Source
Ravelry download
Notes
Notes
I’ve knit a lot of hats. No really, a lot. And there comes a point, on about half my hats, where part of my brain says ‘ooooooh that crown looks like a sea urchin.’ And normally I say ‘yes indeed’ and move quietly on with my day. But, not too long ago, something in my head snapped, and instead I said ‘ok, you keep seeing sea urchins everywhere, how about I just knit you a little pile of sea urchins and see if that helps.’
To be honest, I don’t know if it will cure me of my tendency to see echoes of sea creatures in my other knits. I suspect that it may not. That may just be a thing my brain tends to do. But it was an absolutely delightful diversion and resulted in one of the loveliest little piles of peculiarities I ever did see.
And then? Well then I sort of accidentally wondered ‘ok, yes, urchin…but what if maybe also jellyfish?’ And for a while, I was able to resist. Because really, how would you even do such a thing? And then, well, then I figured out how one would do such a thing. And it involved acquiring an air plant. And making a deeply questionable beverage choice. Both of which I’m happy to do at a moment’s notice. And now…well now you can expand your collection of strange sea creatures.
And while I would never presume that everyone shares my particular fondness for our spiny, briny, prickly little friends, I have a sneaking suspicion that at least a few of you do. If you’re the sort to come home from a beach stroll with a pocket full of pebbles and shells and bits of driftwood, then perhaps these are for you!
General information
This 42-page ebook includes directions for both the urchin (in four different versions, each available in two sizes, each with two different decrease options, and each with two options for bead placement) and the jellyfish (in three different versions, each in two different sizes). It is tremendously detailed and holds your hand every step of the way. There are pages and pages of step-by-step photos to show you exactly what to expect as you work. It walks you through everything from cast on to playing with more than one yarn to managing your ends to placing beads to wrangling your airplant blocking your creature.
The patterns are almost absurdly detailed, but it really does mean you can totally make these, even if you’ve never knit a project like this before!
Skills & scope
The knitting on these is delightfully mellow. They’re worked in the round, they make sense in your hands as you’re working them (all the increases and decreases are nicely stacked up in a way that makes them easy to memorize), and they’re small enough you can have one finished in an hour or two.
The patterns use charts, so you will need to know how to follow a knitting chart.
Yarn, gauge & sizing
The size of your urchin shell will be determined by your yarn and gauge. Mine are between 2 and 3 inches across (about the size of real urchins).
I recommend using fairly thin yarn (fingering, sport, or DK weight) and knitting tightly enough that you get a firm fabric. You don’t need to match any particular gauge, but you do want a sturdy fabric. As long as you’re getting a nice, dense fabric (similar to what you’d want for socks), you’re getting the right gauge.
Some of my shells use one yarn, some use a second strand of fuzzy, lace-weight silk mohair blend as a contrast yarn. Each shell took less than 50 yards of each yarn. If you want to use beads, they need to be big enough to fit over whatever yarn you’re using (I used size 6 seed beads) and you’ll use somewhere between 50 and 100 beads per shell.
The size of your jellyfish will be determined by your yarn and gauge and the size of the thing you tuck up inside it (the lid from one of those drinks that comes with a mountain of whipped cream is the best thing to use). Mine are between 3 and 4 inches across.
I recommend using fuzzy, laceweight yarn (one of the silk alpaca blends is perfect) knit tightly enough that you like the look of the fabric. You don’t need to match any particular gauge. As long as you’re getting a fabric you like, you’re getting the right gauge.
Some of my shells use one yarn, some use a second strand of fuzzy, lace-weight silk mohair blend as a contrast yarn. Each shell took less than 50 yards of each yarn. If you want to use beads, they need to be big enough to fit over whatever yarn you’re using (I used size 6 seed beads) and you’ll use somewhere between 50 and 100 beads per shell.
You can absolutely use scrap yarn for this.
Tools & supplies
You’ll need needles that let you work in the round (circulars or DPNs) in whatever size lets you get a fabric you like with your chosen yarn plus the general knitting tools you need for most projects (scissors to cut your yarn, a darning needle to weave in ends, the occasional stitch marker or bit of scrap yarn to hold stitches).
If you want beads on your urchins, you’ll want whatever you like to use to get beads onto your knitting. I used a very very very tiny crochet hook, but anything that does the job is fine.
For the jellyfish, you’ll also want one or more air plants for the tentacles (fake is fine, though you will be able to water them, so real works well too), one of the clear, domed plastic lids that come on the sort of cold drink that gets a pile of whipped cream on top, and some thread to hold it all together (I like the ‘invisible’ nylon thread best). If you want to get creative and use something else for tentacles (tinsel? crochet? yarn scraps?) or the lid (pudding cup? yogurt container?) you can totally experiment and do that!
published in October 2024 by Tiny Nonsense
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