Cuddly Balls May 29, 2008

I’ve taken a short break from knitting to work on one of my other loves, sewing. Now, sewing and I have had a rocky past. It hasn’t always been pretty. But we seem to have come to an understanding now. I don’t sew clothes. (Well, maybe a skirt now and then, but that doesn’t count.) No shirts, no pants, nada. I don’t care how “simple” the pattern is. And sewing has finally come to accept that and now enjoys helping me make cool knitting bags and toys. Two things have really made my sewing much better:

Freezer paper. This stuff is awesome. You can iron it on to your fabric, draw on it, cut through it or around it, I’ve even used it as a tear-away stablizer when I’m desperate… then you just peel it off and it doesn’t leave a residue or tear! And it’s reusable (it does lose its effectiveness after 10 uses or so.)

Blindstitch (or slipstitch, the descriptions sound very similar to me.) Why didn’t anyone ever teach me this before?? All those projects I stuffed and sewed shut with whipstitch; I shudder to think of them. I freaking love blind/slipstitch. It’s almost completely invisible and easy to do. Kind of reminds me of grafting in knitting, in a good way. I tried to make my own blindstitch tutorial, but I got very frustrated with the macro function on my camera. So while the camera sees a therapist and recovers, use these tutorials: WikiHow with pictures, or YouTube video!

Anyway, I’ve been sewing because my sister is going to have a rough wee soon, and I thought I would make her something cuddly to cheer her up. Luckily she was visiting not too long ago, so I got lots of good ideas, even though I was planning on using them for the holidays. She was admiring my big “puzzle ball” that I made a few years ago. Which is a story in itself!

My grandmother-in-law always comes to me first when she wants to give handmade gifts to the family (I love this woman!) There was a sudden outbreak of great-grandchildren one year and she asked me to make some baby toys. I made these:

They’re puzzle balls, with coordinating fat eighths as the base pieces and then a different color and texture as the top piece. There’s fuzzy blue (which looks white in the pictures,) bumpy red, ridged purple, and smooth green. Oh, and they also have bells inside. I’ve heard they were a big hit. These ones were about 5” in diameter.

I made a larger one for myself, and it’s main purpose is apparently to be thrown at some unsuspecting guest. It’s made from flannel and cotton. (There’s a picture of it at the bottom of the page.) It’s very squishy and fun, about 10” in diameter. Anyway, back to the main story. I made my sister a puzzle ball, and while I was at it, I took some pictures for a tutorial. I first learned about these balls on Craftster. Take a look at some of the really beautiful ones people made!

These balls are really cool. I like using at least two colors in my balls, one “outer” and one “inner.” There are 36 pieces of fabric, 12 outer and 24 inner, so there are lots of options!

Amish Puzzle Ball

Supplies

Fabric (cotton, flannel, anything really) The amount varies depending on the size of the ball, but I’ve found that 1/2 a yard is plenty for a 6″ ball.

Coordinating thread

Sewing machine (unless you make it really small or are really patient)

Scissors, sewing needle, pins, iron and freezer paper (optional)

Polyester stuffing (or stuffing of choice)

Cutting

Resize the marquis shape here to your desired size (right click to save it to your computer.)

Keep in mind that there’s a ½” seam allowance, so a 7” template will be a 6” sewn shape. A 7” template makes an approximately 6 ½” diameter ball. You can make the template fatter for a ball with smaller gaps.

If you’re using freezer paper, trace your marquis onto the freezer paper. (I’ve managed to do a whole ball with one freezer paper marquis.) Cut it out.

Iron on your freezer paper template and cut out the marquis shape around the template. I fold my fabric so that I can cut 4 pieces at once, but you need really good scissors for that. Repeat until you have 36 pieces total (if making a 2-color ball, you need 24 MC pieces, and 12 CC pieces.)

Sewing

Pin two marquis pieces right sides together. Using a ½” seam allowance, sew one side of the marquis from end to end.

Take the third marquis and place it right side up on the table. Spread the sewn marquis apart and place it right side down on the third piece. Pin in place. It should look like this, but less fuzzy.

Sew one side of the marquis end to end. Sew the other side, but end about 1” short, for turning and stuffing.

Clip the seams (I like to cut them to about ¼”), turn right side out. Repeat until all pieces are sewn.

Stuff with Poly-fil to desired squishyness. Sew opening closed with blind/slipstitch. Repeat until all pieces are stuffed.

Sew two pieces together at the tips. I use blind/slipstitch to sew them together about ½” for a more solid ball in larger sizes.

Sew a third piece to the previous two to form a triangle.

Repeat until you have 4 3-piece triangles.

Sew two of the triangles together at the “point.” I use blind/slipstitch again, ½” on either side of the center.

Sew a third triangle to the two the same way.

Fold the triangles up so that the first and third touch and sew together the same way as before. You can also sew the fourth triangle on and then fold it up, but I think the first way is easier. Now you’ve got some sort of dome.

Sew the fourth triangle on in the same way, sewing each point to a point on the dome.

Finished!

Insert Title Here May 24, 2008

*sigh* I’m so frustrated right now. I’ve been working on a pair of socks (do you ever work on anything but socks? my inner voice asks.) They’re wonderful socks, I really like them. Or so I kept telling myself. I frogged the toe 5 times before I got it “just right”. (Which turned out to be the way you did it the first time, didn’t it?) I conveniently ignored the fact that they were slightly too sung. I knit for what seemed like eons to get the foot the right length. (The foot looks much too long, but it sort of fits.) I liked the yarn (Trekking XXL.)

I even put in a lifeline before doing the heel and frogged the heel twice before getting it perfect. I’ve bent over backwards for these socks! And how do they repay me?? By making the small cables on the cuff between the motifs look terrible! (Maybe you should have swatched the small cables too, idiot.) In a fit of anger, I decided I would just drop the offending stitches and pick them back up (10 rows of them!) in the pattern that I wanted.

Well that turned out great. Nothing like trying to fix 10 rows for 8 stitches- don’t do the multiplication, I don’t want to know. Especially when you’re frustrated, tired, and being punched in the arm by the cat who wants petting. Now I’m so kerfluddled (that’s not a word!) that I can’t even look at these socks anymore. I really had high hopes for these socks. I should have known from the darn toe that they would be trouble. They might as well have driven up on a motorcycle with terrible yarn piercings and a bad dye job. But did I listen? (Oh no, you said they were just misunderstood.)

Maybe we just need some time apart. Time to see other people, er, knitting. Yeah, that’s it… a beautiful excuse to start that other project… Wait, you don’t think these socks knew that I was dreaming about another project, do you? I didn’t cast on, I wasn’t cheating on the socks!

I’m sure I’ll return to them soon. They really are nice socks, on the inside…

The Sad Little Sock May 22, 2008

After finishing the Shenandoah socks, I was pretty psyched about making a series of socks based on their construction. I really love the way they come together, and the possibilities seemed pretty endless. I had even come across another serendipitous color combination that would use up some Lorna’s Laces that I had sitting around from another project. After finishing the first sock in record time, I cast on for the second, completed the toe…

And that was it. Two weeks passed, the poor second sock languishing on the needles. I had solved this problem before, by knitting two socks at once on two circulars. But I’ve learned (the hard way mostly) that frogging happens more often than knitting when I’m making up a pattern as I go. And frogging two socks at once is both annoying and heartbreaking. So, these socks were knit the old fashioned way, one at a time. And of course, the poor second sock got pushed aside for something new and exciting (which itself is on the verge of being bumped…)

I grabbed the finished sock and the “half-finished” (or so I kept telling myself) sock last night to take some pictures of them. That’s when it hit me, like a full speed truck full of yarn. The reason the first sock went so fast and the second has gone absolutely nowhere. I put the first sock on and realized… I had knit a sock that I had no interest in wearing. I mean, I totally loved the design while I was making it; that two week break seems to have cracked the spell they had over me. I can’t see myself wearing this sock. And I remembered that I don’t really like Lorna’s Laces, which is why my Reptilian Lace second sock didn’t get finished either. (How did I forget that?) It’s a pleasure to knit with, but I don’t like how it feels on my feet. (I think I’m the only one who feels this way, but *shrug.*) BUT, everyone has different tastes, so if you like Lorna’s Laces, lace, and unique sock construction, read on! (Man, I didn’t take very good pictures either… Poor sock, you deserve better.)

  

Grand Teton Socks

Download the PDF: Grand Tetons Socks

• Finished Size: Women’s 9 (foot length 9.5″)
• Needles: Two Size 0 (2 mm) circular needles
• Yarn: MC: KnitPicks Risata Marionberry (1 ball); CC: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Baltic Sea (1 skein)
• Yardage: MC: 196 yards; CC: 45 yards
• Extras: Tapestry needle, stitch markers, scrap yarn or stitch holder
• Gauge: Stockinette Stitch: 8 sts x 11 rows= 1″, Ripple Lace (1 repeat): 15 sts= 1 5/8″; 10 rows= 7/8″

Special Stitches:

SSLK: Slip the last stitch knitwise, pick up the two loops of the next slipped stitch on the instep, slip the two loops purlwise, insert right needle into the front loops of the two loops and slipped stitch and knit all 3 together. (A modified Slip, Slip, Knit.)

SSLP: Slip the last stitch knitwise, pick up the two loops of the next slipped stitch on the instep, slip the two loops knitwise, return the two loops and slipped stitch to left needle, and purl all 3 together. (A modified Slip, Slip, Purl.)

W&T: Wrap and turn. On knit row, bring yarn forward between the needles, slip next stitch purlwise, bring yarn to back, slip the stitch back to the left needle and turn work. On purl row, bring yarn to the back, slip the next stitch purlwise, bring yarn to the front, slip the stitch back to the left needle, and turn work.

kf&b: Knit front and back. Knit into the front of the stitch, then into the back of the stitch. More details here.

Toe

Using Judy’s Magic Cast On, CO 12 sts to each needle in MC. 24 sts

The starting needle (Needle 1) is the top/instep. The second needle (Needle 2) is the bottom/sole.

Round 1: Knit.

Round 2: K1, M1, knit to last st on Needle 1, M1, K1, K1, M1, knit to last st on Needle 2, M1, K1. 4 sts increased.

Repeat Round 1 and 2 until there are 64 sts total, 32 sts on each needle.

Instep

Round 1: K16, M1, k16, knit 3 sts from Needle 2 to Needle 1, knit until 3 sts before the end of Needle 2, move last 3 sts to Needle 1. 39 sts on Needle 1. 26 sts on Needle 2.

Place sole sts on scrap yarn or stitch holder.

Work Instep Ripple Lace until instep measures 7” from tip of toe, approx 6 ½ repeats, ending on an even row (Row 6). You can either cut the MC yarn, or just twist the two yarns together on the WS before each RS row to carry the MC yarn upwards (see Shenandoah Socks for more details). Make sure that the last MC and CC slipped sts are snug; they can become loose waiting until the next MC or CC row, but don’t pull them too tight.

Instep Ripple Lace

Row 1(MC): Sl 1, knit to end.

Row 2(MC): Sl 1 , knit to end.

Row 3, 5, 7, 9(CC): Sl 1, [k2tog twice, *yo, k1* three times, yo, sl 1 k1 psso twice, k1] three times.

Row 4, 6, 8, 10(CC): Sl 1, purl to end.

When instep reaches 7” from toe, place instep sts on scrap yarn or stitch holder and return sole sts to needle.

Sole

Row 1 (RS): With the left needle, pick up the two loops of the first slipped stitch on the instep and move them (correctly mounted) to the right hand needle. Knit the two picked up loops together with the first stitch on the needle. Knit to 1 st before the end of the needle, SSKK (see special stitches.)

Row 2 (WS): Sl 1, purl to last st, SSLP

Row 3: Sl 1, knit to last st, SSLK

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until all slipped sts have been used, ending after a RS row (do not use sts on the stitch holder or scrap yarn.)

Mini Heel Flap and Short Rows

Mini Heel Flap

Row 1: Sl 1, purl to the end.

Row 2: Sl 1, knit to the end.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 four more times (a total of 10 rows.)

Short Rows

Sl 1, purl to last st, W&T.

Knit to last st, W&T.

Purl to 1 st before end, W&T.

Knit to 1 st before end, W&T.

Purl to 2 sts before end, W&T.

Knit to 2 sts before end, W&T.

Continue working 1 fewer stitch each row until there are 10 sts between the wraps, ending after a knit row. I use Misocrafty’s Short Row Heel Tutorial to eliminate holes, but feel free to use your favorite method of picking up wraps in the next section.

Purl to the first wrap. Pick up the wrap with and leave on right needle. Purl the wrapped stitch and pass the picked up wrap over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Knit to the first knit wrap, pick up the wrap and leave on right needle. Knit the wrapped stitch and pass the picked up wrap over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Purl to the first purl wrap. Pick up the two wraps and leave on right needle. Purl wrapped stitch and pass wraps over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Knit to the next knit wrap. Pick up the two wraps and leave on right needle. Knit wrapped stitch and pass the two wraps over, as in a psso. Wrap the next stitch again, turn.

Continue working wraps until all sts have been worked, ending on a RS row.

Pick Up Stitches

Pick up and knit through the back loops 5 sts along the heel flap, one in each slipped stitch on the edge. Pick up and knit through the back loop 1 stitch in the corner. Place marker.

Return instep stitches to needle. Knit 19, k2tog, knit to end of instep.

Place marker, pick up and knit through the back loops 1 stitch in the corner and 5 sts along the flap. K 13. Place marker for beginning of round (center of the heel.) 38 sts on sole.

Row 1: Knit to 3 stitches before the first marker, k2tog, k1. Knit to the second marker, k1, ssk, knit to the end of the round. 2 sts deceased.

Row 2: Knit.

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 66 sts remain. (I had intended to do some 1×1 ribbing here during the decreases, just for fun, but I forgot by the time I got to this point. I still think it would look nice, though.)

Next Row: K1, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k1, knit across instep, k1, ssk, k3, ssk, k3, ssk, k1. 60 sts.

Leg

Join CC and work Leg Ripple Lace until desired length. Shown 2 ½ repeats, starting on Row 7.

Leg Ripple Lace

Row 1(MC): Knit

Row 2(MC): Purl

Row 3, 5, 7, 9(CC): [k2tog twice, *yo, k1* three times, yo, sl 1 k1 psso twice, k1] around.

Row 4, 6, 8, 10(CC): Knit

Ripple Bind Off

In MC, knit 1 round.

Next Row: K5, in next stitch kf&b twice, kf (5 sts increased),*Knit 11, in next stitch kf&b twice kf*4 times, k6. 85 sts.

Bind off loosely knitwise. Make second sock.

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you. They have not been fully tested. But they are free. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free. There may be typos or pattern mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.

 

 

This work by Cailyn Meyer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Wool Mice and Things May 20, 2008

Things are finally back to normal around here. There was much visiting of family and fun, although very little knitting. Before disappearing into the strange world of Noyarnia, I mentioned a felted mouse toy that I was making. Well, here he is! (Before and after felting.)

  

I’ve made two sizes of mouse, because my cats like very different toys. Arwen, our older cat, loves big toys that reek of catnip. (She’s a big kitty and she looooves felted wool.)

Kif, our younger and much smaller cat, is indifferent to catnip and only likes toys that he can carry comfortably in his mouth. (He’s hard to get a good picture of.)

Well, enough about my cats. I bet you’re just itching to know how to make one of those mousies.

Felted Mousie

Download the PDF: Felted Mousie

Update 5/23: I’ve fixed the increases for the mouse head. I have no idea what happened when I originally wrote it up- those increases made NO sense. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was drunk when I wrote it. Anyway, I apologize to anyone who tried to make the mouse with those funky instructions!

Update 5/26: Fixed the number of stitches between the mouse ears. Corrections in purple.

• Yarn: Any feltable, worsted weight wool (I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Lake Ice Heather) plus a few inches of contrasting yarn for details.
• Yardage: Small mouse approx 15 yards
• Large Mouse approx 30 yards
• Needles: Small mouse, size 7 dpns
• Large Mouse, size 10 dpns
• Other materials: Tapestry needle, toy stuffing, catnip, sewing needle and coordinating thread.
• Gauge: Not really important, since the mouse will be felted.

Prefelted Measurements: Small Mouse, approx 2.25″x3.5″ (not including tail)

Large Mouse, approx 3.25″x5″ (not including tail)

Postfelted Measurements: Small Mouse, approx 1″ x 2.5″ (not including tail)

Large Mouse, approx 2.5″ x 3.5″ (not including tail)

Special Stitches

Make Bobble: Kf&b twice in the next 2 sts. (8 sts increased.) Turn, purl 8 sts just increased. Turn, k 8 sts. Turn, p2tog four times. Turn, k2tog twice. Continue row as instructed.

Mouse Head

For large mouse, work with yarn held doubled. For small mouse, work with one strand.

CO 4 sts to each of 2 needles, using Judy’s Magic Cast On. 8 sts

Round 1,3,5,7,: Knit

Round 2: K1, m1, k2, m1, k2, m1, k2, m1, k1 (4 sts increased.) 12 sts

Rearrange sts as desired.

Round 4: K1, m1, k4, m1, k2, m1, k4, m1, k1 (4 sts increased) 16 sts

Round 6: K1, m1, k6, m1, k2, m1, k6, m1, k1 (4 sts increased) 20 sts

Round 8: K1, m1, k8, m1, k2, m1, k8, m1, k1 (4 sts increased) 24 sts total

Knit 1-2 rounds even. (More rounds give the mouse a longer face.)

Ears

Next round: K2, Make Bobble, k4, Make Bobble, knit to the end of the round.

Knit 3-5 rounds even. If you want a longer mouse body, knit more rounds.

Mouse Butt

Round 1: K1, k2tog, k6, ssk, k2, k2tog, k6, ssk, k1 (4 sts decreased.) 20 sts

Round 2, 4, 6: Knit

Round 3: K1, k2tog, k4, ssk, k2, k2tog, k4, ssk, k1 (4 sts decreased.) 16 sts

Round 5: K1, k2tog, k2, ssk, k2, k2tog, k2, ssk, k1 (4 sts decreased.) 12 sts

Round 7: K1, k2tog, ssk, k2, k2tog, ssk, k1 (4 sts decreased.) 8 sts

K2tog around. (4 sts decreased.) 4 sts

Small Mouse only: K2tog, k2. 3 sts remain.

Tail

Small Mouse: Work 3-st I-cord until tail is at least 2” long.

Large Mouse: Work 4-st I-cord until tail is at least 2″ long. (My cats like a long tail, so I knit the tail about 4″ long.)

Embroider eyes, nose, etc in scrap yarn on the face below the ears.

Felting

The small mouse can be felted by hand in about 10 minutes. Run some hot water (about as hot as you can comfortably stand) in the sink and dip your mouse in. Add some soap to the mouse and start to rub and squish him vigorously between your hands. (This might be a fun thing to make- um, ask your kids do for you.) When your mouse has lost his stitch definition and is the right size (keep felting him to make him smaller,) rinse him in cold water and set him aside to dry.

The larger mouse can be felted by hand (takes a bit longer than the small mouse) or in the washer. If you’ve got any other felting projects, you can throw the mouse in with them.

For more information on machine felting, check out this article on Knitty.

When the mouse is felted and dry, cut a small hole in the underside, stuff with toy stuffing and catnip, sew the opening back up, and give to the cat.

Success!

Please Note: I post my patterns as soon as I’ve completed them because I’m excited to share them with you.  They have not been fully tested.  They are free, though. I’ve made every effort to make sure that the instructions are clear and error-free.  There may be typos or other mistakes and if you find them or have any questions, please let me know by posting a comment or emailing me, dailyskein at gmail.com.

 

 

This work by Cailyn Meyer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

There’s Been No Knitting! May 16, 2008

My family’s been in town (at least part of them) since Tuesday night… and I haven’t touched a needle since! I do believe I am developing what they call “knitter’s fever” or the “crazies.” Luckily, we’re going on a bit of a road trip today, and my mother brought some sort of book on CD for us to listen to, so there should be a nice chunk in there to get my “knitter’s fever” treatment in. Unfortunately, I didn’t get my felted mouse pattern done soon enough before they arrived to post it yet. But they’ll be gone Sunday night, so Monday should be a big day.