Totoro Knitalong Two

We left off with 22 rows knit.  After that there are a few rows just knit straight.

Then we begin decreasing.

And the knitting begins to look like a fat, round body.  Row 37 to 52 is where Rududu left out 8 rows.  From looking at the pictures of my first totoro, I think I may have left out all these rows.  On this version, I left out ten of these straight knitting rows.  

After the straight knitting, we begin decrease rows again.  I like to stuff the body every so often to see if the shaping is coming along the way I want it to.  If not, I can rip a few rows and change it but if you don't stuff it, it's difficult to tell.

Cheif Knitting and Yarn Management Assistant being ever helpful.

I forgot that you need white felt to put behind the eyes.  I didn't have any in the house so I decided to knit a swatch of white wool and felt it.  I didn't have any the last time I made one of these either so that time I needle felted a couple of little circles to go behind the eyes.

I start testing eye placement before I get too far up in the knitting because it can be hard to click those washers on if the opening isn't large enough.  This placement is wrong, the eyes should be farther apart.

I'm not sure why the eyes look crooked in this picture because they aren't in real life.  I'm also not happy with the top of the head - it's just too pointy.  I may take out the last two rows and finish the top without them.

Edit: I went back and unknit the top few rows.  I knit through round 61 and then broke the string and ran it through the 12 stitches left on my needles.  That made for a much more pleasing top of the head.  Pictures with the next post.

On to the belly.  I knit this little oval to sew on the belly.  Stockinette curls so it just wouldn't lay flat - it will be fine once it's sewed on - but for the picture's sake, I flattened it with knitting needles.  Here is the pattern I used, but you can make up your own, depending on how much of the belly you want to cover with white.

Cast on 7 using the long tail cast on (because it gives you the first knit row).

Row 1 and all odd rows thru Row 23:  Purl

Row 2:  K1, M1, K5, M1, K1   - 9 sts

Row 4:  K1, M1, K7, M1, K1   - 11 sts

Row 6:  K1, M1, K9, M1, K1   - 13 sts

Row 8:  K1, M1, K11, M1, K1   - 15 sts

Row 10:  K1, M1, K13, M1, K1   - 17 sts

Row 12:  K17

Row 14:  K1, M1, K15, M1, K1   -19 sts

Row 16:  SSK, K15, K2tog   - 17 sts

Row 18:  SSK, K13, K2tog   - 15 sts

Row 20:  SSK, K11, K2tog   - 13 sts

Row 22:  SSK, K9, K2tog   - 11 sts

Row 24:  SSK, K7, K2tog   - 9 sts

Row 25:  P2tog, P5, P2togTBL  - 7 sts

Row 26:  Bind off as you SSK, K3, K2tog

Stay Tuned:  More in a few days . . . .