St. Nick Egg Warmers in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 - 5518 - Downloadable PDF

St. Nick Egg Warmers Knitting Pattern in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 – Design 5518

This free downloadable PDF pattern from Schachenmayr guides knitters through creating charming St. Nick (Nikolaus) egg warmers — a delightful festive decoration or table accessory perfect for the holiday season. Each miniature knitted hat is designed to slip over a breakfast egg, evoking the iconic red-and-white cap of St. Nicholas. The pattern is compact and quick to complete, making it an ideal project for knitters looking to add handmade seasonal touches to their home or gift-giving.

What Is Being Made

The finished item is a knitted egg warmer shaped like a St. Nicholas hat, worked in the round on a double-pointed needle set. The hat features a white ribbed brim, a red body that tapers to a point, and a small stuffed white pompom at the tip — closely mimicking the look of a traditional Father Christmas cap in miniature form. Each finished piece uses approximately 8 g of red yarn and 10 g of white yarn, making this an excellent stash-busting project.

Materials Used

• Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 (50 g ball) in Fb 00131 Kirsche (Cherry red) — approximately 8 g per egg warmer
• Schachenmayr Brazilia (50 g ball) in Fb 00001 Weiß (White) — approximately 10 g per egg warmer
• 1 INOX double-pointed needle set, size 3–4 mm
• A small amount of toy stuffing or wadding (Füllwatte) for the pompom tip

The Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 is a smooth, high-quality merino wool yarn, typically classified in the DK to light aran weight range, known for its softness, stitch definition, and ease of care. The Schachenmayr Brazilia contributes a slightly different texture for the white sections, adding visual contrast to the finished hat. Together, the two yarns create a striking two-tone effect that immediately reads as a festive St. Nick cap.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round using a double-pointed needle (DPN) set — the entire hat is worked as a tube, avoiding any seaming
• Cast-on in the round — 40 stitches are cast on in white to begin the brim
• Garter stitch in the round (alternating one round of purl stitches and one round of knit stitches) for the white brim section, creating a ridged, textured band
• Stockinette stitch (knit every round) worked in Cherry red for the main body of the hat
• Yarn colour change — switching from white to Kirsche after the brim is complete
• Stitch marking and decreasing — every 8th stitch is marked at the 6 cm height point, then those stitches are worked together with the stitch before them (k2tog) to begin shaping the crown
• Graduated decreases — decreases are repeated once every 4th round, once every 2nd round, and then twice on every round, reducing from 40 stitches down to 15 stitches over approximately 9 cm total height
• Pompom construction — the remaining 15 stitches are worked in white for a further 8 rounds in stockinette, then gathered with a doubled thread to form a small rounded tip
• Stuffing and finishing — the pompom tip is filled with wadding, then the base of the pompom is gathered with small running stitches and drawn tight to create a neat, rounded ball effect

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch in the round — worked by alternating one round of purl stitches and one round of knit stitches, producing the characteristic horizontal ridges of garter stitch even when knitting circularly
• Stockinette stitch in the round