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| Three ghosts, and a pumpkin, ready for Halloween. |
Went prowling recently for Halloween-themed knitting projects. Found this too cute pattern on Alexis Hamann-Nazaroff's Ravelry page: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/yarn-birdy/patterns
Ms. Hamman-Nazaroff offers lots of sweet small knitted toys and decorative items.
Little Ghosts
The little ghost is knit in the round, in one piece, from bottom to top.
Materials
Worsted weight yarn in white, scrap lengths
I used Plymouth "Galway", color #8
Four US size 3 double-pointed needles (3.25 mm)
Embroidery thread, black
I used DMC floss, color #310
Tapestry needle
Abbreviations
CO = cast on
I found the long-tail cast-on gave a slightly nicer edge for this project.
DPN = double-pointed needles
k = knit
k2tog = knit 2 stitches together into 1 stitch
ssk = slip, slip, knit: slip the next 2 stitches onto the right-hand needle knitwise, stick the tip of your left-hand needle into them from above, and knit them together into 1 stitch.
I found this tutorial very helpful: https://newstitchaday.com/ssk-slip-slip-knit-decrease-knitting/
yo = yarn over. Wrap the yarn around the needle to create an extra stitch.
Pattern
Cast on 33 stitches and divide evenly over 3 DPNs (11 stitches per needle)
Round 1 (and all odd rounds through round 9): k
Round 2: [k2tog, k3, yo, k4, ssk] 3 times (30 stitches)
Round 4: [k2tog, k3, yo, k3, ssk] 3 times (27 stitches)
Round 6: [k2tog, k2, yo, k3, ssk] 3 times (24 stitches)
Round 8: [k2tog, k2, yo, k2, ssk] 3 times (21 stitches)
Round 10: [k2tog, k1, yo, k2, ssk] 3 times (18 stitches)
Round 11 - 18: k
Round 19: [k2tog, k1] 6 times (12 stitches)
Round 20: [k2tog] 6 times (6 stitches)
Round 21: Cut the yarn, leaving a tail about 8 inches long, and thread this through the remaining stitches. Tie a knot and pull the thread inside the ghost out of sight.
I tied a knot and also wove the end in a bit before cutting the yarn.
Finishing
Add the eyes by threading all six strands of black embroidery floss onto a tapestry needle and wrapping around a knit stitch 3 or 4 times; carry floss inside to other eye and repeat. I knotted the floss and also used a bit of fabric glue on the knot for extra security, but this is probably optional.
All ready for ghostly fun.
Note about gauge:
Gauge really doesn't matter for this project, so you can use any needles and scrap yarn you might have. Just make sure the yarn knits up into a tight, firm fabric so that the final toy holds its shape.
So, this probably means you should select needles one or two sizes smaller than the recommended size for your yarn.
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| Not too scary, but fun. |