Oink Toy in Spud & Chloe Sweater - Downloadable PDF

Oink: A Free Knitted Pig Toy Pattern by Susan B. Anderson for Spud & Chloe

Oink is a charming, free downloadable knitting pattern by designer Susan B. Anderson, published under the Spud & Chloe brand. This pattern guides knitters through the construction of an adorable stuffed pig toy, complete with a rounded body, snout, ears, legs, and optional wings. Finished at approximately 3½ inches tall by 2½ inches wide, Oink makes a delightful handmade gift for children and toy collectors alike. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it a satisfying project for knitters who are comfortable working in the round on double-pointed needles and executing basic shaping techniques.

What Is Being Made

Oink is a small, three-dimensional knitted pig toy worked almost entirely in the round. The body forms the central structure, shaped through strategic increases and decreases to create a plump, rounded silhouette. Additional components — including the snout, ears, legs, and optional wings — are knitted separately and attached. The finished toy is stuffed either with fiberfill or, uniquely, with a Hi Bounce Pinky Ball, which gives the pig a satisfying, bouncy feel when squeezed or tossed.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Spud & Chloë Sweater yarn, an aran-weight yarn with a fiber composition of 55% superwash wool and 45% organic cotton, sold in 100-gram hanks containing approximately 160 yards each. Three colorways are used:

• Watermelon #7512 — the primary body color, giving Oink her classic pink pig appearance
• Popsicle #7501 — used for accent details
• Igloo #7517 — used for additional contrast details

The superwash wool content makes the finished toy easy to care for, while the organic cotton adds softness and a slight structure that helps the toy hold its shape. One hank of each color is required, though the optional wings call for only a small amount of additional yarn.

Additional materials include a Hi Bounce Pinky Ball (optional, used as an alternative to fiberfill stuffing) and a yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends.

Needles and Gauge

Oink is knitted on US size 5 double-pointed needles, used in a set of four, or whatever size is needed to achieve the specified gauge. Gauge is critical for achieving the correct finished dimensions: 6 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch. Because this is a toy rather than a wearable garment, slight gauge variations are more forgiving, but matching gauge will ensure the stuffing or ball fits properly inside the body.

Techniques and Construction

The body of Oink is worked from the back end forward, beginning with a small cast-on of 9 stitches distributed across three double-pointed needles — 3 stitches per needle. The work is joined in the round carefully to avoid twisting, and a stitch marker is placed to track the beginning of each round.

Shaping the Body

The rounded body shape is achieved through a series of make-one (m1) increases worked at the beginning and end of each needle on every other round. This method creates smooth, symmetrical increases that expand the fabric evenly around all three needles simultaneously, building the plump, spherical form characteristic of a pig's body. Increases continue until 13 stitches per needle (39 stitches total) are on the needles, followed by one additional increase round to bring the total to 42 stitches.

After the increases are complete, a stitch marker is placed and the body is worked in plain stockinette — knitting every round — until the piece measures 1¼ inches above the marker. This straight section forms the middle of the body before the decreases begin.

Decrease Rounds and Closing

The front of the body is shaped through a sequence of k2tog (knit two together) decrease rounds interspersed with plain knit rounds. The decreases are evenly spaced and worked progressively:

• Round 1: k5, k2tog — reducing to 36 stit