All the pieces of the puppy are made flat on two needles and seamed. The yarn and needle sizes shown will make a puppy which is approximately 17cm high and 22cm long.

Any yarn could be used and the gauge isn’t very important, thinner or thicker yarn will make a smaller or larger puppy. It is necessary to use needles one or two sizes smaller than recommended for the yarn in order to create a firmer fabric so that the stuffing won’t show through.

A puppy made in one colour will use just under two 50g balls of the Sirdar cotton. See my projects page for examples of this design in different colours.

In addition to the yarn and needle sizes shown, you will need:

• A suitable toy stuffing (I use washable polyester filling)
• A small amount of black double knitting cotton yarn
• A tapestry needle for joining seams and adding facial details

The pattern includes two very simple charts for creating the collar and patches with heart motifs but they could be made plain, with stripes or any other motif you fancy - anything goes!

If you make the puppy with the yarn stated on the pattern it will be machine washable and tumble dryable (I’ve done it!) making it suitable as a toy for a child.

This is a link to a very good blog tutorial about seaming that explains how to join vertical to horizontal knit stitches when seaming. This comes in handy for joining the puppy’s legs to its body.