I’m guessing they are called both Orcas and Killer Whales, however in rainy Vancouver, Canada, I’ve mostly heard Killer Whale. My boyfriend calls them Orcas.

This pattern came about satisfying my nature to make things for other people. My boyfriend LOOOOOOVES orcas. I didn’t believe it when he told me, until I saw this little “shrine” of orca pictures and things he has on display in his room when he lived with his parents. I scratched my head at this, I don’t get it. I guess the male version of liking orcas is about how they are big whales that eat things and kill people… I don’t know. Whatever, I love my boyfriend to bits and all his weird-ass quirks (he’s cute too).

So the patterns out there mostly required felted tummy sewn on or couple pieces. I freaking hate all that extra work. One piece/less pieces to sew on = superior in my book. I remember making the Amy’s babies Katamari (excellent pattern by the way) and going apeshit making all those freaking nubs and sewing them on correctly. People who are close to me say I’m a perfectionist.. I don’t think I am, but I’ve frogged a project over one stitch error and for the orca pattern – sewn and removed the fins at least a dozen times to get correct placement.

So, I just said whatever, and just starting making an orca. I was planning to construct it from the nose to tail (like my later pattern, Dolphin Amigurumi) but I got real lazy and just kept crocheting along until I realized it’s nose is too small… or its a body of a tiny orca. Baby Orca was born! I added some colour changes – something I’ve seen moreso restricted to stripes in lots of amigurumi (prolly cuz of the spiral construction) and had this ultra cute Orca the size of my computer mouse – which I grabbed a couple times by accident, the dorsal fin spearing my palm. Orca does not = computer mouse!

I then created a bigger one – as this pattern is damn cute, and selling the teeny version isn’t gonna cut it (now I got the idea to make a teeny one now, shit).

One thing I might change is the tail – its one piece tail (yay) is a little annoying to sew into the right shape.

♥The pattern is available on Etsy – http://www.etsy.com/shop/AwkwardSoul and it’s pretty popular.

My boyfriend at first was all “Ugg, it’s cute!” but now he likes it – and the pair keep his other orca things company in his new house.