Spud & Chloe by Blue Sky Fibers Flamingo Knitting Pattern

Flamingo Toy by Spud & Chloe

What Is Being Made

This is a free knitting pattern for a Flamingo toy, designed by Susan B. Anderson. The finished toy measures 3 inches wide by 5 inches tall, making it a small, portable stuffed animal perfect for children or as a decorative accessory. The design uses contrasting colors to create the distinctive appearance of a flamingo, with a body worked primarily in Watermelon, accented with Ice Cream and Popsicle colorways.

Techniques Used

The Flamingo is worked in the round, a fundamental technique in circular knitting that creates seamless, tubular fabric. This method eliminates the need for seaming and produces a smooth, professional finish ideal for toys and three-dimensional projects. The pattern begins with a small cast-on and uses strategic increases and decreases to shape the toy into its final form.

The construction process involves several shaping techniques:

• Increases are worked in the early rounds using make-one stitches (m1) and knit-front-and-back (kfb) methods to expand the width of the body from the initial 9 stitches to 42 stitches, creating the rounded body shape
• Decreases are strategically placed in later rounds using knit-two-together (k2tog) decreases to taper the body and create definition
• Stitch markers are used to track the beginning of rounds and mark important shaping points

Stitches Used

This intermediate-level pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches and shaping methods:

• Knit stitch (k): The primary stitch used throughout most rounds to create stockinette stitch fabric
• Purl stitch (p): Listed in abbreviations, available for texture variation if desired
• Make-one stitch (m1): Worked by placing the bar between stitches on the left needle and knitting it through the back loop; used for invisible increases that maintain fabric integrity
• Knit-front-and-back (kfb): An increase method that creates an extra stitch by working into the same stitch twice
• Knit-two-together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used to shape and taper the toy during the decrease rounds

Materials and Gauge

The pattern calls for Spud & Chloë Sweater yarn (55% superwash wool, 45% organic cotton; 160 yards per 100 grams), with one skein each in three colorways: Watermelon #7512, Ice Cream #7500, and Popsicle #7501. An additional skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton (100% organically grown cotton; 150 yards per 100 grams) in Ink #613 is used for details.

The recommended tools include US size 5 double-pointed needles (a set of 4), a yarn needle for finishing, and scissors. The pattern is designed to achieve a gauge of 6 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch, which ensures the toy reaches its intended finished measurements. Working at the correct gauge is essential for achieving the proper size and structure of the completed Flamingo.

Pattern Structure

The pattern is organized into distinct sections. The body begins with a cast-on of 9 stitches distributed evenly across three double-pointed needles (3 stitches per needle). Rounds 1 through 5 establish the initial shaping, with increases worked in alternating rounds to expand the stitch count. The pattern continues with additional increase rounds until reaching 39 total stitches (13 per needle). A stockinette section follows, worked straight without shaping until the body measures 1¼ inches above a marked round. The decrease rounds then systematically reduce the stitch count from 42 stitches down to 30 stitches, creating the tapered finish necessary for stuffing and closing the toy.