How to Knit a Cactus (P.S. It’s The Perfect Gift for Your Work Bestie!)

  • Posted byby Pepper
  • 2 minute read

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Check it out: I knitted a cactus! This little guy is based on a free pattern by Allison Krones and took me a couple of hours to knit. These knitted cacti are literally the perfect last-minute handmade gift for coworkers or neighbors – you can bang out a bunch of them while binge-watching Hallmark Christmas movies over the weekend.

Knitted Cactus

How to Knit a Cactus

If you’re lucky, you already have some green and pink yarn in your stash and you just need to score yourself some 2.5” terracotta pots. You can pick up a dozen for less than $10 on Amazon or you’ll find them at most big box craft stores and sometimes in the garden department of stores like Home Depot.

The free cactus pattern I used has you making a cactus for a 1.5-inch pot, but I needed mine to fit the slightly bigger 2.5” one I had handy, so I cast on 48 stitches and did ribbing for about 3”, then followed the pattern instructions to decrease. (If you really want to bang out a ton of these for gifts, definitely get some 1.5” pots and go with the original pattern instructions – it will be so fast!)

For the cactus, I used some old Vanna’s Choice worsted weight yarn in a colorway called Olive. I don’t think they make that one anymore, but after a quick Amazon browse, I think Red Heart Soft in Guacamole looks like the same color. I also like Knit Picks Brava in Dublin, though it is a slightly cooler green.

For the flower, I used some hot pink Knit Picks Palette yarn and used a pattern for a flower from a pattern I already had (MK Carroll’s Head Hugger). There are zillions of free patterns for simple knitted or crocheted flowers out there – just give it a google and make a tiny version. If you are pressed for time, you can cut a shape out of felt or source some small flower embellishments on Amazon or at the craft store.

yarn details

Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Olive
100% acrylic
worsted weight

Knit Picks Palette in Cosmopolitan
100% wool
fingering weight


findings

project details
  • pattern: based on Allison Krones’s “Knit Cactus” pattern, available for free at http://daybydaywithme.blogspot.com/2011/01/knit-cactus.html, flower pattern adapted from the flowers on the Head Huggers earband by MK Carroll in Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation.
  • needles: size 5 dpns for cactus, size 2 for flower
  • duration: an hour or two of knitting/crafting
  • yarn used: minimal amounts
notes
  • Pattern Mods: CO 48 stitches, proceed in k1p2 ribbing for about 3”, then decrease according to Krones’s pattern.
  • I skipped the step of gluing the cactus into the pot – it’s just sitting in there. I like it that way because it provides a fun little hiding spot for small items.