knitted paint brushl pattern knitted pencil pattern

Paint Tube (R3)

knitted paint tube with removeable paint

Stuff a long length of i-cord paint inside your tube and then draw it back out slowly, as though you're squeezing a line of paint onto a palette. Hours of fun.

A printable version of this pattern is available.

You will need:

  • coloured yarn (4 ply)
  • snap fastener (optional)
  • 4 x double ended knitting needles (2.75mm)
  • tapestry needle
  • scissors

Pattern:

(A list of abbreviations is available.)

Nozzle

Cast on 30 sts in grey and join into the round.

  1. Rounds 1 and 2: k –
  2. Round 3: [k2tog, k3] x 6 (24)
  3. Round 4: k –
  4. Round 5: [k2tog, k2] x 6 (18)
  5. Round 6: k –
  6. Round 7: [k2tog, k1] x 6 (12)
  7. Round 8: k –
  8. Rounds 9 to 12: p –
  9. Rounds 13 to 18: k –

Cast off.

Tube

  1. Using grey yarn pick up 30 sts along the cast on edge of the nozzle.
  2. Knit around 1cm in the round.
  3. Change to coloured yarn and knit a further 5cm.
  4. Change back to grey yarn and knit 3cm more or until the tube is 9cm long in total.

Paint

  1. Using coloured yarn cast on 4 stitches.
  2. Work 30 cm i-cord.
  3. Cut yarn, thread through remaining stitches and pull tight.

Making Up:

Turn the tube and nozzle inside out. Fold the end of the nozzle over on itself to get a double thickness of knitting. Sew into place, then sew in any remaining loose ends on the inside of the tube, then turn the right way out again.

Diagram showing how to fold and sew the nozzle.

If your paint tube is going to be used mostly for display flatten the end of the tube and sew the edges together to form a neat seam. Poke the i-cord paint through the open nozzle (a twisting motion helps with this), but always leave the end sticking out as it's the devil to get out otherwise.

If your paint tube is going to be played with a lot then it is easier to leave the end of the tube open so you can insert the i-cord paint that way. Attach a snap fastener to the inside edge of the paint tube to hold it closed.

Notes:

Seem familiar?

Our photo of the knitted paint tube was shown on the cover of the South East Open Studios booklet in 2011. Look, there it is... in the middle.

Open Studios Booklet 2011.

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!