Christmas Pig in Blanket choc orange cover / toy

Christmas Pig in Blanket Chocolate Orange Cover and Toy

What Is Being Made

This is a festive knitted pig toy designed by Andrew Lucas that doubles as a chocolate orange cover. The finished piece measures approximately 15 centimeters and combines the charm of a handmade stuffed animal with practical holiday functionality. The pig can be displayed as a decorative toy or used to wrap and present a chocolate orange gift during the Christmas season.

Craft and Technique Overview

This project uses knitting as the primary construction method. The design is classified as beginner level, making it an accessible introduction to toy-making for knitters new to three-dimensional projects. The toy is constructed in separate pieces—body, head, and blanket cover—which are then assembled and stuffed to create the final form.

Stitches and Construction Methods Used

• Stocking stitch (abbreviated st st): The main fabric stitch, created by alternating knit rows and purl rows to produce a smooth, classic knit appearance
• Garter stitch (abbreviated gs): An all-knit stitch used for textured sections
• Increases (abbreviated inc): Used to expand the stitch count, particularly for shaping the head and body
• Decreases (abbreviated dec and k2tog): Used to reduce stitch counts and shape the toy, including the shoulders and head tapering
• Slip stitches (abbreviated sl): Used for joining and finishing techniques
• Bind and tie (abbreviated B and T): A finishing method where yarn ends are threaded on a tapestry needle and passed through live stitches, then drawn up and tied off to close openings

Materials Required

The project calls for 3.25mm knitting needles and double knitting wool (DK weight yarn) in multiple colors. Specific yarn colors needed include pink for the main body, dark pink for accents, dark red for the blanket or cover details, beige, brown, and black for facial features and finishing touches. The pattern also requires a small amount of polyester stuffing to fill the toy and create its three-dimensional shape, plus a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and closing seams.

Body Construction

The pig body begins with casting on 25 stitches using pink yarn and 3.25mm needles. The first row involves increasing in every stitch to reach 50 stitches, which creates the foundation for the body's width. Stocking stitch is then worked for 21 rows to establish the main body length. The shoulders are shaped by knitting two stitches together across the entire row, reducing the stitch count back to 25 stitches.

Head Shaping

The head is created by increasing stitches strategically: knit one stitch, then alternate between increasing in the next stitch and knitting one stitch across the row, resulting in 37 stitches. Stocking stitch is worked for 17 rows to form the head. The head is then tapered through two decreasing rows: first reducing to 25 stitches, then further decreasing to 13 stitches. The yarn is broken off and threaded through the remaining stitches using the bind and tie method to close the head.

Finishing and Assembly

Once all pieces are knitted, they are stuffed with polyester filling to create the toy's plush form. The separate components are assembled together, and facial features are added using the contrasting yarn colors—dark pink, brown, and black—to create the pig's eyes, snout, and other details. The blanket or chocolate orange cover element is constructed separately and fitted around the completed pig toy.