A bolero

I love this bolero. The pattern is from Debble Bliss's book Junior Knits. I used some inherited vintage yarn Patons Beehive Shetland Chunky (Made in Britain). It looks fashionable enough that Ellie got a compliment every time she wore it. I ran out of yarn at the very end so there was not enough yarn for the ribbing at the sleeves. They were a little bit shorter than the pattern. I also wondered how it would turn out had I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran as recommended. Would it be much softer and lighter? So tempted to make another one.

Found this detailed note from another knitter. She did a great job!!! Will go through it before I knit it again.

A knitted baby top

This knitted baby top is based on Debbie Bliss's pattern. Since the yarn is different from the pattern used, I had to to do some conversions to fit the tension of my inherited yarn. It also gives a different feeling. I do like the vintage cartoon button. It makes the top super cute.

Another throw

After that mohair throw, my daughter really wanted one for her as well. I was not going to knit for another few months to knit her another fancy one. Among all the inherited yarns, I had no idea what to do with the loopy yarn until the request for another throw came up. Voila!!! I finished this throw (10 balls) in one week with 7mm needles. So quick! Just stocking stitches. Ellie loved it. Thanks Aunt Grace!

My queen size throw

I started knitting this throw from this Erika Knight's knitting pattern a few months ago because I inherited 20 balls of mohair yarn from my aunt. What's a better way to use up all these yarns? I have never knitted anything so big in size. This throw was made up with 4 rectangles of different patterns stitching together and then I knitted the fringe and sewed it around the borders. It's just gorgeous and wonderfully warm. I am so happy that I finished it just in time before it got really cold. My husband kept suggesting to spend AUD300 on a good down quilt. After I made this throw, I'd rather spend that money on raw materials, more fabric and more yarn. It's only a matter of time that I can make something we will treasure of years. :)

I have never knitted lace patterns. It's pretty tricky as I often got lost in the pattern and forgot which row I was on and missed a stitch here and there. Having made so many mistakes, I learnt that it's always good to make a total of number of stitches for each row so you know where you are based on the number of stitches on your needles. This worked wonderfully well with the fringes. For the lace pattern, work out the "trend" in the pattern so that you can count where you are based on the first few stitches in a row. It's not as relaxing as knitting stockinette stitches but the results are well worth the efforts and you will grasp the pattern before you know it.

Ariel the Mermaid

Ariel was finally finished.  Tonight, Ellie and I handed her over to Irving Baby for the exhibition Knitting Nancy Dives In which is part of the Fringe Festival.  When we arrived Irving Baby, there were quite many underwater creatures floating around.  Ellie was very excited to see them.  Her favourites were an orange fish and the little ribbon squid.

Thinking back, it took me a long time to decide whether join this exhibition as I rarely make dolls and I didn't know if I could finish anything in the summer holiday.  Apart from spending time with Mum and Ellie this summer, I have been busy with thinking about how the mermaid should look like and finishing the mermaid doll . It's great that my order of
Toys to knit arrived quite early. I don't need to go around searching for patterns.  I wanted to create something instead of following a pattern for this exhibition.  I knitted the base doll based on the book and made up the tail myself.  So, Ariel can be a mermaid and a human at any time.  Ariel was made of 100% cotton yarn and 100% merino wool.  The tail was made with both acrylic and merino wool only because I couldn't find the right colour.  Otherwise, it would have been totally made of natural material.  I loved the trims on her tail and the shell bras. The sequins made it super special.  When the exhibition is over, I can make more clothes for her.  Ellie kept asking not to hand over Ariel.  Well, she was made for it.  She wanted to be "seen" for a little while.  :)  If you happened to have knitted a doll from this book and would like a pattern for the shell bra or the tail, feel free to email me as  I haven't tidied up my notes  yet.

With a little magic, Ariel got her legs and could taste the life of human on earth.  I think she will need a ballroom gown when she is back from her adventure.

The exhibition will be held at Irving Baby between 18 February and 13 March 2011.  Feel free to drop by and go underwater.

Slippers

I knitted these slippers really quickly as 7mm needles were used with 4 strands of 8 ply yarn.  These slippers originated from a Lincraft pattern Grandma's slippers.  I made it exactly according to the pattern 2 years ago.  I did find that I would love to change it to turn them into boot-like slippers.  I altered the pattern a little bit and knitted some extras for the legs.  I added some pompoms to make them more interesting for my 7 year old.  They have been great.  I just need to stitch some felt and make a few knots at the bottom to make them non-slippery.

A short moss jacket

Ellie and I both loved this short moss jacket. It's so easy to knit with a crochet border. I knitted it for her cousin because the pattern was up to 4 years old. It still fits Ellie. She asked me to make her one. I will just have to enlarge the pattern and pick another colour. It's definitely one of my favourite knitwear for kids.

This jacket is knitted from a free patterns downloaded from Drops Design which have a huge collection of knitting and crochet patterns. I love this website because it's very easy to look for the patterns that fit your yarns as the patterns are also categorised in "tension" and there are so many free patterns to choose from.

Some knitting from Debbie Bliss books

I always love Debbie Bliss knitting patterns. The knitwear from Debbie Bliss is surprisingly classic but also modern looking that I will always treasure for years. I knitted something from one of Debbie's books lately.



It only took 2 days to knitted this beret. I inherited a lot of my aunt's yarn. I looked through all her yarn and found this Patons Beehive Chunky perfect for knitting this beret. This yarn is very easy to work with. It's also very light. 100% wool. These "vintage" yarns are so much better than the new yarn.

The cable scarf was a more difficult. I was really excited that I could make the "ball" as I remember I didn't know understand the instruction as a kid. I have progressed from my "middle school" years. Now, Ellie and I fight for the cabled scarf whenever there is a chance to wear it. :D

Tracy Chapman

This book renewed my concept of knitting. Tracy designed a range of knitting patterns that include basic dolls and a series of different gorgeous clothing and accessories. For her ballerina range, there are leg warmers, hairband, necklace, shoes, wrap top, tutu and even knickers. I figured that her doll is much bigger than Barbie. In order to achieve some quick results, I decided to convert the patterns for Barbie. I knitted a wrap top and a skirt at night. Ellie woke up in the morning and found the new outfit. She was so excited that she wrote another long list of items that she would like Barbie to have. Oh dear ...

A knitted lacy flower headband

This knitted lacy flower has had lots of positive feedback. Ellie wore this headband to school. Even her class teacher would like to have one for her daughter. The flower pattern comes from this book. I even contacted the pattern contributor Kate Buchanan to see if I can use her pattern to make more lacy flowers to sell as they are just gorgeous and I can't help myself making them.

A knitted mouse

Definitely want to try this toy pattern a mouse toy.  It's so cute.  It will be in my to-do list.

A lilac sweater

I have wanted to knit Ellie a quick-and-easy sweater for a long time. It took me a long time to find a pattern that I like. I really like Debbie Bliss's knitting patterns. So cool and so stylish!!! I knitted this sweater based on her pattern. Since I don't have much patience to use small needles, I knitted it with thicker yarn and 6mm needles. It took me only 2 weeks to finish this sweater for a 6 year old. It did take a little calculation to convert Debbie's patterns from 5mm to 6mm but it's all worth it.