Ribbed Beanie Hat

I have a thing about beanie hats, I just love them. And this one is so simple to make.

Pattern

I used 6mm circular needles and cast on 96 stitches. Knit top down in a 6x6 rib for 7 inches, then change to a 2x2 rib 2 inches to make the bottom of the hat. cast off and if you knit this hat on straight needles then you will have to sew up the sides to make a cylinder of knitting. decide which side will be the inside and outside and turn the hat inside out. Using spare yarn and a yarn needle, gather up the top by creating 1 inch wide stitches. Gather in tight to make the top of the hat. Sew up loose threads and turn over.

Adaptions

to make a smaller hat cast on 84 stitches. or make a child version by casting on 56 stitches and changing it to a 4x4 rib for the main body of the hat.

looks good on humans and dogs.

Creeper iPod Cover

 

 sssssssssssssssss BOOM!

At the moment I am completely obsessed with Minecraft and I was inspired by the unhappy looking exploding mob to make this simple iPod cover (i don't do complex things ;) )

Pattern: 

Cast on 30 stitches on 4-6mm needles (again it depends on the wool) and knit in pearl and plain until it is the size required to fit whatever version of iPod it is for.

For the face detail use a black/dark grey wool and either cross stitch or long stitch the details on. sew up the sided and the bottom and you have a friendly creeper pal to protect your iPod.

Crochet Headband

This is a really simple but pretty headband that was simple and quick to make. This was my first attempt at making something using crochet after learning some simple crochet techniques earlier in the week.
The band is simple chain stitch and the flower is made using a double crochet technique on a size 8 needle and chunky yarn I finished it by sewing a large grey bead in the middle.

Ribbed Leg Warmers

 

This is the simplest leg warmer pattern I could think of. It needs no shaping at all just a large piece joined at the sides to make it round. I made a crochet band and some little pom poms to make ties to keep them up. you could make an i cord if you know how to. Last winter when it snowed I wore mine under my jeans or inside my willies to keep my legs warm.

Pattern 

Cast on about 80- 90 stitches on 8-10mm needles (depends on the yarn etc) and work in a 2x2 rib continue to work the rib until the leg warmer has reached desired length. These are about 10in long

knitted headband

I did this headband last winter when they were in style I have no idea if they will be again next winter but I wanted to put the pattern up anyway. this headband would be good for keeping hair out of your face while exercising in the winter or for an accessory in the autumn/winter months. 

 

Pattern. 

cast on about 70-80 stitches onto 6-7.5mm needles (it would be difficult to narrow this down because people have different size heads and such.)

knit in a 2x2 rib and continue for about 10 rows or until you are OK with the size

cast off and join the sides with yarn needle and some spare yarn. 

you could embelish this with a lace flower brooch or a ribbon. 

I made a bow out of some yarn and made it look like I joined the sides together like a corset. 

Hat, Scarf and Wrist Warmers.

This set was made on 12mm needles wool was Sirdar Big Softie. Blue is colour A and pink is colour B in my pattern.

Hat:

To measure the width needed take some yarn and wrap around your head just above your eyebrows, this will show you how wide the rectangle will need to be to fit your head. cast on with colour A until the number of stitches is the same length as the yarn you used on your head. Knit 4 rows and switch to colour B. Continue until there are 3 stripes of colour A and 2 of colour B. Cast off and using a yarn needle join the sides. To make the top of the hat using the yarn needle and colour A sew running stitch across the top in 1 inch spaces. Gather together and sew in. make a bobble if you want to put it on top of the hat.

Scarf:

Cast on 30 stitches using colour A pearl and plain 4 rows then switch to colour B and knit 4 rows again. Continue until you think it is long enough. Mine is extra long like a Dr Who scarf.

Wrist Warmers:

Cast on 20 stitches and follow the pattern for the hat. sew 1 inch up the side and leave 2 inches open. Sew up the rest of the wrist warmer.

Wheezy, the Geoff usurper

 

She looks really guilty for some reason. Cute though.

denim skirt patchwork detail detail

I hate it when I see other people wearing the same outfit or clothing item as me, it just doesn't feel right. So I decided to put some patchwork detail on a generic denim skirt I bought to make it more individual. 

I recently made a patchwork quilt and had a few squares left over. So I cut the squares into more rough and smaller squares and tacked them onto the  skirt. Once I got my sewing machine to like me again and put it on the zig zag stitch I sewed the patches on. I did the same for the back detailing too although I arranged the patchwork to be on the other side when I'm wearing it to stop it being too symmetrical. It was pretty quick to do so it would be a good way to personalise any other denim item that could be a bit more interesting.

maxi dress embelishment

The other day I got a simple navy maxi dress and I thought it could look a little more pretty with some lace on it. Really should have done a before and after shot but I got too excited and just went for it.

This idea could work on any t-shirt or dress that needs a bit of detailing.

Choose some lace from a haberdasher (if I'm making something like this I get about 2 meters so I have some leftovers to play with later.) the lace i used was a off white lace from Fabric Land (75p per meter)
Pin around the neck of the garment or wherever you want the lace to go.
Use a running stitch to tack the lace on.
then you have the option to use a sewing machine if you are confident with one or hand stitch using a running stitch. I hand sewed mine because my sewing machine hates me at the moment.

recycled t-shirt bath mat pattern

This bathmat is made out of old t-shirt yarn. To make the yarn you need a few old t-shirts that you know you don't like or wont wear anymore. Using sharp scissors cut 1 inch strips going up the t-shirt. Roll the yarn into a ball once you reach the end of the t-shirt.

Pattern

Using 12 - 15mm needles cast on 30 stitches or more depending on how big you want it.
Knit-pearl until you get the desired size or you almost run out of t-shirt yarn, leaving enough to cast off .
Cast off and sew in the ends 

Adaptions

You can adapt this pattern to make a simple garter stitch bathmat.
The bathmat could also be made out of other recycled yarn or any other washable, thick yarn you have.

GEOFF IS SO CUTE!!

The blog says sewing and stuff so this is the stuff. Geoff the cat (shes a girl but we renamed her Geoff because shes so manly) on the windowsill sunbathing.s hes about 10 years old, we don't know exactly how old she is because shes a rescue cat we found and adopted. she likes to hit things and tease my dog.

pin board idea

 This is one of my many places to put pins in my room. Its a normal stretch canvas I tried painting on once but it ended badly. So I put an old square scarf over it and use it as a pin board.




To make one all you need is a stretch canvas of any size and some fabric which can cover the front of the canvas and leave 2-3 inches worth left around the sides to pin back. Pin the fabric to back of the canvas and sew up or staple to the canvas.

soap sack pattern

So this is the finished thing, doesnt look like much but its really effective as a shower or bath scrubber and it holds your soap so you know where it is. This one is made with some left over yarn from a long time ago. Its a very thin yarn so I knitted it up on size 6.5mm needles to make a large gauge. this pattern can be changed into a lace pattern but I just used garter stitch. 

Pattern

Cast On 30 stitches on 5-7mm needles (size of the needles depends on the yarn type)
Knit several rows until you get a square swatch then cast off or use a 3 needle bind off if you can (I learned how to do that for the first time last night so I'm chuffed ;) )
Fold over and sew up the sides to make a bag.
Use a yarn needle and the same yarn as the project to make a draw string across the top. sew 1/2 inch stitches and leave enough room to secure the soap in the bag.

Adaptions

Use whatever stitch you want or are able to do, this is a good way to practice tricky patterns because if it only for you, only you will see it. this can be made in any type of yarn or wool you have lurking.

:)

HI

Hi there :)

OK so this is my first go at a blog so it may be a bit stupid for a while, but bare with it if you can and i'll try to make sense later.

The idea behind this was to be a dumping ground for all my knitting and sewing projects and hopefully some patterns if I can work out how to make them. Maybe also a few pictures of my pets if I feel like it.

thanks for reading :)