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Saturday, January 31, 2015

Little Lamb Stuffed Toy


This sweet little lamb can be made in a variety of color combinations. The “black sheep” shown here is just one option.  There is no tail and the ears are sewed very securely so there is no choking hazard for a baby or small child. 

Knit each piece as described and then assemble and stuff to complete your project.  The lamb measures approximately 9 inches in height.   

Materials
Cotton /acrylic or soft wool light worsted weight yarn in light beige or cream and black.  I used  1 skein each of Cascade yarns “Sierra” (80% Pima Cotton, 20% wool; 100 grams; 191 yards)

Beige/cream or tan will be Color A 
Black will be Color B 
Polyester fiberfill
Pair of US 3 (3.25 mm) knitting needles
Tapestry needle



Body (make 2) – Color A
The knit side in Color A will be the outside of the animal.
Cast on 32 sts and work in st st with shaping described:
Row 1: Purl
Row 2:  (Increase row)  K9, KFB, K14, KFB, K9 (34 sts)
Row 3:  Purl
Row 4: (Increase row)   K10, KFB, K14, KFB, K10 (36 sts)
Row 5: Purl
Row 6:  (Increase row)   K11, KFB, K14, KFB, K11 (38 sts)
Row 7:  Purl
Row 8:  (Increase row)   K12, KFB, K14, KFB, K12 (40 sts)
Row 9:  Purl
Row 10-19:  Work in st st starting with a knit row
Row 20: (decrease row)  K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog
Row 21: Purl
Repeat last two rows 11 times until 16 sts remain
Bind off. 
Make 2nd piece

Body Base (make 1)
Cast on 16 sts
Row 1:  Purl
Row 2: K1, KFB, K to last st, KFB, K1 (18 sts)
Repeat these two rows 4 times until 26 sts are on your needle

Beginning with a purl row, work in st st for 5 rows
Decrease row: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog
Next row:  Purl
Repeat these two rows 4 times until 16 sts are on your needle

Bind off

Head (make 1)
Cast on 9 sts
Row 1:  Purl
Row 2: (Increase) K1, (KFB, K1) pattern to end (17 sts)
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: (Increase) K1, (KFB, K2) pattern to end (25 sts)

Odd Rows  5, 7, 9, 11, 13 – Purl

Row 6:  (Increase) K1, (KFB, K3) pattern to end (33 sts)
Row 8:  (Increase) K1, (KFB, K4) pattern to end (41 sts)
Row 10: (Increase) K1, (KFB, K5) pattern to end (49 sts)
Row 12:  (Increase) K1, (KFB, K6) pattern to end (57 sts)
Row 13:  Work in st st beginning with a purl row for 13 rows
Decrease row:  K5, (K2tog, K1) 16 times, K4 (41 sts)
Next row:  Purl
Next row: Knit
Next row: Purl
Decrease row:  K7, (K2tog, K3) 6 times, K4 (35 sts)

You have now completed the back and top of the lamb’s head and will work the face in Color B

Switch yarns to color B (black in picture)
Beginning with a knit row, work in st st for 4 rows
(Note:  the purl side will be on the outside of the animal for all areas stitched in color B).
Decrease row: K3, K2tog to end (28 sts)
Beginning with a purl row, work in st st for 5 rows
Decrease row:  (K2, k2tog) to end (21 sts
Next row: Purl
Decrease row:  (K1, k2tog) to end (14 sts)
Next row:  Purl
Decrease row:  (K2tog) to end (7 sts)

Thread yarn through sts on needle using tapestry needle, pull tight and secure with a knot. Weave loose end through.

Hind Legs (make 2)
Using color A, cast on 27 sts and beginning with a knit row, do st st for 11 rows, ending with a knit row.
Change to Color B and again starting with a knit row, work in st st for 7 rows.
(Note again the switch to purl on the outside for Color B.)
Decrease row:  (P1, P2tog) to end (18 sts)
Next row:  Knit
Decrease row:  (P2tog) to end (9 sts)

Thread yarn through sts on needle using tapestry needle, pull tight and secure with a knot.  Weave loose end through.

Front Legs (make 2)

Using Color A, cast on 20 sts and work in st st for 19 rows beginning with a knit row.
Change to Color B and beginning again with a knit row, continue in st st for 7 rows.
(Note again the switch to purl on the outside for Color B.)
Decrease row:  (P2tog) to end (10 sts)

Thread yarn through sts on needle using tapestry needle, pull tight and secure with a knot.  Weave loose end through.

 Ears (make 2)
Using Color A cast on 12 sts
Row 1:  Purl
Increase row:  K2, (KFB, K2) to end (16 sts)
Next row:  Purl
Increase row:  K4, (KFB, K1) 4 times, K4 (20 sts)
Next row:  Purl
Next row:  Knit
Next row:  Knit
Next row:  Purl
Decrease row:  K4, (k2tog, K1) 4 times, K4 (16 sts)
Next row:  Purl
Decrease row:  K2, (k2tog) 6 times, K2 (10 sts)
Bind off

Assembly

To join all pieces, put right sides together and align edges, use tapestry needle and matching yarn and sew securely along knitted rows.

Body
Join two halves of the body together with the knit sides (RS) together.  Sew along row ends leaving neck and body base open.  Turn right side out.

Attach body base to front and back of body along lower open edges, with knit sides (RS) together.  Be sure base is evenly matched along body by aligning body seams with widest part of base.  Sew and then turn right side out.
Add stuffing to body, filling out well from base to neck.  Leave neck open for now.

Head
Gather the cast-on sts of the head with yarn and pull tight and secure.  Sew together the row ends of the head leaving a gap for stuffing.  Fill out the head with stuffing, working to push stuffing into the face area and crown of head to give it a round shape.  The head will look like a football unless you shape it well with stuffing.   Stitch the gap closed tightly. 

Attach the head to the neck, first adding more stuffing to the body if needed.  The head will flop around if not stitched securely.  Keep sewing around the neck area until you are satisfied with the position of the head.  It’s okay if the head tilts a bit to one side. 

Face
Using Color A or a scrap of yarn in a different color, make the eyes, nose and mouth with simple embroidery stitching. 

Hind Legs
With right sides together, stitch the row ends of each leg together.  Turn right side out and stuff.  Be sure to stuff the two legs the same so they are of similar size.  Place the lamb on a table or other flat surface and pin the hind legs to the body near the base so they are even and the animal sits straight. Sew open end of legs to body all the way around.

Front Legs
With right sides together, stitch the row ends of each leg together.  Turn right side out and stuff.  Sew the open end of the leg closed.  With the leg seam facing down, attach each leg to the neck by sewing all around. 

Ears
Join the cast-on and bound-off ends of each ear together, fold in half and stitch.  Oversew the row ends and attach this end to each side of the head.  Be sure to have the knit side on the inside of each ear so they look the same.


Abbreviations
K - knit

KFB – knit into the front and back of the same stitch to increase the number of stitches
K2tog – Knit two stitches together to reduce the number of stitches by one
P2tog – Purl two stitches together to reduce the number of stitches by one

St – stitch

St st – Stockinette stitch – pattern of alternating knit rows and purl rows