N o .

2 8 - C u d d l e f i s h

This soft cephalopod can be made with a G hook and worsted weight yarn in a few hours. You'll need to know how to:

Chain
Double ring start (awesome tutorial here: http://crochetme.com/amigurumi-double-ring)
Single crochet
Double crochet
Slip
Increase
Decrease
BODY

The body begins at the “tail,” far away from the tentacles, in a hole-less double ring start. You can put the increases
anywhere as long as they are reasonably spaced out. In parentheses at the end of the instructions for each row, you
will find a bold number that should correspond to the number of stitches in the row after you are done with it. Unless
otherwise noted, all stitches are single crochets.

row instructions (stitch #)

1 Make a double ring start of 8 stitches (8)

2 Increase twice somewhere in the row – for example, in the 2nd and 6th stitches (10)

3 Increase twice (12)

4 Increase 3 times (15)

5 Increase 3 times (18)

6 Increase 3 times (21)

7 Increase 3 times (24)

8 Increase 4 times (28)

9 Increase 4 times (32)

10 Increase 4 times (36)

11 Increase twice (38)

12 Increase two times (40)

13 Increase once (41)

14 Increase once (42)

15 Single crochet in each stitch (no increases now!) (42)

16 Single crochet in each stitch (42)

We have now reached the widest part of the cuttlefish, and will now be decreasing.

17 Decrease twice (40)

18 Decrease twice (38)

19 Decrease 3 times (35)

20 Decrease 3 times (32)

Now we are ready to add the eyes, which is done by making holes by chain stitching rather than single
crocheting.

21 Single crochet for 13 stitches – this will form the underbelly of the cuttlefish. Then chain 7. Starting in the 8th
stitch from the start of the chain, single crochet 5 – this will form the space in between your cuttlefish's eyes
on the top of its body. Then chain 7 again. Start the next row in the 8th stitch from the start of the chain. (32)

22 Single crochet once in each stitch, decreasing once over each eye (the chains) (30)
23 Single crochet 19. This should bring you to the area between the cuttlefish's eyes on the top of its body.
Double crochet in each stitch between the eyes (should be 5). Single crochet 6 across the other eye (30)

24 Decrease 3 times (27)

25 Decrease 3 times (24)

26 Single crochet in each stitch (24)

Make a couple of slip stitches and then tie off.

EYES
The eyes are worked into the holes left by the chains you made while making the body. The basic idea is that you'll be
making tall stitches in the sides of the holes close to the center of the body and short stitches in the sides that face
the outside. This will create eyes that tilt outward. When working into the eyes, you will notice that there is some
ambiguity in what can be considered a loop for you to work in near the edges of the slit left in the body. You may need
to crochet in something that doesn't seem to be a stitch, or make some of your single crochets decreases, in order to
get 16 stitches, but small alterations like this will not affect the quality of the finished cuttlefish. Refer to the image
above to see how to position the eyes.

For the cuttlefish's left eye:

1 Begin in the middle stitch of the exposed area of row 20 (toward the tail end of the cuttlefish). Single crochet
twice, then double crochet four stitches. Single crochet four stitches, then slip four stitches. Single crochet
twice to complete the row (16)
2 Same as above – single crochet 2, double crochet 4, single crochet 4, slip 4, and single crochet 2 (16)

3 In every second stitch, start a decrease. (~10)

Make a slip stitch or two, then tie off.

For the cuttlefish's right eye:

Same as above, but start in the middle of row 21, on the “mouth” side of the cuttlefish.

FINS
These crenelated frills will be attached near the cuttlefish's tail.

Make two as follows:

1 Chain 16 (leaving a ~5 inch tail) (16)
2 Single crochet in the second chain from your hook, increasing in each stitch. Chain once. (30)
3 Single crochet in the second chain from your hook – without increasing (30)
4 Slip stitch twice, down the side of the fin.

Tie off, but leave a long tail (about 2 feet). This will be used to sew the fin onto the body.

To keep them from moving around as you attach them, knot the short end to the second row of the body, right near
the tail, in a stitch on the side of the cuttlefish. Then stretch out the fin so there are no twists. The fin should lie along
an imaginary line drawn from the tip of the tail to the middle of the eye on either side, as shown in the pictures.

Sew on the fin by its first row (what used to be the chain) using a yarn needle, beginning near the eye of the
cuttlefish, as shown below. When you finish, tie off and tuck the ends inside the cuttlefish.

The short tail at one end of the fin is tied to the cuttlefish's tail, helping to hold the fin in place while
stitching with the long tail.
LEGS
At least some of the legs should be made with a long tail of loose yarn left at the beginning, which will aid in the task
of sewing them to the body. The other tail at the tip of the leg can be pulled inside the work with your hook. For a total
of 8 legs:

LONG (make 2)

1 Chain eight stitches, and slip in the stitch furthest

from the hook (8)

2 Double crochet four times, then slip four times (8)

3 Double crochet four times, decrease, and then slip

twice (7)

4 Double crochet four times, then slip three times (7)

5 Double crochet four times, then decrease, and then

slip once (6)

6 Double crochet four times. Slip twice. (6)

7 Single crochet in each stitch (6)

8 Single crochet (6)

9 Single crochet (6)

10 Decrease once (5)

11 Single crochet (5)

12 Decrease once (4)

The legs should all point downward,
13 Single crochet (4) regardless of where they are attached along
the opening of the mouth.
14 Decrease once (3)

15 Single crochet (3)

16 Single crochet twice, then slip, and tie off (3)

INTERMEDIATE (make 4)

1 Chain eight stitches, and slip in the stitch furthest from the hook (8)

2 Double crochet four times, then slip four times (8)

3 Double crochet four times, decrease, and then slip twice (7)

4 Double crochet four times, then slip three times (7)

5 Double crochet four times, then decrease, and then slip once (6)

6 Single crochet in each stitch (6)

7 Decrease once (5)

8 Single crochet (5)

9 Decrease once (4)

10 Single crochet (4)

11 Decrease once (3)

12 Single crochet twice, then slip and tie off (3)

SHORT (make 2)

1 Chain eight stitches, and slip in the stitch furthest from the hook (8)

2 Double crochet four times, then slip four times (8)

3 Double crochet four times, decrease, and then slip twice (7)

4 Double crochet four times, decrease, then slip once (6)

5 Double crochet three times, then decrease, and then slip once (5)

6 Decrease once, single crocheting in the rest of the stitches (4)

7 Decrease once, single crocheting in the rest of the stitches (3)

8 Single crochet twice, make a slip stitch, and tie off (3)

Attach the two longest legs so that they are between cuttlefish's eyes on the top of its body, curving downward. Attach
the shortest ones in the middle of the belly, curving downward also. The four remaining legs, all of intermediate
length, flesh out the sides.

FINISHING
Cut out two pieces of felt (roughly the size of nickels) that will cover the holes left in your cuttlefish's eye stalks. These
can be embroidered or appliquéd with pupils – either of normal round shape, or the cuttlefish's unique “w” form.
These felt circles can in turn be sewed in place at the ends of the eye stalks.

At this point you can stuff your cuttlefish with fiberfill or yarn or fabric scraps, depending on its desired weight and how
likely it is to get wet (or machine washed!). Depending on how you worked the eyes in, you may wish to touch up the
corners of the eyes by stitching with yarn to ensure that no stuffing can poke through.

After stuffing, a hole will be left in the cuttlefish's “mouth”. To fill the hole, cut a piece of fabric roughly 4” square. Tuck
the edges into the body of the cuttlefish so that it covers the exposed stuffing. Using sewing thread the same color as
your yarn, sew the fabric to the inside of the cuttlefish, holding it in place.

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