This is an attempt to knit something equivalent to an old crochet pattern from Annie's Attic. It is a pattern for an applique, which should be the right size to sew onto a quilt block or a pillow.

Moreover, with the addition of ears and tails, Sunbonnet Sue can become Sunbonnet Mew.

Three yarn colors are needed:

1. Main Color (MC): for dress and shoes
2. Contrasting Color (CC): for bonnet, sleeve, and stocking
3. Kitty Color (KC): any naturally occurring cat color, for the ear, tail, and hand. If just knitting a girl rather than a cat, it can be any natural human skin color and is used only for the hand.

Recommended materials:

• Worsted weight yarn
• Size 7 (4.5mm) knitting needles
• Size 7 (4.5mm) crochet hook for tail (optional)
• Tapestry needle

Dress:
With MC, CO 20 sts (may need as many as 25 if using a stitch that shrinks things up, such as ribbing.)

Work 2 rows in stockinette, or the stitch of your choice.

To shape skirt, work short rows:
Row 3 (right side): work to 3rd st from end, wrap, turn
Row 4: as row 3
Row 5: work to end, incorporating wrap
Row 6: as row 5
Row 7 and every right side row:
sl 1 knitwise, k1, psso, work to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 8 and all wrong side rows: Continue in pattern

Continue until 6 sts remain (or proportionately more if more than 20 sts were cast on).

If you wish to lengthen the dress, work 2 or more rows even.

Bind off.

Bonnet:
Starting at front edge of bonnet (left edge) and working to back of bonnet (right edge):
With CC, CO 15 sts

Start on the right side, working in seed st.

On wrong side rows 2, 4, 6, 8, Work short rows:
Row 2: Work until 2 sts from end, wrap the next-to-last st
Rows 4, 6, and 8: On each of these rows, wrap one st sooner each time.
Row 10: p2tog across, ending p1; no need to incorporate wraps (8 sts)
Row 11: k across
Row 12: p in front and back of each st across (16 sts)
Row 13: k1, (k front and back, k3) 3 times, k front and back, k2 (20 sts)
Rows 14 - 19: Work even in stockinette
Row 20: p2tog across (10 sts)
Row 21: k2, k2tog 3 times,k2 (7 sts)
Row 22: p1, p2tog, p1, p2tog, p1 (5 sts)
Row 23: dec5
Finish off.

Sleeve and Hand:
Start at top of sleeve.

With CC, CO 4

Row 1 (rt side): knit
Row 2: p1, (p front and back of st) 2 times, p1 (6 sts)
Row 3: knit
Row 4: p2, (p front and back of st) 2 times, p2 (8 sts)
Row 5: knit
Row 6: p1, p2tog, p2, p2tog, p1 (6 sts)
Row 7: knit
Row 8: p2tog 3 times (3 sts)
Rows 9 - 12: Stockinette st
Rows 13 - 14: Change to KC and work two rows of stockinette st
Bind off.

Leg and Shoe:
With CC, CO 5 sts

Row 1: knit
Row 2: purl
Row 3: knit
Row 4: Change to MC, and purl across
Row 5: k in front and back of st, k across (6 sts)
Row 6: p to last st, p in front and back (7 sts)
Bind off.

Ear:
With KC, CO 5

Row 1: knit
Row 2: purl
Row 3: k3, k2tog (4 sts)
Row 4: purl
Row 5: k2, k2tog (3 sts)
Row 6: purl
Row 7: k1, k2tog (2 sts)
Row 8: purl
Row 9: k2tog
Finish off. Leave enough tail to weave down side of ear and use for sewing.

Tail:
With KC and crochet hook, ch 20
sc in 2nd chain from hook and each ch across

(The tail can be done in knitting, like a lamb tail:
CO 25 sts, then bind off all the sts)

Finishing:
Sew the ear onto the bonnet along the line between the brim and the back, with the knit side of ear facing back, and the edge with the decreases facing down.

Sew lower edge of bonnet to top of dress.

Sew top of stocking to central part of lower edge of dress.

Center sleeve on dress and stitch down.

At this point, the sunbonnet girl/cat is all together except for the tail.

Stitch the sunbonnet figure onto the background. You may want to leave the front of the sunbonnet loose (that is, the left edge). If so, make a line of stitches down the line between the brim and the back, in front of the ear.

Before stitching the back of the skirt to the background, attach the tail to the background, positioning the top of the tail somewht behind the hand, but not all the way to the back of the skirt.

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