Deramores Knitting Patterns

A pattern range built around knitted toys

Most brand pattern libraries are garment-first. This one is not. The bulk of the Deramores knitting patterns here are characters: breed-specific dogs from the dachshund to the basset hound and the chihuahua, cats, a donkey and horse pair, dinosaurs, a unicorn, teddy bears, a ballerina, and a bride and groom. Multi-pattern bundles such as Dera Dogs and Dera Dogs 2 group several designs into a single download, which is the cheapest way to build a shelf of them. Seasonal designs — a knitted poppy brooch, a pumpkin, an Easter bunny and chick, a Halloween jack o'lantern — round out the collection.

Which yarn the patterns use

• Deramores Studio DK acrylic: the default for most toys. Firm, matte, washable and available in a wide shade range.
• Studio Baby Soft DK: softer handle for bunnies, teddies and anything destined for a cot.
• Studio Anti-Pilling DK: holds a smooth surface on toys that will be handled constantly.
• Studio Chunky: quicker seasonal makes such as the knitted pumpkin.
• Faux fur yarns: used for shaggy breeds like the shih tzu and cavapoochon, where the pile does the work.

Knitting toys well

Toy knitting has its own rules and they are not the ones you use for a jumper. Go down at least one needle size from the ball band so the fabric is dense enough that stuffing cannot show through — this is the single most common reason a finished toy looks amateurish. Stuff in small pieces rather than handfuls, working the filling into the nose and paws first with the blunt end of a knitting needle, and keep going until the shape holds without wrinkling. Mattress stitch the seams with the same yarn, and shape faces by pulling a stitch or two through the head to create eye sockets before you attach any features.

Safety, gifting and finishing

If the toy is for a child under three, embroider the eyes and nose in yarn rather than using plastic safety eyes or buttons, and skip ribbons and loose fringes. Use new polyester toy filling rather than scraps. Knitted toys are excellent gifts precisely because they are personal — a knitted version of someone's own breed of dog lands very differently from a shop-bought soft toy — and they suit new babies, birthdays and Christmas equally. Because they are small, they are also a good way to use up leftover DK from bigger projects.

Skill level and where to start

Most of these are knitted flat in stocking stitch and seamed, which means the skills required are casting on, increasing, decreasing and sewing up neatly. If you have knitted a hat, you can knit a Dera Dog. Start with a simple single-colour animal or the poppy brooch, then move on to designs with separately knitted ears, tails and limbs, and finally to multi-piece bundles with clothing and accessories. Keep a notebook of which needle size gave you a good firm fabric; you will use the same one for every toy you make afterwards.

Deramores pattern questions

Are Deramores patterns instant downloads? Yes, they are PDFs you download and print after purchase.

Do I have to use Deramores yarn? No, but the patterns are written for Deramores Studio yarns, so matching the weight and tension keeps the finished size right.

What yarn weight are most of these? DK, with a few chunky designs. DK gives toys enough definition without becoming fiddly.

Are the toy patterns suitable for beginners? Many are. They use basic stitches; the challenge is neat seaming and even stuffing rather than complicated knitting.

What can I make for a new baby? The rattles, bunnies and teddy bears, worked in a soft baby DK and finished with embroidered features.