Knitted Snowman

It was a bleak wintry sky this morning. Still no snow, but cold enough for it.

Obviously we need to bring a little snow into our homes since the weather isn't providing it for us. Why not knit up a little frosty snowman? 

I used fingering weight yarn and size 2.25mm (1US) needles, but you can use any type of yarn and needles best suited for that yarn. This little snowman is 2 inches tall without the hat, and 2 3/4 inches tall including the hat.

Knitted Snowman

What You Need:
White yarn for snowman; Black yarn for hat
Set of 4 double-pointed needles (dpn's)
Small amount of fibre fill

Knitting Terms:
k = knit
p = purl
kfb = knit in front and back of one stitch
k2tog = knit two stitches together as one
st / sts = stitch / stitches

Pattern:
Using white yarn, cast on 6 stitches and distribute 2 sts on each of 3 dpn's
Join for knitting in the round.

Rnd 1: kfb of each 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 - Rnd 10: k
Rnd 11: *k2tog, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)
Rnd 12: *k2tog, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (12 sts)
Rnd 13: k
Rnd 14: *kfb, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)
Rnd 15: k
Rnd 16: *kfb, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (24 sts)
Rnd 17 - Rnd 22: k
Rnd 23: *k2tog, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)
Rnd 24: k
Rnd 25: *k2tog, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (12 sts)

stuff with fibre fill at this point

Rnd 26: *k2tog, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (9 sts)
Rnd 27: *k2tog, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (6 sts)
Rnd 28: k
Rnd 29:  k2tog to end of rnd (3 sts)

Break yarn, thread through darning needle and draw through last 3 sts. Embroider eyes, "coal" mouth and carrot nose. Run a single thread straight through his body, leaving about an inch of thread extending out from the body on both sides for arms. Tie a piece of yarn around his neck for a scarf.

Snowman's Bowler Hat

What You Need:

Small amount of Black yarn

Set of 4 dpn's

Small amount of fibre fill

Pattern:

• Cast on 3 sts, leave on one needle
• kfb of each st, use a separate needle each time you knit into one stitch, so that you have 2 sts on each of three dpn's
• Join for knitting in the round.

Rnd 1: kfb of each st (12 sts)

Rnd 2: *kfb, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

Rnd 3: *kfb, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (24 sts)

Rnd 4 - Rnd 6: k

Rnd 7: *k2tog, k2, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

Rnd 8: *k2tog, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (12 sts)

Rnd 9: k

Rnd 10: k

Rnd 11: *kfb, k1, repeat from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

Rnd 12: k

Rnd 13: k

Rnd 14: bind off loosely

Stuff the hat with a tiny bit of fibre fill to give it some shape. Using black yarn, sew hat to top of snowman. You can embellish the hat with bits of embroidery thread for leaves & berries, or a silver band around the hat ... whatever you like.

I still haven't got my house back in order, and the kitchen still isn't quite finished. The four inadequately small drawers are being painted now, and all the utensils they hold are strewn across the countertop. No point in taking photos just yet. We all keep walking into the kitchen and pondering the look of the newly painted cupboards. It looks so bright compared to the darker stained wood. A ceiling fan still needs to be purchased, curtains need to be finished up and hung and we need to decide how best to cover the patio door. A day doesn't go by that I'm not reorganizing the cupboards. I've gotten rid of all kinds of dishes, but oddly enough there seems to be less space in there. It's frustrating me no end, and I won't stop shifting dishes around until I'm satisfied. My husband keeps reminding me that we most likely won't have huge gatherings here any more, so we can get rid of a lot of extra plates and glasses. I'm loathe to take such drastic measures and take my time deciding on each dish. I pared down my cookie tin collection and had two bags full of tins to take to the goodwill!

I still have to go deep into the back of my coat cupboard in the basement, open the tiny door to the crawlspace and with my flashlight crawl on hands and knees into the cold, dark and dusty interior to find the Christmas boxes of decorations and drag them out. Not a prospect I'm looking forward to. There are a lot of spiders in there :P  Of course whenever I crawl in there, I can't help but look over all the other stuff stored in there with a critical eye and drag out a bit more to send out the door. It's starting to be a catchall place, not a place to store seasonal items. 

I haven't got one decoration up, only a few presents purchased, no Christmas treats baked, no cards sent out. I'm cutting things a little too close for comfort this year. I think next year I won't be saying "Let's decorate the __room before Christmas this year!".  What was I thinking.