Walruses are friendly creatures and are often seen flopping about together in huge gatherings on the land. They are immensely fat, equipped with a layer of blubber to keep out the cold. But their huge weight can make life very difficult when trying to get in and out of the water, so they sometimes use their long tusks to help lever themselves onto the rocks.

As well as being social, walruses are also competitive. They fight over mates and can cause serious injuries with their tusks. A walrus’s status in the society is clearly on display - the bigger your tusks, the more important you are. So this knitted walrus probably ranks somewhere in the middle!

The pattern for the walrus is from the book Kath Dalmeny’s World of Knitted Toys, and the full list of over 50 projects is shown below. The pattern can also be adapted quite simply to make a playful sea lion in black yarn (and without the tusks!)

Materials
The walrus pattern requires:

• 60 g DK in mid brown
• about 10 g DK in white for the tusks
• scraps of black DK for the nose and mouth

The pattern also suggests using 14mm (1/2 inch) toy safety eyes, but felt eyes or black stitches would also be appropriate.

KATH DALMENY’S WORLD OF KNITTED TOYS patterns list

The book contains over 50 patterns for making adorable knitted toys – people and animals from all over the world. Each chapter covers a different habitat, the animals that make their homes there, and one of the people who live there, with accessories to represent their lives or work. The knitting patterns are listed under three categories – Easy; Straightforward; and Challenging, to help knitters choose the project that is right for you. The projects are as follows:

BASIC PERSON PATTERN
(which is then adapted for the people patterns below)

IN THE JUNGLE

• South American Indian
• Spider monkey – mother and baby
• Snake
• Tiger cub
• Gorilla
• Orang utan
• Parrot
• Banana

AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK

• Australian sheep farmer (complete with corks hanging from his hat!)
• Merino sheep
• Koala bear
• Duck-billed platypus
• Wombat
• Kangaroo and Joey

DOWN ON THE FARM

• Farmer
• Highland bull
• Pigs and piglets
• Cat
• Mallard duck
• Chicken, cockerel and chicks

THE DEEP BLUE SEA

• Pearl fisherman
• Dolphin
• Shark
• Killer whale
• Turtle
• Octopus
• Clownfish

FOREST FRIENDS

• Canadian Mountie
• Horse
• Grizzly bear
• Beaver
• Raccoon
• Chipmunk
• Moose

ON SAFARI

• African Park Ranger
• Zebra
• Lion family – lion, lioness and lion cub
• Rhinoceros
• Elephant
• Warthog

THE SNOWY REGIONS

• Eskimo
• Husky dog
• Fish
• Penguins – Emperor penguins and Adelie penguins – parents and chicks
• Seal
• Walrus
• Polar bear

PATTERN VARIATIONS

• Sea lion
• Panda bear