on the merits of toy knitting

batty cuddles

This charming face belongs to a little bat. He is a bat snuggle buddy who has been washed and blocked and is waiting patiently to go and meet his new best friend. In the mean time, the Little Pea took him for a test flight:



Last week's toy was a bear made from organic cotton, using a Jess Hutch pattern. I'm still planning to combine the organic cotton and the basic snuggle buddy pattern to make some more floppy little snugglers for one or two of the other babies in my life.

I'm all the time downloading cute toy patterns and then finding myself dissatisfied with the finished product because the stuffing shows through no matter how tightly I try to knit it (last week's bear being a case in point). The instructions always say "knit tightly!" and tell you to use needles smaller than the ball band recommends, but pull and strain as I might, my stitches are never tight enough to hide the stuffing. And you know, getting carpal tunnel is not the reason that I took up toy-knitting. It's really not that fun to strain your finger tendons - and toys are supposed to be fun, not to make you mutter and curse under your breath.

This bat was actually an exception, since the yarn I used (Berrocco Plush) is super-nubbly and the stuffing couldn't make itself seen if it tried. Despite the no-felting, I am happy with it.

But generally speaking, I really prefer a felted toy. I like knitting things that will be felted because you can knit easy-breezy big old sloppy loose stitches, and in the end not one smidgen of stuffing will show. I like felting because it's approximate - like cooking, which I enjoy, as opposed to crafts like book-making or carpentry which require precise measurements and straight lines and other skills that I will never master. Felting is an even more laid-back iteration of knitting, which is already a pretty approximate, don't-overthink-it kind of craft to begin with. And really, I think that's the sort of attitude you need when making a toy.

Lately I've been thinking about making some more birds' nests, a great felting toy. I hope to share some more birds in their nests in a few weeks (trying to be realistic about my pace at completing projects these days). It will be done, some time. I'm not going to strain my finger tendons over it.


naptime!

free pattern friday::sundrop

one day i'll take some better photos!

This sweet sun hat will take your baby or toddler from the playground to the beach and back again. The brim is worked in a tight gauge to give it some firmness, while the body is knit in a looser gauge with a simple but pretty eyelet lace design that adds a little ventilation. Add the optional ties if your little one likes to yank off hats (and who doesn’t?). This is a fun, quick summer knit. Find a bright summer color that you like, and use a firm, washable cotton or cotton/linen blend yarn.

materials
1 ball Lion Cotton or similar worsted-weight cotton yarn
US size 3 double-pointed needles (3.25 mm)
US size 7 double-pointed needles (4.5 mm)
US size 7 crochet hook (4.5 mm) – or whatever you have on hand that’s close
tapestry needle
stitch markers in 2 colors
Use whichever needle sizes you need to get the correct gauge!

gauge
larger needles: 15 stitches / 24 rows / 4 inches
smaller needles: 20 stitches / 29 rows / 4 inches

sizes
0-6 mos (6-18 mos, 18 mos – 3 years, 4-6 years)

measurements
0-6 mos: 14 inches
6-18 mos: 16 inches
18 mos – 3 years: 18 inches
4-6 years: 21 inches



brim
Using smaller needles, *cast on 19 (20, 21, 23) stitches, place a marker, repeat from * until you have 114 (120, 138, 150) stitches.
Place a marker in a different color to mark the end of the round, and join to knit in the round. Knit 4 rounds in stockinette stitch (K every round).
R5: K1, P1 to end (this ridge will stop the brim from rolling any further).
R6: Knit

Decrease round: *K2tog, K to 2 stitches before the next marker, SSK, slip marker. Repeat from * to end. 12 stitches decreased.
Next round: Knit
Repeat these last two rows until 54 (60, 66, 78) stitches remain.

hat body
Change to larger needles.
Knit one round, removing the markers as you go (leaving in place the marker that marks the start of each round).

Next round: Knit, adding the eyelets for ties as you go (optional!).

How to add eyelets: K 14 (15, 16, 19), YO, K2tog. K 24 (28, 30, 38), YO, K2tog. K to end.
Even if you’re not sure whether you will want to use the ties, I think it makes sense to go ahead and make the eyelets, so that they’re there if you need them. They won’t look funny if you don’t end up using them.

Knit 2 more rounds.

Next round:

For the 18 mos-3 yrs size: Knit this round, decreasing by 2 stitches, spacing the decreases evenly throughout the round.

For the 0-6 mos (6-18 mos, 4-6 yrs) sizes: Knit this round, increasing by 2 (4, 2) stitches, spacing the increases evenly throughout the round.

For all sizes: 56 (64, 64, 80) stitches remain.

Next round, begin Quatrefoil pattern.

quatrefoil pattern
Round 1 and all odd rounds: Knit
R2 and 3: Knit
R4: K3, *YO, SSK, K6. Repeat from * until 3 stitches remain in the round. K3.
R6: K1, * K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K3. Repeat from * until 2 stitches remain in the round. K2.
R8: Repeat round 4.
R10: Knit.
R12: K7, *YO, SSK, K6. Repeat from * until 1 stitch remains in the round. K1.
R14: K5, * K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK, K3. Repeat from * until 3 stitches remain in the round. K3.
R16: Repeat round 12.

For the 0-6 mos size, you will only knit the quatrefoil pattern once.

For the 6-18 mos and 18 mos-3 yrs sizes, repeat rows 1-8 of the quatrefoil pattern one time.

For the 4-6 yrs size, repeat the whole quatrefoil pattern one time.

Continue knitting in stockinette stitch until hat measures 4.25 (4.75, 5.5, 7.75) inches from the point where you changed to larger needles.

decrease for crown
R1: *K2, K2tog. Repeat from * to end.
R2: *K1, K2tog. Repeat from * to end.
R3: *K2tog. Repeat from * to end.
Repeat row 3 until there are 10 stitches remaining on your needles. Trim your yarn tail to about 6 inches and pull through the stitches, leaving a small eyelet open to top off the crown. Fasten securely inside and weave in the end.



ties (optional)
Using the crochet hook and 2 strands of yarn held together, crochet a single-chain chain that measures about 28 (32, 36, 42) inches long. Tie off tightly, weave in and trim ends. The chain will run around the outside of the hat across the back, down through one eyelet and back up through the other, passing under the baby’s chin (it does not run around the front side of the hat). Tie it in a bow on the outside of the hat where baby can’t easily reach it – for a crafty baby, this may mean that you may need to tie the bow all the way on the back side of the hat rather than just above the eyelet on one side. Babies can be awfully crafty, can’t they?

finishing
Weave in any loose yarn ends. Wash and block your hat.

I have found through painful experience that many bright cotton yarns are not particularly color-fast, so do wash this separately the first few times to make sure the color doesn’t run and ruin the rest of your laundry. You might consider adding a small amount of white vinegar to the water when you block the hat, to help set the color (unless the yarn ball band gives you different instructions).

non-commercial bit: These are free patterns and you are welcome to use them for all the non-commercial purposes you like. However, you may not reproduce the patterns to sell, and you may not sell what you make with them. You may donate what you make with them to charity, and you may use them for charity fundraisers only if 100% of the proceeds are donated to the charity (and by charity I don't mean your kid's college fund). Thanks for understanding!

oops

may i distract you with this cute bear in the garden?

I said there would be a pattern on Friday. And here it is Saturday.... and here we are patternless.

Sorry about that.

The pattern is ready but lacks a suitable picture. This is often my big hold-up with a new pattern. This is one of those dumb cases where I knitted the thing (two of them, actually), and then gifted it without getting any suitable photos. So, I will either have to knit another in a size to fit the Little Pea and then enlist her in a photo shoot (dicey! could take ages! photo shoot may go badly!), or I will have to bite the bullet and use the thoroughly unsuitable photo that I already have. *sigh*

Anyhow, my dithering has cost us a patternless Friday, and for that I apologize.

In the mean time, here's a cute bear! I made him with Jess Hutch's Henry pattern, just as a way to try out some Lion Organic Cotton that was on clearance at the fabric store. The Little Pea has so far shown no interest in him whatsoever.

Now I'm working on a snuggle monster for my friend's little one. I was in the yarn shop yesterday and they had one of these Fuzzy Bunnies made with a free Lion Brand crochet pattern. I don't crochet, but the Little Pea has a store-bought toy just like this - it's basically a washcloth with a bunny head on it (except hers is a duck).

The yarn I grabbed for this reminds me so much of Oscar the Grouch - so instead of a bunny, this little thing will be a friendly monster. I started it yesterday afternoon and I'm just about to make the head. Quick and fun! I may try an earthy one next in organic cotton, since I still have plenty of that clearance yarn left.

Coming soon though will some more birds and birds' nests. The Little Pea loves her nest of birds so much, I think that nests may become the new Official Baby Gift around here. I'm thinking of hummingbirds next - adorably tiny!

happy happy may may!

It's May!

Flowers are blooming like crazy and the garden is giving up salad like nobody's business. Things are nutty-busy at work and the Little Pea is growing so fast and eating so much that I can't seem to prepare meals fast enough or frequently enough. But this beautiful breeze and the general spirit of "hooray spring!" makes it all so much fun.

So... in the spirit of spring growth and rebirth, I have some exciting news to share:

First, there's a free pattern coming your way this Friday. Wahoo! It's about time! This will be a quick, fun summer baby knit. Stay tuned!

Also... maybe I've mentioned once or twice three hundred times on this blog how much I love Blue Sky Alpacas line of organic cotton yarns (and all their scrumptious alpaca yarns too). I've designed quite a few little items with their yarn, and this month they are featuring my Bumpy Jacket & Hat as their free pattern of the month! Whee!


packed in a Pretty Cheep project bag

Thanks so much to the Blue Sky Alpacas staff for the shout-out, and especially for the luscious little bundle I received from them in the mail as my thank you: two skeins of Suri Merino in the most amazing earthy orange color you've ever seen. It is as soft as... well, as a suri or something. What should I do with it??? I'm thinking of an elegant fall scarf or cowl for me. Any suggestions?

I also have a long-overdue thanks to Géraldine from Filature du Valgaudemar, one of the oldest family-owned spinning mills in France. They have been spinning since 1830, and today Géraldine is producing wonderful yarns and hoping to infuse France's traditional knitters with more of the energy and fun that we're all sharing through things like Ravelry, Knitty and our neighborhood Stitch & Bitch groups (apparently the French knitters might have a little catching up to do... allons!).


Merci beaucoups!

Anyhow, Géraldine translated one of my patterns, the Mossy Jacket, into French, and in the spirit of trans-national knitterly love, she sent me some wonderful Muande yarn from her mill! She chose two colors for me: Flamme and Souris. What a lovely gift!

So, folks... any thoughts? How should I use these two sweet little packages of yarney love???

mango-ginger coffee cake

This morning the Little Pea and I attended a lovely brunch for new mamas organized by our dear friend Nicole (a.k.a. Mrs. Love Party). We realized that there were a few of us with relatively new babies who could use a support group (ourselves most of all), so Nicole thoughtfully got a brunch together at her house.

I made this coffee cake, improvised because I had some over-ripe mangoes in the kitchen that needed to find their purpose in life. They served well - the coffee cake was scrumptious, and I just had to share the recipe (with a nod to Joy of Cooking for the basics)!

mango-ginger coffee cake

Bring your ingredients to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan.

Sift together:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Combine and beat well:
1 cup plain yogurt (I used whole)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp almond extract

Fruit topping:
1/3 cup candied ginger, chopped well
1 1/2 cups mango, cut into small chunks (about 2 ripe mangoes)

Streusel:
2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Blend these ingredients until they crumble. Mix in:
1/3 cup almonds, chopped (optional)

Add the sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture. Mix gently until just smooth. Pour into the pan and distribute the fruit mixture gently over the dough. Sprinkle the streusel over the top. Bake about 20-30 minutes.

Don't try to make this the day before (though you could certainly chop up your ingredients ahead of time if you want to) - this coffee cake is best served fresh. This was great served with a brunch frittata, fruit and hot tea (with entertainment provided by half a dozen squirmy babies). If there is any coffee cake left over, you can warm it up later for dessert with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

happily unproductive

Hello! Happy spring! I have missed this space.

The last few weeks, it seems like every time I sit down in front of the computer at home, I have work to do. I'm loving this part-time work arrangement, but at the same time when I can't cram everything in at the office (which seems to be happening a lot lately), I wind up working in all my spare moments at home.

Hence, not much knitting or blogging going on around here, and not one little bit of designing new things. I do have lots of ideas - lots of fleeting ideas. None of them seem to make it to paper or needles lately. I've got fun exciting things peeping at me out of the yarn stash, singing their wooly siren songs, but I keep putting them off - later, later, just as soon as I get this last thing done...

It's also garden time, and there are also one thousand little green shoots singing their come-hither songs.

But most importantly, walks to be taken and snuggles in the grass with my Little Pea, who is almost ten months old already and quite the excellent little companion for all kinds of wonderfully unproductive activities.

I'm starting to realize that snuggling, going for walks, tickling, laughing, playing aimlessly with things that catch your eye - activities I once thought of as "unproductive" and pure leisure - are in fact quite productive if you're small with new hands and brain cells to test out. How nice for me! I can believe that I'm doing Something Important while doing something that feels relaxing and undirected. Joy!

But truth be told, I sure do miss production. We have a car ride to the mountains and back this weekend, and I'm hoping to put some yarn and needles together and see what happens.

Enjoy your spring weekend!

what's done is done

As you can see, the Baby Surprise Jacket is done. Yay! This is going to be a great little item for spring.

I did venture to the yarn store, and though I was sorely tempted by all the new spring colors (new colors!!), I stayed focused and bought only one skein of yarn to complete the project at hand.

It's always the sock yarn that tempts me. I think I justify it to myself by saying, "but this is an entire knitting project for just $20! What a bargain! I'd be crazy not to buy it!" Lately whenever I do that, I come home and put the sock yarn away in the sock yarn department only to discover that I actually had a different skein of $20 sock yarn in almost precisely the same colorway. After doing that twice in a row, I finally realized that I really could not reasonably buy even one more skein of sock yarn, which has helped tremendously with my focus in the yarn shop.

So what was I talking about? Oh yeah, focus. So I stayed focused and I just bought the one $6 skein, although it was kind of a gambit, because it wasn't the same yarn that the rest of the project was made from. It's not even the same fiber content! They didn't have any Cascade Sierra or Sierra Quatro with any of the colors I was using, so in my desperation I bought some Cascade Pima Silk, which they happened to have in precisely the right colorway. Despite the fact that the Sierra is at least two years older and a totally different fiber, I have to say that the Pima Silk was a pretty good match. At least, color-wise and gauge-wise. But it has a totally different handle (of course) and hangs in a totally different way (of course), and I am hoping against all odds that blocking works out the weirdness, and also taking comfort from the fact that most of the time when my child is wearing something, at least a third of it is in her mouth, so nobody will notice the drape. Right?

Pragmatic as this move was, I do fear that I have committed a cardinal sin of knitting: Nonchalantly mixing fibers and acting like they're all basically the same yarn.

I tried to do the right thing, I really did. I trawled Ravelry for over a week, peering into people's stashes and sending polite "Are you done with that? Can I have it?" messages, but to no avail. And I surely was not going to spend $6 on shipping and $8 on yarn to finish a scrap yarn project. But I fear that this time, I have gone too far. I pray to the goddesses of blocking for their intercession.