Pssssst, those little hearts? Those little hearts in the third picture? Those were inspired by the tails on these, and I'll be sending them to anyone who is on my patreon (at any level, yes even the free one) when they go live later this week. I'm not sure of the exact date, but if you're on my patreon when they go live, you'll get them!

You don’t need these. You really don’t. Some of you may even be scandalized by them (which really, if this is what you can muster the energy to be scandalized by given the state of the world, well then I admire your equanimity in the face of actual catastrophes). But I know, in my heart of hearts, that there are some of you who will have you day made better by these little dudes. That, or you’ll use them to make someone else’s day better, and that’s just as good.

Because the world is on fire. And it feels like the bad guys are winning. And we’re all exhausted and terrified and overwhelmed. And that’s not going to stop any time soon.

But when it feels like that, there’s something powerful in putting down your phone, picking up your needles, and making some absurd little thing that brings you joy or making something you know will make someone else smile. No it’s not practical. No it’s not necessary. But making a little bit of time to do something joyful is surprisingly powerful. And I want you to know exactly how powerful you are.

General information

This 34-page pattern includes extensive directions for our devilish little friends (including exactly how to make the tails do that curlicue thing). It is tremendously detailed and holds your hand every step of the way. There are pages and pages of step-by-step photos to show you exactly what to expect as you work. It walks you through everything from cast on to making those adorable little horns, to blocking, to attaching your wings and tail.

The pattern is almost absurdly detailed, but it really does mean you can totally make these, even if you’ve never knit a project like this before!

Skills & scope

These are dangerously quick. Dangerous, because the chances of making just one is…low. There’s nothing terribly complicated going on here (tubes…pretty much all knitting is just tubes, you can do it), but there are a couple of clever little bits (mostly stuff you do with your tails so that you don’t have any extra ends to weave in), and you’ll work a couple of stitches with needle and thread at the end to attach the wings.

The pattern uses charts, so you will need to know how to follow a knitting chart.

Yarn, gauge & sizing

These are small enough that I don’t have you do a gauge swatch. Instead, I have you work the first handful of rows and check the fabric against your doll. I recommend using fairly thin yarn (fingering or sport weight) and knitting tightly enough that you get a firm fabric. If you think ‘fabric I’d like for a sock’ you’ll be on the right track!

Each doll takes less than 75 yards of yarn (the smallest quite a bit less).

You can absolutely use scrap yarn for this.

Tools & supplies

You’ll need needles that let you work in the round (circulars or DPNs) in whatever size lets you get a fabric you like with your chosen yarn plus the general knitting tools you need for most projects (scissors to cut your yarn, a darning needle to weave in ends, the occasional stitch marker or bit of scrap yarn to hold stitches).

You’ll also want peg dolls. You can find these online (search for “peg doll”) and at some craft stores. You want to have the peg dolls on hand when you start knitting, as you’ll check your fabric against the doll at several points as you knit. For the wings, you need some sort of material that won’t fray and that you can cut with scissors. Things like vinyl, leather, or felt work great. If you want the tail to be poseable, you’ll want a pipe cleaner or other bendable wire.