Knitted bear and cat pins

Before Christmas, I make lots of small gifts for my friends. I knit, crochet, felt and bake.

I show you one of my projects today. It is so so easy. It is knitted flat and sewn at the end.

You need,

small amount of white and pink DK (worsted) yarn

small amount of fine dark brown yarn or 2 strands taken from DK

toy stuffing, stuffing wool fleece or cotton wool from chemist

a safety pin

A pair of 2.75mm (US2) knitting needles

With white, cast on 10 sts and work in stocking stitches (stst) for 30 rows. Cast off. Leave a long end on both cast on and cast off ends.

Fold the piece in half and sew both sides. Do not cut yarn. Now you have a small bag.

Stuff the body very lightly.
*Tip; make small balls of stuffing and fill the head and body, avoiding the neck area.

Close the opening. Work a gathering thread around the middle of the stuffed piece to create neck. Pull tight.

Make legs by back stitches, piercing through the body.

Pinch the corner of the head and create ears with back stitches the same way as the legs. Take the needle from back to front a few times.

Add ribbon. Embroider the eyes and nose. For cat, add whiskers.

Attach a safety pin on the back.

You can use different colours of yarn of course. You may be able to come up with different animals, too.
Nice idea for a stocking filler?

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