Elvis Worm [Peinaleopolynoe orphanae] Beanie

Woke up this #WormWednesday and decided I needed to make the worms I want to see in the world. This appliqué and embroidery friend is Peinaleopolynoe orphanae, a deep sea scaleworm. These worms can be found at whale falls, hydrothermal vents, and methane seeps - all some of my favorite habitats.

I wanted this piece to be really 3D and have playful tactile elements so I used some fuzzy fabric for the worm’s bristles and the scales are each hand cut out from a textile I created from ironing together felt, a glittery mesh, and a sheer holographic fabric. I attached the scales just at their bases where they are overlapped by other scales so you can rifle through them.

The base beanie is made of 100% acrylic and can be machine washed on a delicate cycle in cold water and dried on low heat. The worm design made from a variety of fabrics and Floriani Polyester embroidery thread. The worm design, including limbs, is just under 3" x 5".

The beanies pictured are examples, your beanie may vary slightly as I make them all myself and they include hand cut and hand placed elements.

The Elvis worm Peinaleopolynoe orphanae design is a NonCompliant Cyborg original pattern by JA Fields, based on a reference image from Hatch AS, Liew H, Hourdez S, Rouse GW (2020) https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/48532/

Image 1 ID: A black beanie with an appliqué and embroidery Elvis worm. The scales are only stitched down where they overlap so they ends are loose along it more 3D. The scale fabric is a blue purple holographic fabric with a lot of sheen. There is white fluffy material stitched down for the bristles.

Image 2 ID: Close-up of the worm giving more of a sense of how three dimensional it is.