Saturday, August 20, 2011

Toy Dragonfly Knitting Pattern



Oh it sure feels good to be knitting again. I have been tearing through ideas that I've drawn up in my design notebook. The dragonfly was a concept I had a long time ago (as soon as I had dyed this yarn), but for some reason I never got around to knitting it. I am pleased to finally present to you: A Knit Dragonfly Plushie by ChemKnits.



Materials
  • Knitting Needles: 4 dpn Size 1 (2.5 mm)
  • Yarn: Hand dyed KnitPicks Palette yarn
  • Gauge: Not important for the completed project
  • Misc: yarn needle, pollyfill stuffing
  • Finished Size: 3.5 inches tall, wingspan ~4 inches.


The hand dyed yarn used to make this knit dragonfly. I was hoping it would mimic the iridescence of the wings.


Instructions to Knit the Dragonfly Body:

1. Cast on 6 stitches. (This will be the front of the head)
2. Join to knit in the round, Kfb across the row (12 sts)
3. K across the row
4. Kfb across the row (24 sts)
5. K across
6. *K2, K2tog*, repeat from * across the row (18 sts)
7. K across
8. K2tog across (9 sts)
9. K across
10. Kfb across (18 sts)
Rows 11-22. Knit across (this is a total of 12 rows)
23. K2tog across (9 sts)
Rows 24-47. Knit across (this is a total of 24 rows)
Using the polyfill stuffing, stuff the body of the dragonfly to the desired firmness.
48. *K1, K2tog*, repeat from * across the row (6 sts)
49. K across
50. K2tog across (3 sts) Cut yarn, pull through remaining stitches and weave in loose ends. Congratulations, you are now done knitting the dragonfly body!

Instructions for the Wings (Make 4)
Cast on 3 stitches. Work I-cord until the wing measures 3.5 inches (or until it is 2x as long as you want your wing to be.)


Finishing
Tie the cast on and bind off edges of the i-cord wings together. Sew the wings onto the body of your dragon fly. If necessary, block the wings to get the desired shape. Weave in all of your loose ends.
If desired, make small eyes through embroidery, gluing on googly eyes or making a little i-cord button eye such as in the fly knitting pattern.


The wings stand up without any assistance.


Enjoy your knit dragonfly!

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Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
Kfb - increase by knitting into the front and back of a single stitch.
M1 (Make 1)- increase stitch by picking up yarn between two stitches, twisting and knitting.
K - knit
P - purl
I-cord - knit stitches on dpn's without ever turning the needle (effectively knitting in the round with a small number of stitches.)
SSK - decrease by slipping two stitches then knitting them together. Alternatively, you could slip one stitch, knit one stitch and pass slipped stitch over.
K2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.

These knitting pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. You are not to sell, distribute or reprint this pattern without the permission of ChemKnits. © 2011 ChemKnits