My Own Pattern II: One-Seam Teddy Bear

I was intrigued by the idea of knitting a bear in one piece from the top down, with minimal seaming, and this is what I came up with.



Materials:
Worsted weight scrap yarn in 2 or more colours
3.75 mm dpns (set of 4)
Needle for embroidery and seaming
Stuffing
Plastic animal eyes
Felt scraps for securing eyes if the toy is for a baby
4 stitch markers
4 stitch holders

Note: Slip stitches purlwise.

Using 2 dpns and MC, cast on 32 sts on one needle. Knitting back and forth,
Row 1: (sl, k) to end of row.
Repeat this row 8 times. When you start a new row, slip the first stitch with the yarn in back (it will wrap around the slipped stitch).

Using 2 dpns, slip the first st to needle 1, slip the second st to needle 2, slip the third to st to needle 1, and slip the 4th st to needle 2. Continue this way to the end, slipping alternate sts to each needle.
Turn the fabric inside out so that the knitted side is on the outside, and the purled side is on the inside.
Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the row, and redistribute sts on 3 dpns.

HEAD
Row 9: k7, pm, k2, pm, k23 (32 sts)
Row 10: k7, m1, slm, k2, slm, m1, k23 (34 sts)
Row 11: k all sts (34 sts)
Row 12: k8, m1, slm, k2, slm, m1, k24 (36 sts)
Row 13: k all sts (36 sts)
Row 14: k9, m1, slm, k2, slm, m1, k25 (38 sts)
Row 15: k all sts (38 sts)
Row 16: k10, m1, slm, k2, slm, m1, k26 (40 sts)
Row 17: k all sts (40 sts)
Row 18: k all sts (40 sts)
Row 19: k9, k2tog, slm, k2, slm, ssk, k25 (38sts)
Row 20: k all sts (38sts)
Row 21: k8, k2tog, slm, k2, slm, ssk, k24 (36 sts)
Row 22: k all sts and remove markers (36 sts)
Row 23: Switch to CC1, and (k1, p1) around for 3 rows (36sts)
Stuff the head. Flatten and sew the corners down for ears. You may have to run a stitch through the corners to round out the ears. Embroider the nose, and attach the eyes, backing them on the inside with felt scraps for extra safety if desired.

BODY
As an option, you may start using CC2, and other colours to make a fair isle sweater for your teddy.
Row 27: k all sts (36 sts)
Row 28: k1, pm, k16, pm, k2, pm, k16, pm, k1 (36 sts)
Row 29: k1, m1, slm, k16, slm, m1, k2, m1, slm, k16, slm, m1, k1 (40 sts)
Row 30: k all sts (40 sts)
Row 31: k2, m1, slm, k16, slm, m1, k4, m1, slm, k16, m1, k2 (44 sts)
Row 32: k all sts (44 sts)
Row 33: k3, m1, slm, k16, slm, m1, k6, m1, slm, k16, m1, k3 (48 sts)
Row 34: k all sts (48 sts)
Row 35: k4, m1, slm, k16, slm, m1, k8, m1, slm, k16, m1, k4 (52 sts)
Row 36: k all sts (52 sts)
Row 37: k5, m1, slm, k16, slm, m1, k10, m1, slm, k16, m1, k5 (56 sts)
Row 38: k all sts (56 sts)
Row 39: k6, m1, slm, k16, slm, m1, k12, m1, slm, k16, m1, k6 (60 sts)
Row 40: k all sts and remove markers (60 sts)
Row 41: k5 sts onto stitch holder, k20, k 10 sts onto second stitch holder, k20, k5 sts onto first stitch holder (60 sts)
Row 42: k20, cast on 3 sts, k 20, cast on 3 sts (46 sts on body). Knit 5 rows.

Switch to MC.
Row 48: Knit 3 rows (46 sts)
Stuff the body.

LEGS
Row 51: k12 sts, k 23 sts onto stitch holder, k11 sts (46 sts)
Row 52: k 12 sts to stitch holder; *k 23 sts on holder, cast on 1 st (24 sts on leg)
Row 53: Knit 10 rows (24 sts)

Stuff the leg.
Row 63: k2tog across (12 sts)
Row 64: k all sts (12 sts)
Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Thread the tail through the needle, and pass the needle through the remaning 12 sts. Pull tightly and tie, bringing the knot to the inside of the leg.

Place the other 23 leg sts on the dpns. Repeat rows 52 (from *) to 64.

ARMS
Knit the 10 sts from the holder, and pick up 6 sts from the arm hole (16 sts).
Knit 5 rows CC1, and 3 rows MC (16 sts).
Stuff the arm.
Next row: k2tog across (8 sts)
Next row: k all sts (8 sts)
Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Thread the tail through the needle, and pass the needle through the remaning 8 sts. Pull tightly and tie, bringing the knot to the inside of the arm.

Repeat for second arm.

FINISHING
Add more stuffing, and arrange the stuffing as desired. Using MC, sew up the seam between the legs and tie, bringing the knot to the inside of the body.

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Finished Objects

• See Kathy's bear, here.
  
• Some bears from "Operation Sunshine", a charity knitting group at Rosemary's Giftshop in Cornish, Maine.
  
• Twotone hates sewing up seams too! Her kitty-bear is here.
  
• Cathy's bear is white with a navy sweater.
  
• Dandy's bear has an initial on his sweater.
  
• Maureen is currently blogless, but her bear is here and here, and these are her innovations (the emphasis is mine):
  

  I looked at a bunch of actual bear photos online and have nearly completed a small experimental Teddy. He is lankier than your guy and I threw in a few short rows in his tummy which gave him a nice rotund bearish look. I cast on some extra stitches under each arm which gave me the size arm I wanted and increased his body girth at that point. I used the backwards-loop cast on and discovered that when you pick up the stitches going the other direction, the cast-on is undetectable, a point I had never realized. Nobody will be able to figure out what I did!!! I used the 3 middle stitches at the back to make about an inch of i-cord and doubled it up to make a nub, pulling the end through the little gap that always forms at the base of the i-cord and fastening off the end inside. This also made a 3 stitch decrease at the base of the body and gave him a bit of a bottom. I decreased at intervals all the way round til I was back to the original number of stitches, so he's pear-shaped.
  
  

  I accentuated his muzzle slightly by running a length of yarn around the center part of his face and drawing it up a bit. I think he looks quite bearlike, with a long, strong neck and bunchy lower body, like a bear standing up.
  
  

  The ears came out rather well but not the way I expected. When I cast on at the top of the head, I knit one row in k1 p1 and then divided onto 2 needles per your instructions, turned the already-knit row to the inside and commenced knitting around. At that point I switched to a long circular which was a size or so smaller than the needles I used to cast on and as a result of all these factors, the "cast-on" row is quite a bit wider than the rest of the work. So there are two "tags" which stick out on either side of the top of the head and make really pretty good bearlike ears even without any stitching.
  
  

  I stuffed his upper part--added one leg and stuffed that--added the second leg, picking up stitches in the crotch that were cast on for the first leg--stuffed the second leg as I went--then closed the "toe"--so I guess you could say he was TOTALLY seamless.