Inspired by a speech-therapy device, Chow loves to show off his teeth and wiggle his tongue. While he’s a real loud mouth at family get-togethers, he’s always on the look out for a snack. 

You can even personalize your Chow with braces or grills! Invite him over and let him take a bite out of your next party.

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Chow is approximately 6.5 inches wide by 3 inches tall.
The actual size will vary depending on yarn used and differences in felting conditions.

MATERIALS
Yarn
[MC] Patons Classic Merino Wool Yarn [3.5oz/100g; 223yd/204m; 100% wool]; color: Bright Red (#230); 1 skein
[CC1] Ella Rae Classic Merino Wool Yarn [100g; 219yd; 100% wool]; color: Bubblegum (#54); 1 skein
[CC2] Patons Classic Merino Wool Yarn [3.5oz/100g; 223yd/204m; 100% wool]; color: Winter White (#201) or Aran (202); 1 skein of either

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 set US #8/5 mm double-pointed needles
1 long #8/5 mm circular needle for magic loop method (optional)

Notions
Yarn needle
Locking stitch markers
Waxed dental floss
Embroidery needle
Silver or gold lace-weight metallic yarn or glitter thread (Plymouth Gold Rush or Crystal Palace Sparkle Plenty, for instance) for braces or grills

GAUGE
Because Chow is felted, gauge is not critical.
Prefelted: 20 sts and 24 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch in the round

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

DIRECTIONS

Rounds 1-10: Knit.

Round 11: [K2tog, k14] to end.  (45 stitches)

Round 12: Knit.

Round 13:  [K2tog, k13] to end. (42 stitches)

Round 14: Knit.

Round 15: [K2tog, k12] to end. (39 stitches)

Round 16: Knit.

Round 17: [K2tog, k11] to end. (36 stitches)

Round 18: Knit.

Round 19: [K2tog, k10] to end. (33 stitches)

Round 20: Knit.

Round 21: [K2tog, k9] to end. (30 stitches)

Round 22: Knit.

Round 23: [K2tog, k8] to end. (27 stitches)

Round 24: Knit.

Round 25: [K2tog, k7] to end. (24 stitches)

Round 26: K2tog around. (12 stitches)

Round 27: K2tog around. (6 stitches)

Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch-long tail. Thread the tail onto the yarn needle, gather the remaining stitches onto it and pull tightly to close.

Rounds 1-8: Knit.

Round 9: [K2tog, k10] to end. (33 stitches)

Round 10: Knit.

Round 11: [K2tog, k9] to end. (30 stitches)

Round 12: Knit.

Round 13: [K2tog, k8] toe end. (27 stitches)

Round 14: Knit.

Round 15: [K2tog, k7] to end. (24 stitches)

Round 16: [K2tog, k6] to end. (21 stitches)

Round 17: [K2tog, k5] to end. (18 stitches)

Round 18: [K2tog, k4] to end. (15 stitches)

Round 19: [K2tog, k3] to end. (12 stitches)

Round 20: K2tog around. (6 stitches)

Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch-long tail. Thread the tail onto the yarn needle, gather the remaining stitches onto it and pull tightly to close.

TEETH (make two)
Using CC2 and two dpns, cast on 6 stitches and work 40 rows as follows:

Next Row: Instead of turning work around to work back on the WS, slide all sts to other end of needle, switch needle back to your left hand, bring yarn around back of work, and start knitting the sts again. I-Cord is worked with the RS facing at all times.
Repeat this row to form I-cord. After a few rows, work will begin to form a tube.

Cut yarn, leaving an 8 inch long tail. Thread the tail onto the yarn needle, gather the remaining stitches onto it and pull tightly to close.

FINISHING
See photos above as a guide.

Sandwich the tongue between the two mouth pieces, making sure to line up the back edges where the pocket openings are. Thread pink yarn through a yarn needle and, using an overhand stitch, stitch one back edge of the tongue to the corresponding back edges of the upper and lower mouth pieces. Make sure that you leave the backs of all three pieces open (the pockets) for your hand to manipulate your Chow when it’s finished.  Because the tongue is smaller than the mouth pieces, there will be a little of the mouth not joined. Use red yarn to stitch these areas closed on either side of the tongue.

Taking one of the i-cord rows of teeth, center it on the inside edge of one of the mouth pieces.  Using the white wool yarn and the overhand stitch, secure the teeth onto the very front edge of the mouth.  Repeat with the other i-cord row of teeth on the other inside mouth piece. Again, line up the edges of the teeth and the mouth and stitch them together with the white yarn.

After all the components are stitched together, carefully weave in all loose ends. Place your Chow in a zippered lingerie bag and put it in the washing machine.  Sprinkle in a bit of laundry detergent, set your washer on the lowest water level and the hottest water. Start it washing on the longest cycle. Stop the washer and check on Chow about every five minutes, stretching and pulling it into shape as necessary.

When there are no visible stitch marks remaining, it is finished. Remove from the washer and rinse in clear water. Dry it in a towel, then shape the mouth pieces, the tongue and the teeth. Don’t be afraid to pull them into shape.

Set Chow aside to dry. This could take several days, depending on conditions.

For braces or grills [see pic above]:
After Chow has dried, take several strands of metallic yarn threaded together in an embroidery needle and stitch across the teeth, both horizontally and vertically, for braces. For grills, embroider whatever design you would like directly onto the teeth.

Anita Mumm Wheeless has made use of knitting in the round with double-pointed needles to turn out a number of creative felted toy patterns. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, three children and dog – and finds that a good Jane Austen movie is the perfect backdrop for knitting.

A former newspaper writer/editor born in Lynchburg, Va., Anita maintains a pair of blogs and her knitting web site.