Some cupcakes for my sweetie pie niece, Hailey, who is already turning 2 years old!

8/14 Dropped these off yesterday and I just received a message from my brother saying that Hailey is playing cupcakes non-stop. Yay!

I’ve modified the pattern to get a ‘medium’ in between size cupcake. I found these really cute play cupcake pans to gift them in but they weren’t the right size for these cupcakes as written, with my yarn, needles and gauge. The modification worked out perfectly though!

Measurements:
1.75” diameter across the bottom of the wrapper
3” across widest part of cupcake top
3” tall

Notes & Changes:
~Swirled frosting is a line of crocheted slipped stitches moving from the bottom edge of the frosting to the top center. I used straight sewing pins to mark the path from the bottom to the top which made it super easy to create a line that moved smoothly upward.
~ I cast on the same number of stitches as in the pattern, but my increases for the bottom of the wrapper were:
1st increase: (K1, kfb) around (18 sts)
2nd increase: (K2, kfb) around (24 sts)
3rd increase: (K3, kfb) around (30sts)
knit one round and switch to k1, p1 for 5 rounds. After increasing for the top of the wrapper I had 45 sts.
~I did not cast off and pick up stitches when moving from the wrapper to the cake. Instead on the bind-off row I did (P3,P2tog) around (36sts), turned the wrapper inside out (as specified in the pattern) and switched to the cake color on the next row. This created a nice knit row all around on the outside for a single crochet border on the edge of the wrapper.
~ Increases (as specified in the pattern) on the first ‘frosting’ row brought the stitch count back up to 45 sts. First frosting decrease row (P3, P2tog) around.
~Instead of cardboard I cut a circle from firm, fine-mesh plastic canvas for the bottom. I wanted them to be able to be washed if necessary and not to disintigrate if they got wet.

Candle:
The candle was very fiddly, but the best I could come up with after a half dozen or so tries. I used Lily’s Sugar’n Cream, Strawberry Cream Ombre for the shaft and Vanilla Bouquet for the flame.
Starting at the bottom of the candle, c/o 5 sts with long tail cast on with double pointed needles (same size as used for cupcake)
~work 4 rows in stockinette starting with a knit row
~next row: bind off the first stitch, knit across
~next row: bind off the first stitch purlwise, purl across the row (3 sts)
~attach yellow yarn to left-most stitch (knit side is facing you) with a half knot through the stitch on the WS
~slide stitches to the opposite end of the needle and work 2 i-cord rows.
~break yarn, thread onto a tapestry needle, and pull (i-cord style) through the three stitches. Repeat once more. Pull yarn tail down through the inside of the ‘flame’
~With starting end of ‘flame’ yarn, loop around the base of the flame one time and tie half knot - this will make the starting point of the flame narrower and provide stability. Pull the tail down into the inside (WS) of the candle body and secure by weaving into a stitch or two of the cast on.
~with tail from ‘candle’ yarn (closest to the top, not the cast on tail) mattress stitch sides closed. All yarn tails should be neatly layed on the inside of the candle to help bulk it up - the ends can be woven through the cast on stitches on the inside to make them stay in place. When the body of the candle is completely closed it should be firm and all the yarn tails should be hanging out the bottom. Trim off all yarn ends except for the cast on tail - use this one to sew it to the cupcake on top.