Captain Underpants

Captain Underpants Knitted Toy by Andrew Lucas

Project Overview

This downloadable knitting pattern creates a Captain Underpants doll standing approximately 15 centimeters tall. Designed by Andrew Lucas as a beginner-friendly knitting project, this toy features the character's iconic color scheme and construction through fundamental knitting techniques.

What Is Being Made

A stuffed knitted doll representing the Captain Underpants character. The toy is constructed in separate sections—body, waistband, beige-colored torso, head, and additional features—that are assembled together. The finished doll is suitable as a toy, collectible, or handmade gift for fans of the character.

Materials Required

• Needles: 3.25mm knitting needles
• Yarn: Double knitting wool in white, beige, red, and black (oddments/small quantities of each color)
• Stuffing: Small amount of polyester or toy stuffing for filling
• Additional tools: Tapestry needle for finishing and assembly

Knitting Techniques and Stitches Used

This beginner pattern employs core knitting techniques that build foundational skills:

• Stocking stitch (st st): The primary fabric used throughout most of the doll, created by alternating knit rows and purl rows to produce a smooth, flat surface
• Garter stitch (gs): Used for the waistband section, created by knitting every row to produce a textured, ridged fabric
• Increases (inc): Worked to expand stitch counts, particularly at the beginning of the body and for shaping the head
• Decreases (dec/k2tog): Used to reduce stitch counts for shaping shoulders and tapering the head
• Bind and tie (B and T): A finishing technique where yarn ends are threaded through remaining stitches on the needle, drawn up, and secured to close sections
• Cast on and cast off: Standard edge techniques for beginning and completing knitted sections

Pattern Structure and Construction

The doll is built in distinct sections that are knitted separately then assembled:

• Body section: Cast on 25 stitches in white wool, increased in every stitch to 50 stitches on the first row, then worked in stocking stitch for 11 rows to form the main body
• Waistband: Worked in garter stitch for 4 rows to create definition between the upper and lower torso
• Lower torso: Changed to beige wool and worked in stocking stitch for 10 rows
• Shoulders: Decreased using knit two together to reduce from 50 stitches to 25 stitches, then worked one purl row
• Head: Increased to 37 stitches, worked in stocking stitch for 15 rows, then gradually decreased through two rounds of decreasing to shape the head

Difficulty Level

Rated as a beginner project, this pattern is accessible to knitters new to the craft. It introduces essential techniques including increases, decreases, stitch changes, and color work without requiring advanced shaping or complex stitch patterns.

Skill Development

Knitters completing this project will practice maintaining consistent tension, working with multiple yarn colors, understanding stitch abbreviations, and assembling a three-dimensional object from flat knitted pieces—all fundamental skills in toy and garment knitting.