Deramores Woodland Creatures Savannah the Squirrel in Deramores Studio DK - Downloadable PDF

Deramores Woodland Creatures Savannah the Squirrel Knitting Pattern by Amanda Berry – Pattern Summary

Savannah the Squirrel is a charming knitted toy from the Deramores Woodland Creatures collection, designed by Amanda Berry. This downloadable PDF knitting pattern guides crafters through the construction of an adorable squirrel soft toy standing 23cm tall, including her ears. The finished piece makes a wonderful handmade gift, a decorative nursery accent, or a collectible addition to a woodland animal display.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a three-dimensional stuffed squirrel toy named Savannah. She is worked in separate knitted pieces — including the head, body, limbs, ears, and tail — which are then sewn together using a darning or tapestry needle to create the finished character. Two 6mm domed black buttons are used for her expressive eyes, adding a lifelike finishing touch. The design captures the characteristic features of a squirrel, with careful colour placement across the body to create a realistic and endearing appearance.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Deramores Studio DK yarn, used in three carefully chosen colourways to bring Savannah to life:

• Burnt Orange – the primary body colour, used for the main squirrel form
• Pearl – a crisp white shade used for contrast areas
• Oatmeal – a warm beige tone used for additional detail areas

Each colour requires 1 x 100g skein. Deramores Studio DK is a double knitting weight yarn, making it an ideal choice for toy knitting — it produces a firm, well-defined fabric that holds its shape when stuffed and gives excellent stitch definition for shaping and colour work.

Needles and Notions

• A pair of 3.75mm straight knitting needles (US 5) – used throughout the pattern for all knitted pieces
• A darning or tapestry needle – for seaming and assembling the individual knitted sections
• 2 x 6mm domed black buttons – for the eyes

Tension

The recommended tension for this pattern is approximately 22 stitches x 28 rows over a 10cm x 10cm square worked in stockinette stitch on 3.75mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is particularly important in toy knitting, as it affects the finished size of the toy and ensures that the stuffing does not show through gaps in the fabric.

Techniques and Construction Method

Savannah the Squirrel is constructed using a knit-in-the-round and flat knitting approach, with individual components knitted separately and then assembled. This modular construction method is common in knitted toy making and allows each element — head, body, ears, limbs, and tail — to be shaped independently before being joined. The assembly process involves careful seaming and stuffing to achieve a three-dimensional, sculptural result.

Construction begins at the back of the head, with stitches cast on in orange and worked outward. This approach to toy construction allows the knitter to shape the piece organically, increasing and decreasing stitches to form rounded, lifelike contours. The separate pieces are then stuffed and sewn together to form the complete squirrel figure.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (st.st.) – the primary stitch used throughout, worked by knitting right side rows and purling wrong side rows. Stockinette creates a smooth, even fabric surface that is ideal for toy knitting as it showcases colour changes cleanly and gives a neat finish.
• Cast on and cast off techniques – used to begin and end each individual piece
• Increases and decreases – used to shape the rounded forms of the head, body, and tail

Understanding the Pattern Notation

The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations and notation throughout. St(s) refers to stitch or stitches, RS denotes the right side of the work, and WS denotes the wrong side. Instructions placed within