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7-inch Tablet

29/10/2013

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So here we have a mini-kitty, a tabby, ermmm ... a tab-let.

I'd forgotten just how many pieces were in the kitten, so it was a little fiddly at times in mini size.

The pattern was a fairly simple reduction as no conversion to chunky snowflake was involved and the shaping was not too involved.

A reminder of the original patterns is here.

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Three Little Pigs

28/10/2013

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Having successfully checked and re-checked the mini-pig pattern, it's time to move on to something else.

The Not-So-Small Child has requested a kitty, so now for a mini-kitty pattern.

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Pig Out

23/10/2013

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The fluffy pink pig is finished and I'm rather proud despite how frustrating she has been at times.

The most difficult bit was altering the pattern - not a difficult thing to do with jumpers or socks as they have limited shaping, but requiring much more thought and planning with something that is mostly shaping.

 The pig, as she stands (at 10" high, and 15" long), uses 5 balls of Sirdar Snowflake Chunky, which is approximately £12.50 or a little less depending upon where you buy the yarn. As for the stuffing, if you buy 250g Phoenix bags she takes two - that's another £8 or more. Again it depends upon where you buy the stuffing. If you are prepared to buy in bulk there are some great deals on Amazon, which brings the stuffing price right down. DK yarn I have not included as less than half a 100g ball was used and this can be sourced fairly cheaply.
Now to halve the measurements for a smaller, cheaper, more saleable piggy.


Update:

Mini-pig:
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The Stress of Tension

19/10/2013

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I've written before about knitting where tension is not an issue. That post is here.

But there are times when tension is very important, usually garments.

My latest project is to be a fluffy pink pig based on Alan Dart's Sirdar pattern which uses predominantly snowflake DK yarn.

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Now, the colour (or anything like it) has been discontinued, so an alternative is required.

I went for Sirdar's snowflake chunky instead, which is usually knitted up on 5mm needles.

An adaption of the pattern was required, especially as a plain DK yarn is also used in conjunction.

The tension for snowflake DK on 3mm needles is 26st over 36rows on a standard square, and chunky is 18st over 24rows on 4mm, a simple ratio between the two of 1.4.

Adapting the pattern meant a little maths as both width and length have to be adjusted and also allowing for shaping - sketching things out was very helpful here, especially for the turn rows shaping the top of the head.

So I now had the pattern adapted for the new yarn.

Of course, things were never going to be that easy, not knowing me!

There are TWO errors I made. It would have been a lot easier to sort out one. It would have been even easier had I knitted tension squares to begin with!

First mistake, I inadvertently knitted the snowflake on 3mm needles - I'd been using 3mm needles for just about everything for so long, it seemed natural and I didn't even realise.

Second mistake, I didn't check that the plain DK yarn I was using would knit up without distortion on 3 mm needles. It doesn't.

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Initially, all looked fine, the width of the ears match.

But look at the lengths. This is not right and had me checking the figures I'd used to adapt the pattern.

Just by looking, it is difficult to spot the errors as there are two in play here.

Now, compare the lengths with snowflake knitted on correct (4mm) needles. The measurement is taken to the first decrease of the ears.

The length of the DK is actually too long, and the width is very out.

Finally, using a different plain DK yarn on 3 mm needles. This alternative yarn is softer and more pliable.

The length is correct and the width is correct

The yarns did not knit on 3mm needles without distortion. I would have noticed this had I knitted up tension squares (and checked my needle sizes). Mea culpa.

It would have been so much easier had I simply done this to begin with:
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A very important lesson hard learned!
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At Wizard's End

14/10/2013

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Alistair Wizard is finished.

His pointy hat and his pointy shoes are done.

The hat was a simple pattern, easy to follow. I embroidered most of the moons and stars before I sewed the back seam; this made it a lot easier. Then a last couple of stars over the seam completed it.

His pointy shoes were a little more problematic. The instructions were not clearly thought out and it took a little thinking to work out what was intended, but I got there.

Also finished are the accessories; his Ring of Power, his bracelet and his sandals (the instructions for which were rather badly written, or rushed).
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And here he is, an enchanting wizard:
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Well, that's enough of that. I feel quite exhausted and more than a little tired of these dolls. So, before I start the princess, it's time for a fluffy pink pig.

All cast on and ready to go.
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The Coulomb Chimera

11/10/2013

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Coulomb is actually made from a number of elements adapted from other patterns.

His body is a simple sphere, based on a draught-excluder pattern, using Sirdar's funky fur yarn. It took a while to find blue fur yarn - coulombs are blue and fluffy, as we all know, so it had to be done. Obviously, the colour is now discontinued, as is always the case <sigh>. But there is a blue in Sirdar's Funky Fox.
Coulomb's feet are based on Rosie Rabbit's from Alan Dart's Animal Magic (sadly now, hard to come by because, yes, you've guessed it, Sirdar discontinued most of the colours.):
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Coulomb's nose is actually Rosie's tail!
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And Coulomb's hands are based on Gordon Gorilla's (same source):
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(I've scanned in the pictures of the animals from Animal Magic. They're here.)

So the secret of Coulomb is that, instead of reinventing the wheel, I took bits of other patterns and adapted them to my needs (rather like Object Oriented Programming - oh yes, I have now linked knitting to computer programming!!).
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Seeing Stars

10/10/2013

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Good grief, did Alistair's Cloak take a bit of knitting!

It was a large item; one and a half 100g balls of wool. It was also complicated in pattern.

The scoop at the back was a fairly simple number of turn rows. The book suggested using stitch markers; indeed they were very helpful in keeping track.

Then the front edgings were slipped on to stitch holders (or kept on the needles, as I did). They were then joined back to the main body of knitting just below the armholes. The rest of the cloak has been shaped gradually into the waist in the meantime.

The knitting was then divided into three again up to the shoulders, where most was cast off, and the collar extended to its centre back seam.
Finally, after sewing up what seemed to be a thousand seams, but were in fact only six, the sleeves were fitted in and stars embroidered on.

Looking at the cloak now, I think some more stars are in order, but as I am sick of the cloak at present, they can wait until the hat is done.

And that's the next task....

All cast on and ready to go.
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Pirate of Penzance

8/10/2013

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Samuel Crowe now resides in Cornwall. Not quite Penzance, but close enough. He and Elizabeth are here:
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A Breath of Fresh Air, Hayle, Cornwall
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Liz in the window
They are available for purchase, but they'd welcome any fans to come to see them.
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Sam in the window
There are lots of interesting things to look at and buy in the shop including hand-crafted products from many local crafters: 

Handmade Genuine Gemstone Jewellery, handmade cards, models and model kits, prints, water colour paintings, wool goods, crochet items, patchwork and felt gifts, glass-work, ceramics, cross stitch patterns and yarns, costume jewellery, shamballa bracelets, solid silver jewellery, wool and new and second-hand books.......and more. 

It's well worth a visit should you be down Hayle way.

A Breath of Fresh Air opened in June this year and is at 15 Fore Street, Hayle
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A Knitter's Progress

6/10/2013

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Early in 1999, I discovered I was pregnant.

What does any staunchly unfashionable mother-to-be do? Knit. Knitting had not yet started to regain its fashionable status. Maybe I had subconsciously picked up that it would, or was simply a woman of the times and the inevitability of knitting's return, or maybe it was just coincidence.

There was not a plethora of knitting magazines with patterns of mobile phone covers and mug covers (and other such ridiculous nonsense), so I bought a pattern I liked, needles and some yarn and got started.

It became apparent very quickly that vague memories from the dim and very distant past were not good enough to actually knit. The internet was very helpful with diagrams of casting on, knitting and purling, and so on, but, being a book work, what I needed was.....

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...... a book.

I chose 'Knitting in Plain English' by Maggie Righetti and it became my bible. It is not a book for everyone; flicking through it now, I think I need to re-read parts as I will now understand them better.

From baby clothes, the logical progression was to garments for myself.
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At first, they were simple constructions with the odd detail here and there. But gradually the amount of detail and complexity of stitches increased becoming more and more lacey.

This ended up with the ultimate in lace - Shetland Lace. (Gladys Amedro's book is the one I started with.)
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In another direction, children's clothes became fluffier (using eyelash yarns) and introduced not only colour work, but stuffing. In the pattern, the rabbit's nose is stuffed.

When Lethlet grew out of his rabbit jumper, it was incumbent on me  to knit him another in a bigger size.

Although colour work progressed, there was a particular direction in which 'fluffiness' and stuffing went.....

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At first, I knitted the rabbit. Then I had to knit Rabbit's Friend (in black and white this time). Then it was the kitten, which was instrumental in a long-lasting near-obsession in kittens. Finally, the gorilla, who had to gain a tail on the insistence of the Lethlet.

This particular booklet is extremely hard to get hold of now, but some of the animals and many many more are available from Alan Dart's website.

I find that I am now highly critical of toy patterns and my favourite pattern designer is still Alan Dart. The current projects approach, although they do not quite meet, his standard.

Of course, Coulomb will tell you he is the ultimate in this particular direction (and who would disillusion that face?):
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Mauve Along, Please

5/10/2013

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Alistair is finally modelling his matching tunic.

The published corrections, here, were needed. (Note, some of the corrections are not highlighted in the pdf.)

He has two belts, each made from three yarns, twisted, of yellow, soft purple and bright purple (which I shall be using for his cloak and hat).

Apart from his sandals, which I shall do later, I am done with the soft purple ...

So, moving along ....

On to the cloak.

All cast on and ready to go.
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