planet necklace

I'm still easing myself gently into the wet felting. I saw a tutorial for making felt balls in the washing machine on the Painted Thread Projects blog. It has great instructions and plenty of photos. I decided to make balls to represent all of the planets continuing my "universe" theme for the City and Guilds course. They are approximately to scale and the correct colour.

For the rings of Saturn, I wet felted a small piece, cut a donut shape out and them free machined round it.
The world was a plain blue ball which I later needlefelted, land and clouds on to - not sure how geographically correct it is!

Unfortunately I lost Pluto somewhere, it must have rolled under the sitee or somewhere. I was going to make a mobile of the felted planets, but changed my mind and turned them into a necklace.

bye, ali

felted bowls

The city and guilds classes have well and truly started. I'm doing felting this year. As I haven't done much actual wet felting I'm easing myself in gently with a bit of knitted felting. I liked the idea of the felted nesting bowls in the Alice Thelma blog. My theme for this year is the solar system, so I tried to make the bowls planet like. I knitted angelica into the black felting wool to add a bit of sparkle. When I washed the bowls in the washing machine, the black must have ran making the nice bright yellow and orange colour a bit muddy.....should have used a colour catcher in the wash. Ah well you learn by your mistakes.

It was a good pattern, the bowls fitted exactly inside one another.

bye, ali

whoopie pie pattern

Ive just put a new pattern on - see below for a whoopie pie. Hope someone can make use of it. The two halves are knitted with dpns and the cream is made using i-cord technique. I read somewhere that the whoopie pie got its name for Amish men shouting "whoopie" when they found the delicious treat in their lunch box.......dont know if that's true or not, you can correct me if I'm wrong. Better get back to my city and guild stuff now - I'm doing felting and I'm relatively new to this craft, so lots of research and googling required,
Bye, Ali.

WHOOPIE PIE

THIS PATTERN IS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. DO NOT REPRODUCE PATTERN. DO NOT SELL ITEMS KNITTED FROM THIS PATTERN FOR PROFIT ONLY FOR PERSONAL OR CHARITABLE USE

 

size : 4 inches / 10cms wide

ABBREVIATIONS
k : knit
st(s) : stitch(es)
rpt : repeat
rd : round
tog : together
kfb : increase – knit into the front and back of the same stitch
pwt : pull wool through – cut yarn and with needle thread through remaining sts


MATERIALS
four dpns size 3.00mm (US 2.5)
two dpns recommended size 6.5mm (US 10.5)
brown double knit (8ply) yarn
white double knit (8ply) yarn
polyester stuffing
stitch marker
sewing thread and needle
darning needle
long sharp needle
seed beads (optional)
SEED BEADS NOT SUITABLE FOR SMALL CHILDREN


CAKE INSIDE HALF (make 2)
four dpns size 3.00mm (US 2.5)
Cast on 80 sts
Divide sts between three needles – 24 sts, 24 sts and 32 sts. Place marker.
Rd 1 :  k.
Rd 2 :  (k6, k2tog) rpt to end of rd (70 sts).
Rd 3 :  k.
Rd 4 :  (k5, k2tog) rpt to end of rd (60 sts).
Rd 5 :  k.
Rd 6 :  (k4, k2tog) rpt to end of rd. (50 sts).
Rd 7 :  k.
Rd 8 :  (k3, k2tog) rpt to end of rd. (40 sts).
Rd 9 :  k.
Rd 10 : (k2, k2tog) rpt to end of rd. (30sts)
Rd 11 : k.
Rd 12 : (k1, k2tog) rpt to end of rd (20 sts).
Rd 13 : k.
Rd 14 : (k2tog) rpt to end of rd (10 sts)
pwt.


CAKE HALF (make 2)
four dpns size 3.00mm (US 2.5)
Cast on 80 sts.
Divide sts between three needles – 24 sts, 24 sts and 32 sts. Place marker.
Rd 1 :  k.
Rd 2 :  k.
Rd 3 :  (k6, k2tog) rpt to end of rd. (70 sts).
Rd 4 :  k.
Rd 5 :  k.
Rd 6 :  (k5, k2tog) rpt to end of rd. (60 sts).
Rd 7 :  k.
Rd 8 :  (k4, k2tog) rpt to end of rd. (50 sts).
Rd 9 :  k.
Rd 10 : (k3, k2tog) rpt to end of rd. (40sts)
Rd 11 : k.
Rd 12 : (k2, k2tog) rpt to end of rd (30 sts).
Rd 13 : k.
Rd 14 : (k1, k2tog) rpt to end of rd (20 sts)
Rd 15 : k.
Rd 16 : (k2tog) rpt to end of rd (10 sts).
pwt.


CREAM FILLING
Recommended size of needle is 6.5mm (US 10.5)
Cast on 4 sts.
Using i-cord technique, continue until work measures aprox 100cms (40ins)
pwt leave a long yarn tail for sewing up.
If using different size needles to the ones suggested measure the icord by swirling round one of the halves, knit enough to double up on the outside edge.

 To Assemble
1. Weave yarn ends away on the wrong side of the cake halves.
Right side for the inside half is the knit side
Right side for the cake half is the reverse side – the side which looks like purl.
Place the two pieces together, wrong sides touching. Line up the decreasing stitches of the two pieces. With sewing thread in a matching colour sew round the edge, with running stitches

2. Leave a gap of approximately 2 inches. Insert stuffing. DO NOT OVERSTUFF. Keep cake half flatish. Sew closed the gap.


3. Swirl round the icord on one of the halves. With a long sharp needle, use the yarn tail to sew in place. Double up the icord at the edge.


4. Place the top half of the whoopie pie on top of the cream. With a sewing thread in a matching colour attach the edge of the cake half to the cream.
5. Seed beads can be sewn round the cream to represent sprinkles.

©copyright Alison Hogg 2010. For personal use only

whooooopie pie

A friend came home from America and was telling me that whoopie pies where the new cupcakes. To be honest I had never heard of them but recently I have become more aware of them sneaking their way into the shops over here. I bought a couple to try and of course had to get the needles out. So the pattern will be available soon on my blog if you're interested in knitting up some.

Bye,
Ali

new pattern

I've been having computer problems recently, but I have just got myself back online. I'm taking the opportunity to release a new pattern - Little Ladies, a mini doll pattern.

The dolls are 6 inches high and would make a good stocking filler or item for a party bag. They knit up in no time. The pattern also includes instructions for the four different fabric outfits, summer dress, bride, princess and fairy. Ive just put the pattern on my etsy and folksy shops.
Must catch up now with all my favourite blogs.
Bye, Ali