Pattern: Birthday Present Frilled Apron

Hi Everyone!!! Happy Monday!! So today instead of a pattern of the day like I normally do, I am going to publish one of my own designs for you all to knit. I knit this for my mum's birthday and it is a great apron. My mum loves waist aprons- so no bib, and I always buy, or make, or knit one for her at least once a year. I have sewn them and knit them, and this is the pattern for my frilled apron. Here it is- being fetchingly modelled by my mum- now I know she doesn't like this photo so I apologise now, but its the only one I've got, so I'll replace it when she takes a new one!! (nothing like a bit of parental bribery!!)

So this is knit in Sirdar Juicy, a DK yarn made from 80% Bamboo and 20% cotton. It is therefore pretty absorbent and of course washable- which really is a good thing for an apron. I used some cotton fabric for the ties and sewed the apron to the cotton across the top. There are plenty of other absorbent and washable yarns, I would recommend anything with a cotton content, they have a good drape like this one too. 

You knit the main piece and frill in one go and then sew on a pocket and pocket frill separately. You could miss out the pocket if you don't need/want one.

So You Will Need

Approximately 4 balls of Sirdar Juicy (95m per ball) in orange, and 1 ball in a contrast colour, here it is pink.

4mm needles

Cotton Fabric for ties

Needle for sewing up.

Abbreviations

sts- Stitches

K- Knit

gt st- garter stitch (knit every row)

kfb- knit into the front and back of the stitch, to increase

Pattern

Main Piece

Cast on 80 stitches in main colour

Garter Stitch (Knit every row) until piece measures 14 inches or 35cm or until your desired length. (14 inches came to my mum's mid thigh and she has long legs so you might want to go a bit longer)

Change to second/contrast colour**

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: K

Row 4: K

Row 5: Kfb in every stitch (160 sts)

Rows 6-8: K

Row 9: *K1, kfb* to end (240 sts)

Rows 10-12: K

Cast off K wise

Pocket- Optional

Cast on 40 stitches in main colour

Garter Stitch (knit every row) to desired length for your pocket (on the one above it was 6 inches)

Cast off

Sew to front of apron

Frill for Pocket

Cast on 40 sts

Follow the main pattern from ** to end to create frill.

Sew the frill to the front of the pocket.

For the ties, I used a strip of gingham cotton and sewed it to the back of the apron to give long ties. You can knit ties by casting on the number of stitches you need for width- around 10-15 should be perfect, and then garter stitch until they are the right length for you. If you do make sure you strengthen the ties with some cotton fabric to prevent them over stretching.

I hope you like the pattern and enjoy knitting it. It is a beginners pattern, and should be easy to do. Email or comment if you have any problems, and I'll do my best to sort them out. I have not had this pattern tested, so let me know if there are any problems.

POTD: Little Sugar Mouse

Happy Thursday Everyone!! Hope you are all well today. We are back to the miserable weather, but it is so perfect for knitting and staying warm and dry so I'm Happy. I have been knitting away with a yarn that I love the end result but HATE knitting and will feature on the next YOTD but today I am sharing with you a really cute little toy pattern that I knit up for my Grandma and it is so quick and easy.

This little Sugar mouse has been made from a pattern by PhoenixKnits on Ravelry. She specialises in a variety of fun creatures and a lot of the Harry Potter Characters too- Hagrid and a gorgeous Hippogriff. Even a Fraggle!! This little mouse uses basic techniques, and uses I-Cord for the tail. I was totally afraid of I-Cord before I tried it, and now I love it as a technique. You use 2 DPNs (Double Pointed Needles) and instead of turning the yarn like you normally would to purl the back, you simply slide your stitches to the other end of the DPN and knit. I am going to feature I-Cord in my Techniques Saturday soon so hopefully you can pick it up there. Don't be scared of it, it is good and easy, and you will find lots of things to use it on.

Tomorrow is Book Review Friday, so I hope to see you all then, and of course, don't forget to enter the competition and win either yarn or a Jean Greenhowe book that has been out of print for years!!

POTD: Baby Eyelet Cardigan

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I'm playing nurse today because the Blattman has hurt his knee- doing something silly no doubt, but he is on the sofa with his knee up and an ice pack, moaning and generally feeling sorry for himself. I'm giving him zero sympathy outwardly, but do feel a bit sorry for him- Bless!!

POTD today is the very first Raglan cardigan I knit, and is a great pattern for newbies for Raglan, and circular needles too, and is all knit flat. It has a really cute eyelet pattern, and it is very simple, so great for lace newbies too. It is only 8 pattern repeats too so it is over before you know it, and so very easy. Here is the link for the Baby Eyelet Cardigan. 

Both of these cute little cardigans took one ball of yarn, Peter Pan DK (above in brown) and Peter Pan Sweetheart (below in blue). They are lovely little knits, and also use up one of your leftover cute buttons. The pattern is easy, and worth a go. It is a small one, uses basic increases, and basic lace.

This was the first cardigan I knit all in one go, and I have now knit 16 different cardigans using the raglan increases. I love them and I am hooked completely. I actually turn down patterns that are made up of fronts and back and sleeves. I love doing it all in one go.
Just had a look at the pattern page, and there is now a new link to a crew neck version of this little cardy and I may just have to cast on one of those today- here's the link for the Crew Neck Instructions.

Have a great day everyone, and Happy Knitting!!!

Nunchuks Away!! New Pattern

So what do you knit as a christmas present for a man who owns an armoury?

Nunchuks. Obviously.

So if you have a wannabe Ninja in your ranks, or maybe someone who needs nunchuk practise and is fed up of the bruises, knit a pair. They are so quick, takes about three hours and you are ready for anything!!!

You will need: 5mm needles (2 straight and 2dpns)

                       Black Chunky/bulky yarn

                       2 colours of grey DK wool, or one grey chunky

                       Tapestry needle

                       Stuffing

There isnt really a gauge for these, just make sure your needles are about 2 sizes too small for the yarn you are using. This is to create a tight fabric so you cant see the stuffing through the knitting.

Abbreviations

sts- stitches

K- knit

P- Purl

kfb- knit in the front and the back of the stitch, a form of increase

st st- stocking stitch (knit a row, purl a row)

k2tog- knit two stitches together

DPN- double pointed needles, in this pattern used for I cord

Nunchuks

Using 5mm needles, Cast on 4 sts

Row 1: kfb in all stitches (8 sts)

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: Kfb in all stitches (16 sts)

St st for 7-8 inches, ending after a P row. Here is where you can add length or shorten your nunchuks depending on the size of your ninja.

Change to grey (i used 2 strands of DK held together- if you have chunky/bulky use one strand)

Next Row: K

Next Row: K

St St for 6 rows

Next Row: K2tog across row (8 sts)

Next Row: P

Next Row: K2tog across row (4 sts)

Put these stitches onto a DPN

I cord for three inches

Cast off the 4 sts.

Sew the i cord into a loop at the top of the nunchuk. Sew up the side seam of the nunchuk and then stuff. Close and you have one half of your nunchuk. Make one more.

Chain Loops (make 3)

Cast on 4 sts using DPNs

I cord for 4 inches

Cast off.

Thread through the loop and sew together. Complete all three and link together as shown in the picture.

Then hide your valuables!!!

Hope you enjoy. I have knitted this up, but it has not been tested, let me know if there are any problems.

Breakfast Set Pattern- Egg Cosy

Hope you are enjoying the tea cosy pattern, but if (like me and the blattman) you arent a tea drinker, fancy something a little bit smaller or just have chilly eggs, you might prefer an egg cosy. So here is the matching egg cosy pattern to go with the breakfast set

You will be needing-

Needles- 3.75mm
Yarn- 2 colours of DK yarn (use up your leftovers, you won't need a lot- in mine, yarn A is green and yarn B is pink)

Abbreviations
Gt st- garter stitch (knit every row)
st st- stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)

Cast on 30 sts using 3.75mm needles in yarn A
Gt st 4 rows in yarn A
St st 4 rows in yarn B
St st 4 rows in yarn A
St st 4 rows in yarn B
St st 4 rows in yarn A
Cast off in yarn A

Making up
Fold the knitted piece in half with the right sides facing. Sew up the side seam. Leave the top open. Turn piece the right way around. Gather around the first row in yarn B from the top.

Hope you like the patterns and enjoy knitting them. Let me know if there are any problems or errors in the pattern.

Breakfast Set Pattern- Tea Cosy

Here is my brand new pattern I have been working on for a couple of days, for a breakfast set. It consists of a tea cosy and egg cosy pattern. I am working on a different version of the tea cosy pattern too so there will probably be another pattern up soon for that one too. I am pretty sure there arent any problems with the pattern, but since I am only human after all there may be one or two. Let me know if there are and I can change them. Hope you all like it

Ok, so here goes. You will need approx 30 grams of two different colours in DK yarn. I used the free yarn that came with Lets Knit this month, but any DK will do. You may need more than 30g.
So I used a peppermint green and a candy pink for my set. First up the pattern for the tea cosy

Needles:3.25mm and 4mm
Yarn: 2 colours of DK yarn, yarn A and yarn B (for me green was A, and pink was B)
Gauge: 22 sts over 30 rows on 4mm needles, make a 10x10cm square

Abbrevations:
Gt st- Garter stitch, knit every row
St st- Stocking Stitch, knit 1 row, purl one row
K2tog- knit two stitches together
Rep- repeat

Cast On 44 sts using yarn A and 3.25mm needles
Gt St 4 rows
Change to 4mm needles and change to yarn B
Starting with a K row, st st 4 rows
Change to yarn A
Starting with a K row, st st 4 rows.
These 8 rows make up the stripe pattern. Continue throughout the instructions using this stripe pattern.
Continue this pattern for another 20 rows. (this is the part where you can add extra length to the cosy, make it match your tea pot)

Start decrease (continue in stripe pattern)
Next row: *K2, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K2 rep from * to end
St st 5 rows in stripe pattern
Next Row: *K4, K2tog, K3 rep from * to end
St st 5 rows in stripe pattern
Next row: *K3, K2tog, K3 rep from * to end
St st 5 rows in stripe pattern
Next Row: *K2, K2tog, K3 rep from * to end
St st 3 rows in stripe pattern
Next Row: *K2,K2tog, K2 rep from * to end
St st 3 rows in stripe pattern
Next Row: *K2, K2tog, K1 rep from * to end
Purl 1 row in stripe pattern
Cast Off

Making up
Place right sides together. Sew up the sides of the cosy, leaving sides where handle and spout will be. Use your own tea pot as a guide, or leave the sides as open as you want. Do not sew up the top of the cosy. Turn the cosy the right side out. It looks very much like a cone, but bear with it at this point, it gets prettier, I promise!!!! Put it on your teapot, and using the same colour as the row you are going to gather, gather the top part of the cosy tight to create the top.

Egg cosy pattern in next post!!

Fingerless Mitts

These are some brand new fingerless mitts, the pattern is for the mitts themselves, the paw pads are from a lions brand pattern, so you can search on Rav or lions brand for those. These have been knitted for my little sister, and inspired by their cat Monty Moonshine, who is a little grey kitten!!

Ok so here we go again, hope you love them!!

You will need:
3.25mm needles
3.75mm needles (if you need a bigger mitt for hands then go for 4mm needles instead)
DK yarn of your choice, (you will probably need about 50gish but to be honest I havent weighed these) I have used 3 colours here because I didnt have enough of the darkest grey so I used 2 shades of grey and one of pink- pick any colours you fancy)
Tapestry needle

Abbreviations
sts- stitches
K- knit
P- Purl
st st- Stocking stitch (knit one row, purl one row)
Rib- (K1,P1) across the row

Pattern (make 2 or how ever many hands you have!)
Using 3.25mm needles, cast on 42 stitches (if you want to go bigger, you can, use an even number of sts)
Rib pattern for 18 rows
Change to 3.75mm needles and a contrast colour
Knit 1 row
Change to other colour
St st for 26 rows, ending with a K (RS) row
Rib (k1,p1 across row) for 4 rows, ending on a P (WS) row
Cast off in pattern (K1,P1)

with the wrong side facing, sew up the seam using a tapestry needle, leaving a gap in the seam at the side for the thumb. Turn them the right way round and wear them and keep warm! Hope they brighten up your otherwise grey winter

Camera Cosy Pattern

So my mum is one lucky lady and won a new camera just before christmas, but as we all know in winter they can get all kinds of chilly, plus my mum's handbag is most definately one that may belong in Mary Poppins wardrobe so it had to be very bright so here is what I came up with.

So this is pretty much a great stashbuster, as you knit only 4 rows in each colour, so you can use any colours you fancy. So if your little camera is a bit chilly, or for that matter any small gadget, (it also fits my husbands blackberry, and my blackberry style phone!) then this is a great little knit. So here goes

You will be needing:
4mm needles
3.75 crochet hook (for button hole, if you cant crochet then Gaugeplait some strands to make the button hole)
7 different colours of DK wool (you can use less and make a pattern instead, totally up to you)
Tapestry needle

Abbreviations
sts- stitches
st st- stocking stitch (knit one row, purl the next)


Cast On 28 sts on 4mm needles
St st 4 rows in each of the 7 colours ( this gives you a total of 28 rows)
Cast off in the last colour you used.

Making up
Fold in half with the wrong side facing out.
Sew up the main seam using the colours you have used (I leave quite a bit when I change colours and then use these ends to sew up)
Sew in the ends
Sew up the bottom seam with the long seam in the centre back
Turn the right side out

Button
Crochet a chain of 15 links with a 3.75mm hook (or make a plait with 3 strands of about 3 inches)
Sew to the inside seam at the back of the work
Sew a button ono the bottom of the second colour stripe from the top.
Put your camera in and do the button up

Hope you all have nice cosy cameras!

Traffic Cone

Happy New Year!!! To celebrate, the first pattern of the year is my little traffic cone.

Here's the pattern

Needles- 3mm
Yarn- DK scraps, orange and white (i had a remarkably bright orange in my stash for this project, but who says cones have to be orange) and a strand of black for his face
Gauge- not really important, but make sure that the needles you use are smaller than those recommended to make a tight fabric
Other- tapestry needle, stuffing,

Cone
With orange yarn, Cast on 30 stitches
Starting with a Knit row, stocking stitch 2 rows
Next row: *k2tog, K8* to end (27 sts)
St st 2 rows
Next row: *P2tog, P7* to end (24 sts)
St st 2 rows
Next row: *K2tog, K6* to end (21sts)
Change to white yarn, St st 2 rows
Next row: *P2 tog, P5* to end (18sts)
St st 2 rows
Next Row: *K2tog, K4* to end (15 sts)
St st 2 rows
Next Row: *P2tog, P3* to end (12 sts)
Change to orange yarn, st st 2 rows
Next Row: *k2tog, K2* to end (9 sts)
st st 2 rows
Next row: *p2tog, p1* to end (6 sts)
K 1 row
Cut, leaving a tail of yarn to sew up, thread through the remaining 6 sts on the needle and pull tight. Sew up the seam of the cone, leaving the bottom open.

Base 
With Orange, cast on 15 sts
Garter stitch 25 rows
Cast off

Stuff the cone lightly (he doesnt need a bulge) and sew the bottom of the cone onto the base. Embroider the face onto the cone and you have a little traffic stopper. Hope you like him.

Mini Pumpkin for Halloween

Mini Pumpkin Pattern (Just in time for Halloween)

This pattern is knit flat and seamed up the back and is about an inch and a half tall without the little Icord stem. Have included the pattern for the stalk knit flat too

Ok so heres what you need
2 x 3.75 mm straight needles
2 x 3.25 mm double pointed needles or straight depending on whether you are icording or not
Orange and Green DK (you dont need much at all especially the green so great for stash busting)
Small amount of stuffing
Sewing up needles

Abbreviations
kfb- knit into the front and back of the stitch to create one
st- Stitch
st st - stocking stitch (knit a row, purl a row)
K2tog - Knit two stitches together

Pumpkin

Cast on 9 stitches with orange DK and 3.75mm straight needles
Row 1: kfb in each st (18 sts)
Row 2: Purl
Row:3 kfb in all stitches (36 sts)
Starting with a P row, st st for 13 rows

Decrease as follows
Row 1: K2tog across row (18 sts)
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K2tog across row (9 sts)
Row 6: Purl

Break yarn, thread through remaining stitches and pull tight. Turn purl side out (bumpy side) and sew up the seam, leaving a  gap at the bottom. Turn right side out and stuff. Sew up gap in bottom. Pull the yarn up through the centre of the pumpkin and back down through. This will create the depressions at the top and bottom giving the pumpkin shape.

Stem

Icord

Cast on 4 sts on 3.25 double pointed needles and green DK
I cord for 6 rows
Cast off

Sew to top of pumpkin

Straight needles

Cast on 8 sts on 3.25 straight needles and green DK
St st for 6 rows
Cast off

With the right side out, sew up the side and attach to the top of the pumpkin

Happy Halloween, Samhain and All Saints to all!

The Blattscarf- Our first knitting pattern

Hi All,
welcome to the blog again, this is going to be our first knitting pattern, its not overly technical or very difficult, it was in fact the first thing that the Blattman knitted, and is fantastic for the beginner knitter. It takes one ball of wool and you just keep knitting until the ball is finished. You can make it as long and as wide as you want as you get more experienced.

Needles: 10mm
Yarn: Stylecraft Life Superchunky 100g ball

Cast on 15 stitches
Garter Stitch (knit every row) for 80cm or 31 inches.
Cast off knitwise

Wear it out and about. This is a nice thick scarf and great for men, the Blattman has made a few of these now for the fussy men in our family and it has gone down really well

Happy Knitting