Zorg is a small alien with tons of personality, and he has been a real hit with teenagers, a rare and welcome thing in a knit toy.

Standing just 4 inches tall and using less than a skein each of three colors, he is a quick, satisfying make and a great way to use up brights.

Zorg is worked with standard increases and decreases, intarsia for his colorwork, and a 3-needle join.

If you have been wanting to pick up a new skill or two, this is a genuinely fun, low-stakes place to practice them.

Skill level: Intermediate

Techniques: knit in the round and worked flat, increases and decreases, intarsia, 3-needle join

As an early childhood educator, I know how hard it is to make something a teenager will actually claim, and there is real developmental value in a project that meets an older kid where they are. Zorg’s oddball charm does exactly that, and knitting one is a great low-pressure way for a newer knitter to try intarsia for the first time.