The My Crochet Kitchen: Pasta Dishes set was designed not only to look amazing, but also to help your little chef learn about a few classic Italian pasta dishes!

This pasta dish is all about spaghetti! You’ll be able to make 2 classic dishes with this pattern: spaghetti with meatballs and spaghetti alla Puttanesca. Other dishes in the set include ravioli with butternut squash and crispy fried sage; linguine gamberi e limone; and tagliatelle all’Alfredo.

I have kept the dishes very simple and the play pieces relatively large for ease of handling and safety – as well as for the sake of sanity when it comes to tidying up!

I’ve included a basic ‘recipe’ before the pattern itself, listing all the necessary ingredients. The individual items can, of course, be mixed and matched at will, but I hope that this play food will support you in feeding your child’s curiosity about how to follow a recipe; combine different elements into a meal; and maybe even delve into the history of each dish’s origins.

Certain items are crocheted in continuous rounds, while others are worked flat in rows. Instructions for each individual element will let you know which construction method you’ll use, and there’s a photo guide to help demonstrate each stage too.

You’ll need approx. 50g (120m) of yarn in total, and your finished ingredients should measure between 5cm (parsley) and 30cm (spaghetti), depending on your tension and chosen yarn.