Category: Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

All things yarny

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Wrap It Up For Kids

Iris Rose

Last week I wrote about handmade gifts and shamelessly suggested my own patterns for you to make in time for gift giving at Christmas. Today I will just as shamelessly suggest some of my patterns for kids! It always surprises me at how much little ones appreciate a gift made just for them.  My patterns are all priced at $4.99 or less.

If you crochet, my Toddler’s Pretty Crocheted Cardigan (paid) is an easy and fast make for your Christmas princess. Made with low cost acrylic yarn, you can probably make this with something from your stash. I used Red Heart Soft for my pattern tests, but I have also made this with other basic worsted weight yarn.

My Little Lovely Lacey Cardigan is another pretty (paid) make. Combining both knit and crochet, I have offered you size 6 months to girls 8 in this one in DK weight yarn.

Knit and Sewn Kid’s Dress, also paid, combines a knitted top with a sewn fabric skirt. Make it up in a pretty glitzy yarn on top and satin or lace on the bottom and the Christmas dress is done.

On the toy side, my Sweet Doll Bed is a very quick crochet project for a last minute gift that will make a little one smile. It will fit up to an eight inch doll and can easily be modified by increasing the rounds of the base. Using acrylic worsted weight, this one won’t break the bank either.

How about a Monster? Free in my Ravelry store, this one requires a little more knitting skill but is really fun to do.

And lastly, how about a cute hat? This is also free in my Ravelry store, a quick make and kids just love to wear a Tiger Hat on their head. You will need to know how to knit in the round and have a little more skill to make the features.

I posted a pattern for a cute rabbit that is easy to make in a blog post earlier this year, another freebie if you take the time to look back to May 3rd!

I hope that these suggestions will inspire you to create handmade gifts whether you use my patterns or not.

Thank you for reading and happy crafting this week!

Travel, Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Kananaskis And A Crafty Week

Iris Rose

I had a great week, how about you? The weekend craft sale was great but very tiring. I don’t handle the stress of anticipating what, if anything, will sell so I am glad that I have this one under my belt.

Before I show you last weekend though, I forgot to post last week about DD1’s birthday weekend away to Kananaskis in the Rockies. It was a special birthday so we all got together at a lovely hotel and had a great time in the pools and just generally enjoying the fresh air and great beauty of the province that we live in.

I was at the Springbank Art Club craft sale last weekend and really was very gratified by all of the lovely comments on my work. Sales were good and I have a clearer mind on what I need to focus on for the future. I should know better than to say something like that. It is always a curse!

I didn’t make any of my critter hats for the sale as I was restricted from competing with other vendors that also make hats. I did have my grandkids visit wearing the hats that I featured last week and had a really strong response so I have been busy this week making more for my next sale, Etsy Foothills, in Okotoks on November 24th.

And now for a whine, just a caution for those Canadians who order yarn from Europe and the UK that is shipped through DHL. I paid for courier shipping from the Wool Warehouse (great online store and great customer service) and was dismayed to be told by DHL that before they would deliver my parcel, I had to pay $18.45 to clear customs on top of the fee I had already paid for shipping. The value of my yarn was $58.00CAD, shipping was $21.00. When I have had parcels of greater value delivered by Canada Post, there is no custom clearance fee or duty. I suspect that DHL is charging a blanket fee whether there is duty to be collected or not, holding your parcel hostage.

I won’t be ordering from Europe or the UK anytime soon if this is how shipping is handled. Regular post is an option but I waited nine weeks for an order shipped this way from England to Canada. It is too bad that one giant company can ruin the business of smaller ones in this way.  Thanks for listening and I am off the soap box.

Have a happy week with lots of pretty yarn on your needles and hooks!

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Cozy Pillows

Iris Rose

Today we have a rerun of a post from a couple of years ago.  I see that Bernat Blanket yarn is still quite popular and thought that I would share again a pattern for some comfy pillows that really fit this time of year (late fall, almost winter, shudder).  It also proves that I do indeed swatch to figure out how my designs fit!

I gave into the seduction of Bernat Blanket a while ago and let it languish while I tried to decide what the heck I was going to do with it. I had purchased a ball (and they are large!) of white and another of ivory while they were on sale and put them away to think about.

I have little confidence with interior design so consequently my living room, while crowded was a bit stark. I picked up some blue fabric and covered my existing pillows but wanted something big and squishy for those TV naps (yes, I am still watching the movie) on the couch.

I thought that I should go through my stash and try to use up some of my waiting yarn to take advantage of the current trend of big knitting in home décor. I came across the Blanket and, knowing I had a couple of extra bed pillows, the idea for a cozy, squishy pillow was born.

Of course, I only had the one ball of ivory and no blue to match the little pillows which meant another yarn buying trip which is never a hardship. I picked up a ball of blue which was a great match and another of ivory as my swatch told me I would need that much.

I started out by playing with different needle sizes from 6mm to 8mm and ended up using the 8mm recommended. I had decided to make plain stripes but then thought a few changes in width and pattern would make them a little more interesting. Knitting in the round and a three needle bind off meant there was no sewing except to close the cast on edge once the pillow was stuffed inside which is always a plus in my book.

These comfy pillows have got a lot of use and were so easy to do. I have a hole in my stash now too! If I can think of something to make use of the white, I’ll have room for a couple of new skeins of yarny delight.

You can find the pattern in my Ravelry store here.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Cuteness Overload

Iris Rose

It is Thursday again and I have some cuteness to share with you this week. I am still plodding along with the craft sale stock but finally feeling like I am making some head way.

Before I show you my latest, however, I have a complaint to air. I use Aveeno Ultra Calming face moisturizer and bought a new bottle last week. Now I know that I bought the spf30 instead of the usual spf15 but really, half the size for the same price? It is scent free but the new one smells so strongly of plastic that I wonder what is leaching into the lotion from the container. Time for a new product, I think.

Now for my Sugar Cubes, based on the free rabbit pattern that I published here on my blog earlier this year. I am having a lot of fun making these. They are simple and don’t take a lot of effort to knit. The eyes are crocheted and the pattern for those is included with the bunny pattern as well.

If you want to make these for yourself, follow the bunny pattern but cut back on the number of stitches and rows. I cast on 30 stitches and knit twenty rows with a smaller needle (5mm) to make the larger of these cuties. The little one is 20 stitches and 15 rows. Icord arms and legs with a fuzzy foot and they are ready to cuddle!  I really do need to find a better photo background than the underside of my LK150.

Thank you for supporting me by subscribing to and reading my blog. Have a fun and crafty week with skeins and skeins of untangled yarn.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Toys For Sale

Iris Rose

I have been busy making new stock for my craft sales over the last few weeks and really having a blast creating them. I had been feeling a little stressed about managing my stock, but I think that I will be okay once I get through the load of knitted and crocheted but not sewn yet pile.

 

I decided to try production style creating again even though I hated it last time I did this. Hey, I like it this year! I found that doing all of the planning at once, all of the knitting or crocheting at once, making the noses and eyes, well, you get it, is really working for me. I feel like I am accomplishing so much more and that I will actually be done by the deadline. I sort everything into separate bags and, once the bag is empty, I start on the next one. I am actually having fun!

 

I have a bag of monsters, mini monsters and little square animals yet to be sewn. I had a bag of topsy turvy dolls and another of roly poly animals that I have finished except for two. I am on a roll!

Here are a few of the little things that I have made. First up are more topsy turvy dolls, because DH thinks that they are cute and will sell (I do too!), that are based on a Jean Greenhowe’s pattern.

 

Next finished are some roly poly animals that are really popular. These are based on a Barbara Prime pattern called Pookies.

 

I hope to get a few more things sewn up this weekend, Thanksgiving here in Canada, and will be well stocked for early November.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Regardless of where you live, have a fun and safe weekend with lovely yarn and easy crafting.