Crochet Your Own Sea Anemone

Do you like Sea Anemones? Would you like to have your own no-maintenance Sea Anemone? Yes, I have to keep writing "Sea Anemone" because there is another kind of anemone, which is a flower. The animals were named after the flowers.

Sea Anemones are primitive ocean animals, and they are full of poison. When a fish swims within reach, the anemone touches it with a tentacle, poisoning and paralyzing the fish.

Then it pulls the fish into its primitive mouth-stomach. Once done digesting, it spits the waste back out through the mouth.

A Sea Anemone can slide around on its adhesive foot, sometimes scooching into enemy territory. Oh, YEAH! It's a Sea Anemone turf war, as seen here:



Now that you're all revved up, it's time to get your yarn!

First make your tentacles. You can cover the top of your Sea Anemone with tentacles, or make a ring around the top. To cover the top, make about 30; for a ring, make about 20.

You can make them all the same length, or a variety of lengths. For shorter tentacles, of course you start with a shorter chain.

Chain 6 (or up to 20)
Turn and Single crochet 5 (or up to 19)
Finish off.
Leave the tails a few inches long.
Make 20 - 30 tentacles.

Now start the body.
Chain 2
In the first loop, Single crochet 5
Pull the tail tight to create a ring of 5
Double crochet in each of the 5 loops, making a second row of 10
Single crochet 1, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 15
Single crochet 2, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 20
Single crochet 3, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 25
Single crochet 4, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 30
Single crochet 5, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 35
Single crochet 6, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 40
Single crochet 7, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 45
Single crochet 8, Double crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 50

You're only partway done with the body, so don't finish off. Pull the working loop out a few inches so you don't unravel your work.

Now you can attach all your tentacles. Using a tapestry needle, use the tentacles' tail ends to attach them to the body. Pull the tail ends through adjacent holes in the body and tie them in a knot. Repeat until they're all attached.

Return to working on the body. Pull the working loop tight around your hook again, and
Single crochet 5 rows of 50. Now begin to decrease as follows.
Reduce 1, Single crochet 8, and repeat 4 times; this row has 45
Reduce 1, Single crochet 7, and repeat 4 times; this row has 40
Reduce 1, Single crochet 6, and repeat 4 times; this row has 35
Reduce 1, Single crochet 5, and repeat 4 times; this row has 30
Reduce 1, Single crochet 4, and repeat 4 times; this row has 25
Reduce 1, Single crochet 3, and repeat 4 times; this row has 20

At this point, you can stuff the body with fiberfill, yarn scraps, etc... If you have a lot of yarn inside already from your tentacle ends, you may be content with the shape without stuffing.

Reduce 1, Single crochet 2, and repeat 4 times; this row has 15
Reduce 1, Single crochet 1, and repeat 4 times; this row has 10
Reduce 5; this row has 5
Reduce until you can't any more. Finish off and pull the tail end into the body. Trim it off so the end is hidden inside the body.