Tag: multiple sizes

Crochet, Knitting

Undone Dollies

Iris Rose

Well, another week has zipped by and I seem to be amassing more UFO’s! I actually have a couple of topics this week, but I will start with the UFO problem that seems to be growing again.

I am setting up at an Etsy craft sale in early May (May 5th in Okotoks at the Elks Hall for any of you that live in the Calgary/Okotoks area) and, as I was reviewing my stock, realized that I am woefully short of babies. I always think that little knitted dolls won’t sell and they always are the first to go.

     

I like to knit or crochet while watching TV in the evenings so this was a project that fit the bill to a T. Look at what I have done! I have created a monster pile of dollies to finish and I can’t watch or read while I am doing it. Oh well, I had better dig in and start sewing. I have all the needed pieces made including the wigs (fuzzy stuff at the top of the photo) and found two elephants and a hippo with their dresses that I knit on vacation over a year ago and forgot about. I am on a roll, just don’t know where to!


I joined a machine knit KAL to make a rainbow yoke sweater last month and finally got around to making it last weekend. The pattern was great, thanks Claire Djuve, and I really like the finished sweater. It was my first go at a yoke and found it surprisingly easy even without the garter bar that I was too chicken to use. I will make the first row of the yoke in the body colour next time to minimize the jogs from the short rows.  The small size (4) was a good way to start as well. Fun stuff and I will be making more as this style seems to be a current fashion trend.


The next topic that I want to discuss is patterns. I have talked about this before and really am still stumped. Why do you download free patterns? Is it simply because they are free and you can’t resist free even if you will really never make them? Do you buy patterns that you never make? I am guilty of both of these. What makes a pattern more appealing than other, photos, recommendations, posting of finished projects?

These stats are from my Ravelry store:
Another Cake Shawl
Added May 26, 2017
8205 unique downloads       111 projects

If you have completed a pattern, free or paid, that you downloaded from Ravelry, please, please post your finished project. It means so much to designers to see that someone has liked their pattern enough to not only choose it but to actually make it.

Thank you, I will step down off of the soap box now.
Have a wonderful week and I hope that all of your yarn is untangled and every needle and hook is right at hand when you need them.

Knitting

Whining About the Cold and Some Cute Hats

Iris Rose

It is winter and still snowing (and snowing and snowing).  It is really cold again here and I am ready for spring.  Okay enough whining already, I can hear you thinking that.  Maybe I should be wining and then I wouldn’t care about whining or snow!

I wrote a pattern last summer for a little jumper (tunic not sweater) that is sized from six months to three years.  I made the sample up in a light pink colour, hence the name Pink Ice Cream, available to you as a paid pattern on Ravelry here.  It is a very easy and straight forward knit in the round piece if maybe a bit boring, think TV knitting, as it is mostly knit stitch.

Even though it is snowing (whining again here), it is a good time to consider spring knit and crochet projects.  If you have a little one that needs a little warmth for spring, this jumper is great over leggings and a long sleeved Tshirt.  The paid pattern is available on Ravelry here for download.

Speaking of spring projects, I designed these little hats for the grandkids a few years ago and they thought that they were great.  Crocheted with kitchen cotton, they were quick to make and a lot of fun to design.

If you are still in winter mode and need a cute hat for someone five and under, here is another hat that I designed.  It is a free pattern on Ravelry here and is also a fairly easy make.  Have fun with it!  Think about changing the colours and making the tiger into a teddy.

How about a snowman?  This is another free pattern of mine on Ravelry here.

Keep warm if you live in the Great White North and enjoy the warmth if you are not.  Happy crafting until next week!

Knitting

Machine Knitting and a Crochet Teaser.

Iris Rose

Wow, the week sure has flown by!  I have been busy with my knitting machine this week. 

These were made with self striping sock yarn with a little sacrificed cause I love matchy, matchy.

I have a bunch, okay a ton, no actually about a few hundred skeins of yarn from an ebay binge that I went on a couple of years ago.  You may have recognized the labels from my hat post two weeks ago.  I have to seriously purge my stash before it takes over the house and, as most of the yarn that I bought is sport or finer, the machine just called out to me!

The hat is lined for warmth!

I have had some problems in the past with static that these yarns hold.  I am not sure why but they are way more electric than any other yarn I have used.  It doesn’t seem to matter about the type of fibre.  I normally rewind the skeins into a cake for machine knitting to suss out any knots or imperfections before they hit the tension mast or the carriage and cause a major patterning fail.  Plus, it hurts like crazy when the weights hit your feet as the knitting drops off the needles!  I held a damp wash cloth in my hand and let the yarn run through it while tensioning and, voila, no static!  Why didn’t I think of this years ago??

I am working on a pattern for a toddler’s cardigan, machine knit, with a hand crocheted edge.  The sample turned out really cute, so I am experimenting with sizing now.  I always like to offer a pattern in multiple sizes and, although I know how to do the math from gauge for hand knits and crochet, machine knitting is a little different.  As the samples are quick to knit and can be added to my sales inventory, I am making one in each size to ensure that the pattern is correct.  It will be written out and on sale next week.

Samples ready for blocking and finishing.

I am also working on a hand knit version in worsted weight as I liked the machine knit one so much.  That pattern is going to take just a little bit longer.

I am also working on a crochet pattern for you.  I have a vision of a shawl that I have been cooking in my brain for the last ten months.  I made a sample over the summer but didn’t like it enough to finish it.  I have been mulling over the best stitch pattern to achieve the look that I want and have arrived at a winner I think.  I will let you know how it goes!  Here is a teaser.

Don’t forget about my half price offer on the Gradient Cable Poncho and Northern Rose Shawl patterns, coupon code 50OFF in my Ravelry store!

Knitting

You Will Need To Sew A Skirt for That Pretty Knit Top

Iris Rose

 

In the July 26th post I featured a pattern for knitting the top or bodice of a dress for a little girl.  The pattern came about because I got sucked into the Pinterest black hole and, although I loved the little dress on the website, could not find a link to a pattern.  I decided if I wanted to make this dress, I would have to write my own. 

The top is sized from 2 to 8 and, when paired with a sewn skirt, is really cute!  I have made a couple of these little dresses now in different sizes and am very happy with the results.

The skirt is simple to sew and should be made in a fabric that is compatible in care to the yarn used for the bodice.  I used a new ladies skirt (cut off) for one and yardage for the others.  I am posting photos of both so that you can see there is little difference in the finished product.

You will need 115cm (45”) to 150cm (54”) fabric in the length that you want the skirt portion of the dress to be plus 2cm (3/4”) for the top gathering and 4cm (1.5”) for the hem allowance.  115cm fabric will be fine for the smaller sizes, 2 and 4, but you will want the wider fabric for size 6 and 8 so that the skirt is nice and full.  You can join pieces to make the width.  I would recommend that you use two pieces the same width and use the joins as side seams instead of the back seam.  You will also need matching thread and a sewing machine of course.

Cut the fabric to the length that you want and overcast finish all of the cut edges.  Sew up the side to make a seam that will be at the centre back.  If you have used two pieces of fabric to make a wider skirt, join both sides to make two side seams.

Sew a long stitch gathering thread 1cm (3/8”) in from the top edge.  Leave a long end to pull for gathers.  Sew a second long stitch line 2cm (3/4”) from the top edge again leaving a long end to pull.  Tie of the threads at the start and, using either the top or bobbin threads only, pulling both end threads at once, gather the top of the skirt to fit to your finished and blocked bodice.  When you have the right size, tie off and trim your thread ends.

Sew a regular line of stitches between the two gathering lines to secure the gathers.  Sew a second line at the top edge where your overcasting is.  Pull out the gathering threads.

Pin the skirt inside the bodice at the line where your crochet trim starts, centering the seam at the centre back if one or at each side if two.  Carefully back stitch the skirt into place sewing through the top of the skirt and through the inside of the first row of single crochet so that the stitching does not show on the outside of the bodice.  I used two plies of the yarn that I knit the bodice with so that any stray stitches wouldn’t show.

Pin up and blind stitch the hem and, with a final press, your pretty little dress is ready to wear!

Knitting

Pink Ice Cream For Summer

Iris Rose

It is almost summer, yay!  I love this time of the year the best.  It is a time of promise, watching new plants grow, dreaming of the fruit and berries to come.  Do you think I like food?  It is also a time to look forward to swimming at the lake, walking in the park and just generally enjoying the outdoors.

This brings me, of course, to outdoor crafting.  When you are working in the heat, it is nice to have something small to knit or crochet.  If, like me, you have grandkids to spoil or maybe your own babies to create for, this is a good time to work on the little clothes that are such fun to make and look so cute.

I designed this little jumper (or tunic dress) for our oldest granddaughter a few years ago and didn’t take any pictures at the time so I have recreated it to include multiple sizes and what I hope are clear instructions.

I am including it here now as a gift to you for reading my blog.  It will be on Ravelry next week as a paid pattern.

It is kind of mindless knitting but sometimes, especially this time of the year, that’s okay.  I hope that you enjoy my latest pattern and that you will share a photo of your finished jumper with me.

Pink Ice Cream Jumper

This pretty little jumper is knit from the bottom up in the round starting with the ruffle.  The buttons are sewn onto the straps with the buttonholes in the bodice which allow you to easily move the buttons to make the jumper grow a little bit with your kidlet.  The bodice is designed to fit snuggly with a stretchy fabric.

You can make the ruffle in a different colour from the body and add a third colour at the bodice.  I have made this pattern in a self striping yarn as well and it was very cute worn over a coordinating Tshirt.

 

Sizes: 6 months, 1, 1 ½, 2, 3.  Chest is designed with negative ease of 1.25cm or ½”.

Gauge: 24 stitches x 31 rows = 10cm or 4″

Materials:  300 to 350m or 330 to 390 yds of baby or sport weight yarn, two buttons.

Tools: 4mm (US6), 60cm (24″) circular needle, stitch holder, stitch marker.

Abbreviations:           k = knit

p = purl

k2tog = knit 2 stitches together

 

To begin: Cast on 260 (264, 276, 280, 292) stitches and join being careful not to twist stitches. I used a long tail cast on but a cable cast on is pretty too.  If you have trouble joining in the round with this many stitches, work the garter rows back and forth and join after that so that you can see if your work is twisted.  You can use your cast on tail to sew the garter piece closed and no one will know the difference.  Place a marker at the join to mark the beginning of your rounds.

 

Ruffle:

Rounds 1 to 4: Garter stitch (in the round, knit 1 row, purl 1 row).

Rounds 5 to 14: Stocking stitch (in the round, knit every row).

Round 15: k2tog around. 130 (132, 138, 140, 146) stitches remain).

Skirt:

Work in stocking stitch until the body piece measures 15.25, (20.25, 25, 30.5, 35.5) cm or 6 (8, 10, 12, 14)” total including the ruffle.  This measurement is a guide only.  Stop when you think that the skirt is long enough for your child.

Bodice:

All stitches will be worked as k1, p1 rib for the remainder of the jumper.

Round 1: k1, p1, repeat from marker to marker.

Repeat Round 1: 7 (9, 11, 15, 17) more times.

Next Round: Cast off 10 (13, 14, 16, 17) stitches st, work 50 (52, 54, 54, 56) stitches in k1, p1 rib, cast off 10 (13, 14, 16, 17) stitches, work 50 (52, 54, 54, 56) stitches in k1, p1 rib.  Remove marker.

You will be working back and forth from here on.

Place the first 50 (52, 54, 54, 56) stitches (back piece) on a holder as you will now be working back and forth over the last 50 (52, 54, 54, 56) (front piece) stitches.  You can leave the first batch of stitches on the needle and just work back and forth on the front stitches if you don’t want to move them to a stitch holder.

Rows 1 to 10: k2tog through the back loop, k1, p1 to last two stitches, k2tog.  You are decreasing 1 stitch each end and will have a total of 30 (32, 34, 34, 36) stitches remaining on Row 10.

Rows 11 to 15: k1, p1 to end of the row.

Row 16: Make buttonholes: Maintaining k1, p1 rib, work 4 stitches, k2tog, yo, k1, p1 for 18 (20, 22, 22, 24) stitches, yo, k2tog, k1, p1 over remaining 4 stitches.

Row 17 to 21: k1, p1 to end of row.

Cast off tightly to keep top edge from stretching.

Transfer the second (back) set of 50 (52, 54, 54, 56) stitches from the holder to your working needle.

Rows 1 to 10: k2tog through the back loop, k1, p1 to last two stitches, k2tog.  You are decreasing 1 stitch each end and will have a total of 30 (32, 34, 34, 36) stitches remaining on Row 10.

Rows 11 to 21: k1, p1 to end of row.

Row 22: Work the first 8 stitches in k1, p1 rib, cast off next 14 (16, 18, 18, 20) stitches (tightly to minimize stretch), work the last 8 stitches in k1, p1 rib.

Place the first 8 stitches on the stitch holder or leave it on your needle if you are comfortable working on the second 8 stitches with the first hanging.

 

Straps:

Rows 1 to 49: k1, p1 to end of row.  If you want a shorter strap, cast off when you reach the length that looks good to you.  I made mine extra long so that the buttons could be moved for grow room.

Cast off.  Transfer the remaining 8 stitches from the stitch holder and repeat Rows 1 to 49, cast off.  Block lightly, weave in ends and sew buttons to ends of straps to fit snugly to shoulders.