Candy Corns
Ghouls, graveyards and goblins, Halloween can be harrowing! But where there’s creep, there’s also merriment: parades, painted faces and candy corn!
Candy corn, this most classic of Halloween goodies, also happens to be one heck of a good looking object! Like all of our most cherished holiday candies – candy canes, gelt, jelly beans – candy corns aren’t really loved for their flavor. They’re adored because they cause us to conjure the rituals and details of the day, to relive in our minds a lifetime of Halloweens. It’s not the power of sugar; it’s the power of good design!
These little knit sweeties will ensure that candy corn is a part of your Halloween tradition, year after year. Line them up on your windowsill; arrange them on your mantle with some candles; or pop them into a big bowl on your hall table. They’re kinda irresistible.
I knit up my set of Candy Corns with Brown Paper Packages’ Trio, a beautiful silk and wool blend. The shine of the silk brings an unexpected elegance to these little guys, which I love! And Trio is actually a needlepoint yarn, making it the perfect choice for knitting up palm-sized objects like these!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Get started on your own bunch of knitted confections!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoCandyCorns. We can’t wait to see what you make!
The Materials
- 11 total skeins of Brown Paper Packages’ Trio, 50% wool and 50% silk.
- 5 skeins of Big Canary (Keep your tails on the short side in order to get every last yard out of this color!)
- 4 skeins of a mix of Marmalade and Clementine
- 2 skeins of White
- A set of US 5 (3.75 mm) double pointed needles
- Some stuffing
- Some lentils for weighing down the Candy Corns’ bottoms. I used about 2 teaspoons for each.
Shop our wonderful collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarn to find a suitable substitute for this project, and remember that it’s always a good idea to check your gauge before you cast on… Our All About Gauge Tutorial shows you how!
GAUGE
23 inches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 5½ inches circumference at base x 3½ inches tall
Pattern
Begin
With the yellow yarn, cast on 8 stitches to the double pointed needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Round 1: Knit into the front and back (kfb) of each stitch. 16 stitches
Round 2: Knit.
Round 3: [Make 1 right (m1r), k4, make 1 left (m1l), k4] 2 times. 20 stitches
Round 4: [M1r, k6, m1l, k4] 2 times. 24 stitches
Round 5: [M1r, k8, m1l, k4] 2 times. 28 stitches
Round 6: [M1r, k10, m1l, k4] 2 times. 32 stitches
Round 7: Purl.
Here’s what the bottom looks like on the needles:
And here’s what it will look like in the end:
Continuing with the yellow yarn…
Rounds 8-13: Knit.
Round 14: [Ssk, k8, k2tog, k4] 2 times. 28 stitches.
Cut the yellow yarn and join the orange.
Rounds 15-19: Knit.
Round 20: [Ssk, k6, k2tog, k4] 2 times. 24 stitches
Rounds 21-24: Knit.
Round 25: [Ssk, k4, k2tog, k4] 2 times. 20 stitches
Cut the orange yarn and join the white.
Rounds 26-28: Knit.
Now use the cast on tail to sew the bottom hole closed and bring the tail to the inside of the piece. Turn your candy corn inside out and weave in all the ends.
Return the piece to right side out and fill the bottom with two teaspoons of lentils. Then fill the rest of the candy corn with stuffing. I preferred my candy corns plump, but not overly stuffed!
Round 29: [Ssk, k2, k2tog, k4] 2 times. 16 stitches
Rounds 30 and 31: Knit.
Round 32: [K2tog] 8 times. 8 stitches
Add a lttle bit more stuffing to the very top, then cut the yarn and sew it through the remaining stitches. Sew the tail through to the bottom of the Candy Corn and trim it.
Now make some more!
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
I have to admit – I LOVE THESE!!! But, why make them? I know, they are SO cute, why should I even ask??? 🙂 Thanks for all your great, free, fun, and inspirational patterns!
Hi Whitney – I love this pattern for candy corn. How could I adapt it for a hat for Halloween for an adult? Thanks! Jean
Why did you use lentils? Won't they become rancid?
SGarner-
In our experience dried beans don't rot or go rancid when kept dry and used like this.
Thanks for your question
Molly
I think these are adorable however, how long did it take you to knit a set of 10 pictured?
Should I order 6 in. or 8 in. size 5 needles?
Thanks for the cute project!
~Shari
Hi Shari-
Either would work but the 6-inch might be easier for this project.
Thank you for your question!
Molly
Great to know about the lentils. I will use them in other projects too. I think the candy corns are adorable and I know just the person I would knit them for. My grown daughter loved candy corn growing up. I always got her a treat bag of them. Nowadays, we can't always be together on Halloween, but she would love displaying the knit candy corns as part of her Fall decorating! Thanks!
Hi Jean,
Any hat pattern would work! Just start it with yellow, move on to orange and finish with white! If you want it to be particularly pointed, just increase the number of rounds you knit between crown decreases. Try our Simple Rib Thank You Hat: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/thank-you-hats/2012/9/9/whits-knits-thank-you-hats.html
Thanks for asking and good luck with your cute idea!
Whitney
Hi Kaylentica,
I would expect each Candy Corn to take about one or two hours to make, unless you're lightening fast or molasses slow!
Thanks for asking!
Whitney
P.S. I am getting really exited about these gnomes, so I have the following questions: how long did it take you to knit these each? And could you post a more clear picture of the top (like the one of the bottom)? I am from Holland so I don't understand all of the directions, but if I have a clear picture I can make it out from that.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Simone,
I think each Candy Corn took me about one or two hours to make. I don't have a picture of just the top, but in the photos at the beginning of the story you can see some good images of the tops. They're a lot like a hat!
I love the idea of your gnomes, so cute! Please send us a link when you're done!
Whitney
Just made my first candy corn in about 2 hours! So cute. I can't wait to make more.
Hi, I'd like to make one large candy corn for my daughter's dorm room. If I wanted it to be four times larger, could I successfully make this pillow by multiplying your pattern by four? Seems logical, but I'm no where near being a designer. 🙂
Thank you.
Hi Anne,
Resizing this pattern would be a bit more complicated than multiplying everything by 4. However, if you used a very bulky yarn like Cascade's Magnum (https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/650-Cascade-Yarns-Magnum) and/or Blue Sky's Bulky (https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/4177-Blue-Sky-Bulky), plus a larger needle (like a US #15), and followed the pattern as written, you'd end up with a Candy Corn whose base might be about 18 inches around.
Please let us know if you have any more questions and good luck!
Whitney
Would love to knit these for my sister. Haven't knit in years, and then i was only a beginner, so i'm guessing these are too advanced? Bummer!
Hi Sandy-
These aren't too difficult but they definitely aren't appropriate for a beginner. We'd suggest that you read through the pattern and see if you feel like you understand the steps. If it seems too hard you might try a simple hat to jump back in! This hat would be a great place to start: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/the-purl-bee/2012/11/23/whits-knits-super-soft-merino-hats-for-everyone.html
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Hi! Is it possible to use the magic loop method instead of double pointed needles?
Thanks!
Hi Laura,
Yes! Pretty much any pattern that calls for double pointed needles can be done using the magic loop method instead. Just use a nice long needle, and if a pattern counts on the end of a double pointed needle to keep track of stitches, be sure to place a marker instead.
Thanks so much for asking and I hope you end up with a big bowl of Candy Corn! Please let us know if you need any help along the way.
Whitney
What weight of yarn would this be considered?
Hi Megan,
Great question! At a gauge of about 5.75 stitches per inch, Trio would be considered a Sport weight yarn!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy