Sea anemone soft sculpture

I’ve been fascinated by sea anemones since I saw them first in the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a small child.  They are showy, weird, and colorful–what’s not to love?

My friend Hilary offered up the challenge of creating a sea anemone softie after a recent trip to the Point Defiance Aquarium.  I really had to think outside of my usual box for this one. How to get all of those tentacles?  My solution was yarn that had multiple colors and roving-like texture.  I latch hooked the yarn onto an old sweater to create the shaggy top.  The base is a heavy canvas that I painted to give it some additional interest and texture.  I felt okay not going too literal since they are quite diverse in form, color, and shape. I don’t think I did half bad!