Product Description
I was so excited to work up a little ox pattern for Chinese New Year, but alas…the yarn was telling me otherwise and who am I to argue with yarn?? (I think beavers have been on my mind with some wonderful flood control projects introducing beaver skills bringing me an awful lot of happy!) So here it is, my little Chinese Knit Year beaver. Gung Hay Fat Choy!
I wish you balance and personal fulfilment for your Metal Ox/Bao the Beaver year!
This is a pattern for a knitted beaver. It is worked mainly in stockinette and in the round. With the ears and tail worked flat. The legs are picked up from waste yarn and worked similarly to glove fingers for a few rounds. Eyes and nose are embroidered with straight sts.
You may use any yarn with this project. The sample used Shetland fingering weight yarn held together with a lace mohair.
Bao the Beaver Knit Pattern by Bunnymuff
What Is Being Made
Bao the Beaver is a decorative knit pattern designed to celebrate Chinese New Year. This intermediate-level knitted decoration features a charming beaver character, created as a festive tribute to the Metal Ox/Bao the Beaver year. The pattern was inspired by the designer's appreciation for beaver flood control projects and their ecological significance, making it both a culturally meaningful and nature-inspired craft project.
Knitting Techniques Used
This pattern employs several fundamental knitting techniques suitable for intermediate crafters. The construction begins with a cast-on using the long-tail method, which provides a sturdy foundation for the piece. The pattern incorporates knit stitches as the primary stitch structure, combined with shaping techniques to create the beaver's three-dimensional form and distinctive features.
Shaping is achieved through knit two together (k2tog) decreases, which reduce stitch counts to form contours and details. The pattern also utilizes knit front and back (kfb) increases to add stitches where needed for expanding sections of the design. These fundamental techniques work together to build the beaver decoration from a flat knitted fabric into a finished sculptural form.
Stitches Used
- Cast on (CO) - Long-tail cast-on method for establishing the foundation stitches
- Knit (k) - The primary stitch creating the fabric base
- Knit two together (k2tog) - Decrease stitch for shaping and contouring
- Knit front and back (kfb) - Increase stitch for expanding sections
Materials and Yarn Specifications
The pattern calls for Shetland by Gathered Sheep Yarns, a premium natural fiber yarn in Light Fingering weight classification. The yarn is 100% Shetland wool, offering the characteristic softness and elasticity ideal for decorative knit projects. The yarn weight ranges from Cobweb to Lace weight, providing a delicate, refined finish suitable for detailed work.
Approximate yarn requirements include 15 grams of main color A (MC-A) in Shetland fingering yarn in Red, and additional lace weight yarn such as mohair or alpaca for main color B (MC-B). The Shetland yarn provides 96 yards per 20-gram mini skein, offering excellent yardage efficiency for this decorative project. The combination of fingering-weight and lace-weight yarns creates beautiful texture and drape in the finished beaver decoration.
Knitters will need needles appropriate for Light Fingering to Lace weight yarn, typically in the US 0-2 range, though specific needle size recommendations should be verified in the complete pattern instructions. The use of premium natural fibers and the delicate yarn weights make this an elegant decorative piece suitable for display during Chinese New Year celebrations.
```Specifications
| Brand: | Independent Designer |
| Pages: | 0 |
| Designer: | bunnymuff - Mona Zillah |
| Craft: | Knitting |
| Format: | Downloadable PDF |
| Languages: | English |
| Notes: | Please, see images for data page for more information about this pattern. |
| Number of Patterns: | 1 |
| Skill Level: | Intermediate |
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