Teddy Bear Pillow Pal in Red Heart Super Saver Economy Solids - LW2669

Teddy Bear Pillow Pal Knitting Pattern (LW2669) – Red Heart Super Saver

This Teddy Bear Pillow Pal is a beginner-friendly knitting pattern (LW2669) designed by Nancy Anderson and published by Red Heart. The finished project is a large, cuddly stuffed teddy bear that doubles as a functional pillow, measuring approximately 23 inches high by 19 inches wide. It is the perfect handmade gift for children, serving as both a soft pillow insert cover and an imaginative stuffed animal companion — ideal for bedtime, travel, or playtime.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single design: a three-dimensional knitted teddy bear pillow. The bear is constructed with a fully shaped, stuffed head and ears worked separately, while the body of the bear encases a standard soft pillow insert. The combination of a stuffed upper portion and a pillow body gives the finished piece its distinctive "pillow pal" character. The bear features button eyes and is assembled using Velcro hook-and-loop fasteners to allow the pillow cover to be removed or adjusted.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round – The head and ears are worked entirely in the round using double-pointed needles, creating seamless three-dimensional shapes.
• Increases and decreases for shaping – The rounded head is shaped by working systematic increase rounds to build up the sphere, followed by decrease rounds to close it. This is a classic technique for knitting stuffed toy heads and gives the bear its smooth, rounded appearance.
• Double-stranding yarn – Throughout the pattern, yarn is held double (two strands together), which creates a thicker, sturdier fabric appropriate for a toy and pillow that will receive heavy use.
• Stuffing and assembly – The head is firmly stuffed with polyfill stuffing before being bound off and closed. The finished head and ears are then sewn onto the pillow body. Button eyes and Velcro closures are added during finishing.
• Gauge-based sizing – The pattern specifies a gauge of 12 stitches and 16 rows to 4 inches in Stockinette stitch using a double strand of yarn, and knitters are encouraged to check fit against their specific pillow insert before finishing.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (St st) – The primary stitch used throughout, worked in the round as all knit stitches, producing a smooth knitted fabric.
• Inc (increase) – Defined in the pattern as knitting into the front and back of the next stitch (kfb), used extensively during the shaping of the head and ears.
• Dec (decrease) – Defined as k2tog (knit two stitches together), used during the closing rounds of the head and ears to reduce the stitch count and form the rounded shape.
• Cast on – A small number of stitches (6) are cast on to begin each circular piece, which is then expanded outward through increase rounds.

Materials

The pattern calls for Red Heart Super Saver Economy Solids yarn, an aran weight (medium/worsted-weight) acrylic yarn that is widely available, machine washable, and durable — making it well suited for children's toys and accessories. Four colors are specified:

• 381 Light Blue (Color A)
• 668 Honeydew (Color B)
• 505 Aruba Sea (Color C)
• 365 Coffee (Color D)

One skein of each color is required. Because the yarn is held double throughout, each skein contributes to a thick, plush fabric without requiring the purchase of bulky-weight yarn. Needles used are double-pointed needles in a size sufficient to achieve the stated gauge. Additional materials include a yarn needle, stitch marker, a soft standard pillow insert, polyfill stuffing, two 1½-inch buttons, Velcro hook-and-loop fastener, and sewing thread and needle.