Dwarf in Schachenmayr Catania - 5542B - Downloadable PDF

Dwarf Decoration Knitting Pattern in Schachenmayr Catania – Free Downloadable PDF (Design 5542B)

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Schachenmayr (Design 5542B) guides you through creating an adorable knitted Wichtel — a traditional German-style dwarf or gnome decoration — worked entirely in the round on double-pointed needles. Compact, charming, and full of festive character, this little figure makes a wonderful handmade ornament or seasonal decoration for the home.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted gnome or dwarf figure (Wichtel in German), complete with a distinctive pointed tip (Zipfel) at the top and an embroidered face on both the front and back. The figure features a striped body in multiple colors and stands approximately 16 cm tall before the pointed tip is added. It is a small, self-contained decoration suitable for display on shelves, as a tree ornament, or as a handmade gift.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round on double-pointed needles (DPNs), distributed across four needles
• Stripe colorwork, alternating between multiple yarn colors in a structured sequence
• Decreasing in the round to shape the pointed hat or tip — decreases are worked at the beginning and end of specific needles using slip-stitch decreases (slip 1, k1, pass slipped stitch over) and k2tog
• Gathering the final stitches by drawing yarn through remaining live stitches with a doubled thread to close the tip
• Knotting the Zipfel (pointed tip) to create the gnome's characteristic curled or knotted hat point
• Embroidery on knitted fabric to add facial features to both the front and back of the figure

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch in the round (glatt rechts) — all stitches knitted on every round, producing a smooth knit fabric
• Slip 1, k1, psso — a left-leaning decrease worked at the beginning of needle 1 and needle 3
• K2tog (knit two together) — a right-leaning decrease worked near the end of needle 2 and needle 4
• Knot stitch (Knötchenstich) — an embroidery stitch used to form the gnome's nose
• Satin stitch (Plattstiche) — flat embroidery stitches also used in constructing the nose detail
• Stem stitch (Stielstiche) — used to embroider the mouth in black

Construction Details

The gnome begins with 50 stitches cast on across four double-pointed needles — 12 stitches each on needles 1 and 3, and 13 stitches each on needles 2 and 4. The body is worked upward in the round in stockinette stitch, following a precise stripe sequence:

• 3 rounds in Royal (blue) to begin
• Alternating 2-round stripes in Gelbgrün (yellow-green) and Royal, repeated twice
• 12 rounds each in Signalrot (signal red) and Natur (natural/cream)
• Continued alternating 1-round stripes in Royal and Gelbgrün during the decrease section

Decreases are worked 11 times, every 4th round, reducing 4 stitches per decrease round until only 6 stitches remain after approximately 59 rounds. The pointed tip (Zipfel) is then continued over these 6