Sunday, July 29, 2012

a slouchy beanie = warm head....

Next up in my knitting list was a beanie for my son
We both decided this was a cool beanie in the pattern book
so I set to work knitting away...
It is a simple beanie knitted flat and seamed down the back.
Perfect for a beginner and we were both pleased with the results.
The pattern comes from Lincraft Creative Book Volume 17
Knits for Men and Boys Comfort with style.
page 20, Boy's Slouchy fold-up rib brim beanie.
I used Moda Vera Pure Wool Extra Twist & 4mm needles
My son is 13 so I made the size for a 14-15years.

have a lovely day
~ Gillian ♥


Thursday, July 26, 2012

waffle knit dischloth + more gartering....

 Still working on more wash cloths for our bathroom
this pattern was mentioned in the book Down to Earth
The pattern is called Waffle Knit Dishcloth
by Debbie Andriulli
It is a simple 4 row repeat pattern, great fun!
You can find the pattern here on Ravelry
or on Debbie's blog Homespun Living Here
I worked mine up in more Lincraft Bamboozle
in two colours I have used for my previous wash cloths.
and on size 4mm needles (US 6)
Because the Bamboozle yarn is a DK weight my washers ended up being around 18cm x 18cm square, which is fine for a face washer in our home.
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To finish off the balls of bamboozle I made some little makeup remover pads,
I have made many of these over the past couple of years, and they have all been round crocheted ones but while in the knitting mood I thought I would work up some little garter stitch ones :)
 
Made using Lincraft Bamboozle and 4mm needles (US 6)
cast on 14 stitches
knit 23 rows
cast off.
= cute little garter squares
ready to cleanse, tone and wash to use again :)
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oh and do you like my pretty leaf dish?
I thought I might start to share some of my pretty collectables on my blog from time to time...
I have collected many pieces over the years and thought you might like to see some of them.
I love this one I picked it up at a Charity Shop for $4.00!
(I was pretty pleased with myself that day)
It is English Ware by Lancaster Sandland Ltd, Hanley England.

Well I hope you are having a happy day
~ Gillian ♥

Thursday, July 19, 2012

garter stitch ♥

 Moving on with my knitting practice
This pattern caught my attention because of that
lovely garter stitch and the beautiful leaf shape...
 this was an excellent exercise for me,
reacquainting myself after many years with the following stitches k2tog, m1,ssk….
I made an error at some point in my green leaf (my first of the three)
somehow I ended up with an extra stitch at the point.
oh…and I think I was a little over zealous with the blocking of these poor little leaves ;)
the bamboozle yarn is much better to knit with than to crochet with,
so it was very nice to work with on this project.

I used all of the left over bamboozle yarn from my washcloths from last week

each leaf only took 0.3 skeins = 24.6 yards (22.5m) of the Bamboozle
I used 4.5mm needles (US 7)
the leaves do need a good blocking when finished.
after blocking mine measured approx 21cm x 15.5cm

You can find the pattern by Megan Goodacre
on Ravelry Here 
and on her website The Tricksy Knitter Here

the pattern also has a Stocking Stitch version of the leaf :)

Hope you are having a delightful day
~ Gillian ♥

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

a mouse made of twine.....

Our little dog loves cat toys!
so last night I hooked him up this super easy little mouse :)
I love that it has little ears.
This is such a great little pattern,  the tail is the first thing you make and then the body is worked at the end of the tail, the ears are made in the round so nothing is sewn on afterwards - less things for my dog to chew off ;)

I used some 100% cotton twine from the stationary section at Big W.
and a 4mm hook.
I stuffed it with toyfil and also put an eraser inside so that he had something a little more solid to chew that wouldn't hurt his teeth it also adds some weight to the mouse, which I think he likes also.
the pattern can be found on Ravelry Here

ps...sorry for the bad photo, I made it in the evening and we couldn't wait for daylight to take a photo of it before giving it to him....So a night time photo was snapped before it was chewed on ;)

have a great day
~ Gillian ♥


Thursday, July 12, 2012

3 little dishcloths....

 We are in our final week of school holidays this week
so all sorts of projects are happening all over our home...
from Ginger beer making to setting up a little aquarium with sea snails!
The kids and I have been busy and having lots of fun :)
This is one of the projects I have made this week -
another set of washcloths for our bathroom
 When you have a busy week...a simple project is best,
So this pattern by Amanda from Chalklegs
was a perfect on to pick up and put back down again when needed.
I used Lincraft Bamboozle (70% Bamboo, 30% Cotton)
and a 5mm hook
they measure approx 20cm x 20cm and so soft.
You can find the pattern on Ravelry Here

Have a happy day!
~ Gillian ♥

Saturday, July 07, 2012

just love this pattern....

 I really do love this simple little pattern
great for my knitting practice!
 so I made a pair for my daughter in this lovely Teal Cleckheaton wool
and another pair for my son in Charcoal....
Both are made using Cleckheaton Country Tartan 8ply
and 4.5mm (US 7) needles.
The pattern by Roxanne Richardson can be found on Ravelry here
if you are new to knitting or just want an easy pattern this one is great!

hope you are all having a lovely weekend,
~ Gillian ♥