Tag Archives: knitted comfort bear

April 5, 2023 · 9:54 am

Knitted Clancy Comfort Bear

KNITTING PATTERN FOR THE CLANCY COMFORT BEAR

by Noreen Crone-Findlay (c)

The knitted Clancy Comfort Bear is my latest design for comfort bears.

I designed it in honor of my beloved son in law who died last year.

Clancy was kindness incarnate and always kept several Comfort Bears in his pocket to offer to people who were having a difficult time. So, the Clancy Bear is a living legacy to keep his kindness unfolding in the world. With love in every stitch……

THE ‘HOW TO’ VIDEO FOR THE CLANCY COMFORT BEAR IS AT:

NOTE: The finished size of the Clancy Bear is determined by the thickness of yarn and size of knitting needles that you use.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Knitting Needles in a size that is appropriate for the thickness of your yarn,

Yarn: Less than an ounce for each Clancy Comfort Bear

A crochet hook that is appropriate for the thickness of your yarn.

Black 6/0 glass beads for eyes, Stuffing,

Black sewing thread and a needle that is small enough to sew on the beads, Tapestry or darning needle

Sewing machine thread in a color that matches your yarn (optional)

Felting needle, Tape measure, Row Counter, 4 small safety pins, Scissors or thread snip

INSTRUCTIONS: Beginning at the feet:

Cast on 11 stitches.

Rows 1- 16: Work in st st (knit one row, purl the next)

Place one of the little safety pins at each end of Row 6 and then 1 more pin at each end of Row 10.

At the end of Row 16, cut the yarn, leaving a 42 inch/105 cm long tail

Thread the tail end into a darning or tapestry needle and lift all the stitches off the needle.

Pull up to gather the top of the head.

Take the needle through the stitches one more time to secure them.

HEAD:

Sew the centre front seam using the Baseball stitch to the first set of safety pins. (see video for how to).

Take a couple stitches to secure the head. Remove the 2 safety pins.

Stuff the head.

Wrap the yarn tightly around the neck 2 times then stitch over the wraps to secure them.

EARS:

Take the yarn up to the side of the head at the top of the head and stitch over the knitting needle or crochet hook twice.

Stitch over these loops several times to make the first ear.

Repeat for the 2^nd ear.

Take the needle back down and out at the ‘shoulder’ to be used to make the arms.

TUMMY SEAM:

Thread another strand of yarn or the sewing machine thread into a needle and stitch the center front down to the next set of safety pins.

Stuff the body.

LEGS:

Fold the cast on edge in half to find the midpoint.

Take the needle through it and stitch it to the end of the tummy seam.

Stitch in place a couple of times to secure it.

Squeeze and fold the edges of the front to meet the cast on edge, forming the leg with the corner point becoming the toe. It’s a bit like origami.

Stitch the leg inseam together, pulling up tightly.

Stitch the second leg inseam.

Secure at the middle.

Take the needle through the body to the back, and snip.

ARMS:

Take the crochet hook through the stitch at the shoulder where the yarn came out.

Yarn over, pull up a loop through the stitch on the body.

Chain by taking the yarn over the hook and pulling it through the loop on the hook.

Do this 7 to 9 times, depending on the thickness of your yarn.

Take the crochet hook through the shoulder on the other side of the body and pull up a loop.

Thread the yarn end into the tapestry needle and stitch the loop to the body.

Take the hook through the first chain stitch at the shoulder, and make a slip stitch in it by pulling up a loop through the chain stitch.

Repeat this for all the chain stitches, ending at the first shoulder.

Stitch the end into the body and use the felting needle to secure the arms to the shoulders and to bury the yarn end.

NOSE:

Take the black thread through the head, coming out at the center of the face.

Secure it with a couple of tiny stitches.

Make several horizontal stitches for the nose.

MOUTH:

Move down and take a couple of shorter horizontal stitches for the mouth.

EYES:

Take the needle up slightly above and to one side of the nose and sew on the bead for one eye,

then the other.

Secure the stitches by going back down to the nose and taking a couple of tiny stitches at the corner of the nose, then taking the needle back through the head. Snip the ends.

PANDA:

INSTRUCTIONS: Beginning at the feet:

Cast on 11 stitches with black yarn.

Rows 1- 6: Work in st st (knit one row, purl the next)

Place one of the little safety pins at each end of Row 6

Rows 7 & 8: Join white yarn and work in st st

Rows 9 & 10: Drop white yarn and work in black yarn.

Place 1 more pin at each end of Row 10.

Cut the black yarn, leaving a tail of 42 inches/105 cm.

Rows 11- 16: Work in white yarn.

At the end of Row 16, cut the yarn, leaving a 20 inch/50 cm long tail

Thread the white yarn end into a darning or tapestry needle and lift all the stitches off the needle.

Pull up to gather the top of the head.

Take the needle through the stitches one more time to secure them.

Stitch the center front seam of the head with the white yarn.

Stuff the head and wrap and secure the neck.

Take the black tail end out through to the shoulder and leave it there for now.

Work the rest of the Panda body, legs and arms the same way as the Basic Clancy Bear.

EARS:

After working the Arms, take the black yarn up to the top of the head and make the ears.

EYE PATCHES:

Take 3 small vertical stitches for each eye patch.

NOSE:

Take 2 horizontal stitches for the nose.

MOUTH:

Take 1 smaller horizontal stitch for the mouth. Secure the yarn by stitching through to the back of the neck and stitching in place the burying the yarn in the body.

EYES:

Sew the eye beads to the center of the patches. Secure the thread ends in the eye patches.

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Filed under blessing bear, comfort bear, eco crafts & green projects, free pattern, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, grief, knitting, teddy bear, tutorial & how to, video tutorial

Tagged as blessing bear, comfort, comfort bear, grief, grieving, knitted bear, Knitted Clancy Bear, knitted comfort bear, Noreen Crone-Findlay

December 11, 2015 · 4:34 pm

Knitted Comfort Bear by Noreen Crone-Findlay

Today, we need kindness more than ever before.

It brings me such joy to see people everywhere finding ways to create comfort and to show their love of humanity.

Recently, I went to a benefit concert for Syrian refugees, and one of the organizers said: If you want to help, don’t ask us what you can do, tell us what your strengths are, and then do that.

I thought about what she said and then asked one of the other organizers if knitting teddy bears for the Syrian children was culturally acceptable, and she said that it is indeed.

And, so, I have designed a tiny knitted teddy bear that fits in a pocket to be a perfectly portable comfort, cuddle or hug.

I decided that I also need to help out with children who are already here, and are in distress.

So I offered to knit some for the children in the Women’s Shelter as well as for the Syrian Refugee children.(The lady at the Women’s Shelter was delighted with my offer and has heartily taken me up on it 🙂 )

Also, I am going to knit a few to keep in my bag for those times when I meet someone who just needs a little extra TLC.

I invite you to knit them for whatever charity makes your heart sing.

Feel free to share the link to this page… it would be wonderful to have knitters all over the world knitting these wee ambassadors of love and comfort!

Note: the finished size of this Tiny Comfort Bear is determined by the size of knitting needles that you choose and the thickness of the yarn.

YOU WILL NEED:

EQUIPMENT: Knitting needles (the Cuddle Bear in the photos was knitted with 2.75 mm needles); scissors; darning or tapestry needle; embroidery needle; ruler or tape measure.

Note: You can also knit these Comfort bears on a knitting machine if you have one. Because I have been requested to knit so many, I have made a whole bunch of them on my knitting machine.

YARN: 1 ball of sock yarn will make 10 or more Comfort Bears.

ALSO: A small amount of stuffing; black sock yarn or embroidery floss to embroider the features.

FINISHED SIZE:

With sock yarn and 2.75mm needles, the Comfort Bear is 3 inches/ 7.5 cm tall.

With sock yarn and 2.25mm needles, the Comfort Bear is 2 1/2 inches/ 6.25 cm tall

NOTE: For a very small bear: Use smaller needles and thinner yarn, such as lace weight.

For a larger bear, use thicker needles and heavier yarn.

INSTRUCTIONS:

BODY:
Leave at least 6 inches/ 15 cm of yarn for finishing and cast on 12 stitches.

Row 1: K 12

Row 2: K 1, P 1 in each stitch. (24 stitches)

Set up your knitting: You can either work the Comfort Bear flat on 2 needles, then sew the center back seam after finishing, OR, work it in the round, using 4 dpns, OR in the round on a magic loop on 1 long circular needle OR in the round on 2 shorter circular needles.

Rows or Rounds 3 – 15: Work in st st.

NECK:

(Eyelet Row/Round): Row or Round 16: [K2tog, yo] 12 times.

HEAD:

Rows or Rounds 17 – 30: Work 24 stitches in st st.

Row or Round 31: [K2tog] 12 times. (12 st)

Cut yarn, leaving 8 inches/20 cm for finishing.

FINISHING:

(Note: If you knitted your Comfort Bear flat on 2 needles, sew up the back seam now before completing the steps.)

1] Thread the yarn end at then end of the last round into a darning or tapestry needle and take it through all the stitches.

2] Pull up the stitches to close the top of the head, then take the needle through all the stitches again to secure them.

3] Stuff the entire body.

4] EARS:

Pinch a semi-circle out at the side of the head and stitch through the base to form the ear. Stitch along the base of the ear, back and forth to define it well.

Stitch in place at the top of the head, then take the yarn inside the head and come out at the other side. Stitch in place to secure the yarn and then stitch the other ear in the same way.

Take the yarn end inside the body.

5] LEGS:

Thread the yarn end at the lower edge of the body into the needle and then pull up to gather the lower edge closed. Stitch in place to secure the gather.

Take the needle through the body about 1/4 inch/.5 cm up from the base.