Strawberries (R3)

With Wimbledon starting this week it is officially time for strawberries and here are our very own ODDknit variety, guaranteed to be in season whenever you need them. This pattern is a bit unusual for us as it mixes different thicknesses of yarn in one pattern.

A printable version of this pattern is available.

You will need:

red and white double knit
green 4 ply
white cotton thread
toy stuffing
thin card
4 x double ended needles (2.75mm)
2 x double ended needles (2mm)
tapestry needle
scissors

Pattern:

(A list of abbreviations is available.)

Whole Strawberry

Cast on 5 stitches in red double knit, on the 2.75mm needles. Divide them between three needles and join into the round.

Round 1: p –
Round 2: [pfb] x 5 (10)
Rounds 3-5: p –
Round 6: [pfb, p1] x 5 (15)
Rounds 7-9: p –
Round 10: [pfb, p2] x 5 (20)
Rounds 11-15: p –
Round 16: [p2tog] x 10 (10)
Round 17: p –

Stuff the strawberry firmly. Cut yarn, thread through remaining stitches and pull tight.

Sepals

Cast on 5 stitches in green 4 ply using 2mm knitting needles.

Cast off 4 sts (1)
If your cast off method leaves the last stitch on the RH-needle, transfer it back to the LH-needle.
Cast on 4 sts (5)

Repeat the bullet points 9 times.

Cast off 5.

There should be 10 separate sepals when you finish. We're not actually sure that this is the correct number, but when we counted the green bits of some strawberries (research!) we found the average number was 10.

Stem

Using green 4ply cast on 3 stitches on 2mm needles.
Work 6 rows i-cord.
Cut yarn, thread through remaining stitches and pull tight.

Half Strawberry

Cast on 5 stitches in red double knit, on the 2.75mm needles. Divide them between three needles and join into the round.

Round 1: p3, k2
Round 2: [pfb] x 2, p1, kfb, k1 (8)
Rounds 3-5: p5, k3
Round 6: [pfb, p1] x 2, pfb, [kfb] x 2, k1 (13)
Rounds 7-9: p8, k5
Round 10: p1, pfb, p3, pfb, p2, kfb, k2, kfb, k1 (17)
Rounds 11-15: p10, k7
Round 16: [p2tog] x 5, k1, [k2tog] x 3 (9)
Round 17: p5, k4

Cut yarn but leave the stitches on the needles. Go to half strawberry section of making up.

Making Up:

Whole Strawberry

Sew in any loose ends of red to leave the strawberry ready for embroidery.

Thread green yarn through the loose stitches along the bottom edge of the sepals

Pull tight to form a loop and then sew back and forth over the centre to close the hole.

Attach the stem to the centre of the sepals and attach the whole thing to the top of the strawberry. Sew in any loose ends of green.

Use the white cotton thread to embroider small, vertical, evenly-spaced dashes all over the body of the strawberry.

Half Strawberry

Whenever you stuff a knitted shape it tends towards the round, so we are going to insert a piece of card to keep one side of the half strawberry flat. Draw an isosceles triangle on some thin card and round off the corners so the shape resembles the template opposite. Try to make it slightly smaller than the stocking stitch part of your knitting.

Cut out the shape and fit it inside your knitting through the open end. Push a little stuffing behind the card to plump up the other side of the fruit. Thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and pull tight.

Using white yarn embroider the flat surface to resemble the inside of a strawberry. Sew in any remaining loose ends.

Diagram showing white embroidery on half strawberry 1.

Diagram showing white embroidery on half strawberry 2.

Use the white cotton thread to embroider small, vertical, evenly-spaced dashes all over the body of the strawberry.

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!