A Creative Custom Order: 8-Bit Axolotls

These past few weeks I've been working on 3 of the cutest pixely creatures I've ever made (in fact, the only pixely creatures I've ever made!).

One of my close friends, who requested these critters, never fails to present me with a challenge! They wanted three 8-bit axolotls, inspired by the video game Minecraft, and they specifically asked for them to have a box shape, which was the most challenging part.

As I formulated a blueprint in my mind, I was thinking I would crochet a panel for every surface on the body, but instead I crocheted a long strip that included the front of the face, the top of the head, the back, and the bottom of the axolotl. Then I made two side strips that I whip-stitched together with the long strip. That allowed me to 1) keep the box shape, and 2) have more time to work on the details.

The whiskers were next. Unfortunately I couldn't incorporate the pixels on the sides (the layers would be too thick, and take attention away from the rest of the axolotl), so I wanted to instead focus on the sharp, pixely look of the whiskers. It required me to crochet twelve whiskers, pair them up, and sew them together so they would be thicker, and therefore stay upright. The result: a cute 8-bit axolotl!

I really enjoyed crocheting these three 8-bit axolotls! It was a difficult task but I loved creating them, and designing the creatures really pushed me out of my creative comfort zone.

Happy crocheting! —Julia from The Kotton Kaboodle