NuttyIrishmanKnits

So many flowers, so little time.

Butterfull by Anna Hrachovec of Mochimochi Land.
Knitted in Malabrigo Merino Worsted, small amounts Vetiver, Molly, & Jacinto.
Knitted on US size 6 Crystal Palace DPN's.
Ravelers see her here.

And here is Butterfull, the most recent design of Anna Hrachovec, better known to we knitters as  Mochimochi Land.  And just in case you've been wondering, my friend got the correct pronunciation from Anna and it is pronounced chi like in chicken.  So now we know!  (And I was not saying it correctly.)  Butterfull is my niece Rachel's birthday present I wrote about in my last post, and now, I can package up both Butterfull and Zoe and send them on their way back home. 

Butterfull was a lot of fun to knit, and used very little yarn at all.  The hardest thing for me was, as usual, placement!  And all I'm saying is... you can hide a lot in strategically placed photos!  Just thinking of putting on those six little legs again makes me shiver.  Whew... glad that part is over!  But overall I really enjoyed knitting her.  And it never hurts to get your hands on some Malabrigo either!  (Aside to my sister-in-law Tara:  do NOT wash these toys!  They will felt in the washer.  You'll have to hand wash or spot clean, or better yet, just let 'em get loved on.)

I am making one more Butterfull for a toy class we have coming up at the yarn shop, and I am planning on using up some leftover Cascade 220.  And I also plan on sticking to the pattern instructions, including dying and dead flowers.  So sad!

I know I have very little knitting to show lately, we've been house hunting, and things get crazy with that.  Plus with only a week and a half left of school, we've had programs and tests (my third-grader just had to name all the capitals and countries of Western & Eastern Europe.  When did the Soviet Republic dissolve?  JOKE!) ...all that stuff that keeps a mama hopping!  And I have been in a terrible habit lately of starting and frogging.  But I do have several other projects over 75% completed, so my plan is to finish these up over the next couple of weeks and NOT CAST ON ANYTHING NEW.  I'm planning on you guys holding me to it!  (Heh.)  I hope everyones knitting is coming along well!  I've enjoyed seeing a lot of your great FO's on Flickr and Rav.  I guess for me Spring is just a tough time to stay focused on the knits.  There seem to be so many other things that are priority right now, but it sure does feel awkward not to have needles in my hands all the time.  Hopefully that's changing, soon!  Happy Knitting!

Good Things in Small Packages

Baby Elephant from Hansigurumi.
Knitted with Cascade 220 wool, small amounts of pink and gray.
Knitted on US size 3 Crystal Palace Bamboo DPN's.
Pattern Modifications:  Decreased and pulled through remaining stitches for foot pad rather than picking up stitches along bottom of leg, and used only one contrasting color.
Ravelers find Zoe here.

Meet Zoe, named after, and soon to be mailed to my niece as a belated gift for her fifth birthday.  Zoe is another great creation of Hansi Singh of Hansigurumi.  I started this baby elephant yesterday morning and finished her up by noon today.   And I really had a great time with this pattern because, minus attaching the head, there was no seaming at all.  (Did I just say that... about a toy?)  Yes, it's true!  No seaming.   But I'm not going to lie, if I were a beginning knitter I would stick to one of  Hansi's easier patterns, like the octopus for example.  This pattern is pretty darn fickle, and at times I think I had every size 3 DPN I own sticking out somewhere.  No seaming is wonderful, but to be able to do that with such a small pattern, you make up for it with picking up little stitches in lots of little places.

I am such a Hansigurumi fan.  Her patterns are so unique and you are never bored while knitting them.  I think I knitted four straight rows in the entire elephant.  Not to mention you get to practice lots of fun knitting techniques that you don't always use everyday.  For this pattern I learned the Three Needle Bindoff, which was really easy, but I've just never needed it before!

Zoe's birthday was actually a couple of months ago, and I am way behind in getting this off to her, but her sister Rachel also has a birthday coming up, so I'm off to make one more toy to go in the gift package from Kansas.  Hopefully they won't notice! 

I modified the tail for the baby elephant as well  in this pattern.  The original called for picking up stitches and knitting a semi-tube.  But quite frankly, I was tired of picking up stitches, so instead I opted for using three scrap strands of my main color yarn and pulling them through a stitch, then braiding.  And of course I left Zoe some "fringe" to shoo flies.  I also zigzagged a little Z on there for Miss Zoe so hopefully she and Rachel won't fight over the baby elephant!  (I've got two myself, they fight over everything...)

And I sure do love the little face on this baby elephant!  I think we're going to miss her around here.  For some reason, we all seem to get attached to all the little toys I knit.  I had plans to knit two, one for Zoe and one for Rachel.  But I'm really thinking I'm going to do another Hansigurumi pattern for Rachel.  Rachel is a bit older and I think she would really get a kick out of a Dumbo Octopus, or Squid-a-licious, or maybe even a big 'ol Cuttlefish.  But any way you look at it, I know the oldest kid in the bunch (namely, me!) will have a blast in the process! 

 

"Bea" is for Bunny

Easter Bunny by Barbara Prime
knitted in Cascade 220 wool, dark brown, chambray, soft pink, and hot pink; Nashua Handknits cotton dk, white
knitted on US 3 Crystal Palace 8" DPN's
Ravelers find Bea here.

The Easter bunny came by our house this year and delivered Annabelle a new little friend.  Meet "Bea," short for Beatrice, and named in honor of Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith Show.  Aunt Bea is currently Annabelle's favorite TV personality, and she spends most days quoting Andy and Opie's favorite aunt.  So when it came time to name Annabelle's new bunny, it was a no brainer.

This is my second toy I've knitted from one of Barbara's patterns, and they are such a joy to knit.  I just started Bea yesterday, and even with all the added touches Annabelle and I came up with, I was still finished before the kids got up this morning.  For this bunny, we decided to embellish her quite a bit, but at the same time, keep those embellishments simple.  We decided on little blue shoes with white lacey socks and a pink and blue striped dress to match.  And of course, Bea had to be a chocolate bunny! 

Adding extras on to one of these little patterns is pretty easy.  The trick is in the finishing.  To really make for a clean bunny, anywhere I picked up stitches I came back later and added a single chain of crochet along the edge to clean it up.   And for me, picking up stitches off of the body of the bunny is much easier in dress making than making a separate dress. 

As for the lacey socks, before seaming and stuffing, I picked up stitches along the edge of Bea's shoe in a smaller dk weight yarn, making sure I had an even number of stitches.  Then I knitted in stockinette for four rows.  After that I used a two-stitch picot edge bind off*.  That's it!

Annabelle is beside me right now asking if I want to watch Bea do her happy dance.  So I guess I'm off to a dance recital!  Knitting these little toys is so much fun.  But to hear your little girl in her room, playing with all her knitted toys... why, that's just Bea...utiful!

*Two-Stitch Picot Edge Bind Off:

At the beginning of your work, on the left needle, cast on 2 stitches using the backward-loop.
*Bind off 4 stitches, and place last stitch cast off back onto left needle.
Cast on 2 stitches and repeat from * until all stitches have been bound off.  Weave in any ends.

Spring is in the Air...

Easter Eggs by Little Cotton Rabbits
knitted in Rowan Wool Cotton, #954, #941, #951, and Rowan Handknit Cotton, #205
using US size 2 (2.75mm) circulars, knitted back and forth
Pattern Modification:  for the mini-eggs, I cut Julie's original pattern in half both length and width, and worked 8 pattern rows instead of 12.
Ravelers see them here.

It's getting to be that time of year... my herbs from last year are starting to poke their heads out from their pots, I'm noticing tulips appearing around town, and the park was a virtual madhouse yesterday with kids covering every possible surface.  Spring!  And that also means Easter is just around the corner. 

When I saw Julie's adorable Easter eggs on Flickr way back in January I queued them then.  Both her photography and design were way too cute for me to resist wanting to knit them.  And now that we are beginning preparations for the holiday, I knew it was definitely time!

Tonight at our LYS I'm teaching a class on stranded-colorwork and Shelly, the shop owner, wanted something that could be finished in the two-hour time alloted.  Hmmm.  Colorwork in under two hours.  What colorwork pattern can be finished, beginning to end, in two hours?  Aha!  And I was off to my Ravelry queue to find the Little Cotton Rabbit's eggs from two months ago.

The kids and I have been crafting the last couple of days.  Actually, they've been crafting.  I just buy the kits.  We've had little foam chicks and eggs all over the table, and now I've just got to stick them to craft paper cards, assign each a name, and they are ready to be delivered at school tomorrow.  Spring break is coming up next week and we are heading to the river for a few days of relaxation and fly fishing.  But before heading out, they wanted to make Easter cards for all their buddies. 

So between the chicks, eggs, yarn, filling, and goodness knows what else, our kitchen table has been barely visible for a while now!  But I've really enjoyed knitting Julie's pattern, and still have several more eggs to knit.  The egg is knit flat and then seamed (yep, there's that word again) using a mattress stitch.  Thankfully with all the toys I've been knitting lately I'm really getting to practice my finishing. 

And I am really getting a kick out of all the emails and links you guys have been sending me regarding toys and amigurumi.  I really need to knit something else for a bit, huh?  Actually, you're just giving me more patterns to add to my ever-expanding queue!  I'm so addicted to them!  But with Easter just around the corner I've still got a few petit fours and eggs to finish.  Not to mention a Easter Bunny.  Okay, after that, I really am going to turn my attention to wearables again.  Oh, I nearly forgot!  I did cast on the Brea Bag by Berocco the other night.  And have completed exactly four rows.  That should count for something, right? 

Gus the Octopus

Octopus by Hansigurumi
knitted in Lion Brand Wool, paprika and sage
using US size 3 Hiya Hiya DPN's
Pattern Modification:  picked up stitches along CO edge of tentacles and knit together using 3 needles rather than seaming CO and BO edge with whip stitch.
Ravelers find Gus here

Maybe you noticed above that I modified this pattern.  Not much, just enough to avoid seaming!  The idea of whip-stitching eight tentacles gave me chills, so instead I decided to pick up stitches and knit together with the tentacle, then bind off the whole caboodle.  It worked great, and saved me a lot of time! 

I am on such a toy kick lately.  I can't help it.  I'm in serious need of instant gratification and toys rock that arena out.  And it's also a great opportunity to work on my, dare I say that nasty four letter word?  Okay yeah I will,  the dreaded seam.  You know it's funny, I've been reading your funny comments and emails and everyone says the same thing... seaming stinks! Maybe it's because;

    •it takes as long to seam as it does to knit, and

   •if you're a good knitter (which you all are) it can really be a let down to not have your finished object look as neat as you think it should.

I know for me I can relate to both.  I'm not saying I'm all that and a bag of chips when it comes to knitting, but my stitches are uniform and I can read a pattern pretty well.  And to have a cute little toy go and sit up on a shelf gathering dust just ain't right!  They are meant to be gifted, played with, or at least put within view on that shelf.  (Y'all know what I'm talking about.)

All that said, I'm really pleased with how Gus turned out.  I think I should have started with this pattern, as it was much easier than the Dumbo Octopus, and it really makes me want to reknit the other now that I understand Hansi's instructions a bit better.  And he was stinkin' fast to knit.  I mean really fast; a few hours at most!  Certainly modifying the tentacles saved time and I cheated on the eyeballs, opting for the plastic safety eyes instead.  But I think they give him a sort of soulful gaze, or maybe that's all part of his strategy, to tug at my heartstrings and then... gulp.

I used Lion Brand Wool on this project.  And I've got to say, I'm not the biggest fan of this wool.  It tends to overwork really easily, getting fuzzy quickly if you need to tink.  I ended up re-knitting the head and mantle because the wool became so worn looking when I needed to redo a couple rows.  Gus looked like he'd gone a few rounds with a sea turtle before he was even finished.

And both Ben and Annabelle thought he was Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants, so I guess you know what's next... yep, Squid-a-licious.  But I think I've gotten my fill of toys for a few days.  I really want to cast on something else.  I've queued Anouk by Kate Gilbert on Ravelry.  Now may be a good time to get started on it.  It's sixty degrees here today and such warm weather makes me wishful for Spring!  But first, it's laundy and coffee time.  And now that I think of it, did I even make the beds this morning?  Hmmm.

Dumbo? Who you callin' a dumbo?

Dumbo Octopus by Hansigurumi
knitted in Cascade 220 wool, periwinkle and turquoise
knitted on HiyaHiya DPN's, size US 3
Ravelers see him here

Who are we calling a dumbo?  Certainly not this little guy!  Grimpoteuthis, also known as the "Dumbo Octopus," is a pretty crafty little sea creature, hovering just above the ocean floor to find snails, worms, and other goodies.  Known for their distinguishing fins or "ears" they use jet propulsion to get around.  How's that for ingenuity?

And speaking of ingenuity, let's talk about Hansi Singh.  I can't even begin to imagine how she came up with all these adorable sea critters, or how she figured out how to knit them!  Dumbo being my first Hansigurumi pattern I was a bit nervous, there are some great looking creatures out there.  And once I got started on my eight legs (with webbing!) I was pretty much in awe of Hansi's eye.  The stitches are so well defined, especially when using Cascade 220, and the pattern is easy to follow with great diagrams to help you along.  But these patterns are certainly not for the faint hearted.  I had to use several knitting techniques that aren't in my daily repertoire; grafting, picking up stitches, M1L and M1R, just to name a few.  I had to spend some tutorial time on knittinghelp.com just to figure out the difference between M1L and M1R.  The difference is slight, and even Hansi admits only the pickiest of knitters will notice. 

But I must say, I think I could easily become a Amigurumaniac (maybe I should start a group on Ravelry...).  These toys are so unique and would be a blast to collect.  Plus, with so many friends having babies or with small children they would make really unique and funky gifts.  Not to mention great learning tools.  Annabelle and I had a little science lesson this morning while playing with Dumbo. 

I am excited that I went ahead and ordered the collection of four patterns from Hansigurumi, which includes the dumbo octopus, octopus, squid, and cuttlefish.  These fun little patterns should keep me busy for quite a while! Goodness knows I have plenty of Cascade 220 in my stash.  And at only $6 a skein, I can certainly pick up any additional colors I might need.  So, kudos to Hansi!  These patterns are adorable and a lot of fun.  And I think I could even get used to all the seaming that is involved because the end result is well worth the effort.  Although, in the wee-hours of this morning, I found myself emailing and surfing patterns on Ravelry rather than finishing my last eyeball!  I am a mediocre finisher at best.  On a scale to 10 I'd give myself about a 5, and that's being generous.  In the future I might cheat and use black plastic safety eyes rather than knit the eyeballs.  Certainly, the knitted one's are the best, but I so stink at placement that I really work myself into a tizzy.  Who knows what I'll do... but I do know I've got three more patterns to figure it out on!

Tastes Just Like Chicken

String Beanerina by Emily Stoneking (aka Crafty Hedgehog)
Malabrigo Worsted Wool, apple green, Cascade 220 wool, soft-pink, and Yarn Bee Airy, tutu pink
knitted on US 3 HiyaHiya DPN's
Ravelers see Olivia here

No, this isn't an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmer.  But where I come from, frog legs are certainly a delicacy!  While I finished Olivia today, her legs and arms hung out in a mason jar until ready to be assembled.  And here she is...

Meet Olivia, my String Beanerina, and a prima ballerina to be sure.  Yesterday I discovered the yarn I was wanting to use for Olivia's tutu on SALE at Hobby Lobby, so I knew it was time to knit her.  There's just something about paying $5.88 for novelty yarn that I can't bear to do.  Especially when I know it probably won't be used again.  So when I saw it marked down to $.99 I was all about making my beanerina.  Then last night I was reading Alice's post on her froggie and was officially inspired.  So today, I give you Olivia.

I love knitting Emily's patterns!  They are so well written and fast!  I started Olivia last night and finished her by noon today.  And I thought Alice's idea of adding pipe cleaners to her froggies legs was brilliant.  But not having any of my own, I got Andy to cut strips of coat hanger for mine, and now her arms and legs can be bent in any number of combinations.  (Believe me, I know, I've been playing with the toys again...)

I didn't make any changes to the pattern.  It knit up so quickly, by the time I would be getting a groove on for a particular section, it was time to shift gears and move on to the next.  What I really love about this pattern is that there are actually three patterns for the price of one; String Beanerina, String Bean, and Marcel the Mime.  All adorable, and amazingly, each with their own personality. 

And it looks like I may actually be on the mend from last week's flu.  This little girl certainly improved any lingering foul mood I may have been experiencing.  She is sweet to look at, fun to play with, and anxious to meet Miss Annabelle at the door when she arrives from school today!

Nate Needs a Date

Frog Prince by Emily Stoneking (Crafty Hedgehog)
knitted in Berroco Peruvia, leaf green, using US size 3 needles
Ravelers find Nate here

Meet Nate.  Nate is a flirtatious charmer with a fantastic personality.  Fun loving and spontaneous, Nate loves naps by the stream, sunbathing, and insect collecting.  Nate is the sensitive sort, hoping to find that special someone looking for more than just a physical attraction, but someone who will love him for who he is.   No doubt about it ladies, Nate could be your Prince Charming...

Now tell me, who could resist this face?  Nate is a hottie.  That is for sure!  And we are all in love with him at our house.  Made for Annabelle's good friend, Alex, Nate is just what the doctor ordered to make any child giggle uncontrollably.  I know, I've got two that have had the giggles since Nate was introduced. 

Nate is Crafty Hedgehog's (aka Emily Stoneking's) Frog Prince.  And this was such a fun, fast knit!  I started Nate yesterday after finally putting the buttons on Noah's Bootees and was finished with him this evening.  It doesn't seem right that something so small would even take that long, but there is quite a bit of placement and seaming.  And I probably took longer than necessary on deciding what position I wanted his little legs and arms in.  (Okay, truth is I was playing with the frog!  I'm telling you, he is so stinkin' cute!)

I have a seemingly unending supply of Berroco Peruvia in my stash.  I have no earthly idea how I ended up with so much of the stuff.  And green!  I have several shades of green, all of which will undoubtedly go into more froggies.  The only thing that is driving me nuts about this particular yarn is that it keeps pulling apart when seaming.  I used the same yarn for Sheldon and had the same experience.  It's quite frustrating.  But I'll muddle through considering I have about 600 grams of it.  (I know!  Really, I have no idea...)

But I won't complain too much about the yarn, Nate turned out so darn adorable.  So for this evening, I think I'm actually going to shut down this computer, find my green froggie pajamas, and settle little Nate in on the nightstand next to the bed.  Daisy the cat has been stalking him for a couple hours now and I don't want her getting any big ideas once it's lights out.  And then tomorrow Nate will be boxed up with a pretty green ribbon and hand-delivered to his new home.  We'll miss the little guy around here, but it's good to know that maybe Nate, had a date, all along!

Funny Valentines

Playtime Petit Fours by Jennifer Adams

While the boys are fishing today, Annabelle and I are making and wrapping valentines.  Ben's plan was to head out early this morning... his exact words were "Dad and I are getting up at 3:30, Mom."  Dad's spontaneous expression indicated I should add a couple hours to that proclamation.  And by the time they were officially out the door I had added more than a couple.   I  just wonder if they are really at the lake or at IHOP eating pancakes.

Yesterday was "errand day" as my Grandmother always called Saturday.  And I finally found some cute little "cake" boxes* for Annabelle's Petit Fours.  I think the sweetest thing about knitting these little valentines has been Annabelle's assertion early into each knit as to whom each petit four belongs to.  "This one is definitely Addison's... oh Mom, this just looks like Lanna..." I wish I had a picture of her expression as I would add beads, or leaves.  She is quite the micro-manager!

Today I plan on finishing up some unfinished knits.  I have a pair of booties lacking buttons and a bunny lacking its head.  So while Annabelle glues hearts to lollipop tags, I am going to station myself beside her at the table and knit away!

* I found small craft boxes at Michaels that are the exact size for the little petit fours.

Sheldon

Fuzzy Lamb by Barbara Prime
knitted in Berroco Peruvia, heather & Cascade 220 wool, navy,
embellished with a pair of my grandmother's antique buttons (!)
Ravelers find Sheldon here

Meet Sheldon.  This little guy was just itching to be introduced yesterday, and therefore when we woke up and found several inches of snow on the ground,  Annabelle and I decided it was time to get started.  With Benjamin still snoozing in the bed, Annie and I pulled down several baskets of wool and played with colors until we found Sheldon.  And this little sheep was ready to go!

Sheldon was an amazingly fast knit.  With both kids home from school yesterday, I knitted off and on all day, and was still finished with this little lamb by last night.   I queued several Fuzzy Mitten patterns on Ravelry just a couple days ago, but Fuzzy Lamb stood out.  Mainly because it was free.  (There!  I said it!)  And the pattern was so easy to follow that I'm looking forward to knitting a couple more, and then there are the bunnies... thankfully I have plenty of wool!  So there are more fun projects that are almost-instant gratification!

And speaking of instant gratification, I published Playtime Petit Fours on Ravelry and NIK Monday evening around 10:00 and woke up Tuesday morning to find this knitted by Crystal in West Virginia!   That girl is fast!  You can find more of Crystal's knits at her blog Backyard Academy, where Crystal has been knitting "a thing a day" which I think is a really fun idea. 

And finally, I have been tagged with "You Make My Day," by Minerva Turkey.  Thank you so much Ms. Turkey!  Shannon is such a great knitter with a great eye for color.  But I think my favorite knit (and many other folks as well) is her Backyard Gnome by Alan Dart.  As a matter of fact, it may be my favorite version of Dart's famous Gnome.   And I'm guessing the idea with this honor is that you "tag" someone too.  So I'm going to have to tag my friend across the pond, Ulla, and you can find her fabulous goodies at her blog, Lille-Ursus, or her website.  Ulla's ability to pick out amazing fabrics just "ain't" fair to we American chicks.  She has  Scandinavian-minimalism down pat!  A style which I adore, and swear I am going to do in my own home as soon as my children are out the door and I can actually have "white" without having a meltdown simultaneously.  (She's got a recipe thrown in there as well... yum-mo  and many thanks Ulla!)

Playtime Petit Fours

Playtime Petit Fours by Jennifer Adams
Nashua Handknits Creative Focus, cotton dk
Ravelers queue it here

I am so excited about this little pattern!  Growing up, I loved to have afternoon tea with all my stuffed buddies.  I would set the table, put on my prettiest dress with my mother's purse and shoes, and round up the gang for at least thirty minutes of uninterrupted "conversation."  Thankfully, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and Annabelle enjoys afternoon tea as much as I did!

And what afternoon tea is complete without something sweet?  For we Southern girls, that translates into Petit Fours.  Sweet little cakes that disappear with one bite (if your mouth is big enough).  Most tea-times were adorned with Oreos, or Chips Ahoy, but once in a blue moon... Petit Fours.

For the last two weeks my email has been flooded with busy moms planning the Valentine's party for our kiddos.  And with the flurry of activity and correspondence, I decided to do something a bit different.  Something that would last longer than the time it took for my daughter to pull off the wrapper and inhale whatever sweet was inside.  Hence, Playtime Petit Fours.  I knitted these using Nashua Creative Focus cotton dk and US 3 DPN's.  These little treats are so quick and easy to knit you could knit them in any number of colors or patterns of colors.  I chose to knit several wrappers first, and the embellishments whenever I had a spare moment.  Then, when I was ready to complete a petit four, all I had to do was knit the icing top and assemble the different parts.

I hope you enjoy Playtime Petit Fours.  Annabelle is gifting hers in little boxes with pretty ribbons.  And thankfully I have several prototypes on the shelf for she and her stuffed buddies to devour at tea tomorrow.  So as long as Annabelle wants to assemble her friends for afternoon tea, Mom will have Petit Fours to go around!

Sneak Peek

Playtime Petit Fours by Jennifer Adams
Nashua Handknits Creative Focus, cotton dk
Ravelers queue it here

Remember how I said I've been knitting a lot lately, but with little to show for it?  Meet "little."  I wanted to give you a sneak peek of my new pattern, Playtime Petit Fours,  that will be available on NIK tomorrow.  With Valentine's Day just a few days away, I wanted Annabelle to be able to give her Valentines' something special and yummy that wouldn't require a trip to the dentist!  Of course, we will have a few suckers tucked in with our Valentines this year, but this little treat with it's raspberry and mint leaves, will last longer than the tearing off of the wrapper! 

So check back tomorrow for complete pattern instructions for Playtime Petit Fours.  And in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this little sneak peek!