Bub the Dwip

This is Bub, and Bub is a dwip.

I had an awful crash in health today, at which point I was unbelievably scared of relapse. Consequently, I have confined myself to the sofa this afternoon, and Bub is what emerged from my needles.

For the last couple of days I've looked after my BEAUTIFUL niece Ellie, who I don't get to spend nearly enough time with, and which is why I'm so exhausted, and this morning she was spotting aliens on my paperchase bag. This inspired the birth of the Dwip, who emerged from the needles as I was too tired to knit anything complicated but wanted to create something new.

I miss knitting toys now I'm knitting for the wedding so I thought I'd have a go at a little creature, and this is the first time I've drawn up a picture and then tried to create it. Bub looks nothing like the picture as he seemed to have consciousness and told me he didn't want long dangly legs and actually wanted toes, but I do love him.

There will be more! Stay tuned for his friends.

Flat garter stitch heart

Here's the pattern for the flat heart I've designed for my wedding invitations. The red one in the picture is slightly more angular than the finished pattern, but I stuck it to a prototype invitation so I photographed the original version.

The large (pink) heart was knit on 3mm needles with baby double knit (to the original 'large heart' pattern).

The small (red) heart was knit on 3mm needles with double knit (to the original 'large heart' pattern). The 'small heart' pattern allows baby double knit to create the same size as this heart.

I don't know why the babyDK seems to have knit up so much bigger than the DK, but I don't have the label for the DK so I can't tell you its properties. Sorry!

Large heart:

If knit in baby double knit this knits up at the size of the pink heart in the photo.
If knit in double knit it knits up at the size of the red heart in the photo.


*CO 3sts
K 2 rows
Inc 1, K to end of row (repeat this row 5 more times)**
Break yarn and leave on needle
Repeat from * to **, casting on same needle sts have been left on
K across both pieces
K row
Inc 1, k across row, inc 1
K 2 rows

# K2tog, k across row, k2tog
K row ##

Repeat from # to ## until 3sts remain

Slip 1st st knitwise, k next st and pass 1st st over (as cast off), k last st, pass 2nd st over.
Break yarn, fasten off, bury ends.





Small heart:
This pattern is for use with baby double knit. Using double knit will create a much smaller heart.

*CO2sts
K 1 row
Inc1, k to end (repeat this row 4 more times)**
Break yarn, leaving stitches on needle.
Repeat from * to ** (casting on to same needle sts have been left on)

K across both pieces
K 1 row
Inc 1, k across row, inc 1
k 1 row

# K2tog, k across row, k2tog
K row ##

Repeat from # to ## until end.
Cast off, break yarn, fasten off, bury ends.

An update

I seem to have been quiet on here for a while, even though I have been knitting away as usual.

I've designed hearts for the front of the wedding invitations and I'm in the process of knitting the wedding cake pattern Alan Dart wrote for Simply Knitting. It's going slowly because the actual wedding planning keeps getting in the way (who knew it took so much organising?!) but it's looking good. Quite a nice size, too - I'm planning on using it as the top tier of the actual cake.

I think I might do smaller versions of the invitation hearts to put on place settings, but I'm not sure how many I'll be able to get done. It seems as though I need to knit until my fingers bleed now!

I've been doing effort-free blanket knitting while I've been poorly too, and have got one square done: pastel stripes 60sts by 80 rows. Hot!


There was a photo with this post, but blooger's being a pain and I'm too tired to keep trying. Being ill is crappy no matter what, but M.E. makes me a right mardy cow!

Edited to add photo after I stopped being mardy. That was the first version of the heart. It's been adapted since then, but it's not vastly different.

My Valentine

I think I may make these hearts for Nick for Valentine's day. We don't usually do Valentine's day, but I know he's bought me something so I should make some sort of effort - and as I will definitely not be crocheting the Link from Zelda I was hoping to give him, these are a cute alternative.

However, this all depends on Cinderella's skirt getting finished some time soon. And I also have a birthday present to knit for February... eep! I have a pattern in mind but I need my 3mm needles, and Cinderella's sitting on them right now!

Mistake!

Cinderella has been on hold for a couple of days because I made a mistake and couldn't work out whether to rip out a few rows and do it over. I needed to think objectively, which meant giving myself time to stop being so upset about it!

Anyway, after careful consideration I decided not to undo an hour's worth of knitting just because I'd joined the next colour on a purl row instead of a knit row, as even though any knitter can see the mistake instantly I'm making the doll for a four year old girl. Not only will she not care in the slightest, but it's the thought that counts. It takes a lot of energy for me to knit a big project like this, and one extra band of white doesn't matter too much.

Obviously, it annoys me whenever I look at it.

Cinderella shall go to the ball... eventually, maybe?

Cinderella's poor side

Cinderella may take some time!

The skirt took me two days of pretty much solid knitting, and she still needs another skirt, four arms, two sets of hair, patches and flowers. Grr!

But actually, she's quite fun to knit. Just tiring.

I've drawn out some patches that will spell out Ellie's name across her dress and have managed to get the hang of that technique whereby you twist the yarn at the back of the work and carry both colours along with you. What's that called? Fair Isle? Well, I managed it, whatever.

Unfortunately I've been too tired to do much today, and have only managed two plain patches, one stripey one and one with an E on it. Only L L I and E to go :)

Cinderella-ella-ella

Recently, knitting has been my therapy. This means I'm getting through patterns quite quickly and I'm enjoying it because when I finish something it feels like a big achievement, given how distractable I am at the moment.

I've just started a topsy turvy Cinderella doll for Ellie. The intention was to make it for her birthday, but I had expected it to take longer than it is seeming to. I guess I hadn't planned on the power of stress making me knit faster!

I'm planning on knitting for the boys' birthdays this year too, and as they're in April, October and December I think I should have enough time for them all.

Ooh, and what shall I knit for Nick for valentine? I think the Link from Zelda crochet plan might be put on hold... hs birthday's in December so I might make that the deadline instead ;)