Pencil

Pencil Knitting Pattern by Amanda Berry

What Is Being Made

This knitting pattern creates a squishy pencil toy designed as a stress-buster or cute desk decoration. The finished project combines knitted fabric in multiple yarn shades to resemble a realistic pencil with a colored barrel and contrasting tip.

Craft and Construction Method

The Pencil is created using the knitting craft, worked flat on single pointed knitting needles rather than in the round. This flat construction method (knitting back and forth) allows for straightforward shaping and seaming to form the three-dimensional pencil shape.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The pattern employs fundamental knitting techniques suitable for beginners:

• Knit and purl stitches are combined throughout the design to create texture and visual interest in the finished fabric
• Knitted cast on is used to begin the project, with a 30cm yarn tail left for seaming purposes
• Mattress stitch is used to seam the knitted pieces together, creating neat, invisible joins that hold the pencil shape securely
• Gathered cast off technique finishes the piece by threading the final stitches onto yarn, gathering them tightly, and securing to complete the pencil point

Yarn and Materials

The Pencil pattern calls for DK weight yarn (also known as double knit, 8 ply, or light worsted weight). The design uses five coordinating yarn shades to create the realistic pencil appearance:

• Beige, Grey, Black, and Pink for various sections
• Yellow or Blue for the barrel of the pencil

The photographed samples were knitted in Hayfield Bonus DK, a 100% acrylic yarn. Construction requires a pair of single pointed knitting needles appropriate for DK weight yarn, a darning needle for seaming and finishing, and scissors for cutting yarn tails.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as beginner difficulty, making it an excellent introduction to flat knitting construction and basic finishing techniques for new knitters.