Honey the Bee in Deramores Studio DK Acrylic - Downloadable PDF

Honey the Bee Knitted Toy Pattern in Deramores Studio DK Acrylic by Amanda Berry

About This Pattern

Honey the Bee is a charming knitted toy designed by Amanda Berry, a graduate of the London College of Fashion with First Class Honours. Amanda specialises in creating stuffed knitted toys, and this delightful bee is a perfect example of her playful, detailed style. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF from Deramores and is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to take on shaping techniques and toy construction. The finished bee measures 25cm long, making it a satisfying and display-worthy finished object.

Please note: The finished toy is not suitable for children under 3 years of age due to small parts, including button eyes.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single stuffed toy bee, Honey the Bee, knitted in the round and flat sections before being assembled into a three-dimensional character. The toy is worked in multiple pieces that are sewn together and then stuffed to create a soft, sculptural finished object. The bee's distinctive striped body, wings, and facial features all come together to create a whimsical and recognisable character.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written specifically for Deramores Studio DK Acrylic yarn, a DK weight (also known as double knitting or light worsted weight) yarn. Three colourways are used:

• Yarn A – Frost (1 x 100g ball): used for lighter sections of the bee's body and wings
• Yarn B – Ebony (1 x 100g ball): used for the bee's dark stripes and detailing
• Yarn C – Citrine (1 x 100g ball): used for the bee's golden yellow sections

The use of an acrylic yarn makes this toy practical and easy to care for, which is especially useful for a gift or keepsake item. Acrylic fibres are also hypoallergenic and widely available, making this pattern accessible to a broad range of knitters.

Needles and Tension

The pattern calls for a pair of 3.5mm straight knitting needles (US size 4). The recommended tension is 22 stitches x 28 rows over a 10cm x 10cm square in stockinette stitch on 3.5mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is particularly important in toy knitting, as it affects the final size of the toy and ensures the fabric is tight enough to contain the stuffing without gaps showing through.

Additional Materials

• Toy stuffing to fill the finished bee
• Two 12mm domed black buttons for the eyes
• A darning or tapestry needle for seaming and assembling the knitted pieces

Techniques and Stitches Used

This is an intermediate-level knitting pattern, meaning it incorporates a range of shaping and construction techniques beyond basic knit and purl. Knitters working on this project will use the following stitches and methods:

• Stockinette stitch – the primary fabric stitch used throughout the toy, created by alternating knit and purl rows
• Kfb (knit into the front and back) – an increase technique that adds one stitch by knitting into both the front and back loops of a single stitch, used to shape the body and limbs
• K2tog (knit two together) – a right-leaning decrease used to reduce stitch counts and shape the toy's rounded forms
• Knit stitch (K) – the foundational stitch used throughout
• Colour work – the bee's striped body requires working with multiple yarn colours, either by carrying yarn or joining new colours at row changes
• Seaming and assembly – multiple knitted pieces are sewn together using a darning needle to construct the three-dimensional toy
• Stuffing and finishing – toy stuffing is inserted before final seams are closed, and button eyes are attached to complete the character