A mushroom knitting pattern. Hi everyone! My name is Norman, I run the blog nimble-needles.com and today I want to knit this cute little mushroom pattern with you. If you have been following me on Instagram, then you might already know that I love knitting these cute little softies. They are just such fun and fast projects you can easily finish in an afternoon. And they can be a great gift for someone you love or you can use them to decorate your own home. In this video, I’ll show you how I knit these little porcini mushrooms from the beginning to the end. I’ll show you all the important steps and techniques and of course, I’ll also show you how I finish them to achieve these super neat results. And one more thing before we start knitting. Definitely make sure to like this video right now if you want to support my work. And comment if you want me to record a video of a specific pattern or you just want to thank me for this one. Anyway, let’s head over to my desk and we’ll knit this mushroom together. First of all, this mushroom knitting pattern is available on my blog. It’s the first link in the description below. Download it now so you can follow along more easily. It takes me about two to three hours to finish one mushroom so I had to skip through some of the easier sections to keep this video a bit shorter. Plus there are also instructions for a larger mushroom which I’m not knitting in this video. And then of course, you need some materials. You will need some scraps in a rich brown tone and an undyed natural tone. I’m using lace yarn here to achieve a really delicate kind of mushroom. And then you will need double-pointed knitting needles size two millimeters. The pattern lists two different versions of the cap. I’ll show you how to knit the more difficult version here and in this case you will actually need a second set of double-pointed needles. And then you need some toy stuffing, a tapestry needle, and some scissors. You’ll find links to all of these items in the description below. And then we’re ready to start with this mushroom knitting pattern. Start by casting on 12 stitches with a long tail cast on leaving a tail of around eight inches. I always cast on one more stitch for joining in the round. So, I cast on altogether 13 stitches… let me check… so that’s four… one more… so uh 12 stitches er…13 stitches, sorry! And then I distribute these 13 stitches to four needles. Of course, if you want to knit with three needles or do the magic loop you can do this as well. I prefer knitting with four double-pointed needles. I think it’s the easiest method that yields the best results but do whatever feels best to you. And then we need to join in the round. So, I always slip the first stitch on the first needle back to the last needle, and then I slip that additional stitch we cast on over the one from the first needle. And then, I slip it back, and this creates a really nice and firm join. And then, we need to knit across this first round. So, one row of pure knit stitches. As you can see, this will be somewhat fiddly. So take your time, make sure that you don’t accidentally twist your stitches or so, and knit across one full row of knit stitches. And in the second round, we have to increase by eight stitches. Throughout this pattern, you’ll only increase with KLL – knit left loop. I’ll link you my full tutorial up in here. It’s my favorite increase for stockinette stitch. And the repeat for the first round is *knit one, kll*. So, lift that loop, knit one kll, and knit one. So we increased by two stitches, and we’ll do exactly the same on the next needle. As you can see, this is a bit fiddly but once you finish that first round things are really really easy. So it’s again…. it’s knit one, kll, knit one, kll. Repeat this across the whole round. And in the third round, you simply have to knit across those 20 stitches. So it’s one row of pure stockinette stitch. And we’ll also knit the fourth row together as well, and the repeat for the fourth row will be: knit two, *kll, knit five*, and then knit three. This will add four more stitches. So let me finish this one row of knit stitches here. And then we’ll do the fourth round together. So it’s: “knit two, kll, and then knit five”. Basically, if you’re knitting with four needles – as I do – you always place the kll right in the middle of that needle. And at the end of the row, you should have 24 stitches on your needles. I think it’s much easier to knit this pattern with four needles but if you’re knitting with three needles, pay attention that…. because there will be one needle where you have to add two increases. So, this is what it looks like now. And if you look at the pattern for a second, then you’ll see that these increase rounds continue until you have altogether 52 stitches on your needles. And since it’s more or less always the same – just the position of the klls and the rounds in between differ – I’ll see you there and leave you to knitting it. So I’m in round 12 now. And now, you have to knit across those 52 stitches for five more rounds in plain stockinette stitch. The reason why I’m stopping here is, some people may want to knit taller mushrooms. My porcini mushrooms are somewhat condensed and this is the way I want them. But maybe you want to have a different stalk, and you can ….I mean a much taller stalk….and you can easily adjust this by knitting more than just five rounds. Maybe 10 or even 20 if you really want to go high. For me, it’s just five rounds of stockinette stitch here. So I finished knitting across those five rounds and from here you need to decrease back to 24 stitches. But again just a quick reminder if you haven’t already – please like this video to support my work. It really helps me growing my channel and producing more of these videos. And of course, comment if you have any specific problems you want me to address. The first decrease round is *knit six…. so one two three four five six…..and then knit two together…. knit two together… and then knit eleven*…. knit eleven. The reason why is…. now some people might wonder why it’s just knit two together, right? Knit two together is the most invisible decrease for stockinette stitch. And since this is a tubular object you can just scatter it around and you don’t need any other directional decreases. In fact, if you would mix in an ssk here and there, things would stop being tubular. So, after this decrease round you have to add two more rounds of knit stitches. And then there will be another decrease round. Just take a look at the pattern. It’s pretty straightforward. And since it’s really easy, I’ll fast forward to round 43 when things really start to get interesting. Row number 43 is *knit two together, yarn over* across all stitches. Go slowly! Those stitches tend to tighten up. Also, when you come to the end of your needle, you have to add another yarn over. So be very careful that you don’t drop the yarn over as you start on the next needle. And this is a repeat you will see very often in lace patterns but it will also create a very very lovely fold line you can use for double hems in socks and so on. And now we need to start knitting in the other direction. So, knit one more stitch, and then turn your project around, and slip that first stitch. And then, knit across. So, knit across…. Theoretically speaking, you don’t have to knit or change directions here but since the next couple of rows are just purl stitches, and most people don’t like purling, and there are also a lot of of lifted increases there, I think it’s much easier to change directions. Then, you end up with easy lifted increases and knitting. But if you don’t mind purling and knitting plls instead of kll – I guess you can try to do that as well. I always change directions. It’s so much easier. So, I finished knitting those four rounds in stockinette stitch, and I hope you can already see what a nice fold line those yarn overs created. And round 48 marks the first increase round here for the cap. And the repeat is: Knit one, and then you need to KLL- across all stitches. So always knit one, KLL. And at the end of the round, you should have 48 stitches on your needle. And after that increase round, you have to add four more rounds of plain stockinette stitch. So I finished knitting those four rounds in stockinette stitch, and this is where we need to talk about choices. The easier option of this pattern will change color here, and you continue knitting a really seamless cap that is a bit more rounded. Since this option should be pretty straightforward to knit I’ll show you the more complicated version. And this version has a tiny little overhang. And the cap isn’t all that rounded. So, it looks more like a real mushroom would. I personally like this version better and the instruction start on page seven. So, row number 53 is another increase round, and you increase up to 53 stitches. The repeat is *knit 3, KLL, k6, KLL, k3*. So, one.. two.. three.. four.. five… six.. KLL, and knit three… And I’ll see you at the end of this round. So, I finished that last increase round and this is what the lower part of my mushroom looks like now. And from here, things get a bit more complicated. You can set the stalk to the side for the moment and pick up your brown yarn – or whatever color you picked – and cast on 56 stitches with a long tail cast on using the second set of double-pointed knitting needles. So, I already joined my 56 stitches in the round and now you need to knit across one round. Just one round of knit stitches. And then, I’ll show you how to join the two pieces together. Now, to join these two parts together, first of all, you can cut the tail. You won’t be needing the white or cream-colored yarn again. And then you need to insert that part through the hole here… so like this. And then, you need to join these two parts together with a three-needle bind-off. I’ll link you my three-needle bind-off tutorial up in here. A lot of people like to do it directly but I transfer the stitches before and I’ll quickly show you how I do that. So, here’s what I do. I always slip one white stitch and one brown stitch. And one white stitch and one brown stitch…. And in that manner, O transfer all stitches I want to join together to one set of double-pointed needles. I feel this makes it much easier to knit the three-needle bind-off – or rather – it’s not going to be a real three-needle bind-off. We’re just knitting these two parts together. ….And if the stitches are on separate needles, I feel it’s much more fiddly to do that and you end up stretching stitches too much, and so on. And on the next pair of needles, you do exactly the same. I always bring the needles to the front first, and then, always slip one white a stitch and one brown stitch. It’s very important that you start with a white stitch because we will knit these stitches together in the next round. And knit two together is a right-leaning decrease. This means the second stitch will always lay on top. So, I slipped all stitches to one set of double-pointed knitting needles and now we need to knit those stitches together. So, always knit together a white stitch and a brown stitch. And again, make sure that the white stitch is always in front so you won’t be able to see it once we finish the…. well it’s not really a three-needle bind-off…. but let’s call it a three-needle join or whatever… three-needle bind-off variation. So, knit two together all stitches.I joined these two pieces together now, and as you can see, it’s really a seamless transition, and you really don’t see any white or brown yarn peeking through. And right after you join them together there’s one more increase round. So round number three in the round color is, knit four ….knit four…. then kll… kll, and knit seven. And you increase up to 64 stitches in that round. Then it’s another kll, and knit three… After that increase round, you need to add three more rounds in stockinette stitch. And by now you should be able to see… or rather you… you shouldn’t be able to see anything… that three-needle join – if done correctly – is really invisible and there is no white peeking through. So, I add three more rounds of stockinette stitch here. In round seven, you start decreasing the cap. Round seven is, knit two together, and knit six, across all stitches. And… one, two, three, four, five, six…. and then another knit two together. And from here, you need to decrease until you have only eight stitches left. This will be in round 20, and I will fast forward because it should be pretty straightforward to knit if you look into the pattern. And then we’ll talk about how to stuff the mushroom and finish it. So, I finished knitting my cap here and there are only eight stitches left on my needle. And now you can cut the tail….cut the tail…. and thread it on a tapestry needle. And then, slip each little stitch off that round on your tapestry needle, and pull the yarn through. Go through… go through every single stitch of that round, and secure all those stitches. So, I secured all stitches, and I guess now is a good time to congratulate you – at least if you have been knitting along – because you just finished your first mushroom…. at least knitting it. We do, however, need to stuff it and weave in the ends, and i’m going to show you how to do that now. Pick up some toy stuffing, and insert it through the hole on top. I mean, you can also stuff it through the bottom but this hole is a tiny bit smaller. So, I think it’s easier to go through the top. There are two things I need to address: First of all you, might notice that I only add a little bit every time I go in. So I don’t add it all… just a little bit. And then, I push it into the corners… the edges… so everything is filled out quite perfectly. You can massage it into place a bit. This is really important. Otherwise, your edges will never fill out properly and you end up with these kind of puckered edges. You don’t want! So, really push it into all of these edges, and then push in some more. Continue doing that until you’re satisfied. And once you are satisfied with your stuffing and you massaged it into every little corner, we need to employ a little trick. Because, right now, it doesn’t really look mushroomy. So pick up a little piece of the white yarn and thread it on a tapestry needle. And now, depending on how dense or light your toy stuffing, is you may want to add a little swatch or piece of fabric as topping here. So here…Push it in. You don’t have to but I feel it helps quite a bit. And then, entering from the top, you go all the way through, and pull your tapestry needle through one of these yarn overs…. through one of these yarn overs… and then, you go around them, and push your needle out through the top again. And then, you pull tight. And then you go in through the top again, and come out through the next eyelet or yarn over – whatever. Pull the yarn all the way through. So, go around each little yarn over / knit two together combination here at the bottom. And every time you do that, you need to tug on the tail. Imagine this is a corset. This technique will cinch the mushroom and create a really nice 90-degree transition here at the bottom of the cap. Now, this is probably a bit more difficult to show on camera but I really pull on that tail quite a lot. I have seen some projects on Ravelry, and to me, it looked like these knitters didn’t pull hard enough ….or didn’t want to pull hard enough… on those tail. Only if you really pull tight, will you get that neat 90 degrees angle. And once you went through each little eyelet here at the bottom, things should look like this. If it doesn’t, nothing speaks against going around one more time. And then you have two little tails up in here, and you can simply tie a knot…. tie a knot here… or maybe another knot here so that things are really secure. And then, you can cut these two little ends with your scissor, and just hide them on the inside. And you will probably notice how you compressed your toy stuffing quite a bit, and there’s this little cavity up in here. So you may need to add a bit more to fill the top. Don’t overstuff because then you might not end up with a really round top. But don’t add too little either, you want to fill it up. And once you’re satisfied, thread the brown tail here at the top on a tapestry needle, and pull tight to close the hole. Then check one more time if it looks the way you want it to look, and if it doesn’t, you can still add or take away a bit of toy stuffing. But if you’re satisfied, just go through each little stitch of that edge one more time…. one more time…. just go around one more time…. like this. Pull tight, and then, you can either hide the tail directly inside or maybe you want to squeeze in one little knot here. So, let’s show you how I add a knot here. So, I go around one of these knit stitches, I tie a knot, and then I hide the rest of the tail here on the inside. And then you can just cut it. And if you massage it, it will disappear. And then, you need to do the same here at the bottom of your mushrooms. So, pick up that end, and go through each little cast on stitch. Go around one time… go all the way around. And once you’re finished, you can tug on the tail, and close that hole here. And then, again, just tie a little knot here around that edge. Just tie a little knot, and then hide the rest of the tail on the inside of your mushroom. Then, you can simply cut the end, and then you only need to weave in that tail as well. There is one last little thing you need to do. You will notice how the overhang here probably doesn’t look right yet. So here’s how to fix that! I pick up some pins, and then I pin the overhang to the body like this. So, I go all the way around. So, I pinned the overhang to the cap. This is what it looks like now. And next, you need to steam block it. If you don’t have a steamer or an iron with a steaming function, you could also carefully hold it over a pot of boiling water. But at only hold the mushroom over the pot, and not your fingers, right? So, I’m back from steam blocking and my mushroom cooled down, and now you can just remove all of those pins. So, I removed the pins and this is how my little mushroom looks like now. Isn’t it cute and super pretty? And what a difference blocking made! If you’ve never blocked something before, I guess this could be one of these eye-openers moments because blocking really can bring your knitting to the next level. Quite a lot of my followers have knitted this mushroom pattern already, and some of them used really special yarn or embroidered little dots here to the cap, and made their own alterations. And I really invite you to have fun with my pattern. Also, if you go to my blog, you will find patterns for quite a lot of other mushrooms, and flowers and so on. So, definitely check that out if you want to add some further specimens. Anyway, that was my mushroom knitting pattern. I really hope you enjoyed watching, and you were able to knit along. Please, give me a big thumbs up if you like this video, comment with your feedback and your questions, and of course, consider subscribing to my channel in case you don’t want to miss any new videos. Happy knitting and enjoy the rest of your day!
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