These little Magic Loop Teddies are so sweet, but much of the appeal of the finished teddy is accomplished in the finishing details. Knitted toy faces can be challenging, so I thought we’d cover some tricks together.
I designed these sweet little teddies to carry Grandma’s love to my littlest Grandchildren this holiday season. So, what’s a new best friend if they don’t have a heart? For these little guys, I needle felted a heart on the left side of their chest using small amounts of wool roving, a small heart shaped cookie cutter and a felting needle. The wool roving gets fused to the fiberfill within your bear and becomes a permanent part of the knitting.
For more specifics on needle felting, check out my Fall in Love with Needlefelting post. This is such an effective way to add details to knitting. On one of my bears that was destined for a new baby gift, I needle felted the entire face in place. Kind of a good thing when you consider that there’s no loose pieces of embroidery, loose applied felt pieces, or safety eyes to bite off and/or swallow!
To shape the eyes, I used a #12 Wilton’s icing tip to hold the roving:
Cute and easy! But for my older Grandsons I wanted a more detailed face, so I went with safety eyes (6mm)
Here’s some embroidery tips to get a secure bear-type mouth:
1. Bring your threaded tapestry needle from a point on the back of the neck to about one stitch below the nose and pull through – leaving a 3 inch tail visible on the back of the neck.
2. Create the bottom points of the mouth by inserting your needle about 2 – 3 stitches down and 2 stitches over from the center on each side.
3. Make the bottom center of the mouth meet in the middle by coming up through the center starting at the left center mouth and ending at the nose.
3. Finally, bring the needle back to the back of the neck by stabbing in where you started on the last step, where the bottom edges of the mouth meet in the center, and coming out one stitch away from the beginning tail on the back of the neck. Tie these ends together in a knot and pull the ends behind the knitting within the filling, coming out an inch or so away. Cut them off at the surface of the bear.
That little knot at the back of the neck should nestle in within the stitches so you could hardly find it again even if you wanted to!
When you’re satisfied with your bear’s face, you might want to dress him or her. Knowing how much children like to dress, (and undress) their little friends, I created a cute knit vest that’s easy on and easy off – even for chubby little fingers.
Teddy Vest
Worsted weight yarn
size US 5 needles
instructions:
cast on 28 stitches and join in the round.
Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl
Round 3: (k3, kfb) around
Round 4: purl
Round 5: (k4, kfb) around
Round 6: purl
Round 7: (k5, kfb) around
Round 8: bind off 10 stitches purlwise. P13, bind off 10 stitches purlwise, p13
Round 9: cast on 6 stitches using backwards loop cast on, k14, cast on 6 stitches using backwards loop cast on, k14
Rounds 10 – 20: knit
Rounds 21 – 25: (k2, p2) around
bind off in ribbing.
fasten off and weave in ends.
It’s impossible to make two of these handmade bears the same. Maybe one’s face was stuffed a bit firmer, or it’s mouth was sewn just a tiny bit droopier. It’s interesting to me that every bear I’ve created took on their own personality and facial expression. The joy of toy-making – you never know who you’ll meet next!
© Copyright 2014 Simply Notable
Fine Print: We are absolutely flattered that our crafty friends would want to make cute items from our original copyright patterns to sell in their online shops or brick and mortar stores. We are thrilled to grant that permission. We do, however, request that anywhere the item is for sale, (on each and every online listing OR on each item in your brick and mortar store that a Simply Notable pattern has been used), that you link back to us here at Simply Notable so others can enjoy the same free pattern you utilized. When you sprinkle the Simply Notable love back our way in the form of links, it lets us know how much you appreciate the free patterns we’ve shared. The only hard line we draw here at Simply Notable is that the free patterns themselves absolutely cannot be sold.
How sweet
Hello Madam,
I urgently need your help – have knitted the magic loop teddy and all I have to do now is to pick up four stitches along the bottom of the arm and then knit up the right arm and do likewise for the left arm and my teddy will be complete. I have tried to pick the stitches but have failed miserably. Please could you help me – your guidance would be appreciated and especially if you do have a link to the video that would really make my day.
Looking forward to your help, warm regards,
YVONNE DPENHA
everamdreamin@yahoo.co.in
Hello Yvonne, Certainly! Here’s a video that shows the process of Picking up Stitches. Sure hope that does the trick! 🙂
When I divided the stitches for the arms, I casted on two stitches, it made it easier to pick up the 4 stitches when I made the arms. Then I decreased them over the next two rows.
I also used longer double pointed needles. In the beginning I had 9 sts on needle 1 and used two needles 6 sts and 3 sts and called them needle two. Easier to keep track of. I used small hearts from the craft store and hot glued them on. LOVE the pattern!!
Dorothy
I have a question on the sweater, no matter what I end up with 3 extra stitches after round 7. I used double pointed needles and started wit h 7 stitches on each needle. Needle #1 has 10 stitches after round 7 the rest have 13 stitches each. What am I doing wrong?? Thanks in advance!
So after round 7, you have 49 stitches, which is exactly right, Jen. You can move on to the next row – binding off 10 stiches then purling 13 twice. (Sounds like you must be counting stitches and that’s why you’re concerned that you have too many. Just go on and follow the instructions. It takes 2 stitches in order to bind off your first stitch. It’ll work out – just go with it.) 🙂
HI!!
I’m making some great progress on the two teddy bears! I’m making two at once!! – just like socks !
I would like to ask you if you could give me an idea on what to use or how to make a little heart lik e yours!! I don’t have a cookie cutter like that (not small like that)
Thank you!
Your pattern is sweeeetttt!!
Maybe just cut a heart from felt and glue or sew it on?
Hi, the pattern is lovely. but unfortunately dont know knitting in the round. is there a pattern of this teddy knitted flat with 2 needles. Thanks in advance.
Hi Dipti! Sorry, this teddy was designed to be knitted in the round to avoid seaming.
Not sure if you still check this, but I was wondering what size heart cookie cutter you use. I want to make these bears for Syrian refugee children and want to felt on the faces so they cannot come off or have loose strings. I’d need to go find a cutter so I wondered what size to match the size of the bear. Thanks!
Hi Melissa, I used about a 1″ heart.
Hi I’ve just started the cute bear pattern and am struggling to understand the bottom part when you have to pearl on needle 2. Ive done row 1 then the short knit row but when I try the 3rd row my stitches don’t add up. ..any advice would be great as an knitting this for my mum who’s been very unwell recently.
Thank you
I must have read the instructions wrong as today I’ve had no difficulty….thank you
Oh Wonderful Sally! Hope it turned out as you’d hoped!
Can’t wait to try this little sweetie. And thank you for the detailed instructions on creating the facial features ~ sometimes that is the hardest part of the whole project!
Hi
I am new to toys knitting.
What do you put to stuff the teddy ?
Thank you
Micheline
Hi Micheline! I used polyester fiberfill. Hope that’s helpful!
Hello
Love your teddy but, I don’t understand so many stitches on each needles can I just knit on 2 needles or a circular needle?
Thank you
Deb
Hi Deb! Thanks for the kind words! The teddy is knit in the round, so 2 needles won’t work, but you could knit him on 4 double pointed needles OR on a circular needle. BUT the knit circumference is so small that you won’t find a circular needle with a small enough cable, which is why he is designed to be knitted with the magic loop technique, which uses a circular needle with a very long cable, allowing you to use only the part of the cable that is needed. When reading the pattern, it may seem involved, but honestly, if you read the other comments, you’ll see that most knitters find it very easy to understand once they get started. Hope this helps!