Stripey Jester

I started running out of time with my goal of sending beanies to both the Castlemaine Beanie Affair and the Alice Springs Beanie Festival...

So I raided my storage tubs which are full of unfinished projects...

Yes.

I have enough unfinished pieces to fill more than one tub...

But that's a story for another day!

Anyway, I discovered a half made beanie which I had been making from this pattern here.

All the stripes were already done, but I wanted to give it a different finish...

So I added some freeform knitting and crochet to the top - and created two long.... hmmm... what would you call those long tips you see on a jester's hat? Ears maybe? You know the bits I mean!

Yep. I added two of them - and some big old tassels to finish off...

Busy Out Back

The name says it all... this one IS "Busy Out Back"

Around the face, the details are simple... 

just some soft, chunky yarns... worked in regular rounds...

But the back is a burst of colourful freeform activity!

With three separate tassels - each on a different colour...

A bit of knitting... A bit of crochet...

And some novelty yarns for texture...

A Wolf Skin Blanket...

Have you ever attempted to make something - and found that the end product didn't look at all like the picture you had in your head? I hope so, because it happens to me all the time!

It's not necessarily a bad thing actually. I mean you're the only one who knows how it was SUPPOSED to look... so no one else will be any the wiser.

Unless you tell them.

And I'm kind of confessing to you right now, that this one didn't come out as planned!

But I fell in love with him anyway.

In my mind, he looked more like a wolf (and less like a fox). Maybe a little fiercer. With a shorter, wider snout, I think...

But here's the thing:

I LOVE HIM JUST THE WAY HE IS.

He's cuddly and snuggly, and I love the simplicity of the garter stitch.

I especially love the fuzzy bits inside the ears...

He may not be the fierce wolf I was aiming for - but what child wants to snuggle something fierce?

 

 

Now, I've written the pattern for this blanket - and it's been fully tested.

So if you'd love to make your own wolf (or change the colours and make him a fox) then head on over here for all the pattern details, and the link to purchase the pattern.

Winner Announced!

I've chosen a winner for the Bearskin Rug challenge...

My absolute favourite was this snowy white delight - made by Katt!

Now the Clever Katt gets to tell me what to design for the next knitting challenge - time to put the thinking cap on...

I did have a couple of other favourites though.

Like this Intellectual Soul, knitted by Col:

And this unfortunate one named Lucky... who came to his tragic end when struck by a motorbike, courtesy of Julie:

And my dear friend Leah, who insists she can't knit - came up with this delight, which she's aptly named "Pimp My Bear"

It never ceases to amaze me, how many DIFFERENT looking projects can be born from the SAME pattern. People are immensely creative!

July Challenge

Well.

It's the beginning of another month, and we all know what that means...

IT'S CHALLENGE TIME.

What do you think of this fabulous bear skin blankie???

It's a knitting challenge and the pattern will be FREE to those participating.

You need to make the rug and post photos before the end of the month. As always I will choose my favourite one, and then that person tells me what to design for the next knitting challenge.

Fuzzy measures 51 cm (20 in) in length and 36 cm (14 ¼ in) in width.

He is made using 150g of 10 ply/worsted weight yarn and a pair of 4.5 mm (US 7) needles.

Interested?

Send me a message with your email address…

And I look forward to seeing what you create!

As plain as the nose on your face...

I thought I was so clever...

Teddy was finished and no sign of the baby yet...

Something looked a little odd about the bear.

But I convinced myself that it was just the eyes...

All the other bears I have made from this pattern have had embroidered eyes - so these safety eyes make him look really different!

And then one of the kids announced:

Mummy. Why doesn't he have a nose???

Hmmmmmmm....

THAT'S why he looks odd!

Baby Gift Time

My next door neighbour is pregnant.

Really - Really - Really Pregnant!

Overwhelmingly Pregnant...

Like "due last week" kind of pregnant!

So I've gone back to my traditional baby gift teddy...

I've made so many of these guys over the years - at least 30 or more!

My book is almost in tatters from overuse.

I should probably know the pattern off by heart by now - but I don't.

Here's all my pieces - seamed and ready to stuff...

I wonder if I will finish before the baby arrives???

A Stuffed Moose Head???

Yes.

You heard correctly...

That patchwork piece of knitting I was working on:



Bucky is the November Challenge over in the Laughing Purple Goldfish Designs group on Ravelry. The pattern is available for free this month to all participants. Come and join in the fun!

(The fully tested version will be available for sale in December 2012)

I want to see a reindeer version.

Can you imagine it?

Instead of a wreath hanging on your front door this Christmas - you could have a Stuffed Reindeer head!

How awesome would that be???

It could even be Rudolph with his shiny red nose...

Preparing for November...

As you know, in my group over on Ravelry, we have a new challenge each month...

(Anyone is welcome to join in the fun - just pop on over.)

At the beginning of the month I offer a pattern for a particular project. Everyone makes their items, then posts photos when they are done. I choose my favourite - and the winner tells me what to design for the following month...

I've had so much fun working on these designs... and I'm really EXCITED about the upcoming November Challenge...

In the top photo you can see my swatching...

And in the photos below I have started on the piece... trying to avoid tangles!





So, I want to know what you think it is...

Because I think NO ONE will be able to guess correctly...

Go on and prove me wrong! I'd love you to!

And as a clue: here's a sneak peek of the sketch.

Fancy the Frilled Neck Lizard

Have you been patiently waiting for the release of my Frilled Neck Lizard pattern???

Well - Here he is!

The pattern has now been thoroughly tested and is available for sale through Ravelry...

Since I am selling the PDF version of the pattern - it means that you will have access to the pattern immediately... NO WAITING... it's yours straight away - how awesome is that???

And it's only AU $4.50.

You could knit him up for one of the little people in your life for Christmas - what a wonderfully UNIQUE gift that would be!

Fancy the Frilled Neck Lizard

Woah!

Can you believe that it's time for another Challenge already???

Yep.

It's September.

And Daphne has requested a pattern for a Frilled Neck Lizard.

So here he is. Much more cuddly than those you would find in the wild! And a little more colourful too...

If you want to join in the fun, and make a lizard of your own - then come and visit my Ravelry group where we can all chat about the pattern together.

Success!

I think I've finally found my own rhythm with this Continental Knitting...

Notice I say KNITTING.

I can now work the knit stitch with even tension and no white knuckles. It takes a really long time to relax your hands when learning a new technique. You're concentrating so much on holding your fingers in new positions - and having them perform different roles than they normally would - that the poor things cramp up! Seriously. You can only work in short bursts because it it so exhausting for the Poor Little Fingies. I know that it sounds pathetic, but it's true...



But I'm confident now. And relaxed. I can knit Continental Style.

Just don't ask me to knit two together.

Or increase.

Or purl.

Those skills are going to take A LOT more practice!!!!

As you can see, I finished that third mitt.



Do you think it was a match with Loose Tension Mitt (the 1st one I knit) or Tight Tension Mitt (the 2nd one I knit)???

Come on - you know the answer. Just think about which would be the most annoying outcome!

It matched NEITHER.

But at least it fell somewhere between the two. Closer to the loose one... So I'm pretending they are a matched pair. Sometimes you just have to pretend a little. Fake it 'til you make it. Isn't that what they say?

Which Mitt Should I Frog?

Well?

One mitt is smaller than the other - so they're useless as a set... but which one do I frog???

My plan is to knit a THIRD mitt, and see which ones match best!



Do you see the little green bag in the photo?

That's another one of Dawnie's creations
- it's for keeping my yarn neat and clean and tidy as I work...

And if I want to work outside, or on the move... I just pop the drawstring around my wrist and off I go - no yarn trailing behind me to get tangled.

Anyone would think she had witnessed my yarn rolling around on the floor as I work on a project!

Surely not!




So this clever bag is made using a plastic bowl.

Dawn has drilled holes all the way around it
- and then crocheted into the holes to work the rest of the bag.

At the top is a drawstring closure. How cool is that???

(It's probably, maybe a teensy weensy bit on the PLAIN side for me - but I'll fix that - and Dawnie won't mind a bit. She's used to me by now, and knows exactly what I'm like. In fact, she's more likely to be SHOCKED that I haven't done it already.)

Edited to add:

I've just had an email from one of my readers, which I'd really like to share with you (and I don't think she'll mind at all)

I taught myself to knit and wanted to suggest what helped me. Continental method is the closest to how you would hold crochet;

the project in your left hand with the working thread wrapped around one of those fingers for tension while you knit with the needle on the right.

Once I thought of it in those terms my tensions became the same throughout.

So... I'm going to start thinking along those lines when I next pick up my mitts, and see if it helps. Thanks for the tip Steph - and by including it here in the blog, I hope it can help others too!

And I thought I was SO clever...

I've been hearing over and over again about how much faster knitting is for those who use Continental Style. But it never really interested me. I mean, I've been perfectly happy with my usual pace and technique up until now - so why change, right?

Besides - I've been knitting for over 30 years now - so I wondered if it would even be possible to change my technique at this point...

I kind of have my own little style going on when I knit. People love to tell me how STRANGE and UNUSUAL it is - which used to really bother me - but now I just don't care! Anyway, I tuck my right needle under my arm while I work.

Some people tell me it's a SCOTTISH style...

Some call it PIT KNITTING...

And others just call it weird!

It's not the way I was taught to knit, it's just a comfortable style I fell into as I learned.

So.

My main problem with PIT knitting, is that it doesn't work when you use circular needles or double pointed needles. You can't tuck a needle under your arm pit when it is only 10 cm long (4 inches). So I usually avoid working anything in the round.

Because if I can't tuck, then I SLOW down so much!

But then I was thinking...

If I could learn this Continental Style that everyone keeps talking about, then I could work quickly in the round - SO I DID IT! With the help of some You Tube videos, I taught myself to knit Continental Style. This is the one I found most helpful.

It was a bit tricky at first - since it involves holding your working yarn in the left hand instead of the right - but I got there in the end.

And I practiced, and practiced and practiced until my tension was even...

Then decided it was time to test it out on a project!

I thought I was SO CLEVER.

With my wonderful, even, beautiful tension...

(Which was hard, because it tends to be quite loose when you work Continental)

But I have a problem.

Look at these Mitts:



They're SUPPOSED to be the same size!

I've used the same yarn, same needles, followed the same pattern and worked the same number of rows... But they do NOT match up...

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K...

Announcing the Winner...

Time to choose a winner in the Flaming Lamborghini challenge..

There were some very creative bags on offer this month: Just take a look...

See the one on the top left... the Flamingo Bag? Loren knitted it out of PLASTIC BAGS! Yes. The entire thing is made from plastic. Even that striking flamingo...

And the one on the bottom left? T-shirts. Suzie knitted it using strips of old t-shirts. 

How clever is that?

Then you'll notice that the centre right one has a hole in it. 

A beautiful, practical, and intentional hole. 

Melba created that so that her yarn can stay safe and clean inside her project bag, 

while she is crafting...

Centre left we have the Icicle Bag. By changing the colour palette,

 Julie has entirely changed the feel of the bag... taking it from flames to icicles...

And look closely at the other two bags there... Jorel and Debbie have been quite sneaky. Instead of weaving in their yarn ends at the tip of each flame, they have left them loose as a bit of a design feature - creating a small tassel.

I love all these different versions, but I haven't shown you my favourite one yet:

Daphne has created the Africa Bag.

What amazing dedication to her theme... the yarn choices... beads... and the lining...

At first glance, it looks like some wonderfully intricate colour changing yarn has been used. But these are all individual solid colours, and it's Daphne's technique and timing with the changes that makes it look so awesome!

So a HUGE congratulations to Daphne...

and I will wait patiently to hear what she would like me to design for our next Knitting Challenge

(that part always makes me a little bit nervous - and excited at the same time)

Meanwhile.. the Flaming Lamborghini Bag pattern is now available for sale

PDF Knitting Pattern available for AU$4.50