Best Toy Knitting Patterns

I love knitting toys, they are fun to do and the best part is seeing them come together. The patterns are so clever and the end results always surprise me. i started toy knitting with Jean Greenhowe's Knitted Clowns and then I tried a lot of her other patterns. Now, I knit anything that looks fun or a bit different. I also love knitting toys to give as presents - they are great for adults and children.

My Yard and Yarn store has a wide selection of toy knitting patterns, there is something for every ability from beginner's who are learning to knit or want to have a go at toy knitting to experience knitters looking for something different. These are my top 10 bestsellers:

Number one

A cute family of bears knitted in super soft, faux fur yarn. I really enjoyed knitting the whole family, but I found baby bear to be the easiest. Possibly because I knitted it last. But, I found that the lighter yarn made it easier to sew together. My advice for anyone wanting to knit this pattern is to mark the start and finish of all your shaping with scraps of yarn or stitch markers. It will make it much easier when you come to sew it together. My mummy bear ended up with a twisted leg because I brought the wrong bits together! Buy

Number two

Image of Highland Cow toy and cushion cover knitting pattern

So cute. This is one of my favourite patterns. The knitting is pretty straightforward, although you do need to concentrate when working with the tinsel. The putting together is the trickiest, particularly attaching the horns. But, it's worth the effort. I haven't tried the cushions. I amn't a fan of knitting cushions because I think my knitting is too loose and the end result lacks shape. But, I might have to give these ones a go, because they look so good. Buy

Number three

Do you know a kid who doesn't love dinosaurs? These cute toys are the perfect gift for any youngster. They are surprisingly easy to knit, the tricky part is in putting them together. But I've found thin knitting needles are a great way to hold pieces in place while I sew them on. They are long enough to go right through the body. These dinos are knitted in soft Aran yarn with the details and features added in DK yarn Buy

Number four

I prefer this pattern to the Aran one at number three. They are both great, but I did enjoy this one a bit more. The purple one was my favourite and the easiest to do. The trickiest part was the dots on the yellow one - mine didn't look too good or very even! There isn't a huge amount of sewing up to do because the aren't knitted in very many pieces. Buy

Number five

Rabbit knitting pattern for babies

Truffle yarn is beautiful, it is impossibly soft to touch and perfect for knitting short fur animals. These traditional style rabbits remind me of toys I had as a baby, particularly the blue and white one. These make perfect newborn or baby shower gifts. Buy

Number six

A really popular baby gift. These elephants are so cute in either Yummy or Funny Yummy yarn. Other patterns include sheep and pigs, but the elephants are by far the most popular (the sheep did make the top 10). The yarn isn't the easiest to work with, but it is worth the effort for the end result and the Funny Yummy yarn is fairly forgiving. Buy

Number seven

This is a fairly new pattern to my store and it has shot into the top 10 most popular toy patterns. It's easy to see why. Lots of different combinations of size, frills, and plain snails. Knitted in chunky yarn so they are quick to make and not too difficult. Buy

Number eight

Image of cover of elephant, hippo and giraffe knitting pattern

Another cute animal toy pattern knitted in soft, tactile King Cole Yummy yarn. This is a perfect yarn for newborn baby gifts. The elephant is my favourite but I found the ears and tusks a little challenging to position and secure Buy

Number nine

Image of dinosaur knitting pattern cover

Another dinosaur pattern. This one, in my opinion, is for slightly older kids. It's less cute than the ones further up this top 10. I do love the finish that you get with the Baby Crofter yarn, it's a Fair Isle effect yarn but it works really well in these dinosaurs, giving them a textured look Buy

Number ten

I was pleased to see this sheep pattern enter the top 10 of my bestsellers. i love the elephants and the pigs, but I think the Funny Yummy yarn works best with these sheep. The woolly texture is unique to this yarn and they are really fun to knit. I also like the contrast with the smooth Yummy yarn for their legs and faces. Buy