Upcycled Cashmere Sweater

This adorable bolero-style felted shrug began its life as one of my husband’s cashmere-wool sweaters.  After an unfortunate run-in with a naughty moth, it ended up in my recycle pile.  Since the moth holes were mostly in the body of the sweater, I though I could leave most of the upper section in tact and make a shrug.  I added a flower using a leftover piece of the sweater and scraps from two other sweaters.

Upcycled Fashion

Here’s what you need to to to make your own:

Materials

• Recycled wool sweater
• Wool yarn
• Large Needle
• Toggle Button
• Small Button (for flower center)
• Felt Scraps (for flower)

Directions

• Felt the wool sweater by putting through a cycle in the washing machine on hot.  Dry it in the dryer
• Turn the sweater inside out and try it on (this is so all your markings will be on the inside of the sweater and won’t be visible when you wear your finished shrug)
• Determine how long you want your shrug to be and mark the length
• Following the cutting lines in Figure 1, cut the sweater to the desired length and then cut straight up the middle (Use a ruler to make an even line before cutting)
• Draw a curve on one inner front of the sweater.  Cut one side.  Use a piece of paper to trace the curve.  Now copy the curve onto the other side.  This ensures that you have matching curves on both sides.  See Figure 2
• Using the blanket stitch, decoratively stitch around the raw edges of your sweater.  Threads magazine has good instructions on how to do a blanket stitch.
• You can now attach a toggle button and loop, if you’d like.  I think it would look nice without a button, too.
• Using the flower design in Figure 3 as a sample, cut out 3 different size 4 petal flowers out of felt scraps.  Set them on top of each other  with the largest on the bottom; stitch through all 3 layers; stitch on a decorative button and sew onto sweater.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Enjoy!

My Lovely Shrug!

Cuddly Critter Ear Flap Hat

I designed this cuddly critter hat for a friend of mine who was having a baby earlier this spring.  It came out so cute that I wanted to share the pattern.  Although I made mine in 2 colors, it would also look cute in a solid color, or even stripes!  Right now, the pattern is only written for a size small (14″ circumference) which should fit a 3-6 month old.  I plan to revise the pattern at some point in the future with size medium (16″), large (18″), and x-large (20″).  Of course, you can vary the size by playing around with yarn gauge and needles size.

Materials:

• Worsted weight yarn (I used Debbie Stoller Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe)
• Size 6 circular needles
• Size 6 dp needles
• Size G crochet hook (for ears)

Guage

• 5 stitches to the inch

First Earflap

• CO 5 stitches
• Row 1: K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
• Row 2: K1, K into F/B, K1, K into F/B, K1 (7 stitches)
• Row 3: K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
• Row 4: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1, K1, K into F/B, K1 (9 stitches)
• Row 5: (K1, P1) 4 times, K1
• Row 6: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1 (2 times) K1, K into F/B, K1 (11 stitches)
• Row 7: (K1, P1) 5 times, K1
• Row 8: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1 (3 times) K1, K into F/B, K1 (13 stitches)
• Row 9: (K1, P1) 6 times, K1
• Row 10: K1, K into F/B, K1, P1 (4 times) K1, K into F/B, K1 (15 stitches)
• Row 11: (K1, P1) 7 times, K1
• Repeat row 11 4 times; place onto stitch holder

Second Earflap

• Follow instructions for first earflap up through row 11.
• Repeat row 11 5 times (rather than 4)
• Leave second earflap on working needles

Body of Hat

• With second earflap on needles, CO 16 stitches (this will become the back of the hat)
• Knit first earflap off the stitch holder onto the working needles
• CO 24 stitches (this will become the front of the hat)
• Place marker and join in the round (70 stitches)
• Row 1: (K1, P1) 35 times
• Row 2 (P1, K1) 35 times (establish seed stitch pattern)
• Repeat rows 1 & 2 until hat measures 1 inch
• Switch color (optional)
• Continue in stockinette (knit all stitches) until hat measures 4 inches tall

Shape Crown

• Row 1: (K12, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 2: (K11, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 3: (K10, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 4: (K9, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 5: (K8, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 6: (K7, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 7: (K6, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 8: (K5, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 9: (K4, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 10: (K3, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 11: (K2, K2tog) 5 times
• Row 12: (K1, K2tog) 5 times (10 stitches remaining)
• Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitches

Critter Ears (optional)

• Using color A, make a ‘magic loop’
• Row 1: sc into loop 5 times, ch1, turn
• Row 2: skip 1^st stitch, 2sc into each stitch (8 stitches), ch1, turn
• Row 3:  skip 1^st stitch, 2sc into each stitch (14 stitches), ch1 turn
• Row 4:  skip 1^st stitch, (2sc, 1 sc) repeat 6 times, switch to color B, ch1, turn
• Row 5: sc into each stitch; tie off

Ties (each side)

• Pick up 4 stitches on bottom of first earflap (right side facing you)
• Work in I-cord until desired length is reached
• Bind off and tie a decorative knot at the end

If you decided to make your own, please post a link to a pic!

Side View of the Critter Hat

Kirby and Prince Fluff

For Christmas this year, I bought Kirby’s Epic Yarn for my husband. For those who are not familiar with the game, Kirby is transformed into cute little yarn guy, and he and his friend Prince Fluff go on a quest through a land made of yarn and fabric.  The entire game looks as if it were quilted and knit together.  Anyway, it became an instant hit at our house.  Since I try to limit game time, I thought I would make a couple amigurumi toys so that they kids could play with their favorite little yarn guys, even when the Wii is turned off.

They came out so cute, I wanted to share the pattern I created with anyone else who’d like to make their own Kirby and Fluff dolls.

Here you go!

Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Prince Fluff Amigurumi

Materials:

• Size G crochet hook
• Large needle for sewing and working in ends
• Worsted weight yarn (I used leftover yarn from various projects, so Kirby and Fluff are a mix of wool, acrylic, and bamboo)

Kirby & Fluff Directions: (notes:  I use the “magic loop” method to start each piece.  Also, I find this is the best method to crochet 2 together)

Eyes – Make 2 (black for Kirby, white for Fluff)

• Chain 3
• Row 1:  SC into 2^nd stitch from the hook,  3 SC into next stitch
• Row 2:  SC into back of next 2 stitches
• Tie off (basically, you are crocheting a circle around the chain)
• Embroider center of eye

Body (Pink for Kirby, Blue for Fluff)

• Make a “magic loop”
• Row 1:  6 SC into loop
• Row 2:  2 SC into each stitch (12 stitches)
• Row 3:  (1 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 6 times (18 stitches)
• Row 4:  (2 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 6 times (24 stitches)
• Row 5:  (3 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 6 times (30 stitches)
• Rows 6-13: SC into every stitch
• Row 14:  (3 SC, SC 2Tog) 6 times (24 stitches)
• Row 15:  (2 SC, SC 2Tog) 6 times (18 stitches)
• Stitch on eyes and embroider face.  Don’t forget little pink cheeks for both guys, and eyebrows for Fluff!
• Row 16:  (1 SC, SC 2Tog) 6 times (12 stitches)  Add stuffing
• Row 17:  (SC 2Tog) 6 times (6 stitches); tie off and pull yarn through stitches to close the body.

Arms – Make 2 (Pink for Kirby, Blue for Fluff)

• Make a “magic loop”
• Row 1:  4 SC into loop
• Row 2:  (1 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 4 times (8 stitches)
• Row 3:  (2 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) 4 times (12 stitches)
• Rows 4 & 5:  SC into each stitch
• Tie off and stuff arms

Feet – Make 2 (Red for Kirby, Orange for Fluff)

• Make a “magic loop”
• Row 1: 6 SC into loop
• Row 2:  2 SC into each stitch (12 stitches)
• Row 3:  (1 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) repeat 6 times (18 stitches)
• Row 4:  (2 SC, 2 SC into next stitch) repeat 6 times (24 times)
• Tie off; fold circle in half to form a semi-circle.  Stitch shut around the edges

Prince Fluff’s Crown (Yellow)

• Chain 14, SL to form ring
• Row 1:  SC into each stitch
• Row 2:  (SC, picot) times
• Tie off

Once all pieces have been made, stitch Kirby and Fluff together as shown in pictures.  Make sure you position the feet under the body evenly, and far enough back, so that your little guys can stand up.

Kirby Amigurumi

Kirby and Prince Fluff - Best Friends!

Prince Fluff

Orange Tabby Kitten

Amigurumi are cute little critters crocheted in the round and then stuffed. The name comes from the Japanese words for “crochet/knit” and “stuffed doll”, and they seem to be popping up everywhere these days.   Toys, though they are, they seem to appeal even more to adults than to kids.  I started making these guys over the winter in preparation for a craft fair and just can’t seem to stop.  They are downright adorable, work up quickly, and make great gifts.  Although amigurumi can come in all sizes (I even made an 18″ Ponyo doll for my daughter), most of them tend to be pretty small, so they are a great way to use up odd stashes of yarn.  Also, they are primarily done in a single crochet, so they are easy for beginners.  Etsy has a myriad of reasonably priced patterns ranging from dolls and animals to fruits and veggies.

If you are just getting started and want to give it a try, here are links to a few of my favorite free patterns.  I have a tendency to tweak patterns as I make things, so my pictures aren’t exactly identical to the original, but should give you a pretty good idea.

Baby Triceratops

This baby triceratops was made with 100% wool yarn, and I used snap on safety eyes.  Although the pattern called for making the body and tail as two separate pieces, I crocheted them as one to reduce the number of seams.  I found the pattern through Crochet Pattern Central.

Fiona and Freda Fish

These sweet little fish were based on a cat toy pattern from Lion Brand.  I elongated the body, modified the tail by sewing it on vertically rather than horizontally, and added bows.

Winston and William the Whales

I love this little whale pattern from Bittersweet!  It is such a simple pattern, but so adorable.  I modified it slightly by crocheting fins for these guys.  Also, I embroidered eyes, rather than using safety snap on eyes.

Three Kitties Hanging Out

Last, but certainly not least, are my trio of kitties. This pattern was generously made available though By Hook, By Hand.  This pattern was the most complicated of all, and I did run into trouble figuring out the legs on the first kitty.  Also, I felted my kitties which was not part of the original pattern.  If you decide to felt them, use 100% wool yarn and stuff them before you put them in the washer.  (Be sure not to overstuff them or the stuffing will be visible between stitches.)

Many thanks to all the websites that made these patterns available!

With Easter only a few short weeks away, I thought it would be fun to post instructions on hand dying yarn using Easter egg dye.

Finally Dry! Ready To Use

I discovered this art a few years back while surfing the net and have tweaked and combined a few different techniques to come up with a process that works well for me.  Unfortunately, my photos don’t do the final product justice.  I really need to figure out how to take better pictures!  If you want to see some amazing photos (and a detailed set of instructions), you should also check out the Kathryn Ivy site.  I love what they’ve done with their yarn.

If you like dying yarn with Easter egg dye, I definitely suggest you wait until right after Easter and scoop up a bunch of super-discounted egg dying kits.  Last year, my Mom found a whole slew of kits on sale for something like $.50 each, so I now have a small stockpile egg dying kits.  Now, I just need to find the time to dye myself a heap o’yarn!

If you end up trying it yourself, I would love to hear about your results!  And, stay tuned — I’ll be posting about dying yarn using Wilton’s food coloring, some time soon…

Easter Egg Dyed Yarn

Material Needed:

• 100% wool yarn (I used Lion Brand Fisherman wool 465 yards wound into 4 hanks approx. 115 yards each)
• Easter egg dye tablets
• Vinegar
• Wash basin, sink or large bowl
• Glass bowl large enough for yarn
• Large baking sheet (for hand painting)

Tips

• The less yarn you use per tablet, the more intense the color.  1 tablet per 100 yards of yarn gives a nice medium tone color.
• You can add more water to your dye mix to color more yarn, however the color will be lighter.
• Never run water directly onto your yarn or it may felt.
• Do not vigorously rub yarn while rinsing or it may felt.
• Wear rubber gloves, or you will dye your hands, too!

Process

• Wash yarn in warm water with a very small amount of dish soap.
• Fill your basin or sink with enough cold water to cover your yarn.
• Add approximately 1 cup of vinegar to your water and mix.
• Gently add washed yarn to the vinegar-water mixture.  Make sure your yarn is completely submerged.  Soak for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove yarn and gently squeeze out water.
• You can either use the immersion or hand painting methods described below

Immersion Dying Method (single color)

• Prepare dye tablets as directed on box.  Depending upon how much yarn you want to dye, you may want to add more water.
• Pour dye into a bowl big enough to hold your yarn.
• Add enough water to barely cover yarn.
• Submerge yarn into dye.
• When yarn has absorbed dye, remove from bowl.
• Gently squeeze out excess water (do not squeeze too tightly, yarn should still be wet)
• Put wet yarn in a glass bowl and cover.
• Microwave for 10 minutes.
• Remove yarn from microwave (be careful, it will be very hot).  Let the yarn cool until it can be handled comfortably.
• Fill basin or sink with very warm water.
• Submerge yarn in the basin and swish around with your hands. (the yarn should not be bleeding any dye at this point)
• Squeeze yarn dry with your hands; roll it in a towel to remove additional excess water.
• Hang the yarn on a rack to dry.

Hand Painting (gives a pretty variegated effect)

• Select 2 or more colors. Prepare dye tablets as directed on box.  Depending upon how much yarn you want to dye, you may want to add more water.
• Lay hanks of yarn flat on a baking sheet.
• Add an additional 1/3 cup of water to dyes.
• Use a small cup, ladle or squeeze bottle to pour dye over yarn in sections.  Be sure to prepare enough dye to solution to cover all of yarn.  You can also deliberately leave sections white.
  

  Hand Painted Yarn After Color Has Been Added

• You can “pre-dye” yarn using the immersion method and “paint” sections of the yarn before drying.
• When yarn is sufficiently coverd with dye, remove from bowl.
• Gently squeeze out excess water (do not squeeze too tightly, yarn should still be wet)
• Put wet yarn in a glass bowl and cover.
• Microwave for 10 minutes.
• Remove yarn from microwave (be careful, it will be very hot).  Let the yarn cool until it can be handled comfortably.
• Fill basin or sink with very warm water.
• Submerge yarn in the basin and swish around with your hands. (the yarn should not be bleeding any dye at this point)


Soaking The Yarn After Microwaving

• Squeeze yarn dry with your hands; roll it in a towel to remove additional excess water.
• Hang the yarn on a rack to dry.
  

  On The Drying Rack

  

  Hand Dyed Skein

  

  Another Photo of the Finished Product

Here is are are a couple photos of felted flowers I made from the yarn that I dyed. I also made a really cute yoga sweater, but I haven’t managed to take any pics of it!

Felted Lotus Brooch

Felted Orchid Hair Clip

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, which means scores of people will be flocking the streets for parades, drinking green beer, and, for the most part, partying up and down on a Wednesday.

Celtic Knot Bag

I think my most memorable St. Patrick’s day was way back in 1995/1996 when I was living in New Orleans.  My god, they know how to throw a party in good ol’ NOLA!  We were drinking at the Parasols block party by noon, and then hit the French Quarter for the parade.  If you’ve never been to a St. Patrick’s Day parade in New Orleans, it is suspiciously like a Mardi Gras parade — except they throw vegetables off the floats in addition to the beads.  Seriously…I kid you not.  You are highly likely to get hit in the head with a potato or chunk of cabbage if you don’t pay attention.

Anyway, although I will be driving my pre-schoolers around to their various activities, rather than drinking green beer this year, it seemed appropriate to post my article on Celtic Knots to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day.

Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction

In June 2001, my cousin and I visited Scotland, and I bought a really cool book called Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction by George Bain.   A large part of the book is focuses on the Pictish designs from Ireland and Scotland.  From an artistic perspective, the best part of this book is that the author gives very detailed, step-by-step instruction of how to create the intricate knot work and spiral patterns.  He starts with the most basic  traditional patterns and shows how they  grow into extremely intricate designs used in architecture, embroidery, calligraphy and metalworking.  I tried taking a few pictures of the book to give you an idea of the step-by-step construction.  I know its hard to see, but take my word for it, it’s pretty cool!

The designs seemed so complex, it was a little daunting, so I never actually began any projects incorporating the knot work theme.  This March, the Etsy Hookers team is sponsoring a contest for Irish/St. Patrick’s Day themed items.   So, I figured this was as good an opportunity as any to try my hand at a Celtic Knot design.  Here are photos of three items that I’m working on.

Celtic Knot Backpack

Basically, I’ve been crocheting a bag or bowl in 100% wool.  Then, I crochet a very long chain in a contrasting color.  I then stitch the chain onto the item in a knot work pattern.   Finally, I felt the entire item in the wash a couple of times.  I’m pretty happy with how the handbag and backpack came out.  The bowl is not done yet, and I’ve included “in progress” photos to show the steps.  The designs that I chose are from the Pictish school and are actually some of the simplest ones in the book.

I like the concept that the one continuous line is a symbol of continuity or eternity.

Bowl - After One Felting, but Before Knot Work

Bowl - After Knot Work Design Has Been Pinned In Place

Bowl - Drying After 3 Feltings

Don’t you love having fans?  My biggest fan is my 4 year old daughter.

Kid's Fingerless Mitts

Every time she sees me making something or working on a new project, regardless of what it is, she exclaims with genuine enthusiasm “Oh, that’s so pretty! I love that! Is it for me?”  There’s always a brief moment of disappointment if I have to explain that no, its for someone else or for sale.  More often than not, I end up making a smaller, child’s version of whatever it is I’m making.  In fact, her only criticism of my work is that I don’t make nearly enough things in pink.  In her eyes, the pinker, the better!

Last week, she caught me working on a pair of Happy Hands fingerless mittens.

Making Pancakes in Her New Mitts!

She liked them so much, I ended up chasing her around the house to get my prototype pair back. So, of course, I ended up making a pair for her, too.  She couldn’t decide if she wanted hearts or flowers on them, so we went for one of each.  I think they turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself!

The mitts are actually pretty fun to make.  I bought a bunch of second hand wool sweaters for another felting project I’m working on (another post on that, another time!) and realized the bottom part of the sleeve would fit perfectly as a fingerless mitten.  I sewed an opening for a thumb and used wool yarn to embroider around the raw edges and then added an applique from a another wool sweater in a contrasting color.  Voila!  Thick, warm, felted mitts!  If you like the kids version, check out my adult version in my Etsy shop.

I’ve been a fan of Debbie Stoller’s Stitch and Bitch books for years.  Stitch and Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker was the very first crochet book that I bought when I first started crocheting about 8 years ago.

Felted Pansy and Fingerless Mitten

The patterns were fun & funky and the instructions were straightforward.  When I started knitting last year, I ran out and bought Stitch and Bitch: A Knitters Handbook.  So, of course, when I heard Debbie Stoller was coming out with a line of yarn, I couldn’t wait to test drive some myself.  Earlier this week, I grabbed a few of my Joann’s coupons and bought 4 skeins of the new Debbie Stoller Stitch Nation Yarn.   The new line features 3 kinds of yarn — Full o’Sheep, which is 100% wool, Bamboo Ewe which is a bamboo/wool blend, and Alpaca Love which is a wool/alpaca blend.  I started off with Full o’Sheep in Passionfruit, Plummy, Honeycomb and Thyme.

My take on the new yarn?  At $4.99 for 159 yards, it is a pretty good buy, especially if you use the ever forthcoming Joann’s coupons.   The colors are wonderful!  They are vibrant and super-saturated without coming off as brassy or ‘fakey’.  I love the colors!  The yarn is single-ply, which I’m not used to, but it has a nice feel to it, so I think I’ll like using it.  For my first quick project, I made a felted pansy, which you can see in the photo.  I only ran the flower through the wash once for felting.  The colors look great, but I think if I were making a bag or something bigger, I would run it through the wash once more for tighter felting.  I also used some of Honeycomb and Thyme to embroider details and trim on the fingerless mitten that’s in the picture.  (The base of the mitten is actually a recycled sweater).

Bottom line – this yarn is a big hit, and I can’t wait to try the alpaca and bamboo blends.  Now, if I can just find where I put the rest of those coupons that I printed out…