I love making my baby gifts. Ever since I have been crocheting and knitting, I have made gifts for my friends and family. Most of the time it was a blanket. But after years of making blankets, the same double crochet stitch for all of them, I was ready for a change. As I have said in a previous post, I decided to learn how to knit. After I mastered the basic knitting, I was ready for something a little more. Paul bought me a wonderful knit toy book and I have been using the book to knit gifts for a couple of years now. Now that I have made several in the book, I have started to branch out and create some animals on my own. These have been adapted a great deal from the original book, but I make variations to make them my own.
Toy Elephant
Body
CO 9
split between 3 needles
Row 1 Knit
Row 2 kfb in each stitch
Row 3 knit
Row 4 kfb in each stitch
Row 5 – 7 knit
Row 8 k2, kfb repeat to end
Row 9 knit
Row 10 k3, kfb repeat to end
Row 11 – 12 knit
Row 13 purl
Continue to knit around for 3 inches
Row 1 k3, k2tog repeat
Row 2 – 6 knit
Row 7 k2, k2tog
Row 8-12 knit
Row 13 k1, k2tog
Row 14-18 knit
Stuff body
Row 19 k2tog repeat
Row 20 k1, k2tog, k1 repeat
Stuff remainder of body and close by pulling through loose stitches
Head
Start like body until row 8
Knit every round for 14 rows
Decrease
Row 1 k2, k2tog repeat
Row 2 -3 knit
Row 4 k1, k2tog repeat
Row 5-6 knit
Stuff head
Row 7 k2tog repeat
Row 8 – 20 knit
Stuff nose
Row 21 k1, k2tog, k1.
Cut yarn and pull through stitches
Legs – make 4
CO24
Split between 3 needles
Knit every round for 4 inches
Row 1 k1,m1, k1,m1,k1 on each needle
Row 2 – 10 knit
Row 11 purl
Row 12 knit
Row 13 k3, k2tog repeat to end of row
Row 14 k2, k2tog repeat to end of row
Row 15 – 16 Knit
Row 17 k1, k2tog, repeat to end of row
Row 18 k1, k2tog, k1 repeat to end of ro
Cut yarn and pull through
Ears – make 2
CO11
K1, KP same stitch to end, K1
Split onto 3 needles
1 back, 1 front
Row 1 K1, KP, K6, KP, K1 turn repeat
Row 2 Knit
Row 3 K1, KP, Knit to last 2, KP, K1
Row 4 Knit
repeat until 44 stitches
Knit 4 rows around
Row 1 K19 K2tog K1, K1, ssk, K19
Row 2 K18 K2tog K1, k1, ssk, K18
Row 3 K17 k2tog k1, k1, ssk, k17
Row 4 K 16 K2tog k1, k1, ssk, k16
Row 5 k5 k2tog, k5, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1, k1, ssk, k2, ssk, ,k5, ssk, k5
Row 6 knit
Garter stitch to close ear
Tail
CO5
Knit as you would an Icord. Knit without turning until tail is about 3 inches long. Tie yarn at end, or make a puff ball and attach.