One Christmas Octopus Became Two: This Time in Purple

Sometimes one custom order sparks an idea for another before the first one is even gifted.

That is exactly what happened with these octopuses.

My customer originally came to me after finding a beautiful crochet octopus online. She wanted one for a loved one for Christmas, but instead of purchasing the one she had found, she wanted to support a local maker.

Together, we brought that first octopus to life in beautiful shades of pink using the incredibly detailed octopus design by Crafty Intentions, complete with its true to life shaping, flowing tentacles, and beadwork.

But somewhere along the way, she had another thought.

There was someone else in the family who would love one too.

And just like that, one Christmas octopus became two.

We weren't going to make an identical second octopus.

The first one had her shades of pink, so this one needed a personality of her own.

For the second family member, the vision became shades of purple.

We returned to the same beautiful Crafty Intentions design, but changing the colors completely changed the feel of the finished piece.

That's one of the things I love about working with a detailed pattern like this.

The construction may be the same, but the yarn choices allow each finished creation to become something completely different.

The purples flowed through the body and those wonderfully shaped tentacles, showing off all the twists, curves, and details of the design.

And, of course, there was the beadwork.

Those little details added another layer of texture and personality, just as they had with her pink counterpart.

I love that this wasn't simply an order for two matching gifts.

Each octopus was being created with a specific person in mind.

The pink one started the whole adventure. Then, while planning and creating that first gift, my customer thought of another family member who would appreciate one just as much.

So the second became purple.

Same pattern.

Same beautiful level of detail.

But two completely different personalities heading to two different people for Christmas.

That is one of the things that makes handmade gifts so much fun. You can start with the same idea and then change the colors and little details to fit the person who will eventually unwrap it.

Custom orders don't always arrive as a completely formed idea.

Sometimes we start with an inspiration photo.

Sometimes we start with a favorite color.

And sometimes, halfway through one project, someone says, “You know who else would love one of these?”

That's how this purple octopus joined the Christmas lineup.

One online inspiration became a locally handmade pink octopus.

And that pink octopus inspired a second handmade gift in shades of purple.

Two Christmas presents, created from the same beautiful design but made especially for two different people.

And I think that makes this little pair even more special.

Have someone on your gift list who would love something you've seen in my Custom Order Gallery?

It doesn't have to be an exact copy. We can change the colors and details and create a version inspired by the original but made with your person in mind.

Sometimes one idea is all we need to get started.