Knitting Granny chocolate orange cover / /toy

Knitting Granny Chocolate Orange Cover / 18cm Toy by Andrew Lucas

What is Being Made

This is a beginner-friendly knitted toy or decorative cover designed by Andrew Lucas. The project creates a soft, stuffed figure approximately 18 centimeters in size, featuring a segmented body structure with distinct body and head sections. The piece can function as a standalone toy or as a cover for items, making it a versatile handmade accessory suitable for children or as a decorative object.

Techniques Used

The pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques appropriate for beginners. Increasing stitches is used to expand the fabric, particularly in the body where every stitch is increased in the first row, and again when shaping the head section. Decreasing stitches through knit-two-together (k2tog) techniques is used to shape the shoulders and taper the head. Stocking stitch forms the main fabric structure, created by alternating knit and purl rows to produce a smooth, finished appearance. Garter stitch (continuous knitting) may be used for textured sections. The pattern concludes with a bind and tie finishing method, where yarn ends are threaded through remaining stitches on the needle, drawn tight, and secured to close the piece.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) – the fundamental stitch creating the basic fabric
• Purl (p) – used in alternation with knit to form stocking stitch
• Stocking stitch (st st) – one row knit, one row purl, creating a smooth, professional finish
• Garter stitch (gs) – continuous knitting for textured areas
• Increase (inc) – adding stitches to expand the fabric width
• Decrease (dec) and knit two together (k2tog) – reducing stitches to shape the garment
• Bind and tie (B and T) – closing technique using a tapestry needle to thread yarn through stitches and secure

Materials and Tools

This project requires 3.25mm knitting needles as the primary tool. The yarn is double knitting weight wool in multiple colors: cream, beige, blue, grey, brown, red, yellow, light brown, and black. These varied colors allow for creative design and detailing of features. Additional materials include a small amount of polyester stuffing to fill the toy and give it dimension, and two cocktail sticks which likely provide internal structure or support. A tapestry needle is needed for the bind and tie finishing technique and for weaving in yarn ends.

Project Structure

The toy is constructed in distinct sections. The body begins by casting on 25 stitches in cream wool, immediately increased to 50 stitches in the first row. Stocking stitch is worked for 23 rows to create the main body length. The shoulders are shaped by decreasing stitches using k2tog across a full row, reducing back to 25 stitches. The head section begins with a color change to beige wool and features its own increase row to expand to 37 stitches, followed by 17 rows of stocking stitch. The head is then tapered using k2tog decreases to return to 25 stitches, creating a defined head shape separate from the body.

This beginner-level pattern demonstrates essential shaping techniques while remaining manageable for newer knitters. The use of oddment yarns in contrasting colors enables creative embellishment and feature definition without requiring large quantities of any single color.