How to Knit a Sweater for a Sunkid Teddy Bear

Knitting a small sweater for someone's favorite bear is not only a quick project, but can teach you the basics of making a bottom-up sweater in the round. This pattern uses basics of knitting with the use of double-pointed needles in order to knit in the round.

Things You'll Need

• Yarn
• Double-pointed knitting needles
• Stitch marker
• Tapestry needle

Instructions

Body of the Sweater

1. Swatch with your yarn and needles. Worsted weight yarn is best for this project. Use the needles that are recommended on the ball band. You can always change needle sizes while swatching to get a fabric that you like.

2. Measure your gauge swatch. You need to know how many stitches per inch you're going to get with your yarn and needles.

3. Measure your bear around the largest parts of his body. Add 1 to 2 inches for ease.

4. Multiply the number of stitches per inch and the inches the bear is around, plus the ease. For example, if you get 8 stitches per inch and the bear is 8 inches around with the extra for ease, you'll need to cast on 64 stitches.

5. Cast on the stitches, divide the stitches evenly on the double pointed needles. For the example of 64 inches for the sweater, 16 stitches will be placed equally on 4 needles.

6. Join the knitting in the round, and place a stitch marker where the knitting is joined. Make sure that the cast on edge is not twisted since this will twist the entire work.

7. Knit in garter stitch until you have 2 inches of knitting. Garter stitch in the round will look like stockinette, even though you are knitting every row.

8. Bind off for the sleeves. For this, you need to bind off six stitches for each sleeve in the middle of the two side seams. Using the example, you will bind off three stitches at the beginning of a row, knit 26 stitches, bind off six stitches, knit 26 stitches and bind off three stitches again. Break the yarn leaving a tail. The stitches still on the needles are the front and back of the sweater.

9. Attach the yarn to the front of the sweater, and knit in stockinette until the entire front measures 5 inches. You will no longer be knitting in the round, so you will need to knit in stockinette to maintain the stitch pattern.

10. Bind off 10 stitches in the middle of the row for the collar. With the example you will knit eight stitches, bind off 10 and knit eight. This creates the neck hole for the sweater. Cut the yarn leaving a tail.

11. Attach the yarn to the back of the sweater, and repeat Steps 9 and 10 for the back.

12. Attach the yarn to the right side of the front again. Knit one row, purl the next and then bind off. Repeat this for the other side of the front and the back.

13. Seam together the back and front of the sweater. These are the eight stitches on each side, back and front, that you just cast off. This completes the body of the sweater.

Sleeves and Collar of the Sweater

1. Pick up 24 stitches around one of the armholes and place these stitches on the same double-pointed needles you used for the body of the sweater.

2. Knit two rounds. On the third round, knit into the front and back of the first stitch, and knit the other stitches normally. This will increase by one stitch.

3. Repeat Step 2 until there are 30 stitches on the needles, then bind off all the stitches loosely.

4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for the other armhole and sleeve.

5. Pick up 30 stitches around the neckband of the sweater.

6. Knit loosely or in a k2p2 rib pattern for four rounds. If you want your collar shorter or taller, you can add or remove rounds.

7. Bind off all stitches loosely.

8. Weave in all the ends, and your teddy bear sweater is finished.

Tips & Warnings

• You can change the size and pattern of this sweater. Simply swatch with the stitch patterns and yarn that you want to use, measure and adapt the sweater to the size you want it.