Tag: Wool count

So, let’s show off the only thing I have to show this week: Butterflies!

For these guys, I used the free pattern: Metamorphosis part II – the Butterfly by ChemKnits. You’ll notice that each of these, unlike the other Hungry Caterpillar set items, are all different. I had three different wools I could use for the wings, so decided to make one butterfly per different wool. (I couldn’t decide basically). Then did body colour to match. My favourite is the left one, though Engel likes the one on the right! Felix settled on the middle one as it was the first one to be made.

I’m currently working on the cocoon, though I’m having to make up my own pattern for this one, if it turns out well I’ll post it online. Hopefully it will at least meet the demands set by my three (four in just over three weeks!) year old gremlin…

That’s all for now, there’s a cold going through the house so I’m going to make lemon tea and curl up in a blanket nest and relish the few hours of quiet I have before bed…

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 89 (9 since last post!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 666 (Mwahahah!!!!!)

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Hi all! Been enjoying my bank holiday weekend by doing more birthday stuff! Meeting up with some friends and gaming with other friends as well, even managed to sneak in a trip to my LYS and found a ball of wool that was whispering…just one! And once I get through my queue of knits I know exactly what it’s going to be!

Now if only I could say the same for the rest of the wool I have…

On that note, on to my finished knitting! Still ploughing on with the Hungry Caterpillar sets, and this week I have made:

Muffins! Ok, they’re really actually a modified version of the free pattern: Divine Cupcakes by Maiya Becker – I worked K2P2 rib on the cake bottom to make the cupcake wrapper (increasing an extra two sts in the base to do so) then doubled the number of knit rows called for in the frosting to make it taller.

Oddly enough, I really wanted to make these so was glad to finally get them on the needles! I worked the free pattern: knitted watermelon by Elaine Simper double stranded to give a more textured/mottled appearance particularly in the watermelon flesh.

Oops, appears Ziggy decided to photobomb me here! (Actually that reminds me of an amusing fact, one of the reasons we got Ziggy was Engel wanted a boy kitty. Took Ziggy to the vets to be vaccinated and the vet rather worriedly informed me, in a hushed voice so Felix wouldn’t overhear, that she was very sorry but he was a she. I couldn’t stop laughing for nearly 20 minutes…)

Anyhow.

And on Sunday he ate through a nice big leaf. Again, double stranded for more colour variation and I used the free cloth pattern: Leaf Cloth Trio by Theresa L. Jones, I used Leaf 3 as I like that it both curved and had veins.

When I was working on the leaves, Felix asked me yet again to knit the caterpillar egg from the beginning of the book, to which it responded that no, it would be so small it would be lost instantly. She then countered my argument by stating the egg could be sewn onto its own little leaf, then it won’t get lost.

I worry that she’s out smarting me and she’s not even four. Not that it’s difficult to do that, but still.

So without further ado:

A little egg on a little leaf. The leaf is made using yet another free pattern: Woodland Wreath, Leaves by Frankie Brown. The egg is simply a little bobble I knitted up and sewn on afterwards.

Alright, that’s enough typing for now, I have butterflies, cocoons and fish to get knitting.

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 80 (7 since last post)
Wool bought – 34
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 675

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Lollipops:

The pattern is ‘Lollipop’ by Sarah Keen from her book 100 Little Knitted Projects

Cherry Pie

These where made with the free pattern: Piece O’ Cherry Pie by Jennifer Tallapaneni

Sausages

These where made with the free pattern: Very Vegan Sausages by Emily Anna Bingham.

In knitting news, I was given Engels grandmother’s (Felix and Inklings Great Grandma) old knitting stash. Once I sifted through it and split the useable from the mohair (allergic) I was left with eighty 10-50g balls of wool. Yes. Eighty.

There goes the wool count again.

I was also given two lovely balls of alpaca wool for my birthday, I feel no guilt as in my mind they’re already knitted into toy alpacas! I will have my own herd of alpacas! They will be miniature and cuddly and require no feeding or cleaning, but I shall have a herd of them!

Mwahahah!!!!!!

You may have guessed that it’s been a long weekend of celebrating, it’s been behind awesome and I may be shattered, but worth it!

Till next week (hopefully I’ll have another productive week of knitting to show you!)

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 73 (6 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 682

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Apologies for the lack of updates lately, I’ve had family visiting, holiday in the Lakes (I highly recommend the ‘Wheres Peter Rabbit?’ show – the puppets are beautiful!) then more family visiting!

But, I have finally finished the next part of the Hungry Caterpillar sets! The salami!

In order to get a salami I liked, I created my own pattern, which is available here for free!

This one took a few trial and errors – colour mostly, then how I wanted to do the ‘slice’ but I got there in the end. Enjoy!

Short post today as I have a lot to do!

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 67 (0 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 606

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First of all, apologies on missing my blog post last week – been having lots of family down visiting, and also a new addition!

Everyone, meet Ziggy:

 

Now onto the knitted food!

Oranges:

Pattern used was Advent Tree: Tangerine by Alan Dart. (Knitting 15 of those was a challenge in staying awake!)

Chocolate cake (with a cherry on top)

Used free knitting pattern Let Them Knit Cake by Hannah Kaminsky, and Cherry by Linda Dawkins. (I used fuzzy wool for the frosting, to give it a bit more texture)

Ice cream

Used free pattern Scooped by Marcie Nishioka (Felix decided she didn’t want a pink one like in the book, and instead wanted her favourite ice cream flavour – mint choc chip!)

Pickles (yes, really, pickles)

Used free pattern Fuzzy Short Row Pickle by Ana Clerc (I was amazed this pattern existed, but apparently it’s a German tradition to hide them in Christmas trees…?)

Swiss cheese slice

Very heavily modified the free pattern Swiss Cheese Scarf by Winnie Shih (My mods have been noted down on the project page on my Ravelry account)

Phew, lots of knitting! And still lots more to do to finish the Hungry Caterpillar sets…

In other news, been doing a massive clean up before the next round of family fun! There was a very near disaster though with Engel hoovering…much like the one documented here:

True story…killed the hoover too…but I got my wool back!

Man these comics are old…now I feel old…oh well! Back to knitting, it’s salami next.

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 67 (2 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 606

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Pears:

Free pattern – mr. pear by peachcake knits

Plums:

Pattern used is Advent Tree: Sugar Plum by Alan Dart

Strawberries:

Free pattern – Strawberries by Pezdiva

Been a hectic week with family down – won’t lie, there was a lot of ups and downs, but also a fair bit of knitting time!

On that note, I am shattered, so super short post today, but at least there was lots to look at!

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 65 (2 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 608

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Heh, I’ve been reading way too many nursery rhymes…

Let me explain the reason for this particular blog post. I don’t know when it started exactly, but somewhere between me finishing primary school and Felix starting (ok, she’s at nursery school, but close enough! She wears a wee uniform and everything!) it’s become a thing to give teachers presents on the last day of school.

Rather than the shops recommended chocolates or tat, I opted to knit them little something’s instead because…well, it’s what I do!

So, the owl first:

Pattern used is Oisin owl by Pauline Gallagher. When Felix first started she kept insisting one of her teachers was ‘Mrs Owl’. For months we heard about Mrs Owl and, come parents evening, we discovered that Mrs Owl was actually Mrs Powell.

Couldn’t resist making her an owl though.

And the caterpillar?

I’m on a roll with these guys…once again, the pattern used is the free pattern Caterpillar by Kimberly Chapman, with the same modifications mentioned in my previous post.

You’ll also note this caterpillar is wearing a scarf. This is because it’s for Mrs Scarf. And no, that is her actual name, though we did initially think Felix must have misheard that one too! A bit more effort was put into this one as she’s recently announced she’s pregnant, and well, it’ll be cute for her little one to be.

Right, back to knitting food for –

Oh wait, other things to be knit!

A FOURTH meret hat (free pattern Meret (Mystery Beret) by Woolly Wormhead) as my mum decided to steal the one meant for my aunt, so I whipped up another one for my aunt. Plain black this time, but it’s an angora/silk/wool blend so oh so snuggly…

Anyhow, as my mum stole the other hat, she cheekily asked for matching armwarmers (she does work in a playground which is a wind tunnel, in Scotland, so I can’t begrudge her too much as the stolen hat was way warmer than the others…)

Free pattern Camp Out Fingerless Mitts by tante ehm, I’ve made them before for mum and as she likes and wears though, went for the same pattern again. Was playing yarn chicken, hence the stripes!

Right, now back to knitting all that food!

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 63 (3 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 610

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I bought Felix ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ as a ‘congratulations on being a big sister’ present when Inkling was born, after she had watched the short film adaption on Netflix. I was surprised that we didn’t already have a  a copy as I’m a lover of books and have been actively trying to pass that love on.

Once bought and given, I thought it’d be nice for her to have a knitted set to go with the book, but she’ll be earning each bit for being good as opposed to it being more presents.

And on that train of thought, picked up another two books as gifts and plan to make knitted sets for those as well…cause why not?

Because I’m insane more like…

First of all, the Hungry Caterpillar!

This guy is based on the free pattern Caterpillar by Kimberly Chapman. I knitted bobbles for the feet into the body rather than later adding i-cord legs.

I even managed to get the apples done too this week!

I used the free pattern Apple Knitting Pattern by Linda Dawkins for these!

And on other knitting news (lots to show this week!) I discovered my tribble problem wasn’t under control after all…

A pink mutant varient was discovered lurking under the kitchen sink, all five have been captured, sterilised and sent off for further study… (MIL was rather taken with the captured blue ones I had, so felt it best to let her have these pink ones) Free pattern – Tribble by Abigail – 1870pearl.

Wool count!

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 60 (1 since last post – lots of knitting but not many whole balls used.)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 613

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Let’s start with a story. Every time we go into Manchester, Engel likes to check out the gaming shop (so do I for Call of Cthulhu RPG expansions) and if Felix is good, she gets a dice for her dice bag.

For some time, Felix has called this shop “The Tentacle Shop” as it has a plushie tentacle. A month or so ago we went and, horror of all horrors, the tentacle was gone. Even though it wasn’t for sale, it had been sold (some people are very pushy) and Felix was devastated.

Felix informed us (and the shop) that there would be tentacles – she was going to make some and so was mummy. I shrugged it off (my to knit list is ridiculous right now). She did indeed make a tentacle herself out of paper mâché and pompoms and was very pleased and I figured that was that.

Then, the day before Free RPG day, she asked me where the knitted one was as she wanted to take it to the tentacle shop and give them it as it can’t be the tentacle shop without one.

Cue mad panic cast on, and with an hour to spare:

Its based on the free pattern Gripping by Hunter Hammersen, I added little bobbles for the suckers.

The tentacle was given to the tentacle shop, Felix got her dice, we got free RPGs, everyone was happy.

Then Felix asked where her tentacles where.

Sigh.

But I have had fun with them…

Maybe a bit too much!

Wool count!

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 59 (3 since last post – lots of partial balls used)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 614

 

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Summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty…

(Summer in the city, The Lovin’ Spoonful)

Good thing you cant hear me sing! It is very, very hot today, and yesterday, it’s been hot (for me) all week really, which makes my latest knitting project of wooly hats feel very pointless! Ah well, it’ll be of use soon, possibly tomorrow knowing the British weather.

Free pattern – Meret (Mystery Beret) by Woolly Wormhead

There’s an story to these (there’s always a story) I’ve made three of these for my mum previously – the first two were made from New Lanark wool to match a jumper I made her, and a matching scarf and mitts. The first of these she wore through (she works at a school and it’s a playground must have for her, plus anytime she goes outside in the poorer weather), the second is in use, and the third was a little cotton summer version which, her living in Scotland, gets about a week of use a year.

My aunt saw her hats and asked for one as well, so…

There’s not an inch of New Lanark wool left so I stash dived and found this pretty unlabelled wool.

In other news, it was free RPG day yesterday! And I had far too much fun, though the heat did kill quite a bit of the enjoyment as my energy levels just dropped…

I ended up having a siesta! With company round! At least some of said company had siestas too…

There’s an amusing story to tell regarding free RPG day, or more specifically the shop it was at, but I’ll save that for next week.

Later!

Wool count!

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 56 (6 since last post – lots of partial balls used)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 617

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