The pattern has taken me a while but finally it’s time to welcome to the sea Sidney the crochet squid!

A friend of mines eldest child is completely obsessed with sea creatures and all things marine! So much so in fact they want to be a marine biologist when they are older, I think it would be a pretty cool job to do to be honest!

One of their favourite animals which they were telling me about in great detail the other day is a giant squid! Lovely and cuddly I know! It gave me an idea to make him one to add to his collection of sea creatures! I had some wool which was the perfect colour for it so I got started on it straight away! I was determined to make a nice cuddly squid for him!

The pattern I thought wouldn’t be too hard to do, just a long round dome with a pointy top, short body, long legs and two pieces to go on either side of the head. Off I went making up the pattern as I went, there were a few occasions while making it that I was a bit unsure of whether I was getting the shape right on the head but luckily these fears were unfounded and I think I have got it just right. So pleased when I had got him finished he looks even better than I thought he would, I will be very sad to see him go!
Now I know this one isn’t giant in real life terms, but it is pretty impressive! And what’s really quite cool is that his long paddle legs can be pushed up into his body so they are hidden out the way – just like his real life counterparts!
Small note on this: Be careful with this one around small children, the long legs could become tied around them.

Sidney the squid crochet pattern:

Used 2 100g balls of salmon wool – I used a dk wool for this.

Length from top of head to bottom of longest paddle arms: 109 cm

5mm hook – I tried this and a 4mm and preferred the result with the 5mm.
For head cone

Make a magic ring, ch1

Round 1: 5dc into ring

Round 2: 2dc into each dc

Round 3-4: dc around

Round 5: 2dc into same stitch, dc. Repeat around

Round 6-7: dc around

Round 8: 2dc into same stitch, 2dc. Repeat around

Round 9-10: dc around

Round 11: 2dc into same stitch, 3dc. Repeat around

Round 12-13: dc around

Round 14: 2dc into same stitch, 4dc. Repeat around

Round 15-17: dc around

Round 18: 2dc into same stitch, 5dc. Repeat around

Round 19: 2dc into same stitch, 6dc. Repeat around

Round 20-21: dc around

Round 22: 2dc into same stitch, 7dc. Repeat around

Round 23: dc around

Round 24: 2dc into same stitch, 8dc. Repeat around

Round 25: dc around

Round 26: 2dc into same stitch, 9dc. Repeat around

Round 27: dc around

Round 28: 2dc into same stitch, 10dc. Repeat around

Round 29-48: dc around

Round 49: dc2tog, 10dc. Repeat around

Round 50: dc2tog, 9dc. Repeat around

Round 51-52: dc around

Round 53: dc2tog, 8dc. Repeat around

Round 54-56: dc around

Round 57: dc2tog, 7dc. Repeat around

Round 58-72: dc around

Round 73: 2dc into same stitch, 7dc. Repeat around

Fasten off.

For body and leg section

Ch35 and slip stitch into first ch to form a round.

Working in rounds:
Round 1-16 dc around. Do not fasten off

Now to work the legs:

legs:

dc4, turn and ch4, then slip stitch into first dc on the opposite side. This makes a round of 8dc to work the first leg.

Working in these 8 stitches only:

Round 1-45: dc around

Round 46: dc2tog 4times

Fasten off

Repeat the above for the next five legs, starting each leg in the next dc from the previous leg. For the final two legs repeat the above leg section but skip 1dc after the 6th leg before starting the 7th leg, skip 1dc after the 7th leg before starting the 8th leg then leave 1dc after the 8th leg.

For the long paddle arms:

Make 2 of these:

Ch 10, slip stitch into first ch to make a round

Round 1-85: dc around

Round 86: 2dc into each dc

Round 87-90: dc around

Round 91: 2dc into same dc, 3dc. Repeat around

Round 92-100: dc around

Round 101: dc2tog, 3dc. Repeat around

Round 102: dc2tog, 2dc. Repeat around

Round 103-105: dc around

Round 106: dc2tog, 1dc. Repeat around

Round 107: dc around

Round 108: dc2tog. Repeat around

Fasten off

Head side pieces – make 2

Ch4, dc into second chain from hook, dc along rest of the row.
Row 1: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 2: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 3dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 3: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 4: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 5dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 5: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 6: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 7dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 7: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 8: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 9dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 9-10: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 11: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 11dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 12-13: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 14: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 13dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 15: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 14dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 16: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 17dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 17-18: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 19: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), 2dc into same stitch, 19dc, 2dc into same stitch

Row 20-22: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 23: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 19dc, dc2tog

Row 24: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 25: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 17dc, dc2tog

Row 26: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 15dc, dc2tog

Row 27: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc along row

Row 28: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 13dc, dc2tog

Row 29: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 11dc, dc2tog

Row 30: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 9dc, dc2tog

Row 31: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 7dc, dc2tog

Row 32: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 5dc, dc2tog

Row 33: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 3dc, dc2tog

Row 34: ch1 (doesn’t count as a stitch), dc2tog, 1dc, dc2tog

Fasten off

Fold in half wrong sides together and dc along the edge to join. Fasten off

To put together: Finish off all the loose ends, when finishing off the loose ends on the tentacles where they join the body, sew the tops of the tentacles closed.

Stuff the head, leaving the bottom inch unstuffed.

Place the two long tentacle arms with paddles into the body section so the top of the leg is in line with the top of the body, sew the top of the body closed with these legs in to close the top of the body and hold the legs in place. Next sew the body into the head section, attach the thread to sew the head to the body 5 rows down from the top of the body and sew the top of the body in a 5 rows back up from the bottom of the head.