Seeking Balance
Real tentacles are damn scary. I think tentacle-bedecked sea creatures are among the creepiest things out there — worse than bugs, far worse than snakes. Go look at pictures of squid and octopus and cuttlefish and see if you don’t get a case of the screaming heebie-jeebies. If that doesn’t work, read about giant squid. Guaranteed sea monster dreams for weeks, at least if your brain runs along the same lines as mine.
Knitting, on the other hand, sometimes has a certain tendency to lean toward the overly cute. Certainly not all knitting. Maybe not even most knitting. But there is a small contingent of teddy bear sweaters and stuffed toys that definitely flirts with twee. I’m starting to think it’s the faces…maybe knitting shouldn’t have faces. That’s not even quite it though. There are some seriously awesome knitted marshmallows/computers/vegetables that have had hilarious little faces put on them. Perhaps it’s that things that would normally have faces (like bears or reindeer) shouldn’t be given faces in knit form? I’ll have to think on it some more.
So somehow the idea of knitted tentacles is deeply satisfying. Take something frightening and strip all its power by making it soft and cuddly. It also has the distinct benefit of not needing a face. I am quite unreasonably amused. I’ve made two in the last 24 hours. It’s a sickness.
Mailing List
Want to hear when a new pattern comes out or something fun is going on? Sign up below!
Patreon
Want to support the content I create, get nifty bonus material for some of my favorite patterns, or get every new release delivered right to your inbox? Head over to patreon and sign up!