meet otto...

...the eight-legged birthday present i made for our grand-nephew hudson's first birthday. don't get me started on the whole, "how can he already be a year old, he was just BORN for pete's sake!" topic, lol. honestly i think the older i get, the fast life flies past. but when it comes to crocheting, that's time well spent!

i used this awesome free baby octopus pattern from the friendly red fox, where there are many awesome free patterns including this narwhal that i'd quite like to make for myself! the pattern called for worsted weight yarn and a G hook, but i supersized it by substituting bernat baby blanket yarn (which is the softest, squishiest chenille you could possibly imagine!) and an M hook. i also made the tentacles four different lengths, and incorporated a few additional colors just to make it a little bit more dynamic.

the result is an octopus that is just slightly larger than the birthday boy... though obviously not nearly as cute. mission accomplished! ♥