Easter Meerkats by NiftyKnits

After the warm response to my pottery yarn bowls by the knitting community, I wanted to offer a fun project for knitters on my blog. There is only one problem. While I am proficient in crochet, I don’t know the first thing about how to knit! Luckily, a very talented knitter, Heather of NiftyKnits, was kind enough to share her pattern and allow me to post it here. Thanks so much Heather! Please enjoy her pattern for these absolutely adorable Easter eggs. Check out her blog for more free knitting patterns, including a striped Easter egg pattern.  More of Heather’s meerkats are available at her Etsy shop here>>  I hope you will enjoy making a festive Easter table and share this link.

I had such fun knitting these teeny weeny eggs for the meerkats that I thought you might like to have a go too! I used two different methods, one using short row shaping, the other uses K2tog to decrease. By using garter stitch, stocking stitch and reverse stocking stitch I got various different results.  

As you can see, they really are tiny, only about an inch (2.5cm) so you only need tiny scraps of yarn (I used double knitting which is apparently between sports and worsted in US, but it really doesn’t matter – they haven’t got to “fit” and bits and pieces of embellishments. I used UK size 10 needles (US 3 or 3.25 mm) but again – it really doesn’t matter too much)   

Red and purple garter stitch eggs using short row decreases.  

If you haven’t used short row decreasing before, there are many good video instructions available by googling. Basically, instead of knitting to the end of a row, you stop partway, turn and work back – in effect, a short row. Easy! Slipping the next stitch and passing the yarn around tightens up the work and prevents a tiny hole – but again, it doesn’t matter too much for this project.  

Cast on 7 stitches
1st row: knit 3 (slip next stitch across on to your right hand needle, pass yarn around, return stitch to left hand needle, turn) knit 4
2nd row: knit 4 (slip next stitch across on to your right hand needle, pass yarn around, return stitch to left hand needle, turn) knit 3
3rd row: knit 5 (slip next stitch across on to your right hand needle, pass yarn around, return stitch to left hand needle, turn) knit 2
4th row: knit 6 (slip next stitch across on to your right hand needle, pass yarn around, return stitch to left hand needle, turn) knit 1  

You’re halfway there – you should have a triangular shaped piece. The cast on edge is on the left of my picture:  

 Continue:  

5th row: knit 5 (slip next stitch across on to your right hand needle, pass yarn around, return stitch to left hand needle, turn) knit 2
6th row: knit 4 (slip next stitch across on to your right hand needle, pass yarn around, return stitch to left hand needle, turn) knit 3
7th row: knit 3 (slip next stitch across on to your right hand needle, pass yarn around, return stitch to left hand needle, turn) knit 4
Cast off, cut yarn leaving a long end for sewing up.  

 Sew the diagonal edges together, stuff (I used toy filling but a scrap of cotton wool would be fine) and then pass your needle through the row ends on the base and draw through. If your egg is a bit carrot-shaped at this point, just make a few stitches through from top to bottom.  

The green red and yellow eggs below were worked to this pattern, the pink and turquoise eggs were worked to the same pattern but in stocking stitch (right side row knit, wrong side row purl)  

 Have fun! Please don’t copy this pattern to sell yourself, but feel free to share the link.