Deramores Bear Toy Knitting Pattern

Deramores Bear Knitting Pattern

What Is Being Made

The Deramores Bear is an intermediate-level knitted toy designed by Amanda Berry. This stuffed bear stands 15cm tall and is created entirely through knitting in the round, making it an engaging project for knitters with some experience. The finished toy is not suitable for children under 3 years due to small parts, including button eyes and toy stuffing.

Craft and Techniques

This is a knitting project worked primarily in the round, which is a key technique for creating seamless, three-dimensional toy pieces. The pattern employs several fundamental knitting techniques essential for toy construction:

• Knitting in the round: The bear and its accompanying sweater are both constructed using circular needles or double-pointed needles with the magic loop method, creating continuous rounds rather than flat pieces that require seaming.
• Long tail cast on: Used for all pieces to create a secure, elastic foundation edge. The pattern recommends leaving approximately 20cm tails for seaming and finishing purposes.
• Stockinette stitch: The primary stitch used throughout, creating a smooth, classic knitted fabric surface.
• Mattress stitch seaming: Used to join any necessary seams with an invisible, professional finish.
• Pull-through cast off: A secure finishing method where yarn is threaded through remaining stitches and gathered tightly to close openings.
• Embroidery: Black yarn is used to embroider the bear's nose for added character and detail.

Stitches Used

The pattern focuses on stockinette stitch as the primary stitch structure. This fundamental knit stitch creates the smooth, uniform fabric surface characteristic of the finished bear. The stockinette stitch is worked in the round, meaning knit stitches are worked on every round to maintain the smooth appearance on the outside of the toy.

Materials Required

The Deramores Bear pattern requires Deramores Studio DK yarn in two colorways:

• Yarn A (Gingerbread): 1 x 100g skein for the main bear body
• Yarn B (Frost): 1 x 100g skein, likely for contrast details or the sweater component
• Black DK yarn for embroidery: A few metres of black DK acrylic yarn (Deramores Studio DK in Ebony is recommended) for embroidering the nose

Needles and tools: The pattern calls for 3.5mm double-pointed needles with a minimum length of 10cm, or alternatively 3.5mm circular needles for the magic loop technique. Additional supplies include a stitch marker, stitch holders or waste yarn to hold live stitches, and a darning or tapestry needle for seaming and finishing.

Notions and embellishments: Two 9mm domed black buttons serve as the bear's eyes, and 50g of toy stuffing fills the completed bear to give it dimension and weight.

Tension and Sizing

The pattern specifies a tension of approximately 22 stitches by 28 rows over a 10cm x 10cm square worked in stockinette stitch on 3.5mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is important for the bear to reach its intended finished height of 15cm. Knitters should swatch before beginning to ensure their tension matches the pattern specifications.

Designer Background

The Deramores Bear was designed by Amanda Berry, a knitting pattern designer specializing in stuffed toys and accessories. Amanda graduated from London College of Fashion with First Class Honours in 2014 and has since built a full-time career around knitting toy design. Her work has been published in magazines and created for charitable organizations. Her toy designs are characterized by careful attention to detail and the use of quality materials, with each toy stuffed to create a soft, huggable finished product.