Knitted Angel Pattern

Here is the knitted version of the angel. I just finished her last night. I think she looks a little bit like Carol Channing in Thoroughly Modern Millie, but oh well! I am not good with embroidering faces! This is so frustrating. I need lots more practice. I made an extra head of the Rebecca doll, as it's nice and large, and am starting to use this to practice embroidering eyes and mouths, as well as testing out colored pencils for cheeks, etc.

Knitted Angel

Copyright 2007 Anita M. Wheeless

Materials needed:

Size US 3 (3.25 mm) Double-Pointed Needles

Plymouth Encore DK-weight yarn in White

Paton's DK-weight in Peach or Sirdar Bonus DK in Flesh or whatever DK-weight skin-tone color you would like to use

Lion Brand Glitterspun in gold

Oddments of Reynolds Lopi Lite in Mustard for halo (or any golden color DK-weight yarn)

Oddments of Angora blend in white for hair

Sparkle thread for hair

Embroidery floss or acrylic paints for face

Angel Body

Using size US 3 (3.25 mm) double-pointed needles and one strand of white held together with one strand of glitterspun, cast on 36 stitches.

Divide by purling onto three double-pointed needles so that you have 12 stitches on each needle. Place your stitch marker and prepare to join.

Knit two rounds. Cut glitterspun and continue with white.

Knit 12 rounds.

Start decreases for shaping:

k2tog, k8, k2 tog all around

knit two rounds more

k2 tog, k2, k2 tog, k2, k2 tog

Knit 5 rounds more

k2 tog, k3, k2 tog

knit one round more

k2tog, k1, k2 tog

knit three rounds more

Join your skin-tone color yarn and cut white.

Knit one round

Increase in each stitch by knitting in the front and back of each

Knit 9 rounds more

knit 2 tog all the way around

Gather remaining stitches onto an embroidery or yarn needle and thread a length of yarn through the stitches. Gather tightly. Insert needle down into top of head and knot off underneath.

Arms/Hands (make two)

Using size US 3 (3.25) straight needles, cast on 8 stitches using white yarn.

Starting with a knit row, st-st for 3 rows.

Join skin-tone yarn and cut white.

St-st for three more rows.

Gather stitches onto a yarn needle. Thread a length of yarn through, pull tightly and knot off.

Wings (make two)

Using one strand of white yarn held together with one strand of gold Glitterspun, cast on 5 stitches onto size 3 (3.25 mm) straight needles.

Knit one row

On the purl row, increase in first and last stitch by purling into the front, then move your yarn to the back and knit into the back of the stitch.

Knit one row

Again, increase in first and last again (purl into the front of the stitch you are increasing, move yarn to back, knit into the back)

knit one row

Increase in the first, purl 3, increase in the fourth, purl 3, increase in last

Knit

Now, knit into the front and back of each stitch

Knit

Decrease by knitting 2 tog all the way

Bind off

Base

Using size US 3 (3.25 mm) DPN, cast on 36 stitches using white yarn.

Divide by purling 12 onto each needle. Place your stitch marker.

Knit two rounds

Decrease by knitting 2tog, k3, k2tog, k3, k2 tog

knit

Decrease again by knitting k2tog, k3, k2tog, k2

Knit

Continue decrease by knitting k2tog, k2, k2tog, k1

knit

k2 tog, k3

knit

k2 tog all the way around

Gather remaining stitches onto a yarn needle and pull a length of yarn through. Pull tightly and knot off.

Halo

Holding gold or mustard colored yarn along with glitterspun, cast on 40 stitches onto a size 3 needle leaving a nice, long tail of glitterspun. Bind off, leaving the glitterspun tail for now.

To make up:

Stuff body with polyester fiberfill. Take arms and fold them, overstitching the edges together to shape into an arm. You can stuff it lightly or leave it without stuffing, as it's so small. Decide which section looks the best to be the front of the angel and center the arms, sewing them in place.

Put the base on underneath the angel and stitch it in place.

Take the wings and unbend them a bit (as the stocking stitch makes them want to roll inward). Find the right spot on her back and sew them in place.

To make the hair, take the sparkly thread held together with the angora and wind the two strands held together around your index finger about 4-5 times. Ease the loops off your finger and snip the yarn/thread leaving a tail to insert into the loops to hold them in place. Knot off. Repeat this about 7 or more times to get enough little curls to cover the angel's head. Using the bit of tail left, stitch in place on her head.

Take the halo and center it around the head, crossing the extra in the back of the head. (See photo). Stitch this cross-over to hold it in place, then stitch the halo securely onto the head. Let the bit of glitterspun tails hang down, if you like that.

Embroider the face using three strands of embroidery floss ... or use acrylic paints.

Again, if you have any trouble, please email me and I'll figure it out! I hope you enjoy it.

There are many things we could do with these angels. We could make different hands (holding a book, for instance) and different expressions, too. I have thought about a whole set of them doing chores! (Holding a mixing bowl and spoon; holding a broom, etc.)