Introducing Mr Fumes and a WIP

Are you sick of Craftsy projects yet? I'm not!

Here is my latest, another project from the Amigurumi: Design your own Monster course. While the course includes a bunch of super cute patterns the main aim is to teach you the skills and confidence to make any creature you like. I designed a dragon based on the shapes covered in both this course and Stacey's other Craftsy course - Amigurumi: Woodland Animals.

See my Craftsy project page for more details if you are interested.

Here's a gratuitous shot of Charlotte with Mr Fumes.

In other Craftsy news I am also taking the Perfect Seamless Crazy Lace Cardigan course.  I love me a lace cardi but for my first project there is not really any lace involved at all, I am making a v-neck in double moss stitch (aka moss stitch in US terminology) with a decorative raglan panel of eyelets in rib. I only get to knit in the evenings after Charlotte is in bed and I am using 4ply for this project so as you can see I haven't got very far yet!

I worked out that by the time I divide for the sleeves I'll have something like 440 sts on the needle, which is fine if you are working in the round and can put it down mid row but when working back and forward you need to allow plenty of time to complete a row! Maybe next time I'll add yet another skill and learn steeking so I can knit the whole thing in the round...

Oh, and I have done a little sewing - yay! I made Charlotte a dress and I am back hard at work on Jess's wedding dress.  I really need to make some clothes for myself but to be honest I'm pretty depressed about how my body looks atm - maybe some nice new clothes (that fit) are just what I need.

Finally the Lullaby Blanket plus Bonus Alien

The Lullaby Blanket is finally finished and it's huge! According to my Ravelry project page this took 7 1/2 months to complete.  To be fair though I did fit in a number of other projects in the meantime.

Aside from needing a really good block I am thrilled with how the blanket came out. Unfortunately winter is well and truly over now but it's big enough that we'll be able to use it next year.

Here are some pictures

 The full blanket demonstrating how it needs a firm blocking.

 Up close.  This is an attempt to show the lettering but it's pretty hard to see.

 Here is Charlotte, not sure what to make of the whole thing!

Here is Charlotte again demonstrating the size of the finished blanket. When last measured she was 61cm long/tall to give a point of reference.

Would I make it again? Absolutely but it would have to be for a very special baby or a parent who would apreciate the work.

A bonus project this post is a toy made from the Craftsy Design your own Amigurumi Monster course:

I used one of the supplied patterns but I have an idea for a large project using the principles learned in the course.  All courses at Craftsy are currently reduced so if there is something you have been wanting to do then now is the time to sign up.  I can recommend all the courses I have taken (except the toe-up socks one - but that's my fault not the course's).

Knitting for baby

Wow, how time flies by. I can't believe Charlotte is 8 weeks old tomorrow. She is a lovely baby and brings us so much joy, she has a cheeky smile and is interested in everything that goes on around her. We had a rough start, as she was born with a tongue tie and could not nurse (I had to feed her expressed milk through a tube for the first 3 1/2 weeks until the tongue tie was corrected) and she then suffered terribly with silent reflux until we got her on medication which has helped enormously. But now we are on track and she is happy and healthy. She is, however not a great sleeper - she's okay at night but does not want to sleep in the day so I spend a lot of time shushing and rocking at the bassinet to try and help her to settle herself. It'll happen in her own time I suppose so I try to be patient.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, there has not been much crafting of any kind going on. I am dying to cast on a new knitting project as I am totally over the lullaby blanket, but I am plugging on as much as I can to attempt to finish it before Charlotte starts school! I only have one more repeat of feather and fan (12 rounds) and then the border (about 20 rounds or something like that) to go, but on nearly 600 sts it is taking a while! 

I never got the chance to show off Charlotte's hand knits before she was born so here goes...

I only made two cardigans as I knew my Mum was knitting as well, and to be honest our winters are pretty mild so we don't need very much really warm stuff.

The first is a crochet ballet wrap from the Patons booklet 'Retro Babes' which wasn't on Ravelry when I made this but might be now.

My project notes are here.

Second is the Sunnyside cardigan, a fab free pattern on Ravelry. I made the version with the lace panels rather than cables. It's a bit big yet but I can't wait to get Charlotte wearing it.

Project notes here.

Third is a project from my Mum. This blackberry stitch matinee jacket is a fave in our family. The pattern is ancient and my Mum must have made it at least a dozen times for different babies! We have got a lot of wear out of this one already and have had a lot of compliments.

 Wow sorry for the crappy photo, I'm gonna blame baby brain for this one!

Finally a grey cardigan with a pink slip stitch pattern, another of Mum's makes. We have also worn this one heaps already. I love, love, love how effective the fairly simple pattern looks. I have no idea where my Mum got the pattern from!

Here is a picture of Charlotte at one month old wearing her cream matinee jacket (and me looking exhausted!)

And here she is last weekend at 7 1/2 weeks old...

Like waiting for a bus...

The little one is due to make her appearance any day now and I am so excited - it seems like it's passed in the blink of an eye, but yet an eternity at the same time! I am hoping she will arrive on her own schedule, but if not I am booked for an induction on Thursday so only 5 days max to wait.

Today I thought I'd update on my nursery crafting, since that's where I have put most of my effort.  First the nursery curtains...

Now home dec sewing is not something I do a lot of.  It's like alterations and remakes for me - just not my thing.  I really admire people who get pleasure from making cushions and duvets (and curtains) but for me it will always be a chore. Unfortunately I couldn't find any ready made curtains I liked so making them was my only option.

I found this adorable fabric at Spotlight (elephants and giraffes if you can't tell), but by the time I had spent a few months running around and trying to find ready mades, the fabric was sold out at my local store.  Luckily another Spotters still had some so I raced over and bought it from there.  The fabric was pretty expensive ($40 per metre) so I decided to make sill length curtains, but I think they are more practical for a kids room anyway.  I spent ages working out the yardage I would need as I didn't want to have to cut the heads/feet off any of the animals. In the end I decided to buy some of the coordinating floral and use that to make a band at the top and the tabs - problem solved. The curtains are fully lined with blockout (which was my main issue with the ready mades - all the blockout curtains were super formal and anything young-ish was just made from thin polycotton and unlined).  It took me a couple of days to finish them but I must say I am really happy with how they came out. I am not, however, converted to enjoying home dec sewing just yet!

Onto much cuter and more enjoyable projects...

You may have noticed by my previous posts (here and here) that I have fully embraced the creation of softies.  This has been a revelation to me as I would have never thought I would love making toys so much.  Not only are they pretty quick and easy but you get to use up all those odd balls of yarn and bags of stuffing that are lying around cluttering up the place.  I am going to go out on a limb here as well and say that a cute little toy may even be more appreciated that a lovingly handworked blanket for some people - we all know not everyone appreciates how much effort goes into some of these gifts but a sweet little animal always gets a gasp! Here's a rogues gallery for your amusement. The odd man out is the pink teddy on the right hand side - he is my first teddy from when I was a baby!

I previously mentioned I had signed up for the Amigurumi Woodland Animals course on Craftsy - I am so glad I did!The teacher is as adorable as the projects are.  I diligently worked through them all in order.  Even though I am a pretty experienced crocheter I did pick up some new tips along the way, yet I think a determined beginner could certainly handle this course. I particularly liked the bonus lesson on baby-safe eyes.  So simple but I will now use them on all my softie projects.

The first project was the bluebird, which was super simple and took only 2 evenings after work to complete.  I think my fella likes this one best of all, even though there is absolutely nothing to it.  I even fantasised for a while about making several in fine yarn to make a little mobile or thing to string across the pram (I still might do this). I used a double strand of 4ply baby wool and a 5mm hook.

Next was the bear, which was not one of the ones I really loved to start with.  However it came out great and now I think it's fab.  This one is a bit harder, mainly because you have to sew all the pieces together and I struggled to get the nose and ears etc on straight.  I used a 5ply (sportweight) and an 8ply (double knit) in similar rusty colours held together with the same combo of yarn weights in oatmeal for the snout as this turned out a bit thicker than the worsted weight called for in the pattern I used a 6mm hook, no problem at all, the bear just came out a bit bigger that's all.

The third pattern was the one I loved most of all initially but I am slightly disappointed by the result - and I don't know why.  Maybe it's just because all the others came out so darn cute that the deer just doesn't stand out the way I thought it would? Anyway, I still think it's great! This one probably has the most fiddly bits so required a higher level of commitment but it was still super easy and most of the little pieces are quick to make. I used 2 strands of 5ply together for this project and a 5mm hook.

The fourth and final pattern from the course was the raccoon.  This was the only project I had the right weight yarn for in my stash but then I ran out of the grey towards the end.  My fix was just to make the arms stripey.  We don't have raccoons in Australia so I am not sure exactly what they look like (and didn't care enough to look it up), but I didn't think stripey arms would be a massive problem. the trickiest bit for this pattern was getting the eyes to look right and not a bit weird-zombie-raccoon.  My fella and I had some laughs as I tried to get this right! It did take a couple of goes!

Overall I can highly recommend this course.

Wow, this is turning into a marathon post but one more project before I sign off.  After making and loving the giraffe from the Craftsy course (not so) Itty Bitty Giraffe, I signed up to Susan Anderson's other course Wee Ones.  This is a course for seamless knit toys that you work from the top down.  First you make one of three heads, then you pick up stitches and knit the body and arms like a top down sweater.  The legs are added like 'afterthought heels' in sock knitting.  So a great opportunity to learn and practice some intermediate techniques in a small setting.  I made the rabbit and she came out lovely - the only change I made was to substitute chain loops for the pom pom tail - just to be sure it's baby safe.  I think mine might be a bit chubbier than the example as the little top is a bit more cropped than I thought it would be. This is another terrific course and one I can highly recommend.

Right, I think that's enough from me for one Sunday morning I think. Off to walk on some sand and drink some red raspberry leaf tea!

PS. You can be my friend on Craftsy or Ravelry - look me up as JosieE on both!

Harriet the Hippo, times two

I previously mentioned that I was inspired to take the (not so) itty bitty giraffe Craftsy course by Rebecca Danger's ‘Harriet the Hippo’ pattern from the Fall 2011 Knit Simple magazine. Buoyed by my giraffe success (if I do say so myself!) I did move on to making Harriet as well (and also signed up for Susan Anderson’s other Craftsy course – Wee Ones). Here is the first version:

There were a lot of similarities between the two projects and I incorporated some of my giraffe learnings into the hippo project. For instance I stuffed as I went, rather than leaving it to the end and I embroidered the face instead of using safety eyes. The only additional skill that this project used was kitchener stitch – which to be honest isn’t that hard.

Again, I used stash yarn. You may recognise it from my mitred baby blanket project.

I found I needed to really work the stuffing to get a nice fat tummy and good shape. Fortunately this was covered thoroughly in the craftsy course so it wasn’t daunting at all.

This is another success – such a cute project and really quick and easy to work.

My second version is a gift for my friend’s new niece, all the way in New Zealand. I offered to whip up a second hippo as a pressie and in a flash of inspiration decide to try my hand at converting the design to a ballet dancing hippo. You can see this is yet more destashing in action – using leftovers from my giraffe  project. Hurrah, it arrived in Dunedin two days before my friend’s sister went into labour so just in the nick of time!

I worked the skirt separately and worked the body in a ‘leotard’ pattern then knit the skirt onto the body at the approximately right level. I wrote a little tutorial on my ravelry page if anyone is interested in making the same modification.

If anyone is interested but hasn’t tried making knitted soft toys I highly recommend it. They make great gifts, are quick and easy, and aside from stuffing can usually be made from stash (or at least don’t require more than a ball or two of yarn). As a bonus, if you are wanting to post internationally they weigh next to nothing!

Up next, my last couple of work outfits and some crochet/knit baby clothes.

One of my goals for this year was to learn new skills. There are not many opportunities for an experienced sewer/knitter to upskill here in Perth, except through books and magazines – which are great, but sometimes it’s nice to feel that personal contact. This is where Craftsy has been a brilliant resource for me. I have signed up for a number of courses so far and have not been disappointed yet.


My first course was the (not so) Itty Bitty Giraffe by Susan B Anderson.

I have wanted to make a ‘softie’ after seeing the pattern for Rebecca Danger’s adorable hippo in the Fall 2011 Knit Simple. The only problem was I didn’t have the confidence to just go for it. I am something of a planner so I had to know the details going in. How does the stuffing not come out? What do you do about the eyes? If you substitute yarn, is the idea to knit at a tighter gauge? If so, how tight? How hard do you stuff the thing (given sewn items are normally stuffed rock hard)????? Argh, so many questions!

I thought doing the workshop would help me answer all these questions and more, and it did. As a bonus I ended up with a super cute toy for the baby, which I am really pleased with AND I feel like I expanded my skillset. Not only that, but the cream yarn I used for the body was from stash – another of my goals for the year!

This was not a difficult project and it was made easier by the video tutorials, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The only special skills needed are working with double pointed needles – but if you are a beginner it is explained well. For me it was about building my confidence in the more artistic aspects of the project – where to place the spots, how do you put the head on right and how do you stuff the toy? I worked it up over my Christmas/New Year holiday and it only took a few days, I would absolutely make this project again – much quicker than a blanket.

Susan Anderson also has a lovely manner and each video felt very personal.

If you are interested in the technical details of the project and the modifications I made then visit my Ravelry page.

So what other new skills am I learning? I am currently working through the knit original toe up socks class(very challenging but enjoyable – and more stash used). In the queue are the lace shawls course, Susan Anderson’s other course – Wee Ones, the free Block of the Month series, fit your knits and I am also keen to do the Couture Dress and reverse engineered jeans course. I’m not sure quite how I will get through all this but it will be fun trying.

A tale of two blankets

Crikey, where did a whole month go - again?

As soon as I saw the Spring 2005 edition of Interweave Knits I knew that if I was ever lucky enough to have a baby of my own I would make them the Bear Claw blanket. So as soon as I found out I was pregnant I went ahead and ordered the yarn. I chose 4ply Luxury from the Bendigo Woollen Mills. I love this yarn, it’s soft and even, a joy to knit with and as a bonus is machine washable. My only gripe is the colours aren’t particularly modern. The neutrals are nice but the other colours just don’t stack up against some of the boutique yarn companies (a bit 'old lady' if you like). I wanted soft relaxing colours for this blanket so I went with cream, wild barley, ghost and stone.

In due course the yarns arrived and the colours were as lovely as I imagined, soft, modern, gender neutral. I couldn’t wait to get started. I knew this was a major project but was unperturbed. This is how far I got…

It wasn’t the millions of ends to darn that put me off, I was prepared for them. What did me in was the tediousness of the knitting – which I didn’t expect. I thought this would be perfect for my process oriented mind but in fact it was just a bloody fiddle. And frankly, my lovely modern colour scheme just didn’t work for this project. Instead of clean and contemporary the look I was getting was a bit country cottage for my taste. Maybe it was because by this point morning sickness had struck me full force but I couldn’t bear to persevere and I abandoned ship.

I decided instead to go back to basics. Cerys is about as simple a blanket pattern as you can get, anyone with in-the-round experience could do it and, in fact, it would probably be the perfect project for someone wanting to learn how to work in the round (although the centre is a bit of a fiddle). I modified the design slightly so my round begins in the middle of one side rather than at the corner, and I made up my own stripe pattern. To minimise the ‘jog’ when changing colours I knit the first round with the new colour then on the second round I worked the first stitch into the round below. You get a slightly elongated stitch which smooths the join a bit. I searched around for ‘jogless’ techniques but this is by far the simplest in my mind.

This was the perfect morning sickness project, even when I couldn’t do anything much I could lounge in front of the TV and knit mindless rounds, only having to remember to change colours. The project grew quickly too and once I started to feel better it positively flew off the needles.

I think about 75 – 80cm square is a pretty good sized baby blanket as it works in a pram or capsule and can also be used as a receiving blanket (is that what you call a blanket you carry a baby around in???). I just knit to a pleasing part of the stripe pattern at around that size and then worked the hem. I worked an eyelet round and then 6 rounds reversing the mitre for the hem. I think I could have worked the last stripe a little wider as it looks a bit stingy but it’s not too bad really.

The finishing took ages! I cast off the usual way but then thought it might be a pain to block it with a tight edge, so I undid the cast-off and worked a sewn cast off instead. Next I blocked it (rather informally by washing on a gentle cycle in the machine and spreading it flat and square to dry – no pins involved), then finally sewed down the hem. it is more square than it looks in the picture but I am okay with it not being perfect.

Project details are here if you are interested.

Overall I am super happy with the result. As to the baby bear claw? Yes I would try again maybe, but I think stronger colours are needed and I would possibly go for a thicker yarn and bigger needles to make a modified version!

A very special knitting project

This blanket is very special. If you are not interested in the knitting details then you can skip to the end to find out exactly what is so special about it.

The pattern is the Fertility blanket from Stitch n Bitch Superstar Knitting, but I have just discovered you can now get it for free. I have said it before and I will say it again, this book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to move beyond the basics, or even if you have been knitting for ages (like me) but want to increase your repertoire of techniques. For me, this book was worth every cent and I refer to it often. Plus a lot of the patterns are things I would make (when I get around to it!).

The pattern is tricky at first (as any lace pattern is), but once you do a couple of repeats you can look to your completed work to figure out where you are. I always keep a tally of my rows anyway, but I am a little obsessive like that. It grows remarkably quickly and it’s very rewarding to see it progress at a good rate. I liked that the bobbles are worked over multiple rows so they nestle in rather than single row bobbles, which I find tend to dangle off your work a bit.

This photo is pre-blocking, but you get the idea

The yarn is a mystery ‘organic wool’ that I got in a pack lot from Jo Sharp for $25. It’s probably a heavy double knit or light aran weight and I knit it on the size needles specified in the pattern, which resulted in a fairly light and drapey blanket, but not too loose. I think if I were knitting a jumper with it I would use a 4.5mm needle – but I haven’t tried that so don’t quote me. I used 5½ of the ten balls. I worried it might be a bit fluffy for a baby blanket but after blocking a lot of the loose fibres came away and now it is lovely and soft. The colour is a beautiful soft pistachio green.

When I finished the blanket I wasn’t sure if I would block it as I loved the texture of the stitch, but I figured that is would have to be washed anyway so I did block it in the end. Boy, am I glad I did! The stitch really opened up and, as much as I loved it before, I think it is better now.

Unblocked

Blocked

I cast this on when I started my first round of IVF back in February, to keep my mind off things and to give me something productive to focus on instead of going crazy with the stress. I thought the name of it might hold some influence and I only worked on it when I was feeling positive so that the whole blanket holds pleasant memories for me. Sadly that round didn’t work ... nor did the next one ... or the one after that. However I am happy to report that the next one did and I am now 15 weeks pregnant. So this very special blanket will be the very first thing I ever made for my own baby, before she was even conceived.

And we just found out we are having a girl, so I get to keep the wildly impractical Jo Sharp granny blanket too! Happy days!