Finger Puppet

These little finger puppets were knitted by a woman named Gladys Wilson, who started knitting them in 1988 and has made more than 50,000. She donates them to hospitals mostly and the kids love them. She knitted them from memory and never had a written pattern until a story was done about her back in February 2006 for Mature Living magazine. So many people wrote in wanting the pattern that Ms. Wilson graciously sat down and wrote it out. Christian Gregory tested the pattern and tweaked it and I'm putting it here for anyone else who wants to make these for donations to hospitals, children's homes, etc.

This is not my pattern, I'm just reposting it here for others-please do not make these items for sale.

Materials

WW yarn in two colors-washable and dryable
6-ply cotton embroidery thread in appropriate colors, such as red for mouth, black for nose, abn black and blue for eyes
Knitting needles size 7
large-eyed needle
scissors
1" wide piece of cardboard.

Instructions

Cast on 14 stitches with dark color:

Knit 8 rows

Change to lighter color for face:

Knit one row
Purl one row
Repeat for 10 rows stockinette stitch
Change back to first color:
Knit 3 rows
Purl 1 row
Knit 1 row
Purl 1 row
Knit two together across row-there will be 7 stitches remaining on needle.

Cut yarn approximately 8 " long.
Thread yarn on needle and run back through seven stitches.
Remove from needle.

Finishing

Make the face: Lay puppet piece out flat. Find approximate center. Use embroider thread to stitch eyes, nose, and mouth. Follow the pattern, placing features like in the picture.

Alternate face (my own modification): Using the graph, duplicate stitch the face in the appropriate colors. Graph shows the light stitches only . You could also work the face in as you're knitting if you like but I think it would be easier to just duplicate stitch the face in.

Place front sides together and sew down the back of knitted piece to make a tube.

Pom-pom: Using both colors of yarn, wrap ten times around a 1-inch piece of cardboard. Tie off one end; cut the other side. Fluff and trim into ball shape. Sew to top of finger puppet for hat.