TO MAKE UP
Unless otherwise specified, sew seams and join pieces using mattress stitch, working with right side of knitting uppermost. A one-stitch knitted seam turning has been allowed on most pieces to accommodate this.
Starting at gathered base edge, join body seam and stuff firmly through open neck edge. Starting at gathered snout edge, join head seam, stopping 2.5cm away from cast- on back edge.
First stuff snout firmly, then stuff remainder of head. Join remainder of seam, then work a gathering thread through every stitch along back edge, draw up tightly and fasten off. With body seam running down centre back, and head seam running along underside, position head on top of body, placing between last increase row and first decrease row on head, then sew neck edge of body to head.
Join each leg seam, from cast- off ankle edge up to base edge of opening, then stuff firmly. Starting at gathered back edge, join each foot seam then use tweezers to stuff lightly. Fold cast- on front edge in half and sew across. Position legs on top of feet, close to back, placing gathered back edge of foot 2 knitted stitches away from leg seam, then sew ankle edges of legs to feet. This will place the seam so it runs up inside of each leg. Now pin top leg openings to body, placing between last increase row and first decrease row on body, spacing 11 knitted stitches apart at the front and 15 knitted stitches apart at the back. Once you are
satisfied that the skunk sits correctly, sew leg openings to body and remove pins. Pin bib to front of body, matching neck edge to neck seam, and sew in place by working backstitch all round, close to edge, then remove pins. Fold cast- off edge of each paw in half and sew across, then join down side of paw, round thumb, and up to cast- on top edge. Leaving paws unstuffed, use tweezers to stuff arms firmly. With seam uppermost, so that thumbs point upwards, position and sew arms to sides of body, placing directly below neck seam.
Pin nose stripe vertically up face, with end of stripe 5 knitted rows away from gathered tip of snout, then sew in place by working backstitch down centre and remove pins. Starting at gathered top edge of eyelid, oversew side edges of each eye piece together. Use tweezers to stuff very lightly, then work a gathering thread through every stitch along cast- on edge, draw up tightly and fasten off to create a small ball.
Position and sew eyes to face, placing 3 knitted rows up from end of nose stripe and spacing one knitted stitch away from nose stripe on each side. When embroidering features, fasten off ends of yarn at top of head where they will eventually be hidden by head
markings piece. Take a length of Black yarn and draw out a single strand. Use this to embroider a circle of 5 tiny chain stitches on each eye for pupil, then work a single, horizontal, straight stitch across centre of each eye where colours join for eyelashes. Draw out a single strand from a length of dark grey yarn and use the 2 remaining strands to work 3 straight stitches at end of snout to form a triangular nose, then fill in this triangle with horizontal satin stitches.
Also work a single, 2cm long, straight stitch vertically below nose, then a 3cm long stitch horizontally below and through base of previous stitch to create an inverted T shape for mouth. Now pin head markings and back stripes piece in place on head and body, matching neck edges. The front edge of the head markings piece should overlap the top end of the nose stripe, and the ends of the back stripes should be spaced 4 knitted stitches apart to create a black stripe down
centre back of body. Sew in place by working backstitch all round, close to edge, then remove pins. Starting at cast- on base edge, join side edges of each ear, then fold cast- off top edge in half and sew across. Position and sew ears to head, spacing one knitted stitch away from head markings on each side, and in line with first decrease row on markings piece.
Darn in ends of yarn on tail markings, then, starting at gathered end, join tail seam and stuff firmly. Position and sew tail to back of body, matching stripes on tail with back body stripes. Curve tail between hands to shape. Starting at gathered base edge, join seam on perfume bottle, then use tweezers to stuff firmly. Work a gathering thread through every stitch along cast- on top edge, draw up tightly and fasten off.
Starting at gathered edge, oversew side edges of bottle top piece together, use tweezers to stuff lightly, then fit on top of bottle and sew in place. Starting at gathered edge, oversew side edges of bottle spray piece together, then sew this to bottle top piece. Starting at gathered base edge, and treating purl side of work as right side, join seam on bottle bulb, then use tweezers to stuff firmly. Work a gathering thread through every stitch along cast- on top edge, draw up tightly and fasten off. Oversew side edges of bottle tube piece together, then sew the gold end to side of spray, and opposite end to top of bulb. Cut five 12.5cm lengths of pink yarn for tassel and place together, and use another length to tie in centre.
Hold up by tying yarn, then bind strands together near top with a length of pink yarn and tie off securely. Sew ends of this binding yarn through centre of bound section to create two more strands of tassel, then trim tassel to neaten. Use tying yarn to sew tassel to base of bulb. Position bottle in left paw and sew securely in place, then position and sew bulb to right paw.