https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/superhero-stan • Posted by Ryland Peters & Small
Stan believes that dressing up is not just for parties. It’s also for going to the supermarket, going to tea at his best friend’s house, and going to see his grandma. Stan loves dressing up as an astronaut, a police officer, and a magician, but there are no prizes for guessing his favourite outfit. YARN AND MATERIALS Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% wool, 33% acrylic, 12% cashmere), 137yd (125m) per 1¾oz (50g) ball of sport weight (light DK) yarn ½ ball of Clotted Cream 65 (A)—head and body, arms ¾ ball of Sapphire 89 (B)—legs, sweater ¼ ball of Tobacco 98 (C)—hair ¾ ball of Red 34 (D)—cape, shorts, boots Small amount of Acid Yellow 91 (E)—star motif Very small amount of Black 300 (F)—eyes Very small amount of coral, red, or pink embroidery floss (thread) or yarn—mouth 1oz (30g) polyester toy filling NEEDLES AND EQUIPMENT US3 (3.25mm) knitting needles D3 (3.25mm) crochet hook (or one of similar size) Yarn sewing needle Large-eyed embroidery needle Colouring pencil in deep pink or red 4 x stitch markers or small safety pins GAUGE (TENSION) Approximately 25 stitches and 34 rows to 4in (10cm) over st st ABBREVIATIONS See pattern for main doll
Stan believes that dressing up is not just for parties. It’s also for going to the supermarket, going to tea at his best friend’s house, and going to see his grandma. Stan loves dressing up as an astronaut, a police officer, and a magician, but there are no prizes for guessing his favourite outfit. YARN AND MATERIALS Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% wool, 33% acrylic, 12% cashmere), 137yd (125m) per 1¾oz (50g) ball of sport weight (light DK) yarn ½ ball of Clotted Cream 65 (A)—head and body, arms ¾ ball of Sapphire 89 (B)—legs, sweater ¼ ball of Tobacco 98 (C)—hair ¾ ball of Red 34 (D)—cape, shorts, boots Small amount of Acid Yellow 91 (E)—star motif Very small amount of Black 300 (F)—eyes Very small amount of coral, red, or pink embroidery floss (thread) or yarn—mouth 1oz (30g) polyester toy filling NEEDLES AND EQUIPMENT US3 (3.25mm) knitting needles D3 (3.25mm) crochet hook (or one of similar size) Yarn sewing needle Large-eyed embroidery needle Colouring pencil in deep pink or red 4 x stitch markers or small safety pins GAUGE (TENSION) Approximately 25 stitches and 34 rows to 4in (10cm) over st st ABBREVIATIONS See pattern for main doll
MAIN DOLL Work as for basic pattern. Work head and body pieces and arms in A. Work legs in B.
HAIR (MAKE 1) Cast on 18 sts in C. Work 4 rows in st st beg with a k row. Row 5: Ssk, k to last 2 sts, k2tog. (16 sts) Row 6: Purl. Rep last 2 rows twice more. (12 sts) Row 11: Inc, k to last 2 sts, inc, k1. (14 sts) Row 12: Purl. Rep last 2 rows once more. (16 sts) Row 15: Inc, k4, bind (cast) off 6 sts, (1 st rem on needle from binding/ casting off ), k2, inc, k1. (2 groups of 6 sts) Work on 6 sts just worked only, leaving rem sts on needle. Next row: Purl. Next row: Ssk, k to end. (5 sts) Next row: P to last 2 sts, p2tog tbl. (4 sts) Next row: Ssk, k to end. (3 sts) Next row: P1, p2tog tbl. (2 sts) Next row: Ssk. (1 st) Fasten off . Rejoin yarn to rem sts on WS of work. Next row: Purl. Next row: K to last 2 sts, k2tog. (5 sts) Next row: P2tog, p to end. (4 sts) Next row: K2, k2tog. (3 sts) Next row: P2tog, p1. (2 sts) Next row: K2tog. (1 st) Fasten off .
TO MAKE UP DOLL Make up main doll. For eyes, work French knots using F. Embroider mouth in straight stitch using embroidery floss (thread) or a separated strand of yarn. Work nose by working a couple of chain stitches in A, in a short vertical line. To make the nose slightly more prominent, work another couple of chain stitches over the ones you have just sewn. For the ears, work a few chain stitches in A, in a short vertical line at the side of the head, in line with the eyes. Then work another row of chain stitches on top to make the ears a bit more prominent. Add a bit of colour to the cheeks using the colouring pencil. Seam the hair piece to form a cap shape. Pin then oversew the hair piece to head, using matching yarn. Embroider curl at front of hair in chain stitch using photograph as a guide. Weave in all loose ends.
SWEATER FRONT AND BACK (MAKE 2) Cast on 22 sts in B. Row 1: Knit. Work 8 rows in st st beg with a k row. Mark beg and end of last row with stitch markers or small safety pins. Also mark the middle two stitches of the row (the 11th and 12th sts) which will indicate where you will begin working the star motif on the front (see below). Work 10 rows in st st beg with a k row. Row 20: K2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2. (20 sts) Row 21: Purl. Rep rows 20–21 once more. (18 sts) Work 6 rows in st st beg with a k row. Row 30: Bind (cast) off 3 sts, k to end. (15 sts) Row 31: Bind (cast) off 3 sts pwise, p to end. (12 sts) Work 3 rows in st st beg with a k row. Bind (cast) off kwise loosely.
SLEEVES Join neck edges and shoulders of front and back pieces. With RS facing, pick up and knit 8 sts from one stitch marker or safety pin to shoulder edges and another 8 sts from shoulder edges to second stitch marker or safety pin. (16 sts) Work 19 rows in st st beg with a p row. Knit 2 rows. Bind (cast) off loosely. Rep for second sleeve. TO MAKE UP SWEATER Using Swiss embroidery technique work star in E following the chart below. Add an extra single chain stitch between the top two stitches to make the star extra pointy. Join side and sleeve seams. Weave in all loose ends.
CAPE MAKE 1) Cast on 30 sts in D. Row 1: Purl. Row 2: Knit. Row 3: K2, p to last 2 sts, k2. Rep rows 2–3, 19 times more. Row 42: K6, [ssk] 3 times, k6, [k2tog] times, k to end. (24 sts) Row 43: Knit. Bind (cast) off , leaving a long yarn tail. TO MAKE UP CAPE Using the crochet hook and yarn tail from binding (casting) off, work a 3½-in 9-cm) crochet chain for one side of the fastening. Make a matching crochet chain and sew it onto the other side to form the second fastening. Weave in all loose ends.
SHORTS MAKE 1) Cast on 18 sts in D. Work 13 rows in st st beg with a p row. Break yarn and leave sts on needle. Cast on 18 sts in D on needle without sts. Work 13 rows in st st beg with a p row. Now work across all 36 sts. Work 12 rows in st st beg with a k row. Next row: [K1, p1] to end. Rep last row once more. Bind (cast) off keeping to the k1, p1 patt. TO MAKE UP SHORTS Sew inside leg and back seams. Weave in all loose ends.
BOOTS (MAKE 2) Cast on 26 sts in D. Knit 3 rows. Work 4 rows in st st beg with a k row. Row 8: K7, [ssk] 3 times, [k2tog] 3 times, k to end. (20 sts) Row 9: Purl. Row 10: K6, [ssk] twice, [k2tog] twice, k to end. (16 sts) Work 6 rows in st st beg with a p row. Bind (cast) off kwise loosely. TO MAKE UP BOOTS Fold boot pieces in half so that the right side is on the inside and oversew sole. Turn the pieces the right way out and sew the back seams. Weave in all loose ends.
GAUGE (TENSION) The gauge (tension) is given as the number of stitches and rows needed to produce a 4-in (10-cm) square of knitting. Using the recommended yarn and needles, cast on 8 stitches more than the gauge (tension) instruction asks for. Working in pattern, work 8 rows more than needed. Bind (cast) off loosely. Lay the swatch flat without stretching it. Lay a ruler across the stitches with the 2in (5cm) mark centred on the knitting, then put a pin in the knitting at the 0 and at the 4in (10cm) mark. Count the number of stitches between the pins. Repeat the process across the rows to count the number of rows to 4in (10cm). If the number of stitches and rows you’ve counted is the same as the number asked for, you have the correct gauge (tension). If you do not have the same number then you will need to change your gauge (tension) by changing the size of your knitting needles. A good rule of thumb is that one difference in needle size will create a difference of one stitch in the gauge (tension). Use larger needles to achieve fewer stitches and smaller ones to achieve more stitches. If you are knitting the dolls in a different yarn to that suggested, you may need to knit on thinner needles than stated on the yarn's ball band to make sure the knitted fabric is dense enough for the stuffing not to show through the doll, and for the clothes to keep their shape. If your gauge (tension) is slightly different to ours, it doesn't matter. It just means your dolls and garments will be slightly larger or smaller. But it is important to knit the clothing and doll in yarns that knit to the same gauge (tension) or you'll find the clothes won't be a good fit.
FRENCH KNOT 1 Bring the yarn out at the starting point, where you want the French knot to sit. Wind the yarn around the needle twice, or three times for a larger knot. 2 Take the needle back into the work, just to the side of the starting point. Gently pull the needle and yarn through the work and slide the knot off the needle and onto the knitting, pulling it taut. Then bring the needle out at the point for the next French knot or, if you are working a single knot, secure it on the back.
CHAIN STITCH Bring the yarn out at the starting point on the front of the work. Take the needle back into the knitting just next to the starting point, leaving a loop of yarn. Bring the needle out of the work again, a stitch length further on and catch the loop under it. Pull the thread up firmly, but not so tight that it pulls the knitting. Continue in this way until the stitching is complete.
STRAIGHT STITCH To make this stitch, simply take the yarn out at the starting point and back down into the work where you want the stitch to end. To work satin stitch, work straight stitches very close together.
SWISS EMBROIDERY 1 To work a horizontal line, start at the right-hand end. Bring the yarn out at the base of a stitch to be embroidered, then slip the needle around the top of the stitch, going under the "legs" of the stitch above. 2 Take the needle back through the base of the stitch and gently tighten the yarn so it covers the knitted stitch. Bring the needle out at the base of the next stitch to the left. 3 Continue to work along the row of knitted stitches in this way, covering each one with an embroidered stitch.
CROCHET CHAIN 1 Make a slip knot on the crochet hook in the same way as for knitting. Holding the slip stitch on the hook, wind the yarn around the hook from the back to the front, then catch the yarn in the crochet-hook tip. 2 Pull the yarn through the slip stitch on the crochet hook to make the second link in the chain. Continue in this way till the chain is the length needed.