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Yarn: Red Heart Supersaver Acrylic in 4334 Buff Fleck and 312 Black (other colours may be substituted as desired)
Needles: US 3 double-pointed (see my double-pointed needle tutorial to learn how they work)
Flopsy bear is a soft toy with floppy limbs and an articulated head. The pattern uses several intermediate/advanced techniques, such as short rows, double-pointed needles, and curved tubes. To learn and practise these techniques, please see the following projects:
As with all of my patterns, I strongly advise reading through the entire pattern first before starting to ensure that you know what will be happening later on.
Begin the bear by knitting two legs. The first leg will require stitch holders while you make the second.
Cast 6 sts of foot colour, divided two per needle.
Knit one round.
Inc one in first stitch on each needle; 9 sts (3 3 3)
Knit one round.
Inc one in all stitches; 18 sts (6 6 6)
Knit one round.
Inc one in every other stitch; 27 sts (9 9 9)
Knit one round.
Inc one in every third stitch; 36 sts (12 12 12)
Knit one round.
Change to main leg/body colour.
Knit 5 rounds.
Round 1: K2tog at start of first needle, continue to knit around the rest of the entire row.
Round 2: Knit first needle, K2tog at start of second needle, continue to knit around the rest of the row.
Round 3: Knit first and second needle, K2tog at start of third needle, continue to knit around the rest of the row.
Repeat rounds 1-3 until there are only 4 stitches left on each needle, a total of 12 stitches.
Place stitches on holder, break yarn with several inches to spare.
Repeat for second leg.
Cast four stitches on each of TWO needles (8 sts total).
Knit one round.
Place a third needle through the first 6 sts of one of the legs (the first stitch should be the stitch that would be knit next if continuing the leg). Place the remaining 6 sts of that leg on needle 2 of your 2 needle set that you just started. Place the first 6 sts of the other leg (again, the first stitch is what would otherwise be knitted next) on that needle as well, on the other side of the newly knitted portion. Place the remaining 6 sts of that leg behind the newly knitted portion on needle 1. All of this is shown in the photo below:
Continue knitting from the new section but picking up the 6 sts from the new needle as you go. Then knit all the way along needle 2. Then knit all of both needles again so the legs and crotch all come together as shown below:
Using a tapestry needle, pull all dangling pieces of yarn up through the legs and crotch to bind off inside the bear.
Knit the first half of needle 1 (16 sts). Place a stitch marker on the next stitch. You should how have 32 sts on 3 needles, divided as 8 8 16. The stitch marker will be considered the start of a round as you work the body (don't worry about the uneven distribution as that will be fixed below, although if it is too difficult to work with and you have an extra needle of the same size, you can move some of the stitches onto a temporary fourth needle).
Round 1: Inc1, knit; repeat around. (48 sts total)
Round 2: Knit.
Round 3: Inc1, knit; repeat around. (72 sts total)
Rearrange stitches so you have 24 on each of three needles, ensuring that the previously placed stitch marker still indicates the start of a round.
Rounds 4-8: Knit.
Taper the body the same way you tapered the legs above:
Round 1: K2tog at start of first needle, continue to knit around the rest of the entire row.
Round 2: Knit first needle, K2tog at start of second needle, continue to knit around the rest of the row.
Round 3: Knit first and second needle, K2tog at start of third needle, continue to knit around the rest of the row.
Repeat rounds 1-3 until there are only 12 stitches left on each needle, a total of 36 stitches.
This step will make a knob around which the head will later be fastened. This allows the head to turn.
Next round: k2tog; (6 sts per needle, 18 sts total)
Next round: k2tog; (3 sts per needle, 9 sts total)
Knit three rounds.
Next round: Inc1 in all sts; (6 sts per needle, 18 sts total)
Knit one round.
Next round: Inc1 in all sts; (12 sts per needle, 36 sts total)
Knit two rounds.
Next round: k2tog; (6 sts per needle, 18 sts total)
Knit one round.
Next round: k2tog; (3 sts per needle, 9 sts total)
Next round: k3tog; (1 st per needle, 3 sts total)
Break yarn, leaving 12 inches of tail, and pull through remaining sts. Using a tapestry needle, feed the yarn down through the knob to its base. Wrap yarn tightly around the base of the knob to form a neck, tie it off, and stitch the end down through the body, as shown in the photo below:
The bear should now look like this:
The head is based on Val's Original Yarnball Pattern, and the following instructions assume you are familiar with the general principles of how that yarnball is made. It is made up of ten segments, some of which have specific notations to form ears and a nose.
Here is how to do the segments; do not start yet, but refer back to these instructions as noted after it says "Begin Head" below:
Row 1: Work 20 sts, turn (leaving 8 on needle).
Row 2: Work 12 sts, turn (leaving 8 on other needle).
Row 3: Work 14 sts, turn (leaving 6).
Row 4: Work 16 sts, turn (leaving 6).
Continue turning and working sts, leaving 2 less on each side for each row until none have been left, so all of the sts are on one needle. This completes one segment.
As Basic segment, except as noted:
Work basic segment, leaving 8 and 8, then 6 and 6, then leaving 4 on one needle while there were still 6 left on the other. At that point, get an extra needle and use it to purl back 10 sts.
Knit forward 9, turn (leaving one on the new needle).
Purl back 9, turn.
Knit forward 8, turn (leaving two on the new needle).
Purl back 7, turn.
Knit forward 6, turn (leave 3).
Purl back 6, turn.
Knit forward 5, turn (leave 4).
Purl back 4, turn.
Knit forward 3, turn (leave 5).
Purl back 3, turn.
Knit to the end of the spare needle and put spare needle away.
Resume the Basic segment (ie work back to other end, leave 4, then leave 2 and 2, then knit to end).
Cast on 28 stitches. Work in st-st unless otherwise stated, so where it says to work stitches, knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side.
Work the following segments (see above for specifics):
Segment 1: Basic.
Segment 2: Basic.
Segment 3: Ear.
Segment 4: Basic.
Segment 5 and 6 split the nose between them as follows:
Begin Section 5 as Basic, leaving 8 8, 6 6, 4, 4, then 2 on one side with 4 still on the other.
Purl 9 sts (this puts you at 2 sts away from the midpoint, 11 sts away from the end).
Start black yarn.
P4, turn.
K1, inc1, inc1, k1, turn.
P6, then pick up main colour again and p to end of the row.
K10 in main colour, switch back to black, k3, [inc1] 3 times, k2, turn.
P11, turn.
K11, turn.
Switch back to main colour, k to end (leave 0, ending the segment).
P9, switch to black, p13, turn.
K13, turn.
P13, switch to main colour, work to end (leave 0, extra row between segments).
Begin Segment 6
K12, switch to black, k3, [k2tog] 3 times, k3, turn.
P9, turn.
K8, switch to main colour, k2, turn (leave 8).
P3, switch to black, p7, turn.
K2, k2tog, k2tog, k1, turn.
P4, switch to main colour, p5 (leave 8). Break black yarn, but leave at least 16 inches of tail.
Work rest of section 6 as Basic.
Section 7: Basic.
Section 8: Ear.
Section 9: Basic.
Section 10: Basic.
Bind off.
Stuff the nose firmly with cotton balls. Wrap the long tail around the base of the nose very tightly several times. Then use a tapestry needle to work the tail in and out through the wraps, side to side and top to bottom, to secure them. Tie off on the inside of the head (the purl side).
Seam the back of the head as described in Val's Original Yarnball Pattern, starting on the top of the head, with the following exception: when most of the head is seamed and the stuffing is in place, position the bottom of the head around the knob at the top of the body. Continue seaming as per the yarn ball pattern, but pull the bottom end closed tightly around the knob. This will allow the head to turn, but the weight will make it flop easily.
Pinch the ears flat. Use matching thread to run stitches around the outer edge, and pull slightly to force the ear to curve a little bit. Tie off the thread and hide the ends.
Embroider on eyes and mouth as pictured, or sew on felt eyes as desired. Buttons can also be used for eyes, but remember that they pose a choking hazard for small children.
Cast 6 sts of hand colour, divided two per needle.
Knit one round.
Inc one in first stitch on each needle; 9 sts (3 3 3)
Knit one round.
Inc one in all stitches; 18 sts (6 6 6)
Knit one round.
Inc one in every other stitch; 27 sts (9 9 9)
Knit one round.
Inc1 on first stitch of each needle; 30 sts (10 10 10)
Change to main colour.
Knit one round.
NOTE: This portion of the arm assumes you understand how to make a curved tube with double-pointed needles using the short-row/wedge technique described in my rings tutorial. If you do not know how to do this or are confused by the terminology, please refer to that tutorial for more information.
Wedge 1: For this wedge, knit forward to the end of needle 2, then turn and purl back along needles 2 and 1, leave 2 sts on needle 1, turn and go forward again along needles 1 and 2, then leave 2 sts on needle 2. Repeat the short rows as such, leaving two more sts each time (4, then 6, then 8). After leaving 8 on needle 1, knit forward all the way around the round (including needle 3). Then knit one full round.
Taper elbow:
Round 1: K2tog at start of first needle, continue to knit around the rest of the entire row.
Round 2: Knit first needle, K2tog at start of second needle, continue to knit around the rest of the row.
Round 3: Knit first and second needle, K2tog at start of third needle, continue to knit around the rest of the row.
Wedge 2: As Wedge 1, but this time leave 2, then, 4, then 6.
Repeat taper elbow rounds.
Wedge 3: As Wedge 2.
Repeat taper elbow rounds until stitch count is 4 per needle (12 total).
Bind off.
Repeat for second arm. Stuff arms and sew onto body so that when they fall, the elbow curve points towards the bear's back and the hands are slightly forward.
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Page last updated July 2 2007.
Email me at crafts@kimberlychapman.com
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