Daffodil Flower chocolate orange cover

Daffodil Flower Chocolate Orange Cover Knitting Pattern

Project Overview

This beginner-friendly knitting pattern by Andrew Lucas creates a charming daffodil flower cover or small toy measuring approximately 9 centimeters. The design combines a rounded orange or chocolate-colored base with vibrant yellow petals and green accents, making it an ideal project for those new to knitting who want to explore colorwork and basic shaping techniques.

What You Will Make

The finished piece consists of a three-dimensional daffodil flower toy or decorative cover. The main body is constructed as a rounded, stuffed form in orange or chocolate tones, topped with ten individual yellow petals that radiate outward to create an authentic flower appearance. Green wool accents provide stem-like details, completing the botanical aesthetic.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern introduces several fundamental knitting techniques suitable for beginners:

• Increases: The pattern begins with increases worked into every stitch to expand the fabric rapidly from a small cast-on edge, creating the rounded base of the cover.
• Stocking Stitch: The main body is worked in stocking stitch (alternating knit and purl rows), which creates a smooth, classic fabric with a defined right side.
• Decreases: Multiple decrease methods including k2tog (knit two together) and p2tog (purl two together) are used to shape and close the piece, reducing stitch counts progressively to form the rounded toy shape.
• Bind and Tie Method: The pattern uses a traditional bind-off technique where yarn ends are threaded through remaining stitches on the needle, drawn up, and tied off to secure the top of the cover.
• Seaming: Row ends are stitched together to form the three-dimensional structure.
• Slip, Knit, Pass Over (skpo): This decrease technique is referenced in the pattern abbreviations for shaping options.

Stitches and Abbreviations

The pattern employs standard knitting abbreviations to provide clear, concise instructions:

• k – knit stitch
• p – purl stitch
• st st – stocking stitch, worked by alternating one knit row with one purl row to create a smooth fabric
• inc – increase
• dec – decrease
• k2tog – knit two stitches together to decrease
• p2tog – purl two stitches together to decrease
• skpo – slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch
• gs – garter stitch, created by knitting every row
• B and T – bind and tie method for finishing
• alt – alternate
• sl – slip a stitch
• tog – together
• sts – stitches

Materials Required

This project requires minimal materials, making it economical and accessible for knitters of all levels:

• Needles: 3.25mm knitting needles
• Yarn: Double knitting weight wool in three colors – green for the stem and base accents, yellow for the ten flower petals, and orange or chocolate for the main cover body. The pattern calls for oddments (small leftover quantities) of each color, so this is an excellent stash-busting project.

Pattern Structure

The daffodil cover is constructed in two main components. The cover section begins with a cast-on of 25 stitches in green wool, immediately increased to 50 stitches in the first row to create a wide, rounded base. Twenty-one rows of stocking stitch form the body, followed by a series of decrease rows that progressively reduce the stitch count from 50 to 25 to 13 to 7 stitches, creating the characteristic rounded, three-dimensional shape. The piece is then bound off using the bind and tie method, and row ends are seamed together to complete the hollow form.

The petal section requires making ten individual pieces from yellow wool