How to Knit a Little Pudsey
Complete Size - 5.5cm width x 4cm height
What you will need...
Total time - 1 Hour 25 Minutes Each Knitted Pudsey Bear
3.25mm knitting needles (UK 10, US 3)
Double knitting yarn - Yellow, white, dark brown/black, red, light green, and blue.
Sewing up needle
Scissors
A small amount of toy filling/stuffing
Optional pin badge or plain hairband to sew onto the back of your knitted bear.
Before You Start...
Abbreviations
K = Knit P = Purl St = Stitch Sts = Stitches
Cast On - I use the thumb method.
St-st = stocking stitch. Alternating a row of knit stitches (right side), with a row of purl stitches (wrong side).
K2tog = Decrease by knitting two stitches together, making one stitch from two.
Inc = Increase - by knitting into the front and the back of the same stitch, to make two stitches out of one.
Cast off - K wise or P wise according to pattern. US - bind off.
B&t tightly - Break off yarn and thread yarn through the remaining stitches on needle, pull up tightly and fasten off.
TOP TIP
Sew up and add stitching in the suggested order to allow a neater finish when fastening off loose ends.
Children in Need - Use this pattern to raise as much money as you like for the BBC Children in Need Appeal. Try a knitathon! Knit as many as you can and as well as getting sponsorship, you could sell all of your Pudseys to raise some more.
How to Make it...
Made from one knitted head piece, two knitted ear pieces, and a knitted eye patch. All pieces are sewn together with added stitching for the spots on the eye patch, and stitched-on facial features. Optional pin badge, hairband or finger-knitted loop to be sewn on your finished piece, to allow it to be used as an accessory.
Head Piece
Make 1
Time - 25 Minutes
Piece Size 4 cm x 8 cm
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn Yellow
Cast on 5sts
P 1 Row
K1, Inc Kwise, K1, inc Kwise, K1 (7sts)
P 1 row
K1, Inc Kwise, K1, inc Kwise, K1, inc Kwise, K1 (10sts)
P 1 row
K1, Inc Kwise, K6, Inc Kwise, K1 (12sts)
Begining with a P row st-st 3 rows
K1, K2tog, K6, K2tog, K1 (10sts)
P 1 row
K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (7sts)
P 1 row
K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (5sts)
P 1 row
K1, Inc Kwise, K1, inc Kwise, K1 (7sts)
P 1 Row
K1, Inc Kwise, K1, inc Kwise, K1, inc Kwise, K1 (10sts)
P 1 row
K1, Inc Kwise, K6, Inc Kwise, K1 (12sts)
Begining with a P row st-st 3 rows
K1, K2tog, K6, K2tog, K1 (10sts)
P 1 row
K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (7sts)
P 1 row
K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1 (5sts)
P 1 row
Cast off Kwise
Ear Pieces
Make 2
Time - 5 Minutes Each
Piece Size 3 cm x 1.5 cm
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn Yellow
Cast on 8sts
Beginning with a P row st-st 3 rows
K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog (5sts)
B&t tightly
Eye Patch
Make 1
Time - 10 Minutes Each
Size 1.5 cm x 4.5 cm
Needles 3.25 mm
Yarn White
Cast on 4sts
P 1 row
Inc Kwise, K3 (5sts)
Beginning with a P row, st-st 3 rows
K2tog, K3 (4sts)
Beginning with a P row, st-st 3 rows
K2tog, K2 (3sts)
P 1 row
K2tog, K1 (2sts)
P 1 row
Cast off
Piece it Together...
Sewing-up time - Total of 20 Minutes
Stitching of Spots and Facial Features- Total of 20 Minutes
Getting his Head Together...
Head Piece - With right side of st-st on the outside, sew across row ends, leaving cast-on/cast-off edge open. Mattress stitch will provide a neat finish. Stuff lightly through this gap, and then oversew gap and fasten off loose ends.
Ear Pieces - With right side of st-st on the outside, fold the ear piece in half, across the cast on edge. Oversew across row ends, from the top of the ear and down towards the cast on edge. Pin the ear pieces either side of the head, lying them flat against the head, pointing forwards, lining up the edge with seam. This allows you to sew them on from the rear of the ear. (See picture.) Oversew the cast on/cast off edges onto the headpiece. This sewing position allows a neater look from the front view.
Eye patch - Pin and sew the eye patch into place on the completed head, with wider cast on edge side on the middle left of your bear, and the thinner cast off edge lying in the centre at the top of his head.
Either fasten off all loose ends, or leave a length of yarn to be able to sew a hairband or pin badge if desired onto the back of your knitted bear, before final fastening off.
Ensure all pins are removed when complete.
Facial Features
Using dark brown yarn, or black as in the traditional Pudsey, stitch one eye, one eyebrow, nose and mouth to your completed Pudsey head piece.
Starting with the nose allows your facial features to be better centred, or alternatively place pins in the desired place for the eyes, nose and mouth to allow more accurate positioning.
Ensure once again that any pins used are removed when complete.
Making a Hairband
Sew the hairband so it lies horizontally across the back of the bear. This will allow the bear to rest in the upright position in the hair.
Oversew several times to give it strength and longevity.
Make it Different...
You may wish to use larger needles to make him a bit bigger without adding any extra time.
If not knitting your Pudsey for Children in Need, simply make a cute little bear without an eye patch in your own choice of colour. Experiment with some different facial features too!
This little bear makes a lovely little accessory to purses or bags, especially due to his small size.
Behind the Scenes!
These patterns are all made up as I go along, learning from mistakes along the way. Every time I create a new pattern, I record it in the Updates part of this site (effectively my blog…) There is a story behind each creation, and this can help give you some more ideas and encouragement.
All done?
Feel free to share your successes or any other tips or suggestions by contacting me. If it's all gone swimmingly and you're ready for your next challenge, have a look at what to try next!