Knitted Toy Box

Wee Mouse

2009-07-02T09:08:00.006+01:00

This little fellow was inspired by one of my favourite poems by a famous Scottish poet called Robert Burns, the poem is titled To a mouse.

In the poem it talks of how the mouse has been run out of his nest by a farm field being ploughed. the picture of the wee mouse shows how he has now made a new home in a caravan at the bottom of my gardern!

Truth be told this little mouse actually started out as a hamster when I sat down with my ball of scrap yarn to create. However the more I knit on the more I realised he actually looked like a little field mouse, and so Wee Mouse was created. As you may already know wee means tiny or very small in Scotland,

He knits up super quick even for those who aren't fast knitters, because he is only a tiny 3.5" tall. As usual knit on two straight needles but you'll be better using two dpns as the pattern calls for I-cord as well.

Material

Materials
• Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• Pink embroidery thread
• 5mm safety eyes or black yarn/thread

Yarn colours
• Brown
• Beige

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 3.5" tall

Click here for my abbreviation list

TOY SAFETY
Remember never use toy safety eyes on a toy intended for a child under 3 years old, they are a potential choking hazard, please embroider on any features so they cannot be easily removed by little fingers or gnashers!

Please click here for my copyright info

Head
CO 6 in brown
1. purl
2. *kfb* along(12sts)
3. purl
4. *kfb, k1* along(18sts)
5. purl
6. knit
7. purl
8. *k2tog,k1* along(12sts)
9. purl
10. knit
11. purl
12. *k2tog* along(6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to add eyes and embroider on a nose and fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Body
CO 6 in brown
1. purl
2. *kfb* along (12sts)
3. purl
4. *kfb,k1* along (18sts)
5-13. Begin with purl and st-st 9 rows
14. *k2tog* along (9sts)
15. BO

BO remaining stitches leaving a long tail. Use tail to mattress stitch the body closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Continue to mattress stitch until you reach the cast on stitches. Draw the yarn through the cast off stitches, pull tightly and secure. Weave in any leftover yarn ends.

Arms
CO 4 in brown
1-5. i-cord for 5 rows

Cut a long yarn tail and draw it through the remaining stitches,leave the remaining yarn tail to attach arms to body.

Legs
CO 6 in brown
1-7. Begin with purl and st-st 7 rows

Cut yarn leaving a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. Continue up to the cast on stitches, then draw through all the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure and leave a long tail to sew onto body.

Ears
CO 3 on brown
1. purl
2. *kfb* along (6sts)
3. purl
4. BO leaving a long yarn tail

Fold the ear in half width wise and stitch from the BO stitches down to the CO stitches. Leave a long yarn tail to attach to head.

Tail
CO 2 in beige
1-9. I-cord for 9 rows

Cut a long yarn tail and draw it through the remaining stitches,leave the remaining yarn tail to attach arms to body.

If you knit up a wee mouse please post your pictures on the knitted toy box flickr group or if your a member of Ravelry put it on your project page so I can have a peek. I'd love to see the secret lives of your little mice.
Happy knitting everyone
Raynor x

Sugar Bunny

2009-05-15T16:01:00.013+01:00

This pattern has been in my free project pipeline for a long time. The original is a very popular crochet rabbit from the Lions Brand website known as Best Bunny, I think this finished toy is adorable and so sweet hence why I've re-named it as the Sugar Bunny.
This toy was a huge hit with my one year old, she swiped it as soon as I had finished it off. however my two year old also wanted to give it hugs so it looks like i'll have to be knitting up more already. At least it has the official child seal of approval!
As always I love seeing the variety of toys people come up from my patterns so I'd love to see these adorable little bunnies knit in a whole array of colours, and remember to show off you work on the knitted toy box group.

Materials
· Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
· Yarn needle
· Toy stuffing

Yarn colours
· Cream
· Pink

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 6" tall

Click here for my abbrevation list

HEAD
CO6 in cream
1. purl
2. Kfb (12sts)
3. Purl
4. *Kfb, k1* along (18st)
5. Purl
6. *Kfb, k2* along (24st)
7. Purl
8. *Kfb, k3* along (30st)
9-13. St-st 5 rows (start with purl)
14. *K2tog, k3* along (24st)
15. Purl
16. *K2tog, k2* along (18st)
17. Purl
18. *K2tog, k1* along (12st)
19. Purl
20. *K2tog* along (6st)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to add eyes and embroider on a nose and fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

BODY
CO 6 sts in cream
1. purl
2. *kfb* along (12sts)
3. purl
4. *k1, kfb* along (18sts)
5. purl
6. *k2, kfb* along (24sts)
7. purl
8. *k3, kfb* along (30sts)
9-13. St-St 5 rows (start with purl)
14. *K2tog, k3* along (24sts)
15. Purl
16. Knit
17. Purl
18. *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
19. Purl
20. Knit
21. Purl
22. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
23. Purl
24. BO

BO remaining stitches leaving a long tail. Use tail to mattress stitch the body closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Continue to mattress stitch until you reach the cast on stitches. Draw the yarn through the cast off stitches, pull tightly and secure. Weave in any leftover yarn ends.

EARS (make 2)
Cast on 4 in pink
1. purl
2. knit
3. purl
4. *Kfb, k1* along (6st)
5. purl
6. knit
7. purl
8. *Kfb, k2* along (8st)
9. purl
10. knit
11. purl
12. *Kfb, k3* along (10st)
13. purl
14. knit
15. purl
16. *Kfb, k4* along (12st)
17. purl
18. knit
19. purl
20. *Kfb, k5* along (14st)
21-29. (begin with purl) St-st 9 rows
30. BO (leaving a long yarn tail about 13")

Fold the ear in half width-wise so the row ends meet. use the long yarn tail to whipstich together all the row ends and then leave the long yarn tail to sew the BO stitches to the head.

LEGS (make 2)
CO 6 sts in cream
1-5. st-st for 5 rows (start with purl)
6. *kfb* along (12sts)
7. Purl
8. Knit
Change to pink
9. Purl
10. Knit
11. Purl
12. k2tog along (6sts)

Cut yarn leaving a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. Stop halfway and lightly fill with stuffing. Continue up to the cast on stitches, then leave a long tail to sew onto body.

ARMS (make 2)
Cast on 6 in cream
1-7. st-st 7 rows

Cut yarn leaving a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. Stop halfway and lightly fill with stuffing. Continue up to the cast on stitches, then draw through all the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure and leave a long tail to sew onto body.

TAIL
CO 6 sts in cream
1. purl
2. *kfb* along (12sts)
3. Purl
4. Knit
5. Purl
6. k2tog around (6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening leaving a long tail to sew onto body.

♥ Raynor

Milk & Cookies

2009-05-02T08:38:00.010+01:00

Ok apologies first off since it has been forever since I posted a pattern on this blog, I've had loads that I want to make into free patterns but being a bit of a procrastinator I never get around to it.
Anyway this is one of my original patterns that I no longer have for sale and it's just sitting away looking lonely as there is nobody to make these little guys. And oh do you want to make these because the only two words to describe them are SUPA KAWAII!!

The little heart in the picture was created using the mochi mochi land free heart pattern which you can find by clicking here. Whilst your there have a look at Anna's other patterns both for free and for sale because she is an amazingly talented designer, I love the randomness of her work.

The milk also reminds me of milky the little carton from the Blur 'coffee and tv' music video, so if you know anyone who is a milky fan then knit one up for them.
My usual copyright blurb still stands for these little fellows, i.e go forth and multiply them, even sell them but show the love and don't sell the pattern.

So here's the pattern go and grab your needles and knit up the greatest love story ever told!

Materials
· Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
· Yarn needle
· Toy Stuffing
· Scissors
· 5mm Toy safety eyes (optional)

Yarn colours
· Blue
· White
· Brown
· Scraps of black and pink yarn/thread if embroidering the eyes and mouth and cheeks

Yarn weight: Double knitting (DK)

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: Milk is approx. 6” tall, 3” wide
Cookie is approx 2” wide, 1” tall

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
MILK

Cast on 20 st in white
1. Purl
2-27. St-st for 26 rows
28. Purl
Change to blue yarn
29. Purl
Keep your work facing on the right side (do not turn)
Cast on 60 sts in blue (80sts)
30. *k19, p1* three times, k20
31. P20, *k1, p19* three times
32 -37. Repeat rows 30 and 31 three more times (8 rows in total)
Change to white yarn
38-39. Repeat rows 30 and 31
40-44. For the next 5 rows follow the pattern below (you may need to click on the picture to see the full chart)

White square: use white yarn
Blue square: use blue yarn
Red square: on an odd row indicates a purl, on an even row indicates a knit

45-66. Repeat rows 30 and 31 for 22 rows
67. Knit across

For the following rows the stitches in black indicate where the white yarn should be used and the stitches in blue indicate where the blue yarn should be used.

68. P1, k17, p2, k19, p1, p1, k17, p2, k20
69. P20, k2, p16, k1, p1, k1, p19, k2, p16, k1, p1
70. K1, p1, k16, p2, k19, p1, k1, p1, k16, p2, k20
71. P20, k1, p1, k1, p14, k1, p2, k1, p19, k1, p1, k1,p14, k1, p2
72. K3, p1, k12, p1, k2, p1, k19, p1, k3, p1, k12, p1, k2, p1, k20
73. P20, k1, p2, k1, p12, k1, p3, k1, p19, k1, p2, k1, p12, k1, p3
74. K4, p1, k10, p1, k3, p1, k19, p1, K4, p1, k10, p1, k3, p1, k20
75. P20, k1, p4, k1, p8, k1, p5, k1, p19, k1, p4, k1, p8, k1, p5
76. K5, p1, k8, p1, k4, p1, k19, p1, K5, p1, k8, p1, k4, p1, k20
77. P20, k1, p5, k1, p6, k1, p6, k1, p19, k1, p5, k1, p6, k1, p6
78. K7, p1, k4, p1, k6, p1, k19, p1, K7, p1, k4, p1, k6, p1, k20
79. P20, k1, p6, k1, p4, k1, p7, k1, p19, k1, p6, k1, p4, k1, p7
80. K8, p1, k2, p1, k7, p1, k19, p1, K8, p1, k2, p1, k7, p1, k20
81. P20, k1, p8, k2, p9, k1, p19, k1, p8, k2, p9
82. BO 60 st, p20 (20 sts)
Continue with all blue yarn
83-87. st-st 5 rows
88. Purl
89-93. st-st 5 rows
94. BO remaining stitches

COOKIE

Biscuit (make 2)
CO6 in brown
1.knit
2.*kfb* along(12sts)
3.knit
4.*kfb, k1* along (18sts)
5.knit
6.*kfb, k2* along (24sts)
7.knit
8.*kfb, k3* along (30sts)
9.knit
10.*kfb, k4* along (36sts)
11.knit
12.BO

Filling
Cast on 33 with white
1-3. Garter stitch 3 rows
4. BO

Seaming Schematics

Milk
The black dotted lines in the diagram represent areas which should be folded. The following steps should be carried out with the right side facing towards you. Use whip stitch for all the steps apart from step 7 where mattress stitch is used.

Step 1.
Sew together the areas indicated by the red dotted lines.

Step 2.
Sew together the areas indicated by the red dotted lines.

Step3.
Sew together the areas indicated by the red dotted lines.

Step 4.
Sew together the areas indicated by the red dotted lines.

Step 5.
With the black dotted edges folded inwards, pin together the top edge of the white coloums and sew together.

Step 6.
Now take the extended blue flap and fold over the middle, then sew down both vertical edges. Then sew the horizontal edge against the diagonal edge as indicated by the red dotted lines

The top of the toy should now be looking like a folded milk carton top.
At this point you may like to add the facial features.

Step 7.
Sew together the two row ends indicated by the red dotted lines using mattress stitch for invisible seaming.

At this stage you may like to stuff the toy with polyester toy stuffing for a squishy effect or foam wadding so the finished toy has more structure.

Step 8.
Sew the remaining white edges to the bottom edges of the blue rows as indicated by the red dotted lines

Cookie
Step 1.
Sew together the row ends of the biscuit top

To achieve an invisible seam with garter stitch sew together using the following method:

Join the bottom loop of one row and join it to the top loop of the corresponding row. Follow the diagram for direction. Unlike the diagram the seam must be pulled together as it is worked.

Once the biscuit pieces have been seamed into circles, then attached facial features to one of the biscuit pieces.

Step 2.
Take the filling row and sew together the row ends to make a hoop.

Step 3.
Take the hoop and pin the cast on edge to the wrong side of the bottom biscuit piece. Sew the edges to the biscuit piece.

Step 4.
Take a small amount of polyester toy filling and place it in the little cup of the bottom biscuit and filling piece. A bird’s eye view of cookie should look like this:

Step 5.
Take the top biscuit piece with the face, top side up and pin it to the bind off edge of the filling hoop.
Sew the edges of the filling to the biscuit piece.

Other Information
• If you wish the toy to be for a child under 3 years old or for a pet, I strongly recommend that you embroider on any features to reduce any choking hazard.
• If you fill the whole milk with saftey stuffing the toy is very squishy and won't keep its shape for too long unless its only used for display, if you prefer it to have more ridity then filling it with blocks of foam may be better.
• For a variation on the milk try knitting it in pink for strawberry milk, yellow for banana milk or brown for chocolate milk.
♥ Raynor

Koala Baby

2008-11-21T23:11:00.008Z

I've had parts of this pattern knit up for quite a while now but I put it to one side and completely forgot about it until I was rummaging through my knitted toy box today. I only needed to add limbs and ears to him and knew it would only take a few ours to knit up so I got cracking. I'm rather annoyed with myself that I didn't finish him sooner because he turned out so cute.

The pattern is a translation of this pattern, a crochet pattern designed by Tamie Snow of Roxycraft. So if you can crochet you should definitely checkout her site her patterns are great, and i love her sense of humour which she often puts into her patterns (which definitely do not suck!).

I also found this will be one of the very few free koala toy patterns out there, so I hope you all like him. Remember to add your pictures of your finished Koala's to the Knitted Toy Box flickr group, you know I love seeing you finished toys.

Materials
· Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
· Yarn needle
· Toy Stuffing
· Scissors
· 5mm Toy safety eyes

Yarn colours
· Grey
· White
· Scraps of black yarn/thread if embroidering the eyes and nose

Yarn weight: Double knitting (DK)

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 4” tall and 3.5” wide

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Body
CO6
1. Purl
2. *Kfb* along(12sts)
3. Purl
4. *kfb, k1* along (18sts)
5. Purl
6. *Kfb* along (36sts)
7-21. (Begin with Purl) st-st for 15 rows
22. *k2tog * along (18sts)
23. BO

BO remaining stitches leaving a long tail. Use tail to mattress stitch the body closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Continue to mattress stitch until you reach the cast on stitches. Draw the yarn through the cast off stitches, pull tightly and secure. Weave in any leftover yarn ends.

Head
CO6
1. purl
2. kfb every sts (12sts)
3. purl
4. * kfb, k1* along (18sts)
5. Purl
6. *kfb, k2* along (24sts)
7. Purl
8. *kfb, k3* along (30sts)
9-15. (Begin with purl) st-st 7 rows
16. *K2tog, k3* along (24sts)
17. Purl
18. *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
19. Purl
20. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
21. Purl
22. *K2tog * along (6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. At this stage you may want to add the safety eyes and embroider a nose. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening leaving a long tail to sew onto body.

Ears (make 2)
CO2 in white
1. purl
2. kfb,k1 (3sts)
3. purl
4. *kfb* along (6sts)
Change to grey
5. purl
6. *kfb* along (12sts)
7. purl
8. BO

Leave a long yarn tail to sew the ears to the head

Arms (make 2)
CO4
1. purl
2. *kfb* along (8st)
3. purl
4. *kfb, k1* along (12st)
5-9. (Begin with purl) st-st 5 rows
10. BO

Leave a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. Stop halfway and fill with stuffing. Continue up to the cast on stitches, then draw through all the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure and weave in any loose ends.

Legs (make 2)
CO4
1. purl
2. *kfb* along (8st)
3. purl
4. *kfb* along (16st)
5-9. (Begin with Purl) st-st 5 rows
10. BO

Leave a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. Stop halfway and fill with stuffing. Continue up to the cast on stitches, then draw through all the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure and weave in any loose ends.

Finishing

Attach ears to each side of the head by whip stitching the row ends as cast on stitches of the ears along the head length-wise.

Sew the head onto the BO neck edge of the body.

Attach arms and legs with the BO stitches against the body.

* REMEMBER* Never give toys with safety eyes to small children under 3 years old or to pets as they are a choking hazard. If your toys are intended for either of these groups I advise you to embroider them on with thread or scrap yarn.

♥ Raynor

Free Pattern List

2008-11-09T09:43:00.006Z

It's a little hard sifting through all the archives to find each free pattern page so I thought it would create a list page so you can find each pattern directly by name.

Zero the ghostly dog
Tiny turtle
Little hippo
Mini whale
Monkey Moo
Sweet little bird
Teenage mutant ninja turtles
Amigurumi lovebug
The golden snitch
Sleepy puppy
Koala baby
Milk & cookies
Sugar Bunny
Wee Mouse

Jelly Bums Competition

2008-10-20T19:14:00.005+01:00

Hello my fellow toy knitters,
Some of you may know that I also have another blog about the patterns which I have for sale called Jelly Bums. Well I never usually mention it on here this blog as I like all the patterns on this blog to stay completely free. However I am running a competition on the Jelly Bums blog with the chance to win all the current Jelly Bums animal patterns plus the chance to choose the next Jelly Bums animal. there will also be prizes for second and third place winners.
So if you want to be in with the chance of winning then click here for more details on how to enter.
Good luck to everyone who enters.

♥Raynor

Sleepy Puppy

2008-09-26T15:56:00.017+01:00

Hello all, I'm back again with another new pattern for you. Thank you to all the suggestions for new patterns made on my last post, you've all given me plenty on inspiration for what toys you guys are after. I'm busy working on patterns for my etsy shop at the moment but when I get some free time I'll try and get to work on your requests.

This little guy was a request of a fantastic lady called Faye who follows my patterns. She likes to knit toys for charity, so i was more than happy to oblige. He reminds me of Amineko (crochet cat), with his sleepy little eyes.
As usual he is knit on straight needles and seamed but if you know how to knit on DPN's then it I strongly suggest you do this as the arms and legs are quite fiddly.
So knit a snuggle buddy for the little ones in your life. I'd love to see more knit in different colours, and remember to share them on the knitted toy box flickr group.

Materials
· Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
· Yarn needle
· Toy stuffing

Yarn colours
· Blue
· White
· black scraps

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 8" tall

Head
CO6 in blue
1. purl
2. Kfb (12sts)
3. Purl
4. *Kfb, k1* along (18st)
5. Purl
6. *Kfb, k2* along (24st)
7. Purl
8. *Kfb, k3* along (30st)
9-15. St-st 7 rows (start with purl)
16. *K2tog, k3* along (24st)
17. Purl
18. *K2tog, k2* along (18st)
19. Purl
20 *K2tog, k1* along (12st)
21. Purl
22. *K2tog* along (6st)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to embroider on the eyes and fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Muzzle
Co8 in white
1. Purl
2. *Kfb, k1* along (12sts)
3. Purl
4. *Kf, k1* along (18sts)
5. Purl
6. Knit
7. Purl
8. *K2tog, k1* along (12 sts)
9. Purl
10. *K2tog* along (6st)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. At this stage you might want to embroider on a nose. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping half way to stuff and then continue until you reach the cast on stitches and stop. Use the remaining yarn tarn to sew the cast on stitches to the head.

Body
CO 10 in blue
1. Purl
2. Knit
3. Purl
4. *Kfb, k4* along(12sts)
5. Purl
6. *Kfb, k1* along (18st)
7. Purl
8. Knit
9. Purl
10 *Kfb, k2* along (24st)
11. Purl
12. *Kfb, k3* along (30sts)
13-19. St-st 7 rows (start with purl)
20. *K2tog, k3* along (24sts)
21. Purl
22. *K2tog, k2* along (18st)
23. Purl
24. *K2tog, k1* along (12st)
25. Purl
26. *K2tog* along (6st)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Legs (make 2)
Co8 in blue
1-19. st-st 19 rows (start with purl)
Change to white
20. *kfb* along (16st)
21-25. St-st 5 rows (start with purl)
26. *K2tog, k2* along (12sts)
27. Purl
28 *K2tog* along (6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Arms (make 2)
CO6 in blue
1-11. st-st 11 rows (start with purl)
Change to white
12. *kfb* along (12st)
13-15. St-st 3 rows (start with purl)
16. *K2tog* along (6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Ears
CO3 in blue
1.Knit
2. *Kfb* along (6sts)
3. Knit
4. *Kfb* along (12st)
5-13. Garter stitch 9 rows
14. BO
Fold the ears in half width-wise across the bind off stitches and whipstitch the row ends together.

Tail
Co8
1-5. St-st 5 rows (start with purl) For a longer tail change this to st-st for 11 rows
6. *K2tog* along (4st)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure.Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed.

Finishing

Attach the muzzle to the head by stitching the cast on stitches of the muzzle to the front part of the head, under the eyes.
Attach one ear to each side of the head with the BO stitches against the head.
Attach arms, legs and tail to the body.

Additional Info

You can use plastic pellets to fill the bottom of the hands, feet and body to add some weight to the dog, however its not recommended that you give a toy with plastic pellets to a baby or young child.
Add small magnets to the dogs hands and feet before seaming, so that it can 'cling'.

♥ Raynor

Tell me what you want

2008-09-05T10:00:00.003+01:00

Hey all sorry have been gone for a while. I've been wracking my brains for a while now as what the next free pattern could be, but i'm having a bit of writers block, so thats where you all come in!
Is there any specific toy pattern you would like to see, your own ideas or a even a free crochet pattern which you would like me to make into knit?
I would love to help make patterns for any toys you want to see (no copies of copyrighted/trademark patterns please e.g little cotton rabbits, jess hutchinson). If you have ideas then please leave a comment, I'd love to see what variety we can get. The more you suggest the more free patterns I can come up with.

The Golden Snitch

2008-07-07T11:09:00.011+01:00

Ok i'm back to focusing on my pattern writing for a while so I've written up a nice quick little project for all you Harry Potter fans out there. With a new movie coming out at the End of the year, i thought I would give you a little Hogwarts fix while your waiting.
This Golden Snitch is really quick to knit up, but you'll have to be fast to catch it once it's done!

(Harry Potter and all associated characters are copyright of J.K Rowling)

Materials
· Set of 2.25mm needles (UK size 13, US size 1)
· Yarn needle
· Toy stuffing

Yarn colours
· Yellow/gold
· White/silver

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 4.5" long and 2" tall

Ball
Use yellow yarn
CO 6 sts
1. purl
2. kfb every sts (12sts)
3. purl
4. * kfb,k1* along (18sts)
5. Purl
6. *kfb,k2* along (24sts)
7. Purl
8. *kfb,k3* along (30sts)
9. Purl
10. *kfb,k4* along (36sts)
11. Purl
12. *kfb,k5* along (42sts)
13-19. St-st for 7 rows
20. *K2tog, k5* along (36sts)
21. purl
22. *K2tog, k4* along (30sts)
23. purl
24. *K2tog, k3* along (24sts)
25. Purl
26. *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
27. purl
28. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
29. Purl
30. *K2tog * along (6sts)
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Wings (make 2)
Using the white yarn
CO 3 sts
1. Knit
2. Kfb along (6sts)
3-5. Knit 3 rows
6. K2tog along (3sts)
7. Knit
8.Kfb along (6sts)
9.Knit
10. K3,kfb three times (9sts)
11.Knit
12. K7,kfb,k1 (10sts)
13-25. Knit 13 rows (garter stitch)
26. K7, k2tog, k1 (9sts)
27. Knit
28. K6,k2tog,k1(8sts)
29-31. Knit 3 rows
32. K5,k2tog,k1 (7sts)
33-35. Knit 3 rows
36. K4,k2tog,k1 (6sts)
37-43. Knit 7 rows
44. K3,k2tog,k1 (5sts)
45-47. Knit 3 rows
48. K2,k2tog,k1 (4sts)
49-51. Knit 3 rows
52. K1,k2tog,k1 (3sts)
53-55. Knit 3 rows
56. K2tog,k1 (2sts)
57-59. Knit 3 rows
Cut the yarn leaving a long tail, draw the tail through the last remaining stitches and then weave in any loose ends.

Finishing
Attach the wings to each side of the ball.

Other Information
Try knitting the Snitch with metallic flecked yarn in gold for the ball and silver for the wings, to give it a more realistic look.

Enjoy your Snitch.
♥ Raynor

♥Amigurumi Lovebug ♥

2008-05-28T10:48:00.011+01:00

Long time no see, today I have another pattern for you all. Another crochet toy converted from the fantastic pattern by Heliina, you can find the crochet version here. Not only did she make a pretty little pink lovebug but by simply changing the colours you can make yourself a sweet little buzzy bee. My version is all knitted but I love how Heliina has added felt and pipe cleaners for more detail, especially the adorable heart shaped antennae.

So show how much you love someone by giving them a little lovebug and brighten up their day.

Materials
· Set of 3.75mm needles (UK size 9, US size 5)
· Set of 3mm needles (UK size 11, US size 2 ½)
· Set of 3mm double pointed needles (optional for I-Cord)
· Yarn needle
· Toy stuffing
· Optional: black safety eyes, beads, buttons or felt for features, pipe cleaners.

Yarn colours
· Pink
· Red
· Scraps of black yarn/thread if embroidering the eyes and mouth

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 3.5” tall and 2” wide (excluding antennae and wings)

Head (use 3.75 needles)
CO 6 sts
1. knit
2. knit
3. kfb every sts (12sts)
4. knit
5. *k1, kfb* along (18sts)
6. Knit
7. *k2,kfb* along (24sts)
8. Knit
9. *k3,kfb* along (30sts)
10. Knit
11. knit
12. Knit
13. Knit
14. Knit
15. *K2tog, k3* along (24sts)
16. Knit
17. *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
18. Knit
19. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
20. Knit
21. *K2tog * along (6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. At this stage you may want to add the safety eyes and embroider a mouth. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening leaving a long tail to sew onto body.

Body (use 3.75 needles)
CO 6 sts
1. knit
2. knit
3. kfb every sts (12sts)
4. knit
5. *k1, kfb* along (18sts)
6. Knit
7. *k2,kfb* along (24sts)
8. knit
9. Knit
10. Knit
11. Switch to red *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
12. Knit
13. Change to pink knit

14. knit
15. Change to red knit
16. knit
17. Change to pink k2tog,k4,k2tog,k2,k2tog, k4, k2tog (14sts)
18. Knit
19. Knit
20. K2tog, k10, k2tog (12sts)
21. Knit
22. K2tog (6sts)

BO remaining stitches leaving a long tail. Use tail to mattress stitch the body closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Continue to mattress stitch until you reach the cast on stitches. Draw the yarn through the cast off stitches, pull tightly and secure. Weave in any leftover yarn ends.

Wings (use 3mm needles)
Make 2
CO 2 st
1. kfb, k to last st, kfb (4sts)
2. Knit
3. kfb, k to last st, kfb (6sts)
4. knit
5. kfb, k to last st, kfb (8sts)
6. knit
7. kfb, k to last st, kfb (10sts)
8. knit
9. kfb, k to last st, kfb (12sts)
10. knit
11. kfb, k to last st, kfb (14sts)
12. knit
13. k2 tog, k5 and turn, leaving remaining 7 st on the needle
14. knit
15. k2tog, k2, k2tog
16. knit
17. k2tog twice
18. BO 4 st, cut a long piece of yarn (about 10″) and weave through back of piece to reattach to other side (where you left off when turning)
19. k5, k2tog
20. k2tog, k2, k2tog
21. BO 4 st

Weave in any loose yarn ends

Antennae (use dpn's)
Make 2
Cast on 2 sts
1. I-cord for ¾” (2cm)
2. Kfb into both stitches (4sts)
3. Knit
4. Knit
5. Knit

Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Shape the wider part of the antennae into the shape of a ball and sew over so a nice round shape is achieved.

Assembly:
Sew yarn tail from the head onto the bind off stitches of the body.
Sew the wings about halfway down on the body, sew them on so that they are symmetrical.
Sew the antennae onto the top of the head making sure they are symmetrical.

Face Features:
The lovebug in the pattern photograph has black toy safety eyes (size 5mm) Black mouth embroidered on with yarn. I would not recommend given this toy to a child under 3 years old if safety eyes are used. To make it safe to give to a child from birth I suggest embroidering eyes on with yarn, this makes the toy completely safe for any child from birth as the features cannot be easily removed or fall off.

Alternative features :
· Small button eyes
· Small bead eyes
· Glue on ‘googly’ eyes
· Felt eyes
· Pipe cleaner antennae

** WARNING: When using any embellishments please be aware of these may be choking hazards if given to small children or babies**

♥ Raynor

Toy Safety Eyes

2008-05-09T22:37:00.006+01:00

If your finding it hard to find safety eyes for your toys in your local area then you can buy them online. So i've compiled a list of some online shops where you can purchase safety eyes.

UK Sellers
e-crafts
Craftbits

US/Canadian Sellers
Disco joints
Harvey's Hobby Hut
Bears & Bedtime

International Sellers
Suncatcher eyes
6060
CR Crafts
Enami Eyes
JNC Shop - Etsy or Ebay

♥ Raynor

Toy Sellers

2008-05-06T09:21:00.003+01:00

Recently i've recently been adding a few bits here and there to my Etsy Shop. I've added a few patterns and also some toys that i've created using my patterns. While I was doing this I had an idea that it would be good to have a list of places online shops, blogs and websites where people are selling toys made from my patterns.
So if you want to be added to the list then just email me or leave a comment on the page and i'll add your site to the list.
The only rule is that you must have at least one item made from my pattern for sale, I will check the links so don't waste your time adding unrelated links as they won't be added.
If you are selling toys from my patterns a link back to this blog saying that you got the pattern from here would be nice but it's not necessary.
Hopefully some of you toy sellers can get some exposure to your shops.

♥ Raynor

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT)

2008-04-30T07:53:00.015+01:00

I have been a bit busy lately as I have always wanted to try my hand at a fantastic free pattern called Sheldon the turtle. The finished Sheldon is so sweet, plus if you knit him he can be a big daddy to the little guys knitted with my tiny turtle pattern, as I have seen some pictures of on ravelry and its adorable to see them together.

Ok whilst on the subject of turtles, I have a new pattern today. Thats right you guessed it, its for turtles (I'm just realising I have some sort of obsession with knitted turtles!). I love the little dudes that this pattern creates they are seriously cute. This pattern is a definate must to knit up if you know any fans of the 90's cult tv show/movie 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' or just purely because they are so cute. As usual I was inspired to create this pattern as a result of my total inability to crochet, so I wanted to give thanks to atsuko on craftster for her inspirational crochet version.

You can make your favourite turtle or make all four to complete the set.
**Warning I take no responsibility for their demands of lots of ice cream, peanut butter and anchovy pizza! **

Materials
· Set of 3.75mm needles (UK size 9, US size 5)
· Set of 3.25mm double pointed needles (optional for I-Cord)
· Yarn needle
· Toy stuffing
· 7.5mm black toy safety eyes (optional as eyes can be embroidered on with black thread/yarn)

Yarn Colours
· Light green (for head, arms and legs)
· Yellow (for body)
· Dark green (for shell)
· Red (Raphael), Blue (Leonardo), Orange (Michelangelo) or Purple (Donatello) (for mask depending on which turtle your knitting)

Yarn weight
Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge
Not too important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements
Approx. 7 inches (18cm) tall

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mask
CO 2 sts using:
*Blue yarn for Leonardo
*Red yarn for Raphael
*Orange yarn for Michelangelo
*Purple yarn for Donatello

I-cord 2sts for two inches
Next row: Kfb twice (4st)
Next row: St- St for four inches
Next row: K2tog twice (2sts)
Next row: I- cord for 2 inches
Next row: BO and weave in any loose ends

Head
With light green yarn CO 6st
1. knit
2. purl
3. kfb every st (12sts)
4. purl
5. *k1, kfb* along row (18sts)
6. Purl
7. *k2,kfb* along row(24sts)
8. Purl
9. *k3,kfb* along row(30sts)
10. Purl
11. knit
12. purl
13. Knit
14. Purl
15. *K2tog, k3* along row (24sts)
16. purl
17. *K2tog, k2* along row(18sts)
18. Purl
19. *K2tog, k1* along row (12sts)
20. Purl
21. *K2tog * along row (6sts)
22. purl

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure.
At this stage you may want to sew on the mask and add the safety eyes/embroider on the eyes. When sewing on the mask only attach the wide part of the mask leaving the I-cord ends loose so you can tie them together. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing. Continue until you reach the cast on stitches, leaving a small gap and a long yarn tail to sew the body.

Body
With yellow yarn CO 6st
1. knit
2. purl
3. kfb every st (12sts)
4. purl
5. *k1, kfb* along row (18sts)
6. Purl
7. *k2,kfb* along row (24sts)
8. Purl
9. Knit
10. Purl
11. Knit
12. purl
13. *K2tog, k2* along row (18sts)
14. Purl
15. Knit
16. Purl
17. Knit
18. Purl
19. Knit
20. purl
21. k2tog,k4,k2tog,k2,k2tog, k4, k2tog (14sts)
22. Purl
23. Knit
24. purl
25. K2tog, k10, k2tog (12sts)
26. Purl
27. *K2tog* along row (6sts)
28. purl
29. BO leaving a long yarn tail

Arms (make 2)
With light green CO 6st
1. purl
2. kfb all st (12st)
3. purl
4. knit
5. purl
6. *k4, k2tog* repeat along row (9st)
7. Purl
8. *k3, k2tog* repeat along row (7st)
9. Purl
10. Knit
11. Purl
12. Knit
13. Purl
14. BO leaving a long yarn tail

Use the long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row ends together until you reach the cast on stitches. Draw all the cast on stitched through the yarn needle and pull tightly and secure (for a drawstring effect). Weave in any loose ends.

Legs (make 2)
Using light green CO 8st
1. purl
2. kfb into every st (16st)
3. purl
4. knit
5. purl
6. knit
7. purl
8. *k6, k2tog* repeat along row (14st)
9. Purl
10. Knit
11. Purl
12. *k5, k2tog* repeat along row (12st)
13. Purl
14. K1,k2tog,k1,k2tog , k2tog,k1,k2tog,k1(8st)
15. Purl
16. Knit
17. Purl
18. Knit
19. Purl
20. Knit
21. BO leaving a long yarn tail

Use the long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row ends together until you reach the cast on stitches. Draw all the cast on stitched through the yarn needle and pull tightly and secure (for a drawstring effect). Weave in any loose ends.

Shell
Using dark green CO 8 st
1. knit
2. purl
3. kfb into every st (16st)
4. purl
5. *k1, kfb* repeat along row (24st)
6. Purl
7. Knit
8. Purl
9. *k1, k2tog* repeat along row (16st)
10. Purl
11. *K2tog* repeat along the row (8st)
12. purl
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches, use tail to mattress stitch the row ends together until you reach the cast on stitches. (Please note: you can stuff the shell halfway through if you want a round shell, but the turtles in the photograph have unstuffed shells for a semi circle effect.)

Finishing
· Sew the arms and legs onto the body (I used Kitchener stitch)
· Use the long yellow yarn tail from the body bind off to mattress stitch the body row ends together, remembering to stop halfway and fill with toy stuffing, then continue until remaining opening is closed.
· Attach the head to the body by slotting the body bind off stitches through the small gap in the head and then sew together using the green yarn tail, just below the body bind off stitches (I used Kitchener stitch).
· Flatten the shell so it looks like a flat ball, then sew onto the back of the turtle, you can use the cast on stitches for a looser shell or use midway stitches for a flatter semi-circle shell.
· Tie the I-cord ends of the mask in a knot behind the head.

Cowabunga! You have your finished turtle.

** WARNING: I used 7.5mm toy safety eyes for the turtle shown in the photos. Please don’t use the toy safety eyes if giving the finished item to a child under 3 as they may be a choking hazard. I suggest you embroider the eyes on to make the eyes secure and irremovable to small finger. **

♥ Raynor

One good turn....

2008-04-26T08:42:00.003+01:00

I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to help me out with a little problem? It has come to my attention that some people would like to know the amount of yarn used for my patterns. Now my problem is that I am hopeless at guessing the amount of yarn i've used. So if anyone who has made toys from any of my patterns I would really appreciate a guesstimate of how much yarn you used so I could add it to my patterns. If you could just leave a comment somewhare on the blog or email me it would be greatly appreciated.

Secondly, I thought it may be a good idea to have a post which was sort of a help/ f.a.q page. So it would be great if anyone has any questions about toy making/my patterns to ask away, don't be shy. I will try my best to answer everyones questions and i'll add the most popular questions on to the f.a.q page. Again if you would like to ask a question just leave a comment or email me at raynorgellatly {at} hotmail {dot} com .

♥ Raynor

Sweet Little Bird

2008-04-23T11:09:00.012+01:00

This pattern is the first pattern I ever made. As you can see its not the most advanced of patterns but it does make some really cute little birds. So feel free to make a whole flock of little birdys in a rainbow of colours. The best bit about this pattern is that it uses tiny amounts of yarn, so get using up those scrap stashes!

Materials
• Set of 3mm needles (UK size 11, US size 3)
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• Optional: safety eyes, beads, buttons or felt for features

Yarn colours
• Main colour of any choice
• Scraps of black and yellow yarn/thread if embroidering the eyes and beak
Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight
Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through
Finished measurements: 2.5” tall and 2” wide

Body:
Co 6 stitches
1.kfb into every stitch (12 sts)
2.knit
3.*k1, kfb* repeat along row (18sts)
4.Knit
5.*k2,kfb* repeat along row (24sts)
6.knit
7.Knit
8.Knit
9.*k3,kfb* repeat along row (30sts)
10.Knit
11 – 30 Garter stitch for 20 rows
31. *k3,k2tog* repeat along row (24sts)
32. knit
33. *k2,k2tog* repeat along row (18sts)
34. knit
35. *k1,k2tog* repeat along row (12sts)
36. knit
37. *k2tog* 6 times (6sts)
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches.
At this stage you may want to add the eye and beak features.
Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to fill with stuffing.
Once you reach cast on stitches, thread the yarn tail through, draw up the stitches
tightly and fasten off, weaving in any loose ends.

Wings (Make 2):
Co 6 sts
1.Kfb all stitches (12sts)
2.Knit
3.*k3, kfb* repeat along row (15sts)
4.Knit
5-10.Garter stitch for 6 rows
Bind off all stitches

Fold the wing in half width ways as show in the diagram below.

Sew up the open edges as shown by the red arrows in the diagram below

Tail:
CO 6 sts
1. Kfb all stitches (12sts)
2. Knit
3. Kfb all stitches (24 sts)
4. Knit
Bind off all stitches

Fold in half following the instructions for the wings. Make sure the bind off edge fans out to create a semi circle shape.

Assembly:
Sew tail on tail to the very lower part of the back of the body. Make sure the bind off (wider) edge is on the outside and the cast on (smaller) edge is joined to the body.
Sew the wings about halfway down on the body, sew them on so that they are symmetrical, and the tail remains centered between them.

Face Features:
The bird in the pattern photograph has French knot eyes made with black yarn and a yellow beak embroidered on with yarn. This makes the toy completely safe for any child from birth as the features cannot be easily removed or fall off.

However alternative features can be:
· Small black toy safety eyes (suggested size 5 -7 mm)
· Small button eyes
· Small bead eyes
· Glue on ‘googly’ eyes
· Felt beak

** WARNING: When using any embellishments please be aware of these may be choking hazards if given to small children or babies**

♥ Raynor

Monkey Moo

2008-04-19T19:01:00.025+01:00

Recently I had been looking for a monkey pattern to knit for my little girls, Evie who is one and Lois who is currently only 2 weeks old. I had a good look around at free patterns and even those for sale but I couldn't see anything that was perfect. Until however I stumbled across a fantastic crochet monkey pattern by ChimuChimu. Her patterns create the most adorable monkeys which were just what I was looking for, only problem being that I don't crochet. So I converted the pattern into a knitting pattern, and I am so happy with the finished toy. Of course i've decided to share the pattern for those who would like to create their own little monkey moo.

This pattern is knit flat so is really heavy on seaming. If you know how to knit on dpn's I would highly recommend you do so to save all the seaming at the end.

Materials

· Set of 3mm needles (UK size 11, US size 2.5)

· Yarn needle

· Toy stuffing

· Black thread/yarn for embroidering eyes

Yarn weight

Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge

Not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished Measurements

13"(34cm) tall

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Head
CO6 sts using peach yarn

1. kfb into all sts (12sts)
2. purl
3. *k1, kfb* repeat along row (18sts)
4. Purl
5. *k2, kfb* repeat along row (24sts)
6. purl
7. *k3, kfb* repeat along row (30sts)
8. Purl
9. *k4, kfb* repeat along row (36sts)
10. Purl
11. *k5, kfb* repeat along row (42sts)
12. Purl
13. *k6, kfb* repeat along row (48sts)
14. Purl
Change to brown yarn
15-22. St-t 8 rows
23. *k6, k2tog* repeat along row (42sts)
24. Purl
25. *k5, k2tog* repeat along row (36sts)
26. purl
27. *k4, k2tog* repeat along row (30sts)
28. purl
29. *k3, k2tog* repeat along row (24sts)
30. purl
31. *k2, k2tog* repeat along row (18sts)
32. purl
33. *k1, k2tog* repeat along row (12sts)
34. purl
35. *k2tog* along (6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure.Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed. Stop half way down to fill with stuffing (and if using safety eyes attach them now) and then continue until you reach the cast on stitches. Use the yarn to draw through all the cast on stitches and pull tight for a drawstring effect,secure and then weave in any loose ends.

Mouth
CO6 st using peach yarn

1. Kfb into all sts (12sts)
2. Purl
3. *k1, kfb* repeat along row (18sts)
4. Purl
5. *k2, kfb* repeat along row (24sts)
6. purl
7. *k3, kfb* repeat along row (30sts)
8. Purl
9. Knit
10. Purl
11. *k3, k2tog* repeat along row (24sts)

Bind off leaving a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. continue up to the cast on stitches, then draw through all the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, secure and weave in any loose ends. Place some stuffing in the remaining opening.

Ears (make 2)
Co 6 sts using peach

1. Kfb into all sts (12ts)
2. Knit
3. *k1, kfb* repeat along row (18sts)
4. Knit
5. Knit
6. Knit
7. *k1, k2tog* repeat along row (12sts)
8. Knit
9. *k2tog* along (6sts)

Bind off leaving a long yarn tail. Use the yarn tail to stitch together the row ends using mattress stitch. Do not fill the ears with stuffing. Once you reach the cast on stitches draw the yarn through for a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure. Weave in any loose ends.

Body
CO6 sts using brown yarn

1. kfb into all sts (12sts)
2. purl
3. *k1, kfb* repeat along row (18sts)
4. Purl
5. *k2, kfb* repeat along row (24sts)
6. purl
7. *k3, kfb* repeat along row (30sts)
8. Purl
9. *k4, kfb* repeat along row (36sts)
10. purl
11-16. st-st 6 rows
17. *k2tog* 4 times, k20, *k2tog* 4 times (28sts)
18. Purl
Change to t-shirt colour
19-36. Sts-st 18 rows
37. *k2,k2tog* along (21sts)
38. Purl
39-44. St-st 6 rows
45. *k5,k2tog*along (18sts)
46. Purl
47-50. St-st 4 rows

Bind off leaving a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. continue up to the cast on stitches, then draw through all the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure and weave in any loose ends.

Arms (make 2)
Co6 using peach yarn

1. Kfb in each st (12st)
2. Purl
3. *k2,kfb* along (16sts)
4. Purl
5. Knit
6. Purl
7. *k2,k2tog* along (12sts)
8. Purl
9. *k1,k2tog* along (8sts)
10. Purl
Change to brown yarn
11-34. St-st 24 rows
Change to t-shirt colour
35-42. St-st 8 rows

Bind off leaving a long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row end together. Stop halfway and fill with stuffing. Continue up to the cast on stitches, then draw through all the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure and weave in any loose ends.

Legs (make2)
Co6 sts using peach

1. Kfb in all sts (12sts)
2. purl
3. *k1,kfb* along (18sts)
4. Purl
5. Knit
6. purl
7. k5,*k2tog* 4 times, k5 (14sts)
8. purl
9. k3, *k2tog* 4 times, k3 (10sts)
10. purl
Change to brown yarn
11-44. st-st 34 rows

Tail
Co 6 sts using brown yarn
1. *k2,kfb* along (8sts)
2. Purl
3-32. St-st 30 rows

Bind off leaving a long yarn tail. Use the yarn tail to stitch together the row ends using mattress stitch. Do not fill the tail with stuffing. Once you reach the cast on stitches draw the yarn through for a drawstring effect, pull tightly and secure. Weave in any loose ends.

Finishing

Attach the mouth piece to the head by stitching the cast off stitches of the mouth to the peach part of the head.
Embroider on a nose, eyes and eyebrows using yarn or thread. If you are using toy safety eyes then you will need to attach them before you seam the head together, I recommend 7.5mm eyes.
Attach ears roughly halfway down each side of the head.
Attach arms, legs and tail to the body.

Additional Info

You can use plastic pellets to fill the bottom of the hands, feet and body to add some weight to the monkey, however its not recommended that you give a toy with plastic pellets to a baby or young child.
Add small magnets to the monkeys hands and feet before seaming, so that it can 'cling'.
To add the letter motif to the monkeys T-shirt I used the free letter charts available from little cotton rabbits available here.
You can also add shorts to the monkey simply by changing to the shorts colour at row 30 of the leg and replacing the brown yarn with the shorts colour when knitting the body.

Thats your monkey finished, now you can relax!

♥ Raynor

Moby the Mini Whale

2008-04-17T10:39:00.008+01:00

I've been meaning to make this pattern for a while after seeing Bittersweets whale of a tale. Plus i've added two land creature pattens so it's time for a sea fairing critter.
Once again this pattern is really quick to knit, however i'm unsure of how easy the pattern will be to follow as it makes sense it my head but i'm not sure if i've explained the tail part properly. Anyway if you decide to knit him let me know how you get on or if the tail part is too confusing.
Remember to share your finished whales with the knitted toy box flickr group, I love seeing what other people create from my patterns.

Materials
· Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
· Yarn needle
· Toy stuffing
· 5mm black toy safety eyes (optional as eyes can be embroidered on with black thread/yarn)

Yarn weight
Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge
Not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished Measurements
3.5" long and 1.5" tall

Pattern
CO 6 sts

1. Purl
2. Kfb into all stitches (12sts)
3. Purl
4. *k2,kfb* along (16sts)
5. Purl
6. *k3,kfb* along (20sts)
7. Purl
8. St-st 8 rows
16. K6, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k6 (18sts)
17. Purl
18. Knit
19. Purl
20. K5, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k5 (16sts)
21. Purl
22. K4, k2tog, k4, k2tog, k4 (14sts)
23. Purl
24. K6, k2tog, k6 (13sts)
25. Purl
26. K3, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3 (11sts)
27. Purl
28. K5, k2tog, k4 (10sts)
29. Purl Mark the end of this row with a stitch marker or a piece of scrap yarn

*This part is knitted flat, so if you are using dpn's DO NOT knit the next part in the round*
30. K1,*k2tog* 4times, k1 (6sts)
31. Knit
32. Knit
33. Knit
34. K2, BO2, k2 (4sts)
28. BO2, break yarn and reattach to the remaining two stitches,BO2

Finishing
Weave in any loose ends at the tail end.
Attach a long piece of yarn where your stitch marker is (end row 29) and start to seam the row end together using mattress stitch in the direction towards to cast on stitches. Stop halfway to add eyes (safety or embroidered) and fill with toy stuffing. Then close the remaining opening up until the cast of stitches. use the yarn to draw through all the cast on stitches and pull tight for a drawstring effect. Weave in any loose ends.

**Note ~ DO NOT seam the whales tail from row 30, this should be left flat or you will be left with half a tail! These rows should be noticable as they will be knit is garter stitch.**

♥ Raynor

Little Hippo

2008-04-13T22:48:00.013+01:00

Once again being inspired by kristieMN's free crochet patterns on Crochetville, I couldn't resist making a knitted version of her Happy Hippo. She was super quick to make and required a very small amount of yarn. I knit her on 3.25mm needles which made a finished toy measuring 3.5" long and 2" tall, but you can knit her on larger/smaller needles to adjust the size of the finished toy.

Even though this is knit on straight needles it can be easily asapted to dpn's to save on the seaming.

ok here is the pattern:

Materials

· Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)

· Yarn needle

· Toy stuffing

· 5mm black toy safety eyes (optional as eyes can be embroidered on with black thread/yarn)

· Scraps of black yarn

Yarn weight

Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge

Not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Head
Co4
1. Kfb every st (8sts)
2. Purl
3. K1, *kfb* 6 times, k1 (14sts)
4. Purl
5. *k1, kfb* 6 times, k2 (20sts)
6. Purl
7. St-st 6 rows
8. *k2tog,k4* 3 times , k2tog (16 st)
9. Purl
10. K1, k2tog, k10, k2tog, k1 (14sts)
11. Purl
12. Knit
13. Purl
14. *k2tog, k2* 3 times, k2tog (10sts)
15. Purl
16. *k2tog* along (5sts)

Cut yarn leaving a long tail,draw tail through remaining stitches. At this point to may want to add the safety eyes (or embroider some eyes on with thread or yarn for babies or very small children) and use scraps black yarn to embroider on some nostrils. Use the long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row ends together, stopping halfway to stuff and then along to the cast on stitches. Pull the yran tail through the cast on stitches to give a drawsting effect, tie off and weave in any loose ends.

Ears (make 2)
Co4
1. knit

2. knit

3. knit

4. k2tog twice (2sts)

Cut yarn leaving a long tail,draw tail through remaining stitches. Use the remaining yarn tail to attach the ears to the head.

Body
CO 6 sts
1. purl
2. kfb every sts (12sts)
3. purl
4. *k1, kfb* along (18sts)
5. purl
6. *k2,kfb* along (24sts)
7. purl
8. Knit
9. purl
10. Knit
11. Purl
12. *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
13. Purl
14. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
15. Purl
16. *k2tog* along (6sts)
17. Purl
18. BO (leaving a long yarn tail)

Use the long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row ends together, stopping halfway to stuff and then along to the cast on stitches. Pull the yarn tail through the cast on stitches to give a drawstring effect, tie off and weave in any loose ends.

Legs (make 4)

CO 3st

1. Knit

2. kfb every st (6sts)

3. knit

4. kfb every st (12sts)

5. knit

6. knit

7. knit

8. *k2tog * along row(6sts)

9. Knit

10. *k2tog * along row(3sts)

11. Knit

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure.Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed (please note i didnt fill the legs with stuffing but you can if you wanted to, just remember to stop halfway to stuff). Continue until you reach the cast on stitches, leave a long yarn tail to sew the legs to the body.

Finishing

Attach the head to the BO stiches of the body (I attached the head roughly halfway down)

Attaches the legs to the body and the ears to the head.

To make a tail,cut a small piece if yarn and tie a knot at the end. Using the opposite end from the knot, attach the thread to the hippo's bottom.

All Done! Now you have your very own little hippo.

Feel free to share pictures of your finished toy on the knitted toy box flickr group.

♥ Raynor

Hints and Tips

2008-04-13T10:22:00.006+01:00

There are some areas of toy making that can be really confusing for beginners. I know I was certainly baffled by things like safety eyes and sewing toys together when I first started out making toys. So to make things a little easier I thought I would have a little post with useful links to great tutorials on toy making. A huge thank you goes out to all the people on the other side of the links who were kind enough to make the tutorials.

Safety Eye Installation by 60-60

Mattress Stitch Tutorial by Mochi Mochi Land

Sewing on Limbs by Mochi Mochi Land (scroll down to find the tutorial)

Foot Joining Mini-Tutorial by Mochi Mochi Land (For dpn's only)

Toy Eye Tutorial by Mochi Mochi Land

Making toys that Squeak/Jingle by Kimberly Chapman

Abbreviations

2008-04-13T08:02:00.005+01:00

Rather than having to add the abbreviations to all the patterns on the blog I thought it may be easier to put them all in one easy place for everyone to see. So here are the most common ones which are used in my patterns:

CO = cast on
K or k = knit
P or p = purl
Kfb = knit front and back (Knit a stitch, leaving stitch on left needle; knit into the back loop of this stitch)
K2tog = Knit two stitches together to make one
Sts or st = stitches
*.......* = repeat the pattern set within the asterisk
BO = Bind off
CC1= Colour 1 (for patterns with contrasting colours the number will indicate a change in colour)

If you get stuck with any stitches or need help with a certain technique then visit this fantastic site, Knitting Help which shows you videos on how to do almost every knitting technique.

♥ Raynor

Amigurumi Tiny Turtle

2008-04-11T08:23:00.017+01:00

I love amigurumi toys, but its extremely hard to find knitting patterns as most amigurumi patterns are for crochet. So being inspired by these tiny striped turtles on crochetville I have come up with my very own little knitted amigurumi turtle.

I think he turned out rather cute, unfortunately I stuffed his head a little too much so he is a little head heavy but other than that very cute!
He measures a tiny 3.5" long and 2" tall however you can knit him on a larger needle size for a slightly larger turtle, but i always think the smaller the toy the cuter it gets.
If you knit him please show off your work and join my flickr group i'd love to see a little army of turtles, in all different colors.

**The turtle is knit on straight needles as im usless at using dpn's, however i'm sure the pattern can be easily modified to allow for knitting on dpns which saves time with seaming**

Ok here is the pattern:

Materials
· Set of 3mm needles (UK size 11, US size 3)
· Yarn needle
· Toy stuffing
· 5mm black toy safety eyes (optional as eyes can be embroidered on with black thread/yarn)

Yarn weight
Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge
Not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Abbreviations:
· CO = cast on
· K or k = knit
· P or p = purl
· Kfb = knit front and back (Knit a stitch, leaving stitch on left needle; knit into the back loop of this stitch)
· K2tog = Knit two stitches together to make one
· Sts or st = stitches
· CC1= Colour 1 (in the photo this would be yellow)
· CC2= Colour 2 (in the photo this would be green)
· *.......* = repeat the pattern set within the asterisk
· BO = Bind off

Shell
Cast on 6 sts

start with cc1
row 1: knit
row 2: *kfb* repeat 5 times, K1 (11st)
row 3: purl
row 4: *kfb* repeat 10 times, K1 (21st)
row 5: purl
row 6: *k1, kfb* along row (31st)
row 7: knit <------please see the note below about this row
row 8: knit
row 9: purl
change to cc2
row 10: knit
row11: purl
change to cc1
row12: knit
row13: purl
change to cc2
row 14: k1,*k2tog,k1* to end of row (21sts)
row 15: purl
change to cc1
row 16: k1,*k2tog* to end of row (11sts)
row 17: purl
change to cc2
row 18: k1,*k2tog* to end of row (6sts)

Cut yarn leaving a long tail,draw tail through remaining stitches. Use the remaining long yarn tail to mattress stitch the row ends together until you reach the purl row on the right side of the knitting. Fill the shell with toy stuffing and then continue to close the remaining opening using mattress stich and then tie off. Weave in any loose ends.

Head
CO 6st

1. purl
2. kfb every st (12sts)
3. purl
4. *k1, kfb* along row (18sts)
5. Purl
6. *k2,kfb* along row(24sts)
7. Purl
8. knit
9. purl
10. Knit
11. Purl
12. *K2tog, k2* along row (18sts)
13. purl
14. *K2tog, k1* along row(12sts)
15. Purl
16. *K2tog, * along row (6sts)
17. Purl
BO (leaving a long yarn tail)

At this point to may want to add the safety eyes (or embroider some eyes on with thread or yarn for babies or very small children). Use the long yarn tail to matress stitch the row ends together, stopping halfway to stuff and then along to the cast on stitches. Pull the yran tail through the cast on stitches to give a drawsting effect, tie off and weave in any loose ends.
**Please note, try not to overstuff the head or the turtle may end up head heavy**

Legs (make 4)
CO 3st

1. Knit
2. kfb every st (6sts)
3. knit
4. kfb every st (12sts)
5. knit
6. knit
7. knit
8. *k2tog * along row(6sts)
9. Knit
10. *k2tog * along row(3sts)
11. Knit

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure.
Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed (please note i didnt fill the legs with stuffing but you can if you wanted to, just remember to stop halfway to stuff). Continue until you reach the cast on stitches, leave a long yarn tail to sew the legs to the body.

Finishing
Attach the head to the shell on the curved side.
Attach the legs to the flat of the shell.

Now you have your very own tiny turtle. Now go forth and multiple!

Note about shell row 7: It hass come to my attention that some people think that this row is a mistake and should be replaced by a purl row. The pattern is correct and it should not be changed to a purl. This row is a knit row as it mark the point where the flat shell bottom changes to the shell curve and allows for an easy 'fold' once the toy is stuffed and sewn.

♥ Raynor

Zero the Ghostly Dog

2008-04-10T10:14:00.006+01:00

Here is a little free pattern I've created for any knitting fan of Tim Burtons cult film 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', it's Zero the ghostly dog Jack Skellingtons faithful little pooch.

Materials
*DK/worsted weight/4ply yarn, 1 ball white & small amount of black, orange and red for detail.
*3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
*Toy stuffing
*Yarn needle

Suggested yarn : Bernat Glow in the dark worm white (available here)

Yarn weight and needle size are open to your own interpretation, basically increase/decrease the sizes for a bigger or smaller Zero.

Gauge also isn't important but for the head and ears make sure the stitches are tight enough so the stuffing doesnt show through.

Body

CO 1

1. Kfb (2sts)

2. Purl

3. Kfb (4sts)

4. purl

5. kfb, k2, kfb (6sts)

6. purl

7. Kfb, k4, kfb (8sts)

8. Purl

9. Kfb, k6, kfb (10sts)

10. Purl

11. Kfb, k8, kfb (12sts)

12. Purl

13. Kfb,k10, kfb (14sts)

14. Purl

15. Kfb, k12, Kfb (16sts)

Break off yarn and leave stitches on a spare needle/stitch holder

Repeat steps 1-15

Take stitches from the spare needle and join them onto your working needles (making sure the stockinette stitch is on the same side for both pieces)

16. Knit across all stitches (32sts)

17. St-st for 6 rows

18. K2tog, knit until last 2 st, k2tog (30sts)

19. Purl

20. Repeat rows 18-19 until 10 sts remain

21. *K2tog * repeat 5 times (5sts)

22. Purl

23. Knit

24. Purl

25. K2tog, k1, k2tog (3sts)

26. Purl

27. Knit

28. Purl

29. K2tog,k1 (2sts)

30. Purl

31. Knit

32. Purl

33. Knit

34. Purl

35. K2tog (1st)

36. Purl

37. Knit

38. Purl

Break off yarn and weave the end into the rest of the body.

Head

CO2

1. Kfb all stitches (4sts)

2. purl

3. kfb all stitches (8 sts)

4. Purl

5. St-st for 18 rows

6. *K2, kfb* repeat 2 times, k2(10sts)

7. Purl

8. *K2, Kfb*repeat 3 times, K1 (13sts)

9. Purl

10. *K3,kfb* repeat 3 times, k1 (16sts)

11. Purl

12. *k1,kfb* repeat 8 times (24sts)

13. Purl

14. *k4, kfb* repeat 4 times, k4 (28sts)

15. Purl

16. Knit

17. Purl

18. *K4, k2tog* repeat 4 times, k4 (24sts)

19. Purl

20. *k2,k2tog* repeat 6 times (18sts)

21. Purl

22. *K1,K2tog* repeat 6 times (12sts)

23. Purl

24. *k2tog* repeat 6 times (6sts)

25. Purl

Cut a tail of yarn approx 6” and use a needle to pull through the remaining stitches and pull tightly. Use the yarn tail to start joining all row ends using mattress stitch until half way down the head. Stuff the ball of the head and then continue to mattress stitch the row ends right up to the cast on stitches and then stuff the rest of the head/nose. Pull the yarn through the 2 co stitches, fasten off and then weave in the ends.

Ears ( make 2)

Cast on 6 sts

St-st for 19 rows

20. *k2tog* 3 times (3sts)

21. purl

22. knit

23. purl

Cut a tail in the yarn approx 5” long and use a yarn needle to pull through the remaining stitches. Use the remaining yarn tail to join the row ends up until the cast on stitches, and then sew onto the head.

Nose
CO 2
1. kfb all stitches (4sts)
2. knit
3. kfb, k2, kfb (6sts)
4 .knit
5. k2tog, k2, k2tog (4sts)
6. knit
7. *k2tog* times 2 (2st)

Cut the yarn and pull through the remainign stitches. Join the row end together.
Make the nose into a ball shape and oversew the edges, so you are left with a little orange ball.
Sew the nose onto the long end tip of the head. and weave in any ends.

Finishing

Use black yarn to ‘embroider’ two eyes and a smile onto the head.
Sew the head onto the body weaving in any loose ends.

Iadded his red collar by wrapping a red piece of yarn around his neck a few times then tieing off, weaving in any loose ends.

Now you have your very own knitted Zero, and remember a ghost dog is life not just for halloween.

For a fantastic free Jack Skellington pattern please visit Meanderings blog by clicking here.

♥ Raynor

Copyright

2008-04-10T09:56:00.004+01:00

Well its always a sticky subject, but it has to be done!
The Copyright of all the patterns on this blog belong to Raynor Gellatly.

Feel free to:

Distribute patterns for free (direct link as often as possible)
make as many items as you like for personal or charitable purposes
sell any finished items made from my patterns (I would appreciate credit for the pattern, or a even just a link to the site, however its not a must.)

You MUST NOT

Take any of my pattern and claim they are your own
Sell any patterns for a profit
Make kits with the patterns for profit
Use my photographs without my permission (hence the watermarks)

Even if these are not your own personal views on copyright they are mine so please respect them. Even though my patterns are simple a lot of work has still gone into creating them.

Ok i'll get off my soap box now, i hope that cleared a few things up for people, happy knitting.

♥ Raynor

Hello

2008-04-10T09:52:00.002+01:00

Hi there,
Thanks for dropping in and welcome to my little blog.
I thought I could start this blog so I can pass on my little random knitted toy patterns to others, and the best bit is that they are all free. My patterns are very simple as im still quite new to this creating business, so please bear with me.

I hope you enjoy my patterns.I have set up a flickr group for anyone who wants to join and show off their finished work, i'd love to see what people have created.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/knittedtoybox/

I'm also on Ravelry as 'Jellybum' so please feel free to have a little nosey around about me.

Happy Knitting.
♥ Raynor