In case you lost your directions or missed out on a kit, we have you covered. In this series, we will be showcasing past projects, in particular those that were originally released as Surprise Craftertunity kits at the library. So get ready to grab some spare materials and start crafting!
This is actually a current class. Visit us via zoom @5:30PM to learn how to make your own Knit-Slip Bunny!
Knit Slip Bunny
If you know the basics of knitting (knit stitch, purl stitch, increase, casting on & off), this is a fairly simple pattern but makes an adorable stuffed animal that is great for gifting. It is completely customizable as you go, making for a very unique creation. This is the first time I have written the pattern down and each time I created it in the past it has looked a bit different.
Materials:
Yarn (The finer the yarn, the smaller the bunny, the thicker the yarn, the bigger it will be. worsted yarn will be roughly half to three-quarter foot tall, while bulky to super bulky will be a foot and a half to two feet tall)
Embroidery Floss (optional) - for nose, mouth, whiskers, possibly eyes
Plastic safety eyes (optional) - if not embroidering the eyes (not included)
Fiber fill or poly fill
Knitting needles
yarn or tapestry needle
Abbreviations:
C/o = cast on
B/o = bind off
k = knit
p = purl
sl or sl st = slip stitch (move the stitch from one needle onto the other without changing the direction of the yarn)
inc = increase using an invisible increase stitch
Directions:
Body -
C/o roughly 36 stitches (22-44 is a good range to aim for. And it has to be an even number of stitches in order for there to be a pocket. The finished bunny will be roughly two-thirds this width, once you account for the filling).
Row 1-140 (or so) k1 sl1 all the way down. I only did 90 rows on the demo. Having been a while, I didn't recall how tall it was and my estimation was a little shorter than I intended. For a fluffier appearance, use k1s1p1s1. Should be an even number of rows, although not as important as there being an even number of stitches. You can modify how tall or short, fat or skinny the bunny is by how many stitches you cast on and how many rows you do. Don't worry too much if you miscount more or less. This will just change the bunny's form a little. Since the main body and the head are all done initially as one tube, a good rule of thumb is to assume that about one third of the total height is the head. I like my heads a bit on the square side though, so I knitted until I thought it looked like I could have almost three equal lengths the same as the width. DON'T CAST OFF!
Give yourself about a foot of yarn and cut. Carefully take every other stitch of the yarn off of the needle and drag the tail through each. As you'll discover as you remove these stitches from the needle, knit one, slip one creates a pocket. In taking the yarn off of the needle this way, you have removed (and secured) one side of this pocket from the needle. Thread the yarn through the stitches remaining on the needle so it goes all the way around, but don't weave in or pull tight yet. You should have a seamless pocket.
One third of the way down, cinch it all the way around. I take a piece of yarn and use a running stitch. Then I turn the whole tube inside out, while keeping hold of the ends of the yarn used to cinch. Fill the bottom two thirds (the part below the cinch) tight with filling and pull the ends of the yarn cinch tight and tie them together.
Sew or embroider on eyes, nose, and possibly mouth and whiskers.
Fill tightly the rest of the way to the top and then, using the original tail of yarn we left instead of weaving in, pull the tail tight until the hole on the top completely closes and sew all around the edge to secure, but don't weave completely in. Once we have the ears, we will be using that to secure them to the head.
Arms -
C/o 6 stitches
Row 1&2: k1 sl1
Row 3: inc1 k1 sl1
Row 4: inc1 k1 sl2
Rows 5-26 (or longer): k2 sl2
Once the arm are the length you want, remove it from the needle the same as you did the body. Leave a decent length yarn to attach to the body with.
Repeat with a second arm.
Fill both full with filling and attach to either side of the tube roughly equal heights.
Ears -
C/o 11-15 or so stitches (It must be an uneven number so that you can do the easiest version of seed stitch). I did 15 and later wished I'd done only 11
Rows 1-64 or so: k1 p1 The longer you knit, the longer the ears.
Bind off and weave in the ends.
Attach ears in the middle of the strip to the top of the head and weave in any remaining tails. The yarn that attaches the ears to the head can be threaded into the inside of the head and left there.
Finishing Touches -
Tie a bow around the neck and it's ready to go.
Two ways to increase -
This is a site I found that gives great instructions for doing increases.
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