These? These actually came into being in the fall of 2019 when the (cough, first, cough) impeachment of everyone’s least favorite felon was underway, and I felt the need for something soft that I could squeeze. Or throw against a wall. Or stab full of pins. The intervening years have brought no end of things to be mad about, and the current round of elections has brought even more.

And sometimes that rage turns into stitches. And calls to your representatives. And donations to abortion funds. And reminders to your friends and family to check on their voter registration. And attendance at your local school board meetings. And all those other things that feel tiny and insignificant on their own, but that add up when you do them over and over and over again. Rather like stitches.

And yes, yes of course, you can absolutely make these just because they’re cute and you want a perfect little peach (or apple) for some completely non-ragey reason. And I could write something here that extols their virtues and makes you want to knit them. Maybe that’s even what I should do.

But what I’m going to do is remind you that good things can happen when you turn your rage into action. Because right now, I think we all need that more than we need someone waxing poetic about a knitted peach. So figure out what you’re mad about, and find one tiny thing to do about it. You’ll feel better after. Because you’re a knitter, and knitters know that tiny things, done over and over, add up to something big.

General information

This 22-page pattern comes in three sizes and includes instructions for both the peach and the apple.  It is tremendously detailed and holds your hand every step of the way. There are pages and pages of step-by-step photos to show you exactly what to expect as you work. It walks you through everything from cast on to blocking to stuffing and shaping your fruit and adding those perfect little leaves.

The pattern is almost absurdly detailed, but it really does mean you can totally make these, even if you’ve never knit a project like this before!

Skills & scope

This is almost all stockinette worked in the round (plus some tiny little leaves worked flat). If you’ve ever knit a hat, you absolutely have the skills to do this. And you can totally have one finished in just a couple of hours.

The pattern uses charts, so you will need to know how to follow a knitting chart.

Yarn, gauge & sizing

The pattern comes in three sizes, and you can make them in anything from tiny (much smaller than a real apple or peach) up to something much bigger than you’ll ever find on a tree.

I made mine in fingering, sport, and dk-weight yarns, but you can make them in any weight of yarn, and the finished size will change depending on what yarn you use. You don’t need to match any particular gauge, but you do need to knit tightly enough to make a firm fabric so your filling doesn’t show through.

The pieces in the pictures took less than 75 yards of the main color and less than 10 yards of the stem and leaf colors.

You can absolutely use scrap yarn for this.

Tools & supplies

You’ll need needles that let you work in the round (circulars or DPNs) in whatever size lets you get a fabric you like with your chosen yarn plus the general knitting tools you need for most projects (scissors to cut your yarn, a darning needle to weave in ends, the occasional stitch marker or bit of scrap yarn to hold stitches).

You’ll also want something to stuff your project with. I use wool roving, but you can absolutely use polyester filling or plastic pellets or whatever else you like to use inside your knits.