Pillar Box Sweet Holder

Pillar Box Sweet Holder by Andrew Lucas

What is Being Made

The Pillar Box Sweet Holder is a beginner-friendly knitted decorative container standing 15 centimeters tall. This project creates a charming British-inspired pillar box design suitable for holding small sweets or treats. The finished piece combines knitted fabric with a cardboard toilet roll tube as an internal structure to maintain its cylindrical shape.

Project Overview

This downloadable knitting pattern from independent designer Andrew Lucas offers crafters an opportunity to create a functional and whimsical decorative item. The project uses basic knitting techniques and is accessible to beginners, making it an excellent introduction to colorwork and simple shaping in knitted garments.

Techniques Used

• Stocking Stitch – The primary fabric construction method, created by alternating knit rows and purl rows to produce a smooth, flat surface
• Garter Stitch – Used selectively throughout the pattern for textural variation
• Increases and Decreases – Strategic shaping techniques including make-one increases and knit-two-together decreases to form the tapered top of the pillar box
• Color Changes – Multiple yarn colors are introduced at different stages to create the authentic pillar box appearance
• Binding Off – The pattern uses a bind-and-tie method, threading the yarn end through remaining stitches with a tapestry needle to secure and close the top
• Seaming – Row ends are stitched together to form the cylindrical body

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) – The fundamental stitch creating vertical columns in the fabric
• Purl (p) – The reverse of the knit stitch, used in combination to create stocking stitch
• Knit Two Together (k2tog) – A right-leaning decrease used to shape the narrowing top section
• Purl Two Together (p2tog) – A decrease worked on purl rows for continued shaping
• Make One (m1) – An increase created by knitting into the back of the loop between two stitches
• Slip Stitch (sl) – Referenced in the pattern abbreviations for potential use

Materials and Tools

Needles: The pattern requires 3.25mm knitting needles, a size suitable for working with double knitting weight yarn and creating the defined stocking stitch fabric.

Yarn: Oddments of double knitting wool in six colors – red, black, white, green, brown, and yellow – allow crafters to use yarn scraps from their stash. The red forms the main body, black creates the distinctive top section, and the remaining colors provide accent details characteristic of a traditional British pillar box design.

Additional Materials: A small amount of stuffing provides structure and body to the finished piece. A cardboard toilet roll tube serves as an internal support structure, making this an excellent upcycling project that repurposes household materials.

Pattern Structure

The box construction begins with casting on 30 stitches in red wool, worked in stocking stitch for 23 rows to establish the main body. A dividing row separates the sections before continuing with stocking stitch for an additional 24 rows. The pattern then transitions to black wool, introducing the characteristic top section with 8 rows of stocking stitch followed by 2 purl rows. Strategic decreases shape the narrowing top: a (K3, K2tog) decrease round reduces stitches to 24, followed by a (K2, K2tog) round creating 18 stitches, then a (K1, K2tog) round leaving 12 stitches, and finally a purl-two-together round reducing to 6 stitches. The bind-and-tie method secures the opening, and row ends are stitched together to complete the cylindrical form.

Skill Level

Classified as a beginner project, the Pillar Box Sweet Holder introduces fundamental knitting concepts including basic stitches, simple color changes, and elementary shaping through increases and decreases. The straightforward construction and clear abbreviations make this pattern ideal for knitters developing their foundational skills.