Sloth Toy in Sirdar Touch & Hayfield Bonus Chunky - 2476 - Downloadable PDF

Gordon the Sloth Knitted Toy – Pattern Summary for Sirdar 2476

This knitting pattern, Sirdar 2476, guides you through creating Gordon the Sloth, a charming and characterful knitted toy measuring approximately 65 cm (25½ inches) in length. Designed as a single project, Gordon is a large, huggable stuffed sloth toy constructed from separate knitted pieces that are sewn and assembled together. The finished toy features distinctive textural contrast between two different yarns, safety eyes, velcro fastenings on the hands and feet, and a washable toy filler interior, making it both a delightful display piece and a robust soft toy.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single design: Gordon the Sloth, a large knitted stuffed toy animal. At 65 cm long, Gordon is a substantial project — far larger than a typical amigurumi or small novelty toy. The sloth's body, limbs, head, and facial features are all knitted separately and then assembled. The hands and feet are finished with velcro so that Gordon can be posed with his limbs wrapped around objects, mimicking the natural hanging posture of a real sloth. A small piece of wadding is used internally to give shape to specific areas, while washable toy filler gives the body its soft, three-dimensional form.

Yarn and Materials Used

• Sirdar Touch (Shade F049, Main Shade 009) – 3 x 100g balls. This is a super-chunky weight yarn with a distinctive fluffy, tactile texture that gives Gordon his characteristic shaggy sloth fur appearance.
• Hayfield Bonus Chunky (Shade F060, Contrast Shade 987) – 1 x 100g ball. Used as a contrast shade for the face and other detail areas, this chunky yarn provides a smoother, denser texture that contrasts beautifully with the Touch yarn.
• Hayfield Bonus DK – Oddments in black, used for embroidering or working fine facial details such as the nose and mouth.
• Knitting Needles – A pair of 6½mm (UK3 / USA 10.5) needles for working with the Touch yarn, and a pair of 5mm (UK6 / USA 8) needles for working with the Bonus Chunky contrast sections.
• A pair of safety eyes, velcro for the hands and feet, washable toy filler, and a small piece of wadding for internal shaping.

Knitting Techniques Used

The pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to tackle shaping, multi-yarn projects, and toy construction. The following techniques are used throughout:

• Garter Stitch (g-st) – The primary stitch fabric used for the body and main sections. Garter stitch is produced by knitting every row, creating a ridged, stretchy, and reversible fabric that works beautifully with the fluffy Sirdar Touch yarn to mimic the texture of a sloth's fur.
• Stocking Stitch – Alternating knit and purl rows, used in contrast sections worked in Hayfield Bonus Chunky for a smoother, denser finish on the face and detail areas.
• Increases (inc) – Used in the early rows of the body and other pieces to shape the toy from a cast-on edge outward, building the rounded, organic forms needed for a plush toy.
• Decreases (k2tog, k3tog, psso) – Multiple decrease methods are employed to shape the head, body, and limbs, tapering the knitted fabric to create smooth, rounded contours. The use of k3tog (knit three together) at key points creates sharper shaping for areas such as the top of the head.
• Wrap 1 (Short Row Technique) – The pattern uses a wrap stitch, described as slipping the next stitch onto the right-hand needle, taking the yarn to the opposite side of the work, and slipping the stitch back. This short-row technique is used to create three-dimensional shaping in specific sections without leaving visible holes.
• Thumb Cast-On Method – Specified for casting on at the start of the body, this method is a common and