Broccauliflower

Broccauliflower Knitted Toy by Jillian Thom

What Is Being Made

The Broccauliflower is a cute, stuffed knitted toy designed by Jillian Thom that can be customized to represent either broccoli or cauliflower depending on your yarn color selection. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a three-dimensional vegetable toy with a realistic segmented flower head and a separate stem that are sewn together for a finished, polished appearance.

Project Overview and Design

Inspired by the Brassica genus of plants—which includes cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, turnip, swede, and mustard—this pattern captures the charming appeal of these vegetables in toy form. The design cleverly allows crafters to choose their finished vegetable by selecting appropriate yarn colors: green tones create broccoli, while white or cream tones produce cauliflower. The construction method separates the stem and flower components, which are then joined together, making the assembly process straightforward and allowing for clean finishing.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

This pattern requires knitting in the round, a fundamental technique for creating seamless, three-dimensional toy pieces. The designer has prioritized accessibility by selecting the easiest options for all shaping techniques, including increases and decreases, ensuring that intermediate knitters can complete the project without struggling with complex stitch manipulations. The stem and flower are knitted as separate pieces before being sewn together with a tapestry needle, a common approach in toy making that allows for easier stuffing and shaping of individual components.

Stitches and Stitch Abbreviations

The pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches and techniques, including:

• CO (cast on) — the foundation method for creating initial stitches
• K (knit) — the basic knit stitch
• PU (pick up) — picking up stitches along an edge to create new fabric sections
• YO (yarn over) — a yarn over increase that creates decorative eyelets and adds stitches
• Increase — simplified increase methods chosen for ease of execution
• CDD (central double decrease) — a centered decrease that removes two stitches while maintaining fabric symmetry

These stitches work together to create the textured, dimensional appearance of the vegetable's florets while maintaining an intermediate difficulty level.

Materials and Tools Required

Yarn: The pattern calls for aran weight yarn (also known as worsted weight) in two distinct types. A solid aran weight yarn in a stem-appropriate color—typically green or tan—forms the vegetable's base. The flower head is created using bouclé yarn, ideally in aran weight as well, which provides the characteristic bumpy, textured surface that mimics the natural appearance of broccoli or cauliflower florets. The bouclé texture is essential to the toy's visual appeal, creating realistic dimensionality.

Needles: The pattern requires a set of 3.75mm needles (US size 5, UK size 9) in either double-pointed needle (DPN) or circular needle format, or a combination of both. This needle size is standard for aran weight yarn and allows for proper gauge and fabric drape.

Notions and Finishing: Crafters will need toy stuffing to fill the knitted pieces, creating a soft, three-dimensional form. Safety eyes or scraps of yarn can be used to add facial features, making the toy more expressive and appealing. A tapestry needle is essential for seaming the stem and flower together and for sewing on any embellishments.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this pattern is accessible to knitters with foundational skills who are comfortable working in the round and handling basic increases and decreases. The designer's deliberate choice to simplify all shaping techniques makes this an excellent intermediate project for those looking to build confidence in toy construction without encountering advanced stitch work.