Big Knit 2011

Ok, so I really wanted to take part in Innocent's Big Knit this year. For every hat knitted Innocent donates 25p to Age UK. The have the info here, and some knit patterns. I am a complete novice at knitting. my stitches are usually too tight, I drop some and gain some from some unknown stitch dimension and the thought of following a pattern scares me. So seeing the beginner pattern on the Innocent site, I tried.......and came out with this:



Embarrassing isn't it? I'd much prefer to crochet one, but couldn't find any info on their site regarding patterns, so I tried one out myself and came out with this...:

As you can see, I was more confident with the final hat, that I went ahead and added the bobble. I then thought it would help others if I wrote up the pattern for this, so here it is below. This is the first ever crochet pattern I've written up, so let me know if it doesn't flow or I've missed something out.

Crochet pattern for Innocent Big Knit 2011

You will need a 4mm hook and some dk wool (this is a great way to use up any leftovers)

Start using a magic adjustable ring

Rnd 1: Work 6 sc into the centre of the ring. (6 sc)

Rnd 2: Sc 2 in each sc. (12 sc)

Rnd 3: Sc 2 in next sc, sc in next 1 - repeat around (18 sc)

Rnd 4: Sc 2 in next sc, sc in next 2 - repeat around (24 sc)

Rnd 5: Sc 2 in next sc, sc in next 3 - repeat around (30 sc)

Rnd 6, 7, 8: Sc in each sc. (30 sc)

Change wool colour here.

Rnd 9,10,11: Sc in each sc, (30 sc) holding the wool more taut than before (this allows it to grip onto the bottle top)

Now finish off the end of the wool, and stitch in any stray strands. If you want to add a bobble you can follow a general pom pom tutorial like this one at thingstomake.com. I used a circle of card which was approximately 3cm diameter for the size of the bobble in the picture.

Stitch the bobble onto the top of the hat with the same colour wool and voila, one hat complete.

This pattern could be adjusted to fit dolls too, I think the one I made might actually fit my vintage Sindy!

Enjoy!

xx

Something for the weekend?

If the weather with you is anything like it is here, it'll be too wet to do any of those summer outdoor activities. So feel free to take a look at these tutorials, links and ideas I've gathered together on Pinterest and give something new a try. There are plenty of things to make together with children too. It should keep someone busy at least :P.

Felt Dahlia Pin tutorial - www.notmartha.org

Enjoy

Embellishing

I have just started this on one of my summer vests (mainly to cover a stain of tea I spilt on it)!! I really wanted to embellish something on one of my tops, so thought I'd give this a go as it's so easy. Although, if you're doing this with embroidery thread, put it through the wash first in a little cotton handkerchief. I used this source on how to wash embroidery threads.

Source: craftstylish.com via Catherine on Pinterest

This tutorial was found on Pinterest, so if you haven't been on there yet, check it out, it's a wealth of information and inspiration.

Sorry, just a quick one today.

xx

Meat and greet

Just finished another order for a customer:

Felt food - meat selection

Hope she likes it. It's the first time I've sewn any of these, but am so happy with them. The t-bone steak was straight forward enough, but I had to use picture references when designing the bacon rashers as the customer requested british style bacon. I never realised how everyone making felt bacon had been making the steaky kind until now, including myself. So glad I got to try them like this. The pork chop seemed simple in my head but I found I had to refer to pictures again when drawing out the shape, and placement for the bone.

I've also recieved an email from a very trendy London shop asking for a few of my things to see how they sell in store, so onto that project now...can't wait!

bye for now

x