Knitmeself sheep

Knitmeself Sheep Toy by Phoenixknits

What is Being Made

The Knitmeself Sheep is a charming knitted toy designed by Phoenixknits, standing approximately 5 inches high when sitting. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a soft, textured stuffed animal suitable for decorative display or as a handmade gift. Important safety note: This toy is not suitable for children due to the use of needles during construction and glued-in eyes.

Knitting Techniques Used

The pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques accessible to crafters of various skill levels. The body construction uses a two-part method, consisting of a main body piece and a separate base, which are then joined together. Color work is incorporated through strategic yarn changes, allowing the knitter to create visual interest and definition within the piece. The pattern includes techniques such as joining new yarn colors mid-row and working decreases to shape the toy, specifically using purl two together (p2tog) decreases to form the toy's contours.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (k): The primary stitch forming the foundation of the body pieces
• Purl stitch (p): Used in alternating rows to create stockinette stitch fabric
• Purl two together (p2tog): A decrease stitch used to shape and reduce stitches as needed for the toy's form

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The pattern calls for DK weight yarn in white as the primary color, specifically recommending Sirdar Snowflake or similar textured towelling-type yarn for the main body. A small amount of contrasting color DK yarn is needed for the jumper detail. Needles and notions: 3mm knitting needles are used for the body construction, with 8mm needles mentioned for specific sections. Additional materials include a pair of 8mm black plastic toy eyes, a bamboo skewer at least 6 inches long for internal structure, four 6-inch pipe cleaners for limbs, two small beads with holes large enough to fit over the bamboo skewer, and a small amount of plastic filler for stuffing. The pattern also requires a small amount of glue for securing the eyes.

Pattern Structure

The pattern begins with a cast-on of 30 stitches using white yarn and 3mm needles, starting with a knit row. The body is worked in sections, with the first 9 rows completed in the snowflake textured yarn before breaking and joining white DK yarn. The pattern then continues with 11 additional rows, incorporating color changes and strategic yarn joins to create the sheep's distinctive appearance. Decreases are introduced around row 25 to begin shaping the toy, with multiple purl two together decreases worked across the row to reduce the stitch count and form the toy's three-dimensional shape.