Little Teddy Bear (flat vers.) Knitting Pattern

Size:	the height of the toy may vary depending on the yarn used and the number of knitting needles
Needles:	straight needles 3.5 mm (long enough to hold all stitches comfortably) or circular needles 3.5 mm with a long cable for flat knitting or use knitting needles 1-1.5 sizes smaller than recommended for yarn
Materials:	30 g yarn Drops Soft Tweed (50g/130m), black embroidery thread for eyes and nose or another yarn

For example: 50g/130m Drops Soft Tweed on 3.50 mm needles produces a toy 17 cm high

The Little Teddy Bear is knitted flat in rows from the top down, in one piece from head to legs. The hands, nose and ears are worked separately and sewn on. Finishing includes seaming all parts with mattress stitch (or whipstitch where specified).

Cast on 32 stitches using your preferred cast-on method (I use the long-tail cast-on). The knitting begins with a wrong side (WS) row on the WS.

Row 1 (WS):	purl 32 sts The first and last stitches are worked according to the pattern – this applies to all rows throughout the project.
Row 2 (RS):	k 5, M1L, k 8, M1L, k 7, M1L, k 8, M1L, k 4 – 36 sts
Rows 3‑19:	36 sts in stockinette
Row 20 (RS):	k 5, M1L, k 9, M1L, k 8, M1L, k 9, M1L, k 5 – 40 sts
Rows 21‑23:	40 sts in stockinette
Row 24 (RS):	k 5, M1L, k 10, M1L, k 9, M1L, k 10, M1L, k 6 – 44 sts
Row 25 (WS):	purl 44 sts
Row 26 (RS):	k 44 sts Mark the 11th and 12th stitches, and the 32th and 33th stitches.
Row 27 (WS):	purl 44 sts
Row 28 (RS):	k 11, M1L, k 10, M1R, k 2, M1L, k 10, M1L, k 11- 48 sts
Rows 29-31:	48 sts in stockinette
Row 32 (RS):	k 23, M1R, k 2, M1L, k 23 – 50 sts
Rows 33-35:	50 sts in stockinette
Row 36 (RS):	k 24, M1R, k 2, M1L, k 24 – 52 sts
Row 37 (WS):	purl 52 sts
Row 38 (RS):	k 25, M1R, k 2, M1L, k 25 – 54 sts
Rows 39‑43:	54 sts in stockinette
Row 44 (RS):	k 4, ssk, k 12, k2tog, k 14, ssk, k 12, k2tog, k 4 – 50 sts
Rows 45‑47:	50 sts in stockinette
Row 48 (RS):	k 18, [ ssk, k 2 ] x 2, k2tog, k 2, k2tog, k 18 – 46 sts
Row 49 (WS):	purl 46 sts
Row 50 (RS):	k 17, [ ssk] x 3, [ k2tog ]x 3, k 17 – 40 sts
Row 51 (WS):	purl 40 sts
Row 52 (WS):	bind off 4 stitches, k 13 stitches, bind off 6 stitches, k 13 stitches, bind off 4 stitches

Cut the yarn, leaving a 30-35 cm tail. Next, continue with the legs.

Place the remaining 13 stitches on a holder, scrap yarn, or another needle. Join a new yarn. Start knitting from the right side.

Rows 1-10:	13 sts in stockinette
Row 11 (RS):	k 1, [ ssk, k 1] x 4 – 9 sts
Row 12 (WS):	purl 9 sts

Break the yarn, leaving a 10–15 cm tail. Thread the yarn through the remaining 9 stitches, pull tight to close, secure, and weave in the end.
Repeat the process for the second leg.

Join a new yarn and work the second leg the same way as the first, starting from row 1. Break the yarn, leaving a 30-35 cm tail. Transfer 9 stitches onto the yarn using a yarn needle and pull tight.

Sewing along the back

Weave in the short tails inside the toy; leave the long tails for further seaming. You should be left with 2 working yarn tails.
Sew the body along the back using mattress stitch.

Seaming the bottom

Now move on to seaming the bottom. Seam from one leg to the other.

Sew the leg with mattress stitch, sew the center section (between the legs) using whipstitch, then sew the second leg with mattress stitch.

Stuff the bear and move on to sewing the upper part with a new yarn.

Sewing the upper part

Find 2 central stitches along which increases were made. Mark the middle.

Count 7 stitches to the right and insert the needle into the seventh stitch. On the other side: Skip 1 stitch, and insert the needle into the next stitch.  (Watch here this moment.)

Sew the upper section using whipstitch.

Leave in tails inside the toy.

Hands

Cast on 6 stitches using your preferred cast-on method, leaving a 25-30 cm tail (this will be used later to sew the hand). I use long tail cast-on method. The knitting begins with a wrong side (WS) row on the WS.

Row 1 (WS):	purl 6 sts
Row 2 (RS):	k 1, [ k 1, M1L ] x 4, k 1-10 sts
Rows 3‑21:	10 sts in stockinette

Transfer any 5 stitches to a separate needle. Fold the hand in half and k together the stitches from both needles and bind off.

Pull the lower end of the yarn through 6 stitches. Sew the hand using mattress stitch. Stuff the hand as sewing.

Knit the second hand the same way.
Sew the hands to the marked stitches using whipstitch.

Ears

Cast on 8 stitches using your preferred cast-on method, leaving a yarn tail of about 15–20 cm. I use long tail cast-on method. The knitting begins with a wrong side (WS) row on the WS.

Rows 1‑10:

8 sts in stockinette

You should get a square shape (adjust the number of rows if necessary).
Break the yarn, leaving a 15–20 cm tail. Thread the yarn through the 8 stitches, pull tight, and secure.

Pull the yarn tail from the cast-on edge through the 8
stitches, pull tight, and secure.

Then tie the two yarn tails together — this will form a semicircle.
Knit the second ear the same way.Sew them on using any method you prefer.

Nose

Cast on 20 stitches using your preferred cast-on method (I use the long-tail cast-on). The knitting begins with a wrong side (WS) row on the WS.

Rows 1-5:	20 sts in stockinette
Row 6 (RS):	k 1, [ k 1, k2tog, k2tog, k 1 ] x 3, k 1 – 14 sts
Row 7 (WS):	p 1, [ p2tog ] x 6, p 1 – 8 sts

Break the yarn, leaving a 20-25 cm tail. Pull the yarn through 8 stitches.
Sew the nose using mattress stitch.
Stuff the nose and sew to the head using whipstitch.
Embroider the nose and eyes with black thread.

Abbreviations

k	knit
p	purl
stockinette	stockinette stitches are made when you knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side
k2tog	knit 2 together (right-leaning decrease);
ssk	slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease);
p2tog	purl 2 together (right-leaning decrease);
ssp	slip, slip, purl (left-leaning decrease);
M1L	make 1 left (increase leaning to the left);
M1R	make 1 right (increase leaning to the right);
st(s)	stitch(es)
RS	right side
WS	wrong side
edge st	slip the first stitch of the row purlwise with yarn in front

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Comments

8 responses to “Little Teddy Bear (flat vers.) Knitting Pattern”

March 11, 2026

Elsa

Oops, sorry, I didn’t look properly.

He’s gorgeous 😍.

Elsa

1. June 26, 2026
  
  Sally
  
  Are you purling row 2? I thought it was a k row. The video looks like you are purling everything. I did a purl row and then a knit row and then started the stockingnette. My pattern is not smooth, it is staggered looking rows. Do I start the stockinette with a purl row? Thank you.
  
  1. July 13, 2026
    
    maylily
    
    Row 2 is a knit row. The video angle may make it look like I’m purling, but I’m knitting all stitches on Row 2 (including the first and last stitches) and working the increases as written.
    The pattern begins with a WS row:
    Row 1 (WS): purl all stitches.
    Row 2 (RS): knit all stitches.
    Row 3 (WS): purl all stitches.
    From there, continue in stockinette stitch by knitting all RS rows and purling all WS rows.
    If your fabric still doesn’t look right, feel free to send me a photo, and I’ll be happy to help! 💛
    
June 26, 2026

Sally

I am need of help. Is the row right after the cast on what you are calling the WS? The video looks like you are purling everything, even row two that says to start with a K. I did a purl for row 1. Then row two I did as a knit. Then I started stockinette with k first. But I got a weird pattern that is not smooth. Thank you for any help.

1. July 13, 2026
  
  maylily
  
  Yes, that’s correct. 😊
  The row immediately after the cast-on is Row 1, which is the WS, so you purl all stitches.
  Then: Row 2 (RS): knit all stitches and work the increases.
  Row 3 (WS): purl all stitches.
  Row 4 (RS): knit all stitches.
  From there, simply continue in stockinette, always knitting the RS rows and purling the WS rows (including the first and last stitches).
  It sounds like you may have started the stockinette with a knit row instead of a purl row after Row 2, which would explain the uneven-looking fabric.
  I hope that solves it! 💛
  
June 27, 2026

Nicola

So looking forward to knitting this small bear.

July 20, 2026

Sabrina Sakevych

Hi! I love your pattern and I have just started knitting it but I decided to make the bear twice as big. I thought it will be enough to just double the stitches at the beginning, but now that I am doing increases I am wondering if there will be any changes to them or should I just keep going?

1. July 21, 2026
  
  maylily
  
  Hi! I’m so glad you like the pattern! 🤍
  Since you doubled the number of stitches, you will also need to adjust the increases rather than follow them exactly as written. I would recommend distributing the increases evenly and symmetrically around the row, with more stitches between each increase according to your new stitch count. You may also need to add more rows in some sections to keep the bear’s proportions.
  For future projects, the easiest way to make the toy larger is to use thicker yarn and larger needles while following the original stitch counts. This usually keeps the shape and proportions without needing to recalculate the whole pattern.
  Luba