Having so much left, I knitted a hat to match which, with hindsight, I would probably have knitted a little longer for a squidge more slouch, but it fits perfectly and is super SUPER warm.
So, without further ado, this is how to knit it:
Tag: tutorial
New beginnings…
As we hurtle towards the end of the year with ever-increasing, head-spinning, brain-curdling speed, and prepare to enter not just a new year but a new decade, I had a little epiphany.
Ok, epiphany may be over-egging the pudding. But the germ of an idea which I just couldn’t budge.
It’s time for me to shake things up a little, to rejig, to shift the focus of what I do, how I spend my time and how I go about things in life in general, but with no small regard to the woolly arts.
I have a Patreon account, which a few people have been kind enough to contribute to, in exchange for free access to patterns. I am giving it a bit of a rejig, so that the minimum contribution is the lowest tier of $5 a month and instead of publishing patterns, I shall put all the details up here, on my blog, of what I am making, how I have made it, the materials I have used, and the lessons I have learned along the way (all my existing patterns will, of course, still be for sale here). Naturally, I hope it goes without saying that nobody is obliged to contribute, but those who do will also receive for free all the existing patterns uploaded there, and occasional exclusive information / patterns / offers 🙂
To start us off, here is a little tea cozy I whipped up in about half an hour the other night. My husband is quite particular about his cuppa, and has a small white porcelain teapot which, until now, has been kept warm with one of the myriad knitted hats my now teenaged sons wouldn’t be caught dead in (Sigh… such is the lot of a knitting mum’s life). So he requested a tea cosy a while ago and a quiet night at the kitchen table afforded me the perfect opportunity to honour said request.
Yarn: Paintbox wool mix super chunky.
Method (for a small teapot):
9mm circulars, magic loop method.
Cast on 32 stitches.
Knit 3 rounds of K1P1 rib, then knit around twice.
On one side of 16 stitches, knit back and forth in stocking stitch for 4 rows. Cut yarn and attach to other side and repeat 4 rows of stocking stitch on that side, then continue knitting around so you are back to knitting in the round.
Knit around 5 times.
Then decrease round 1) *knit 6, k2tog* around
2) *knit 5, k2tog* around
3) *knit 4, k2tog* around
4) *knit 3, k2tog* around
5) *knit 2, k2tog* around
6) *knit1, k2tog* around
7) *k2tog* around
Bind off and sew in ends.
Obviously, if your teapot is larger than our rather delicate, squat little thing, add a few more rounds, or a few more cast on stitches, to fit.
Happy teatime!
Next: I shall be sharing how I made this gorgeous little jumper and the hat that I am currently finishing to match it.
Notes:
- You can also, should you so wish, receive alerts to new posts / projects underway etc by following me on Instagram or my Facebook page.
- Occasionally a link will be an affiliate link, meaning that if you follow it and then make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. But please rest assured that I would not recommend or link anything I wasn’t completely delighted with myself 🙂
Free Pattern and Chunky Revival
I kind of cut my teeth on chunky. As much as I love DK / 4 ply / even sock yarn, I do sometimes lack the patience, and something I’ve started gets put aside in favour of a weekend speed-knit; a garment I can make and wear in a matter of days, sometimes hours.
After a couple of months of super-fine sock work, I found myself drawn once again to the speedy joy of a chunky jumper.
I posted my Super-Boxy Sweater a week or two ago and am happy to say it’s available for free for a short while, over here.
And it’s sparked a bit of a super chunky revival for me.
No sooner than this one was finished, and realising that the chilly spring will (hopefully) turn into a hot summer before we know it, I’ve been keen to keep going while I can, and am happy to introduce my Vintage Chic Sweater. To my mind, the colours are timeless, the stuff of your grandma’s china, or the sitting room curtains, or that frill my grandmother had around the bottom of the bed – no one does that any more, do they?! It was so beautifully frou-frou.
But I’m fast disappearing down a time-travel rabbit-hole of Vosene shampoo, pink bathrooms, Imperial Leather soap and thick white toast dripping with butter and honey. So back I come to introduce you to my beautiful jumper. Yup, all modesty aside, I think it’s a stunner.
It’s a gentle enough fair-isle for a first colourwork project, and it’s a jumper you could probably knit most of during (are you subjected to these on a regular basis, too?) a Lord of the Rings marathon.
The concept behind it, for me, too, is that I can chuck it on over a tee and jeans or skirt rather than reaching for a jacket on a chilly spring morning, but I’m truly looking forward to wearing it ALL next winter.
If you fancy a go at it yourself, you can find it over here.
In other news, I knitted up a speedy bolero which you may have seen on my instagram or elsewhere. I love it, but the pattern needs tweaking, so have some pics of the original draft for now 🙂
And next? I have two projects on the go – the first is my Vintage Chic Sweater in cotton aran, for a little girl, and a full-sized Vintage Pink Cardigan.
The Super Chunky Passion is not dying out any time soon 🙂
Happy knitting, lovelies! <3
A Canine Round-Up and Introducing…
… Aphrodite’s Jumper (also known as The Juno’s Friend Jumper).
I thought it might be time for a round-up of all the little jumpers I have so far designed for the hairier 4-legged people in our family. It’s been a while since I did, and the woolly family has grown since then, so let’s gallop down Memory Lane with a quick refresher of the story so far. (I’ll add links to the patterns in case you fancy a go yourself).
It started with the Juno Jumper. Don’t let her looks fool you – she’s a) a princess and b) feisty as all hell. But butter wouldn’t melt in this shot, huh?
Then I was asked by Loveknitting to design and knit some little sweaters for Simon Cowell’s pups for a Christmas ITV special, which is where the Yorkie Christmas Jumper came in. (Have the pic of the man ‘imself, just to maximise my 15 seconds of fame 😉 )
And then, of course, I felt that Juno also needed a Christmas sweater, and the Juno Christmas Jumper was conceived.
And look, I’d kind of got the bug, ok? But I had guilt. After all, Juno isn’t our only furbaby. We have an enormous, gentle, but seriously-terribly-not-very-bright chocolate Lab called Aphrodite, or Aphy for short.
As a speedy aside, I recall one visit to the vet when I mentioned her, ahem, shall we say, slight deficit in the brains department? And the vet said “Yes. That’s chocolate labs, for you: heads full of fluffy pink balls”. At which point I decided it was best to just accept that she would never be graceful, would always fall over her own feet, would never learn that Juno doesn’t ever want to be her best friend, and that anything edible in the house that wasn’t under lock and key would be consumed. And some things that aren’t edible, too. Like Jenga. Most expensive dog chews I ever bought…
But I digress! It was Aphy’s turn, and she got The Lab Coat. Complete with buttons because I was worried about small holes and gangly legs:
And… because I had some of the yarn left, and because I felt a bit matchy-matchy, Juno needed one, too. But in reverse, of course. So… And Juno Too!
AND FINALLY!
Since the original one – the Juno Jumper right at the top – has proved to be my best-selling pattern so far and is the simplest of them all, I thought it was time a bigger version, modified for bigger legs and chests, was available. And the Juno’s Friend Jumper is now published. This one is made in Paintbox wool-mix super-chunky.
Me: What colour do you think will best suit Aphy? I’ve already used a lovely yellow…
Husband: Orange.
I think we can all agree, we’re not going to lose her in the dark! 🙂
So: if you share pictures of your Alice in Knittingland dog sweaters on instagram or Facebook (links at the top) and tag me or the sweaters – e.g. #thejunojumper – they will appear in my stories and go into my highlights. I just LOVE seeing your furry friends in their new threads.
Happy knitting, lovelies <3
PS If you are interested in receiving all the patterns, tutorials or ebooks I create as soon as they are created, you might consider becoming a Patron. You can find more information over here. Aphrodite’s Juno’s Friend Jumper pattern is already there and available for download as soon as you sign up, and here is a sneak peak at two patterns which will be appearing there in the very near future:
Teddy’s Mittens (free pattern)
And Teddy walked to school in his mittens. Delighted. But probably mostly because of the snow.
Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat…
It’s a joy and a blessing when the small people you’ve spent years running around after are at last able to begin to fend for themselves and, even better, to help around the house.
Dishwashers emptied, washing up done, sitting room tidied and hoovered… A total gift. And a blessed relief.
Buuuuuuut.
There’s a sore point about to be made and I’m sure you have already figured it out. It seems that every post I make at the moment mentions my Beauteous Boot Socks. There’s a very good reason for that. I love them. I love them so much that I knitted myself about 5 pairs over the last couple of winters. Indeed, if you click on the link, you will see that the photograph for the pattern itself is the very pair in question.
You don’t need words, though. You just need this picture:
Yup, that’s the very same pair. *le sigh*
See… when your darlings start putting on the laundry, it’s worth mentioning to them that wool – you know, proper wool – shrinks. It’s also worth NOT putting said wool in the family laundry basket when you’ve taught them how to use the machine, and asked them to put a load on.
How on earth only ONE made it into the machine is another question entirely.
So now, I have one delightfully soft and fluffy boot sock, and one tiny, stiff, very thick felted… thing. Don’t get me wrong, I still find it quite beautiful, but what to do with it??
Well, it started with a gulp, a pair of scissors and:
It then progressed to the 1950s PFAFF sewing machine we recently acquired for peanuts on eBay:
Next was a decorative button and magnetic popper and… voila!
My new handbag phone-sock is born.
I think it’s a thing of beauty and I guess I’m just going to have to shrink the other sock, right?
As for my plans for the bottom of the sock, oh, yes! I have some. But I had to order something to make it work, which will take a little while to arrive, and, to quote my husband, it is a bit bonkers. (At least, he thinks so 😉 ) When the time comes, I’ll let you decide <3
Tabby Cattercushion (a free tutorial)
So I made a HUGE cattercushion.
Do you see what I did there? 😉
You can, of course make a gazillion of these (s)cattercushions so they can live up to their name, in a narrower gauge yarn, or chunkier, in all sizes and colours…
For this one, I used Schachenmayr Boston and Rico Creative Melange Chunky, 7mm circular needles and some enormous mother-of-pearl buttons. You’ll also need a cushion pad and some toy stuffing.
If you fancy having a go at it, there is a free blow by blow tutorial over on the loveknitting blog. Just click here to be taken to it.
Here’s a picture of him with my Wilfy, for scale:
You can download the tutorial by clicking on the link below.
Happy knitting and enjoy the snuggles!
How to… floral phone protector
Y’know? When you’ve sacrificed the security of a fully-protective phone case in favour of one that’s, frankly, a bit of a Cath Kidston knock-off (but she doesn’t do those spots in a Samsung Edge… 🙁 ) and you’ve stuffed it in your bag and there are other things in there that might give it a bit of a hard time…
So you decide to make something pretty to keep it in.
Frankly, it’s not going to rescue your phone from your keys in there. But it does look pretty 😉
Look no further!
And if you want to make it, here’s how:
(UK terms:
dc [double crochet] = sc [single crochet] US
tc [treble crochet] = dc [double crochet] US
But it’s all very simple:
I used Drops Safran which is a DK cotton in all sorts of delightful spring colours, and a 3mm crochet hook.
- ch 21, dc back through chain to beginning.
- 3dc in first ch and continue to work around in dc to end
- 3dc in first dc and continue to work around in dc to end.
- ch 2 and tc around the entire piece, sl st in original ch2.
- repeat twice more
- switch to green, ch2 and 2tc in same tc. [Skip 2, 3tc in next] to end. Sl st in original ch2. {ref point 1}
- switch to flower colour. Ch2, make 1tc through middle of the 3 green tc, but leave last loop on hook, make another tc in same green tc, but leave last loop on hook, pull yarn through all loops on hook, ch1. [Skip 2 (always making these flowers in the middle of the three green tc), make 3tc, leaving the last loops on hook, in middle green tc, pull yarn through all loops on hook, ch1] repeat to end.
- switch to original blue. Ch2 and make 3tc in each 1ch gap to end. Sl st to original ch2.
- Ch 2, tc in each tc around. Sl st to original ch2
- repeat. {ref point 2}
- Repeat from {ref point 1} to {ref point 2} until you have 3 rows of flowers in total. Change flower colours if you like 🙂 After the last flower row:
- ch1 and 3dc in each 1ch gap. Sl st to original ch1
- ch1 and dc around. Sl st to original ch1
- THEN on JUST ONE SIDE (working back and forth and no longer in the round): ch2 and tc to end of side. TURN, repeat.
- ch1, dc2tog, then dc to half way along row. Ch3 for button loop and sl st into last dc worked, dc to last 2, dc2tog. Cut yarn, fasten and sew in ends
- sew a button to middle stitch of front.
TADA!
As ever, if you decide to make it and anything I’ve written doesn’t make sense… just give me a holler <3
A little pouch
So I made a little bag.
I had a vague plan as I embarked on it, but it has turned out more beautiful than I had hoped. *whoop*! 🙂
It is, essentially, a pouch bag in a chunky yarn with a loop handle and top in lemon cashmere merino silk (by Sublime), and a drawstring fastening in contrasting vintage rose silk merino (also Sublime).
I stuffed a ball of wool in it for some pictures:
And I am off to make another, writing up the pattern and taking pictures for a tutorial as I go.
So… more anon!
In the meantime, though, I have finally written up the pattern for these gorgeous snuggly-but-oh-so-stylish slippers:
And you can find it here. Happy crocheting! <3