Color Explosion Mitts

I had the idea for these fingerless gloves in the summer of 2014, but I couldn't make it work. During the last Xmas holidays I tried it once again - this time with different yarn and more experience with short rows under my belt. However, I still knitted two mitts that didn't quite fit and had to be frogged - but the third try went well enough. Now I really like the look of them.
These fingerless gloves are knitted flat and each in one piece. They use short rows for shaping
Knitted flat, in one piece each, makes use of short rows for shaping. They are great for variegated yarn with a  really short color gradient
They are sort of the opposite construction to my Starburst Mitts, i.e. the short rows don't focus around the thumb but around a point close to the outer wrist.

This work by Knitting and son on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






Materials

• about 30 grams of fingering weight yarn
• three 2.5mm needles - I used short dpns, but you can use straight or circulars as well
• scrap yarn for provisional CO
• two removable stitch holders (e.g. safety pins)
• a stitch holder or long safety pin
• tapestry needle for grafting and to weave in ends

Techniques

• Provisional CO: My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits.
• Three Needle Bind Off: https://youtu.be/Ph93jWSzTa0
• Grafting in Garter Stitch: A technique to get an invisible (knitted) seam - this technique is shown in this YouTube Video by knittinghelp.com.
• Picking up stitches from the edge and joining as you go: to attach the first stitch of one row to the edge stitch of the row opposite, pick up the selvedge stitch from the opposite side (illustration 1), slip the first stitch of the new row as if to purl (with yarn in front, illustration 2), bring the yarn backwards, reinsert the left needle into the last 2 loops and knit them together (like doing a ssk, illustration 3); this will be called ssk+c (ssk and connect) in this pattern - a similar method is shown in this video: http://youtu.be/3zPXZ4cu66Q
  Alternatively, you can just do a slip stitch edge in sections F and G and sew it to the edge of sections C and B in the end.

ssk+c illustrations (click to enlarge)

Gauge and Size
The finished fingerless gloves (as knitted by me) measure about 17 cm in height, 15 cm in circumference at the top, and about 18 cm at the bottom.
11 sts gave 4 cm in width and 9 ridges (i.e. 18 garter stitch rows) 3 cm in height.

The pattern is given in one size only, but there is some advice on how to adapt it to different sizes.

Construction

One gloves is knitted flat in 8 sections (called sections A to H). To get the effect of ... there will be short rows varying in length. To achieve the shape there will be increases or decreases close to the outer edge or - for the thumb - another shorter provisional CO and leaving stitches on a stitch marker will be used.
You start out with a short provisional cast on and continue with short rows while increasing on the edge (section A), in section B there are decreases, in section C increases again as well as newly cast on stitches as well as putting stitches on the stitch holder when half of the thumb is finished. In section D there will be decreases again. From section E on, you will basically knit sections D to H backwards, i.e. increases will be substituted with decreases and vice versa.
In sections F and G you will attach the first stitch of each row to the edge stitch of the corresponding row of sections C and B. In section F you will also use the stitches from the stitch holder to complete the thumb. To finish the thumb completely, a short three-needle bind off is used before continuing with section F. After finishing section H, you've completed a whole circle now and two rows of live stitches are closed by grafting in garter stitch.


Instructions

Section A
With scrap yarn do a provsional CO of 14 sts
Row A0: k all
Ridge A1: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge A2: sl1, k8, w+t, k7, kfb, k1 [now there are 15 sts on your needles, subsequently if the stitch count changes, I will give the new stitch count at the end of the row in square brackets, the number of stitches on your needles - not the number of stitches you just knitted]
Ridge A3: sl1, k13, w+t, k14
Ridge A4: sl1, k5, w+t, k6
Ridge A5: sl1, k8, w+t, k7, kfb, k1 [16 sts]
Ridge A6: sl1, k11, w+t, k12
Ridge A7: sl1, k4, w+t, k5

Ridge A8: sl1, k13, w+t, k12, kfb, k1 [17 sts]

Ridge A9: sl1, k6, w+t, k7
Ridge A10: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge A11: sl1, k13, w+t, k12, kfb, k1 [18 sts]
Ridge A12: sl1, k7, w+t, k8
Ridge A13: sl1, k13, w+t, k12, kfb, k1 [19 sts]
Ridge A14: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge A15: sl1, k5, w+t, k4, kfb, k1 [20 sts] - place a removable stitchmarker into the first stitch of the last ridge (called stitch marker A)

Section B
Ridge B1: sl1, k19, turn, sl1, k19; place stitch marker in first stitch on needle (this marker will be called marker A)
Ridge B2: sl1, k4, w+t, k5
Ridge B3: sl1, k9, w+t, k10
Ridge B4: sl1, k3, w+t, k4
Ridge B5: sl1, k14, w+t, k12, ssk, k1 [19 sts]
Ridge B6: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge B7: sl1, k6, w+t, k7
Ridge B8: sl1, k15, w+t, k13, ssk, k1 [18 sts]
Ridge B9: sl1, k4, w+t, k5
Ridge B10: sl1, k13, w+t, k14
Ridge B11: sl1, k15, w+t, k16
Ridge B12: sl1, k9, w+t, k10
Ridge B13: sl1, k7, w+t, k8

Section C
Ridge C1: sl1, k17, turn, sl1, k17
Ridge C2: sl1, k12, w+t, k13
Ridge C3: sl1, k8, w+t, k9
Ridge C4: sl1, k3, w+t, k4
Ridge C5: sl1, k16, w+t, k17
Ridge C6: sl1, k5, w+t, k4, kfb, k1 [19 sts]
Ridge C7: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge C8: sl1, k16, w+t, k17
Ridge C9: sl1, k8, w+t, k9
Ridge C10: sl1, k12, w+t, k11, kfb, k1 [20 sts]
Ridge C11: sl1, k5, w+t, k6
Ridge C12: sl1, k15, w+t, k16
Ridge C13: sl1, k12, w+t, k11, kfb, k1 [21 sts]
Ridge C14: sl1, k11, w+t, k12
Ridge C15: sl1, k9, w+t, k8, kfb, k1 [22 sts]
Ridge C16: sl1, k6, w+t, k7; provisionally CO 8 sts, and continue to knit these 8 sts - see photos 1 and 2 in illustrations A below [30 sts]
Ridge C17: sl1, k6, ktbl, ktbl, k8, w+t, k17
Ridge C18: sl1, k23, w+t, k24
Ridge C19: sl1, k14, w+t, k13, kfb, k1 [31 sts]
Ridge C20: sl1, k13, w+t, k14
Ridge C21: sl1, k23, w+t, k24

Ridge C22: sl1, k16, w+t, k17

Ridge C23: sl1, k21, w+t, k22
Ridge C24: sl1, k18, w+t, k12 - and put the last 7 sts on a stitch holder (see photo 3 in illustration A below) [24 sts]
Ridge C25: sl1, k6, w+t, k5, kfb, k1 [25 sts]
Ridge C26: sl1, k16, w+t, k15, kfb, k1 [26 sts]

Ridge C27: sl1, k7, w+t, k6, kfb, k1 [27 sts]

Ridge C28: sl1, k21, w+t, k20, kfb, k1 [28 sts]  - place a removable stitchmarker into the first stitch of the last ridge (called stitch marker B)

Illustrations A (click to enlarge)

Section D
Ridge D1: sl1, k27, turn, sl1, k27, place stitch marker in first stitch on needle (this marker will be called marker B)
Ridge D2: sl1, k4, w+t, k2, ssk, k1 [27 sts]
Ridge D3: sl1, k7, w+t, k5, ssk, k1 [26 sts]
Ridge D4: sl1, k20, w+t, k21
Ridge D5: sl1, k8, w+t, k9
Ridge D6: sl1, k15, w+t, k13, ssk, k1 [25 sts]
Ridge D7: sl1, k6, w+t, k7
Ridge D8: sl1, k13, w+t, k14
Ridge D9: sl1, k22, w+t, k23
Ridge D10: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge D11: sl1, k5, w+t, k6
Ridge D12: sl1, k18, w+t, k16, ssk, k1 [24 sts]
Ridge D13: sl1, k20, w+t, k21
Ridge D14: sl1, k7, w+t, k8
Ridge D15: sl1, k14, w+t, k15

Ridge D16: sl1, k23, pick up 2 sts from the space between the last st and the first st of the very first row, turn, sl1, ssk, k23 (this ensures that there won't be a hole in the middle of the mitt, see photo 4 of illustrations A) [25 sts]

Section E
Ridge E1: sl1, k14, w+t, k15
Ridge E2: sl1, k7, w+t, k8
Ridge E3: sl1, k20, w+t, k21
Ridge E4: sl1, k18, w+t, k17, kfb, k1 [26 sts]
Ridge E5: sl1, k5, w+t, k6
Ridge E6: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge E7: sl1, k24, w+t, ssk, k22 [25 sts] (the ssk evens out the 2nd of the stitches that was picked up at the end of section D)
Ridge E8: sl1, k13, w+t, k14
Ridge E9: sl1, k6, w+t, k7
Ridge E10: sl1, k15, w+t, k14, kfb, k1 [26 sts]
Ridge E11: sl1, k8, w+t, k9
Ridge E12: sl1, k20, w+t, k21
Ridge E13: sl1, k7, w+t, k6, kfb, k1 [27 sts]
Ridge E14: sl1, k4, w+t, k3, kfb, k1 [28 sts]
Ridge E15: sl1, k27, turn, sl1, k27

Section F
Ridge F1: sl1, k21, w+t, k19, ssk, k1 [27 sts]
Now your piece will look similar to photo 5 of illustrations B below. To attach the edges of sections C and B to F and G, you need to fold the piece over as shown in photo 6 of illustrations B. The first stitch to pick up from the opposite edge is the stitch just below marker B - or the edge stitch of ridge C28. In the subsequent rows, always connect to the next stitch below.
When you're connecting the two sides like this, there will be a visible ridge - however, later the piece will be turned inside out and this ridge will be on the inside of the mitt.

Ridge F2: ssk+c (i.e. connect the first st of your working row to the edge stitch of row C28), k7, w+t, k5, ssk, k1 [26 sts]
Ridge F3: ssk+c (i.e. connect to the next edge stitch of section C, i.e. the edge st of row C27), k16, w+t, k14, ssk, k1 [25 sts]
Ridge F4: ssk+c (i.e. connect to the next edge stitch of section C, i.e. the edge st of row C26), k6, w+t, k4, ssk, k1 [24sts]
Ridge F5: ssk+c, k18, w+t, k19 - put the 7 sts from the stitch holder on your needles and continue knitting these 7 sts (see photo 7 in illustration B below) [31 sts]
Ridge F6: sl1, k21, w+t, k22
Ridge F7: sl1, k16, w+t, k17
Ridge F8: sl1, k23, w+t, k24
Ridge F9: sl1, k13, w+t, k14

Ridge F10: sl1, k14, w+t, k12, ssk, k1 [30 sts]

Ridge F11:  sl1, k23, w+t, k24

Ridge F12: sl1, k16, w+t, k17
Ridge F13: put the 8 sts from the provisional CO (of section C) on a needle and do a three needle BO of 8 stitches, you're connecting the lower edge of the thumb of both sides (see photo 8 of illustration below), and continue knitting:  k6, w+t, k7 [22 sts]
Ridge F14: ssk+c, k9, w+t, k7, ssk, k1 [21 sts]

Ridge F15: ssk+c, k11, w+t, k12

Ridge F16: ssk+c, k12, w+t, k10, ssk, k1 [20 sts]

Ridge F17: ssk+c, k15, w+t, k16

Ridge F18: ssk+c, k5, w+t, k6

Ridge F19: ssk+c, k12, w+t, k10, ssk, k1 [19 sts]

Ridge F20: ssk+c, k8, w+t, k9

Ridge F21: ssk+c, k16, w+t, k17

Ridge F22: ssk+c, k10, w+t, k11

Ridge F23: ssk+c, k5, w+t, k3, ssk, k1 [18 sts]

Ridge F24: ssk+c, k16, w+t, k17

Ridge F25: ssk+c, k3, w+t, k4

Ridge F26: ssk+c, k8, w+t, k9

Ridge F27: ssk+c, k12, w+t, k13

Ridge F28: ssk+c, k17, turn, sl1, k17

Illustrations B (click to enlarge)

Section G
Ridge G1: ssk+c, k7, w+t, k8
Ridge G2: ssk+c, k9, w+t, k10
Ridge G3: ssk+c, k15, w+t, k16
Ridge G4: ssk+c, k13, w+t, k14
Ridge G5: ssk+c, k4, w+t, k5
Ridge G6: ssk+c, k15, w+t, k14, kfb, k1 [19 sts]
Ridge G7: ssk+c, k6, w+t, k7
Ridge G8: ssk+c, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge G9: ssk+c, k14, w+t, k13, kfb, k1 [20 sts]
Ridge G10: ssk+c, k3, w+t, k4
Ridge G11: ssk+c, k9, w+t, k10
Ridge G12: ssk+c, k4, w+t, k5
Ridge G13: ssk+c, k19, turn, sl1, k 19 (on the side of section B, you should've reached marker A)

Section H
Ridge H1: sl1, k5, w+t, k3, ssk, k1 [19 sts]
Ridge H2: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge H3: sl1, k13, w+t, k11, ssk, k1 [18 sts]
Ridge H4: sl1, k7, w+t, k8
Ridge H5: sl1, k14, w+t, k12, ssk, k1 [17 sts]
Ridge H6: sl1, k10, w+t, k11
Ridge H7: sl1, k6, w+t, k7
Ridge H8: sl1, k12, w+t, k10, ssk, k1 [16 sts]
Ridge H9: sl1, k4, w+t, k5
Ridge H10: sl1, k13, w+t, k14
Ridge H11: sl1, k9, w+t, k7, ssk, k1 [16 sts]
Ridge H12: sl1, k5, w+t, k6
Ridge H13: sl1, k14, w+t, k15
Ridge H14: sl1, k8, w+t, k6, ssk, k1 [15 sts]
Ridge H15: sl1, k10, w+t, k11

Put the stitches of the provisional CO of section A on a needle (this will give you only 14 sts), use the tail of your CO to pick up one more stitch from the selvedge right in the middle of the mitts (similar to what you did at the end of section D). Now you have 15 sts on both needles - and the hole in the middle will be closed a bit.

Graft both sides together in garter stitch.
Use the tail to sew the hole in the middle closed and weave in ends.

Turn mitt right sides out.
Make two - and block them gently.

How to Adapt the Pattern to Different Hand Sizes

To change height and width of these gloves you obviously need to adjust the number of stitches you cast on ... but, a change in the number of stitches also leads to other changes as well, i.e. one stitch more, usually means one short row more in each section.

If you knit a few stitches more you need to increase the number of (short) rows per section as well - by the same count. E.g. (with the gauge I had) if you want to add about 2 cm to the height and circumference of the mitts, you need to CO 3 sts (3 sts roughly equal 1 cm, and this centimeter is added twice - once at the lower edge (in sections A and H) and once at the top (sections D and E) - this also goes for the circumference, if you add 3 sts, they add 1 cm to the width in sections B and C, and also 1 cm in sections F and G). To balance this you need to knit short row 3 ridges more in each section.

I'd advise to add these short row ridges randomly inbetween the other ridges of each section - and to vary the lenght of these short row ridges. E.g. if the ridge before was rather short (less than 10 sts long), I'd add a longer short row ridge, e.g. 20 sts long - making sure that you don't put one w+t directly above another of a previous ridge. This ensures an even distribution of short rows.

Shaping Experiments

I always think that small projects - like potholders, washcloths and phone sleeves - are great for trying out new shapes and ideas. If they work they may lead to bigger design ideas. Last year for example, I had the idea to combine intarsia with short rows - I first tried this on a small piece (Citrus Fruit Potholders) but then also used it for a much bigger piece (Wedges Wrap). Also, the random lace idea started with a small e-book sleeve and led to two bigger scarfs (Random Lace Scarf and Random Bubbles Scarf)
Recently, I've started quite a few of these small projects. Unfortunately, I haven't finished any of them yet. Most (if not all) of them will be frogged, but for me at least they were experiments that I learned from. And I guess there are a couple of ideas that could be made to work.

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

• Lotus blossom (upper left-hand corner): I got the idea when I saw a stylized lotus blossom in an ad on the train and  thought that something knitted in that shape might be a lovely washcloth - perfect for a Mother's Day present. Unfortunately, it doesn't look quite the way I imagined it, so I will probably frog this piece and try it again. One of my knitting buddies even suggested that I might pursue the general idea further and make this into a shawl. 
• Red pepper/tomato (upper right hand corner): In the past, I've knitted quite a few food-themed potholders (e.g. egg or avocado- and pumpkin-shaped). So I wanted to add color to my potholder collection with something in red - and decided on a red pepper. My first attempt was a bit too narrow and the second one (in the photo above) a bit too wide and too irregular. (For naturally grown stuff small irregularities look good, but it's difficult to get it right :). This piece will definitely be frogged, but I will try this again soon.
• A slice of Emmental cheese (lower left-hand corner) - even though it's barely recognizable: When I asked on social media which other foodstuffs would be good themes for knitted potholders, one of my knitting buddies suggested cheese - including that this might include holes. The crumply yellow piece in the photo is my first attempt - and I'm not sure whether this is a worthwhile idea ...
• Spiral or snail shell (lower right hand corner): To get into the mood for summer, I wanted something with a certain "beachy" feeling, i.e. shaped as a conch that you might find on the each. So I tried to knit this spiral ... I do like how it works as a piece of knitting (and it could also be written as a lovely algorithm, but you need a nerdy kind of mind to appreciate that :). I hope that I manage to do this in two colors; it would complement my Seashell Coasters nicely.

Circular Needle Storage Solution

When you have a lot of circular needles there is always the question on how to store them. Some people prefer them stored neatly in a box, but I always liked them be hanging down from somewhere which - supposedly - is better for the cables. However, for me this usually leads to a certain entanglement of cables ... plus I always have to search hard for the needle size I'm looking for.
So when I glimpsed a gorgeous solution while watching this video by Roxanne Richardson (her circular needle storage can be seen at minute 32:30), I wanted something similar for myself.
Unfortunately, I'm not much of a seamstress - and I am really bad at handling my sewing machine. But this weekend, I finally sat down to do it.
Here's a (really short) tutorial on how to do something similar. Please note that I'm completely new to sewing (any experienced seamstress would have cried out laughing if they saw me handling my fabric and use the sewing machine). So there are probably quite a few things that could be done better. Plus you can see that my seams are far from looking professional.

The piece has two compartments for each needle size. A long one (made from the light green fabric) and on top of it a shorter one in red fabric (sewn on top of the green one) and attached by the crosswise seams. The shorter compartment can be used for needles that are shorter than 40 cm (e.g. Addi Socks Wonders or CrasyTrios).




This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Materials

• fabric: I used one light greeen piece that was 2x20 cm wide and 2x50 cm high (both plus seam allowance) and another red piece that was 2x10 cm wide and 60 cm high (also plus seam allowance). In fact I wanted a "recycling" project, so I used old T-shirts.
• 9 buttons 
• a paint marker (to mark the buttons with the needle sizes)
• needle and thread to attach the buttons (or glue ...)
• a dowel and a cord 
• a sewing machine and a pressing iron

How-To

1. Cut out a piece of fabric that is twice as long and twice as wide as you want your finished piece to be (plus seam allowance). One of my construction goal was to avoid seams along the side of the piece (because I thought that the needles my be caught in that seam each time you put it in). That's why I chose to use a piece of fabric that was twice the intended width. I wanted a needle holder that was 50 cm high and 20 cm wide - so I cut out a rectangle that was 100 long and 40 cm wide (plus about 1 cm at each edge) - light green on the photos.
2. Fold the piece in half lengthwise (right sides together) and sew it along the long seam. (Now you have a long tube that has intended width). Place the piece with the seam right in the middle and press the seam flat. Turn it right sides out. Now the side with the seam will be the "wrong" side or inside.
3. Fold the piece along the shorter side (right sides together) and sew along the short edge. Press the seam and turn it right sides out. Press.
4. Cut out a piece of fabric that is twice as wide as the strip in contrast color and about 10 cm longer than the intended height of the finished piece. In my case this was piece of red fabric 20 cm wide and 60 cm long.
5. Fold that piece in half lenghwise (right sides together) and sew along the long edge.  Place the piece with the seam right in the middle and press the seam flat. Turn it right sides out. Now you have another (narrower) tube of fabric.
6. Lay the smaller piece on top of the bigger one, with 5 cm overhanging on each side. Pin in place. I chose to place it a bit off the center.  
7. Fold the overhanging 5 cm back and handstitch in place - on the top and the bottom.
8. Now sew a few seams right across the piece - I used a thread in a contrasting color and started with the first about 1.5mm from the top and continued with a distance of 2.5cm, increasing to 3cm towards the lower end. That way, I did 16 crosswise seams, which gave me 16 compartments - plus one at the top to place a dowel for the hanging "mechanism".
9. Sew buttons on and mark them with the needle sizes. (Actually, I only noticed too late that the space of the compartments was to small to sew the buttons, so I glued them to the fabric.)
10. Draw a cord throught the compartment at the top. and place a dowel inside for stability ... and it's ready to hang.

I do like the finished piece even though it looks far from professional.
But it a) does the job and b) was made with materials I had at home :)
If I ever do something similar again, I will ...

• ... use sturdier and non-stretchy fabric - if you are a sewing newbie (like me), stretchy fabric is a nightmare
• ... use interfacing or something similar to stiffen the piece
• ... sew on the buttons before sewing the crossways seams - and use smaller buttons :)
• .... sew neater seams, of course ...

Egg or Avocado

Currently I really love playing around with yarn trying to knit coasters or potholder in the shape of foodstuffs. These are quick and fun projects that get you a sense of achievement and leave you with cheerful piece for your kitchen.
These egg-shaped pieces are knitted flat and all in garter stitch. They use a combination of intarsia and short rows, which means that they look good(-ish) on WS as well. The pieces can be used as potholders or coasters.

Here's a pattern the to knit a coaster in shape of a hard-boiled egg (written and as a chart) and the chart for the avocado coaster as well as a few explanations on how to knit it.


This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






Materials

• about 20 grams of DK weight cotton yarn (for the egg coaster in white and yellow, for the avocado coaster in brown, light green and dark green)
• 3.5mm needles
• scrap yarn and crochet hook for provisional CO
• tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques and Notation

• Provisional CO: My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits.
• Grafting in Garter Stitch: A technique to get an invisible (knitted) seam - this technique is shown in this YouTube Video by knittinghelp.com.
• Intarsia: Changing colors with the intarsia technique - as shown in this YouTube video by knitwithpat; or this YouTube video by Francoise Danoy. That way you don't have to carry long strands on the WS. The picture below shows the RS and WS of the piece.
• Throughout the written pattern, the following notation is used:  C1 (k4), C2 (k10, w+t, k10), C1 (k to end) means, knit 4 stitches in C1, change to C2 and knit 10 sts, do a wrap and turn, knit 10 stitches and then change back to C1 and k to end. I.e. color is indicated before the knitting instructions for that yarn and the knitting instructions for that yarn are given in brackets after the color.
  The use of intarsia technique means that the piece looks good on not only on RS but on WS as well (see picture below).
  
  
  

Size
One coaster / potholder is about 18 cm high and 14 cm wide.


Charts
Below you find the charts for both the egg and the avocado coaster.
Each row stands for one ridge (i.e. two rows of garter stitch), and each square for one stitch of this ridge. Each color stands for one color of coaster.
During the first half of the piece, the chart must be read from bottom to top - knitting section A three times, then sections B, C and D once each. For the second half of the piece, the chart needs to be read from top to bottom starting with section E, F and G (which need to be knitted once each) and continuing with section H that's knitted three times. The piece is finished by grafting in garter stitch.
The pink dotted lines are just counting aids. They are placed after every 5th stitch - starting from the end of a row.

Egg Chart - click to enlarge

Avocado Chart - click to enlarge

Instructions for the Egg-Shaped Coaster

C1 = white
C2 = yellow

Important: if a stitch is knitted in one color on RS, it will always be knitted in the same color on WS. The WS stitch might be an increase or decrease, but the color will not change.

Provisionally CO 13 sts
Setup Row: C2 (k8); C1 (k5)

Section A
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k6, w+t, k6); C1 (k5)
Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k2, w+t, k2); C1 (k5)
Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k2, w+t, k3)
Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (w+t); C1 (k5)
Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k4, w+t, k4); C1 (k5)
Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7); C1 (k5)

Repeat section A twice more, i.e. you have knitted section A a total of three times.

Section B
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (k6, w+t, k6), C1 (k5)
Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (k2, w+t, k2), C1 (k5)
Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k2, w+t, k3)
Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (w+t), C1 (k5)
Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (k4, w+t, k4), C1 (k1, kfb, k3)
Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k6), C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7), C1 (k6)

Section C
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k5), C2 (k6, w+t, k6), C1 (k6)
Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k5), C2 (k2, w+t, k2), C1 (k2, kfb, k3)
Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k4, w+t, k5)
Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k6), C2 (w+t), C1 (k4, kfb, k3)
Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k7), C2 (k4, w+t, k4), C1 (k5, kfb, k3)
Ridge 6: C1: (sl1, k9), C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7), C1 (k10)

Section D
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k9); C2 (k6, w+t, k6); C1 (k6, kfb, k3)
Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k10); C2 (k2, w+t, k2); C1 (k11)

Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k8, w+t, k5, kfb, k3)

Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k5, w+t, k6)

Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k3, w+t, k1, kfb, k2)

Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k8, w+t, k9)

Ridge 7: C1 (sl1, k12), C2 (w+t), C1 (k9, kfb, k3)

Ridge 8: C1 (sl1, k12), C2 (k4, w+t, k4), C1 (k13)

Ridge 9: C1 (sl1, k12), C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7), C1 (k13)

Now you've finished half of your piece - from now on you basically will be knitting the same sequence backwards.

Section E (i.e. section D backwards)
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k12), C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7), C1 (k13)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k12), C2 (k4, w+t, k4), C1 (k13)

Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k12), C2 (w+t), C1 (k8, ssk, k3)

Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k8, w+t, k9)

Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k3, w+t, ssk, k2)

Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k5, w+t, k6)

Ridge 7: C1 (sl1, k8, w+t, k4, ssk, k3)

Ridge 8: C1 (sl1, k10); C2 (k2, w+t, k2); C1 (k11)
Ridge 9: C1 (sl1, k9); C2 (k6, w+t, k6); C1 (k5, ssk, k3)

Section F (i.e. secion C backwards)
Ridge 1: C1: (sl1, k9), C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7), C1 (k10)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k7), C2 (k4, w+t, k4), C1 (k4, ssk, k3)
Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k6), C2 (w+t), C1 (k3, ssk, k3)
Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k4, w+t, k5)
Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k5), C2 (k2, w+t, k2), C1 (k1, ssk, k3)

Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k5), C2 (k6, w+t, k6), C1 (k6)

Section G (i.e. section B backwards)
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k6), C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7), C1 (k6)
Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (k4, w+t, k4), C1 (ssk, k3)
Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (w+t), C1 (k5)
Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k2, w+t, k3)
Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (k2, w+t, k2), C1 (k5)
Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k4), C2 (k6, w+t, k6), C1 (k5)

Section H (i.e. section A backwards)
Ridge 1: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k8, TURN, sl1, k7); C1 (k5)

Ridge 2: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k4, w+t, k4); C1 (k5)

Ridge 3: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (w+t); C1 (k5)

Ridge 4: C1 (sl1, k2, w+t, k3)
Ridge 5: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k2, w+t, k2); C1 (k5)
Ridge 6: C1 (sl1, k4); C2 (k6, w+t, k6); C1 (k5)

Repeat section H twice more, i.e. you knit section H a total of three times.

Put the stitches from the provisional CO on the second needle - cut your yarn.
Graft in garter stitch - 5 stitches in C1 and 8 stitches in C2.
Use the C2 tail to close the hole in the middle of the piece.

Differences for the Avocado-Shaped Coaster
For the avocado the you'll use three colors instead of one, i.e. C1 = dark green, C2 = light green and C3 = brown.
The total number of stitches of each ridge in each section is the same as for the egg pattern. The first two stitches of each ridge are knitted in C1, and the last 5 stitches (counted from the end of a complete row) are knitted in C3, of course they may not be reached when the short row is turned earlier. The stitches inbetween are knitted in light green - all increases and decreases are done in the light green part of the piece, this means that if a stitch is knitted in one color on RS, it will always be knitted in the same color on WS. The WS stitch might be an increase or decrease, but the color will not change.

Egg and avocado with other food-themed potholders - pumpkin and orange

Snowflake Mitts

When I recently posted an old picture of my Bat Mitts on social media, a friend commented and asked for something similar - in turquoise. And since I don't like to repeat myself, I wanted to design something new - plus I only found turquoise yarn in Sports weight, so I had to use this.
I like fingerless gloves that are knitted in one piece - so that you only have to weave in 2 ends per glove. That's why I think it's a good idea to start fingerless gloves at the thumb ... there are already a few patterns like this available on my blog (e.g. Circle Mitts or Zimtsterne Mitts). However, these mitts are the first ones that I knitted in Sports weight yarn.
The pattern is written for one size only, but there are explanations on how to adjust the pattern to your size.

As to the name, in the early stages of knitting them, the pattern looked a bit like a snowflake to me. If you look at illustration 1 below, you might see it, too.



This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






Materials

• about 45 grams of Sports weight yarn
• 3.25mm circular needles
• a third needle of about the same size for the three-needle BO
• 6 stitch markers
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques and Abbreviations

• Three-Needle Bind-Off: https://youtu.be/Ph93jWSzTa0
• Short Rows in the Round (and t+ky) I learned short rows in the round with this helpful video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCgycxLce94; however, I ended up doing the pick-ups differently.
  - "Wrapping" of the StitchesBasically, when you're on the RS, you do wrap the working yarn around the next stitch (from front to back) and then turn your work, i.e. the "normal" wrap and turn (w+t).
  When you are on the WS you slip the last stitch, turn your work with the yarn in front, wrap the yarn around the RIGHT needle and knit the slipped stitch. That creates a sort of double-stitch - one half of it has to be knitted together with the stitch in front when you're picking up the stitches. In the pattern, throughout the pattern I will call this stitch, t+ky (short for "turn and knit w/yarn-over").
  - Picking-up When encountering a w+t, I turned the wrapped stitch on the needle, picked up the wrap from the front and knitted the stitch and the wrap together through the back of the loop.
  When reaching the stitch BEFORE the “double-stitch”, I turned this stitch and knitted it together with the yo through the back of the loop. 
• Picking up stitches from a gap or ditch: After the three needle bind-off there is one left over stitch which tends to have a distance to the stitches next to it. To avoid holes, I usually pick up one stitch from the gap and decrease over the new stitch in the following row (see also this YouTube video where it is shown on the example of a thumb gusset). In my experience (or the way I knit :) it's even better to pick up two stitches and knit decreases over them in the following two rows.
• mk1p: make one purl stitch; https://youtu.be/7WLQ9qXa88k (YouTube video by Knit Purl Hunter - you can use one the first two method shown there)
• Stretchy Bind-Off: see this YouTube-video by Knitting Pipeline.

Gauge and Measurements
The finished mitts - as knitted by me - measure about 18 cm in height (at the highest point) and 14 cm at the lowest point. The circumference at the wrist is about 16 cm.
In stockinette stitch 13 sts gve 5 cm in width, and 20 rows gave 5 cm height.

General Construction

These mitts are knitted in four parts. Part 1 - the thumb - is knitted in the round. Part 2 - the first part of the palm - is also knitted in the round, at its end there is a small ribbing knitted on top to make sure that the BO at the upper edge doesn't curl in. Part 3 is knitted flat. In order to keep the upper edge straight(-ish) there are a few decreases at the beginning and end of some rows. This part ends with a three-needle BO. Part 4 - the cuff - starts with a few short rows to even out the height differences. It is knitted in the round and ends with a few rounds of ribbing.

Instructions

Part 1
CO18 sts and join in round
Rounds 1 to 9: * p1, k1, p1 repeat from * to end
Round 10: * p1, k1, p1, mk1p repeat from * to end
Rounds 11 to 13: * p1, k1, p2 repeat from * to end
Round 14: * p1, place marker, k1, p2 repeat from * to end - by the end of the round you have placed 6 markers

Part 2
Round 1: * k to marker, yo, slip marker, k1, yo repeat from * to end
Round 2 to 4: k all
Repeat 1 to 4 twice more - your piece should look similar to illustration 1
Round 13 = Round 1
Round 14 = Round 2
From now on the small k1p1-ribbing will be added to the pattern - between the 5th and 6th marker.
Round 15: * k to marker, slip marker, repeat from * three more times - now there are two markers left to the end of the round - k to marker, slip marker,  # k1, p1 repeat from # to 1 bef marker, k1, slip marker, k to end
Round 16 = Round 15
Round 17: * k to marker, yo, slip marker, k1, yo repeat from * three more times - now there are two markers left to the end of the round - k to marker, yo, slip marker,  k1, yo, # k1, p1 repeat from # to 1 bef marker, k1, yo, slip marker, k1, yo, k to end

Round 18: * k to marker, slip marker, repeat from * three more times - now there are two markers left to the end of the round - k to 1 bef, marker, p1, slip marker,  # k1, p1 repeat from # to marker, k1, slip marker, p1, k to end

Round 19 = Round 18
Round 20: * k to marker, slip marker, repeat from * three more times - now there are two markers left to the end of the round - k to 1 bef, marker, BO17 sts in p1k1 pattern (removing the last marker) - you are now one stitch beyond the last marker - k to end, DON'T TURN!

Part 3
Row 1 (RS): * k to marker, yo, slip marker, k1, yo, repeat from * three more times, k to end
Row 2 (WS): p2togtbl, p9, w+t,
     (RS) k to end, turn,
     (WS) p2togtbl, p to last 2 sts, p2tog, turn
     (RS) k10, w+t, p to last 2 sts, p2tog
Row 3 (RS): k all
Row 4 (WS): p2togtbl, p5, w+t,
     (RS) k to end, turn,
     (WS) p2togtbl, p to last 2 sts, p2tog, turn
     (RS) k7, w+t, p to last 2 sts, p2tog
Row 5 (RS): * k to marker, yo, slip marker, k1, yo, repeat from * three more times, k to end
Row 6 (WS): p2togtbl, p7, w+t,
     (RS) k to end, turn,
     (WS) p2togtbl, p to last 2 sts, p2tog, turn
     (RS) k6, w+t, p to last 2 sts, p2tog
Row 7 (RS): k all - now your piece will look similar to illustration 2.
Fold the piece right sides together and do a three-needle BO of 14 sts - see illustration 3. Turn the piece back right sides out. Now it will look similar to illustration 4.

Illustrations

Part 4
In order to get an even lower edge, you will have to insert a few short rows. This will create a sort of triangle to even out height differences.
Make sure the stitch that's leftover from the three-needle BO is on your left hand needle. Place a marker to mark the end of round.
Set up round: sl1 (i.e. the "BO leftover" stitch), pick up one or two stitches from the gap (to avoid holes), k to end, pick up one or two stitches from gap.
Short row sequence: k1, k2tog, w+t, p3, p2tog, p2 w+t, k2, you're back at the end of round-marker
    k1, k2tog, k3, w+t, p4, p2tog, p3, w+t, k3, you're back at the end of round-marker
    k6, w+t, p5, p5, w+t, k4, you're back at the end of round-marker
Round 1: k1, k2tog, * k to marker, yo, slip marker, k1, yo repeat once from *, k to last 2 sts, ssk,
Round 2: k all, k7, w+t, p13, w+t, k6
Round 3: k all,  k1, k2tog, k6, w+t, p7, p2tog, p6, w+t, k to end of round marker
Round 4: k all
Round 5 = Round 1
Round 6: k7, w+t, p13, w+t, k6 (you're at the end-of-round marker), k one round
Round 7: k1, k2tog, k to last 2 sts, ssk - count your stitches.
If you have an odd number of stitches knit Round 8-odd. For and even number, knit Round 8-even
Round 8-odd: k8, w+t, p7, p2tog, p6, w+t, k to end-of-round marker, k one round
Round 8-even: k8, w+t, p13, w+t, k7 (you're at the end-of-round marker), k one round

End with 7 rows of k1p1-ribbing. Bind off in pattern.

Make two.
Weave in ends and block gently.

How to Adapt for Different Hand Sizes
The obvious way to adapt this pattern to different hand sizes is change the number of repeats in parts 2, 3 and 4, but this requires other adaptations as well.

• If you change the number of repeats in part 2 the mitts will get wider and the upper edge will be higher. This will lead to a change of the stitches of the upper edge BO at the end of this part. Basically, I'd bind of from the stitch of the yo before the first marker to the stitch of the yo after the second marker. You also might want to start the p1k1-ribbing at the upper edge accordingly - it doesn't need to be higher than 5 or 6 rows (including the BO row).
• If you increase the repeats (row 1 to row 4) of part 3 the mitts will get wider without raising the upper edge. This can be done only a few times since - with the decreases at the upper edge, the yo-k1-yo sequences will get closer to the upper edge. This means that you have to adjust the length(s) of the short rows (rows 2 and 4) will have to be adapted; they must be short enough to not come to the yo-k1-yo-sequence. This will also lead to an adjustment of the number of stitches you need to BO with the three-needle BO. You also need to make sure, that the last row of your part 3, is a row 3 or row 7, i.e. one more row is necessary before you need to do the lace pattern.
• If you want to lengthen the shaft of the mitts, you can do not need to insert more short rows because you've already evened out the height. But you need to do a lace row every 4th row and to decrease around the end-of-round marker in the next two rounds to even out the increases.

Frost in March Hat

This year winter doesn't seem to end - and at the beginning of March it got extremely cold - in my part of the world it was minus 10 degrees. Even now - a few weeks - later it's not much better. That's why I took to wearing a hat everytime I had to leave the house. In autumn I had knitted a few new hats (e.g. U-Turn Hat and Circle Beret), but they were shaped in a way that they fitted right over head and were to small if I wore my hair in a bun - which I usually do. So I wnated to knit a roomier hat, something a bit slouchy so that my "hairdo" would fit comfortably.
I decided on something with a short row construction, that is worked sideways and knitted flat. It starts with a provisional CO, is knitted in wedges and ends by grafting the edges together. The first 14 stitches are worked in garter stitch which provides a ribbing.
Their are two versions of the pattern - one to the exact size and gauge as given below, and one more general version so that you can adapt it to your head size.

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






Materials

• 60 to 70 grams of Worsted weight yarn - the sideways effect will be shown best when using self-striping yarn (I used Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big Color - here's a link to the yarn's Ravelry page)
• 4 mm knitting needles
• scrap yarn and crochet hook for provisional CO
• tapestry needle for grafting and to weave in ends

Techniques

• Provisional CO: My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits. 
• Grafting in Garter Stitch: A technique to get an invisible (knitted) seam - this technique is shown in this YouTube Video by knittinghelp.com.
• Grafting in stockinette stitch (also called Kitchener Stitch): a way to seamlessly join two rows of live stitches - as shown in this YouTube video by WEBS America's Yarn Store.

Gauge and Size

In stockinette stitch 21 stitches gave 10 cm in width and 32 rows 10 cm in height.

The finished hat measures 44 cm in circumference at the ribbing (unstretched). Stretched it fits around my head (about 54 cm in circumference). Just above the ribbing it measures about 55 cm in circumference. From the lower edge of the ribbing up to the crown it measures 23 cm.

Instructions

For the exact size as given above

Do a provisional CO of 50 sts

Row 0 (WS): k all

Row 1 (RS+WS): sl1, k47, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 2 (RS+WS): sl1, k45, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 3 (RS+WS): sl1, k43, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 4 (RS+WS): sl1, k41, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 5 (RS+WS): sl1, k39, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 6 (RS+WS): sl1, k37, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 7 (RS+WS): sl1, k35, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 8 (RS+WS): sl1, k33, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 9 (RS, WS, RS, WS): sl1, k31, w+t, p to last 14, w+t, k to last 14 sts, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 10 (RS+WS): sl1 k to end, TURN, sl1 k to end

Repeat rows 1 to 10 6 more times. Then knit rows 1 to 9 once more.

Put the stitches of the provisional CO on a knitting needle.

Hold the edges WS together and graft 14 sts in garter stitch and 36 sts in stockinette stitch.

Weave in ends.

For other sizes

Do a provisional CO of the number of sts you need for the desired height 

Row 0 (WS): k all

Row 1 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before end, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 2 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 3 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 4 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 5 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 6 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 7 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 8 (RS+WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 9 (RS, WS, RS, WS): sl1, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14, w+t, k to 2 sts before last wrap, w+t, p to last 14 sts, k14

Row 10 (RS+WS): sl1 k to end, TURN, sl1 p to last 14 sts,  k to end

Repeat rows 1 to 10 until the hat fit around your head - during the last repeat only knit up to and including row 9.

Put the stitches of the provisional CO on a knitting needle.

Hold the edges WS together and graft 14 sts in garter stitch and the rest in stockinette stitch.

Weave in ends.

Helgoland Mitts in Danish - Helgoland Vanter

Marianne Holmen from strikkeglad.dk has written a Danish translation of the Helgoland Mitts pattern. Thank you very much or rather "mange tak"!
Here is a link to the Danish version of this pattern on strikkeglad.dk.
The original (English) version can be found here.

A list of all translated versions of my patterns can be found in this blogpost.


This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Current WIPs

As usual, I have many works-in-progress (or WIPs for short) on my knitting needles. Most of them are my own ideas ... some of them will work and eventually been made into finished objects and patterns, some will be put in hibernation and maybe unearthed at a later date (usually slightly altered), and some will be frogged completely.
Here are the current ones that are most likely to be made into finished objects and maybe even patterns :)

1. Short row scarf with lace pattern inbetween - similar to the Mermaid's Garden Scarf, but not quite :) The yarn I used here is Schoppel Zauberball colorway Teezeremonie. Since the pattern is quite lacy it will look better after being blocked ...
2. The idea here, was to knit a hat completely without swatching, but with an interesting twist (or rather slant :) The finished shape was supposed to be similar  to a Pussy Hat. It took me five (yes, five!) attempts to get the closing vertical edge right(-ish) ... but it still is too roomy and slouchy to my liking. So at least the upper part will be frogged again and knitted differently - or maybe the complete hat ... (?) For this project I have used Lana Grossa Cool Wool Big Color.
3. Ever since I saw knitted pieces with square holes on the internet, I wanted to do something similar for myself - but of course without having to cut my yarn in the middle of a project. It took me quite a while to figure out how to knit them. Once you've grasped the idea this is great for mindless (TV, train etc.) knitting. When this piece is finished it will be a big wrap. The yarn I have used here is Wollmeise Lace.
4. After I had finished the Starburst Mitts in 2014, I thought it might be a good idea to do an opposite construction to them, i.e. to group the short rows around a point at your wrist or at the edge or your hand - instead of around the thumb. I gave up on the idea then, but at Christmas I tried them again. This time the shaping worked a bit better, but it still isn't quite right. But I guess I will finish these - if only just to see how they fit around my hands. It might just work once they are closed. Here I used some hand-dyed yarn from Frau Wo aus Po - leftovers of the yarn that I used for my Seitenstreifen Socks.

If you have any ideas for pattern names, please let me know. Choosing names is not my strong suit :)

Easter Eggs

Only three more weeks until Easter ... these cute little easter eggs are great to use up your self-striping fingering weight leftovers and maybe a funny project to try a three-dimensional piece of knitting.

A German version of this pattern is available here.
Eine deutsche Version dieser Anleitung gibt es hier.



This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






Materials

• about 5 grams of fingering weight yarn - I used leftovers from self-striping sock yarn
• 2.5mm dpns or circulars
• stuffing - I used (really) old yarn leftovers and waste fabric (cut into small pieces)
• a removable stitch marker to mark the end of your round
• a tapestry needle

Size
Your finished eggs will be a bit bigger than hen's eggs.

Techniques and Abbreviations

• Magic Ring CO: Basically, the magic ring technique (from crochet) is used to cast on knitted stitches. There are several videos on Youtube that show the technique - I used something similar to the technique shown in the first video, but since this is fiddly work, just use the one that suits you best.
• with knitting needles: http://youtu.be/_xZywv8wj9Y or http://youtu.be/eXgvTPSOVIw 
• or with a crochet hook: http://youtu.be/4Vkpqdea-6o 

Alternatively, you can always use your preferred CO and later sew the hole closed with the tail.

• [X]*Y, means, knit the sequence in brackets (X) Y times, e.g. [k2. kfb]*4 means knit the sequence "k2, kfb" four times.

Instructions
CO 8 sts and join in round - I used a Magic Ring CO (see link above). or just CO8 and join in round, if you do so, keep the tail outside of the egg, so that you can use it later to close the little hole. If you start with the Magic Ring CO, your piece will look like in illustration 1.
Round 1: k all - now your piece will look like in illustration 2.
Round 2: [kfb]*8
Round 3: k all
Round 4: [k1, kfb]*8
Round 5: k all
Round 6: k all
Round 7: [kfb, k2]*8
Round 8: k all
Round 9: k all
Round 10: [k2, kfb, k1]*8
Round 11: k all
Round 12: k all
Round 13: [k4, kfb]*8 - now your piece will look similar to illustration 3

Round 14: k all
Round 15: k all
Round 16: k all
Round 17: k all

Illustrations

Round 18: k all
Round 19: k all
Round 20: k all
Round 21: k all

Round 22: [k6, k2tog, k4]*4

Round 23: k all

Round 24: k all
Round 25: [k1, k2tog, k8]*4
Round 26: k all
Round 27: k all
Round 28: [k4, k2tog, k4]*4
Round 29: k all
Round 30: [k7, k2tog]*4
Round 31: k all
Round 32: [k1, k2tog, k1]*8

Round 33: k all

Round 34: k all
Start to put stuffing into your egg. Stuffing the egg will become more difficult the smaller the upper opening gets.  Now your piece will look similar to illustration 4.
Round 35: [k2tog, k1]*8

Round 36: k all

Round 37: k all
Round 38: [k2tog]*8
Round 39: [k2tog]*4
Cut yarn and thread it through a tapestry needle. Make sure your egg has enough stuffing.
Catch the remaining 4 sts with the needle and pull tight. Fasten off and weave in ends.