You ‘octopi’ my thoughts (octopus hat) - Free Knitting Pattern

My sister wanted an octopus hat, so I created her one!

As you can see, this carnivorous octopus has only left a skull behind…

Materials -4mm circular needles -4mm double-pointed needles -Stitch marker -Main colour yarn (100g DK, shown here in King Cole Riot DK, colour way ‘Cool’) -Contrast colour yarn (about 20g DK, shown here in some unlabeled light yellow) -Tapestry/yarn needle for seaming -Small amount of stuffing for eyeballs and octopus body

Abbreviations St(s) = Stitch(es) CO = Cast on K = knit P = purl Inc = Increase by your preferred method K2tog = Knit 2 stitches together P2tog = Purl 2 stitches together MB = Make Bobble – K stitch in contrast colour, turn, increase st to 3 sts, turn, K3tog, slide back onto left needle, K in main colour

Pattern notes The hat, tentacles and ‘body’ is worked in seed stitch. This is a stitch where there first row is worked as K1P1, the following row is worked as P1K1, essentially you K your P stitches and P your K stitches to create a tightly woven reversible bumpy fabric. (Google it for tutorials etc)

Throughout the pattern you will have to increase and decrease the number of stitches. Try to increase/decrease in the K1P1 pattern as best you can – you will end up with two K/P sts next to each other, but that fine, in the next increase/decrease you will be back to K1P1 the whole way round.

Gauge 6sts by 6 rows per inch in seed stitch

Tentacles (top side) make 8 For the tentacles, you work each tentacle flat and then cut the yarn at the end and leave sts on a spare needle to be used for the bottom edge of the hat.

CO3sts in main colour and work in seed stitch 1-4 – seed stitch 5 – Inc 1 at at beginning of row, keeping pattern correct, continue in seed stitch (4sts) 6-12 – seed stitch 13 – As row 5 (5sts) 14-24 – seed stitch 25 – As row 5 (6sts) 26-40 – seed stitch 41 – As row 5 (7sts) 42-60 – seed stitch 61 – As row 5 (8sts) 62-86 – seed stitch

Tentacles (bottom side) make 8 For these tentacles, you work each tentacle flat and then BO the yarn at the end. You can chose to knit these pieces separate to the main colour tentacles and sew them together at the end, as I have, or work the two pieces together using intersia to change colours. Up to you guys!

CO3sts in contrast colour, work in stockinette stitch (K row followed by P row) starting with a K row. 1-2 – stockinette 3 – K1, MB, K1 4 – P row 5 – Inc 1 at at beginning of row, K to end (4sts) 6 – P row 7 – K2, MB, K1 8-10- stockinette 11 – K2, MB, K1 12 – P row 13 – As row 5 (5sts) 14 – P row 15 – K1, MB, K1, MB, K1 16-18 – stockinette Repeat last 4 rows once more 23 – K1, MB, K1, MB, K1 24 – P row 25 – As row 5 (6sts) 26 – P row 27 – K1, MB, K2, MB, K1 28-30 – stockinette Repeat last four rows 2 more times 39 – K1, MB, K2, MB, K1 40 – purl 41 – As row 5 (7sts) 42 – K1, MB, K3, MB, K1 43-46 – stockinette Repeat last four rows 3 more times 59 – 42 – K1, MB, K3, MB, K1 60 – P row 61 – As row 5 (8sts) 62 – P row 63 – K1, MB, K4, MB, K1 64-66 – stockinette Repeat last four rows 5 more times (86 rows in total) BO all sts

Hat In main colour, CO 39sts, working in seed stitch, work across the 8 sts on each of the 8 tentacles (64sts) that were left on the spare needle. Join in the round, careful not to twist sts. 103sts. Work in seed stitch until work measures 5cm from the CO edge. Decrease 2 sts evenly across hat (I decreased sts 1&2, 52&53) to give 101 sts. Now decrease for the crown: Dec row: *work 8 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (91sts) Work 2 rows seed stitch. Dec row: *work 7 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (81sts) Work 2 rows seed stitch. Dec row: *work 6 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (71sts) Work 2 rows seed stitch. Dec row: *work 5 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (61sts) Work 2 rows seed stitch. Dec row: *work 4 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (51sts) Work 2 rows seed stitch. Dec row: *work 3 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (41sts) Work 2 rows seed stitch. Dec row: *work 2 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (31sts) Work 1 rows seed stitch. Dec row: *work 1 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (21sts) Dec row: *K/P2tog* to last at, K/P1. (11sts) Cut yarn and thread through remaining sts.

‘Body’ In main colour, CO 71sts, join in the round careful not to twist sts. 1 – K 1 row 2 – *K6, inc1* to last st, K/P1. (81sts) 3-8 – work in seed stitch 9 – *work 7 sts in seed st, inc1* to last st, K/P1. (91sts) 10-20 – work in seed stitch 21 *work 7 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (81sts) 22-25 – work in seed stitch 26 – *work 6 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (71sts) 27-30 – Work in seed stitch 31 – *work 5 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (61sts) 32-35 – Work in seed stitch 36 – *work 4 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (51sts) 37-38 – Work inseed stitch 39 – *work 3 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (41sts) 40-41 – Work in seed stitch. 42 – *work 2 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (31sts) 43 – Work in seed stitch. 44 – *work 1 sts in seed st, K/P2tog* to last st, K/P1. (21sts) 45 – Work in seed stitch. 46 – *K/P2tog* to last at, K/P1. (11sts) Cut yarn and thread through remaining sts.

Eyeballs (make 2) In contrast colour, CO3 sts and divide across 3 dpns, work in the round. 1 – Inc every st (6sts) 2 – K 3 – *Inc1, K1* to end (9sts) 4-6 – K Stuff eyeball lightly 7 – *K1, K2tog* to end (6sts) 8 – *K2tog* to end (3sts)

Eyelids (make 2) In main colour, CO12sts and work flat. 1-10 – work in seed stitch. BO all sts.

Assembly Sew tentacle bottom sides underneath the tentacle top sides (see photo), making sure to pull thread tight to encourage the tentacles to curl. Sew octopus body onto the back of the hat, I lined up the CO edge of the body at the start of the decreases, then pulled and tacked a few of the body sts onto the top of the crown to emphasise the bulb like shape. Stuff very lightly, again to emphasis it’s shape. Attach eyeballs to hat (use photo as a guide) then partially cover these with the eyelids (again see photo).

Wear and enjoy!

Pattern copyright of foxymitts.co.uk

TW: Pedophilia

Teenagers are rarely taught the reason why they can't consent to sex with adults.

And that's because teaching them that would completely unravel our coercion-based society.

It can be difficult to explain in detail the exact reason and all the specifics in a way that they will understand. But the simplest way to phrase it is that in some cases, even when someone agrees to something and even when they appear enthusiastic about it, there's too much of a power imbalance that it's no different than forcing them. Also, having power and being abusive doesn't require a conscious expectation to be obeyed.

Imagine a world in which every teenager understood that and was easily able to call out anyone who tried to convince them otherwise.

They'd know that there's no such thing as an employee consenting to working for a poverty wage, working in unsafe conditions, working long hours, or working without taking breaks. They'd know that there's no such thing as consenting to paying a bank overdraft fee. They'd know that there's no such thing as consenting to student loan debt. They'd know that there's no such thing as consenting to medical bills. They'd know that there's no such thing as consenting to generating profit for banks or landlords in order to have a place to live and being evicted or foreclosed when you lose your source of income. They'd know that there's no such thing as consenting to a police search. They'd know that there's no such thing as a child who's okay with their parents spanking them. They'd know that being dependent on someone does not mean that you can never criticize them. They'd know that if it's considered abusive to simply play along when someone obeys, then it has to be much more abusive to actively expect to be obeyed, which many adults do to them.

And people who benefit from a society based on coercion masquerading as freedom wouldn't like that.

So instead, teenagers are taught something dismissive. They're taught that what they want doesn't matter. They're taught that they're too young to know what love is. They're taught "it's the law". They're taught things that are insulting to their intelligence, which they'll naturally rebel against.

if i were an academic i would love to write a book about all the unseen human labor and lives that make it possible to produce a single quilt.

i don't use commissioned longarm services for my quilting because i can't afford it, but i also used to really struggle with the idea of having another person complete such a prominent part of my project. i thought i wouldn't be able to say 'i made this.'

but i didn't grow the cotton that got woven into the fabric i'm using.

i didn't design the printed fabric collection.

or paint the batik.

i didn't do the math and writing that went into the patterns i use.

i didn't drive any of the ships and trucks that transported the fabric.

i didn't mine the metal that turned into the needles in my machine or hand.

i wasn't the shelf stocker at the chain store or the owner of the indie shop i bought from.

quilting is an inherently collaborative art form. the creativity didn't start with me.

Plus Size Sewing Pattern Database

I've seen some people on here express interest in making their own clothes, and I recently discovered this database for plus size/size inclusive sewing patterns and wanted to share.

All of the patterns/brands on the list accommodate at least a 60 inch hip measurement, though the actual size ranges and other measurements vary, and there’s even a search function that allows you to plug in your own measurements (both imperial and metric) and find brands that can fit them. The site also does a monthly pattern roundup sharing specific patterns that meet the sizing criteria, which I think is neat.

A lot of these *do* tend to max out around the 60-65 inch range, so it's not the most inclusive for superfats, but it's still waaaaay more inclusive than the big-brand sewing pattern companies tend to be.

Don't let your fire keep you from joy. This is not a sprint that we can complete on rage and grief alone. We will burn out.

Joy is our fuel.

Annoyed by the underarm holes on raglan and round yoke sweaters?

These holes appear no matter whether you are knitting bottom up or top down.

None of the methods I have seen seem to close the holes completely, so I leave an extra long yarn end at the top of the sleeves, which I use to make a few stitches to close the holes.

🎥🧶

This is a good solution!

I've also saved two patterns (that I haven't tried yet) that solve this problem by adding an underarm gusset: Chatoyant and Seascale

Notes for drawing (and writing) insects

I do something like this almost yearly and it feels like it gets a little longer every time!

Personally I draw either cartoony stuff or hybrid monsters where none of this is mandatory, but here are some of the things I sometimes see missing or inaccurate in insect artwork that was meant to be lifelike, and even if you only do alien, monster or cartoon arthropods, or you don’t make art at all, you might still like to know some of these things!

First off, an insect leg pretty much always has 9 segments. #1, the coxa, is what attaches it to the body and can be a short little “ball” or a whole long piece, but almost always bends DOWN. The last five segments are almost always very short, forming a super flexible “foot” or “tarsus” ending in a set of claws and sticky pads. All spiders have this “foot” as well!

The foot is even still present on the claws of a preying mantis - growing right out of the “sickle” like this, and still used as feet when the mantis walks around or climbs. Basically ONLY CRABS have limbs ending in simple points!

Insects don’t just have side-to-side mandibles at all, but an upper and lower set of “lips” like a duck bill! In some, however, these parts can be very small or even fused solid.

Insects also typically have four “palps” on their head, an upper and lower pair, which evolved from legs and are used to handle food!

Most *FLYING* insects have ocelli, single-lens eyes in addition to their multi-faceted compound eyes! Some flightless insects can also have them but it depends on the species.

All legs and wings are always attached to the thorax!

Caterpillars still have six legs! They’re very small and up near the head. All the other “legs” are actually just suckers on its underbelly.

You will be forgiven for never drawing this but this is how many parts a mosquito’s mouth actually has. Every piece you can find in another insect’s mouth - the “upper lip,” the mandibles, the palps, etc. - are all present as different needles and blades!

The word “bug” originally referred only to one group of insects, the hemiptera, including stink bugs, assassin bugs, aphids, cicadas, bed bugs and water striders to name a few. One distinguishing feature of this group is that it did away with all those separate mouth parts - all “bugs” have just a single, hollow “beak” or “proboscis” to feed through!

The vast majority of insect groups have wings or at least members with wings, and all insects with wings have  FOUR of them…..except that in beetles, the front wings evolved into solid, protective shields for the hind wings, and in true flies (which includes mosquitoes!) the hind wings evolved into tiny little knobs with weights on the end, called halteres, which the fly’s fast-paced brain uses to feel its orientation, altitude, speed, surrounding air pressure and other fine data making them quite possibly the most advanced aerial navigators on the planet. OTHER NOTES THAT DON’T NEED ILLUSTRATION:

Here’s an exploded diagram that shows insect mouthparts in more detail (using a grasshopper as an example, because grasshoppers, cockroaches, and mantises all preserve pretty basal mouthparts that other insects have fused):

The labrum and the labium are the top and bottom of the “beak” respectively, and you can see the labium has the bottom two palps on it. The only parts bogleech’s post left out are the maxillae (where the other palps are), which come below the mandibles. In a grasshopper/roach/mantis, the mandibles can be thought of as big incisors that slide out, and the maxillae are like “cheeks” holding food in on the sides!

Not noted in the diagram are parts the maxillae and the labium are further divided into. The part at the base of the labium is the postmentum, and it splits into two prementa, which themselves split into a glossa and paraglossa each. (Not super obvious on the grasshopper–the inner paraglossae seem to be mostly evolved away, so you’re mostly just looking at two big glossae at the end.)

Then, each maxilla has a stipes at the base, which splits into two parts–the galea on top, and the lacinia on the bottom.

Overall, the bits at the end end up working like lips, in that they help to manipulate food, and teeth in that they can also help chew it up!

Also, attached to the inside of the labium is the hypopharynx, which is kind of like a tongue! (It can’t taste, though–that’s what the palps are for.)

Here’s an image that shows how these mouthparts have fused in a bee (top left), butterfly (top right), and a mosquito (bottom right)! You can see how in the bee and the mosquito the proboscis is mostly made out of the “bottom lip,” but the butterfly’s is mostly made out of the “cheeks.” Also, unlike the other two, the bee has held on to its mandibles, so it can still bite! (Interestingly, ants have mouthparts very similar to bees–the only different is that the proboscis has shortened back up into a bottom lip. They’re never getting those maxillae back the way they were, though, and only have the two labial palps now.)

Like many people of good conscience, I'm trying to avoid a lot of companies right now. I think the best approach is to use (and repair) what you have, make what you can, buy used if you need to, and buy local for the rest.

But the reality is that there are some times and some services where that's not an option, so I'm compiling a list of my current alternatives (as of March 2025):

I also just found out about this website-- I haven't fact checked it all myself so take it with a grain of salt, but it seems helpful.

bell hooks mentioned going through a time in her life where she was severely depressed and suicidal and how the only way she got through it was through changing her environment: She surrounded her home with buddhas of all colors, Audre Lorde’s A Litany for Survival facing her as she wakes up, and filling the space she saw everyday with reinforcing objects and meaningful books. She asks herself each day, “What are you going to do today to resist domination?” I also really liked it when she said that in order to move from pain to power, it is crucial to engage in “an active rewriting of our lives.”

I have come to think of the suicidal impulse as the brain waving a flag to say three things:

death is the ultimate metaphor for drastic change. it’s a general specific. whatever your problems are, it is very likely that dead people don’t have to deal with them. a real solution to your problems may demand a very narrow range of action that’s likely to be out of reach at this moment, but death is sold on every street corner, so it feels like a more realistic fantasy than happiness.

you don’t really want to die per se but it’s also not completely random chemicals swamping your brain for no reason. you want the pain to stop, you want to be somewhere else, you want to be someone else. it’s urgent. you don’t know how to do it. the end is not the end but a means that feels within your reach right now.

this is the wisdom of bell hooks: daily rituals of meaning and resistance and solidarity are part of slowly building a future where you can make the change you really need. and only alive people can do that. every step you take towards change and power is another step away from death.