Franken-squirrel & Other Pattern Hacks

I've been pretty obsessed lately with knitting. I know... it's hot. But I have A/C so it's not unbearable sitting at my desk and knitting. I have one of each of the animal patterns that Julie Williams has come out with for knitting these cute little creatures. I usually either buy the boy or the girl but sometimes I get both if I want to make the sweaters and the dresses. This is my third lamb/ram. But right now I'm obsessed with squirrels!

I once knitted and crocheted for two and a half years (in my spare time) without taking a break, one project after another and I was fine with that so I love to knit and crochet. I love to make things and I have to have an outlet from reality. I just can't wait to make the next newest animal pattern and about a week ago I learned there was another new pattern being published by Julie so I got busy making a franken-squirrel since I couldn't get the pattern yet.

The legs, bodies and arms for her boy and girl patterns are all basically the same so I used a leg, arm and body pattern from the boy bear. The body had a white belly, not hard for a seasoned knitter to figure out from the picture by counting stitches but the head was going to be different.

I used the bear head pattern and modified it for the last five rows making the muzzle white and then I just embroidered over the nose part. But I've since discovered that the dog pattern would have given me the exact muzzle I needed from the Doberman instructions and making the last five rows white on the muzzle. The nose and muzzle would have been perfect for the squirrel. Then the pattern became available so I got it.

I used the ears from the fox pattern for my frankensquirrel but I could have made them a little smaller. Then I just added little tufts of yarn to the ends which I will separate and comb out with a wire brush. Positioning them and sewing them on in the right spot makes them look more squirrely. For the eyes, I didn't knit in the white patches, instead I used white felt on my plastic eyes and cut out the circles around them.

I used a capped sleeve pattern from the seasonal dresses instructions and just roughly drew out the acorn and oak leaf pattern to do my color work.

I also wanted my squirrels to wear some Ugg type boots. I got the pattern from Crafty Braam and modified it for making the boy boots a little taller. My yarn for those was a little thicker so the boots turned out perfectly big for his big feet.

I bought the boy pattern because I wanted to make those gorgeous sweaters! I also decided to give my girl squirrel some boots too. I wanted to make her some pink ones but my first try looked like house slippers so I started over. Maybe a different shade of pink would work better. 

I also found a backpack pattern from Mary Jane's Tearoom that I really like and I wanted to fill it with acorns so I found a bunch of free patterns for acorns too. I also found some free knitted oak leaves. I really had fun with these.

Little Ponies

Well another pattern has dropped from Julie Williams of Little Cotton Rabbits and it's horses... and ponies... and unicorns... and donkeys! All from one pattern. Actually the pattern has been out for a little while, I just now got to it.

I can honestly say that I have one of each animal pattern that she makes. Either a boy or a girl because if you have one of each pattern, you can make both using the generic bodies and just changing the heads.

So I pick whether I want to make the dress or the sweater... it's just that easy for me. But I had a tough decision on this one because I fell in love with the dress pattern and the boy sweater pattern that looks like bubbles.

She turned out so cute. Now I want to make the boy horse... or a donkey. I love them all. What I love about her patterns is that you can make a lot of different dolls all from one pattern just by switching up a piece or two. 

I've got quite a collection of these little cuties now. Some day I will get them all out and take pictures. You would be surprised at how many of these dolls you can accumulate in just a few months... or years!

I'm working on a pattern now that I picked because I fell in love with the sweater. It's a chipmunk! I can't help it. I'm hooked on making these babies!

 

Little Cotton Rabbits - Mole

This is the latest pattern from Julie Williams of Little Cotton Rabbits. It is a Mole and I chose to make the little girl, which looks just like the little boy... only in girl clothes.

I used other clothes patterns that I had for this one. I kept thinking that it needs some hair or ears but moles don't have that. 

So maybe I will add a little flowery hat later on just so she looks like a girl. I decided to make the shoes as slip ons and not with a strap and I could have embroidered little flowers on her coat or gave her some pockets but this was all that I did for this one.

I was less enthusiastic for some reason on this one. Maybe I was just ready to move on to something else. I do look forward to all of Julie's new patterns coming out and I can honestly say that I have every animal pattern she has, either a boy or a girl and I just mix and match the instructions and clothing for them.

Julie's patterns are so versatile, you can make literally any breed of dog from her instructions and modifications on her doggie pattern. Same with her other patterns. I love all the options that she gives you for personalizing them to make them your own.

No two ever need to look alike and that's really the beauty of a good pattern. 

Bears and More Cute Bears

I went through a painting phase this summer and I think I got it out of my system... for now. But you know, when I feel like painting - I have to paint. And when I feel like making bears, I have to make bears.

I ran across these patterns by Mary Jane's Tearoom sometime in the last two years and although I wanted to try them then, at the time I was deep into making Little Cotton Rabbits patterns by Julie Williams. I still enjoy making them especially when she comes out with a new animal pattern. But lately I got the urge to try them. So I made a small 8 inch bear first and it took about three days. That's about what I spend in time on most other little knit animals. But that 11" "Candy Bear... it took me 6 days. I just can't spend that much time on one make. It's too much time on those baggy pants.

I knew knitted toys take a little longer to make than crochet but these little baggy pants are on another level. They absolutely take longer to make. I spent as much time on just the pants as I did the animal and I did not enjoy it. So although I really think they look great - and a little like they are styled from the 80's... I probably won't be making very many more of them. They are pretty but take up too much time. In contrast to crochet, I can make a similar sized animal with clothing in just 2 days. 

Although I like knitting very much, I need instant gratification when I make a project like a stuffed animal. It needs both to go quick and look stunning to keep my attention.  I'm moving on to Pica Pau next. The animals are more modern than the knitted ones and there is a whole smorgasbord of animals to choose from!

The Winter Witch

WHEW!!! This is the most involved, detailed doll I think I've ever made. And it took me the longest time to make her but in all fairness, I did work on another doll at the same time. I had to take a break from all this detail. I also tried to stick pretty close to the pattern. I made all the pockets and stuff to go inside them. I also made a few extra rat heads to decorate her hat.

The pattern is tedious. It's knit in small stitches on a number 2 needle to get the right gauge. I got tired of working on that dress. I thought it would never end. So I did not duplicate the skirt to make her a slip. I thought it would make the doll too heavy and I wasn't going to torture myself with it.

I absolutely loved working on those rats heads. It was the highlight of the whole project for me. I also loved working on the hat. That hat was just amazing. I did crochet a circle to cover the inside stuffing which was not included in the pattern but I felt necessary. Although later I did decide to sew it on her head.

The hair was fun also. I used a fiber that resembled the angora called for in the pattern. I could not find angora anywhere locally. What I used was Joann's Buttercream Luxe Craft Angelhair in white. Then I added a navy eyelash fiber to it to make color streaks in the hair.

I did not like the scarf shown in the picture so I cut a knitted scarf out of some sequined sweater material that would not unravel.  And I sewed on a little cape to it. I love the sparkly stuff. I also used a strip of it as her hat band.

I opted to make her a tulle slip with a ribbon tie but after I got all the stuff sewn onto the bottom edge of the skirt I realized that it really doesn't need a slip at all. The edge has the volume to expand the dress skirt without one. The shoes are a little big so I might have to sew them on. I had to stuff the toe with cotton. I just smile every time I see those little rats heads!   

I loved making this but I probably won't make another one at least for a while, if ever. Too much detail for me and those flowers are a killer work up on needles! I don't know how you would make them without getting the stitches too tight, It's a lot of increases in such a short number of rows, even though they do look pretty when done.

Matthew the Bunny

I decided to take a break from my little amigurumi dogs and cats when I saw this bunny. I just love his feet and knew I had to make him. 

He is mostly done on straight needles but his ears and arms are done on DPNs (double pointed needles). I used Premier yarn in 'greige tweed' I got at the Dollar Tree months ago. I really like this yarn for animal dolls.

He's also a little bigger than I like to work but he is worth it. He's 12 - 1/2" tall. I like him at this size because you can see the detail in his vest better. I shortened his shorts so you could see his legs and next time I will make a different waist on the pants, probably a rib knit for a few rows. I don't like the fold down waistband.

I am in love with his little vest. I had to make my own buttons from polymer clay. I couldn't find any that I liked in the stores. In fact, I love all the sweater patterns. You can get them from Alexprettytoys on etsy. I hadn't done much with cable pattern stitches on a purl background before so it was a learning curve for me. The sweater patterns are not simple looking but once you make one they get easier to knit. It's wonderful to see the pattern coming together while you knit.

I just happened to have some mustard colored 50% merino wool yarn that I wanted to use for his vest. I love it! I will probably make more of these bunnies because I love the stocking feet! He has a cute pom pom tail too. There is a bunny photo shoot on my blog  DustBunnyGazette.

And of course he needs a blanket, a scarf, a girlfriend and a picnic basket. More to come...

Fancy Affordable Yarn

I got all this beautiful, fancy yarn for less than $13.00. I didn't get it at a yarn store or a church bazaar. I'm not a member of any knitting club although sometimes I wish I was. I would take donations of unwanted yarn in a heartbeat.

The price of yarn is always going up. It never comes down. When the dollar stores started carrying yarn it seemed like a pretty good deal. And it was back then but your dollar only buys 109 yards per skein now when it did get you 220 yards a year or two ago. Not so much a bargain now. You'd do better to catch Joann's Yarnormous sale which is going on now (12-25 to 01-12). Basic 4 ply worsted "Big Twist" yarn for $1.99 a skein of 380 yds. It's a no-brainer. I stock up every year. I never pay full price for yarn. I wait all year for this sale to come along. But there is a better way to get the pretty fancy yarns cheaper than that.

If you're on a fixed income or a very low yarn budget like I am then you need a way to get some of that fancy yarn that few of us can afford. The sparkly stuff, the variegated, eyelashy fibery stuff. All the prettiest yarns cost at least six dollars or more per skein. I'm much too frugal to pay that much.

So I'll let you in on my little secret. Yes, you can join a club or a church knitting group and maybe they would donate you some yarn. You can sometimes pickup bags of donated slightly used or leftover yarn from a thrift store. But (and I'll bet you never thought of this before)...

Right before and after Christmas is the best time to find hand knitted and crocheted scarves at Goodwill. How often do you wear your winter scarves? Hardly ever I bet. So the yarn is still pretty new. People do the "out with the old and in with the new" thing around this time of year. You can buy some pretty fancy handmade scarves for .99, bring them home and wash them in lukewarm water because you never know how much wool the yarn may have. Spin them out in your washing machine then hang them up to dry. Unravel each scarf and wind up the yarn into a new ball. I only use a smallish amount of yarn for my projects because I make mostly dolls and soft toys but you can get a good skein out of each scarf - sometimes more. 

You could also try your hand at unravelling sweaters too but in my experience, the selection is much less in quality and variety of yarns than scarves and harder to unravel. They are also more expensive  and you don't get as much yarn for your dollar. Go for the scarves! My favorites are the sparkly sequin yarns and the variegated fibers.

Designing Bears and Bunnies

I just wanted a way to make a bunch of little 9" stuffies really quick. That's how it all started. I love knitting and crocheting but crochet hurts my hands and knitting is beautiful but it takes up way too much of my time for each little animal. When you're my age, three days on one little project is just too long. 

You can't knit quicker than on a knitting machine so that's what I used. I've had these machines for a few years but haven't used them in a little while. I actually made a bear in less than two hours on the small machine and I was hooked on making them from there on.  It's instant gratification and I don't want to knit with two needles anymore... or for at least a while longer.

So I made a bunch of bears and named them the "Ice Cream Colors" set. Than I used another sparkle cake yarn and named them "Crayon Colors" set. Then Christmas started bearing down on me (no pun intended) so I made a set of "Christmas" bears too. I didn't want to get burnt out on bears so a bunny popped into my head and that's where we are now.

I'm designing bunnies on the Addi. I also utilize a small amount of crochet pieces on them too because you can do most all of it except for the smallish pieces - all on the Addi. I found a way. I also do a little bit of hand stitching on them too, but you have to do that regardless.

Do I consider circular machine knitting "hand knitting"? Yes I do and I'll tell you why. Regardless of whether you knit with two straight needles, round needles, a loom, or you crank a set of plastic needles in the round... you are hand knitting with another instrument, regardless of what form that takes. You move the yarn in and out of the needles by hand. 

Otherwise to be truly a "hand knitter" in the purist sense of the word - you have to only use your fingers to knit. But I enjoy it all. All the yarns, all the tools and all the machines. There really is no limit to what you can make. 

 

Working on Christmas Bears

I'm still going on these cute little bears although I am getting other things done at the same time. I finished a LCR cable knit Christmas sweater that I started several days ago.  I only have six more blocks to go to finish up my granny square lapghan and I'm going to be making some ear warmers, hats and scarves on my Innovations machine soon. I'm running out of brown fleck yarn so I need to get some more of that.

The Christmas bears I'm working on now look a little different from the original pastel bears because I'm always trying to improve and make changes to them. I have used knitted sweater pieces for some of the neck scarves. They are beautiful fibers that come from pre-made sweaters.

What? Yes, and if I can't unravel them to re-use the yarn then I cut them up in scarf pieces for my bears. Some of these knits are made with beautiful yarn that I can't find in the stores any more. I like sparkly, sequined and fuzzy textured yarn. 

I have also come up with some instructions for adding pants to the bears although I like them just fine without pants. To add pants to a bear - on the body section knit 12 rounds in pants color, 46 rounds in bear color and the last 12 rounds in pants color instead of 70 rounds in one color. Mark the 35th round for the middle. And on the legs knit 9 rounds in pants color and 4 rounds in bear color for each leg.

Bears and More Bears

So I've been making a few more bears and timing how long it takes me to get each piece done. I am really loving these little bears. I can get two or three of these done a day from start to finish if I really work at it. It takes me three to four days to make one Little Cotton Rabbit knitted bear and clothes depending on how detailed I make the clothing.

I have a couple of Mandala sparkle cake yarns that are a 3 weight and these are perfect for using that yarn on the clothes. It makes up really soft and loose and snuggly wuggly. I'm loving the way the sweaters look.

 

I use some techniques to get the bears shaped the way I want them that are not normally knitting techniques. I haven't seen anything like my bears made the way I make them on any site. I think they are unique. I haven't decided what to do with them yet. 

For right now I'm enjoying making them and the whole design process - different sizes, colors, etc. I haven't written the instructions out yet because I'm still working on tweaking the rows, stitches and looks of everything until I'm happy with all of it. I don't have a timeline for getting them done.