Cherry Blossom Bobble Fish Toy Free Pattern: A Knitted Burgundy and Gold Keepsake

Cherry Blossom Bobble Fish Toy: A Free Knitted Burgundy and Gold Keepsake

Introduction

This plump little burgundy fish is the perfect first "real" toy project for a brand-new knitter who has mastered the knit stitch and is ready for something a little more playful. Worked in the round from nose to tail, it uses only simple increases, decreases, and a handful of raised gold bobbles arranged like cherry blossom clusters along its side. The finished fish is about 7 inches (18 cm) long and 3 inches (7.5 cm) tall, soft and squishy from its fiberfill stuffing, with a neat stockinette surface and a small pointed tail fin sewn on at the back. It looks charming on a coastal grandmother's shelf, tucked into a basket, or given as a handmade keepsake. If you can knit, purl, and count, you can make this fish.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted-weight cotton yarn (approximately 100 yd / 92 m per 50 g skein). You need 1 skein burgundy (main color, MC — about 60 yd / 55 m) and 1 skein gold (contrast color, CC — about 25 yd / 23 m).
• Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) set of 5 double-pointed needles, or the size you need to get the gauge below. Double-pointed needles are short needles with points at both ends, used to knit small tubes in the round.
• Stuffing: A small amount of polyester fiberfill (toy stuffing).
• Stitch markers: 1 removable stitch marker (or a small safety pin) to mark the beginning of the round and to help you count bobble placement.
• Stitch holder or scrap yarn: For holding stitches if needed.
• Tapestry needle: A large, blunt-tipped needle with an eye big enough for yarn, used for seaming and weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any small sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Finished size: Approximately 7 inches (18 cm) long from nose to tail base and 3 inches (7.5 cm) tall at the widest point.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• st / sts — stitch / stitches. One "stitch" is one loop on your needle.
• K — knit stitch. Put the right needle into the front of the stitch from left to right, wrap the yarn around, and pull a loop through.
• P — purl stitch. Put the right needle into the front of the stitch from right to left, wrap the yarn around the front, and pull a loop through.
• M1 — make one (an increase). Lift the horizontal strand of yarn between two stitches onto your left needle and knit into the back of it, creating one new stitch.
• k2tog — knit two stitches together (a decrease). Insert your right needle into the next two stitches at once and knit them as if they were one stitch. This removes one stitch.
• ssk — slip, slip, knit (a decrease). Slip the next two stitches one at a time from the left needle to the right needle, then insert the left needle into the fronts of both and knit them together. This removes one stitch and leans the other way from k2tog.
• p2tog — purl two stitches together (a decrease). Purl the next two stitches as if they were one.
• MB — make bobble. A small raised bump made by working extra stitches into one stitch and then closing them up. Full instructions are in the pattern below.
• RS / WS — right side / wrong side. The right side is the outside of the work that people will see; the wrong side is the inside.
• Round — one complete circle of knitting when working in the round (in a tube).
• Row — one line of knitting when working flat (back and forth).
• Magic ring — a way to start knitting in the round with a tiny closed center. You make a loop of yarn, knit your first stitches into it, then pull the tail tight to close the hole.
• Work even — knit every stitch without increasing or decreasing, so the stitch count stays the same.
• Fasten off — cut the yarn, pull the tail through the last loop, and tighten so it does not unravel.

Gauge

24 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch worked in the round with worsted cotton on US 3 (3.25 mm) needles.

Gauge means how many stitches and rows fit into a square of knitting. It matters because it controls the finished size: if your stitches are bigger than the gauge, your fish will come out too large and the stuffing may show through; if they are smaller, the fish will be too small and stiff. To check your gauge, cast on about 30 stitches, knit a flat square of stockinette (knit one row, purl one row, repeat) for about 4 inches, then lay a ruler across the middle and count how many stitches fit in 4 inches. If you have more than 24, go up a needle size; if you have fewer, go down a needle size. Wash and dry your swatch the way you plan to treat the finished fish, because cotton can change slightly after washing.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker to track the beginning of each round. Place a removable marker on the first stitch of the round. When you reach it again, you know you have completed one full round. This stops you losing your place.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Tension is the number-one beginner struggle. Hold the yarn gently; tight stitches make the fish stiff and make the bobbles hard to work. If your stitches feel hard to slide on the needle, relax your grip.
• Count your stitches at the end of every round that changes. The stitch count in parentheses tells you exactly what you should have. If it does not match, undo that round and try again — it is much easier to fix now than later.
• Stuff before the opening gets too small. The pattern tells you to begin stuffing after Round 30. Do not wait until the very end, or you will not be able to reach the nose.
• Work the bobbles loosely. Bobbles are made by working several stitches into one stitch. If you pull them tight, they will be tiny and hard to close. Keep them relaxed so they pop out nicely.
• Keep your working yarn on the inside of the tube. When knitting in the round, the yarn travels around the outside. Check that you are not accidentally knitting inside out — the smooth knit "V" shapes should face you.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Bobble Technique (MB)

MB (make bobble): Knit into the front, back, front, back, and front of the same stitch (5 stitches now on your right needle). Turn your work. Purl 5. Turn. Knit 5. Turn. Purl 5. Turn. Knit 5. Now, with the left needle, lift stitches 2 through 5 over stitch 1 and off the needle, leaving 1 stitch on the right needle. Your bobble is complete. This makes one small round bump.

Body (worked in the round in burgundy MC)

Using the magic ring method, cast on 6 stitches onto one double-pointed needle. Distribute them evenly across 3 needles (2 stitches per needle) and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place your stitch marker on the first stitch.

Round 1: Knit. (6 sts)

Round 2: [K1, M1] around. (12 sts)

Round 3: Knit. (12 sts)

Round 4: [K1, M1] around. (24 sts)

Round 5: Knit. (24 sts)

Round 6: [K2, M1] around. (32 sts)

Round 7: Knit. (32 sts)

Round 8: [K3, M1] around. (40 sts)

Rounds 9–12: Knit 4 rounds even. (40 sts)

Round 13 (first blossom cluster): K6, MB, K8, MB, K8, MB, K6. (40 sts; 3 bobbles placed)

Rounds 14–16: Knit 3 rounds even. (40 sts)

Round 17 (second blossom cluster): K4, MB, K4, MB, K8, MB, K4, MB, K4. (40 sts; 4 bobbles placed)

Rounds 18–20: Knit 3 rounds even. (40 sts)

Round 21 (third blossom cluster): K6, MB, K8, MB, K8, MB, K6. (40 sts; 3 bobbles placed)

Rounds 22–26: Knit 5 rounds even. (40 sts)

Round 27: [K3, k2tog] around. (32 sts)

Rounds 28–29: Knit 2 rounds even. (32 sts)

Round 30: [K2, k2tog] around. (24 sts)

Round 31: Knit. (24 sts)

Round 32: [K1, k2tog] around. (16 sts)

Round 33: Knit. (16 sts)

Round 34: [K2tog] around. (8 sts)

Cut the yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail. Thread the tail through the remaining 8 stitches with your tapestry needle, pull tight, and fasten off securely on the inside. This closes the tail-base opening.

Stuffing

Begin stuffing the body after Round 30, while the opening is still wide enough. Use small pieces of polyester fiberfill and push them in with the blunt end of a pencil or the back of your tapestry needle. Stuff firmly but not overfull — the fish should feel plump but still soft. Finish stuffing through the final opening before you close Round 34, then close as directed. Shape the body gently with your fingers into a plump oval, wider at the middle and tapering toward the nose.

Tail Fin (worked flat in burgundy MC)

Cast on 12 stitches onto one double-pointed needle. You will now work back and forth in rows (flat knitting), turning your work at the end of each row.

Row 1 (RS): Knit. (12 sts)

Row 2 (WS): Purl. (12 sts)

Row 3: K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. (10 sts)

Row 4: Purl. (10 sts)

Row 5: K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. (8 sts)

Row 6: Purl. (8 sts)

Row 7: K1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. (6 sts)

Row 8: Purl. (6 sts)

Row 9: K1, ssk, k2tog, k1. (4 sts)

Row 10: Purl. (4 sts)

Row 11: [K2tog] twice. (2 sts)

Row 12: Purl 2 together. (1 st)

Fasten off, leaving a 10-inch tail for seaming.

Assembly and Finishing

Step 1 — Weave in ends. Thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle and weave it back and forth through the inside of the body and the tail fin for about 1 inch, then trim close to the fabric. Weaving in hides the ends so they cannot work loose.

Step 2 — Position the tail fin. Pin the tail fin to the closed tail-base end of the body, with the wide cast-on edge against the body and the pointed tip facing outward. The fin should sit vertically, centered on the tail base, with about 1/2 inch of the wide edge overlapping the body.

Step 3 — Sew the fin on. Using the long tail from the fin and your tapestry needle, sew the fin securely to the body with small, even stitches. Go around the entire base of the fin twice for strength. Fasten off on the inside.

Step 4 — Block. Gently steam-block the finished fish by holding a steam iron 1–2 inches above the surface (do not press the iron onto the fish). Steam lightly, then shape with your fingers and let it dry completely. Blocking smooths the stitches and helps the bobbles stand up.

Step 5 — Optional blossom centers. With a short length of gold yarn and your tapestry needle, add a tiny straight-stitch accent at the center of each bobble cluster to suggest a blossom center. Weave in the ends on the inside.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors. Swap the burgundy for teal, dusty rose, or cream, and the gold for silver or copper. Any worsted cotton works — just keep the same gauge so the size stays the same.
• Make it bigger or smaller. To make a larger fish, use a thicker yarn (such as aran or chunky) with needles one or two sizes larger, and follow the same instructions. To make a tiny keychain fish, use sport-weight yarn and US 1 (2.25 mm) needles. Always knit a gauge swatch first.
• Add more blossoms. Work an extra bobble cluster by repeating Round 13 after Round 21, then knit 5 rounds even before beginning the decreases. This adds about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) to the body length.
• Try a different yarn fiber. Cotton gives a crisp, washable finish, but a soft acrylic or a cotton-acrylic blend makes a cuddlier toy. Avoid fuzzy yarns for your first fish, as they make it hard to see your stitches and bobbles.