Friday, November 8, 2013

Make Your Own Om Nom

My daughter started playing “Cut the Rope” game a while back and she immediately fell in love with that cute Om Nom character. Of course she also wished for a “real one” and came to me with request to make her a knitted companion.

She said: “I KNOW you can do it.” so matter-of-factly and with a wide genuine smile that I could not refuse this request even if I weren’t enjoying the challenges she puts before me.

This toy is a small knitted plushie, filled with polyester fiber (pillow filling) and with details made from felt cloth, cotton thread and buttons. Mine is about 12cm in diameter, size of a larger apple. It is worked on a small set of dpns 2mm or smaller. Choose needle size to produce firm fabric with your chosen yarn. As it is often said to “take time to save time” try your hand/needles/yarn on a small swatch so that toy making doesn’t end in tears when you will be trying to fill too loose package.

So, to make one of your own prepare:
-          One skein of yarn (Om Nom is green in the game but it could be beautiful in any other color also. Depending on a yarn you chose you could have plenty left over as it only takes about 20 g to make one)
-          Set of 5 double pointed needless appropriate for your chosen yarn (mine were 2 mm for yarn Jelka - fingering 4ply, 200 m in 50 g)
-          2-3 handfuls of polyester pillow filling
-          2 small black shank buttons for pupils of the eyes
-          White and black felt cloth (I ran out of white so we used light blue)
          Darning needle
-          Small sewing needle

-          Cotton thread in felt cloth colors

 BODY
Shaping of the ball that makes the body is like shaping the top of top-down hat like beret/tam that has 8 “slices” at sides of which you do all of your increasing and decreasing.
Using method of disappearing loop cast on 9 stitches (as the method does not allow for even number of stitches).

Preparatory row: divide stitches to 4 needles (2+2+2+3), mark beginning of round if you want (yarn tail will be hanging out of disappearing loop so maybe you can orient by this alone). You will now be working in the round, always with right side work facing you. Try to pull the tail to make sure it can be tightened.

1st row:  knit 2+knit 2+ knit2 and knit 3
2nd row: kfb all but the last 2 stitches, just knit them (there should be 4 stitches on each of 4 dpns)
3rd row: knit
4th row: kfb all stitches (doubling the stitches, there should be 8 stitches on each needle which equals 2 “slices” of 4 stitches each - from this point onward if you think in terms of “slices” it will be easier for you to visualize where to increase and decrease)
5th row: knit
6th row: *kfb, knit 2, kfb* two times per needle (2 slices of 6 stitches each or 12 stitches total per needle)
7th  row: knit
8th row: knit
9th row: *kfb, knit 4, kfb* two times per needle (2 slices of 8 stitches each or 16 stitches total per needle)
10th row: knit
11th row: knit
12th row: widening for “chest” and “back” of the toy will make Om Nom more balanced when sewing on feet so counting from the beginning of the round on 1st and 3rd needle kfb seventh and ninth stitch (total 18 stitches), knit all stitches on 2nd and 4th needle (stays 16 stitches)
13th row: knit
14th row: counting from the beginning of the round on 1st and 3rd needle kfb seventh and eleventh stitch (total 20 stitches), knit all stitches on 2nd and 4th needle (stays 16 stitches)
17th to 34th row: knit
35th row: counting from the beginning of the round on 1st and 3rd needle decrease ssk 7th and 8th stitch and k2tog stitch 12 and 13 (total 18 stitches), knit all stitches on 2nd and 4th needle (stays 16 stitches)
36th row: knit
37th row: knit
38th row: counting from the beginning of the round on 1st and 3rd needle decrease ssk  7th and 8th stitch and k2tog stitch 10 and 11 (total 16 stitches), knit all stitches on 2nd and 4th needle (stays 16 stitches)
39th row: knit
40th row: knit
41st row: decrease at the ends of “slices” so *ssk, knit 4, k2tog* 2 times per needle (slices of 6 stitches or total 12 per needle)
42th row: knit
43th row: *ssk, knit 2, k2tog* 2 times per needle (slices of 4 stitches or total of 8 per needle)
44th row: knit - here is when you fill the body with pillow filling. Fill quite packed as you will work few more rows afterward to close out the body so there will be enough filling for whole body.
45th row: *ssk, k2tog* 2 times per needle (total 4 stitches per needle)
46th row: *ssk, k2tog* once per needle (as there are no more stitches left and with this decrease it leaves 2 stitches on each of four needles)
47th row: k2tog each needle stitches, collecting them to one needle only (4 stitches total)
48th to 52nd row: knit 5 rows of i-cord with remaining 4 stitches
53rd row: kfb all stitches, dividing them to 4 needles (2 stitches on each needle)
54th row: knit
55th row: kfb all stitches (4 stitches on each needle)
56th to 60th row: knit
61st row: *ssk, k2tog* all around (2 stitches on each needle)
62nd row: knit
Fill the small tentacle on Om Nom’s head and cut approx. 20 cm tail of yarn. Darn needle with the end of yarn and pull it through all remaining stitches, closing it like the disappearing ring in the beginning (cast on). Weave the end firmly and invisibly into the tentacle.

LEGS (make 4)
Cast on 8 stitches using Judy’s Magic Cast On - 4 stitches on each needle, like you are casting on for a sock.
Knit one row.
In second row increase kfb on beginning and end of each needle (6 stitches per needle, 12 total)
Knit one row.
Increase kfb on beginning and end of each needle (8 stitches per needle, 16 total).
Knit around dividing stitches on 4 needles, 4 stitches each, mark beginning of round if needed.
Knit 4 more rounds.
Cast off not too loosely, cut approx. 20 cm tail. 

FELT PARTS
Cut out eye whites and 4 teeth from light felt.
Cut out thin line for the mouth from black felt.

So, now you have all your parts for making Om Nom...

... and when you arrange them like this you can almost see how he will look like.

FINAL ASSEMBLY
Make sure to position body correctly in regards with supposed “chest” and “back” (increases and decreases on 1st and 3rd needle) before you begin attaching feet. Using the tail from cast off attach feet to the body, filling it with polyester fiber when you come to last 3-4 stitches and close all holes and weave in ends neatly.  



Using black cotton thread sew shank buttons to the light felt making the pupils for the eyes.
Using light cotton thread sew eyes to the body.
With black thread sew mouth to make Om Nom smile.
With light thread sew teeth below the black line of mouth spacing them evenly apart so he looks cute and hungry.

Weave any remaining ends and go fetch him some candy. All done. 
You can even take him to work with you to show off :)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi there,
Just a correction.....you call them rows when we are knitting in the round :)

derzafanistori said...

Hi Kristie! :)

You are, of course, very welcome to leave a comment here but alas! - that was no correction.

In the construction of knitted object progress from start to finish is made in rows; and whether they are made using technique of returning rows (e.g. purling in one direction, then knitting in the opposite) or technique of knitting "in the round" (when all rows are knitted in pattern in one direction usually right to left) does not change the fact each new addition of stitches to further the object is a row.

Using rounds in an expression "I've made five rounds" in knitting context is metonymy - figure of speech in which "a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept (see Wikipedia page for metonymy for further info).

I hope this helps :)