Merry Christmas Armadillos

I hope everyone has had a very Merry Christmas and soon to be happy new year. I have had many Crafty gifts this Christmas which have all been fantastic and prove very interesting.I received a beautiful gift from my friend Karen (who keeps a excellent blog) Crochet Armadillo. I had mentioned that I collected armadillo items and she was kind enough to make me my very own. 

                               I think he is amazing and have named him Bert! Thank you Karen

Knitting Natter

So it's been over a month since I last posted and I must try harder. But don't worry I have been busy clicking away with my needles.

I have finally finish my panda for my husband and I am very please with the result. As I reported before he is a pattern by Alan Dart which are always fantastic to knit, you knit all the piece in flat and sew up at the end.

 I impress myself with the jacket edging which is knitted as i-cord and the stitched on. I was a bit worried at one stage that I wouldn't be able to finish him, plus my husband did discover him at one point so the surprise has gone but I hope he will be impressed with the finished item. 

I have now moved on to my next project which I will be posted in the next week or so. 

Freddie the Pheasant

As I reported in my LAST post I was knitting two projects at the same time which was taking up quite a lot of time and I was a bit worried about completing before the Christmas. I am very proud to report that I have completed my second project and present. 

Freddie the Pheasant

He was a fantastic knit and took know time at all, I didn't knit the feet but placed a small fabric bag of rice inside Freddie so he would stand up. I would recommend this knit to anyone that likes something fun and quick with a good result. I would say it is a intermediate knit with a tiny amount of picking up stitches and requiring good grafting skills. As you knit it the shape will look very strange (more like road kill Pheasant) but when stuffed I understood the pattern and the lay out . the yarn which is Artesano Alpaca Hummingbird 'Pheasant' which is a really good yarn and I will be using again in a planned future project for the new year.
A great knit!

I haven't forgot to blog

I just thought I would let you all know that I haven't forgot my blog :)
I have been very busy knitting away but current have haven't finished any projects to show you.
I have a huge list of Christmas knits to get through and none of them seem to be moving very quickly which is a bit worrying.
I am currently knitting a Xiaopang Panda by Alan Dart for my husband, who has always moaned that I have never knitting him anything. He pick it out of Simple knitting July issue and I don't think either one of us realised how big it would be, I thought it would be quite a small quick knit just a bit bigger than my hamsters buy he is three times the size.

I am also going to knit a toy Freddie the Pheasant for my Grandad who loves pheasant s , but I haven't started him yet :/

 A lovely lady called Penny from oliverboliver.com sent me a knitting kit for him for only £8.00! So I hope to crack on with him soon.


So thats what I've been up too :)

Halloween Hamsters

I am and always have been a big fan of Halloween, as a child I use to draw up lots of paper bats and hang them round the house and make jelly with raisins for flies in it. So this year it was time for another little project to enjoy over this very special holiday.

In this months Simply Knitting (October 2011) I found what I was looking for and discovered a set of patterns by Alan Dart of little Halloween hamsters. I have knitted a Alan Dart pattern before and it really suits my type of knitted and the results are always really good. Last year I knitted a Christmas Turkey which proudly sat on my table through the festive period

The Hamsters knit up really quick and look fantastic, they were a real stash buster as well. The devil knitted quicker than the witch as I had to make the clothes, but she looks great. :)

Nemo Clown Fish

I am sorry I haven't been blogging more recently but I have been busy knitting away, and haven't forgot about you all waiting for me in blog land.

I have completed my second handmade pattern which I have added to the pattern section here and is available PDF from Ravelry. 

My friend had requested a Clown Fish sometime ago and I decided to knit him one for Christmas. But at the time I couldn't find a pattern , and when I did you had to pay for it. So after my success with the prawn I took on the challenge of making my own.  It is by far the biggest and most complicated thing that I have made and only my second thing.  Yet again it was a sea creature I seem to be becoming a bit obsessed!

It can be quite tricky to find a good orange coloured wool so l found DK life by Stylecraft it was a bit thin to use but knitting little creatures is quite forgiving as you don’t really need a gauge. I used safety eyes size 12mm which I found in Hobbycraft and a little bit of black yarn to put the mouth on. 

I am very pleased with the way he turned out and hope other people will be able to use the pattern I made to knit their own Finding Nemo.  

Little Tortoise

My new little friend! 

It's was a bank holiday the weekend so plenty of time for knitting so I started alittle project that I have been meaning to do for a while. It was a real stash buster as I used only the wool that I had left around.

The pattern is from a lady called Debi Birkin, the original design called for a under shell but

I couldn’t put the bottom of the shell on as it made him look like a burger! 

Spud wasn't too keen on him!

I have had a small problem in the last few days of that I am developing repetitive strain on my hands and elbows so knitting might be off the cards for the next few weeks.

First Home made pattern!

I recently attended the opening night of the Purls By the Sea exhibition at the Belfry Arts Centre, there was some fantastic work by some very talented artists. I was very fond of the work by Joanna Jack who sea creatures were beautiful, we had a long chat and she explained how she designs her creations and how the a completely knitted in the one piece!

My Dad was very taken by a small broach in the shape of a prawn by designer Angela Knipe and I was inspired to make one for him.

The only problem was that I couldn't find a pattern and so I decided to make my own from scratch which is the first time I have ever done anything like this before. 

I knitted a small tube in the round and slowly decreased very slowly into an I-Cord and then expanded it into a tail. I added french knots for eyes and threaded wool through the underside and the split it up to create the fringe of legs . Finally soaked a piece of wool in hair spray and threaded it on top of the head.and left to dry to make whiskers.

 

I am going to add the pattern to the blog, but I love him and so proud of managing to make my own item. 

Pompon Scarf

A little while a go I decided it was best that I start my Christmas knitting. I know it early but I want to get in quick and make sure I did actually make some Christmas gifts this year.

I picked up some wool called Pompon by Rico. 

One ball of the wool and it makes a whole scarf out of it

I knits up really quick and to be honest I should have finished this in one weekend but I made a bit of a meal out of it and it lasted two weeks.

But oh well, here the finished thing is!

Little Strawberry

I have a little quick knit last knit which turned out really well and is very sweet.

The strawberry only took an hour and the pattern came from a magazine called Let's Knit,you need to be a member to view the pattern,but its well worth it as there are lots of great patterns.

There is also a beautiful daisy chain with strawberries and daisies on it, which I think beats doing bunting hands down. :)  

Completed Crab

Yesterday I finally completed my crab who was named Colin by my bother-in law. I turned out a bit wonky but I think he is nice in his own special way.

I used a wool called Sirdar Crofter DK which is a sock wool which I don't think did him any favours but it did give him an interesting pattern on his tummy.  I think he can out a little bit strange because I had to adjust the pattern to create two large claws and make them large than the original pattern . He took so long because of all the legs that he needed and the was a lot of stitching up with pipe cleaners in each leg to make them stick out. Sadly the pipe cleaners were not quite strong enough to carry his full weight and I think I will invest in some stronger wire to put into my next creation. 

I love his eyes which I think make him look really great. 

I have submitted him to the purls by the sea exhibition  so lets all hope that he gets in! :)

Knitty issues

I seem to be having a few knitting issues at the moment. It's more the a crisis as everything that I am knitting seems to be going wrong : / 

I have made a right mess of my cardigan that I was knitting, and I am completely unsure what to do next with it.

I only have 4 more rows to knit to reach the right size but only have 87 stitch on me needle and I need 92! Do I plow on with it a bodge it together? Or finally call it quits? 

I add to the issues I have problems with my crab, the claws are too thin and I want them to be chunky but they don't look right.

So many worries!

On a happier note I have organised a knit day for all the members of Norfolk Nutty Knitters (and anyone else who wants to come). 

It's called Knit in the Park and takes part on

Sunday, August 21 · 2:00pm - 5:00pm
At Eaton Park Norwich.
 For a picnic (weather permitting) at Eaton Park.
So bring your needles for a day of outdoor clicking and chatting!
Feel free to bring your children or family members the more the merrier.

Crab

I am still on the hunt for knitted sea creatures, I have start to knit a Cromer Crab but I think that I picked the wrong colour wool and fear that he is going to look really strange. 

 

I am using a pattern called Fiddler Crab by Hansi Singh.

Fiddler crabs have one claw larger than the other and I will need to replace the smaller one with a second large claw to turn it into a Cromer Crab. To make matters worse the pattern is really hard to knit, there are so many legs and you have to pick up soooo many stitches that I hope this will not be come another failed project. Wish me luck.

Simply Knitting

Today Oli bought me this months Simply Knitting magazine and as part of it they included some wool to knit one of three projects. I choose to knit a Rose Broach,  it was a lovely little project to knit  only took an hour and was really quick and easy.

I am still soldiering on with knitting my yellow cardigan, it turned into a real battle and I have almost given up hope many times with it. I do not have high hopes for it now and just want it to end, I am hoping that when I stitch it up that I can hide all my sins :/ 

I have currently knitted the back and half of the front left side so I am about half way. 

The pattern is from Lets Knit magazine from March!

Marie Curie Cancer Care

Can you knit a giant tea cosy?

Last year we got you to design tea cosies in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care's Blooming Great Tea Party. Well, they're thinking REALLY BIG for this year's event. They want knitters to get together for their own tea parties and knit a cosy to fit the Blooming Great Tea Party pot. The pot's dimensions are: 34.6in high and 30in wide, with a spout hole measuring 19in and a handle hole measuring 21in, so you'll certainly need a few friends to help you out.

There's a prize of £300 in John Lewis vouchers for the winning entry – just in case you need a reason to get people together for a tea-fuelled knitalong!

To enter you need to:
1: Register to hold your tea party.

2: Gather people together, drink tea, knit your giant cosy.

3: Bank your fundraising.

4: Send your cosy OR a picture of your knitters with the cosy to Marie Curie Cancer Care, Simply Knitting competition, 89 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London, SE1 7TP. If you'd prefer to do things electronically, email a picture of your knitters with the giant cosy to simplyknittingcomp@mariecurie.org.uk by 31 August 2011.

Whichever entry method you choose, you need to include the following details in the email or on a piece of paper with your entry: first name; surname; address; postcode; daytime or evening telephone number; email address (if you have one). If you do not wish to receive further information from Marie Curie Cancer Care, Future Publishing Limited or related third parties, please include the following sentence: ‘I do NOT wish to receive further information from Marie Curie Cancer Care, Future Publishing Limited or related third parties.' Your entry will be invalid if you do not include these details.

Marie Curie will pick their favourite, and the winners will receive £300 worth of John Lewis vouchers for their group.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.This competition is open to UK-based entrants only. 2. All designs must be original and must not infringe copyright. 3. Entries must be knitted or crocheted pieces, although using other craft methods to embellish, for example embroidery, is permitted. 4. You may enter more than once but all entries must be accompanied by the following details: first name; surname; address; postcode; daytime or evening telephone number; email address. 5. Entries cannot be returned. 6. By entering into the competition you: a.Grant Marie Curie Cancer Care and Future Publishing Limited the right to use your personal information to send you information about their respective products and services which may be of interest to you unless you notify us otherwise b. Accept that all entries will become property of Marie Curie Cancer Care and grant them and Future Publishing Limited the right free of charge to publish photographs of your entry and that your entry may be sold or used for other fundraising activities in the future to benefit Marie Curie Cancer Care. 6. The judging panel’s decision is final. 7. Winners will be announced on the Simply Knitting website and contacted in person. 8. Marie Curie Cancer Care and Simply Knitting reserve the right in their sole discretion to substitute any prize with a prize of comparable value. 9. The CLOSING DATE for the competition is 31st August 2011. Any entries received after this date will not be entered into the competition. Only those who have registered and banked their money by August 31st 2011 will be eligible to win. The promoter of the competition is Marie Curie Cancer Care a registered charity in England and Wales (company number 507597)) whose registered office is at 89 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TP.

Octopus

I have completed my octopus and decided to give it to a friend's little girl,so will have to knit another sea creature at a later date. This little monster is my second and I really like him. The top is much neater than the last one which is how I think it should be.

great knitting ideas

I just thought I would share some great things that are going on in the knitting world:

Innocent's Big Knit starts this Saturday!

Innocent, makers of smoothies and fruit juices, have been running the Big Knit in support of charities for elderly people for some years now. This year they're aming to raise £160,000 for Age UK (which was formed last year when Help the Aged and Age Concern merged) by selling 650,000 little hats on top of smoothie bottles this November – and for that, they need all those little hats. If you can use up your oddments knitting mini hats and get your friends together for a hat knitalong, Innocent can certainly make use of your tiny titfers.

This year the patterns will be going up on Ravelry as well as Innocent's website. (The patterns are due to go up soon.)

Knit one purl one for Battersea's homeless cats

Cat Knit is the perfect way to show your support for Battersea by purr-ling for cats that need something to keep them occupied while they wait for a new home.

Battersea’s cattery is preparing to be inundated with cats and kittens this summer, the charity is calling upon knitters and crafters across the UK to make knitted catnip mice to help keep Battersea’s whiskered residents entertained while they wait for new homes. 

http://www.battersea.org.uk/about_us/whats_new/cat_knitting.html 

Knit a solar system with the Science Museum

Stitching an entire solar system seems like a tall order, but with your help that’s exactly what the Science Museum in London is hoping to do!

As part of their Stitch Science weekend (25-26 June 2011), the museum is teaming up with Stitch London to host a range of workshops, showcase an exhibition of knitted and sewn science-y objects ranging from skulls to stethoscopes to an 8-metre knitted giant squid, and offer the opportunity to make your knitterly mark on the stars.

Lazy Days

We decided to have BBQ this afternoon, so it rained! It's not rained here in months and we a officially in a drought. Anyway I took opportunity to knit the head and "mantel" of the octopus just 8 tentacles to go :)

Octopus

I have decided to start knitting a second Octopus, the first was very successful

I hope to knit this second one and send too be part of this local exhibition Purls by the sea

This looks like a fantastic exhibition and would recommend it to anyone in the area.

I have started the octopus and it's always hard to start them as you have 4 stitches that you need to knit in the round and I always knit on double pointed needles, it took me 6 goes but in the end I managed it.

welcome

I have finally decided to have a bash at writing a blog( Thank you Karen for inspiring me).

This blog is to share my knitting adventures and is name after my current new venture swapmywool.com!

Yesterday was a busy knitting day all round for me, I completed one of my projects

This is Fred the spider, the pattern is from Amigurumi Knits by Hansi Singh, I really love him but he's not the best thing I've ever knitted.The book is a amzing a little be hard to knit and Fred was one of the hardest I have done from it. He was going to be a present but I think he is a bit scary for a little girl, so started a Octopus instead.