Branch (Trolls) choc orange cover / toy

Branch (Trolls) Chocolate Orange Cover or 20cm Toy

What is Being Made

This is a knitted toy or decorative cover inspired by Branch, a character from the Trolls franchise. The finished piece measures approximately 20 centimeters and can function as either a standalone stuffed toy or as a cover for a chocolate orange. The design captures the character's distinctive appearance through strategic color changes and shaping techniques.

Craft and Techniques

Primary Craft: Knitting

Difficulty Level: Beginner

This project is suitable for knitters new to toy construction, as it uses fundamental knitting techniques combined with straightforward shaping. The pattern demonstrates how to build a three-dimensional form through increases and decreases, making it an excellent introduction to amigurumi-style knitting without requiring crochet skills.

Stitches and Construction Methods

• Stocking Stitch (st st): The primary fabric structure, created by alternating knit rows and purl rows to produce a smooth, flat surface
• Garter Stitch (gs): An alternative textured stitch created by knitting every row
• Increases (inc): Used to expand stitch count, particularly for shaping the head and body sections
• Decreases (dec and k2tog): Used to reduce stitch count for shaping shoulders and tapering the head
• Bind and Tie (B and T): A finishing technique where yarn ends are threaded through a tapestry needle, passed through live stitches on the knitting needle, drawn up to close the opening, and secured

Pattern Structure

The toy is constructed in distinct sections that build vertically:

• Body: Cast on 25 stitches in brown wool, increase in every stitch to create 50 stitches, then work 8 rows of stocking stitch
• Torso: Change to blue wool and continue stocking stitch for 13 rows, establishing the character's color blocking
• Shoulders: Decrease by knitting 2 stitches together across the row to reduce from 50 to 25 stitches, then purl 1 row
• Head: Increase stitches to 37 for the head section, work 17 rows of stocking stitch, then decrease in two stages to shape and close the top

Materials Required

• Needles: 3.25mm knitting needles
• Yarn: Double knitting weight wool in multiple colors: brown (for body base), blue and royal blue (for torso and details), green, white, and black (for facial features and accents). Oddments or small quantities of each color are sufficient
• Additional Tools: Tapestry needle for finishing and weaving in ends

Designer Information

This pattern was designed by Andrew Lucas and is available as a downloadable PDF from an independent designer.