Enter Octopus

Please note, this listing is for a digital copy of the pattern only, available for download through your Beehive Wool Shop account. 

Enter Octopus kits (pattern included) are also available.

Did you like the Octopus Slippers but think, “What if I wanted octopuses on my
head?” Then this is the pattern for you. Worked in stranded colourwork using
fingering weight yarn, Enter Octopus has octopuses swirling around the body, meeting
in a tentacular crown. This pattern has instructions for 3 sizes each in 2 different
gauges, with a slightly different chart for each size; you can further tweak the sizing by
adjusting the gauge. The finer gauge matches that of the Octopus Point mittens and
the Octopus Cowl. To make Enter Octopus, you will need to know how to do 2-colour
stranded colourwork in the round from charts.

Sizes

S (M, L)
Version 1:
Circumference: 17.75 (19.75, 22) in/45 (50, 56) cm
To fit (approximately): 19.25 (21.25, 23.5) in/49 (54, 59.5) cm head circumference
Length from cast on to top of crown: 7.75 (9, 9.25) in/20 (22.5, 23.5) cm (Can be made deeper by extending the ribbing at the brim.)
Version 2:
Circumference: {18.5, 19.75, 22.25} in/{47, 50, 57} cm
To fit (approximately): {20, 21.25, 23.75} in/{51, 54, 60.5} cm head circumference
Length from cast on to top of crown: {7.5, 8.5, 9.25} in/{19, 21, 23.5} cm

Yarn

Version 1:
Small Bird Workshop Shropshire Fingering (100% Canadian Shropshire wool; 500
yds/457 m per 3.9 oz/110 g): MC: 1 skein (shown in Evensong), CC: 1 skein (shown in
Pinot Gris)
Version 2:
Drops Flora (65% wool, 35% alpaca; 230 yds/210 m per 1.79 oz/50 g): MC: 1 skein
(shown in 05), CC: 1 skein (shown in 27)

Needles

Version 1:
US 2.5/3 mm 16 in/40 cm needles, or size needed for correct gauge
US 2.5/3 mm needles for working small circumference in the round, or size needed for
correct gauge
US 2/2.75 mm 16 in/40 cm needles, or one size smaller than gauge needle
US 2/2.75 mm needles for working small circumference in the round, or one size smaller than gauge needle
Version 2:
US 2/2.75 mm 16 in/40 cm needles, or size needed for correct gauge
US 2/2.75 mm needles for working small circumference in the round, or size needed for
correct gauge
US 1.5/2.5 mm 16 in/40 cm needles, or size needed for correct gauge
US 1.5/2.5 mm needles for working small circumference in the round, or one size smaller than gauge needle
Note: At this needle size, the US/metric conversion is inconsistent. I recommend using the metric size as a starting point for swatching.

Gauge

Version 1:
29 sts & 40 rows = 4 in/10cm in stranded colourwork on larger needles, worked in
the round and blocked
27 sts & 40 rows = 4 in/10 cm in stockinette stitch on US 2.5/3 mm needles, worked flat
and blocked
Version 2:
36.5 sts & 40 rows = 4 in/10cm in stranded colourwork on larger needles, worked
in the round and blocked.
Recommended stockinette gauge (for reference if substituting yarn): 24 sts & 32 rows = 4 in/10 cm on US 2.5/3 mm needles, worked flat and blocked
For a good fit, take time to check your gauge.

Notions

2 (Version 1) or 3 (Version 2) stitch markers; yarn needle

Photos © Gale Zucker 2024