First multi-sectional project

I’m attempting this complicated looking thing as a gift for a friend: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/henrys-rabbit
And I have a two-parter question:

  1. In the pattern, it gives the pattern for the body, last instruction is to take the 16-32-16 stitches and put them on a scrap yarn.
    Then goes into instructions for the head and says this:

1st dpn: PU 8 sts (1 for every other CO st) beg at 1st CO st
2nd dpn: PU 16 sts (one for every CO st)
3rd dpn: PU 8 sts (1 for every other CO st)

What the heck does mean? I’m assuming the PU sts aren’t from the body so where I am PU-ing them from? How is this not casting on? I think I understand everything from the pattern except for this.

2nd question, and I think, easier, but I was wanting to make the tail a little puff ball instead of a knitted thing. So would I just continue to decrease the, er, butt to make it a rounded end?

Oh man, did these questions even make sense? Haha!

What an adorable pattern! Thanks for the link.
The body is cast on at the neck and knit to the rear. The sts that are put on scrap yarn or a holder are for the tail. The sts described below for the head are picked up at the cast on edge.

1st dpn: PU 8 sts (1 for every other CO st) beg at 1st CO st
2nd dpn: PU 16 sts (one for every CO st)
3rd dpn: PU 8 sts (1 for every other CO st)
The cast on was 16-16-16sts, so this makes sense of that distribution of sts (8 out of 16sts–16/16–8/16)

I like your idea of a puffball tail. Sure, just continue to decrease and then close up the rear end before adding the tail. The knit in tail is nice for a very young child who’d be likely to pull off an added tail and try to swallow it.

Oh, oh, oh! So PU is picking up the already casted on sts. So I’m basically decreasing, by only picking up 8 sts on the first needle, staying the same on the second and decreasing on the third.
Right? Just making sure before I CO and get confused. LOL

And thanks for the tail advice. Luckily this is for a 25 year old woman, so chances of her eating it are minimal. :roflhard:

You’ve got it. And I’d watch out for those 25 year olds. You can never tell.
Love to see the finished bunny.

Ain’t that the truth! :roflhard: I want to see it done too, please. I think I might just have to make some for myself. I think I could trust me with button eyes even. Maybe.

Will do! Now, a small follow-up question on the ‘PU’ sts. How exactly does one do that? I used the long tail CO (the only one I know fairly well) and the sts seem pretty tight to stick a needle in there? Any tips on this?

This videomay help. You don’e have to pick up the sts exactly at the cast on. You can pick up in the first row since that’s easier.

Took 2 hours and about 7 attempts, but I got it! YAY! Journey of Knitting a Bunny continues. Thank you!!:woohoo:

Ze bunny is FINISHED!! I’m so proud and my friend LOVED IT! Thank you so much everyone!!

Oh gosh, this bunny is adorable! I love the light paws and ear tips. I think that these projects are actually much more difficult than sweaters, much smaller and with more critical shaping to get them just right. Very nicely done.

Ah, how cute. You done good, really good. No, better than that, it’s terrific! The pattern calls for RHSS, looking back I don’t see what yarn you used…what yarn did you use?