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Pansies (F3)

short stem pansy

We were asked to do a knitted flower that wasn't made in the round and this pansy pattern was as good as we could manage. It does call for I-cord, but don't worry, it's easy once you get the hang of it!

A printable version of this pattern is available.

You will need:

  • scraps of double knit
  • covered wire
  • gummed tape
  • 3 x double ended knitting needles (2.75mm)
  • tapestry needle
  • scissors
  • wire cutters

Pattern:

(A list of abbreviations is available.)

Top Petal x 2

The petals are all knitted from the centre out. If all the increases make the knitting tight you may want to split the stitches onto more than one double pointed needle at a time.

Cast on 13 sts in blue.

  1. Row 1:
  2. k10, turn/
  3. k2, kfb, kfb, k3, turn/
  4. k12 (15)
  1. Row 2:
  2. k5, kfb x 4, k2, turn/
  3. k11, turn/
  4. {[k1, kfb] x 2, k1} x 2, k3, turn/
  5. k19, turn/
  6. k4, [kfb, k2] x 4, k5 (27)
  1. Row 3:
  2. k –

Cast off loosely.

Side Petal x 2

Cast on 9 sts in black.

  1. Row 1:
  2. k7, turn/
  3. k1, kfb, kfb, k2, turn/
  4. k9 (11)

Change to blue, leaving enough yarn to sew in later.

  1. Row 2:
  2. k3, kfb x 4, k3, turn/
  3. k13, turn/
  4. k1, {[k1, kfb] x 2, k1} x 2, turn/
  5. k13, turn/
  6. k1, [kfb, k2] x 4, k3 (23)
  1. Row 3:
  2. k –

Cast off loosely.

Bottom Petal x 1

Cast on 17 sts in black.

  1. Row 1:
  2. k7, sl1, k2tog, psso, k5, turn/
  3. k1, kfb, kfb, k4, kfb, kfb, k2, turn/
  4. k6, sl1, k2tog, psso, k8 (17)

Change to blue, leaving enough yarn to sew in later.

  1. Row 2:
  2. k3, kfb x 4, k2, kfb x 4, k3, turn/
  3. k23, turn/
  4. k1, {[k1, kfb] x 2, k1} x 4, turn/
  5. k12, sl1, k2tog, psso, k12, turn/
  6. k1, [kfb, k2] x 8, k3, (39)
  1. Row 3:
  2. k18, sl1, k2tog, psso, k18 (37)

Cast off loosely.

Sepals x 1

Cast on 5 sts in green.

  1. Row 1: kfb x 5 (10)

Repeat three steps below until no sts remain.

  1. Cast on 3 sts
  2. Cast off 5 sts
  3. If your cast off method leaves a stitch on the RH-needle, transfer it back to the LH-needle.

Stem x 1

  1. Cast on 5 sts in green.
  2. I-cord 12cm

Making Up:

When the petals are laid flat the cast on edge is bent into a v- or w-shape. Sew the cast on edges together with matching yarn.

Diagram showing how to finish petals.

Using yellow yarn sew the tips of the bottom and side petals together.

Diagram showing how to position bottom and side petals.

Pull the side petals apart slightly and fix them in position behind the bottom petal using blue yarn.

Overlap the top petals and attach them at the back of the flower using blue yarn.

Diagram showing how to position top petals.

Sew in any remaining loose ends.

Cut a piece of wire the same length as your i-cord. Wrap the ends of the wire in gummed tape to protect them and insert the wire into the i-cord. Bend the top of the wire over at a right-angle.

Sew the sepals to the centre of the pansy back and attach the top of the wire to the centre of the sepals.

Variations:

Now have some fun. Vary the colours you use, try them in different combinations or change colours in different places. Use embroidery or different cast-off stitches to make your pansy unique.

Notes:

Needle/Yarn Size

As with most ODDknit patterns the yarn and needle sizes in the "you will need" section are just a guide. Feel free to improvise with whatever needles and yarn you have lying around - that's half the fun!