Free Pattern Friday – Cthulhu

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Welcome to the first Free Pattern Friday!  Once a week, I will feature a new free pattern.  They won’t always be mine, I am only just getting into writing my own patterns.

But today, I have something very special for you.  My very first pattern, a cuddly, snuggly Cthulhu!  Who says Elder Gods need to be scary?

As this is my first written pattern, PLEASE let me know if you find any mistakes or if something just doesn’t seem right!

CTHULHU

Materials used:

  • Worsted Weight yarn (I used Bernat Waverly and 2 strands held together which produced a 7 inch height)
  • H8/5mm hook
  • 12mm safety eyes
  • Fiberfill stuffing
  • Curved upholstery needles for joining (optional, but total lifesavers!)
  • Tapestry needle

Gauge:  Tight.  Keep in mind I used 2 strands of yarn held together with a 5mm hook for a bulkier and larger stuffie.  The yarn and hook combination you use will determine the size of your finished Cthulhu.

Special terms:

TNT1 (Tentacle 1) – Ch 11, 3 dc in third chain from hook, 3 dc in next 2 ch, 2 dc in next ch, dc in each ch to end, sc in same st.

TNT2 (Tentacle 2) – Ch 16, 3 dc in third chain from hook, 3 dc in next 2 ch, 2 dc in next ch, dc in each ch to end, sc in same st.

Head

Start with 6 sc in a magic ring
1- work 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
2- *sc in first st, 2 sc in next st*, rpt around (18 sts)
3- *sc in first 2 st, 2 sc in next st*, rpt around (24 sts)
4- *sc in first 3 st, 2 sc in next st*, rpt around (30 sts)
5- *sc in first 4 st, 2 sc in next st*, rpt around (36 sts)
6- *sc in first 5 st, 2 sc in next st*, rpt around (42 sts)
7-10- sc in each st around (42 sts)
11- sc in first 18 st, *TNT1, sc in next 2 st* rpt 3 more times (4 tentacles), sc in each st to end (42 sts)
12- sc in each st to first tentacle, sc behind tentacle, *TNT2, sc in next st, sc behind tentacle* rpt 2 more times (3 tentacles) sc in each st to end(42 sts)
13- *sc in first 5 st, dec in next st,* rpt around (36 sts)
14- *sc in first 4 st, dec in next st,* rpt around (30 sts)
15- *sc in first 3 st, dec in next st,* rpt around (24 sts)

If sewing on eyes (such as buttons), now would be a good time.  Safety eyes can go on at the end.
16- *sc in first 2 st, dec in next st,* rpt around (18 sts)
17- *sc in first st, dec in next st* rpt around (12 sts)
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing.  Stuff.

Close up of Tentacles

Legs (make 2)

Start with 6 sc in a magic ring
1- work 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
2- *sc in first st, 2 sc in next st*, rpt around (18 sts)
3-6- sc in each st around (18 sts)
Join with sl st and finish off first leg, DO NOT finish off second leg.

Body

Using the tail from leg 1, whip stitch the two legs together over 6 stitches.  Make sure to leave the unfinished tail on the outside (don’t sew it up in the middle).  You should have a figure 8 with 30 stitches (no longer count the 6 sewn stitches)

7-11- sc in each st around (30 sts)
12- *sc in first 3 st, dec in next st,* rpt around (24 sts)
13- *sc in first 2 st, dec in next st,* rpt around (18 sts)
14- *sc in first st, dec in next st,* rpt around. (12 sts)
Finish off, weave in ends, stuff.
Whip stitch head and body together (12 sts)

Arms (make 2)

Start with 4 sc in magic ring
1- work 2 sc in each st around (8 sts)
2- *sc in first st, 2 sc in next st*, repeat around (12 sts)
3-8- sc in each st around (12 sts)
Join with sl st, finish off leaving long tail for sewing.  Stuff.

For the wings, I have provided step by step pictures to help you out.

Wings (make two)

Working in rows, not in rounds.

Ch 4

Ch 4

Row 1: 1 sc in each of next 3 ch sp. Ch 1, turn.

1 sc in each of next 3 ch sp

Row 2: 3 sc, ch 4. turn.

3 sc

ch 4

Row 3: 3 sc on chain, 3 hdc on the three sc. Ch1, turn.

3 sc on chain

3 hdc on the three sc

Row 4: 3 sc, ch 5, turn

3 sc, ch 5

Row 5: 4 sc in chain, 3 hdc. Ch1, turn.

4 sc in chain

3 hdc

Row 6: 4 sc, ch 6, turn

4 sc, ch 6

Row 7: 5 sc in chain, 4 hdc. Ch 3

5 sc in chain

4 hdc

Ch 3

Work 8 sc along the top edge of the wing

8 sc along the top edge of the wing

Sl St into first Ch, or near first Ch.

Leave tail for sewing, fasten off.

2 finished wings!

I hope you enjoy your new Cthulhu pal as much as Hubby does.  Cupcake also wants very badly to play with him, but this one was just for us adults!

Cthulhu wants to play in the rain

Follow me on Pinterest!

 

Aug. 30/12 UPDATE:

The following is what your first (or second) row of tentacles should look like from behind.  It’s hard to know where to stitch on the second row of tentacles and beyond, because the tentacles don’t have obvious stitches on them.

 

This is what I did in order to make a stitch:

I just wedged my hook under a couple strands of yarn and “created” a stitch.  I hope to make another Cthulhu soon and figure out if my stitch count around those rows was correct, unfortunately we are moving on September 1st, so it will have to wait until things settle down a bit.  In the meantime, if you are familiar with amigurumi and comfortable with doing so, feel free to add more or less decreases to compensate for your stitch count being off.  Because the rest of the head is basically hidden behind the tentacles, it really shouldn’t be a noticeable change.

Thanks for using my pattern, good luck and happy hooking!

 

 

 

99 thoughts on “Free Pattern Friday – Cthulhu”

  2. I started reading Lovecraft and I wanted an amigurumi from one of his books on my shelf, I was confused with the tentacles haha ​​but beyond that it is very easy to follow, thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply ↓

  3. Pingback: Free Pattern Friday – Cthulhu – free pattern

  4. Pingback: Viernes de patrones gratuitos – Cthulhu – Mundo Bolsa

  5. Thank you so much for this! I’ve never done crochet before and decided to give this a go because it’s so adorable 🙂 It turned out really nicely! (If a tad…’unique’ as I accidentally mistook slip stitch for single stitch…but that was my oops, the pattern is fabulous and easy to follow!) I love the little guy so much 😀

    Reply ↓

  7. I just made my own tiny cthulu and it came out great; your pattern was super easy to read and follow! I was wondering though, if you have a written pattern for the top hat and monocle from the picture? I’m still new at crochet and am not at the level to write or improvise a pattern. It’s okay if you don’t though, my eldritch monster is plenty adorable without it!

    Reply ↓

  8. Pingback: Donkey Tomte Cthulhu

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  17. Hello there!!! I’m a nerdy crocheter and i make YouTube videos for patterns that don’t have them. So that you can Sell the videos to help people out and get to have making your beautiful creations. 🙂 If you’d be interested in that happening then please message me on pointiest or email me at cweigell11@gmail.com. 🙂

    Reply ↓

  18. I promised my husband a Cthulu for 7 years!!!!!
    I did this pattern and it took just 5 hrs. Haha
    Thank you for such an easy to follow and cute pattern.
    I learned some new techniques and used them in creating my own robot pattern.

    Reply ↓

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  21. I made this for my husband’s Christmas present. He loved it! Your pattern was easy to follow and it turned out great! So great in fact that I decided to make my brother a dice bag adapted from this pattern. I would show you pictures but I don’t know how to do that. Thanks so much!

    Reply ↓

  22. Hi!
    I love this pattern and I have gotten so many req to do this for friends and family.

    I hope you don’t mind, but a friend actually wanted me to make a really big one, so I based it on your pattern but made it much bigger and added some things. I call it my own pattern, since I had to rewrite everything from scratch in order to scale it up.
    I have no intention to sell or spread the pattern at all, only the finished product, and i would ofc always accredit you as a source and encourage people to check you out. However, I realize that you as the original designer might not appreciate it. I mean no disrespect since I admire your work. So if you are not comfortable with this, I will not post anything about it online and restrict it to my own private use only.

    Whatever you decide, I will take no offense. One designer to another, out of respect for your work ☺

    – Tintin Silver

    Reply ↓

      • That’s awesome! Thank you! If you wish to see it, I could always send you the picture on Facebook! Send me a message to Mahihaa Westlund and I will gladly show you the finished result! 🙂

        Reply ↓

  23. Hi. Thanks for sharing this pattern. It’s great that you put it out here and that it is still obviously popular as you’re still getting regular comments. I’ve started making one myself and I’m using two threads together as you recommend, but even after sizing up to a 5.5mm hook I’m finding it incredibly difficult to work. Is this normal? I’ve done a few hats and things before and not found it this difficult. Should I stick with it, or start again with a single thread?

    Reply ↓

  26. Pingback: Cthulhu The Cuddle Monster (free pattern linkup) | Erin and Sky

  27. Hi Alysha
    Thanks for your generosity in sharing your pattern. Ilove your Cthulhu. I have made 5 for my grandchildren and they adore them. Is it ok for me to make and sell them at my market stall and my on line shop at hand-made.com.au?
    Thanks
    Jackie

    Reply ↓

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  33. My daughtrr-in-law gave me a simple game based on this character, so when I saw this I had to try it. These little guys are so easy to make that I made one up the n less than an hour. Then another, and another.

    Reply ↓

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  39. I thought your pattern was on point, thanks for sharing it. I made a cthulhu for my dad, but when he posted the finished product on facebook, some of his friends wanted to buy one from me. I was also considering making an etsy shop as well, is it okay if I sell little cthulhus using this pattern? (I won’t sell the pattern, obviously.)

    Reply ↓

  40. Thank you for this pattern! I made my very own little Cute-thulu this morning and he’s going to be a lovely addition to my desk at work. 🙂

    Reply ↓

  41. I love this pattern: the only note I would make is to specify how many TNT1 and TNT2 to make at the beginning (when you give the pattern for the tentacles). The number of tentacles needed is only written in the head pattern section. Just a thought 🙂

    Reply ↓

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  44. I thought you’d like to know that if you do your front row of tentacles working in the front loop only of the row of stitches, that will leave the back loops of the same row as a “stitch” to work the back row of tentacles from. This is a great pattern and I am making a small one for my son for Christmas. I may even make several of them as ornaments!

    Reply ↓

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  47. Hi, I am from Mexico and I found your website looking for Cthulhu patterns in crochet.

    I have just finished my first one an here is the picture:

    Thanks for sharing this pattern 🙂

    Reply ↓

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  51. LoveLoveLove this! And it only took me about 2 hours total! Everyone has really enjoyed him! Thanks so much for the pattern!

    Reply ↓

  52. This was a really fun pattern to make. I used a neon color variageted yarn which made the finished project even more fun. The only time I messed up was when stitching the two legs together, because I misunderstood the directions. I used 6 stitches on each leg, which only left 24 stitches total to make the body. But I quickly discovered my error and went back and only used three stitches for each leg. So to anyone reading this, don’t make the same mistake 🙂

    Reply ↓

    • I think the pattern is a little misleading here, with 3 stitches versus 6 stitches. Perhaps it should be amended to say “whipstitch together 3 stitches from each leg” rather than “whipstitch over 6 stitches”.

      Reply ↓

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  55. Awesome pattern!! Found it this afternoon and have managed to complete all but the arms and wings, even with a busy preschooler. Kind of made up the underside of the second row of tentacles but used the same stitch count. So far he’s used maybe 1/2-2/3 of a skein of Red Heart Super Saver as they don’t sell Waverly in Canada and seem to have enough to finish him. He’s going to be a fantastic baby shower gift! Thanks again!

    Reply ↓

  56. Hey I just love your pattern. I made one for a friends Christmas gift & I was wondering if I could make a few to sell? I would give credit to your site for the pattern of course.

    Reply ↓

  57. Found this pattern through Ravelry. Since I’m new to amigumuri, I’m trying to get my head around how to attach the arms and wings, details of which instructions seem to have been left out. I’ll probably muddle through on my own, but the pictures aren’t clear whether the arms are sealed off before sewing on, or if I should sew them all around onto the body? Are there suggestions on placement or method of sewing on the wings? Suggestions on placement of the eyes? You were so clear regarding the whip stitch to hold the legs together and attach the head, I’m surprised that these important finishing touches were left out.

    Otherwise, just thrilled!

    Reply ↓

    • The instructions for the arm state to finish off and leave a long tail for sewing at the end of the last round, so that generally does not mean you will be sewing the end shut. When it comes to amigurumi, a lot of patterns require you to sew limbs on by stitching around the entire circumference. Just use some straight pins to hold it in place. It’s one aspect I have always found tricky. As for the wings, they are already flat, so just pin them in an appropriate place on the back, and stitch into place! Thanks for using my pattern, I hope I was able to clear things up a bit.

      Reply ↓

      • Would you also clarify the placement of the eyes, arms and wings? I didn’t see an answer to this particular question. I already finished one, but he’s slightly lopsided because I wasn’t certain on the placement. He’s adorable anyway!

        Reply ↓

    • I’m so sorry unit I don’t remember the exact shade I used. I know there is a dark, more hunter green in Waverly, this is the lighter one. It may have been called Fern. The differences are just lighting. The tutorial photos are shot with indoor light, and the finished product photos are shot next to the window with natural light. But I’ve only ever made the one Cthulhu pictured here , so it’s all the same color! Thanks for visiting!

      Reply ↓

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  61. Hi, love the pattern and this is probably a dumb question, but on rows 2-6 on the head, where it says repeat around, does that mean to increase to say 24 stitches, then go around the 24 again, then increase, or just increase to 24 and then start the next increase row?

    Reply ↓

    • Sorry for the late reply. Rpt around means to repeat the instruction within ** for the rest of that round. So for row 2, you sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc and so on until you reach the end of the round. Hope this helps.

      Reply ↓

  66. Pingback: Free Pattern Friday Guest: Cthulhu | YarnPaint!

  67. So adorable. I used your pattern to make my very own! The photograph is on my blog, and I’ve linked to your pattern directly. Thanks for sharing this fantastic project! 🙂

    Reply ↓

      • I am confused though about the leftover yarn from where I whipstitched the legs together. It just stays left out and the weaved in at the end or what? Sorry for all the questions! I’ve only been crocheting for about a month 😛

        Reply ↓

      • The tail you use to whipstitch should have been the cut tail, you would keep that one tucked inside when stuffing. The one left outside is the unfinished tail from the second leg, because you will continue to crochet around the two legs together, so you still need that yarn attached to the skein.

        Reply ↓

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  71. I just love this–I’m making one for a Christmas gift for a friend who likes H.P. Lovecraft in a creepy kind of way. The only problem I’ve had so far is that when I finished the tentacles, It seems like I had increased from 42 to 48+ stitches somehow? I had to decrease a lot when I was finishing the head, including going around again. Not sure where I went wrong…are we supposed to count the spaces beneath the tentacles as a stitch?

    Reply ↓

    • I’m trying to remember what I did… I put a stitch directly behind each tentacle (I sort of created a space to do it), and it’s possible my count was off in the end as well. I was following a pretty basic head shape but adding in the tentacles. If I’m ever way over, I try to do extra decreases as well, and in my case it worked out alright in the end. I’ll add an update with a couple photos I took when I was making the tentacles, hopefully that will help 🙂

      Reply ↓

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  73. I could only do the head before my yarn ran out, but this pattern is amazing so far! It’s a bit bigger than I expected, but he’s just lovely. Thank you so much for this!

    Reply ↓

    • Well I’m glad it’s working out for you so far! I was really nervous I would do a horrible job of writing the pattern down, or it wouldn’t make sense for anyone other than me, especially with the tentacles lol

      Reply ↓

      • I think it’s great! It’s really easy to follow and suits my style of crocheting really well. I’ll make a blog post about this as soon as I’m done. 🙂

        Reply ↓

  74. Pingback: Free Pattern Friday – Cthulhu | Rural Rebellion | E.W. Patterns

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