Friday, June 10, 2016

Cinnamon the Sock Cat

Made available June 10th, 2016


Ever since I started to knit socks, I really wanted to make an animal from “thin” a.k.a. fingering weight yarn. After years of designing animals with the most common weights of DK and Worsted, I finally sat down and thought back about making that “sock weight” animal. I love cats, and socks and cats is the seamless combination.  

This pattern is a perfect way to use those extra sock (or any yarn weight) scraps every knitter has lying around the house. Cinnamon only takes up ~20 yards of fingering/4ply weight yarn and a couple hours to complete, so he’s easy to make as a quick gift. Also, I utilized using short rows for the head, this is ideal for the seasoned sock knitter that’s looking for a break from knitting straight-up socks, but still needs to use up the leftover sock yarn in their stash.

As an added bonus, Cinnamon’s collar doubles as a hair tie holder! (I used a hair tie holder as the collar in the pictures.)


Supplies:
  • Yarn used: Dream in Color Smooshy [100% superwash merino; 450yds/411.5m per 113g skein], Campfire Connections colorway, 1 skein (or a very small amount of that one skein)
  • A set of US sized 1 (2.25mm) Double Pointed Needles (DPNs)
  • Polyfill stuffing
  • Small scrap (6 inches) of pink fingering yarn or thread for the nose
  •  yarn scissors and darning needle
  • (Optional): Poly-fil poly-pellet beads to use for the bottom of the body.
  • (Optional): 4.5mm plastic safety eyes. I used this size and from the etsy shop 6060 eyes, since plastic eyes this small can be very hard to find in-stores. If you don’t have plastic safety eyes that are small enough, I would suggest making eyes using some black, brown, green, blue, or eye-like color and sewing on French knot or some basic knot eyes.


HEIGHT OF FINISHED PRODUCT:
About 3 inches (sitting down)


Abbreviations:
m1l: make one left
w&t: wrap and turn


PATTERN:
MAIN BODY/HEAD:
CO 6, separate onto DPNs to knit in round

1. K all sts
2. K1, m1l around (12)
3. K all sts
4. K2, m1l around (18)
5. K all sts
6. K3, m1l around (24)
7-8. K all sts
9. K4, m1l around (30)
10-17. k all sts
18. k2tog, k8 around (27)
19. k all sts
20. k2tog, k7 around (24)
21. k2tog, k6 around (21)
22. k2tog, k5 around (18)
23. k all sts
24. k3, m1l around (24)

Stuff what you have so far

Now, work flat, picking up wraps along the way
-k7, w&t, p6, w&t
-k8, w&t, p10, w&t
-k12, w&t, p14, w&t
-k12, w&t, p10, w&t
-k8, w&t, p6, w&t

Now back to knitting in the round

25. k all sts
(picking up wraps as usual, as you place the first four sts and last four sts from the needle that you knitted flat onto the third and second DPN needles respectively. The beginning of your round should be the right edge of the top of the “head.”)

26. k10, k2tog, k8, ssk, k2
27. k all sts
28. k1, k2tog, k2, ssk,k2,k2tog, k8, ssk, k1 (18)
29. k all sts
30. k2tog, k2, ssk, k2tog, k8, ssk (14)
31. k all sts
32. k2tog all sts (7)
Cut yarn, stuff head, insert plastic eyes, then thread through remaining sts tightly.

EARS (make 2):
co 8, separate
1. k all sts
2. ssk, k2tog, ssk, k2tog (4)
3. k all sts
4. k2tog around (2)

cut yarn, thread through remaining sts


Close up photo of Cinnamon’s face for reference



ARMS (make 2):
CO 6, separate onto DPNs
1-10. k all sts
11. k2tog all sts (3)
cut yarn, thread through remaining sts

LEGS (make 2):
CO 6, separate onto DPNs
1-12. k all sts
13. k2tog all sts (3)
cut yarn, thread through remaining sts

TAIL:
CO 4, knit in i-cord for 1.5 inches or as long as you like. J
Then, cut yarn, thread through remaining sts

Finishing: Attach the ears, arms, legs and tail to the main body/head. Then sew on the nose using the scrap of pink yarn. Enjoy!



***Please do not reproduce this pattern for personal profit of the pattern or finished piece. Thank you.***

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Another new pattern announcement!

Within a day, I have come up with an awesome new pattern! It's a great way to use some leftovers of sock yarn to create an adorable animal. Currently, I will make the pattern for one animal (of course, it is one of my favorite animals, if anyone is able to guess, lol). Although I think it can be very versatile in what animals it could turn into. So in the future, maybe, just maybe, I'll make variations of this pattern, with different ears and tails, facial features, etc.

First, I'll have to take pictures for the pattern page and create some more prototypes, but be on the lookout for the new pattern using sock yarn in within this week! :)



Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Not your average Mister Manatee

 Made available May 17th, 2016



Mister Manatee is not your typical manatee. He has no snout like a regular sea cow, and you might say that he’s a manatee-fish-whale hybrid. Yet, Mister Manatee is incredibly cute and is a perfect addition to your amigurumi collection, for children, for babies, and for kids at heart.

Best of all, he’s an easy knit, ideal for a first timer trying out knitting stuffed animals. He doesn’t take more than two hours to complete and uses a minimal amount of a single color and common weight of yarn (worsted/aran).

Supplies:
  • Yarn used: Cascade 220 Superwash [100% Wool]; color: 874; 1 skein
  • Needle: US size 4 (3.5mm) DPNs, set of four
  • Polyfil stuffing
  • Split stitch marker (to keep track of where you are in a row
  • Scissors
  • Yarn needle
  • Two 9mm sized black craft eyes


GAUGE:
5 sts/8 rows= 1 inch of stockinette stitch



Abbreviations:
M1L: Make one left (type of increase) K2tog: knit two together (type of decrease) SSK: slip, slip knit (type of decrease)



PATTERN:

BODY:
CO 6 sts, separate and knit in round 

1. k all sts
2. k1, M1L around (12)
3. k all sts

4. k2, M1L around (18) 
5-7. k all sts
8. k3, M1L around (24) 

9. k all sts
10. k4, M1L around (30) 
11-16. k all sts
17. k5, M1L around (36) 

18-31. k all sts
32. k2tog, k4 around (30) 
33. k all sts
34. k2tog, k3 around (24) 

35. k all sts
36. k2tog, k2 around (18)
*stuff, Mister Manatee is lightly stuffed. Do not stuff the “tail” which is knitted after this row.
37-41. k all sts
42. k3, M1L around (24)
43-45. k all sts
46. k6, k2tog, ssk, k4, k2tog, ssk, k6 (20)
47. k2tog twice in each of the three needles, so you end up with 14 sts.


After this, cut the yarn, thread through all sts very tightly so you end up with a rounded shape at the end for the tail.



Picture of manatee’s tail, top view


FLIPPERS (make 2):
Cast on 12 sts, knit in round 

1-5. k all sts
6. ssk, k8, k2tog (10)
7. k all sts

8. ssk, k6, k2tog (8)
9-11. k all sts


cut yarn, thread through all sts.




Picture of manatee completed and sewed up, bottom view


***Please do not reproduce this pattern for personal profit of the pattern or finished piece. Thank you.***

Monday, May 16, 2016

New pattern coming soon!

I've got terrific news! :)

I've been working on writing one of my old patterns up (from five years ago, yes, five years ago) for everyone. I just completed the prototype, so I will upload the pattern sometime within this week. It will be on this website, Ravelry, and as a downloadable PDF (through Ravelry), as my more recent patterns have been formatted. 

I haven't uploaded a pattern in two years. I hope that during my summer break I can upload and create some more patterns as well.



Thursday, March 24, 2016

Long awaited project status update

Hi everyone! I'm back, sort of, but good enough, right? :)

I'm in college. Yep, as everyone has probably figured out, I have been quite busy for not updating for months on end. So what has happened since my last post (from October)?


While I was in school, I took a ceramics class and completed some projects with the 25lb of clay I bought. :)


Hand built Chameleon (he's actually an upside down pot, haha)



A wheel thrown mug for Meow-Meow





Lots 'o wheel thrown pieces




Cute little cup and plate set filled with hot chocolate









Also, I was able to squeeze a couple of knitting projects (socks everywhere, lol) during Winter Break and Spring Break. 


"Wednesday Socks" using Fancy Feet Anklets Set pattern made with Knit Picks Stroll in Aurora Heather.




"Overly Due Christmas Socks" using Rose City Rollers pattern made with Red Heart & Sole With Aloe in Christmas.




"Guacamole Socks" using Picot Socks pattern made with Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce in Guacamole.




"Fishy Socks" using Simple Handspun Socks pattern made with my handspun yarn from Meow Brands.




"Curly Cat Cat" using my own pattern made with a combo strand of Vermont O-Wool Balance and Be Sweet Medium Mohair. 




"Twilight the Cat" using my own pattern made with Cascade Superwash 220 in 874. 






That's all for now! Until next time. :)