Little fella

Little Fella by Ella Austin

What is Being Made

Little Fella is a charming knitted doll designed by independent designer Ella Austin. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a small stuffed toy figure, perfect for those with some knitting experience looking to expand into toy design. The doll is constructed using knitting techniques and finished with toy stuffing to create a three-dimensional character.

Craft and Techniques

This project is created entirely through knitting, utilizing several intermediate techniques that make it suitable for knitters who have moved beyond basic skills. The pattern requires proficiency in knitting in the round, which allows for seamless construction of cylindrical sections ideal for doll limbs and body. The design incorporates stranded colourwork, a technique where multiple yarn colours are carried across rows to create patterned details, adding visual interest and dimension to the finished doll.

Additional techniques employed include chart reading, essential for following the colourwork patterns accurately, and duplicate stitch, a finishing technique that adds embellished details after the main knitting is complete. The pattern also utilizes simple increases and decreases to shape the doll's form, including make one stitches (M1), knit two together (K2tog), and slip slip knit (ssk) decreases. Wrap and turn (W&t) techniques may be used for shaping specific sections.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (St st) – the primary stitch forming the base fabric
• Knit two together (K2tog) – a right-leaning decrease
• Slip slip knit (ssk) – a left-leaning decrease created by slipping two stitches, returning them to the left needle, and knitting them together
• Make one (M1) – an increase formed by picking up the bar between two stitches
• Wrap and turn (W&t) – a shaping technique for creating curved sections
• Stranded colourwork – carrying multiple colours across rows to create patterned sections
• Duplicate stitch – embellishing stitches added after knitting for fine details

Materials and Yarn

This project uses Baa Ram Ewe Titus 4-ply yarn, a premium yarn weight that provides excellent stitch definition for detailed doll work. The colour palette consists of four coordinated shades:

• Titus Coal (40g) – the main colour (MC)
• Titus White Rose (30g) – contrast colour 1 (CC1)
• Titus Yorkstone (10g) – contrast colour 2 (CC2)
• Titus Bantam (10g) – contrast colour 3 (CC3)

The pattern requires 2.25mm double pointed needles for the main sections, worked at a gauge of 34 stitches and 46 rows over 10 centimetres in stockinette stitch. 2.5mm double pointed needles are used for sections requiring a different gauge of 30 stitches and 48 rows over 10 centimetres. Double pointed needles are essential for knitting seamlessly in the round, creating the tubular shapes necessary for doll construction.

Additional materials include toy stuffing for filling the completed doll, 2 tiny buttons for the jacket detail, 4 stitch markers for tracking rounds, scrap yarn or stitch holders for managing stitches, and a yarn needle for weaving in ends and finishing details. Chart reading skills and the ability to follow written instructions with abbreviations are essential for successful completion of this intermediate project.