How to Make a Simple Armature for Your Knitted Toy

An armature is a wire “skeleton” inside of a toy that helps a toy to keep its shape or hold additional weight.

If you have a limb that needs to stay bent, like an elephant’s trunk or an arm at a jaunty angle, an armature will keep it in place. Or, if you have a toy with a long neck, like a sea monster or a goose, an armature will help the head stay upright. Most Rabbits and Robots toys are small and lightweight, so you can make an armature out of two pipe cleaners, as in the tutorial below.

For larger or heavier toys, you would need to make an armature out of aluminum armature wire. This is a more complicated process. This isn’t necessary for any current Rabbits and Robots patterns and would be the subject of its own tutorial in the future.

Two pipe cleaners twisted together about 1 inch and folded into a U sshape — Step 1

Overlap pipe cleaners by 1 inch/2.5cm and twist together. Fold pipe cleaners at either side of this join, forming a U shape.

Pipe cleaners inserted to the body of the toy and covered with poly fill. — Step 2

Insert twisted section into body and cover with poly fill up to working needles. Twist exposed pipe cleaners together.
Note: This sample is a large, custom toy. There is an additional piece of aluminum armature wire twisted around the red pipe cleaner in this and the following photos. You do not need this wire.

Adding stuffing around the pipe cleaner. — Step 3

Continue to work around the pipe cleaners, lightly stuffing as you go.

Step 4

If your limb ends in a large shape, such as a head at the end of a neck, twist your wires into a loop about the size of the head and trim excess.
If your limb has a narrow ending, such as the tip of an arm, fold armature back on itself about 0.5 inches/1.5 cm and twist.

Step 5

Stuff around the armature as you work the remaining rounds and finish off.

A long-necked knitted dinosaur is posed using the armature inside of the neck. — Step 6

Finish off your toy and position it using the armature!