Christmas Pets in Deramores Studio Anti-Pilling DK - Downloadable PDF

Christmas Pets in Deramores Studio Anti-Pilling DK by Amanda Berry – Knitting Pattern Summary

Designed by Amanda Berry in association with Deramores, Christmas Pets is a charming intermediate-level knitting pattern available as a downloadable PDF. The pattern instructs knitters in creating two adorable stuffed toy animals — a kitten and a puppy — each dressed in a festive Christmas jumper. Both finished toys measure approximately 15cm tall when seated, making them ideal as holiday decorations, gifts, or stocking stuffers.

What Is Being Made

The pattern covers the construction of two distinct soft toy characters:

• A knitted kitten — a seated stuffed cat figure with embroidered nose and button eyes, worked in the round and seamed to shape.
• A knitted puppy — a seated stuffed dog figure constructed using the same core techniques, with individual character details.

Each animal is completed with a separately knitted miniature Christmas jumper, adding a festive seasonal touch. The jumpers are knitted flat on straight needles and dressed onto the finished toy bodies.

Techniques Used

This pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, meaning it is best suited to knitters who are comfortable with basic knitting and are ready to explore more structured shaping and construction methods. Key techniques include:

• Knitting in the round on double pointed needles (DPNs) to construct the three-dimensional toy bodies seamlessly
• Flat knitting on straight needles for the miniature jumpers
• Increasing and decreasing to shape the body parts of each animal
• Stuffing and assembly — the finished knitted pieces are filled with toy stuffing and seamed together to create the final seated figures
• Embroidery — black DK yarn is used to embroider the noses onto each toy
• Button attachment — domed black buttons are sewn on as eyes
• Use of a stitch marker to track rounds when working in the round

Stitches Used

The pattern employs a focused set of knitting stitches and techniques suitable for an intermediate knitter:

• Knit (k) — the foundational stitch used throughout both the toy bodies and the jumpers
• Purl (p) — used in flat sections, particularly for the jumper construction
• kfb (Knit into the front and back) — an increase stitch used to shape and expand sections of the toy
• k2tog (Knit two together) — a right-leaning decrease used to reduce stitches and shape the toy's body parts
• Ssk (Slip, slip, knit) — a left-leaning decrease that pairs with k2tog for symmetrical shaping
• Working in rounds (Rnds) — continuous circular knitting used to form the body of each animal

Materials — Yarn

The pattern is designed specifically for Deramores Studio Anti-Pilling DK yarn, a DK weight yarn chosen for its soft finish and durability — qualities particularly well-suited to toy making. The anti-pilling property ensures the finished toys maintain a neat, attractive appearance over time. The following colourways are used across the two designs:

• Yarn A — Pearl (1 x 100g ball)
• Yarn B — Gingerbread (1 x 100g ball)
• Yarn C — Smoke (1 x 100g ball)
• Yarn D — Raspberry (1 x 100g ball)
• Yarn E — Fir (1 x 100g ball)
• Ebony — a small amount of Deramores Studio DK in Ebony is used for embroidering the noses