Knit Your Own Feast
What if you could produce a fabulous feast that involved no time in the kitchen, left no mess, and never went off? Or fill your fruit bowl with gorgeous produce and never have to refill it? Well, a knitted feast has no sell-by date! Designer Susie Johns has produced 50 delightful fruit and veg designs that aren’t just fun for even the novice knitter, but also look good enough to eat. If the apple pattern opposite inspires you, then why not make it, or another from Susie’s book, and enter your creation into The Knitting & Stitching Show’s The Knitted Feast Competition. All entries will be displayed on a banqueting table at the show, with the three best winning a prize.
2 balls DK wool or wool blend yarn – 1 green (A) and 1 red (B)
Small amount of DK yarn – brown
Polyester fibrefill
Tapestry needle
Needles
1 pair 3.25mm (UK 10) knitting needles
Two 3mm (UK 11) double-pointed knitting needles
Abbreviations
inc increase (by working into the front and back of the stitch)
k knit
k2tog knit two stitches together
p purl
p2tog purl two stitches together
rem remain(ing)
rep repeat(ing)
RS right side of work
st(s) stitch(es)
st st stocking stitch (one row knit, one row purl)
Instructions
Large green apple With 3.25mm (UK 10) needles and green yarn, cast on 12 sts.
Row 1: (RS): k to end.
Row 2: p to end.
Row 3: inc1 in each st to end [24 sts].
Row 4: p to end.
Row 5: (inc1, k1) 12 times [36 sts].
Row 6: p to end. Row 7: k1 (inc1, k2) 11 times, inc1, k1 [48 sts].
Rows 8-24: Beg with a p row, work in st st (1 row purl, 1 row knit).
Row 25: k1, k2tog, *k2, k2tog; rep from * to last st, k1 [36 sts].
Row 26: p to end. Row 27: (k1, k2tog) 12 times [24 sts].
Row 28: (p2tog) 12 times [12 sts].
Row 29: (k2tog) 6 times [6 sts]. Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Thread through rem sts.
Red & green apple
With two 3mm (UK 11) doublepointed needles and green yarn (A), cast on 12 sts.
Row 1: (RS): k to end.
Row 2: p to end.
Row 3: inc1 in each st to end [24 sts].
Row 4: p to end.
Row 5: (inc1, k1) 12 times [36 sts]. Continue in stocking stitch without further shaping, introducing red yarn (B) as follows:
Row 6: p13A, p12B, p12A.
Row 7: k11A, k14B, k11A.
Row 8: p10A, p16B, p10A.
Row 9: k9A, k18B, k9A.
Row 10: p8A, p20B, p8A.
Row 11: k7A, k22B, k7A.
Row 12: p6A, p24B, p6A.
Row 13: k5A, k26B, k5A.
Row 14: p4A, p28B, p4A.
Row 15: k3A, k30B, k3A.
Row 16: p2A, p32B, p2A. Cut green yarn (A) and continue with red (B).
Row 17: k to end.
Row 18: p to end.
Row 19: k to end.
Row 20: (p1, p2tog) 12 times [24 sts].
Row 21: (k2tog) 12 times [12 sts].
Row 22: (p2tog) 6 times [6 sts]. Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Thread through rem sts.
Stalk
With brown yarn and two 3.25mm double-pointed needles, cast on 3 sts.
Row 1: k3; do not turn but slide sts to other end of needle. Rep row 1 until cord measures 4cm; cut yarn, leaving a tail, and fasten off.
Making up
Graft the sides (row ends) together to form a neat, invisible seam. Stuff the piece quite firmly with polyester fibrefill, then pull up the tail of the yarn to close the stitches on the last row. Close up the hole in the base in a similar way. Thread the tail of the yarn at the base of the stalk on to a tapestry needle and thread the needle down through the centre of the apple and pull slightly to create an indentation in the top. At the top of the stalk, thread the tail of the yarn in and out of the last two stitches to create a knobbly end.
To enter The Knitted Feast competition, click here
Readers will be offered a £2 discount on adult tickets to The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show (3-6 March), by calling 01473-321872 and quoting LADY16, or purchasing them online at www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/spring
Knitted Fruit & Vegetables, by Susie Johns, is published by Search Press Limited, priced £9.99: www.searchpress.com
How to knit an apple
Materials2 balls DK wool or wool blend yarn – 1 green (A) and 1 red (B)
Small amount of DK yarn – brown
Polyester fibrefill
Tapestry needle
Needles
1 pair 3.25mm (UK 10) knitting needles
Two 3mm (UK 11) double-pointed knitting needles
Abbreviations
inc increase (by working into the front and back of the stitch)
k knit
k2tog knit two stitches together
p purl
p2tog purl two stitches together
rem remain(ing)
rep repeat(ing)
RS right side of work
st(s) stitch(es)
st st stocking stitch (one row knit, one row purl)
Instructions
Large green apple With 3.25mm (UK 10) needles and green yarn, cast on 12 sts.
Row 1: (RS): k to end.
Row 2: p to end.
Row 3: inc1 in each st to end [24 sts].
Row 4: p to end.
Row 5: (inc1, k1) 12 times [36 sts].
Row 6: p to end. Row 7: k1 (inc1, k2) 11 times, inc1, k1 [48 sts].
Rows 8-24: Beg with a p row, work in st st (1 row purl, 1 row knit).
Row 25: k1, k2tog, *k2, k2tog; rep from * to last st, k1 [36 sts].
Row 26: p to end. Row 27: (k1, k2tog) 12 times [24 sts].
Row 28: (p2tog) 12 times [12 sts].
Row 29: (k2tog) 6 times [6 sts]. Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Thread through rem sts.
Red & green apple
With two 3mm (UK 11) doublepointed needles and green yarn (A), cast on 12 sts.
Row 1: (RS): k to end.
Row 2: p to end.
Row 3: inc1 in each st to end [24 sts].
Row 4: p to end.
Row 5: (inc1, k1) 12 times [36 sts]. Continue in stocking stitch without further shaping, introducing red yarn (B) as follows:
Row 6: p13A, p12B, p12A.
Row 7: k11A, k14B, k11A.
Row 8: p10A, p16B, p10A.
Row 9: k9A, k18B, k9A.
Row 10: p8A, p20B, p8A.
Row 11: k7A, k22B, k7A.
Row 12: p6A, p24B, p6A.
Row 13: k5A, k26B, k5A.
Row 14: p4A, p28B, p4A.
Row 15: k3A, k30B, k3A.
Row 16: p2A, p32B, p2A. Cut green yarn (A) and continue with red (B).
Row 17: k to end.
Row 18: p to end.
Row 19: k to end.
Row 20: (p1, p2tog) 12 times [24 sts].
Row 21: (k2tog) 12 times [12 sts].
Row 22: (p2tog) 6 times [6 sts]. Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Thread through rem sts.
Stalk
With brown yarn and two 3.25mm double-pointed needles, cast on 3 sts.
Row 1: k3; do not turn but slide sts to other end of needle. Rep row 1 until cord measures 4cm; cut yarn, leaving a tail, and fasten off.
Making up
Graft the sides (row ends) together to form a neat, invisible seam. Stuff the piece quite firmly with polyester fibrefill, then pull up the tail of the yarn to close the stitches on the last row. Close up the hole in the base in a similar way. Thread the tail of the yarn at the base of the stalk on to a tapestry needle and thread the needle down through the centre of the apple and pull slightly to create an indentation in the top. At the top of the stalk, thread the tail of the yarn in and out of the last two stitches to create a knobbly end.
To enter The Knitted Feast competition, click here
Readers will be offered a £2 discount on adult tickets to The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show (3-6 March), by calling 01473-321872 and quoting LADY16, or purchasing them online at www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/spring
Knitted Fruit & Vegetables, by Susie Johns, is published by Search Press Limited, priced £9.99: www.searchpress.com