I did not create the Gorp. The Gorp was created by Sherri Chessen in 1995. She wrote a series of books to help young children deal with difficult issues, such as gun safety, sexual abuse, and bullying. See the Gorp’s website at www.thegorp.com
As a part of the Knitter’s For Obama group on Ravelry we have currently been knitting toys for the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center. It primarily serves children, ages 2 through 12, who have been sexually assaulted or abused. It is a multi disciplinary center and houses advocacy, mental health, child life, police, forensics, legal child welfare and medical facilities all under one roof. They utilize Sherri Chessen’s books to help the children in their care with their recovery. I designed this knitted version of the Gorp to send to the Advocacy Center. If you choose to knit one for yourself, I implore you to make a second one and send it to the Center.
You will need:
Approximately 50 yards of Bulky weight yarn, I used Lion Brand Jiffy Solid
Size 8 DPNs
Stuffing material
A few yards of scrap yarn for the eyes and mouth
Tapestry needle
Body and Head:
CO 8 sts onto DPNs. Place Marker.
1. *K1, Kfb *repeat to Marker (12 sts)
2. K
3. *K2, Kfb *repeat to M (16 sts)
4. K
6. *K3, Kfb *repeat to M (20 sts)
8-9. K
10. *K4, Kfb *repeat to M (24 sts)
11-12. K
13. *K3, Kfb *repeat to M (30 sts)
13-14. K
15. *K4, Kfb *repeat to M (36 sts)
16-17. K
18. *K5, Kfb *repeat to M (42 sts)
19-21. K
22. *K6, Kfb *repeat to M (48 sts)
23-25. K
26. *K10, K2tog *repeat to M (44 sts)
27-28. K
29. *K9, K2tog *repeat to M (40 sts)
30-31. K
32. *K8, K2tog *repeat to M (36 sts)
33-34. K
35. *K7, K2tog *repeat to M (32 sts)
36-37. K
38. *K6, K2tog *repeat to M (28 sts)
39-40. K
41. *K5, K2tog *repeat to M (24 sts)
42-43. K
44. *K4, K2tog *repeat to M (20 sts)
45. K, remove marker.
46. K16, ssk, K1, turn to purl side, leaving last stitch on a spare needle.
47. Sl 1 purlwise, P3, P2tog, P1, turn.
48. Sl 1 purlwise, K4, ssk, K1, turn.
49. Sl 1 purlwise, P5, P2tog, P1, turn.
50. K8, pick up one stitch, K8, pick up one stitch, Place Marker (18 sts)
51. K to M
52. K9, turn
53. P9, turn
54. K to M (18 sts)
55. K7, turn
56. P5, turn
57. K9, SSK, K1, K2tog, K2 (16 sts total on needles)
58. K
59. *K2, K2tog *repeat to M (12 sts)
60-61. K
62. Kfb all sts (24 sts)
63. K
64. *K, Kfb *repeat to M (36 sts)
65-67. K
68. *K2, K2tog *repeat to M (30 sts)
69. K
70. K2tog around (15 sts)
71. K
Stuff body and head.
72. K1, * K2tog *repeat to M (8 sts)
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. With tapestry needle pick up the remaining 8 stitches and pull opening closed. Knot yarn and pull through head. Close up cast-on opening. Close gaps in knitting created in neck by hand-sewing with tapestry needle.
Legs:
CO 6 sts onto DPNs
1. Kfb all sts (12 sts)
2-8. K
9. K2tog all sts (6 sts)
10. K
Stuff foot.
11. K2tog all sts (3 sts)
Arrange sts onto one needle and knit icord for 7-9 inches (or approximately the length of the Gorp body+neck).
Cut yarn and sew leg onto body.
(One way of doing this is to turn after the last row of icord and purl for three stitches. Using another needle, pick up three stitches on the body where you would like to attach the leg. Hold the needle with the leg stitches up to the needle on the body and do a three needle bind-off, thus securing the leg to the body.)
Using a tapestry needle, sew up the end of the foot.
Knot the end of the yarn, pull the yarn through the foot and cut off the remaining yarn.
Repeat for the second leg.
Finishing:
Using scrap yarn, sew on eyes. Using black embroidery thread, sew on the mouth and add pupils to the eyes.
See the Pattern on Ravelry here.
