Tiny Angel Blankie

Yesterday I did some very special and important knitting.

I knit a tiny Blankie for a poor baby girl due to be born asleep today :'-(

This is the first time I have knit anything like this and I wasn't sure where to start or what to make but I decided on this Blankie pattern from  Tigerlily Trust website and used Sirdar Baby Crofter DK. It will keep her cosy, loved and guarded by angel wings for evermore.

It's not the neatest Blankie ever but it was knit in one day into the early hours to make it in time for baby's arrival. 

I hope baby's Mummy and Daddy like it.

I know some people knit all sorts of different outfits and things for sleeping babies for charity on a regular basis. I think I'll leave it to them to continue for now as knitting this made me feel quite sad. I was glad to be able to make it though as it meant I could help a friend and hopefully it will help bring some comfort.

Iona Chihuahua!

I have knit a Chihuahua, oh yes!

Iona chihuahua, or I.Chihuahua for short, was made for my special knitting friend Mandie :-)

She longs to own her own chihuahua but alas, she has a family and her knitting habit to pay for and so she has to wait for her chihuahua.

And here she is:

She is fabulous and knitted in Lily sugar n cream cotton - the pink rose petal scented one.

She was knit completely in the round (how I survived that, I'll never know) so there are no seams. I used a toy nose and toy safety eyes on a white circle of felt. If you choose to use the felt to add more character, do be careful not to cut the circles too big like I did at first or you will be knitting high-as-a-kite chihuahua and nobody wants one of those.

Here she is practising another pose to show off her tail:

And a head shot:

She is beautiful and much loved. And will likely never have any siblings. Unless I grow another hand or maybe a couple of extra fingers and a whole lot more patience......

Twiddlemuffs

At Kintore knit & stitch we've been making Twiddlemuffs to donate to people with Alzheimer's so that they have something to do with their hands and hopefully to be a comfort too.

They are a useful thing to make as any different sizes and textures of yarn can be used up in any design you fancy. You can then attach anything you like in any design using things like buttons, beads, ribbons or zips, both inside and out for people to twiddle with.

You can use chunky wool or various combinations of two strands of DK, using 6.5mm needle. Just stocking stitch 11 inches for the lining then 12 inches for the outside. Sew up the edges and the end then decorate.

Here's one I made earlier!

It's lovely, even if I do say so myself. I added beads on the inside too. 

I made the flowers by using a clever method I found online:

Cast on 3 stitches then pearl back.

KFB every stitch then pearl back.

Repeat until there are 48 stitches then pearl back before casting off.

This makes a sort of spiral shape that you can sew as tight or loose as you wish into a flower. I put a bead in the middle but you could use a button or nothing at all.

Here's another I made:

I thought it would be a bit more manly than the first one! But it does have a sort of salmons pink colour in the lining but maybe a man wouldn't mind that where you can't see it!? Again it has beads on the inside too to twiddle with.

Here is one that my son Aaron (13) made:

I think that's enough Twiddlemuffs for now. At Kintore knit & stitch we've also to make clothes for fish & chip babies and some items to sell at our Christmas stall so I had better make something long those lines next.

Sunflower

Here's a sunflower I made recently.

I made it for the Kintore knit & stitch group so that it could go along with the sunflowers that other members made. We put them together to make a display at the church sunflower festival where several community groups had made displays too.

I used Stylecraft Special DK in sunshine and walnut. The petals are made using short row shaping, a larger outer set and a smaller inner set. The centre is stuffed. I made a brown I cord and sewed it onto the back so that it can be tied to things as a decoration.