Tuesday 24 April 2012

Robin the Boy Wonder



Batmans Sidekick.

I must get a pettern for these sorted soon

Riddler inspired Toddler Mitts Free Pattern



I do love toddler mitts... a pair can be whizzed up in less than a couple of hours and no shaping needed. If you can do the basics these are easy peasy. For a one colour set follow the stitch count, ribbing and stocking stitch plain for the 16 rows the colourwork in the pattern below. Please note the instrusctions about where to start the colourwork, this will ensure the details are on the back of the hands.

Materials

4mm straight needles
Double Knitting Yarn in green and black,
(about 15grams green and 3 or 4 yards maximum of black, I havnt measured exact but it's very little of each)
the "?" chart below
tapestry needle



Method  

make 2, 1 with pattern at start of row, 1 with pattern starting 1/2 way along as described below

 using green cast on 32 sts

work K1,P1 rib for 12 rows
Purl 1 row (this gives a "clean" edge before the colourwork)
beginning with a K row work in stocking stitch for 16 rows working the "?" in black, twisting yarn behind work to prevent holes.

for the left hand work row 1 of the chart from the start of the row ... eg k7green, 2 black, k green to end. this will position the ? on the back of the hand when sewn up

for the right hand k 16 green, then work the 16sts of colourwork ... eg k23 (16+7) green, 2 black, k green to end. this will position the ? on the other side of the mitt and therefore will also be on the back of the hand when sewn up

the colourwork ends on a K row so again to keep a clean edge between the colourwork and the rib...

P 1 row

work a further 8 rows of K1,P1 rib, cast off in rib



Sew in the contrast ends neatly, then join the side seams leaving a gap of around6 or 7 rows for the thumb. I find starting the gap about 3 or 4 rows of stocking stitch down from the fingers end works quite well. See picture below for a visual description



Finally pop them on. I have them pictured below on my nearly 4yr old, they are quite stretchy so I would imagine they would fit up to at least 6, maybe a bit older. They can easily be made a little wider by adding a couple of stitches or upping the needle size... for example a 5mm needle using 36sts will fit a adult female hand. Also for a little longer and extra row or two on either rib band or on the plain stocking stitch rows.

Remember when adding on stitches this will change the position of the colourwork, please account for that as evenly as you can  ... eg if working on 36sts there is 18sts on each side, so add 1 stitch on either side of the chart

Please link to Ravelry if you make some...thanks :D

BASIC PATTERN with some size examples

X= whatever number of stitches YOU need it to be depending on varying factors of hand circumference and needle size. If unsure make a quick tension square to check.

Cast on 32/34/36/X sts on 4/5mm needles
work 12 rows 1x1rib
work 18/22/24/X rows stocking stitch
work 8 more rows 1x1rib

Monday 23 April 2012

Halo Plasma Grenade Free Pattern



Materials

3mm hook
dark blue DK yarn for main ball
red/rust/dark orange yarn for contrast piece
green yarn for embroidery
toy stuffing
tapestry needle


sc :- single crochet (us) or double crochet (uk)
inc :- work 2 sc in the sc of the round below
dec :- work 2 sc together of the round below
Worked in spirals, ie place marker and work in next sc, do not slip to join round and chain up to next

main grenade ball

1. using dark blue chain 2 , 6sc in 2nd chain from hook
2. (inc) to end - 12sc
3. (1sc, inc) to end - 18sc
4. (2sc, inc) to end - 24sc
5. (3sc, inc) to end - 30sc
6. (4sc, inc) to end - 36sc
7. (5sc, inc) to end - 42sc
8. (6sc, inc) to end - 48sc
9. to 20. work 12 rounds straight
21. (6sc, dec) to end - 42sc
22. (5sc, dec) to end - 36sc
23. (4sc, dec) to end - 30sc
24. (3sc, dec) to end - 24sc
25. (2sc, dec) to end - 18sc
26. (1sc, dec) to end - 12sc ... stuff ball with enough filling to hold a ball shape
27. (dec) to end - 6sc
break yarn leaving a long end. thread end through the remaining 6sc and pull tight to close the hole. sew ends through ball and snip close to work.

contrast piece

1. using red/rust/dark orange chain 12
2. sc in 2nd chain from hook, then sc in the next 9 chain. work 3sc in the last chain then turn work upside down and work in the unused loops of the chain, work 9sc along chain and 2sc in the last loop (this was the 1st sc of the round) - 24sc. place marker
3. inc, work 9 sc, inc, 1sc, inc, work 9sc, inc, 1sc - 28sc
4. 1sc, inc, 9sc, inc, 1sc, inc, 1sc, inc, 9sc, inc, 1sc, inc - 34sc
5. inc, 1sc, inc, 9sc, inc, 1sc, inc, 1sc, inc, 1sc, inc, 9sc, inc, 1sc, inc, 1sc - 42sc
6. slip stitch into next sc to close and fasten off leaving a long thread to sew to main piece

pin contrast section to main ball around the middle, it should go about 1/4 around the widest part and sew in place.

Now comes the interesting part. I took the green embroidery inspiration from the Halo 3 grenade pictures shown on halo.wikia.com but there are a few different varieties over the games, some easier to sew than others. Choose what you feel happiest with, or go with whatever game of the franchise you (or the recipent) raves about most. Remember the 4 wee lights at either side as well as in the pic below.


Your finished plasma grenade is a little smaller and lighter than the one Master Chief himself would use, but please only fling these at people who are expecting them and not near anything breakable, they may not go BOOM but they could still hurt and break ... thank you :D




As always if you do make one I would love it if you could link it on Ravelry ... thank you.
I am in no way affiliated with Xbox, Halo, Bungie or 343 ... this is just a little freebie fan art :D

Sunday 22 April 2012

Tooka Doll


Knitted Tooka doll based on Numa the Twi’leks doll from The Clone Wars episode “Innocents of Ryloth”

The prototype pattern I made in the original purple and can be seen lower down the page. The arms and "ears" were a wee bit long, so sorted that for this final pattern.

Pattern can be found on Ravelry



 Picture from HERE





Saturday 21 April 2012

Cockroach Free Pattern


The original inspiration for this was Spawn 2s love of the wee bug that was Wall-Es friend in the film ... he's terrified of anything other than ants, but loves this :D. It's pretty much any yarn with a hook a little smaller than the suggested to help prevent the stuffing showing through. The one in the pictures was done using chunky wool (about 20g of yarn i think) and a 4mm hook, but I've also done a Double Knitting (about 15g) version using a 3mm hook ... tension isnt really important for this. Anyway, freebie pattern time...


Materials

Oddments of bug coloured yarn
crochet hook a size smaller than yarn suggests (see above)
a yard of black yarn for eyes/mouth embroidery (or beads for eyes if not for a small child)
a little filling
tapestry needle


notes

worked in american terms... eg single crochet on this pattern is a UK/Aus double crochet. Worked in a spiral, ie do not slip join rounds or chain to next row, continue in next stitch, a row marker is helpful to define round start point.

body

starting at head end

 1. Chain 2, work 6 sc into 2nd chain from hook
 2. (inc,inc,sc) twice - 10sc
 3. (sc, inc, sc, inc, sc) twice - 14sc
 4. to 7. work 4 rounds straight (ie 1sc into each sc)
 8. inc in each of the next 4 sc, sc to end - 18sc
 9. work 1 round
10. (inc, inc, work 7sc) twice - 22sc
11. to 18. work 8 rounds straight on these 22sc
19. work 1sc, (dec, work 3sc) to last sc, work 1 - 18sc
20. (dec, work 4sc) to end - 15sc
21. (dec, work 3sc) to end - 12sc ... stuff now for ease
22. (dec, work 2sc) to end - 9sc
23. work dec 4 times, sc in final sc - 5sc
fasten off leaving a thread for closing. push in a little more filling if needed, thread yarn through the stitches  and pull tight to close hole

wings make 2 starting at tip

 1. chain 2, work 4sc in 2nd chain from hook
 2. (inc, sc,) twice - 6sc
 3. work 1 round straight
 4. (2sc, inc) twice - 8sc
 5. (3sc, inc) twice - 10sc
 6. (4sc, inc) twice - 12sc
 7. to 14. work 8 rounds straight
15. (sc, dec) to end - 8sc
16. (sc, sc, dec) twice - 6sc
fasten off leaving a long thread to attach to body. do not stuff, flatten wing and pin in place on back behind "bump" made by the increases on row 8 of body. I sit them on so the very tips are slightly separate, attach behind head and secure in placewith a couple of stitches about 3-4 rows down the wing, this way they dont flap about too loosely.

sew on the face leaving at least 2 rows between the wings and the eyes to allow for feeler placement. loads of artistic license here to do what you feels looks best. As mine was for a 3yr old I gave him a smile :D

feelers make 2

chain 14, slip stitch into 2nd chain from hook then slipstitch into every other chain, fasten off leaving long thread to attach to head. Sew to head between the wings and eyes ... point them forward or back as you see fit. I positioned mine forwards.

legs make 6

chain 9, slip stitch into 2nd chain from hook then slipstitch into every other chain, fasten off leaving long thread to attach to body. Turn bug upside down and for ease mark center line with a pin (optional, you can use your own eye judgement if you want) ... attach 3 legs to either side of the center line as shown in the picture below


Sew any loose ends you may still have thru the body and snip off neatly, and ta-da finished bug

Hand to happy recipient

Pattern page can be found on Ravelry ... if you make one I would love it if you could link it.
Thank you xxx

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Tooka Doll from The Clone Wars




My youngest is a bit of a Star Wars fan and I do have The Star Wars Craft Book.

In it is a felt Tooka Doll that he was pretty drawn too,it was one of a few pages he turned to ... until reading this book I had no idea what it was and then after a bit of extra searching thru among places The Wookieepedia I thought that as i was not much of a felt person (my two would rip felt things to bits lol) I would give knitting one a go

So here it is. I feel this one is a little long on the arm and "ears" (I know Twi'leks long thingys are not their ears but i dunno what else to call them), so I'll procede soon on a second draft with slightly quicker decreases... but I'm pretty chuffed with the first attempt, and so is my youngest, and although it has not managed to replace Teddy, it has got pride of place on the bedside unit


Pattern to follow



Monday 16 April 2012

Fez free pattern



Materials
3mm crochet hook
double knit white wool
tiny amounts of black, pink, red and yellow DK for details
tapestry needle and scissors


all instructions are written in american terms ... eg an american single crochet is a uk/australian double crochet and worked in the spiral (do not join round or chain to next round)


Body

starting at legs

  1. chain 2, work 5sc in loop
  2. increase in each sc - 10sc
  3. work 3 rounds on these 10 sc
  4. fasten off
  5. follow steps 1. to 3. to make another leg... do not fasten off
  6. work 3 chain (this will make the space between the legs) then starting where you fastened off on the 1st leg work the 10 sc around till you get back to the chain. Working along the chain do 2sc in the 1st ch, 1sc in the 2nd chain and 2sc in the 3rd chain, then continue around the 2nd legs 10 sc, then repeating the increases on the unworked loops of the chain work 2sc in the 1st loop, 1sc in the 2nd and 2 sc in the 3rd loop. you should now have 30sc in the round (2x10 from each leg and 2x5 in each space). place marker to identify rounds here
  7. work 11 rounds of sc on the 30 sc
  8. (work 1sc, 2sc together) around - 20sc ... stuff body now for ease
  9. (work 2sc together) around - 10sc
  10. work 1 round through front loops only (makes the neck)
  11. work 1 round through both loops
  12. fasten off and stuff neck

Head
  1. Chain 21
  2. sc in 2nd chain from hook to last ch, work 3 sc in last chain, turn work upside down,work 18sc in the unused loops on the other side of the chain, then 2sc in the last ch - 42sc
  3. work 10 rounds on these 42sc
  4. flatten work to find the corners and mark them with stitch markers or a bit of coloured wool. work sc around until you get 1sc away from the marker, work a 3scdecrease then continue to 1sc away from 2nd marker and work another 3scdec. complete the round and fasten off leaving a long thread

    Arms (make 2)
    1. chain 2, 5sc in 2nd chain
    2. increase in each sc - 10sc
    3. work 4 rounds and fasten off

    Fez using red
    1. chain 2, 6sc in 2nd chain
    2. increase in each sc - 12sc
    3. work 1 round back loops only
    4. work 3 rounds though both loops and fasten off

    to make up

    stuff head making sure you get the filling into the corners, and sew up the bottom seam making sure the corners are even. Embroider face using black and pink wool. if you check for game screenshots there are a few expressions, an open smiley mouth showing tongue is one of the more complicated ones but it worked for me :-). Note that the eyes are about half way down the head with the mouth JUST below that level

    sew head to neck ... pin 1st to make sure you get it centered properly

    stuff the arms and position and sew them onto the body ... top of arms approx between the first 2 decrease rounds at the shoulders

    to make the fez tassle use 2 x 20cm strands of yellow dk, fold in half and make a big knot at the fold (overhand the end 3 or 4 times) thread the loose ends through the center top of the red fez (use tapestry needle) and pull the fez starting end tight so the hole closes fully around the tassle. use this red thread to secure the tassle firmer if you wish with a couple of stitches on the inside. Trim the loose ends neatly as in picture to make tassel. push a little stuffing into the fez and position and sew to the top of the head.


    If you do make one i would love it if you could link it on Ravelry ... many thanks :D


    please let me know if anything is not understandable or you feel something is wrong

    I am in no way affiliated with either the makers of the game or Xbox. This is a free fan art pattern.

    Sunday 15 April 2012

    15th April

    Right... I think a wee definition change to here is needed.

    I have been terrible at posting... no I have ... so going by some of the more recent posts I have done I think I'll now have this to include the things for my own two not-so-teeny dudes as, let's face it, most of the things I make go to them ... be it knit, crochet, baking or some other craft.

    So fingers crossed I'll get more things up regularly again... I do have a few things backlogged that I can add in, and maybe a freebie pattern or two

    Irene

    Saturday 14 April 2012

    Fez



    Yes it has been too long since the last post. I will add some of the backdated stuff soon.

    IN THE MEAN TIME... this Little Dude is Fez. He is from the Xbox Live Arcade game of the same name which can be downloaded from HERE

    I saw a tweet from AceyBongos yesterday... and thought OMG he is cute and ripe for an amigurumi

    So here he is

    I do have the pattern scawled down and will translate it into recognisable crochet speak and stick it up so anyone else can give him a go if they would like


    EDIT ... free pattern can be found HERE



    In the mean time, the one in this household looks like he has a new friend :D