With MC, CO 6 sts, PM at the beginning of the round.
Distribute sts across three needles and join for knitting in the round, being careful not to twist.
Rnd 1: K all sts
Rnd 2: Kfb all sts (12 sts total)
Rnd 3: K all sts
Rnd 4: (Kfb, k1) repeat all around (18 sts total)
Rnd 5: K all sts
Rnd 6: (Kfb, k2) repeat all around (24 sts total)
Rnd 7: K all sts
Rnd 8: (Kfb, k3) repeat all around (30 sts total)
Rnd 9: K all sts
Rnd 10: (Kfb, k4) repeat all around (36 sts total)
Rnd 9: K all sts
Rnd 10: (Kfb, k5) repeat all around (42 sts total)
Rnd 11: K all sts
Rnd 12: (Kfb, k6) repeat all around (48 sts total)
Rnds 13-23: K in stockinette st
Rnd 24: (K2tog, k6) repeat all around (42 sts total)
Rnd 25: K all sts
Rnd 26: (K2tog, k5) repeat all around (36 sts total)
Rnd 27: K all sts
Rnd 28: (K2tog, k4) repeat all around (30 sts total)
Rnd 29: K all sts
Rnd 30: (K2tog, k3) repeat all around (24 sts total)
Rnd 31: K all sts
At this point, you’ll notice that the opening of your plush is getting smaller. To get an idea for your eyeball placement, you’ll want to first weave in your cast-on yarn tail and then gently begin to stuff your plush. Once you have half of the stuffing in, measure about 1 inch from the top of your needles for the safety eye placement.
If you prefer NOT to use safety eyes, you can skip this step and embroider eyes on later.
Safety eye installation: Take the black front piece and position it where you would like. I placed mine about 1 inch (2.5 cm) down from the needles and 1.25 inches (3.175 cm) apart from each other. Once you’re satisfied with the eye placement, press the grey backing pieces inside of the plush and push all the way until they are securely attached to the back of the black eyes.
Continue knitting as follows:
Rnd 32: (K2tog, k2) repeat all around (18 sts total)
Rnd 33: K all sts
Rnd 34: (K2tog, k1) repeat all around (12 sts total)
At this point, add in even more of the stuffing. I like my plushies to be extra plump, so don’t be afraid to add a little more than you think you need!
Rnd 35: K all sts
Rnd 36: K2tog all around (6 sts total)
Cut yarn leaving at least a 12 inch tail. Thread a darning needle and weave through the 6 remaining sts. Weave in ends.
Embroider nose as follows:
Thread a darning needle with 18 inches of CC yarn. I illustrated the approximate stitch pattern I used below, but feel free to get creative! I used a back stitch method and started with making the center vertical line. Then I added the nose details first and the mouth second.