Free Pattern: Bender

Bender is started at the tip of his antenna and worked down to his body.  His face, arms and legs are made separately and sewn on after. He was heavily improvised as I went along because that's just how I roll so if you're a seasoned knitter and comfortable with small diameter knits, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. The reason I say this is because I didn't keep track of specific stitch counts unless they are specified in the pattern. Also, this is my first written pattern, and I use "written" extremely loosely as you'll see when you read through the pattern.






YOUR TOOLBOX
Set of 5 US3/3.25mm DPNS 
Sts markers to mark the beg of rnds
Blunt embroidery needle to weave in ends
Stuffing
Gray yarn for body
Yellow yarn for eyes and mouth
Bits of black yarn for pupils
Sewing needle
Matching gray thread
Crochet hook (to pick up sts)

THINGS YOU SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH OR GOOGLE BEFOREHAND
inc
dec
m1
i-cord
cable cast on
knitting in the round
picking up stitches
making a bobble
sewing with a blunt embroidery needle and a sewing needle
small diameter knitting

HEAD
With gray yarn, CO 4-sts and begin i-cord for four rounds
Purl two rounds
Inc 1 in every stitch for top of head
Knit to mouth
BO 8-sts for top lip
Knit back and forth for two rows
Starting on RS, cable CO 8-sts for lower lip and join back in the round
Continue knitting in the round for four rnds
BO loosely
DO NOT break yarn

BODY
With same gray yarn still attached to his head, pick up stitches for body
K one rnd
Inc 1 in every other stitch
Knit two rnds
Inc 4-sts evenly around
Knit body until it's the same size as his head
Purl one rnd
Start decreasing evenly for the flat base of his shiny metal ass
Close up the hole
Break yarn

MOUTH
His mouth is basically a 9 sts/5 row rectangle with yellow yarn that I sewed into his face with matching gray thread.  You can knit it into place via intarsia or fair isle method but I wanted his mouth to be dimensional. Also, if you choose the sewn in route, you'll want to knit this BEFORE you close up his body so you can sew it in without having to make any crazy dexterous maneuvers.

ARMS & LEGS (2 of each )
With gray yarn, starting at the base of his foot CO 3
Inc one st on each end until 7 sts
Dec back to 3 sts
Pick up stitches all the way around the base
Starting in the round, knit two rounds
Dec for however many rnds required until you have 5 or 6 sts left (it took me two rounds, dec every sts)
Begin 5 or 6-sts i-cord as same length as body
Break a tail of yarn enough to run yarn through the leftover sts and sew top of leg to the base of body

EYES & EYE CASING
For his Eyes, with yellow yarn, knit a 12 sts/5 row rectangle and sew in or knit in the small amount of black yarn to make his pupils.  As you sew his eyes to his face, take a bit of stuffing to make his eyes dimensional.

For his Eye Casing, with gray yarn, cast on 30 sts and knit 2 rounds, BO.  Sew the casing around his Eyes.

STOMACH DOOR
With gray yarn, CO 12
Knit back and forth for 4 rows
K3, make bobble, knit remaining sts
Knit for 4 rows
BO and leave a long tail
Sew door to stomach with the long tail

Please note that I chose not to stripe his arms and legs to simulate the sections of metal plates that make his limbs because I didn't like the VVVVVV looking stripe as is typical with single rows. I used only one shade of gray yarn throughout because this Bender is only 11 inches tall and I felt that less is more.  But, you know, feel free to stripe if you please.  Hey, feel free to modify this pattern as you go along... just don't be a jerk and claim it as your own or do something jerk-y.