Knitted St Patrick (Tutorial) - Sue McLoughlin

Knitted St Patrick

Materials

Pair of 3.25mm,3.5mm or 3.75mm knitting needles.

2 x double pointed needles (choose from the sizes above)

50gm green DK yarn.

Oddments in skintone, pink or beige, white DK.

Oddment grey eyelash yarn.

18“ narrow white ribbon, Black & gold embroidery thread

Jam jar lid, wooden skewer, cooking foil

Toy Stuffing

Knitting Pattern to make ‘St Patrick’Using DK yarn and worked on two needles

BODY 

Using 3.25mm/3.5mm or 3.75mm needles, cast on 40 sts in a skintone/pink yarn/beige coloured yarn

Work 8” in st st, 1 row knit, 1 row purl, ending after working a purl row.

Shaping – for the base

Row 1 (k8, k2tog) 4 times. 36 sts

Row 2 (p2tog, p7) 4times. 32 sts

Row 3 (k6, k2tog) 4 times. 28 sts

Row 4 (p2tog, p5) 4 times. 24 sts

Continue decreasing in this way until 8 sts remain. ext Row (k2tog) 4times. Cut yarn and draw through sts and fasten off. Sew up seam. Stuff firmly. TIP Put a jam jar lid in the bottom of the body before stuffing. This will help with stability. 

HEAD

Cast on 24 sts in pink, skintone or beige.

Row 1 Knit

Row 2 Purl

Row 3 Increase in first st, knit to last 2 sts. 

Increase in next st and k the last stitch.

Row 4 Purl

Repeat the last two rows twice more. 30sts.

Continue in st st until work measures 2.5”.Next Row (k2tog) 15 times. 15 sts.

Next Row P1 (p2tog) 7 times. 8 sts.

Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Pull yarn through stitches and fasten off.

Join the seam and stuff piece firmly.

Stitch the head on to the body, lining the seams up at the back.

UNDER SKIRT

Using white yarn, cast on 81 sts and work 4” in moss stitch, every rowk1, p1 to end.

Cast off all sts and join the side edges. Sew a running stitch all the way along the cast off edge. DO NOT FASTEN OFF OR CUT THREAD.

Slip the underskirt over the body of ‘St Patrick’ and pull the thread to gather loosely. Position the underskirt about half way up the body and stitch into place keeping the gathers even all the way around.

CLOAK

Using green yarn, cast on 21 sts and purl 1 row.

Next Row k1, m1 to last st. K1. 41sts (M1 = insert your right hand needle point through the loop that lays between the next 2sts and lift it. Now put your left hand needle into this loop and transfer it to your left hand needle, then knit into the back of it. Work in the opposite way (if you are left handed.)

Next row Purl

Repeat last two rows twice more. 161 sts. NOTE: Your stitches will be fairly tight at this point, however, they will ease off. Continue straight in st st, without increasing, until work measures 7”. Work 6 rows in moss/seed stitch. Cast off.

Sew up the seam and put piece to one side for later

ARMS – Make 2

Using your double pointed needles and a double strand of yarn, cast on 5sts in your skintone/pink/beige colour. 

You are going to make an I-Cord. Without turning your work, slide your stitches to the working end of your needle, the working yarn will be at the opposite end to normal. Put your free needle into the first st and pull your working yarn across the back of the stitches and over the top of the other needle, this pulls the edges together, DO NOT WRAP IT AROUND YOUR NEEDLE, now pull this through the stitch.

Knit the other 4 sts. Repeat this row for 4”.

Cast off. Stuff lightly and close up the ends.

Position the arms on the body and stitch into place.

Go back to the cloak and run a gathering stitch around the neck but do not pull closed just yet. Slip the cloak over ‘St Patricks’ head with the seam down the back, and pull the gathers to fit close to the neck and fasten off. No need to stitch into place, the gathers will hold it.

BEARD

Using an eyelash yarn, cast on 5sts.

Row 1 Purl

Row 2 Inc once in first st. Knit to last 2 sts, inc in next st, knit the last st. 7 sts

Row 3 Purl

Row 4 As row 2. 9 sts

Row 5 Purl

Row 6 As row 2. 11 sts

Row 7 Purl

Cast off. You may have to trim the ‘beard’ depending on the length of the fibers of the yarn.

Stitch the beard into place with the WRONG side facing out, this is the hairiest side..

HAIR

Cast on 26 sts and work 1.5” in st st. Castg off. Stitch the hair into place, with the wrong side of your work facing out, using the picture as a guide. As with the beard, you may need to give him a haircut.

HAT – Make 2 pieces

Using your green yarn, cast on 20 sts. Work 2 rows in st st.

Next row Inc in 1^st st, knit to last 2 sts. Increase in next st and knit the last one. 22 sts.

Next Row Purl

Next Row Inc in each of first 2 sts. Knit to last 3 sts. Inc in each of next 2 sts and knit the last one.

26 sts.

Next Row Purl

Row 1 K2tog twice, k to last 4 sts, k2tog twice. 22 sts

Row 2 P2tog, p to last 2 sts, p2tog. 20 sts

Row 3 K2tog twice, k to last 4 sts, k2tog twice. 16 sts

Row 4 as row 2. 14 sts

Row 5 as row 3. 10 sts

Row 6 as row 4. 8 sts

Row 7 K2tog, k to last 2 sts, k2tog. 6 sts

Row 8 Purl

Row 9 as row 7. 4 sts

Row 10 Purl

Row 11 K2tog twice

Row 12 P2tog. Fasten off.

With right sides facing, seam around the two sides of the hat, leaving the bottom open. Turn the hat the right way out and stuff making sure to keep the point at the top of the hat.

Pin the hat on to the head at the back, this is just for stability, making sure to cover the stitching line for the hair. Stitch the hat down making sure that the hair stitching is covered and the stuffing stays inside the hat.

Finishing Off

Using a gold/yellow embroidery thread, embroider a border all around the edges of the hat. Embroider a ‘cross’ on the front of the hat in gold/yellow thread.

Embroider eyes nose and a mouth on to the face, hope yours is better than mine.

Stitch ribbon down at the back of the neck and embroider gold ‘buttons’ along the whole length.

Wrap the skewer in foil fairly thickly and slide it off again. This makes a narrow tube. Bend this tube into shape to make the top of the sceptre. Make a foil ‘ball’ and slide it on to the top of the skewer about 3” down from the top. Attach the top of the sceptre with a bit of tape.

Bend the arms into the position that you want them and secure with a couple of stitches. Pull the cloak into it’s final position and sew the edges together below the arms for about 1”. Now attach the sceptre to the other hand with a few stitches. Attach the sceptre with a few stitches at the bottom on the skintone body. St Patrick is now complete. 

Enjoy.

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