Flat "oval" help

[PelletAR]

HELP! Lol. I'm making the Linux penguin. (It wouldn't let me put the link in but you can google knit Linux penguin and it's the first link...bittersweet.) The only problem is I don't like how the belly is made of felt. I'm trying to figure out how to knit it. I'm thinking it would be best to start from trying to make an oval but ending with two balls of yarn (like a neck seam). It ends up being 3.25 inches across and 4.5 inches tall. (From the widest points.) The only thing is everyone says you can't knit circles (or ovals) on flat needles. Which makes no sense to me. I'm attaching it to the body so it doesn't have to lie flat....just look right. Can someone help me?? (And because I can't help myself... it's just so cute...)

[ArtLady1981]

I don't know if this will help you or not...but here is Linux-like Penguin
"technical support" on the bittersweet blog.

[PelletAR]

Unfortunately, no. But thanks for trying. I already had that page. (It's where I got the idea.) I just couldn't put that link because I'm a newbie. If you look closely at the pictures and the instructions half way down, you'll notice she did the white belly in felt. I'm hoping to do it in knit with kfb stitches to make it bigger. I'm trying the knitpro webside with a modified picture of the template. I hope this works but I'm not sure.

[mwhite]

May take some playing with but with straight needles, CO number of sts it takes to get your desired bottom or top width on the oval. Then increase for example:
Row 1: K3, M3, k6, M3, k3
Row 2: k1, p16, k1 (the k1 will help keep it from curling)
Row 3: K4, M3, k8, M3, k4
Row 4: k1, p20, k1

And so on. Do this until desired width is achieved, then begin reduction in the same manner only opposite.

Row 13: k4, sk2p, k8, sk2p, k4

Keep in mind that I'm just showing sts as example.
Hope this helps! Mary