So I realised that I have been focusing mostly on the mechanical aspect of making the tentacles move and I should probably at least start looking at making the mask itself. I was going to write this up yesterday, but suddenly realized I needed to record a video for entry into the hackaday prize, so that took priority.

This is a free crochet pattern I found for the mask itself. This is going to be my starting point although I know I have a number of changes to make, so won't be able to follow the pattern very closely. I will be posting the final pattern I make on Ravelry and linking from here even though I suspect it won't be ideal for many people. Hopefully, it should at least give some ideas on how to integrate electronics into crochet patterns and point people in the right direction. When I thought of this idea, I did some Googling and found absolutely nothing in terms of combining servos and crochet. It almost makes me want to crochet a robot, but that's another project for another time.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cthulhu-beard-hat

Changes I will need to make to the pattern:

1. Make it smaller - This is for my four year old son, so I will need to make the shape of the head a bit smaller to fit him snugly.

2. I will need to alter the pattern to get closer around the eyes and to give a nose and eyebrows shape to match his pillow. He has a very specific idea of what Cthulhu looks like based on the pillow he got for Christmas. He told me that he needs red eyes and the lighter green for the area around the eyes and nose. My wife took him to the craft store and they picked out the yarn, so at least I'm one step closer in that direction.

3. Hiding the electronics. This is the part that I know isn't going to be easy. I have an Arduino Pro Mini which will be controlling everything and the HC-06 bluetooth module will both be small enough to hide easily, but the servos are a bit bulky and more difficult. I know I will have space behind the tentacles, and the servos will need to go here, but I don't want him to feel like he can't talk or breathe. If possible, I also want him to be able to move the tentacles aside so he can eat and drink while wearing the costume. We live in South Carolina, so even in October it can get quite warm, and with the mask and the rest of the costume, he needs to be able to take a drink without removing the whole mask.