E is for Elephant
Stuffed animals are a staple and this one is fun and easy to make. I love elephants, but with a different nose and ears you could easily transform this into P is for pig.

Materials
• Blossom by Reynolds (50% acrylic, 40% viscose, 10% cotton, 50 g = 82 yds). 2 balls. shown in colour 09.
• Size 4 (3.5 mm) double pointed needles or size to obtain gauge
• Darning needle
• Contrast colour scrap yarn for embroidery
• Polyfill or other machine-washable stuffing

Gauge
18 sts and 28 rows per 4 inches in St st. Exact gauge is not essential but you want to be sure your fabric is tight enough to hide the filling.

Size
About 6 inches tall and 7 inches long.

To make
Body
**CO 8 sts. Divide evenly among needles and join into a round, being careful not to twist.

Increase rounds:
Round 1: K.
Round 2: *K1, Kf&b* -- 12 sts.
Rounds 3-6: Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 twice more -- 27 sts.**
Round 7: K.
Round 8: *K2, Kf&b* -- 36 sts.
Rounds 9-11: K.
Round 12: *K5, Kf&b* -- 42 sts.
Rounds 13-16: Repeat rounds 9-12 -- 49 sts.
Work even until piece measures 4 inches when measured flat.

Decrease rounds:
Round 1: *K5, K2tog* -- 42 sts.
Rounds 2-4: K.
Rounds 5-8: Repeat Rounds 1-4 -- 36 sts.
Round 9: [K2, K2tog] -- 27 sts.

Stuff the body mostly full before the hole gets too small.

Round 10: K.
Round 11: *K1, K2tog* -- 18 sts.
Rounds 12 & 13: Repeat Rounds 10 & 11 -- 12 sts.

Finish stuffing. Break yarn and, using darning needle, thread yarn through remaining sts. Pull tight to close the opening and secure firmly in place.

Legs (make 4)
CO 16 sts. Join into a round, being careful not to twist. K even until piece measures 1.75 inches. BO.

Soles (worked back and forth on 2 needles):
CO 4 sts.
Row 1 and following WS Rows: P.
Row 2: K1, Kf&b, K2 -- 5 sts.
Row 4: K2, Kf&b, K2 -- 6 sts.
Row 6: K2, K2tog, K2 -- 5 sts.
Row 8: K1, K2tog, K2 -- 4 sts.

Leave long tails to use to sew sole to leg.
Sew sole to one end of leg using whipstitch.

Head
Work as for Body from ** to **. There are 27 sts.

K 2 rounds even.
Next Round: K2, Kf&b -- 36 sts.
Work even until piece measures 2 inches when measured flat.

Decreases:
Round 1: K2, K2tog -- 27 sts.
Rounds 2 & 3: K.
Round 4: [K1, K2tog] -- 18 sts.

Start stuffing the head.

Round 5: K.
Round 6: [K1, K2tog] -- 12 sts.

Finish stuffing the head and close as you did the body.

Ears (make 2)
The ears are worked flat in garter stitch.

CO 5 sts.
Row 1 and all WS rows: K.
Row 2: K.
Row 4: Kf&b, K to last 2 sts, Kf&b, K1 -- 7 sts.

Repeat these 4 rows once more -- 9 sts.

Row 10: Kf&b, K to end of row -- 10 sts.
Row 12: Kf&b, K to last 2 sts, Kf&b, K1 -- 12 sts.
Rows 14 & 16: K.
Row 18: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog.
Row 19: K.

Repeat Rows 18 & 19 until 4 sts remain. BO.

Trunk
CO 4 sts. Work in i-cord for about 1 inch.
Inc (M1) in the next row.
Continue with 5 sts for another inch.
Inc in the next row.
Continue with 6 sts for another inch.
BO.

Assembly
Placement of the body parts is not critical -- the elephant is cute even asymmetrical -- so don't obsess about getting everything just so.

To weave in ends, use a sewing style knot (like when you sew on a button) and then bury the end in the stuffing.

Stuff the legs and attach them to the body. If they are a little toward the head end, it will help the elephant stand up.

Attach the head to the body, placing it near the last increases on the body near the top. The cast-on edge should be pointing out -- that's where you'll attach the trunk.

Attach trunk (by the wide end) and ears.

Make a tail by threading a 6-inch-long strand into the body next to the yarn tail on the rear end, then out again a couple of sts over. Braid the tail yarn and these two strands for about an inch then tie off.

Embroidery
Thread contrast colour yarn onto your darning needle and insert the needle near the neck and then move it into position through the stuffing. Make a French knot for each eye with one running stitch just above it. Start a different strand for the side embroidery and use running stitch to make the desired letter.

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Excerpted from Baby Knits Kit: Instructions and Tools for 20 Snuggly Projects by Sara Lucas, with photographs by Julie Toy. Text copyright 2007 by Sara Lucas. Photographs copyright 2007 by Julie Toy. Excerpted with permission from Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.