Free Capybara Knitting Pattern - A Small Toy Perfect for Scrap Yarn

Eva Chum
2 days ago
4 min read

Updated: 9 hours ago

Looking for a free knitting pattern for a small stuffed animal that’s both fun and engaging? This Capybara knitting pattern is an intermediate-level project that uses short row techniques to create soft shaping and a smooth, rounded body.

Knit in the round and designed to be small and efficient, this free capybara toy knitting pattern is ideal for using leftover yarn. It’s a fast, satisfying knit for makers who are comfortable with basic toy construction and want to explore short rows in a playful, manageable way. The finished capybara makes a charming handmade toy or a cozy piece of knit home décor.

Skill Level

Intermediate

Techniques

Long tail cast-on
Toe-up cast-on link
Knit in the round
German short rows
Increase and decrease stitches

Finished Size

8 cm / 3 in

Needles

US 2 (3.00 mm) Double-pointed needles or circular needles

Gauge

28 sts x 35 rows = 4 x 4 in / 10 x 10 cm

Notions

A tapestry needle

Yarn

Drops Baby Merino Wool - 100% Wool (50 g/ 175 m/ 191 yds)

Yarn Amount

Color A (main body): 6 g

Color B: 2 g

Other Materials

Toy stuffing and/or a bean bag
Black yarn or embroidery floss for the face
(Optional) Yarn for the scarf

Abbreviations

CO	cast on	k2tog	knit 2 stitches together
rnd(s)	round(s)	ssk	slip, slip, and knit
st(s)	stitch(es)	k	knit
RS	right side	p	purl
WS	wrong side	RLI	right-lifted increase
DS	double stitch	LLI	left-lifted increase
kDS	knit double stitch	m1L	make 1 left increase
pDS	purl double stitch	m1R	make 1 right increase

Note

For Color B, since I didn’t have scrap yarn in a matching color, I substituted it with DROPS Alpaca yarn and used US 1 (2.50 mm) needles.

Free Capybara Knitting Pattern - Body

You will start knitting in the round from the nose down to the bottom of the body. To shape the neck curve, you will use German short rows.

(Color B) Toe-up CO 12.

Rnd 1: knit

Rnd 2: (k1, LLI, k4, RLI, k1) x 2 times (16 sts)

Rnd 3: knit

Rnd 4: (k2, LLI, k4, RLI, k2) x 2 times (20 sts)

Rnd 5: knit

Rnd 6: (k3, LLI, k4, RLI, k3) x 2 times (24 sts)

Rnd 7-8: change to color 1, k 2 rnds

Rnd 9: (k4, LLI, k4, RLI, k4) x 2 times (28 sts)

Rnd 10-11: k 2 rnds

Rnd 12: (k5, LLI, k4, RLI, k5) x 2 times (32 sts)

Rnd 13-14: k 2 rnds

Short Rows

Row 1: k7, turn

Row 2: DS, p29, turn

Row 3: DS, k27, turn

Row 4: DS, p25, turn

Row 5: DS, k23, turn

Row 6: DS, p21, turn

Row 7: DS, k6, ssk, k4, k2tog, k5, turn

Row 8: DS, p15, turn

Row 9: DS, k3, ssk, k4, k2tog, k2, turn

Row 10: DS, p9, turn

Row 11: DS, ssk, k4, k2tog, kDS, k1, turn

Row 12: DS, p7, pDS, p1, turn

Row 13: DS, ssk, k4, k2tog, kDS,kDS, m1L, k1, turn

Row 14: DS, p9, pDS, pDS, m1R, p1, turn

Row 15: DS, k12, kDS, kDS, m1L, k1, turn

Row 16: DS, p15, pDS, pDS, m1R, p1, turn

Row 17: DS, k18, kDS, kDS, m1L, k1, turn

Row 18: DS, p21, pDS, pDS, m1R, p1, turn

Row 19: DS, k24, kDS, kDS, m1L, k1, turn

Row 20: DS, p27, pDS, pDS, m1R, p1, turn

Row 21: DS, k30, kDS

Start knitting in a round.

Body

Rnd 1: kDS, k31

Rnd 2: (k8, m1L), repeat () to the end (36 sts)

Rnd 3-11: k 9 rnds

Rnd 12:(k2tog, k4), repeat () to the end (30 sts)

Rnd 13-15: k 3 rnds

Rnd 16: (k2tog, k3), repeat () to the end (24 sts)

Rnd 17: knit, and stuff the head.

Rnd 18: k2tog for all sts (12 sts)

Rnd 19: knit

Stuff more and gather bind-off.

Arms

(Color A) Long tail CO6, knit flat.

Row 1(WS): purl

Row 2(RS): k2, LLI, k2, RLI, k2 (8 sts)

Row 3: purl

Row 4: k8, CO6, join in a round (14 sts)

Rnd 5-6: k 2 rnds

Rnd 7: k2tog, k4, ssk, k2tog, k2, ssk (10 sts)

Rnd 8: knit

Rnd 9: k2tog, k2, ssk, k2tog, ssk (6 sts)

Rnd 10: knit

Rnd 11-13: change to color B, k 3 rnds

Gather bind-off. Make two of them.

Feet

(Color B) Long tail CO6, knit 3 rnds. Gather bind-off. Make two of them.

Ears

(Color B) Long tail CO6, knit flat.

Row 1(WS): knit

Row 2(RS): k2tog, k4 (5 sts)

Row 3: k2tog, k3 (4 sts)

Row 4: k2tog, k2 (3 sts)

Gather bind-off. Make two of them.

Finishing

First, position both ears on the head. Pin them in place to find the perfect position, then sew them on. Next, sew the arms to the sides of the body along the edge. Attach the two feet at the bottom of the body.

Tip: Always pin the parts onto the body before sewing to check for symmetry.

Finally, use black yarn or embroidery floss to embroider the face: make two simple horizontal lines for the eyes and a Y-shape for the nose. Weave in all loose ends inside the body to secure them.