Stegopuff is a cheerful join-as-you-go dinosaur adventure for self-patterning yarn, flaunting color transitions wherever they happen with geometric shaping and a sassy hint of asymmetry. Knit seamlessly and almost entirely in the round from picked-up stitches, all limbs are in fixed positions so there is no guesswork later. While designed for self-striping and Fair Isle-effect yarns, Stegopuff has excellent potential as a scrap yarn stashbuster, or tacosaurus.

Stegosaur construction begins with two semi-circular panels that are knit flat, then joined in the round for the belly. After a weird but magical trick for leg holes, stitches are further picked up and kept live as the head, spines, feet, and tail are knit off in the round, creating a fully hollow body. Other than a few short row sections at the head and tail, the rest of the appendages are neatly decreased into existence. Finishing involves weaving in ends and the barest whiff of kitchener stitch - there is zero sewing (because I am bad at it). Written pattern includes progress photos that illustrate various steps, as well as technical/design tips.

Materials:
• Needles: US size 1-3, DPNs and circulars (aim for a tight gauge)
• Yarn: See Examples below
• Locking stitch markers (or scrap yarn)
• Stuffing
• Safety eyes (or the ability to embroider eyes)
• Yarn needle for finishing
• Skinny crochet hook (Optional, but super, super useful)

Gauge/Size:There’s no specific gauge, but do knit tightly to prevent gaps where stuffing might show through.

Examples:
Stegopuff - SKY BLUE RAINBOW
Main Color (MC): Must Stash Yarn – Perfect Self Striping, “Fearless” (35g)
Contrasting Color (CC): Must Stash Yarn – Simply Perfect Tonal, “Rudolph” (7g)
Needles: US size 1 (DPNs and circulars)
Dimensions: 9” long x 5” tall x 4” wide

Stegopuff - GREEN FAIR ISLE (ORANGE SPINES)
Main Color (MC): Schoppel Wolle – Ambiente, “1860 Kiwi Cocktail” (50g)
Contrasting Color (CC): Malabrigo – Rios, “Living Coral” (12g)
Needles: US size 3 (DPNs and circulars)
Dimensions: 10” long x 6” tall x 5” wide

Techniques (Intermediate):
Cast-on: backwards loop
Short rows: German short rows, or Wrap-and-Turn
Increases/Decreases: M1L, M1R, k2tog, SSK, CDD (centered double decrease)
Kitchener stitch
Picking up stitches

Choosing yarn: In self-striping yarns, the length of a single color varies widely. Matching skeins are ideal for identical left-and-right sides, but similar results can be achieved by starting the sides from the same point in a yarn that has regularly repeating colors. For yarns with longer color runs (aka, thicker stripes), I sometimes skip the CC and instead alternate between feet and spines, reserving long runs of solid color for the spines and impending color breaks for the feet. Self-striping yarns that change quickly, as in the examples, look best with a solid CC for the spines—in my opinion.

SAFETY: I don’t know what official designation or standard is required to call this a “toy,” but please use your best judgment and an abundance of caution for the safety of your children and pets.

Special thanks to Edwina, Erin, and Stacie for testing and support!

TYPO ALERT:
If your version was downloaded before December 4, 2021, there may be a typo in the Belly Pattern: Round 1 stitch count should be 136, not 132, and Round 2 stitch count should be 128, not 124.