This 25cm knitted cow is a wonderfully detailed farm animal toy, complete with black-and-white markings, contrasting hooves, horns, ears and a stuffed muzzle.
Knitted primarily in DK yarn on straight needles, the cow is constructed from separate pieces and sewn together, making it a good choice for knitters who prefer working flat rather than knitting toys in the round.
Quick Pattern Information
- Project: Knitted cow
- Finished Size: Approx. 25cm (10in) tall
- Yarn Weight: DK
- Yarn: Approx. 80g white, 30g black, 20g biscuit and 5g beige DK
- Needles: 3.25mm (US 3)
- Construction: Knitted flat and seamed
- Tension: 26 sts × 34 rows = 10cm in stocking stitch
- Techniques: Stocking stitch, garter stitch, increasing, decreasing, seaming and toy assembly
- Pattern: Cow Knitting Pattern
About This Cow Pattern
There’s quite a bit of detail in this one. The cow has a shaped body with a separate base, four individually knitted legs, a shaped head and muzzle, little horns, ears and a twisted-cord tail.
Instead of incorporating the cow’s markings with stranded colourwork or intarsia, the black patches are knitted separately in garter stitch and sewn onto the finished body and head. This makes the markings a decorative feature in their own right and gives the finished cow plenty of character.
The black hooves, biscuit-coloured muzzle and beige horns add further contrast.
Knitting Bee Pattern Notes
Best for: Knitters looking for a substantial traditional farm animal rather than a tiny ornament.
Difficulty: Intermediate. Most individual pieces aren’t especially complicated, but there are quite a few components to knit and assemble.
Construction: Worked flat on two needles. This is a particularly good option if you don’t want to use DPNs for your toy knitting.
What makes it different: The separately knitted black patches create the distinctive spotted-cow appearance without having to work colour changes into the main body.
Stuffing tip: Take some time positioning and stuffing the body, muzzle and legs. The shaping and final assembly will have a big effect on how well the cow stands and how defined its face looks.
More Farm Animal Knitting Patterns
Find more cows, sheep, pigs, horses, chickens and other animals in our farm animal knitting patterns.
You can also browse our complete collection of free toy knitting patterns.