Review: Knitted Animal Toys

If you’re new to knit amigurumi and want to make some cute, long-legged animals for yourself or a little one in your life, Knitted Animal Toys by Louise Crowther is a fun place to start.

The animals are 16 inches tall (excluding ears) and are made from a set of similar body parts. For instance, they may have a plain body or there are a couple of options for different colorwork on the chest and back, as well as different kinds of feet and paws.

The patterns are as follows:

dog
cat
horse
mouse
fox
squirrel
unicorn
pig
raccoon
hare
duck
ram (which has a different body from the others because it is covered in bobbles)
owl
elephant
rhinoceros
giraffe
lion
chimpanzee
tiger
zebra
sloth
koala
bear
hippopotamus
panda

Some of my favorites are the owl, the lion, the tiger and the zebra, but honestly they’re all pretty cute. The patterns aren’t on Ravelry as of this writing, but you can see many of the animals on the cover or in the book listing on Amazon or on the publisher’s website, linked below.

All of the patterns call for DK weight yarn and are worked flat in pieces, which means more finishing time but makes it easier to stuff the pieces and get all the details look right. Some of the animals have I-cord hair, so you’ll also need double pointed needles for a few projects.

Lots of pictures of each animal are show to highlight the details on their bodies. The pattern for the head, ears and tail of each animal is included with the photos of that pattern; general directions for body types are at the front of the book so they didn’t have to be repeated each time.

At the end of the book are the detailed instruction for assembling the animals, which explains how to sew up the different pieces, how to stuff them and how to combine them to make your animals look just right. There are good photos in this section to help you along, too. Knitting basics such as the long-tail cast on, I-cord, colorwork and seaming techniques are also detailed.

If you’re new to knitting animals, this cute collection is a great place to start. The patterns are relatively small and easy to knit, and if you take your time with the finishing you’re sure to end up with a sweet collection of knit animals.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2023 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

A few years ago I wrote a post that was full of patterns for knit mushrooms, but I don’t think I ever did a post that was knitting patterns with mushrooms on them, so today’s the day.

I love the Fungi Beanie from Jacki Bean, which calls for worsted weight yarn and uses duplicate stitch to add the mushrooms and other details. I think the colors she used for the design are tonal/multicolor so it doesn’t use as many colors as it looks like, but you can use whatever red, green, brown and white yarn you have in your stash for those details.

How about some mushroom socks? The Magic Toadstool sock form Stone Knits includes a ring of mushrooms around the leg, contrasting heel and toe and a little more colorwork at the toe for extra cuteness. As shown it uses four colors and comes in three sizes.

Or there’s the Fairy Ring Socks from Katie Green, which have mushrooms of two sizes on the legs, plus a bit of wavy grass. They have a contrasting cuff, heel and toe and some colorwork flecks in the body of the sock as well. This one is available in eight sizes to fit everyone from a baby to an XL adult.

This trippy cowl from Hunt Hand Knits looks like a lot of fun to knit. The Fungus Among Us Cowl is shown using four colors of DK weight yarn, though you can do it with as few as two if you’d rather.

Stitch some mushroom mittens with this cute pattern from Holly C Watson. This design uses three colors, and it’s shown with a self-striping yarn on the mushroom caps, which makes the colors change without you having to do any work. The pattern is charted but it’s a pretty easy repeat. The mittens are one size.

If you don’t feel like knitting mushrooms but still want to give your project a touch of the forest, the Toadstools Cardigan from Julie Taylor may be what you’re looking for. It’s stitched as a plain cardigan worked in DK weight yarn and sized for newborns up to 4 years old. The mushrooms are added with embroidery and the pattern includes the design, which you can trace onto water soluble stabilizer to stitch the mushrooms onto your sweater. Or anything else you want. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Have you read?