A long knitted and felted cuddly Doll

1.   Cast on stitches: Make a loop and attach it onto the small peg on the side of the knitting loom. Now wrap the yarn behind and outside (making loops around) each individual peg on the knitting loom, all the way round. Firm, but not too tight!

2.   Cast another round on the knitting loom and secure the yarn around the small peg on the side of the knitting loom.

3.   Use the knitting hook which is part of the knitting loom kit to lift – from each peg - the loop from the lower stitch over the upper stitch. Continue around the whole of the knitting loom.

4.   Cast another round on the knitting loom and lift the stitches as described in the previous step. Continue knitting like this.

5.   Colour change: Attach the yarn around the small peg on the side of the knitting loom. (Now follow the instructions in steps 1-4).

6.   NB: The transition between the colours will only be seen on the inside of the tube.

7.   Continue knitting with different colours according to your taste until the knitted tube is approx. 60 cm long. (Divide the transitions according to shoes, socks, dress/trousers, top, face).

8.   Cut the yarn after the last round. Cast off by pulling the end of the yarn through the stitches one by one. Tighten to close the tube.

9.   Secure the ends of the yarn on the inside of the knitted tube as shown. Also, tie a knot with the ends at each colour change of the yarn.

10.   Place the knitted tube in the washing machine with tennis balls and a towel. Put normal detergent in the washing machine drawer and wash on a standard cycle at 40°C. This makes the knitted tube shrink to a length of 40-45 cm. Stretch into shape when wet. Fill it with polyester stuffing until it's firm.

11.   Gather the cuddly doll firmly at the feet. Make stitches with black yarn, separating the legs and feet.

12.   Embroider facial features using outline stitches.

13.   Embroider the front of the dungarees using cross-stitches, embroider the braces using backstitches and the garter using outline stitches. Sew on the buttons.

14.   Make a fringe by sewing on yarn horizontally. Then make a big bundle of 50cm yarn and sew it vertically onto the middle of the head.

15.   Cut open the bundle of yarn and sew it on like two (2) pigtails on either side of the head. To make sticky-out plaits, put a pipe cleaner inside each pigtail and plait.

Another example   This doll is knitted in following proportions (approximately) with these colours: 3 cm black, 30 cm pink, 12 cm beige and 9 cm black.

Other variants   A TIP! Washing machines wash differently, so you may find the felting has not succeeded at 40°C. Our advice is to increase the temperature to 50°C and wash the 'tube' again.