>What You Will Need<

Brown yarn (I used acrylic wool with a gradient brown effect, choose whatever colour matches your degus best!)
3 mm knitting needles
Grey yarn
Black yarn
Small safety eyes x2
Pale yellow, orange, black and grey embroidery silk
Sewing needle and leftover yarn for constructing your degu
Clear nylon thread for the whiskers (optional)
Toy stuffing

>Knitting Pattern<

Key: CO = Cast On; K = knit; P = purl; K2tog = Knit 2 stitches together; St = stitch(es); Inc = increase; [] = total number of st you should have at the end of that row

All knitting worked in K 1 row P 1 row

Head and Body (1 piece)

1. With brown yarn, CO 20 st
2. Starting with K, work 2 rows
3. Inc 1 st into first st, K7, inc 1 st into next 4 st, K to end and inc 1 st into last st [26 st]
4. Next K row: inc 1 st into first st, K 10, inc 1 st into next 4 st, K to end and inc 1 st into last st [32 st]
5. Next K row: inc 1 st into first st, K 14, inc 1 st into next 2 st, K to end and inc 1 st into last st [36 st]
6. Work 33 rows straight
7. Next row: K2tog, K 15, inc 1 st into next 2 st, K to last 2 st and K2tog [36 st]
8. Next K row: K2tog, K2tog, K 13, inc 1 st into next 2 st, K 13, K2tog, K2tog [34 st]
9. Next K row: K2tog, K2tog, K 12, inc 1 st into next 2 st, K to last 4 st, K2tog, K2tog [32 st]
10. Next K row: K2tog, K2tog, K 11, inc 1 st into next 2 st, K to last 4 st, K2tog, K2tog [30 st]
11. Next K row: inc 1 st into first 2 st, (K 5, inc 1 st into next 2 st) 4 times [40]
12. Next K row: inc 1 st into first st, K 8, inc 1 st into next 2 st, K 18, inc 1 st into next 2 st, K 8, inc 1 st into last st [46]
13. Work 9 rows straight
14. Next K row: K2tog, (K 19), K2tog, K2tog, K to last 2 st and K2tog
15. Next row: P
16. Repeat rows 14 and 15 with number of st in (brackets) 2 less each time until [18 st] remain
17. Next row: P
18. Cast off (nose end)

Front Legs (2 pieces)

1. With brown yarn, CO 20 st
2. Starting with K, work 10 rows straight
3. Next row: (K2tog, K 6, K2tog) twice [16]
4. Next K row: (K2tog, K 4, K2tog) twice [12]
5. Work 7 rows straight
6. Break off brown yarn and tie on grey yarn, then work 6 rows straight
7. Next K row: K 1, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K 1 [8]
8. Next row: P
9. Cast off (paw end)

Back Legs (2 pieces)

1. With brown yarn, CO 24 st
2. Starting with K, work 14 rows straight
3. Next row: (K2tog, K 8, K2tog) twice [20]
4. Next row: P
5. Next row: (K2tog, K 6, K2tog) twice [16]
6. Next K row: (K2tog, K 4, K2tog) twice [12]
7. Break off brown yarn and tie on grey yarn, then work 13 rows straight
8. Next K row: K 1, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K2tog, K 1 [8]
9. Next row: P
10.Cast off (paw end)

Ears (2 pieces)

1. With grey yarn, CO 10 st
2. Starting with K, work 2 rows straight
3. Next row: K2tog, K to last 2 st and K2tog [8]
4. Next row: P
5. Repeat rows 3 and 4 until [2 st] remain
6. Cast off (ear tip)
7. Tail (1 piece)
8. With grey yarn, CO 10 st
9. Starting with K, work straight until piece measures about 7 inches from beginning
10. Next K row: break of grey yarn and tie in black yarn
11. Work 2 rows straight
12. Next K row: inc 1 st each end of row
13. Next row: P
14. Work 4 rows straight
15. Next K row: K2tog each end of every following K and P row until [2 st] remain
16. Cast off leaving a short tail of yarn (tail tip)

>Putting Together<

Take the head/body piece and fold it in half with the smooth side inwards. Sew from the nose to the belly, leaving an opening. Turn the piece inside out (so it is now the right way round) and fill the head portion with stuffing. Now fit the safety eyes and stuff the rest of the body, then sew closed the opening.
Take the leg pieces and fold them in half lengthways with the smooth side inwards. Sew from the end of the paw up to the top of the leg, leaving a hole at the top. Turn the piece inside out (so it is now the right way round) and stuff, then sew the top of the leg closed. Repeat for all legs.
Take the tail piece and fold in half lengthways with the smooth side inwards. Sew along the tail brush (black part) from tip to where the grey yarn begins. Turn the tail inside out (so it is now the right way round) and stuff the tail brush- doing this first is much easier than trying to stuff it once the whole tail has been sewn! Now sew along the remainder of the tail seam to close it up and stuff, then secure the hole at the top.
Take the ear pieces and fold back the pointed tip to give the ear a more rounded appearance, and sew into place. Now secure the long edge of each ear to the top of the head in the appropriate place, with the smooth side pointing out towards the degu's nose.
Take the front legs and sew them onto the sides of the degu's body near to the chest. You might want to add a few extra stitches to secure the legs firmly to the sides of the chest so the legs don't splay outward.
Take the back legs and sew them onto the sides of the degu's body near the rump. Again, add some extra stitches to secure the legs to the sides of the body. You can also make a few stitches to bend and hold the tips of the back legs in place close to where the grey yarn is joined in.
Sew the tail onto the back of the degu's body, in the appropriate place!
Now it's time to the finishing touches. Using a needle and 3 strands of grey embroidery silk, sew a triangle using long stitch to form a nose in the appropriate place. Using 3 strands of black silk, use back stitch to form the mouth underneath the nose. In the middle of the mouth, take 3 strands of orange silk and use long stitch to make the teeth. To make the eye rings, use 3 strands of pale yellow silk and use long stitch to sew around the top and bottom of each eye. Lastly, take a strand of clear nylon thread and sew it into the degu's cheek, leaving a long tail. Tie the top and tail together and then cut to size to form two whiskers. Repeat on the other side.
And you're done! Sit back and marvel at your new (much quieter) degu!