Knitted Square Elephant

Knitted Square Elephant by Linda Morris Tomlin

What is Being Made

The Knitted Square Elephant is a beginner-friendly knitted toy design created by designer Linda Morris Tomlin under the Linnypin Designs UK brand. This project produces a soft, stuffed elephant toy constructed from individual knitted squares that are sewn together to form the finished three-dimensional figure.

Construction Method and Techniques

This toy is built using a modular construction approach where multiple squares are knitted separately and then assembled together. The design employs garter stitch as the primary knitting technique, which creates a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges. This stitch is ideal for beginners as it requires only knit stitches on every row, making it straightforward to execute without complex stitch patterns.

Once all squares are completed, they are joined using a back stitch seam with right sides together, creating secure seams that hold the toy's structure. The designer recommends leaving approximately 25cm lengths of yarn at each end of every square specifically for sewing purposes, ensuring adequate yarn is available for assembly without requiring additional yarn.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch – the foundational stitch used throughout the knitted squares, created by knitting every row
• Back stitch – used for seaming the squares together during assembly

Materials Required

This project requires DK weight yarn, which is a lightweight yarn ideal for creating toys with good stitch definition and drape. Knitting is worked on 3.75mm needles. The tension specification is 14 stitches and 22 rows over a 6cm square worked in garter stitch on 3.75mm needles, which helps ensure the finished toy has the correct proportions and fabric density.

Additional materials needed include a sewing needle and thread for assembling the knitted squares, safety eyes for the elephant's face, and ribbon for decorative finishing touches. These embellishments bring character and personality to the completed toy.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as beginner level, making it an excellent introduction to toy knitting. The use of garter stitch exclusively eliminates the need to learn complex stitch techniques, while the modular square construction breaks the project into manageable sections. The detailed instructions provided with the pattern support knitters new to toy making, and designer Linda Morris Tomlin from Linnypin Designs UK is available to answer questions during the making process.