Pretty pink mice stocking filler make...

the little girls at our school gift fair adored these - simple little finger mice. i tucked them inside a sweetie bag because they reminded me of the sugar candy mice i used to find in the toe of my christmas stocking!

Finger mouse

You will only need:

Any DK yarn from your stash (only a small amount needed)

33/4mm (US size 5/ US Canadian 9) double pointed needles

A yarn sewing needle to sew weave in the ends

Black thread for the nose, a scrap of pink felt for the ears and tiny beads for the eyes. Neutral coloured thread for sewing on ears and eyes.

To make:

Cast on 1sts, knit into the front and then the back of that st - called Kfb. (2 sts). Slide 2 sts (as i-cord) to other end of the needle, kfb, k1. (3 sts)

*Slide sts to other end of needle, kfb, k to end**. (4 sts)

Rep from * to ** twice more. (6 sts)

Slip 6 sts evenly onto 3 dpns. Join for working in the rnd.

Rnd 1 K6.

Rnd 2 (inc) [Kfb, k1] 3 times. (9 sts)

Rnd 3 K9.

Rnd 4 (inc) [Kfb, k2] 3 times. (12 sts)

Rnd 5 K12.

Rnd 4 (inc) [Kfb, k5] 3 times. (15 sts)

Rnd 5 K15.

Rep last rnd until the mouse measures (approx.) 7cm/ 2 3/4in from the tip of its nose.

Tail

Next rnd (dec) K1, cast off 13 sts.

K1, cont as i-cord on the 2 remaining sts until Tail measures 9cm/ 3 1/2in

Weave in the yarn ends.

Cut a tiny 6mm/ 1/2in diameter (approx.) circle from the felt. Cut the circle in half for each ear. Oversew these to the top of the head. Work stitches over the tip of the nose in black thread. Sew on the beady eyes (or embroider them on if you wish.

Image of the week #6...

i idolise julie arkell's work. as you may know, i adore knitting dolls and animals and have tended to create things as toys yet never as 'art' - in my dreams, if i could achieve the latter with my work i would be really delighted. julie bridges that gap between toy and art and i have always revered her for that.

Bear's tank top make...

i've been busying myself all this week (& dare i say i was very grateful of having something to do - no way would you want to venture outdoors unnecessarily in this weeks weather!) - sewing and knitting bits and things for our school gift fair on tuesday week (16th november st.hilary school, penzance, 7.00pm if you just so happen to be near). some of the items for sale from my little stall will be these small grey woollen bears - the bear pattern i adapted from sew pretty homestyle; their knitted tank top - see pattern below. (by the way, the tank top just so happens to fit dot pebbles dolls rather nicely and also, bizarrely, the medium maeleg rabbit! size could also be adjusted by switching yarn weight and needle sizes)
Here's the pattern -
p.s next friday some sweet, sugary pink knitted finger mice which are currently hiding in a paper sweetie bag! have a lovely weekend, may it be a good sunny one!

Bear’s tank top

You will only need:

Any DK yarn from your stash (only a small amount)

33/4mm (US size 5/ US Canadian 9) double pointed needles

A yarn sewing needle to sew up the shoulder seams.

Finished size

Fits waist (approximately) 20cm (8in), length 8cm (3 3/4in)

To make:

Cast on 36sts

Slip 36 sts evenly onto 3 dpns. Join for working in the rnd. Place marker.

Rnd 1 [K1, p1] 18 times.

Rnd 2 K36.

Rep last rnd 8 times more.

Divide for armholes

Rnd 15 K7, cast off 4 sts, k13, cast off 4 sts, k6 to marker at beg of rnd. Remove marker.

Rnd 16 K7, turn.

Back

Row 17 P14.

On these 14 sts cont in st st for 8 rows, ending with a p row.

Cast off all 14 sts.

Front, divide for ‘v’

RS facing, rejoin yarn to 14 sts from Front. (Dec) K5, skpo, k2 tog, k5. (12 sts)

Right front

Row 17. P6, turn.

Row 18 (dec) K2 tog, k to end. (5 sts)

Row 19 P.

Rep last 2 rows once more. (4 sts)

Cont in st st for 4 rows.

Cast off 4 sts.

Left front

WS facing, rejoin yarn to rem 6 sts. P across.

Row 18 (dec) K to last 2 sts, skpo. (5 sts)

Row 19 P.

Rep last 2 rows once more. (4 sts)

Cont in st st for 4 rows.

Cast off 4 sts.

Join shoulders working mattress seam.

Weave in all the loose ends.

image of the week #5...

is this - a beautiful collection of australian trading cards 'day 149' taken from artist lisa congdon's blog (which, by the way should come with a health warning as it's so addictive)! from 1st january lisa has illustrated every day this year, so far, with collections of everyday objects, unusual objects, drawings and paintings. one collection per day to its end on 31st december. sadly i've only just found the blog, now on 'day 312' 'though still looking forward to the next 53(?) my maths is rubbish - days! thanks lisa

Start making for Christmas this weekend...

here's a free pattern, taken from knit and purl pets, for you to begin your christmas makes. your very own car companion (to keep or give away). she (or he) will sit very calmly and quietly on your dashboard as you drive. this particular greyhound is in fact appley peach's new companion and she is called 'the princess snowdrop'! i'd love to know what you think - of her, not her ridiculous name! do drop me a line - and if you can't gain access to the pdf, i'll email it to you! take care and have a great weekend.

petite pumps

i've just finished making these teeny tiny pumps  - only 6cm long - for the new dot pebbles autumn range which i will post on the website very soon...

a treat from me to me

it's good to treat yourself from time to time, this is what came for me in the post today from donna flower's beautiful shop

Image of the week #4...

okay, halloween over for another year - i don't like the though of 'ticking boxes' but that is what it comes down to sometimes - you know what i'm going to say next... christmas! and thoughts of. that's why 'image of the week' goes to these beautiful fairy lights from cable and cotton  first spotted on april & may's fab blog - thank you jantine! i'm thinking whether it's possible to have a go at knitting something similar?

happy halloween!

magic finger

here's a pattern for a simple crochet finger puppet to adapt as you wish; witches, wizards, zombies, devils, rats and bats... or as my youngest suggests - a rabbit!     Quite.

the following instructions are for uk crochet
using dk (light-worsted) yarn and size 3.25mm (d3) hook, begin with body end and make 12 chain.
taking care not to twist the chain join into a ring with sl st in 1st chain of the round.
rnd 1. 1ch, 1dc in each ch around. (12 dc)
Place a marker at beg of each round to mark start of the round
rnd 2. 1dc in each 12dc around.
rep last rnd until body measures 4cm (1.5in)
 - if you want the head to be a different colour, break yarn and join in the new colour.
next rnd. 1dc in each dc around.
rep last rnd until entire puppet measures 6cm (2.5in)
complete head as follows or skip next 2 instructions and follow instructions for 'hat'
head only: miss next dc, 1dc in each next 2dc, rep from * around. (8 dc)
Break yarn and thread end through rem 8 sts. Pull up to close top of head and fasten off.
hat: break yarn from head colour and change to hat colour.
next rnd.  miss next dc, 1dc in each next 3dc, rep from * around. (9 dc)
next rnd.  miss next dc, 1dc in each next 2dc, rep from * around. (6 dc)
next rnd.  miss next dc, 1dc in next dc, rep from * around. (3 dc)
Break yarn and thread end through rem 3 sts. Pull up to close top of hat and fasten off.
hat brim
make 12 ch. Turn. make 1ch, skip next ch, 1dc in each rem ch. fasten off.
use the brim to coil around, in a flat twist, at the top of the head/ bottom of the hat. sew in place to secure.
sew on round bits of felt with a black french knot for the eyes -  or snap toy eyes in place as i did, sew a line for a mouth using black yarn or thread.
if you want arms ( or legs) work a long chain (20 ch in my case) and fasten off, sew in place at the back of the puppet.
i also tied a strand of yarn around the neck as a cloak fastening.
cut strands for hair and sew under the hat or onto the top of the head

make no bones...

these effectively frightening fellows were made by my children - their names - the models not my children(!) - are bill bone, bella bone and bertie bone and they were made from polymer clay (fimo or sculpey for eg.) allow one pack per sculpture. see below for the simple instructions...

break off bits of the clay and soften. work the lumps into a head, body, 2 feet and 2 hands. using skewers or sharpish points 'draw' lines onto the parts to illustrate bones; teeth, ribs, finger bones etc, the eyes were created by pushing a bead onto the head then removing the bead leaving an indent looking rather like an eye socket. push a knitting needle into the top and down through to the bottom of each shape (best to get an adult to do this) thus making each body part into a sort of bead. thread up a long darning needle with a length of cotton or linen or similar string - not plastic string (i used baker's string), and thread the length of string through the 'bead'. knot each end then mould the clay a little around the string to keep the string in place. bake in a preheated oven according to the manufacturer's guidelines. our skeletons took 20 mins in a 130˚ oven. leave to cool and hang in a strategic place ready to spook your mates!
which one's your favourite?

half term treat (not trick): green jelly brains...

oozy, sticky green jelly fill these orange jack'o'lanterns and children find great pleasure in scooping out the 'jelly brains'! apologies to the squeamish! Simple to make, here's how...

make the jelly following the manufacturer's guidelines - i used two jelly packs for three oranges which was a perfect amount. allow for about 2 or 3 hours to set. cut the top off the orange and scoop out the flesh and tip out the juice - eat and drink this. wipe the inside with absorbent kitchen paper. cut out a face or design into the orange skin. drag a fork through the jelly to mash it up. spoon the mashed up jelly into the orange heads - pop back into the fridge or eat straight away. spookilicious!

(spooky) images of the week #3

and over to my three children for their ghoulishly creepy creations... thanks harry (bat), may (skeletons) & james (pumpkins)! - look out this week too for pumpkin jellies, hanging skeletons and crocheted witchy finger puppets!