https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/panda-and-zebra-hand-puppets • Posted by Itty-Bitty Toys
When I sat down to devise some puppets for this collection, I looked around my studio for the perfect yarn to use and immediately my eyes went straight to two skeins of Manos Del Uruguay, one of my favorite yarns. Because one skein was white and the other black, I started thinking of black and white animals—and a panda and a zebra filled the bill perfectly! These incredibly easy and quick puppets are knit back and forth on larger-size needles. I lined the puppets with a natural wool fleece, but you could use a different fabric to line them or you could leave out this step completely. Your kids’ imaginations will run “wild” with these two lovable companions. Finished measurements 91⁄2 inches tall and 81⁄2 inches wide Yarn Manos Del Uruguay Handspun Semi Solids (100% kettle-dyed wool; 138 yards/100 grams), 1 skein each in Natural 14 and Black 08 Gauge 4 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch
When I sat down to devise some puppets for this collection, I looked around my studio for the perfect yarn to use and immediately my eyes went straight to two skeins of Manos Del Uruguay, one of my favorite yarns. Because one skein was white and the other black, I started thinking of black and white animals—and a panda and a zebra filled the bill perfectly! These incredibly easy and quick puppets are knit back and forth on larger-size needles. I lined the puppets with a natural wool fleece, but you could use a different fabric to line them or you could leave out this step completely. Your kids’ imaginations will run “wild” with these two lovable companions. Finished measurements 91⁄2 inches tall and 81⁄2 inches wide Yarn Manos Del Uruguay Handspun Semi Solids (100% kettle-dyed wool; 138 yards/100 grams), 1 skein each in Natural 14 and Black 08 Gauge 4 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch Excerpted from ITTY-BITTY TOYS by Susan B. Anderson (Artisan Books). Copyright 2009. Liz Banfield photographer. Check out our review here.
<b>Panda</b> front and back (make 2) With Natural, cast on 26 stitches. Knit 2 rows. Change to working in stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) until the front measures 4 inches from the cast-on edge, ending with a purl row. Switch to Black. Continue on to create the arms: Next row: Knit to the end of the row, do not turn, cast on 6 stitches using the backward-loop method (32 sts). Turn. Next row: Purl to the end of the row, do not turn, cast on 6 stitches using the backward-loop method (38 sts). Turn. Continue to work in stockinette stitch until the arms measure 2 inches from the start of Black, ending with a purl row. Next row: bind off 8 stitches, k to end (30 sts remain) Next row: bind off 8 stitches, p to end (22 sts remain) Switch to Natural. Continue on to create the head: Row 1: k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 (20 sts remain) Row 2: purl Row 3: repeat row 1 (18 sts remain) Row 4: purl Continue in stockinette stitch until the head section measures 21⁄4 inches. End with a purl row. Decrease rows (for the top of the head) Row 1: k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 (16 sts remain) Row 2: purl Rows 3–6: repeat rows 1 and 2 two times more (12 stitches remain) Bind off. Cut the yarn and pull through the remaining stitch. Align the edges of the front and back pieces, purl sides facing. Lay flat, and with a length of Natural threaded on a yarn needle, use mattress stitch (see p. 10) to sew together around all edges except the bottom. Weave the ends to the inside and trim. ears (make 2) With Black, cast on 8 stitches. Row 1: knit Row 2: purl Rows 3 and 4: repeat 1 and 2 Row 5: k2tog, repeat to end of row (4 sts remain) Row 6: purl Row 7: k2tog, repeat to end of row (2 sts remain) Cut the yarn, leaving an 8-inch-long tail, and thread on a yarn needle. Pull through the remaining stitches, gather up tightly, and stitch to secure. Fold the ear in half with the purl sides together. Whipstitch the side seam from the tip to the base, using a tail. Whipstitch the ears to the top of the head, using the photograph as a guide. Weave the ends to the inside and trim. snout With Natural, cast on 5 stitches. Row 1: kfb, k3, kfb (7 sts) Row 2: purl Row 3: kfb, k5, kfb (9 sts) Row 4: purl Row 5: knit Row 6: purl Row 7: ssk, k5, k2tog (7 sts remain) Row 8: purl Row 9: ssk, k3, k2tog (5 sts remain) Bind off purlwise. Stuff lightly and whipstitch to the face, using a length of Natural threaded on a yarn needle. nose With Black, cast on 1 stitch loosely. Row 1: kfb until 3 stitches are on the right needle (3 sts) Row 2: knit Row 3: purl Row 4: knit, do not turn, pass the second and third stitches over the first stitch and off the needle (1 st remains) Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch-long tail, and thread on a yarn needle. Gather up the edges by taking a few stitches to create a ball, and stitch to secure. Whipstitch to the center of the nose piece. eyes black eye patch (make 2) With Black, working back and forth, cast on 3 sts. Row 1: kfb, k1, kfb (5sts) Row 2: purl Row 3: knit Row 4: purl Row 5: ssk, k1, k2tog Bind off, Whipstitch to the face using a yarn needle and one of the tails. Weave in the ends to the inside. Cut a 12-inch-long length of Natural and thread on a yarn needle. Make 2 French knots (see p. 15) for the eyes. Weave ends to the inside. lining (optional) Lay the puppet on top of 2 layers of wool felt and pin in place. With scissors, cut out the wool felt about 1⁄8 inch smaller than the puppet and remove the pins. With the wool felt pieces held together and a sewing needle and matching thread, whipstitch around all edges except the bottom. Place the sewn lining inside of the puppet, wrong sides facing, and tack down the lining at the tips of the hands and the top of the head with a few stitches, using the sewing needle and thread. Whipstitch the bottom edge of the lining to the bottom edge of the puppet with the thread and needle.
<b>Zebra</b> front and back (make 2) With Natural, cast on 26 stitches and begin stripe pattern. Knit the first two rows, then switch to stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) for the rest of the project. Stripe pattern Rows 1–4: Natural Rows 5–8: Black Repeat rows 1–8 two times more. Continue only in Natural for the arms, and work the same as for the Panda through the bind-off rows. Switch to Black and continue in stripes, alternating every 4 rows and complete the head the same as for the Panda. Face and snout (make 1) With Black, cast on 12 stitches. Row 1: k1, m1, k to last stitch, m1, k1 (14 sts) Row 2: purl Row 3: repeat row 1 (16 sts) Row 4: purl Switch to Natural. Row 5: repeat row 1 (18 sts) Row 6: purl Row 7: knit Row 8: purl Switch to Black. Rows 9–12: stockinette stitch Switch to Natural. Rows 13–16: stockinette stitch Switch to Black. Rows 17–20: stockinette stitch Switch to Natural. Rows 21– 28: stockinette stitch Switch to Black. Rows 29–32: stockinette stitch Switch to Natural. Rows 33 and 34: stockinette stitch Row 35: k1, ssk, k to the last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1 (16 sts remain) Row 36: purl Switch to Black. Row 37: repeat row 35 (14 sts remain) Row 38: purl Row 39: repeat row 35 (12 sts remain) Row 40: purl Bind off. Cut the yarn and weave through the remaining stitch. Ears (make 2) With Natural, cast on 14 stitches. Work in stockinette stitch until the ear measures 1 inch from the cast-on edge. Decrease rows Row 1: k1, ssk, k3, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k1 (11 sts remain) Row 2: purl Row 3: k1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1 (8 sts remain) Row 4: p1, p2tog, p2, p2tog, p1 (6 sts remain) Row 5: k1, ssk, k2tog, k1 (4 sts remain) Row 6: p2tog twice, do not turn, pass the first stitch over the second stitch and off the needle. Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch-long tail, and thread on a yarn needle. Fold the ear in half with the purl sides together and whipstitch the open side closed from the base to the tip. Set aside. Lining (optional) Make the lining the same as for the Panda, but don’t sew the pieces together yet. In addition to cutting the lining for the front and back, also pin down the face and snout piece on 1 layer of the wool felt and cut out a lining for it. Set aside. finish the front and back Lay the front and back of the knitted pieces on top of each other, with purl sides facing. With a length of Natural threaded on a yarn needle, use mattress stitch to sew the side seams together to where the head starts. Fold the front of the head forward to rest on the body, using the illustration as a guide. This is now the bottom of the snout. Leave the back of the head as is. Lay the face and snout piece on top of the folded front and align with the back of the head, purl sides together. Thread a length of Natural on a yarn needle and use mattress stitch to sew the face and nose piece to the bottom of the nose and the back of the head. After the head and nose are sewn together, whipstitch the ears to the head, using the photograph as a guide. Nostrils and eyes With Natural and a yarn needle, make 2 French knots (see p. 00) at the tip of the nose for the nostrils. With Black and a yarn needle, take 2 straight stitches with 4 wrap stitches and a French knot underneath for each eye (see pp. 00). Weave all ends to the inside and trim. Finish the lining With a sewing needle and matching thread, whipstitch the front and back pieces together from the lower edges up to the base of the head. Fold the front piece forward for the bottom of the snout and lay the cutout face and snout piece on top so it lines up evenly. Pin in place. Continue to whipstitch the head and nose pieces together. The lining is the same shape as the puppet. Lightly stuff the head of the lining with fiberfill, and with a needle and thread stitch with a running stitch (see p. 00) to hold the stuffing in place. Leave the snout open so that the puppeteer can put his or her fingers into it. Place the lining in the puppet, making sure that the nose of the lining is pushed into the nose of the knitted front. Tack down at the tip of the hands, the end of the snout, and the top of the head with a few stitches with the sewing needle and thread. With the sewing needle and thread, whipstitch the bottom edge of the lining to the bottom edge of the puppet. Weave the ends of the thread to the inside and trim. Mane With Black, cut 96 3-inch strands. Holding two strands together at a time, use to make fringe. With a crochet hook and the lengths folded in half, pull the looped end through and then pull the ends through the loop. Pull up tight. Fringe is through 3 stitches in a row between the ears, then continue in a straight line down through the stripe section on the back of the head. The sample has 16 rows with three fringes per row.