Charlie the Chihuahua in Deramores Studio DK Acrylic - Downloadable PDF

Charlie the Chihuahua – Knitted Toy Pattern by Amanda Berry for Deramores

Charlie the Chihuahua is a charming knitted toy pattern designed by Amanda Berry and published by Deramores. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern invites knitters to create an adorable, fully three-dimensional stuffed Chihuahua dog, complete with a tiny collar. Amanda Berry is a graduate of the London College of Fashion (First Class Honours, 2014) who has turned her passion for knitted toys into a full-time career under her Fluff and Fuzz brand. Her toy designs have appeared in magazines and have been created for charitable causes, making this pattern part of a well-regarded and trusted body of work.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a stuffed knitted Chihuahua toy, knitted in multiple separate pieces that are then sewn together and filled with toy stuffing to create a soft, sculptural figure. The design includes the dog's body, head, and other component parts, as well as a small decorative collar worked in a contrasting colour. Two 12mm toy safety eyes are added to bring the character to life. The pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who are comfortable with shaping techniques and working from a multi-piece construction pattern.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Deramores Studio DK Acrylic yarn, a double knitting weight acrylic yarn, used across three main colourways:

• Yarn A – Oatmeal (1 x 100g ball): used as the primary body colour
• Yarn B – Frost (1 x 100g ball): used as a secondary colour for contrast areas
• Yarn C – Ebony (1 x 100g ball): used for darker detail areas
• Blue Haze (less than 1g of DK acrylic): used for the small collar, also in Deramores Studio DK

In addition to yarn, the following materials are required:

• A pair of 3.75mm straight knitting needles (US size 5)
• Toy stuffing to fill the finished pieces
• A darning or tapestry needle for seaming the knitted sections together
• Two 12mm toy safety eyes

Tension

The stated tension for this pattern is 22 stitches x 28 rows over a 10cm x 10cm square worked in stockinette stitch on 3.75mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is particularly important in toy knitting, as it directly affects the finished size of the figure and ensures that the stuffing does not show through gaps between stitches.

Knitting Techniques Used

Charlie the Chihuahua is constructed using a multi-piece knitting method, where individual sections of the toy are knitted flat on straight needles and then assembled using mattress stitch or similar seaming techniques with a tapestry needle. This approach is common in toy knitting and allows for precise shaping of each body part before the final assembly.

Key techniques used throughout the pattern include:

• Increasing and decreasing to shape the body parts into rounded, three-dimensional forms
• Seaming and stuffing to assemble and give volume to the finished toy
• Colour work using multiple yarn colours (Oatmeal, Frost, Ebony, and Blue Haze) to replicate the natural markings of a Chihuahua
• Safety eye insertion for a professional, secure finish on the face

Stitches Used

The pattern is primarily worked in stockinette stitch (knit the right-side rows, purl the wrong-side rows), which creates a smooth fabric ideal for toy making. The following specific stitches and techniques are referenced in the pattern:

• K (Knit) – the foundational knit stitch