Easter Nest and Egg Pattern Tutorial

This week's How-To is Easter Nest and Egg Tutorial by Linda, from Mamma4earth here on the Natural Kids Team. This darling little knitted tutorial is just the thing if you like to knit... and I can just imagine all the amazing colour variations if using variegated yarn. Hope you enjoy this weeks Spring and Easter craft tutorial!

Easter Nest and Egg Pattern Tutorial:

Hello wonderful friends, thanks so much for visiting:) Today, I have been working on a pattern for Easter crafting. We will soon be setting up our Easter tree and I wanted to make something special, so I have Knitted a nest in handspun Alpaca yarn, spun by my daughter Jenna. Inside the nest are some rainbow eggs. I have knitted the nest with a textured appearance to give it the look of a true nest. I do hope you enjoy knitting these patterns:)

Materials:

Yarn for the nest, I have used handspun Alpaca

Yarn for eggs, I have used rainbow cotton DK

4.5 mm circular needles

Wool needle for sewing up

Fleece for stuffing the eggs

Pattern:

Nest:

Cast on 10 stitches

Join for knitting in the round (Magic Loop)

Round 1: Knit

Round 2: Increase into each stitch across the round (20 stitches)

Round 3: Knit

Round 4: (Increase into the first stitch, knit 2 stitches, increase into the next stitch, knit 2 stitches) repeat across the round, knit 1 stitch on the end. (26 stitches)

Round 5: Knit

Round 6: Increase into each stitch. (52 stitches)

Round 7: (Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch) repeat across round.

Round 8: (Purl 1, knit 1) repeat across round.

Round 9: (Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch) repeat across round.

Round 10: (Purl 1, knit 1) repeat across round.

Rounds 11- 14: Knit

Round 15: (Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch) repeat across round.

Round 16: (Purl 1, knit 1) repeat across round.

Round 17: (Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch) repeat across round.

Rounds 18-21: Knit

Rounds 22-23: Purl

Cast off.

Sew in the ends.

Egg Pattern:

Cast on 4 stitches and join for knitting in the round.

Round 1: Knit

Round 2: Increase into each stitch (8 stitches)

Round 3: Knit

Round 4: Increase into each stitch (16 stitches)

Rounds 5-13: Knit

Round 14: (Knit 3 stitches, knit 2 stitches together) repeat across the round, knit 1 stitch on the end.

Round 15: Knit

Round 16: (Knit 1 stitch, knit 2 stitches together) repeat across the round, knit 1 stitch on the end.

Round 17: Knit

Round 18: (Knit 1 stitch, knit 2 stitches together) repeat across the round.

Round 19: Knit

Finishing off:
Break your thread and thread your yarn onto a wool needle and thread your stitches from your circular neeldes onto your wool needle and pull tight to close the opening. I normally fill the egg from this end and make sure the the wide base is firm and then fill the rest of the egg. Close both ends by threading tight in a circle with your thread and pulling tightly closed.

Roll your egg in your hands to get the required egg shape, and there you have an Easter Egg:)

Wishing you all an inspired week.

xo Linda

This tutorial is brought to you by Natalie, of Woolhalla

Please visit Linda at her blog Natural Suburbia where you can see the original post, find a few other wonderful free knitting tutorials, plus other craft life tutorials and more. In her own words Linda is a "homeschooling mother of four little souls from South Africa. I am a knitter, pattern designer, gardener, homesteader and try to be as self sufficient as possible".

Check out her Etsy shop Mamma4earth where you find more wonderful knitted treasures consisting of Waldorf inspired knitted and wooden farm animals, gnomes and toys.