The sea gooseberry is a type of ctenophore, which means “comb jelly.” They’re an ocean invertebrate that typically eat other tiny ocean creatures.
Here’s what we’ll be making, along with the image that inspired it.
(original photo from Comb Jellies Wikispaces)
Skill level: Beginner
Materials needed:
- Blue yarn
- Pink yarn
- Novelty white/fluffy yarn
- Small crochet hook (I used a 2.00 mm hook [US 0, UK 14])
- Tapestry needle
1. With pink yarn, make a magic circle with 6 sc. Slip stitch the beginning stitch to the end to join the circle. (6 sts)
2. Inc 6 times (12).
3-5. Sc around (12).
6. (inc, 2sc) * 4 (16).
7-17. Sc around (16).
Stuff form with polyfill.
18. Sc2tog 8 times (8).
19. Sc2tog 4 times (4). Cut yarn, pull taut, and use a tapestry needle to hide tail inside the form.
Making the ridges
Join pink thread toward the beginning (magic circle) side of the form. Work in a line toward the bottom of the form as such:
4 sl st; 6 sc; 5 sl st.
Now join the blue thread on top of the pink line you just created. Work as follows:
2 sl st; 2 sc 2 hdc, 2 dc, 2 hdc; 2 sc; 2 sl st.
Repeat these steps to make as many ridges as you like. I made three.
Adding the tentacles
Using the novelty fluffy white yarn, thread a tapestry needle with a 12″ length of yarn. Simply insert the needle in the “bottom” of the ctenophore, just off the center of the ending four-stitch circle, and push it out a bit on the other side of the center. Pull the yarn out and even out both sides.
You can tie it in place if you want, but as long as no one tugs too much on the tentacles, they should stay in place just fine. Good job!