Panda

I knit this for my young friend who has a 15th birthday coming up this weekend. I never can figure out what to get for her each year, but recently, she's let it be known that she likes panda bears. And you know, it's not like she can have too many pandas. So I looked through my patterns and found the perfect one. It's from Noah's Ark by Alan Dart.


I knit him in worsted yarn instead of DK because I didn't want him to be teeny tiny. The pattern can be found in the simply Knitting magazine or his book, Irresistible Toys to Knit.

Stats:
Date started finished: a week because I was thinking about modifications.

It's actually a very fast knit, it took me a bit because I had to think about how to redo his legs and body so that he's more sitting, and less standing on all fours (like a cow). I wanted him to not be on 4s because well, I normally see sitting pandas.

yarn: acrylics
needle size: US2
mods: Many.

Here's my modifications:
Body: Done in the round because well, I try to do all of Alan Dart's patterns in the round when ever possible.
Head: Done also in the round after the neck part.
Arms: Done in the round. Went with casting on 10 stitches, knit a tube for a bit and then decreasing by k2tog and then thread through and pull. Stuffed and sewed on.
Legs: Done in the round. Cast on 14 stitches, knit 2 rows, increased 2 stitches at stitch 1 and 7, knit a few, decrease again, k row, decrease, knit.

Here's some more shots because he turned out so nicely. btw, that's a lucky bamboo that my mother gave me in the 90's (maybe 1996?).

Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the Rat

Well, I have been working on a rat for this post, and well, I just finished in the nick of time.


I was going to do a wee mouse, but decided on Cheese (of Chalk and Cheese). The arms are extraordinarily clever, done with short rows. You gotta love Alan Dart. Anyway...

Happy New Year!



check out that tail. I'm proud of that tail. That is an I-cord w/ pipe cleaner in it so it's shapeable.



And he turned out looking 'fluffy'. He's looking very 'Zucker' (a genetically obese rat model).

stats:
yarn: various acrylic worsted (okay, pink and white)
needles: US2 dpns
start: 2/6/08
finish: 2/7/08
mods: did the body in the round. The arms are amazing, but I think I switched them...but they worked out fine. the feet were done in the round, and the tail (w/ pipecleaner). I didn't do the 2 ear tufts and I used white crochet cotton for whiskers instead of the black.

I also chose to knit Cheese as a male lab rat (Rattus norvegicus), but he turned out to more resemble a Zucker (fafa) rat. Altho' I don't know if these rats are white...

Bobble hat sheep

Another one done. This is another.





start date: December 17, 2007
finish date: December 22, 2007

Timmy's mom

Hee. Here's Timmy's mom.


Specs:
Pattern: Shaun the Sheep & Friends Mobile
yarns: same as Shaun
needles: US2
time started: Dec 13, 2007
time finished: Dec 14, 2007

The curlers were sections of straw with yarn wrapped around. And you all know my pet peeve about glue so the curlers were sewn on using Cebelia #30 (left over from the doily). I was going to make a scarf, but I thought I'd make her a shawl instead. Here's a picture of the mini triangular shawl.



This is the pattern for the main portion of 0484/15 shawl. I think I may have to make a big one for me. And unfortunately, I don't know what this pattern is called. Please let me know if you've seen it elsewhere.

Timmy

Timmy's done. Here he is.



I had a dickens of a time trying to get him to look right. For whatever reason, I had his ears too low and he was looking sinister.

I repositioned, and he looks much better. I had to redo his pacifer a couple of times. The loop was very funky. I ended up taking a jump ring and wrapping it with yarn, then sewing it to the pacifier.

Shaun the sheep

I'm so excited. Look what came in the mail yesterday? What? why yes, through the wonderful world of Ravelry, I was able to swap some of my stuff for the the magazine (it's the Simply Knitting December issue). Why swap? Well, let me tell you that it's not available in the states yet. They didn't have this issue available at any of the bookstores, so what's a girl to do? I swapped with a very nice Raveler, socherry, who lives in Scotland!

hee hee. I immediately went to the LYS (Alameda Yarn Company) and asked her for sheep-like yarn. She obliged and here's the equipment list for my first Shaun.

These include:
the super soft yarn for the wool, Wendy Peter Pan's Velvet Touch
good ole Patons wool
black crochet cotton
white felt
US2 needles
hole punch and pipe cleaner

the hole punch for punching out felt eyeballs and the pipe cleaner for my Shauns legs.


What a fun easy knit (okay, as with all Alan Dart patterns, a bit fiddly). My only modifications were that I didn't use glue and hairspray and whatever else to stick things onto Shaun. I also knitted his legs as I-cords instead of flat. I did use skewers for the needles, but I didn't have wooden pony beads, so I raided my bead stash and these were the only beads that fit. I must craft, because except for the wool-like yarn, I had all the other stuff.




So, introducing Shaun, knitting, of course


Other views:


I should mention that Shaun's knitted piece is actually my first attempt at color-work. As my knitting friends have said, it's not that hard. I guess I'll have to go try some intarsia now. And the box he's sitting on is a can of oysters (for scale).


Oh, and then, well...I went 'doh' and changed out what he's knitting. hee hee . I am gleeful. I have to go make all the rest of them now.

From across the pond

I was surfin' the groups a bit ago and came across someone RAKing an Alan Dart pattern. As you know, I'm in a toy knitting stint and guess what came in the mail on Saturday?
So of course I had to cast on. Here's what I made:
Stats:
yarn: the steg green and a bit of the light green
needles: US3
Start/end time: 8/31/07-9/01/07 (only because I put it down)
Mods: I lost count on the body, so I fudged the bottom piece. I figured it was garter stitch, so it's stretchy.

I meant to make the camel first, but I couldn't find camel colour yarn (I know I have some, just have to find it).