Free pattern - Rowan's Wristies

I've been asked for the pattern for the fingerless gloves I made for the DCs while on holiday - a very gratifying experience :0)

So here's the first, modelled by the astonishingly cute Rowan.

Rowan's Wristies



Size: Toddler - 1-3 years
Yarn: James C Brett Magi-Knit With Wool DK
Hook: 3.5mm
Gauge: 18 sts & 14 rows to 10cm in pattern
Please note that pattern uses US terminology.

Cuff:

Chain 8.
Row 1: 1 half-double crochet (hdc) in 2nd chain from hook, 1 hdc in each chain to end (7 sts).
Row 2: 1ch (does not count as stitch), 1 hdc in back loop only of each st to end (7 sts).
Rows 3-14: Repeat row 2.
Break yarn & either sew or slip-stitch foundation row to last row to form ribbed cuff.

Hand:

You will now work in the round, working stitches around the posts of the hdcs along the edge of the cuff.

Attach yarn at any point on cuff edge.

Row 1: Ch 1 (does not count as stitch). [1 double crochet (dc), 1 extended single crochet* (esc)] around the post of each hdc along cuff edge (28 sts). DO NOT JOIN
Row 2: [1 esc in next dc, 1 dc in next esc] to end (28 sts). DO NOT JOIN.
Row 3: [1 dc in next esc, 1 esc in next dc] to end (28 sts). DO NOT JOIN.
Rows 4 - 5: Repeat rows 2 & 3 once each.
Row 6: Repeat row 2.

Work thumb hole:
row 7: [1 dc in next esc, 1 esc in next dc] 6 times, chain 3, skip next 5 sts, 1 esc in next dc, [1 dc in next esc, 1 esc in next dc] to end. DO NOT TURN.
Row 8: [1 esc in next dc, 1 dc in next esc] 6 times, 1 esc in next ch, 1 dc in next ch, 1 esc in next ch, 1 dc in next esc, [1 esc in next dc, 1 dc in next esc to end (26 sts). DO NOT TURN.
Row 9: Repeat row 3.
Row 10: Repeat row 2.
Slip stitch into next stitch. Fasten off yarn & weave in ends.

Make another :0)

* Extended single crochet - insert hook through next stitch, yarn round hook & draw through stitch (2 loops on hook), yarn round hook & draw through 1 loop (2 loops on hook), yarn round hook & draw through all loops on hook. There's a good video of this here.

This is a really easy & fast glove pattern which can be customised to fit anyone using just about any yarn (I know - I've made lots). To make it wider just increase the number of cuff rows. To make it longer just work extra rows both before & after working the thumb-hole. To make a bigger thumb-hole just skip more stitches (always be sure to chain 2 less than the amount of stitches you've skipped).

This is the basic pattern sized up for a ladies glove & with a celtic knot motif added to the cuff & a picot edge - very simple but very effective -



Thanks to Hilary for use of the photo.

Some hints -

This works well with the jacquard-print yarns that are usually designed for knitting rather than crochet - just make sure you start each glove at the same place in your yarn or the pattern sequence won't match up.

Use fingering-weight yarn for a lacier look or aran/worsted -just be sure to use an appropriate hook for heavier yarns (you wants a nice cosy but not stiff fabric).

Add different edgings for more girlie gloves; picot works well - [ch 1, 1 dc in same stitch, ch 3, 1 dc in first of 3 ch, 1 dc in next stitch] repeat to end.

Finally, have fun & please be sure to let me see pics of your finished gloves - I can be found here & on ravelry; just search for cherryred :0)

Here's the legal bit -

This is a free pattern, for personal use only & was created by & belongs to me, Shirley MacDonald. You may use this pattern to make items for your own use or for gifts. You may not sell this pattern or use this pattern to make items for sale/profit. If you would like to use this or any other of my free patterns to make items for sale for charity, please contact me first. If you do use this pattern please give me design credit, linking to my blog where possible.

Thanks for visiting my blog & happy crafting.

Swap time again

I just finished another ravelry swap (yeah, I know - surprise :0D). It was a winter warmer swap with a celtic theme. My partner was the lovely Hilary, who lives in Germany.

The parcel arrived in a HUGE box & weighed a ton - at first I thought Iain had been ordering stuff without telling me (this does happen occasionally, although usually it's me ordering stuff without telling him). Mhara & Rowan got very excited as they helped me unwrap it & as usual insisted on sniffing everything as it came out of the box (dunno where they've picked up that habit from ;0P).

There was a beautiful bag -



Inside which was lots of KoolAid (including green, blue & yellow - squeee!) . . .



. . . fabulous handmade stitch markers with real garnet beads . . .



. . . and fun stuff too - temporary tea tattoos & sheepy stickers -



There was fabulous sock yarn -



Tea & caramel waffles (these are the most gorgeous things I've ever put in my mouth) & the piece de resistance - a tea-pot with hand-knit cosy & matching crocheted hot-pad all wrapped up in a lovely scarf -



This is the parcel in all its glory (minus the 2 bars of hazelnut chocolate which sadly didn't last long enough to be photographed) -



My parcel is on its way to Hilary as I type & if she likes it half as much as I love mine I'll consider it a job well done.

Thanks again Hilary - you've been a fab swap partner :0)

Nessie-spotting

We've been on holiday; for the first time ever Iain & I took all 4 kids away for the week.

To a cottage by Loch Ness.

Well, sort of.

We booked by email, explaining that we have no car so was it feasible to take 4 kids (2 of them toddlers) by public transport. Och aye, comes the reply. So we book a week in a cottage just outside Drumnadrochit. We get there only to discover that said cottage is a mile above Drumnadrochit & there are only 2 taxis. One of them is booked solid & the other is on holiday.

We did attempt to walk up with all our luggage, but it got dark. So Jo, Mhara, Rowan & I waited in the dark halfway up the hill while Iain & Abi struggled up with the case, getting lost & chapping on doors until some kind stranger traipsed out in her car to pick us all up, saving me from the trouble of a nervous breakdown.

This is the roof of our cottage here, just peeking out from the dell (just look for the red arrow)-



And this is Jo phoning a friend - the only place we could be sure to get a signal -




We had a great week wandering the hill -



Throwing rocks in the river (5 minutes after this was taken, Rowan lost his balance & tipped headfirst into the water - his dad managed to grab his feet as they came up & he was left doing a head-stand in the river) -



Looking for Nessie (Mhara & Rowan think this is the real deal) -



Conquering Urquhart Castle -



Waving to boats on the loch -



And generally having fun -



I took 2 WIPs, 4 extra balls of yarn, a hook & extra needles with me & came back with 7 (that's right, seven) FOs - just goes to show what I can do when I don't have the PC to distract me :0D There's a neckwarmer & 2 washcloths for Christmas pressies, 2 pairs of fingerless gloves for Mhara & Rowan (I had these done by Tuesday & they wore them the rest of the week) & 2 things that have to remain secret for now as they're (overdue) swap gifts.

Here's Mhara & Rowan showing off their gloves -



The cottage was gorgeous & we had a lovely time - we just had to make sure that we booked a taxi in the morning if we wanted to go down to the village or else we were looking at an hour & a half to walk home (I know this for a fact as we did it on the Sunday & once was definitely enough for me).

This is just so Kool!

When I first got back into knitting & crocheting I had zero interest in spinning my own yarn; I now have a spinning wheel, a handmade (by me) drop spindle & a turkish spindle. I also had no interest in dyeing yarn but now . . .

I've been playing with KoolAid.

This stuff is fabulous! All I need is some KoolAid sachets, cling film, medicine syringes (borrowed from the wee ones' Calpol) & the old steam sterliser & I can do stuff like this -



These are all English wool tops which started out a creamy white & I used just 4 flavours to get all these different shades.









The bottom one is called Strawberry Toffos (anybody remember those?) but the rest are all nameless as I have no imagination for stuff like that :0S

I can't wait to see how these spin up!

In a spin

I've been taking part in the second Spinners Swap on ravelry. I had been really miffed at missing out on the first one (too many commitments at the time to guarantee it the attention it needed) so I was really chuffed when vampy decided to do another so soon.

I've been dyeing, spinning, washing & whacking like mad for the last couple of weeks but I can't post any of the stuff for my partner Claire yet as I still haven't mailed off her package (who would have thought yarn would take so long to dry inside - this miserable weather's getting right up my nostrils). I can however post pics of the parcel I received from Gina aka Norfolkknitter. Take a look at this . . .



There was a gorgeous skein of superwash BFL handspun yarn - if I ever manage to spin like this I'll be over the moon -



BFL/silk in 'Blackberries' -



A wool/kid mohair/silk batt from Wildcraft made with wool from Buffy (I love being able to see who the wool came from - that's brilliant!) -



And a silk hankie (just *look* at the colour of that!), a bag of luscious silk fibre, a wee lavender bag & scrummy lavender & rosemary soaps -



I've been totally spoilt & I'm so, so happy with my goodies - Gina was wondering if she may have gone a little overboard on the silk but I'm not sure that's possible.Mhara & Rowan helped me unwrap the parcel (they insist on squishing every bit of fibre that comes into the house) & now they keep raiding my basket for the bag of silk so they can fondle it :0D

Thank you again Gina - it was a wonderful gift :0)

I'm (almost) published!!!!!

Back in February/March I took part in a fingerless glove swap on ravelry. I wanted to knit gloves for my partner rather than my usual crochet but couldn't find any patterns that had a little bit of WOW! but were easy enough for a knitting numpty like me to work up.

So I designed my own.

Once they were done I was so chuffed with them that I posted pics in my projects. Which prompted a message from another raveller who said that her friend was putting together a whole book on fingerless gloves & would I be interested in publishing my pattern.

Would I? Hell, yes! And if you take a look at the cover of Off The Cuff you'll see that Signs of Spring are not only in the book but ON THE COVER! Sorry for shouting there but Gordon Bennet - my glove is on the COVER of a book (it's the yellow one on the bottom right in case anyone was wondering). And not only that but the lovely lady got me to design another 2 variations of the pattern too!

So if anyone is interested in fingerless gloves I urge you to check this book out. It's a how to design your own gloves book with a generous helping of ready to make patterns too & they are gorgeous - just head on over to the site & scroll down for pics of some of the gloves. I'm already mentally cataloguing my stash to see which yarns I can use for my favourites.

Ravelympics entry - Disorganiser Tissue Box Cover

So I've been taking part in the Ravelympics. Lots of people have been creating beautiful shawls, cosy socks & sexy skirts & what did I create?

An imp with a winky.

Yep, I decided at the last minute that what my cute wee imp needed was a set of family jewels. I think it finishes him off rather well. It damn near finished my FIL off too since he couldn't stop laughing - I love old men with a sense of humour.