pattern © 2009 by Jennifer L. Jones

I wanted to create a very simple knit amigurumi pattern, but didn't feel in the mood to fuss with double-pointed needles. So I decided to play with the concept of creating something from a plain rectangle with no shaping, much like Heartstring's bunny pattern. All the shaping is created with the sewing.

The pattern is basic, it could become a cat, or a bear, or even a monster, depending on how much you shape the ears and what kind of face you put on it.

This would be a great beginner knitting pattern - but be warned, the sewing is rather fussy, it's probably not the best beginner sewing pattern.

Yarn

worsted weight

Needle size

US 6 / 4mm

Notes

This pattern could be adapted to a different weight yarn; the needle size should be a size or two smaller than typical for the yarn so that the fabric is firmly knit.

Pattern

Cast on 40 stitches.

Knit in stockinette (knit 1 row, purl 1 row, repeat) for 40 rows.

Turn to wrong side and work a 3-needle bind-off; or, you could do a regular bind-off and sew that edge closed.

Sew the long edge, leaving the bottom short edge open.

Ears

With the piece turned right side out, mark the starting points for the ears on the top short edge, about a quarter to a third of the way in from the corners (depending on how large you'd like the ears to be). Sew a running stitch diagonally from the top edge to the side edge. Pull the yarn to gather the corner, adjusting it to the desired tension, and tie off firmly. Repeat for the second ear.

If you want to use safety eyes, attach those now - DO NOT use safety eyes for toys intended for very young children or babies, they can pull out of knitting too easily. If you prefer, you could embroider or glue the face on after stuffing (again, do not attempt to glue details on to toys intended for very young children or babies).

Stuff, leaving empty space in the bottom corners for the feet. Sew bottom edge closed.

Feet

Mark the starting and ending points on the long edges about an inch up from each bottom corner. Sew a running stitch from the starting point to the center of the bottom short edge, then up to the ending point on the opposite long edge. Pull the yarn to gather the corners and tie off firmly. Fold the feet to the front, and tack them to the body at the center point between the feet (the center of the bottom short edge).

Now finish the face, and enjoy your critter!