Gnomette

I always love seeing what you lovely knitters create from the patterns I post. I also like to see people modifying them a bit too so the finished toy suits your needs. I just love the fact that my pattern sparked your imagination to create. So whilst I was having a little peek on Ravelry today to see some of the latest creations I stumbled across this picture.

Copyright BlackFrancis on Ravelry

The pattern used was a slightly modified version of the travelling gnome pattern, but look he has a girlfriend! I practically sqweed when I seen this photo, I love love love her hair it's so adorable. Thank you so much to  Rachel aka Black Francis for uploading her project, it made my day and I hope it inspires other knitters to create their own gnomettes. I can almost see them as little knitted Santa and Mrs. Clause ornaments for Christmas decorations.
Happy knitting everyone. x

Cat hearts Dog

Photo Copyright of Kimberly Kwon

Since the success of the monkey moo pattern I've been meaning to convert the amineko cat crochet pattern into knit because it's just freaking cute. It seems however I have been pipped to the post by Kimberly over at kkhymn's corner blog. Not only does she have a cat version but also a dog version too, and they are both free which is always a bonus especially when people are trying to be more frugal these days! A great choice if you want to give your monkey moo's a little friend or you want to knit up different toys for a bunch of kids chrimbos. They require quite basic knitting skills to make and the finished toys look impressive especially for those trying to advance from beginner stitches of knits and purls.
Happy knitting everyone :) .

Mr. Pup

The last few days I've had my newborn sons Halloween costume cardigan on the old needles. For me this is mean feat as i rarely knit anything other than toys due to my attention span being as short as that of a goldfish! Anyhoo I decided to create a little toy for you guys to break the monotony as a break from knitting what seems like my millionth row of garter stitch. I actually designed this little guy as a bear at first but once the body was finished and i was creating his ears they just didn't seems to look right, so then I though he might look better as a kitty and yet again the ears just didn't look right. So in a last ditched attempt to save this little guy from a fate of certain frogging I tried out little puppy ears, and it looked perfect. He looked a little plain knit in all brown so I added a little eye patch and think it makes him look adorable.
This pattern is aimed at beginner knitters who are looking to advance their skills as this pattern uses bobble stitch to create his little arms and legs.
I hope you enjoy knitting this little guy up and I can't wait to see your little puppy litters.

Materials
• Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• 6mm black safety eyes

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 3" tall

Abbrevations
CO = cast on
K or k = knit
P or p = purl
Kfb = knit front and back (Knit a
stitch, leaving stitch on left needle; knit into the back loop of this
stitch)
K2tog = Knit two stitches together to make one
Sts or
st = stitches
*.......* = repeat the pattern set within the asterisk
BO = Bind off
sl= slip stich to working needle without knitting
psso= pass slipped stitch over last knitted stitch

To make a bobble (bbl)
1. increase 5 sts into next st (knit into front, then back, front, back, front of st). (5 sts)
2.p5, turn
3. k5, turn
4. p2tog, p1, p2tog, turn. (3 sts)
5. sl1, k2tog, psso. (1 st)

TOY SAFETY
Remember never use toy safety eyes on a toy intended for a child under 3 years old, they are a potential choking hazard, please embroider on any features so they cannot be easily removed by little fingers or gnashers!

Please click here for my copyright info

Head & Body
CO 6 sts brown
1. purl
2. kfb every sts (12sts)
3. purl
4. *kfb,k1* along (18sts)
5. Purl
6. *kfb,k2* along (24sts)
7. purl
8. k9, bbl, k4, bbl, k9
9-13. St-st 5 rows
14. K8, bbl, k6, bbl, k8
15. Purl
16. *K2tog* along (12sts)
17. Purl
18. *Kfb,k1* along (18sts)
19. Purl
20. *Kfb,k2* along (24sts)
21. Purl
22. *Kfb,k3* along (30sts)
23-27. St-st 5 rows
28. *K2tog, k3* along (24sts)
29. Purl
30. *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
31. purl
32. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
33. Purl
34. *K2tog * along (6sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to add safety eyes and embroider on a nose then fill with stuffing, I also embroidered on his little eye patch at this stage using chain stiitch in a circle slightly bigger than the wisth of the safty eye. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Ears (make 2)
CO 4 in brown
1-10 Garter stitch 10 rows
11. *k2tog* twice (2sts)
12. sl1, k1, psso (1st)

Cut yarn leaving a long tail and weave in any loose ends or use yarn tail to attach to head.

Tail
CO 3
1-10. I-cord for 10 rows
Cut yarn and weave in any loose ends or use yarn tail to attach to body

Assembly
Attach an ear to ear side of the head using leftover yarn tails
Attach tail to the backside of the pup.

Boo!

Halloween is coming, Halloween is coming, the geese are getting fat......
Spooky greetings my fellow knitters! Can you believe it's October already? To celebrate one of the biggest holidays of the year I've made this little ghost. He is quite small so I'm not sure what he is exactly, a little gift fot trick or treaters, tiny baby toy, part of a halloween costume or perhaps even a little decoration for a Halloween display. Whatever you chose to make him for I'm sure you'll agree he is far too cute to be scary, but he tries his best.

Remember to post you finished toy pictures to the flickr group or to your projects on Ravelry because I just love seeing how other peoples toys turn out.



Materials
• Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• 6mm black safety eyes

Suggested yarn : Bernat Glow in the dark worm white (available here)

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 4" tall

Click here for my abbreviation list

TOY SAFETY
Remember never use toy safety eyes on a toy intended for a child under 3 years old, they are a potential choking hazard, please embroider on any features so they cannot be easily removed by little fingers or gnashers!

Please click here for my copyright info


Head & Body
CO 6 sts in white
1. purl
2. kfb every sts (12sts)
3. purl
4. * kfb,k1* along (18sts)
5. Purl
6. *kfb,k2* along (24sts)
7-13. St-st for 7 rows
14. *K2tog, k2* along (18sts)
15. purl
16. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
17. purl
18. *Kfb, k1* along (18sts)
19-23. st-st 5 rows
24. *K2tog, k1* along (12sts)
25. purl
26. *K2tog* along (6sts)
27. purl
28. *Kfb* along (12sts)
29.purl
30. k2tog, k7, k2tog, k1 (10sts)
31. purl
32. k2tog, k5, k2tog, k1 (8sts)
33. purl
34. k2tog, k3, k2tog, k1 (6sts)
35. purl
36. k2tog, k1, k2tog, k1 (4sts)
37. purl

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway to add eyes and embroider on a mouth and fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends or create a loop if using as a decoration.

Arms
CO 4 in white
1-7. i-cord for 7 rows

Cut a long yarn tail and draw it through the remaining stitches,leave the remaining yarn tail to attach arms to body.

Happy haunting everyone.

Travelling Gnome

If anyone has ever seen the magically whimiscal film Amelie then they will know about the story of the travelling gnome. If you haven't seen it then basically it tells the tale of a gnome who was stolen from her fathers garden and only to be returned with pictures of him at famous landmarks around the world!
So when I seen the Simply a gnome! pattern by Else Tennessen i knew i had to make a knitted version, just like the little amelie gnome.
He is quite simple to make, although his base is a little tricky wiht the increasing but otherwise really quick to knit up and super cute when he's done.
So if your going on your travels soon or you know someone who is then knit them up one of these little guys to take with them and then get them to take their own little travelling gnome pictures, I'd love to see any pictures if anyone did this.

Heres pictures of my very own little gnome on his travels.


Materials
• Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• 5mm black safety eyes

Yarn colours
• Red
• Skin
• Blue

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 3.5" tall and 2.5" wide

Click here for my abbreviation list

TOY SAFETY
Remember never use toy safety eyes on a toy intended for a child under 3 years old, they are a potential choking hazard, please embroider on any features so they cannot be easily removed by little fingers or gnashers!

Please click here for my copyright info

Gnome Body:
CO 6 in red yarn
1. purl
2. *kfb, k1 * along (9 sts)
3. purl
4. *kfb, k2 * along (12 sts)
5. purl
6. *kfb, k3* along(15 sts)
7. purl
8. *kfb, k4* along (18 sts)
9. purl
10. *kfb, k5* along (21 sts)
11. purl
12. * kfb, k6* along (24 sts).
Change to skin yarn.
13. purl
14. *kfb, k7* along (27 sts)
15. purl
16. *kfb, k8* along (30 sts).
Change to blue yarn.
17. purl
18. *kfb, k9* along (33 sts)
19. purl
20. *kfb, k10* along (36 sts)
21. purl
22. *kfb, k11* (39 sts)
23. purl
24. BO

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed up to the top and secure any loose yarn ends. At this point you may want to add the safety eyes/embroider on eyes to the face of the gnome.

Gnome Bottom:
CO 6 with blue yarn
1. purl
2. *kfb* along(12 sts)
3. *pfb,p1* along (18 sts)
4. *kfb,k2* along (24 sts)
5. *pfb,p3* along (30 sts)
6. *kfb, k4* along (36 sts)
7. *pfb,p11* along(39 sts)
BO

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed secure any loose yarn ends. You should be left with a flat disc like shape.

Beard
co 3 in white
1. purl
2. *kfb* along (6sts)
3. purl
4. *kfb,k1* along (9sts)
5. purl
6. knit
7. purl
8.BO (Leaving a long yarn tail)

Finishing
Attach the base of the gnome to the body striching together the bind off edges, strop once you get 3/4 way round to stuff the gnome and then continue to close the remaining stitches. Weave in any loose ends.
Use the long tail of the beard and attach it to the part of the body where the skin yarn meets the blue yarn (see photos as guidance).

Now get snapping!

Amigurumi Mistletoe

Hey all,
Seems like forever since I've last posted. Just got back into the swing of knitting now I'm off for the holidays. So as it's 'that' time of year I had been searching for some adorable patterns to convert when i stumbled across this crochet mistletoe by Riot of Daisies, as you can see that pattern was inspired by a website call Kawaii Not, and this cartoon by Megan Murphy . Honestly I love that website, I have been reading it for a while and Megan has got a great sense of humour, I love how she gives such personality to totally inanimate objects.

So here is a little Christmas/new year decoration for you to quickly whip up.seriously it will take you no more than a few hours at the most to whip up this little cutie.

Materials
• Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3) Your best to use double pointed needles as it's easier to i-cord this way.
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• 5mm safety eyes
• Black embroidery thread
• Small piece of red ribbon (optional)

Yarn colours
• White
• Green
• Scraps of red (optional)

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 5" long and 2" wide

Click here for my abbreviation list

TOY SAFETY
Remember never use toy safety eyes on a toy intended for a child under 3 years old, they are a potential choking hazard, please embroider on any features so they cannot be easily removed by little fingers or gnashers!

Please click here for my copyright info

Ball & Stem
CO6 in white
1. purl
2. Kfb (12sts)
3. Purl
4. *Kfb, k1* along (18st)
5. Purl
6. *Kfb, k2* along (24st)
7. Purl
8. *Kfb, k3* along (30st)
9. purl
10. *K2tog, k3* along (24st)
11. Purl
12. *K2tog, k2* along (18st)
13. Purl
14. *K2tog, k1* along (12st)
15. Purl
26. *K2tog* along (6st)
Change to green yarn
27. *K2tog, k1* along (4st)
28. With the remaining 4 sts I-cord for 3" (approx 25 rows)
Bind off

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Draw tail through remaining stitches and pull tightly and secure. Use tail to mattress stitch row ends closed stopping halfway down the ball to add eyes and embroider on a mouth and fill with stuffing. Close remaining opening and secure any loose yarn ends.

Leaf
CO 45 in green
1. BO all stitches

Join the two row ends together so you have one continuous thin hoop of yarn. Place a stitch in the middle of the hoop so that it now looks like a figure of 8. use this stitch as a guideline to attached the leaf to the stem about half way up.

Finishing
Add a small piece of red ribbon or a scrap of red yarn just above the ball, and your done.

Now all you have to do is hang the decoration and pucker up!

Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year, hope you have a good one.

Owlies

Hoot Hoo!
I'm back again with another freebie for you all. I've had my eye on the crochet version of this pattern for a while now, it looked so simple and the end result is a fantastic whimsy looking toy. So when I needed an excuse to use up the ever growing stash of toy saftey eyes there was no doubt which pattern I would use, and so the little knitted owlies were born.

The original crochet pattern for little owlets was created by Brigitte Read over at Roman Sock she has gorgeous little creations and a few free crochet patterns for those you who crochet, that little mohair pomeranian is so sweet.

So on to the pattern, Iused 7.5mm eyes from enami eyes for this little fellow (colour: grass green). However please have a look at the link to where you can buy saftey eyes from on the net, there are loads of fantastic sellers out there, my other favourite being 6060 and suncatcher I think these little guys would look so cute with huge eyes so even going up to 8mm or 9mm would look great.
You can even use felt or buttons instead. Experiment, it's fun, plus these guys are so quick to knit you'll want to make loads of them. By the way this pattern only uses decreasing so if your a beginner and want to advance a little from a knit/purl square then try out this pattern.




Materials
• Set of 3.25mm needles (UK size 10, US size 3)
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• 7.5mm coloured safety eyes

Yarn colours
• Brown
• Beige

Yarn weight: Double knitting/ worsted weight

Gauge: not important but make it tight so stuffing doesn’t show through

Finished measurements: approx 2" tall and 2" wide

Click here for my abbreviation list

TOY SAFETY
Remember never use toy safety eyes on a toy intended for a child under 3 years old, they are a potential choking hazard, please embroider on any features so they cannot be easily removed by little fingers or gnashers!

Please click here for my copyright info


Head
CO 24 in brown
1-11. (Begin with purl) st-st 11 rows
12. *k2tog, k2* along (18sts)
13. purl
14. *k2tog, k1* along (12sts)
15. purl
16. *k2tog* along (6sts)

*NOTE this piece is sewn up so that the end toy has the wrong side (reverse stockinette stitch) side on the outside, so the end toy has a slight wavy look to it*

Cut yarn leaving a long yarn tail. With the wrong side on the outside use the long yarn tail to seam together the row ends up to the cast on stitches. Make sure the reverse stockinette stitch is on the outside and add your safety eyes (with the washer side in the 'right' stokinette stitch side) and stuff the head. Continue to sew the cast on stitches together and shape the ears with few stitches at each side. Photographs of how this is done can be seen on the original pattern.

Head Piece
CO 8 in beige
1-10. garter stitch for 10 rows
11. k2tog, k6 (7sts)
12. k2tog, k5 (6sts)
13. k2tog, k4 (5sts)
14. k2tog, k3 (4sts)
15. k2tog, k2 (3sts)
16. k2tog, k1 (2sts)
17. k2tog (1st)

Cut the yarn leaving a long yarn tail to sew the piece onto the head, starting with the cast on stitches placed at the back between the ears and then the point in between the two safety eyes, secure it down with the long yarn tail.

Go forth and mutliple these little guys, tiny turtles are so last year, Little owl armys are the way forward!