The bobtail skink, Tiliqua rugosa rugosa, is an Australian reptile common in Perth. They come in many colors, but Little Rock Granite is a good match to one of the common colors. See video and blog for other color choices.

This is a quick project. I can make one in just a few hours. I knit the whole thing on DPNs and straight needles. The body is worked back and forth and the head is shaped in the round. I made a little fleece pillow to insert in the head to hold the stuffing. It also helps secure the eyes. I like 9mm safety eyes for this pattern.

I made a video of this whole pattern so there’s no confusion over how I wrote the stitch count for the multiple needles in the head part. The legs and toes are also simple to make but hard to explain. The video should help. I included time stamped links to the video in the PDF so you can skip to the relevant part when you get to it. If you want to work off a Numbers Spreadsheet instead of a PDF email me and I’ll reply with an attachment you can open on your iPad. I like to add a column to take notes and check off each row as I go.

I knit combination style, which means I purl underhand. I explain what difference this makes in my knitting in the video. (minimal) I write my instructions the same as everybody else. Knitting in the round is exactly the same for combination and Western knitters. I don’t change how I write decreases in straight knitting, I simply change how I perform the instructions when I see how the stitches present.

I didn’t do the video to explain the knitting to a beginner as the pattern is a bit complex toward the head. I went quickly through the steps to clarify the written pattern for experienced knitters. If you need more help with specific instructions search for YouTube videos just for that thing. That’s how I learned. See my blog for recommendations of YouTube channels for beginners.