Review: Ten Adorable Teddy Bears to Knit

April 14, 2016 by Sarah White

I had a different book review on my calendar for this week, but the girl insisted I knit her something from Rachel Borello’s Ten Adorable Teddy Bears to Knit this week so I figured since I was using the book I might as well tell you about it. You can see a couple of the parts I’ve knit so far over on my blog.

As the name mentions, there are patterns here for 10 little bears, from traditional looking teddies to a panda and a koala. (The girl opted for the panda, but she has a long list of demands from this cute book.)

Each bear comes with its own outfit and accessories. Junior, for instance, is shown with a hat that has holes for his ears, a wee backpack and a sleeping bag with cables. Hudson has a beanie and backpack as well, but also overalls. Clarke is a superhero in shorts, a cape and a mask, while Peta has a little dress, scarf and winter hat.

The panda, named Riley, is shown in shorts, a sweater and socks, but the girl wants a lace skirt and a little top instead.

Some of the projects are worked in the round while others (like the panda) are knit flat in lots of little pieces that have to be joined to make the bear in question. That said it’s pretty easy knitting and you can stitch it up as you go, leaving less work for the end.

This book is really cute, and these tiny bears are sure to attract kids and adults alike. I think it will be fun to knit lots of little outfits, and maybe a few more bears. They’re so small, the projects actually go pretty fast even though there are lots of pieces.

About the book: 112 pages, paperback with interior flaps, 10 bear patterns plus 22 options for accessories. Published August, 2015 by Barron’s Educational Series. Suggested retail $16.99.

Looking for more Knitting patterns for Teddy Bears? Check it out here.

Have you read?

Learn a Flower Bobble Technique to Knit a Fun Shawl

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]