little grey elephant for you

Here's another pattern to use up your stash...

Elephant Pattern
Cast on 31sts in DK, sportweight or 4 ply yarn and with appropriate sized needles - this little sole was knitted in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino on 3.25mm needles
Row 1 K31
SHAPE BACK
Row 2 inc) K14, kfb, k1, kfb, k to end - 33sts
Row 3 inc) K.
Row 4 inc) K15, kfb, k1, kfb, k to end - 35sts
Row 5 inc) K.
Row 6 inc) K16, kfb, k1, kfb, k to end - 37sts
Row 7 inc) K.
Row 8 inc) K17, kfb, k1, kfb, k to end - 39sts
Row 9 inc) K.
...short rows for feet - Side A
*Short row 1 K4, w+t
Short row 2 K4
Short row 3 K3, w+t
Short row 4 K3
Short row 5 K2, w+t
Short row 6 K2
Short row 7 K1, w+t**
End of short rows for Side A dec) Cast off 7sts, k10, kfb, k1, kfb, k to end -  34sts
...short rows for feet - Side B
Rep as for Side A feet short rows 1 - 7 from * to **
Row 10 dec) Cast off 7sts, k to end - 27sts

SHAPE TOP OF LEG WITH SHORT ROWS
Short row 1 K13, W+T
Short row 2 K12, W+T
Short row 3 K11, W+T
Short row 4 K10, W+T
Short row 5 K9, W+T
Short row 6 K8, W+T
Short row 7 K21, W+T
Short row 8 K10, W+T
Short row 9 K9, W+T
Short row 10 K8, W+T
End of short row 11 K to end

Row 11 dec) Skpo, k to last 2 sts k2 tog - 25sts
Row 12 K
Row 13 dec) Skpo, k10, kfb, k to last 2 sts k2 tog - 24sts 
Rows 14 - 16 Work 3 rows garter stitch

FRONT LEGS
Row 17 inc) Cast on 8 sts, k across - 32sts
Row 18 inc) Cast on 8 sts, k across - 40sts
Rows 19 - 26 Work 8 rows garter stitch
Row 27 dec) Cast off 12 sts, k to end - 28sts
Row 28 dec) Cast off 12 sts, k to end - 16sts

HEAD
Row 29 inc) Kfb, k3 (place stitch marker for ear) K3, skpo, k3 (place stitch marker for ear) K3, kfb - 17sts
Row 30 K
... short rows to shape top of head
Short row 1 K16, W+T
Short row 2 K15, W+T
Short row 3 K14, W+T
Short row 4 K13, W+T
Short row 5 K12, W+T
Short row 6 K11, W+T
Short row 7 K10, W+T
Short row 8 K9, W+T
Short row 9 K8, W+T
Short row 10 K7, W+T
Short row 11 K6, W+T
Short row 12 K5, W+T
Short row 13 K4, W+T
Short row 14 K3, W+T
Short row 15 K2, W+T
Short row 16 K1, W+T
End of short rows 17 K to end of row.

TRUNK
Row 31 dec) Skpo, k13, k2 tog - 15sts
Row 32 dec) K1, skpo, k9, k2 tog, k1 - 13sts
Row 33 dec) Skpo, k9, k2 tog. 11sts
Row 34 K
Row 35 dec) Skpo, k7, k2 tog - 9sts
Rows 36 - 37 Work 2 rows garter stitch
Row 38 dec) Skpo, k5, k2 tog - 7sts
Rows 39 - 41 Work 3 rows garter stitch
Row 42 dec) Skpo, k3, k2 tog - 5sts
Rows 43 - 45 Work 3 rows garter stitch
Cast off, leave a long tail end for sewing up.

EAR side A
With the back of the elephant facing you, begin at the stitch marker on your right, pick up 4 sts
*Row 1 inc) Kfb, k to last st, kfb - 6sts
Row 2 K
Row 3 inc) K to last st, kfb - 7sts
Row 4 K
Row 5 inc) K to last st, kfb - 8sts
Row 6 K
Row 7 inc) Kfb, k to last st, kfb - 10sts
Row 8 K

... a few short rows to shape the ears
Short row 1 K9, w+t
Short row 2 K8, w+t
Short row 3 K7, W+T
Short row 4 K6, W+T
Short row 5 K5, W+T
Short row 6 K4, W+T
Short row 7 K3, W+T
Short row 8 K2, W+T
Short row 9 K1, W+T
End of short rows 10 K to end of row.
Cast off**.
EAR side B
With the front of the elephant facing you, begin at the stitch marker on your right, pick up 4 sts
Work as Ear Side A from * to **

TO MAKE UP
Join all seams with mattress seam -
Beginning at the cast off edge at the trunk - fold in half and join. Then sew along the trunk and head.
Fold each fore leg in half across the row end and join.
Join along the belly.
Fold each rear leg in half across the row end and join - easing the shaping against the straight edge to create a foot shape. Join in between the legs at the belly.
Stuff the elephant with spare yarn.
Join along the back - cast on - seam from foot to tail - for the tail leave a short length hanging down after you’ve secured the yarn at the end of the seam and with a sewing needle tease a little of the yarn to create a frayed edge.

'tis the season to eat strawberries...

Or rather - 'tis the season to eat make strawberries...
So here's a simple free project for a sitting outside knitting kind of day...

Strawberries pattern
I used small amounts Paintbox Cotton DK in shades of red  and green with 3.25mm/ size 3 needles for mine
Cast on 19sts
*Row 1 RS) K3, turn
Row 2 WS) Slip 1 knit-wise, k2
Row 3 K9, turn
Row 4 Slip 1 knit-wise, k8
Row 5 K15, turn
Row 6 Slip 1 knit-wise, k14
Row 7 K12, turn
Row 8 Slip 1 knit-wise, k11
Row 9 K6, turn
Row 10 Slip 1 knit-wise, k5
Rows 11 - 12 Garter stitch 2 rows**
Rep last 12 rows from * to ** 3 times.
To join the cast on edge with live stitches on the needle you are now going to knit them together as you cast (bind) off, as follows:
Have cast on edge adjacent to the live stitches
*Tip of needle into the first ‘live’ stitch (as if to knit) then needle into first cast on stitch nearest to that (knit-wise), pull yarn through both stitches and onto the needle in the right hand*,  repeat from * to *  - 2 stitches are now on the needle in the right hand - cast off (first stitch over the second and off the needle), repeat so to knit the live stitch with cast on stitch and then cast off all along the row/ cast on edge to the tip of the strawberry. Fasten off.
Turn the strawberry right way out.
Stuff  then work a running stitch around the open edge at top of the strawberry, pull up to gather and close the top. Weave in the end.
Stamen - with green yarn work a ten spoke star shape across the top of the strawberry, work over the star again so that each spoke is two strands thick, weave the end into the middle of the star pull it through to RS and snip it for the stalk.
Work little short dashes with yellow/ ochre embroidery thread or fine yarn for the seeds - if you look at a strawberry the seeds are positioned in four dot diamond-shape symmetry.
And that’s it!

A little free Midsummer magic...

Now - who doesn't believe in unicorns?
The most elegant and dreamy of magical creatures - and apparently - only the pure of heart will ever see one!
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