Watoto Jumper

Here is a jumper I have knitted for children in Uganda. My parents are going over there in September to do some house building and general do gooding. They are also taking over these donated knitted jumpers, beanies and blankets. So I hope to make a couple of these if I have time.

It is made with Patons Jet (wool/Alpaca) some that I just had stashed away, and I am happy to have a use for it!

All the rib was a bit Urgh but I survived! It was actually the fastest knit - I did it in about 5 hours all up. That's like watching Lord of the Rings (extended version hehe).

I hope the little one in Uganda enjoys it :-)

Dharma Dish Cloth and Hanging Tea Towel

This is a dish cloth that I made for my sister in law for her birthday. The dish cloth pattern is the Dharma Initiative logo from the show Lost. Yes we are obsessed fans... oh well!

I also had a go at making a hanging tea towel to go along with it. It turned out ok, but I think I will do better next time. It is knit in stocking stitch and i did 2 rows of DC (crochet) at the bottom.

Both are made with Vickie Howell "Craft" by South West Trading Company. It is 35% Milk fiber and 65% organic cotton. It is lovely and soft to touch.

The chart for the Dharma logo I got from Raverly here and the tea towel topper pattern is here.

A bevy of beautiful bootees

I whole stack of bootees that I made for Harry over the last few weeks of my pregnancy and while resting in hospital.

Most of them are from a really old Patons pattern book. Most are knit in 3 ply but the stripey one is 4 ply.

All so cute. I just love bootees and I prefer them to socks as they can move their little feet around more, not so constricting. And they look so sweet :-)

Loving having a winter baby!!!!

Bobble Hot Water Bottle Cover

Here is a hot water bottle cover I made up. the pattern is included below...

I have started using a hot water bottle since I started getting pretty intense lower back pain. Bub has moved into a posterior position and WOW the back ache has really increased! The hot water bottle helps so much, since I am having contractions every 5-10 mins, it really sucks, but the warmth helps.

Anyway, so it is made in a 12 ply wool, which i have had stashed for ages! so glad to get a use for it. took me 2 days to finish, so yeah it is a quick knit with the chunky wool. The neck is knit in the round on circular needles.

The pattern is super simple, mostly sticking stitch but there are some bobbles worked in there which keep it interesting.

Here is the pattern so you can make it yourself! Enjoy!

Bobble Hot Water Bottle Cover

Materials:

Approx 150g 12 ply wool
6.00mm needles
2 stitch holders
6.00mm or less Circular needles (I used 4.00mm and worked loosely.)
Tapestry needle

Abreviations

st st - Stocking stitch
k- knit
p-purl
MB- make bobble - (k1p1k1p1) in next stitch, turn, p4, turn, k4, turn, p2 tog twice, turn, k2 tog.

Method:

Cast on 45 stitches.

Rows 1-8 : Work 8 rows st st starting with a knit row, working 3 knit stitches at beginning and end of purl rows to make garter stitch edge.

Row 9 : k4 ('MB', k11) x 3, 'MB', k4.

Rows 10-16 : work 7 rows st st with garter stitch edge.

Row 17: k10 ('MB', K11) x 2, 'MB', k10.

Rows 18 - 24: work 7 rows st st with garter stitch edge.

Repeat rows 9-24 to form bobble pattern. Repeat until work measures just as long as the hot water bottle, ending with a purl row.

Cast off 5 stitches at begining of next 4 rows (25 stitches).
Leave remaing 25 stitches on a stitch holder.

Work another in the same manner.

Neck:
Sew top of cover together (I used back stitch). Put stitches onto a circular needles Work one round of k1p1 rib, increasing 2 stitches evenly around. Continue in k2p2 rib until neck is desired length. Cast off loosley in rib.

Sew sides and bottom together (I used back stitch). Put a hot water bottle inside (fold in half lengthways if you need to) and fill with hot water. Mmmmmmmm... toasty warm.....

Basic Newborn Hat in 3ply

Here is a little hat I have made for the new baby to wear as a newborn. It is a little cold in Katoomba hospital so a little hat is great!

I like to use 3 ply with babies, maximum 4 ply, as it is nice and delicate for them. Not too big and chunky!

I used dpns but you could use straight needles and then sew it up.

This one I made with some 3 ply baby super soft acrylic yarn with nylon. Since I made the pattern up as I went along I thought I would share it and put it on Raverly as there isn't really a basic 3 ply hat pattern that I could find on there.

Basic Newborn hat in 3ply

Materials:
3 ply yarn
2.25cm (US 1) dpn
Tapestry needle

Cast on 100 stitches and distribute evenly among 3 double pointed needles. Work 10 rows 2x2 rib.

Work in stocking stitch until work measures approx 3-4 inches/7.5 -10cm.

Round 1: K1, slip 1, K1, psso, knit to last 3 stitches, k2 tog, k1 - On each needle (ie. decrease 2 stitches on each needle. 6 stitches all up) (94 st)
Round 2: Knit

Repeat the last two rounds until 40 stitches remain.
Then repeat row 1 until 22 stitches remain (ie. decrease every round).

Graft together remaining stiches using kitchener stitch
or
Cast off and sew together


Enjoy!!!

Purple Jumper with Shawl Collar

A jumper I made with Spotlight branded 100% wool. Kimmy chose the colour, its quite nice! The pattern is a Panda pattern from 11 Handknits for Kids, Jumper with Shawl Collar and Raglan Set in Sleeves.

It was pretty easy/boring for the most part, just plain stocking stitch throughout. The rib is K2 P2. The shawl collar kept things interesting, it was a little fiddly but nothing major.

I made size 4 - there was only a pattern for size 2, 4, 6, etc... But she really is a size 3 so its a tad big, but wearable. She will still be wearing it next year I think.

Very happy with it!

Tofu cardigan for the new baby

Here is my little cardigan for the new baby. It is made with an off white yarn from Tofutsies - which is 50% superwash wool, 25% soy silk, 22.5% cotton, 2.5% chitin (made from shrimp and crab shells!). Apparently the crab shells have antibacterial properties!!! Tofutsies is a 3 ply sock yarn, but makes lovely newborn clothes too.

It is totally soft and silky, I could cuddle up and sleep with this cardigan. The photos don't really do it justice, its really nice.

The pattern is from a super old pattern book that was my mums, its called Patons #488, Baby Wool 3 Ply Feathersoft. Yes 3 ply! So it was a little time consuming, but not too bad just because its for a newborn so its small.

The pattern was easy, just K4, P2 for one row then knit the next row. The front bands and neck band is just garter stitch. 4 easy button holes. The body is made in one piece, then just had to make the two sleeves and sew them on. So not alot of sewing. Yay!

This might be the only thing I end up making for the new baby... we'll see...

Soysilk Diamond Lace Shrug

WOW! What a nice shrug this turned out to be. Its from the Patons pattern book called "All Wrapped Up" - it has heaps of gorgeous wraps/shrugs/Ponchos etc...

Very happy how this turned out - and I can wear it while I'm pregnant!!!

I was supposed to use Patons Zhivago 8ply yarn, but I used SWTC Karaoke in Intensity, the same as I used for the baby sweater. It's 50% wool and 50% soysilk. I had to use smaller needles to get the correct tension with this yarn because it is 10 ply rather than 8ply.

Only change I made was that I made the sleeves a little shorter as I didn't want them too long and with the thumb hole.
It is basically 2x2 Rib you start at the bottom of one cuff, then you work a diamond lace pattern for across the shoulder and back, then go down the other arm in 2x2 rib again, then you cast off! That simple!!! Then just sew up and you're done.

It is really really warm! I was actually a little too warm when I wore it! It will be great for the mountains in Autumn and maybe even Winter. Overall very happy with this shrug!

Cardigan in Karaoke

I made this little cardigan for a friend's daughter for her 1st birthday. I think it came out pretty well, although the front bands could have been longer, and maybe could have made the sleeves a little longer too. I think it will fit her though.

This pattern is a freebie from Ravelry, it was pretty easy to follow and there wasn't much sewing which was great!!!

I made it with Karaoke in Intensity, which is 50% wool 50% soysilk so it is soooooo nice and silky, but it is also very delicate! Probably not the best choice for kids clothes!! :-) But oh well, it sure looks cute!!

Knit in a couple of nights... very quick.

I hope the recipients like it anyway!!!

Yoda Sweater for Andrew

Here is a jumper i whipped up for Andrew - it only took 3 nights it was such a quick knit! It is meant to look like a Yoda sweater - as in Star Wars! And it does i think, it looks a bit like a Jedi's shirt. How cute!!!!!

Its made with Alpaca/Wool blend yarn, garter stitch edges and plain old stocking stitch throughout. Some decreasing to make the wrap look. Then i made I-cords for the ties. I've never done I-cords before so that was exciting!! Oh yes the things i get excited over, its very sad!

It fits him great right now and because its a wrap it is quite flexible so i;m pretty sure it'll fit until the end of winter.

Overall very happy with this! The pattern is a freebie, it can be found on Ravelry.

How cute is Andrew!!!!!

Stripey Moss Jacket

Here is a jacket i made for Kimberly. It is loosley based on a Patons pattern for a baby sweater. I used bigger needles and thicker wool to make it bigger, for a toddler.

Turned out bigger than I expected - too big for my almost 3 year old. Maybe it will fit her next year when she is four!

The pattern throughout is a stripey moss stitch - i think its called “waffle”??

1st row - P
2nd row- K
3rd row - P
4throw - k1 p1

Repeat!
Moss stitch was used for the edges.

overall happy with the outcome, but a little sad she probably won't wear this till next year!

Andrew's Socks

A pair of socks for Andrew. Used the same pattern as Kimberly's socks but just adapted them so they are a bit smaller. In the end they are probably a little too small for him, they fall off a little. But they will be ok for the rest of winter and maybe will fit the next baby.
Can I just use this moment to say - how cute is Andrew!!!!! What a gorgeous baby. I love him to bits!!!!

My First Socks

These are the first socks i've made!!!! It was very fun. Quick to knit too. I made this pair for Kiimberly. They just fit her. not much room for growth!!
I used Patons Patonyle, a self patterning yarn. 4ply wool/nylon mix. And a set of 4 2.25mm double pointed needles. The first time i have knitted something in the round. I loved not having to sew anything!
I used kitchener stitch to finish off the toe- had to look on you tube for a tutorial on how to do this!!
All in all very happy with them - i'll be making some more.
Oh and Kimberly LOOOOOOVES them!!!

Red Alpaca Vest for Kimberly

Here is a reddish/pinkish vest I made for Kimmy. It is great for over a long sleeve shirt in Winter or a short sleeve one in Apring/Autumn. The yarn is 70% wool and 30% Alpaca. It is soooooooooo soft to touch!!

Size 2 (30cm long, 25 cm wide). Fron and back are the same.

Using 4.5mm needles, cast on 56 stitches.

Purl row, Knit row, Purl row

Change to 5.5mm needles.
1st Row - P3, #K2, P6. repeat from # to end, P3.

2nd Row - K3, #P2, K6. repeat from # to end, K3.

These two rows form pattern. Work for about 20 cm - measure the length on your child to just under their armpit. Then shape armholes and neckline:

CO 2 stitches at beg of next 2 rows.

3rd row: k5, k2tog tbl, patt to last 7, k2tog, k5.

4th row: K5, p2tog, patt to last 7, p2tog tbl, k5.

Rep last 2 rows once (44 stitches).

7th row: k5, k2 tog tbl, patt6, turn.

Dec as before, at same time dec at neck adge in following 2 rows. Work one row. (8 stitches).

11th Row: K5, k3tog tbl (6 st)

12th row k2tog, k4 (5 st)

Using 4.5mm needles, work garter stitch on these 5 stitches for approx 6-7 cm. Cast off.

With right side facing, slip centre sticthes on a stitch holder, leaving 13 stitches on the left hand needle. Join in yarn and work on these 13 stitches to correspond with the other side.

For the neckband, with right side facing and using 4.5mm needles, knit up 17 stitches down left side of neck, then knit accross stitches on holder, then knit up 17 stitches on right side. Knit row, purl row, knit row (to correspond with bottom edge). Cast off fairly loosly.

To make up, simply sew together sides and straps.

If you decide to make this pattern please let me know and send me pics!!! And let me know if there are any errors... i have wirtten this out from memory after i finished and so i may have left something out! :-)

ENJOY!!

Knitted Alpaca Jumper

A knitted jumper for Andrew. Knit a size 1 - but its a small make. Used a pattern from one of my mum's old school retro knitting books, only it's meant to be made with 3 ply. I used a 8 ply pattern jumper instead, and just made it with the fancy pattern.

Made with 50% merino/50% Alpaca wool. It is soooooo warm and I am devastated that he will grow out of it so quick :-(

Minky AIO Nappy

My latest nappy creation!

Outer minky, hidden PUL, inner microfleece and microfibre soaker. Velcro fastening and elasticised legs and back.

This was quite tricky, a lot harder than the regular fitted nappies that i usually do!!!

Knitted Shorties

I made these for an online friend, she's going to use them over a bamboo nappy for o'night.

Ribbed 2knit, 2purl around the top in navy blue, then stocking stitch for the main part. I used moss stitch for around the legs. It looks pretty cool, even if i do say so myself!