Tyrannosaurus Rex
Materials:
needles: US 6 (4-double-pointed)
yarn: worsted weight, 85g should be sufficient
yarn needle
stuffing
googly eyes: (optional, 10mm. you could use buttons, too)
craft glue
Abbreviations:
k: knit
p: purl
m: make a stitch (a form of increasing)
k2tog: knit two stitches together
t2togtbl: knit two stitches together through the back loops (or you could just knit two together, the original dinosaur pattern used this, i don't know exactly why)
sl: slip a stitch (don't knit or purl, slide it onto the new needle)
psso: (in sl1, k1, psso) pass slipped stitch over, like you would if you were casting/binding off
st(s): stitch(es)
Head, Body & Tail
(leave a longish tail at the beginning, it will come in handy later)
cast on 4 sts
row 1: knit
row 2: purl
row 3: k2, m1, k2 (5 sts)
row 4: purl
row 5: knit
row 6: purl
row 7: k2, m1, k1, m1, k2 (7 sts)
row 8: purl
row 9: knit
row 10: purl
row 11: k4, m1, k3 (8 sts)
row 12: purl
row 13: knit
row 14: purl
row 15: cast on 12 sts, knit (20 sts)
row 16: cast on 12 sts, purl (32 sts)
row 17: k3, m1, k9, m1, k8, m1, k9, m1, k3 (36 sts)
row 18: purl
row 19: k3, m1, k11, m1, k8, m1, k11, m1, k3 (40 sts)
row 20: purl
row 21: knit
row 22: purl
row 23: knit
row 24: purl
row 25: k3, k2togtbl, k to last 5 sts, k2tog, k3 (38 sts)
row 26: purl
row 27: k3, k2togtbl, k to last 5 sts, k2tog, k3 (36 sts)
row 28: bind off 7 sts, purl (29 sts)
row 29: bind off 7 sts, knit (22 sts)
split 22 sts between 3 needles (I divided them 7, 8, 7) the rest is knit in the round.
rows 30-34: (joining to make a circle) knit
row 35: k2, m1, k2, m1, k3, m1, k8, m1, k3, m1, k2, m1, k2 (28 sts)
row 36: knit
row 37: k3, m1, k3, m1, k3, m1, k10, m1, k3, m1, k3, m1, k3, m1 (35 sts)
row 38: knit
row 39: k4, m1, k4, m1, k4, m1, k10, m1, k4, m1, k4, m1, k5 (41 sts)
rows 40-42: knit
row 43: k9, m1, k5, m1, k12, m1, k5, m1, k9, m1 (46 sts)
rows 44-60: knit
row 61: k5, m1, k5, m1, k5, m1, k14, m1, k5, m1, k5, m1, k7 (52 sts)
rows 62-70: knit
re-position sts so that the 30 frontmost sts are on one needle, and the rest divided evenly between the other two. working only on the needle with 30 sts, do the following (back and forth, as if using straight needles) to create a flap-like thing:
row 1: knit
row 2: purl
row 3: knit
row 4: purl
row 5: knit
row 6: purl
row 7: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (28 sts)
row 8: purl
row 9: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (26 sts)
row 10: purl
row 11: knit
row 12: purl
row 13: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (24 sts)
row 14: purl
row 15: knit
row 16: purl
row 17: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (22 sts)
row 18: purl
row 19: knit
row 20: purl
row 21: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (20 sts)
row 22: purl
now you’re going to change direction, still working on the one needle. you’re basically turning the heel of a sock:
row 1: sl1, k11, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 2: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each has five unworked sts, that’s good)
row 3: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 4: sl1, p5, p2tog, turn (8 live sts, each end has four unworked sts)
row 5: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1 turn
row 6: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each end has three unworked sts)
row 7: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1 turn
row 8: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each end has two unworked sts)
row 9: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 10: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (8 live sts, each end has one unworked st)
row 11: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso, k1, turn
row 12: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn (all 8 sts on the needle are live)
row 13: sl1, k5, sl1, k1, psso (7 sts)
row 14: sl1, p5, p2tog (6 sts)
okay, good job. i’m proud of you. now you’re going to pick up stitches from the side of the flap you made right before the heel. we’re going to be knitting in the round again. actually, i did this pickup up chunk differently but i think the following sequence of rows should get rid of those funny-looking vertical lines on the prototype. <> trust me. here we go:
row 1: knit (6 sts), pick up 11 sts w/ empty needle (left side of heel flap) , knit them. knit across those needles you’ve been neglecting, then pick up 11 sts (right side of the heel flap) and knit them.
ooh, snazzy. now we’re redistributing stitches again. combine those two needles we ignored for a long time onto one needle, there should be 22 sts. then evenly divide the heel stitches onto two needles, so the heel flap is divided right down the middle, 15 sts on each. muy bien. we have 52 sts, so let’s decrease: (the slashes fall between the needles)
row 1: knit 12, k2tog, k1 / k22 / k1, sl1, k1, psso, k12 (50 sts)
row 2: k14 / k5, k2tog, k8, sl1, k1, psso, k5 / k14 (48 sts)
row 3: k11, k2tog, k1 / k20 / k1, sl1, k1, psso, k11 (46 sts)
row 4: k13 / k4, k2tog, k8, sl1, k1, psso, k4 / k13 (44 sts)
row 5: k10, k2tog, k1 / k18 / k1, sl1, k1, psso, k10 (42 sts)
row 6: knit
sweet. tail time. i will no longer differentiate between needles, so get ready to count.
row 7: knit
row 8: knit
row 9:
rows 10-14: knit
row 15:
rows 16-20: knit
row 21:
rows 22-24: knit
row 25: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (16 sts)
rows 26-28: knit
row 29: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (14 sts)
rows 30-32: knit
row 33: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (12 sts)
rows 34-36: knit
row 37: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (10 sts)
rows 38-40: knit
row 41: k2, k2togtbl, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2 (8 sts)
rows 42-43: knit
row 44: k2, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2 (7 sts)
row 45: knit
row 46: k2, sl1, k1, psso, k2 (5 sts)
row 47: knit
row 48: k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k1 (3 sts)
row 54: purl
row 55: cast off knitwise
cut the yarn; you’re doing wonderfully.
Arms
make two (if your t rex is an amputee, modify the number of limbs accordingly)
these are easy. should take you two minutes, tops. you could experiment and try four tiny partial rows of stockinette stitch and see if that turns out more clawlike)
cast on 7 sts
row 1: k2, turn
row 2: p2, turn
cast off
leave a few inches for a tail, you don’t need much here.
Legs
you’ll need two of these puppies.
these are knit flat, you’ll seam them later.
cast on 4 sts
rows 1-6: knit
row 7: cast on 10 sts, knit (14 sts)
row 8: purl
row 9: knit
row 10: purl
row 11: knit
row 12: purl
row 13: knit
row 14: purl
row 15: knit
row 16: purl
row 17: knit
row 18: purl
row 19: knit
row 20: purl
cast off, and leave a long tail (long enough to sew side of leg and attach to body)
Finishing
First, use the tails on the arms to attach them in what looks like good arm spots on the body. Basically just use the needle to thread each end through, and tie a nice knot.
Then, stuff the tail and body up to the neck.
If you’re using buttons for eyes, now would be a good time for attaching them.
Use the yarn needle and the yarn end from beginning of the head to sew head seams. Then stuff the head, poking stuffing in through the neck. Then sew the neck closed. Tie a small knot and poke the end of the yarn inside the beast.
Finally use the leg yarn ends to sew around the bottom of the foot and the side seams of the legs. Stuff them, and attach them to the body in a logical location. Keep in mind that the legs and the tail sort of form a tripod of support for this fellow when you’re placing your legs.
Attach googly eyes to the head with craft glue, using your logical placement skills once again. Or glue them to your buttons if you desire obnoxious eyes. That could look pretty cool.
Go take pictures of your new buddy and show all of your friends. They will be amazed and ask you if you’ll make them one. Smile, and shake your head. Tell them to knit their own damn dinosaurs. This one’s yours.
Send me a picture of your t rex.
