Knitted Santa is Coming to Town!

I knitted up a little Santa as a present topper last year, and wrote some haphazard notes for a pattern. Today I scrounged around, found the notes and retested the pattern. I would like to share the pattern with you today. You can make this in any size, depending on the yarn and size of needles you use. The Santa below was knit on size 2.25mm (1US) needles with fingering weight yarn. He's about 2-1/2 inches tall (and awfully cute at that size!).

The Santa below was knit on size 4mm (6US) needles with worsted weight yarn. He's about 4 inches tall. Whichever yarn you use, choose the needle size that best suits the yarn. This pattern is written from the bottom up. You will have a lot of yarn ends as you change colours. I just tie a knot when the new colour is introduced. There's no need to weave in these ends, just stuff them inside the Santa (I have noted when to do this in the pattern).

KNITTED SANTA

What You Need:
Scraps of Yarn: red (body & hat); black (belt); pink (face); white (hat brim); blue (eyes); gold (buckle)
Set of 4 double-pointed needles (dpns)
Small amount of fibre fill, or you can just stuff it with scraps of yarn

Knitting Terms:
k = knit
p = purl
kfb = knit front & back
k2tog = knit two stitches together as one

Pattern:
Using red yarn, cast on 6 sts, and distribute 2 sts on each of three dpns
Join for knitting in the round (see ** at end if you need help with this)

Rnd 1: kfb of ea st (12 sts)
Rnd 2: *kfb, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)
Rnd 3: k
Rnd 4: *kfb, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (24 sts)
Rnd 5: k
Rnd 6: change to black yarn ... k
Rnd 7: change to red yarn ... k
Rnd 8: k
Rnd 9: k
Rnd 10: change to pink yarn ... k
Rnd 11: *k2tog, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)
Rnd 12: k
Rnd 13: change to white yarn ... k
Rnd 14: p
Rnd 15: p
Rnd 16: change to red yarn ... k
Rnd 17: k
Rnd 18: k
Rnd 19: *k2tog, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (12 sts)
Rnd 20: k
Rnd 21: k
Rnd 22: k

stuff with fibre fill at this point ... stuff all yarn ends inside the Santa at this point too

Rnd 23: *k2tog, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (9 sts)
Rnd 24: k
Rnd 25: *k2tog, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (6 sts)
Rnd 26: k
Rnd 27: k2tog to end of rnd (3 sts)

Break yarn and draw through last 3 sts, leaving a tail about 6 inches.  Make a tiny pom pom for the hat in white and secure using the red yarn. I made my pom pom the old-fashioned way with two tiny circles of cardboard, the centre hole was made with a hole punch (see photo below ... if you need help with that, just ask!). Embroider eyes and belt buckle using scrap yarn.  

---------------------------

these are the cardboard circles I used to make the pom pom

** This is how I join for knitting in the round. Cast on all stitches and distribute on the dpns as suggested. Arrange the needles so that the last stitch you cast on is on the left-hand needle, and the first stitch you cast on is on the right-hand needle.

1. Using the right-hand needle slip one stitch purl-wise off the left-hand needle and onto the right-hand needle;

2. Now with the left-hand needle slip the second stitch* from the right-hand needle over the slipped stitch in step 1, and onto the left-hand needle (*the stitch immediately to the right of the stitch you just slipped onto the right-hand needle).

Basically, you just exchange one stitch from the left to right and from right to left and it holds the stitches tight so you can now knit in the round.

I hope this makes sense ... let me know if you have trouble.

HO! HO! HO!