Here’s a hint about the freebie pattern I’m working on. If it doesn’t rain (so I can take pictures) I think it will be ready tomorrow.
Here is a nest for a bird, (“guck” all birds are ducks)
Here is a hive for a bee, (“hive bee”)
here is a hole for a rabbit, (“hole hop”)
And here is a house for me! (“me home”)
I forget to show you the Cardinal. Please don’t tell him.
Makes me think Christmassy Thoughts.
There are beads in his tail!
First:
The Fancy version of the Itty Bitty Birdie pattern is almost ready for test knitting (the Plain version is already being tested)! Anybody want to try it? The fancy birds (robin, cardinal and peacock) are more fiddly than the plain ones. (Test Knitters Aquired – thank you. I always say that I’m going to make a test knitter pool, but it’s kind of fun to have volunteers every time.)
Second:
Overwhelming Enthusiasm has carried the day, Dish Rag Tag will happen this year! It will be a scaled back version, but I think that will really be OK. Especially since I realized that with fewer teams, I can knit the starting dish rags! Which means at the end of the race, I will get new dish rags! I really need some so this is working out quite well for me personally.
I’ll tell you about The Plan later, we’re going to the zoo!
Robin!
Or an Eastern Blue Bird if you change the colors.
More to come!
I’ve been working on a little something. Several little somethings.
Itty Bitty Birdies
I really wanted a toy that I could produce more quickly and price a little lower. Something fun – silly even – that has a lot of possible variations and maybe a little collectibility. Something where you can’t knit just one.
There are more tail feathers planned!
Pattern Pending. Until then, there are a few Itty Bitty Birdies in the shop.
Oh hey, don’t worry – the pattern will have an i-cord variation for the legs (which are crocheted in the pictures). It bugs me when knitting patterns aren’t just knitting patterns.
I really thought my next pattern would be an alligator. Judi sent me some bumpy, green hand-dyed yarn for my birthday that wants to be an AL-GAH-YAYA (what Ellie calls them, she’s a big fan of alligators). Shows what I know.
Every Easter basket needs one to keeps the bunnies away from the chocolate. This stuffed carrot is a great last minute project – it’ll take less than an hour.
Carrot
It’s Good for You
They look exotic with a bunch of different green yarns on top.
Materials: You’ll need about 20 yards of worsted in orange, miscellaneous green yarns for the carrot’s top (I used Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton), a set of 4 double pointed needles (I used US3s) and something to stuff it and a yarn needle for finishing. A safety pin to use as a marker is also handy.
Gauge: isn’t super important as long as your stuffing doesn’t show. My standard worsted toy gauge is 5sts to 1″ – that will get you a 5.5″ carrot not counting the greens.
Abbreviations: M1 means do that increase where you lift the yarn between the stitches. *blah blah blah* means do the stuff between the *s for the whole round.
Notes: If you don’t like to knit in the round, no problem. Knit it flat in stockinette, seam and stuff before you add the greens. Want a bigger carrot? Double the yarn and increase your needle size accordingly. Try braiding some of the green yarn to make the top more substantial for the big version.
Instructions
Cast on 6 stitches leaving a 4 inch tail.
Arrange stitches evenly on three needles and join to knit in the round.
Round 1: Knit
Round 2: *K1, M1, K1* (9 sts)
Round 3-6: Knit (4 rounds)
Use the cast on tail to close up the bottom of the carrot, securing it to the inside. Mark the beginning of the round with a safety pin if you need to.
I need to.
Round 7: *K1, M1, K2* (12 sts)
Round 8-13: Knit (6 rounds)
Stuff the tip.
Round 14: *K1, M1, K1* (18 sts)
Round 15-24: Knit (10 rounds)
Round 25: *K1, M1, K2* (24 sts)
Round 26-37: Knit (12 rounds)
Round 38: *K1, K2tog, K1*
Round 39: *K1, K2tog*
Round 40: K2tog around
Break yarn leaving about a 6″ tail. Using a yarn needle, pull the cast off tail through the live stitches and remove from the needles. Finish stuffing the carrot, but don’t pull up the opening.
Cut several six inch (at least) pieces of green yarn and tie them all together with an overhand knot at one end.
Already looks yummy!
Stuff the knotted end into the open top of the carrot, and draw the stitches up tightly.
This is the only part that might be considered remotely tricky.
Use a yarn needle to run the tail through the knot several times to hold the green in place and secure the end. Hide the rest of the tail inside the carrot. Trim the green yarn to the desired length. I put knots in my carrot’s greens to give them a nice little flop and to keep them from unraveling. But that’s optional.
Feed to your bunny.
omnomnom
As always, the things you make from my patterns are yours to give, sell or hoard. But don’t sell my patterns of derivatives of my patterns. That’s just tacky. PDF available on the patterns page. Or just go straight to the pdf.
Hey.
Remember when I said that I would post the Official Pattern of Son of Dish Rag Tag when the race was over?
Last time I checked the race is still over. Here’s the pattern.
Beg pardon.
PS I also updated all the links to my patterns on Ravelry. Some of the pattern pages were made pre-migration and still had old links.
All done!
For Sale on Ravelry and my Etsy shop.
Feeling lazy? Ready-made frogs are also available on Etsy.
I will now eat caramels (from here) to celebrate.
You can’t judge a book.
The Frog Prince is a pretty good toddler lesson for Martin Luther King’s birthday.
The Frog Prince is my new pattern and he’s ready for test knitting. **I’ve got my Lovely Volunteers!** Thank you so much for the speedy responses!
The Frog Prince Prototype is endorsed by tiny princesses who won’t wear their hair clips.
Frogs come in all colors. This one’s poisonous.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Official Dish Rag of Son of Dish Rag Tag:
Simple to follow. Easy to knit. And it doubles as a checker board!
Or, if you’ve got more brain than I, a chess board.
This set is an Etsy find that I acquired by surprise (surprise is another word for Fate). It seems like an appropriate gift for Dish Rag Tag’s Most Valuable Player this year.
Our MVP this year will win the pebble chess set and some matching cotton to knit a board. Make it as a Christmas gift, or a birthday present, or a travel set to put in the car.
To nominate someone for MVP, just email me or leave a comment with your Most Valuable Player’s first name and team (or state of origin). Everyone “nominated” will be part of a random drawing for the prize after the race ends. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you about it several times between now and then.
More prizes coming soon!
