This South American Indian toy is wearing a traditional costume which might be worn for a ceremony in celebration of the wonders of the South American jungle. On his shield are representations of snakes and a lizard, and in his hair are feathery emblems of the bright parrots that share his world.

This is a variation of the basic person pattern in the book Kath Dalmeny’s World of Knitted Toys. The pattern calls for

• 50 g DK in skin color
• 20 g DK in cream
• a small amount of black DK (less than 20 g)
• and assorted scraps of DK weight yarn to make designs.

This toy is part of a chapter in book that provides patterns for other jungle animals, including a spider monkey (mother and baby), striped snake, parrot, tiger cub, gorilla and orang utan (complete with knitted banana!). A complete contents list of the book is shown below.

The pattern also uses a pair of 10 mm (3/8 inch) safety eyes, but the eyes can also be worked as black yarn stitches.

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