Golden Buddha

Golden Buddha Knitting Pattern by Madmonkeyknits

What is Being Made

The Golden Buddha is a decorative knitted figure designed by madmonkeyknits (Pattern No. 396). This intermediate-level project creates a three-dimensional Buddha ornament or decoration, featuring a distinct head and body with an accompanying robe. The finished piece combines metallic and standard yarns to create visual contrast and detail, making it suitable for display as a decorative accent.

Craft and Primary Techniques

This pattern is created using knitting as the primary craft method. The design employs a multi-needle approach, with different needle sizes used for different components to achieve varying fabric densities and drape. The construction involves shaping techniques including increases and decreases to form the three-dimensional Buddha figure. The pattern uses both flat knitting and structured shaping to create the sculptural form, with stuffing used to give the piece dimension and structure.

Stitches Used

The Golden Buddha pattern incorporates several fundamental knitting stitches and techniques:

• Knit stitch (k) – the basic foundation stitch used throughout
• Purl stitch (p) – used in combination with knit stitches
• Stocking stitch (st.st) – alternating knit and purl rows to create smooth fabric
• Garter stitch (gt.st) – knitting every row to create textured fabric
• Ribbing (rib) – alternating knit and purl stitches in the same row for elastic fabric
• Increases (inc) – knitting or purling into both the front and back of a stitch to add stitches and create shaping
• Decreases (dec) – knitting or purling two stitches together to reduce stitch count
• Slip stitch (sl) – slipping stitches onto the other needle without knitting them
• Yarn forward (YF) and yarn back (YB) – techniques for creating yarn overs and managing yarn position

Materials and Yarn

The Golden Buddha pattern requires specific materials to achieve its distinctive appearance. The project uses two different yarn types in complementary gold tones:

• Ayda Simli Kordenett in Gold (50g ball) – approximately 25g is used for the Buddha figure itself, providing the base color and texture
• Anchor Artiste in Gold (25g ball) – used for the robe component and for embellishing details including the eyes and mouth features, adding metallic shimmer and contrast

The pattern specifies two different needle sizes to create distinct fabric characteristics for different components:

• 2.00 mm knitting needles – used exclusively for knitting the Buddha figure itself, creating a tighter, more detailed fabric suitable for the sculptural form
• 6.00 mm knitting needles – used for knitting the robe, creating a looser, more flowing fabric that drapes differently than the body

Additional materials include approximately 50g of white safety stuffing, which is used to fill and give three-dimensional structure to the completed knitted pieces.

Yarn Weight and Difficulty

This pattern is designed for 3-ply and 4-ply yarn weights, which are lightweight yarns that create fine, detailed fabric. The intermediate difficulty level indicates that knitters should have foundational skills in basic stitches and shaping techniques before attempting this project. The use of small needles (2.00 mm) and fine yarn requires attention to detail and comfort with precision knitting, while the shaping techniques demand understanding of increases, decreases, and how to read pattern instructions.