Tiger Costume

Inspiration

Be Brave Little Tiger book by Margret Brown

Materials

• primary.com tangerine PJ top and bottom
• cotton yarn - 2 skeins of tangerine, 1 skein of black, leftover white for detailing ears
• fabric pen - black color
• size 7 knitting needles

Knit Hat with Ears

I found this Mr. Furly's Bear Hats: Pattern to use as reference because the shape is in line with what I was looking for.

• did the math and planned out the tiger stripes
  • row 1: knit 15 tangerine, 11 black, 17 tangerine, 11 black, 15 tangerine, 11 black, 2 tangerine
  • row 2: 14 tangerine, 13 black, 15 tangerine, 13 black, 13 tangerine, 13 black, 1 tangerine
  • row 3: knit 15 tangerine, 11 black, 17 tangerine, 11 black, 15 tangerine, 11 black, 2 tangerine

I decided not to write up my lengthy modifications because I won't be using it again. Instead, I will try this tiger hat pattern next time.

Knit Tail

I made my own pattern based on:

• black stripe thickness
• an estimate of how long I want it to be relative to the length of the PJ pants.
• likelihood of my toddler stepping on it and tripping

Pattern instructions:

1. cast on 28 stiches with tangerine yarn
2. knit in the round for 12 rows
3. change to black yarn and knit 3 rows
4. change to tangerine yarn and knit 5 rows
5. repeat step 3 & 4 to desire length anticipating 2 inches for finishing the tail -- should end on step 3 with black yarn for better transition
6. change to tangerine yarn and knit 4 rows
7. change to black yarn and knit for 2 rows
8. change to tangerine yarn and knit 4 rows
9. decrease pattern to create a round tip for the tail
   1. knit 2 together, knit 6, repeat to end of row
   2. knit 2 together, knit 5, repeat to end of row
   3. knit 2 together, knit 4, repeat to end of row
   4. knit 2 together, knit 3, repeat to end of row
   5. knit 2 together, knit 2, repeat to end of row
   6. knit 2 together, knit 1, repeat to end of row
10. thread yarn to sewing needle, then use it to transfer remaining knits to bind together and tie a tight knot

I stuff the tail with old t-shirt strips and sew it on to the PJ bottom.

PJ Decorations

Free hand draw black stripes on PJs. Let it set overnight and then launder.

Take Aways

• It was a challenge to modify as I knit on a pattern I haven't try before.
• I found certain parts of the pattern to be confusing and end up holes near the ears
• I don't like how the hat sits on my toddler's head when having the ears knitted as part of the shape
• The tail doesn't hold its shape well overtime and it will take a long time to dry after wash.

Upgrade

I changed the stuffing in the tail. I used a large rolled-up piece of old t-shirt fabric. I also added snaps to the tail and PJ bottom for easy detach. This means I can reuse this tail when I customize my toddler's orange hoodie to a tiger theme.