little uneven at first, this yarn will forgive you far more than a thin cotton would.

Gathering Your Supplies

Everything you need fits on one small tray, which is exactly how I like my projects. In my flat lay you can see the whole cast of characters: bubblegum pink and pastel blue chunky velvet yarn, a 6mm hook, tiny black safety eyes, fiberfill, a yarn needle, and small scissors.

• Yarn choice matters here — velvet or chenille-style chunky yarn gives that plush, huggable finish you see in finished octopus toys online.
• 6mm hook pairs perfectly with chunky yarn for a fabric dense enough that stuffing won't peek through.
• Safety eyes should always be the plastic-backed kind, never buttons, if this toy is headed to a child.

Starting With the Magic Ring

Every amigurumi starts life as this humble little loop. In the photo, you can see my hands forming the magic ring — a starting loop that lets you crochet six stitches into it and then pull the center tight, leaving no hole at all.

If you have never done one before: chain isn't involved. You wrap yarn around two fingers, crochet your first round of single crochets right into the loop, then tug the tail to close it like a drawstring bag. It feels fiddly the first time. By your third amigurumi, your hands will do it without thinking.

A magic ring that stays a little loose is easier to fix later than one you've cinched to a painful, unworkable knot — snug is the goal, not vice-grip tight.

Shaping the Crown of the Head

By the time you reach this stage, the flat little circle from the last step has puffed into a small dome — mine was about golf-ball sized here. This is where increase rounds (two single crochets into one stitch, abbreviated inc) do their quiet magic, rounding the top of the head evenly.

The pattern rhythm at this stage:

1. Round with increases every other stitch
2. Round with increases every third stitch
3. A round or two worked even, no increases, to let the dome curve outward before it starts going straight

Count your stitches at the end of each round. It's tedious, I know — but a miscount here is the number one reason amigurumi heads end up lopsided.

Placing the Safety Eyes

This is the moment your little pouch of stitches suddenly becomes a face, and it gets me every single time. In the photo, I'm pushing the black safety eyes through the fabric from the front and locking on the plastic washers from the inside — before any stuffing goes in, while I can still reach through the open body easily.

Spacing tip: place your eyes a few rounds down from the top and about 4-5 stitches apart. Too close together and you get a permanently startled expression; too far and your octopus looks a bit hammerhead. I like to lay both eyes in place, unsecured, and look at the piece from arm's length before locking anything down.

Stuffing the Head

Here's the part that turns a floppy fabric pouch into something with real presence. I'm packing polyester fiberfill through the still-open bottom edge, a little at a time, working it into the sides with the blunt end of my hook so no lumps form.

• Stuff firmly — you want the head to hold its round shape when you set it down, not sag.
• Leave the last inch unstuffed until after the next round, so you have room to work the tentacle stitches without fighting the filling.
• Pull-through test: gently stretch the fabric — if fiberfill shadows through, add a smaller amount at a time rather than one big handful.

The Color-Change Round

This little transition round is my favorite moment in the whole pattern, and it's the one readers ask me about most. You switch from pink to pastel blue and instead of continuing in the round as one piece, you divide the stitches into eight even groups — the beginnings of eight separate tentacles, each worked as its own tiny nub off the base.

Count your remaining stitches before dividing them. Mine came out to 24, which splits neatly into eight groups of three. If your stitch count is different, just divide as evenly as you can — a tentacle with one extra stitch is not a crisis, promise.

Crocheting the Tentacles One by One

Now the slow, satisfying part. Each tentacle is worked in the round in plain single crochet, no shaping needed, until it reaches the length you want — I did about 10-12 rounds per leg. In my photo, three tentacles are already finished and curling naturally under their own weight while the other five are still stubby little nubs waiting their turn.

This step takes patience, not skill. It's genuinely just repetition, so it's the perfect stage for podcast-listening or catching up on a show. Stuff each tentacle lightly as you go, or leave them unstuffed for a softer, floppier look — both are correct, it's just a style choice.

The Finished Amigurumi Octopus

And here she is — plump pink head, simple embroidered smile, eight curled pastel blue tentacles splayed out like she's mid-wave. Holding the finished piece in my hands after all those individual tentacle rounds is honestly the best part of any amigurumi project.

Weave in your last few tails with the yarn needle, snip close, and give the whole thing a gentle steam from a distance if the velvet yarn looks a little flat — it plumps right back up.

Your first octopus won't have eight perfectly matched tentacles, and that's exactly how it should look — handmade, a little wobbly, entirely yours.

DIY-Tutorial Pin Print

The Cutest Amigurumi Octopus Crochet Pattern (Beginner -

★★★★★ 4.9 · 35 ratings

Learn to crochet an adorable amigurumi octopus with this beginner-friendly pattern, tested step by step from magic ring to plump curled tentacles for gifts.

Amigurumi Crochetamigurumi octopus crochet pattern

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PREP TIME10 min

Work Time150 min

TOTAL TIME160 min

Yield1 octopus (about 4 inches tall)

DifficultyMedium

Costapprox. $10-14

Materials

• Yarn
• 1 skein bubblegum pink chunky velvet-style yarn (approx. 100g)
• 1 skein pastel blue chunky velvet-style yarn (approx. 100g)
• Tools
• 6mm crochet hook
• Yarn needle for weaving in tails
• Small sharp scissors
• Notions
• 1 pair of 8-10mm black safety eyes
• Polyester fiberfill stuffing (approx. 1 cup)
• Optional: black embroidery floss for a mouth

Steps

1

Gather your materials

Lay out both yarn colors, your hook, eyes, stuffing, needle, and scissors before starting so nothing interrupts your rhythm once you begin.

2

Form a magic ring

Wrap the pink yarn into a loop around your fingers and crochet 6 single crochets into the ring, then pull the tail to close it snugly.

3

Increase to shape the crown

Work increase rounds (2 sc in each stitch, tapering the increases every other or every third stitch) until the piece forms a rounded dome about 2.5 inches across, counting stitches at the end of every round.

4

Attach the safety eyes

With the head still open and unstuffed, push the safety eyes through the fabric 4-5 stitches apart and secure the washers firmly from the inside.

5

Stuff the head firmly

Pack polyester fiberfill through the open bottom edge in small handfuls until the head feels firm and holds its round shape, leaving the last inch of the opening slightly looser.

6

Divide stitches and change color

Switch to pastel blue yarn on the last round of the body and divide the remaining stitches evenly into eight groups of about 3 stitches each, one group per tentacle.

7

Crochet each tentacle

Working one group at a time, single crochet in the round for 10-12 rounds per tentacle, lightly stuffing or leaving unstuffed as you prefer, until all eight are complete.

8

Finish and embroider the face

Weave in all remaining yarn tails with the needle, trim close to the fabric, and add a simple embroidered smile beneath the eyes to complete your amigurumi octopus.

Hi! I'm Wren

Hi, I'm Wren — welcome to my cozy corner of the internet! I'm Wren Halloway: crocheter, amigurumi enthusiast, recovering perfectionist, and the…

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Conclusion

This little octopus taught me, once again, that amigurumi is mostly patience wearing a cute disguise — nothing here is hard, it's just repetitive in the best way. Make yours in whatever colors make you happy, count your stitches when you remember to, and don't stress if tentacle number six comes out a little longer than the rest.

Happy stitching,

Wren