SARDINE

“A sardinha é do todos!”
(Sardines belong to everyone!)

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting Lisbon for the first time. It was a stopover tagged onto the tail end of a
work trip, so my stay was ridiculously short—just 24 hours. Not enough time to get to know any place properly,
and definitely not a city as extraordinary as Lisbon. Instead, I had just enough time to catch tantalizing glimpses of
what makes this place so special. The tiles…the streetcars…the custard tarts…the sardines.

The sardine is much loved in Lisbon. There’s even an annual sardine festival. It takes place in mid-June and
coincides with the Feast of St. Anthony. This city-wide celebration includes parades, concerts, fireworks, and LOTS
of sardines. Although my whirlwind visit didn’t happen during the festival, I still encountered plenty of sardines,
and not just on my plate! They appeared on the usual range of mass-produced souvenirs, from tea towels to
keychains, but they also showed up lovingly portrayed in a number of beautifully hand-crafted items like jewelry,
ceramics, and (my personal favorites) stuffed toys.

As I discovered in Lisbon, the simple shape of the humble sardine lends itself to endless combinations of colors
and patterns…and when knitted up as a stuffed toy, it’s wonderfully huggable.

© Barbara J. Ceiga 2018. In purchasing this pattern you agree to print and use it only for your personal non-commercial use. You may not distribute or sell
electronic or paper copies of this pattern. Please contact barbarajceiga@gmail.com if you have any questions about the pattern.
MATERIALS
Yarn (approximately 55yds/50m total for worsted weight
version. You’ll use slightly less for DK, slightly more for aran.
The sardines pictured here were knitted in Noro Kureyon for
the body and Malabrigo Worsted for the head.
Stuffing of your choice
Two buttons for eyes and thread for sewing. The eyes pictured
here are metal buttons by LaMode, model 24705. (Button eyes
are optional and should only be used if the sardine is not going
to end up in the hands of a young child. Embroidered or sewn
felt eyes are good options for child-friendly sardines.)
ABBREVIATIONS
K knit
M1R make one right (one stitch increased, right slanting)
Lift the yarn leading to the next working stitch from
back to front and knit through the front of the lifted
yarn
M1L make one left (one stitch increased, left slanting)
Lift the yarn leading the next working stitch from front
to back and knit through the back of the lifted yarn
K2TOG knit two together (one stitch decreased, right slanting)
Knit the next two stitches together as if one stitch

TOOLS SSK slip slip knit (one stitch decreased left slanting)
Double-pointed needles, FlexiFlip double-pointed needles, or Slip the next two stitches one by one onto your working
Magic Loop, in the recommended sizes: needle and then knit these two stitches together
through the back loop
Head & Body Tail
Aran weight US8/5mm US6/4mm
Worsted weight US6/4mm US4/3.5mm PATTERN NOTES
DK weight US4/3.5mm US3/3.25
This stylized sardine is knitted in the round from nose to tail,
Tapestry needle and tiny bit of waste yarn with minimum seaming (at the nose end) and just a few ends to
weave in. It lends itself to myriad color interpretations. It can
be knitted up in a single solid color, or with yarn that is self-
GAUGE & FINISHED SIZE striping, marled, tonal, speckled, or otherwise variegated.
Stripes are also a good option if you’re trying to use up small
Gauge is not terribly important, but should be tight enough to
amounts of yarn.
keep the stuffing from poking through the fabric.
I especially like using two contrasting colors—one for the head
Approximate finished sizes for sardines are: and the other for the body. I think this gives the sardine a bold
Aran weight 14 inches/35 cm long graphic quality while also providing the opportunity to play
Worsted weight 11.5 inches/29 cm long with different color combinations.
DK weight 10 inches/25 cm long
DIRECTIONS

HEAD
Using the color you’ve chosen for the head, use the long-tail
method to cast on six stitches. (You can also use an invisible
cast-on method of your choice, such as Turkish or Judy’s Magic
Cast-on).

Distribute stitches as follows.

Three double-pointed needles: one stitch on needle 1, two
stitches on needle 2, three stitches on needle 3
Two FlexiFlip needles: three stitches on each needle
Magic Loop: three stitches between cable loop

Join and begin knitting in the round. You might want to place a
removable marker to keep track of the belly edge of the fish.

RND 1: K6
RND 2: [K1, M1R, K1, M1L, K1] 2 times (10 sts)
RND 3: K 10
RND 4: [K1, M1R] 3 times, K4 [M1L, K1] 3 times (16 sts)
RND 5: K16
RND 6: K1, M1R, K to last stitch, M1L, K1 (18 sts)
RND 7: K18 BODY
RND 8: K1, M1R, K to last stitch, M1L, K1 (20 sts) RND 21 – 23: K28
RND 9: K20 RND 24: K1, M1R, K to last stitch, M1L, K1 (30 sts)
RND 10: K1, M1R, K to last stitch, M1L, K1 (22 sts) RND 25 – 48: K30 (25 rnds)
RND 11: K22 RND 49: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1 (28 sts)
RND 12: K1, M1R, K to last stitch, M1L, K1 (24 sts) RND 50–53: K28
RND 13&14: K24 RND 54: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1 (26 sts)
RND 15: K1, M1R, K to last stitch, M1L, K1 (26 sts) RND 55 -57: K26
RND 16 – 18: K26 RND 58: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1 (24 sts)
RND 19: K1, M1R, K to last stitch, M1L, K1 (28 sts) RND 59 -61: K24
RND 20: K28 RND 62: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1 (22 sts)
RND 63&64: K22
RND 65: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1 (20 sts)
If you’re making a sardine with a different colored body, this is
RND 66&67: K20
where you switch colors.
RND 68: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stiches, K2TOG, K1 (18 sts)
This is also a good spot to close up the mouth if you’ve used the RND 69: K18
long-tail cast-on. Begin stuffing your fish as you work your way RND 70: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1 (16 sts)
down the body, making sure the stuffing is distributed firmly
RND 71: K16
and evenly.
RND 72: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2TOG, K1 (14 sts)
TAIL TOP HALF OF TAIL
Before continuing, finish stuffing your fish, making sure it’s RND 87: SSK, K10, K2TOG (12 sts)
uniformly plump and working out any lumps that may have RND 88: K12
snuck in along the way. RND 89: SSK, K8, K2TOG (10 sts)
RND 90&91: K10
Switch to smaller needles to give the tail a nice stiffness (and RND 92: SSK, K6, K2TOG (8 sts)
switch to a different color if desired).
RND 93: K8
RND 73: K14
RND 94: SSK, K4, K2TOG (6 sts)
RND 74: [K3, M1R, K1, M1L, K3] 2 times (18 sts)
RND 95: K6
RND 75&76: K18
RND 96: SSK, K2, K2TOG (4 sts)
RND 77: [K4, M1R, K1, M1L, K4] 2 times (22 sts
RND 97: K4
RND 78&79: K22
RND 98: SSK, K2TOG (2 sts)
RND 80: [K5, M1R, K1, M1L, K5] 2 times (26 sts)
RND 81&82: K26 Thread yarn onto a needle and pass through last two remaining
RND 83: [K6, M1R, K1, M1L, K6] 2 times (30 sts) stitches to close the tip of the tail. Then pull the length of yarn
RND 84: K30 through the inside of the tail to the beginning of the tail (round
RND 85: [K9, pass 8th stitch over 9th, K6] 2 times (28 sts) 73). Holding the tail flat, make a small invisible running stitch
RND 86: K7, transfer next 14 stitches to waste yarn, K7, across the base of the tail, from the belly to the back to keep
join in round. Your needle tips should be tail flat and prevent stuffing from oozing out from the body.
pointed out from the belly edge. (14 sts)

From here you’ll work the two halves of the tail separately. The
FINISHING
bottom half is slightly longer than the top half by design.
Weave in ends and add eyes if desired, approximately 10 rows
from tip of nose, midway between back and belly. Massage the
BOTTOM HALF OF TAIL finished sardine, tugging slightly along the back and belly to
RND 87: K5, K2TOG, SSK, K5 (12 sts) even out any loose stitches and give it a pleasingly fishy figure.
RND 88&89: K12
RND 90: K4, K2TOG, SSK, K4 (10 sts)
RND 91&92: K10
RND 93: K3, K2TOG, SSK, K3 (8 sts)
RND 94&95: K8
RND 96: K2, K2TOG, SSK, K2 (6 sts)
RND 97: K6
RND 98: K1, K2TOG, SSK, K1 (4 sts)
RND 99: K4
RND 100: K2TOG, SSK (2 sts)

Measure out one generous yard/meter of yarn. Break yarn,

thread onto a tapestry needle, and pass through last two
remaining stitches to close the tip of the tail. Then pull the
length of yarn through the inside of the tail and out through the
opening. Pass through the two passed-over stitches in round
86, first through the front stitch and then the back stitch. Use
this as your working yarn for the top half of the tail. Transfer
remaining 14 stitches from waste yarn to needles and carry on.
Your needle tips should be pointed towards the fork of the tail.