Little Giraffe

A knit giraffe with charts for simple stranded colourwork. If knitting with 2 colours at once is not for you, the pattern can also be knit as written ignoring the colour directions and the spots can be added in duplicate stitch afterwards. The pattern begins with four legs knit from the feet up. The legs are then joined in the round and from there the body, neck, ears and head are knit all in one piece.

This particular guy was knit at 2.5 sts per cm (or roughly 6 sts per inch) resulting in a giraffe that’s 17 cm (6.75 inches) tall and about 7 cm (2.75 inches) nose to bum. Do feel free to knit him up at a different gauge for a larger or smaller toy, there are no rules here!

MATERIALS
– A light and a dark colour main yarn, any type will do, just choose your needle size as appropriate to the yarn weight. Ideally you would like to create a fabric tight enough so that the stuffing does not show through.
– Small amount of contrast colour yarn for eyes
– Set of double pointed needles
– Stuffing
– Tapestry needle

ABBREVIATIONS
CO = Cast on
BO = Bind off
K = knit
KFB = knit into front and back of stitch
K2T = knit two together
P = purl
SSK = slip 2 stitches individually as if to knit, then knit those 2 stitches together
sts = stitches

CHARTS – available on Flickr by following these links:
Leg chart
Neck chart
Body chart

DIRECTIONS
Legs – Knit in the round (make 4)
Using double-point needles and light coloured yarn, CO 8 sts. Divide sts between needles, place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.
Round 1: [KFB] in each st. 16 sts.
Rounds 2-10: K all sts.
Rounds 11-21: K following leg chart.
Round 22: In light colour yarn, BO4, K8, BO4. 8 sts. (Leave a 6 inch tail. This will be used to sew up legs later and will be conveniently in the center of BO stitches.)
Transfer live stitches to holder.
If there appears to be a little whole at the bottom of the legs, use the cast on tail to snug it shut and then pull the cast on tail to the inside of the leg.
Begin stuffing legs.

Body – Knit in the round
Divide live stitches from all four legs around 3 needles so that BO sts all face the center of triangle.
Needle 1: 8 stitches from leg one, 4 stitches from leg two
Needle 2: 4 stitches from leg two, 4 stitches from leg three
Needle 3: 4 stitches from leg three, 8 stitches from leg four
Follow colour body chart.
Written directions:
Round 1: K all sts. 32 sts.
Round 2: K3, K2T, K22, SSK, K3. 30 sts.
Round 3: K all sts.
Round 4: K2, K2T, K22, SSK, K2. 28 sts.
Round 5: K all sts.
Round 6: K1, K2T, K22, SSK, K1. 26 sts.
Round 7: K all sts.
Round 8: K2T, K22, K2T. 24 sts.

Now would be a good time to pause, turn your knitting upside down on a table and sew the legs shut using the 6 inch tails you left when casting off earlier. There will be 4 short seems running from the center to the outside edge each joining 2 legs together at a time.

With light colour yarn, kitchener stitch the first 4 sts of needle one and the last 4 sts of needle three together. This seam will form the giraffe’s back. You now have 4 sts on needle one, 8 sts on needle two, and 4 sts on needle three. Rejoin yarn for working remaining sts in the round. Add more stuffing to legs and body.

Continue for Neck
Round 1-16: K following neck chart pattern. 16 sts.
Pause here and stuff body and neck. Cut darker coloured yarn and secure on the inside of the neck, the rest of the giraffe will be knit in the lighter colour only.

Continue for ears
Now knitting ear portion, this will be knit back and forth on 8 sts
Row 1: K4, turn.
Row 2: P8, turn.
Row 3: K8, turn.
Row 4: P8, turn.
Repeat rows 3-4 once more. Pull a 60cm (24 inch) length of the light colour yarn halfway through the last stitch of needle 3 and first stitch of needle 1. Leave it there for later.
Repeat rows 3-4 three more times.

Continue for head
Resume knitting in the round.
Rounds 1-8: K. 16 sts.

Pause here. You will see that the previous knitting back and forth for the ears has created a hole on either side of the head (1). Pinch the flap creating the holes (2) and using yarn left at top of ears earlier, use one side to stitch an ear seam that runs from the top of the ear to the outer edge of pinched flap (3), then stitch back up to where you started (4). Repeat using other yarn tail for other ear. Do not cut yarn, we will use these same pieces later for the horns. Stuff head.

Round 9: *K2T, repeat from * to end. 8 sts.
Cut yarn leaving a tail a few inches long, thread yarn tail through remaining 8 sts, gather and tie tightly, pull tail to inside of stuffed animal.

Horns
Using the same yarn as used to seam the ears earlier, use one piece to create 3 sts on your knitting needle by passing the yarn over the needle and through the top of the head 3 times. Knit i-cord for 2 rows, thread yarn tail through the 3 sts, gather and tie tightly, pull tail to inside of horn. Repeat for second horn.

Finishing
Tail: Cut two 20cm (8 inch) lengths of light coloured yarn and one 20cm (8 inch) length of dark coloured yarn. Pull all three half way through a stitch at rear of giraffe (makes six strands). Divide strands into three groups of two and braid a short tail, knotted at the end and trim.
Eyes: Using length of contrasting yarn, embroider eyes.

Giraffes for everyone!

Cats love sweaters

… almost as much as they love sarcasm.

Pattern for a custom fitted long sleeve turtleneck cat sweater. Since this pattern is meant to be custom fitted to your cat using the yarn and gauge of your choice, there is a little bit of math involved. If you find that your numbers don’t work out perfectly, don’t sweat it! Just fudge them a little, don’t let math get in the way of the funny. Also, cats are bendy, squishy and generally confused by being measured, do the best you can. Close enough is close enough, the ribbing is pretty forgiving.

MATERIALS
– Any type of yarn will do, just choose your needle size as appropriate to the yarn weight.
– Set of double pointed needles or circulars
– Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

ABBREVIATIONS
CO = Cast on
BO = Bind off
K = knit
K2T = knit two together
SSK = slip 2 stitches individually as if to knit, then knit those 2 stitches together
sts = stitches
2×2 rib = all ribbing in this pattern is *K2, P2* repeat to end of round.

DIRECTIONS
Knit a gauge swatch
CO 20 or so stitches and knit a few rows in stocking stitch then measure the gauge and jot it down.
__ Stitches per inch
__ Rows per inch

Measure the cat
__ Length from collar to start of back legs
__ Length between back and front legs
__ Distance between front legs
__ Width of front legs when looking at the cat in profile
__ Circumference of belly
__ Circumference of collar
__ Height of front legs

A little math
__ A = Circumference of belly x Stitches per inch, rounded to nearest number divisible by 4
__ B = Length between back and front legs x Rows per inch
__ C = Distance between front legs x Stitches per inch, rounded to nearest number divisible by 2
__ D = Width of front legs x Rows per inch
__ E = (Length from collar to start of back legs – Length between back and front legs – Width of front legs) x Rows per inch
__ F = Circumference of collar x Stitches per inch
__ G = A–F
__ H = If G/2 is greater than or equal to E, H=1. Else H=E/(G/2), rounded to the nearest whole number
__ I = (Height of front legs – 1 inch) x Rows per inch

Belly
CO A and join for working in the round. Knit in 2×2 rib for B rounds.

Divide for arms
Continuing in 2×2 rib, work back and forth on C stitches for D rows, this will be the material that runs between the cats front legs. It will be referred to as the chest piece. Cut yarn leaving a tail to weave in later.
Join yarn and work the rest of the stitches in 2×2 rib for D rows, this will be the material that goes over the cats back.
You should now have a tube that splits for the arms and is of equal length chest and back.

Join for neck
Resume knitting in the round in 2×2 rib, complete 1 round.
Continue knitting in rib while decreasing for neck. To decrease: K2tog right after chest piece and SSK right before chest piece every H rounds until F stitches remain.
Knit ribbing for 1 more inch, BO loosely.
You can stop here and weave in ends for a nice fitted cat vest, or continue on to the sleeves…

Sleeves
Pick up and knit D stitches along each side of an arm slit starting at the point closest to the cats bum (total stitches = D x 2). Knit 1 round in 2×2 rib. Continue knitting in rib while decreasing every other round by K2tog at beginning of round and SSK at end of round until (2 x stitches per inch) remain, then continue knitting in rib until I rows total for sleeve have been completed. BO loosely.
Repeat for second arm.

Finishing
Weave in ends. Wrestle the sweater onto the cat. Laugh and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

Crazy Aunt Purl had a cat sweater sweepstakes, see the gallery here!

 

Howdy to the folks who dropped by from Cute Overload! For those curious, both models in these photos are female, with all their claws, there seemed to be some discussion 😉

Little Elephant

MATERIALS
– Any type of main colour yarn will do, just choose your needle size as appropriate to the yarn weight. Ideally you would like to create a fabric tight enough so that the stuffing does not show through.
– Small amount of contrast colour yarn for eyes
– Set of double pointed needles
– Stuffing
– Tapestry needle

Green Elephant was knit with US #4 double pointed needles and measures approx 7.5 cm (3 inches) from trunk to bum, 9 cm (3.5 inches) ear to ear.

Pink elephant was knit with US #6 double pointed needles and measures approx 12.5 cm (5 inches) from trunk to bum, 13.5 cm (5.25 inches) ear to ear.

ABBREVIATIONS
CO = Cast on
BO = Bind off
K = knit
KFB = knit into front and back of stitch
K2T = knit two together
SSK = slip 2 stitches individually as if to knit, then knit those 2 stitches together
M1 = Make 1
sts = stitches

DIRECTIONS
Legs – Knit in the round (make 4)
Using double-point needles, CO 8 sts. Divide sts evenly between needles, place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.
Round 1: [KFB] in each st. 16 sts.
Rounds 2-11: K all sts.
Round 12: BO4, K8, BO4. 8 sts. (Leave a 6 inch tail. This will be used to sew up legs later and will be conveniently in the center of BO stitches.)
Transfer live stitches to holder.

Head/Body – Knit in the round (make 1)
Divide live stitches from all four legs around 3 needles so that BO sts all face the center of triangle.
Needle 1: 8 stitches from leg one, 4 stitches from leg two
Needle 2: 4 stitches from leg two, 4 stitches from leg three
Needle 3: 4 stitches from leg three, 8 stitches from leg four

Rounds 1-2: K all sts.
Round 3: K2, K2T, K8, SSK, K4, K2T, K8, SSK, K2. 28 sts.
Round 4: K all sts.
Round 5: K1, K2T, K8, SSK, K2, K2T, K8, SSK, K1. 24 sts.
Round 6: K all sts.
Now would be a good time to pause, turn your knitting upside down on a table and sew the legs shut using the 6 inch tails you left when casting off earlier. There will be 4 short seems running from the center to the outside edge each joining 2 legs together at a time.
Round 7: K2T, K8, SSK, K2T, K8, SSK. 20 sts.
Round 8: K all sts.
Round 9: K9, K2T, K8, K2T.18 sts.
Stuff legs and body/head. Transfer the lone stitch from Needle 2 to the needle with 8 sts. There should now be two needles with 9 sts each. Kitchener stitch shut, leave approx 4 inch length of yarn at the end, this will form part of the elephants tail.

Trunk – Knit in the round (make 1)
CO 12 sts.
Needle 1: 5 sts.
Needle 2: 2 sts.
Needle 3: 5 sts.

Round 1: K all sts.
Round 2: K to last 2 sts, SSK. 11 sts.
Round 3: K all sts.
Round 4: K2T, K to end. 10 sts.
Round 5: K all sts.
Repeat Rounds 2-5 twice more. 6 sts.
K 4 rows
Cut yarn, thread tail through remaining stitches, gather and tie tightly. Stuff trunk and attach to body on opposite side from the length of yarn remaining from kitchenering the body.

Ears – Knit flat (make 2)
CO 6 sts.
Purl 1st and all odd numbered rows.
Row 2: K2, M1, K2, M1, K2. 8 sts.
Row 4: K3, M1, K2, M1, K3. 10 sts.
Row 6: K4, M1, K2, M1, K4. 12 sts.
Row 8: K5, M1, K2, M1, K5. 14 sts.
Rows 10: K all sts.
Row 12: K all sts.
Row 14: K all sts.
Row 16: K4, K2T, K2, SSK, K4. 12 sts.
Row 18: K3, K2T, K2, SSK, K3. 10 sts.
Row 20: K2, K2T, K2, SSK, K2. 8 sts.
Row 22: K, K2T, K2, SSK, K. 6 sts.
Row 24: BO all sts.
Fold ear in half so that CO and BO edges are together. Sew together side seams (do not stuff), attach to body.

Finishing
Using tapestry needle and an 8 inch length of main colour, pull yarn through the last stitch that was kitchenered on top of the body so that 4 inches dangles on either side. Use this and yarn end left from kitchenering body shut to braid a short tail. Use a contrast colour to embroider eyes. Your little elephant is complete!

Bumble Cat Toy

It is a knit Bee on a cord my friends, enjoy.

MATERIALS:
4 colours of yarn, mine was acrylic and came from the dollar store, spare no expense 😉 :
MC = black
CC1 = yellow
CC2 = white
CC3 = blue
Fiberfill, scrap yarn or fabric to stuff the toy
Catnip – optional but adds to the fun
1 set of double pointed needles, whatever size you need to knit your yarn up tightly. I used US # 4.
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

ABBREVIATIONS
CO = Cast on
BO = Bind off
K = knit
KFB = knit into front and back of stitch
K2T = knit two together
M1 = make 1 stitch
sts = stitches

DIRECTIONS
Body – knit in the round (make 1)
With MC, CO 8. Join being careful not to twist (8sts)
Note: Beginning with Rounds 1 and 2 in MC, alternate knitting 2 rows with MC and 2 rows with CC for Bee stripes.
Round 1: K all sts.
Round 2: [KFB] in each stitch. 16sts.
Round 3: K all sts.
Round 4: *K2, M1* repeat across row. 24 sts.
Round 5: K all sts.
Round 6: *K3, M1* repeat across row. 32 sts.
Rounds 7-15: K all sts.
Round 16: *K2, K2T* repeat across row
Round 17: K all sts.
Round 18: *K1, K2T* repeat across row
Round 19: K all sts.
Pause here, weave in cast on tail and stuff Bee body with fiberfill and cat nip, then continue.
Round 20: *K2T* repeat across row. 8 sts.
Round 21: K all sts.
Note: Tie off CC1 now and leave tail inside of Bee body, continue using MC only for Bee head.
Round 22: *K1, M1* repeat across row. 16 sts.
Round 23: K all sts.
Round 24: *K2, M1* repeat across row. 24 sts.
Round 25: K all sts.
Round 26: *K1, K2T* repeat across row. 16 sts.
Round 27: K all sts.
Pause here and finish stuffing Bee body and head with fiberfill and catnip, then continue.
Round 28: *K2T* repeat across row. 8 sts.
Cut yarn leaving approx. 6 inch tail. Thread tail through remaining stitches, gather and tie tightly. Weave in end.

Wings – knit flat (make 2)
With CC2, CO 8.
Row 1: K7. Turn.
Row 2 and all even numbered rows: K to end. Turn.
Row 3: K6. Turn.
Row 5: K5. Turn.
Row 7: K4. Turn.
Row 9: K5. Turn.
Row 11: K6. Turn.
Row 13: K7. Turn.
Row 15: BO 8.
Weave in ends and sew to the Bee’s back.

Cord – knit flat on 2 dpns (make 1)
Pick up and knit 3 stitches in the center of the Bees back.
Knit I-cord until cord measures approx 40 inches, BO. Make a finger sized loop at the end of the I-cord and use the tail of the yarn to stitch the loop shut, weave in any ends.

Tadaaaaaaaa!
It’s time to taunt the cat 🙂