Before you know it, spring will be here with hungry baby chicks in the trees and hungrily munching caterpillars everywhere.

Nothing quite sparks the imagination as a caterpillar - there’s not just the fun of the larval form in front of us but also the knowledge of the beautiful butterfly yet to come.

This big caterpillar (approximately 14 inches/35cm long) is a great gift to knit for anyone who loves butterflies and caterpillars.

You can even pop bells or plastic squeakers inside for extra fun!

ButterflyLove’s Cute Caterpillar pdf knitting pattern gives you clear step by step instructions and handy hints along the way.

This pattern is suitable for an intermediate knitter or beginner and, like all ButterflyLove patterns, is knitted flat.

You can also contact me at any point if you need technical advice or have any other queries.

What you will need:

2 knitting needles (US2.5/3mm or size recommended by tension advice)
10g DK yarn for each of six colors
Oddment of black DK yarn
2 plastic safety eyes (9mm)
Small bells and plastic squeakers (optional)
Polyester stuffing (polyfil)
1 tapestry needle for sewing up

Skills used: Casting on and off, Increasing and decreasing

Stitches used: Stocking stitch

Safety Note - Please note that handmade plushes and decorations are unlikely to be as robust as machine manufactured items and will not have undergone the rigorous safety testing applied to commercially made toys.

Do not allow children under three years old to handle a cute caterpillar plush unsupervised as its small parts may pose a choking hazard. You may wish to embroider eyes on the finished plush to make it more child friendly, however it will still pose a choking hazard for small children under three years old.

Why not check out the rest of the ButterflyLove knitting pattern collection at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ButterflyLove1?section_id=6641225

This pattern is made available on the condition that it will be used for personal use only, e.g. making gifts for family and friends, not for commercial purposes.