Deramores Christmas Pets Toy Knitting Pattern

Deramores Christmas Pets Knitting Pattern

Project Overview

This intermediate-level knitting pattern creates charming Christmas-themed pet toys featuring a kitten and puppy design. Both animals are approximately 15cm tall when seated, making them perfect decorative pieces or gifts. The pattern is presented as a downloadable PDF and includes detailed instructions for constructing stuffed toy animals with coordinating knitted jumpers.

What Is Being Made

The Deramores Christmas Pets pattern enables knitters to create two distinct toy animals: a kitten and a puppy. Each animal is a three-dimensional stuffed toy designed to sit upright. The pattern also includes instructions for knitting small jumpers to dress the completed animals, adding a festive seasonal element to the finished pieces.

Techniques and Stitches Used

This intermediate project employs fundamental knitting techniques suitable for crafters with some prior experience. The primary stitch used throughout is stocking stitch, which creates a smooth, uniform fabric ideal for toy construction.

• Knit stitch (k) – the basic foundation stitch
• Purl stitch (p) – used in combination with knit stitches to create stocking stitch
• Knit two together (k2tog) – a decrease technique for shaping the toy pieces
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) – an alternative decrease method that slips two stitches before knitting them together
• Knit into front and back (kfb) – an increase technique for expanding stitch counts
• Working in rounds – using double-pointed needles to knit circular sections seamlessly
• Working flat – using straight needles for the jumper pieces

The pattern also incorporates embroidery techniques for adding facial details, specifically for embroidering noses using black yarn.

Materials Required

Yarn: The pattern calls for Deramores Studio DK yarn in five colors, with 100g of each color needed:

• Pearl (Yarn A)
• Gingerbread (Yarn B)
• Smoke (Yarn C)
• Raspberry (Yarn D)
• Fir (Yarn E)

Additionally, a few metres of black DK acrylic yarn (Deramores Studio DK in Ebony) is required for embroidering the animals' noses.

Needles: The pattern requires two needle sizes and types. A set of 3.5mm double-pointed needles (minimum 10cm length) is used for knitting the animals in the round, creating seamless toy bodies. A pair of 3.5mm straight needles (minimum 20cm length) is used for knitting the jumpers flat.

Additional Materials: Toy filling (200g total) is essential for stuffing the completed animals. Four 9mm domed black buttons serve as eyes. A stitch marker helps track rounds during circular knitting, and a darning or tapestry needle is needed for seaming pieces together and working in yarn ends.

Pattern Details

The pattern is authored by Amanda Berry, a London College of Fashion graduate who specializes in knitted toy design. Her work has been published in magazines and created for charitable organizations. This pattern represents intermediate-level complexity, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic stitches and are ready to tackle shaping, decreasing, and increasing techniques required for three-dimensional toy construction.