What better way to spend a snowy weekend than knitting a couple of cute bunnies? We may have had 20" of snow this weekend, but these little, cute, pink, fluffy bunnies didn't seem to care. I used the blue loom and the free pattern (PDF) from the Loom Knitting store. These bunnies knit up in about an hour. You start by knitting a flat panel using 15 pegs. Then, you knit two ears, a tail, and you sew it and stuff it.
For my first bunny I used two strands of Bernat Softee Chunky. When I started the ears, I accidently read the pattern wrong and knitted at least two rows too many, but it looks sort of cute that way, more like Amigurumi than a bunny. For this bunny, I kept the "knit" side facing out.
I then did another one using two strands of Moda Dea Dream (Color: Blush). It's very soft and fluffy. I probably should have used three strands because they were so skinny... Next time, maybe. This one I followed the ear pattern more closely and they turned out pretty cute. This bunny has the "purl" side facing out.
These bunnies are very small--no more than six or seven inches long. I'd like to knit a bigger bunny, maybe using the blue loom but instead of just 15 pegs, I'd use all 24 pegs. I'm guessing I'd have to knit at least 40 rows. If it keeps snowing, maybe I'll do just that!
P.S. Hey, all you Vox-ers. Did you know you can now customize your banner? B designed this new one of my yarn lovin' cat!
There were a few people on the Yahoo groups who wanted to know how many rows I had to knit when I made the mittens (below) with the flat stitch. Here's my conversion from the One Loom Mitten. Please follow her pattern and just use these numbers in exchange if you want to try the flat stitch. This makes a medium-sized mitten:
Cuff: Cast on. Knit 16 Rows, bring bottom row up and put original stitches on pegs. Knit off. (This is just like making a brim on a hat.)
Bottom section of the body: Knit 12 Rows.
Thumb: Using 6 pegs, knit back and forth for a total of 29 Rows.
Top section of the body: Knit 18 Rows.
Decrease (Note: I leave the loops on the pegs when I decrease this way):
- Using the first peg of your thumb (let's say it's Peg 1), knit to Peg 12.
- Knit from Peg 11 to Peg 1.
- Knit from Peg 2 to Peg 11.
- Knit from Peg 10 to Peg 3.
- Knit from Peg 4 to Peg 10.
- Knit from Peg 9 to Peg 5.
- Knit from Peg 6 to Peg 8.
Now, you need to knit Peg 8 to Peg 12 and start the decreases on the opposite side of the mitten. Do the same decreases as above by change the numbers to 13-24.
NOTE: My decreases were a little choppy. If you find a smoother way to do decreases, please let me know. You can always follow the gathering method from the original pattern.
Bind off: I used a flat panel removal method to take off the mitten. Turn it inside out and stitch it. Also, stitch the sides of the thumb.
Now, knit the second mitten!
I've always wanted to try to knit mittens, so I bought yet another skein of Lion's Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick and gave it a shot. I tried this pattern which uses the blue loom and knits the mitten in one piece, thumb included. The only sewing is the top and the sides of the thumb. I chose the flat stitch so the mitten wouldn't be loose, and I think they ended up okay. Not great, because I changed the top of the mitten. The pattern called for a gathered top, like a hat, but I decided to do decreases and stitch the top like a flat panel.
Did it work? Yes and no. For one thing, using the flat stitch made me have to guess the number of rows--I needed more than the pattern called for because the flat stitch is so tight. Also, I have a lot to learn about decreasing because the mittens look a little off on the top, plus my stitching is bumpy. They work, though, and I was able to toss snowballs for my dog to chase while my hands stayed warm. These would be even better if I could line them with flannel, but until then, they're just fine.
My other cat, the one who doesn't bother me when I knit unlike this one, just had to take a look. I think she was impressed. I can always tell when she likes something because she lies down on it, and that's just what she did.
Denise Layman designed the April Showers dishcloth, and I couldn't resist giving it a try. I used the blue loom and less than one skein of Peaches and Cream cotton yarn (two strands), and followed the directions on the Knitting without Needles website. This was fun and fairly easy (all you need to know is knit and purl), and if you can see the picture clearly, it should look like a flower. I now have the bug to make other dishcloths, and although it worked fine on the blue KK, I'd like to try them on a fine gauge, loom, too. All you really need is a dollar's worth of yarn, a pattern, and an hour or two.
I bought this hank of Henry's Attic 100% organic cotton a few weeks ago, and as always, whenever I get "nice" yarn, I have trouble deciding what to make with it. I'm considering a pullover vest, but I have yet to find a KK pattern for one I like. (Matter of fact, I can't find any loom patterns!) I'd like to use the mock crochet stitch, which is very delicate and pretty. Here's Isela's movie on how to knit it on a loom, plus here's Brenda's lacey scarflet, a pretty example of the stitch.
I came across this website with links to a ton of loom-knitting blogs and patterns. Maybe I'll find a pattern for my cool yarn!
It always bothered me that the hat I made never fit quite right. This was one of the first things I made with my KK set. It was too short and a little tight, so this morning I frogged it and made a new one. I wanted to do a knitted pattern for a long time, and this was my chance. I used a single strand of Lion Thick & Quick on the green loom and created this spiral-ribbed hat. I used the non-loopy cast-on method, and then made a ribbed brim by alternating K2, P2 for four rows. I then started the spiral ribbing. This is super easy to do. The green loom has an even number of pegs, so I chose an odd number in my pattern so that it wouldn't end and start at the same spot each time around. I did K3, P2 for about 25 rows. I cast off a little differently, too, because I'm not fond of the lumpy top that results in gathering 36 loops into one bunch. The final row of knitting consisted of pulling the loops from the odd numbered-pegs, and putting them on the even-numbered pegs. Then, knit off the loops. At this point there's just one loop on each even-numbered peg, and you simply use the same removal method that's in the KK directions. (Thread each loop through the tail of the yarn and pull tightly.) It's still a little bunchy on the top, but it's better than before.
I like the look of this hat, plus it fits! And with -20 degree windchills today, I'm happy to have it.
This week, I also finished my bag. Alas, I fear I'll never actually make the bag I set out to make, but I do like it. It's more like a purse, and it's got a retro-1970's feel. To make this, I used the green loom and three strands of yarn (yes, three!). I chose three different weights and colors. One strand was Lion Brand Jiffy (I think) in an olive green color, the second was a flecked beige from Red Heart, and the final was Cotton Twist in a metallic orange. I made a flat bottom (Crystal describes how to do this in her blog). After I finished the bottom, I knitted around until it reached the right height. (I can't remember how many rows--maybe 40?) I wanted the top to curl over like a brim so I didn't do any special stitches. I then made a strap by knitting three pegs into an i-cord with two of the colors. I also braided three strands of the green yarn, and wove it in and out near the top to make a pull string. I had some wooden beads, so I tied them on all the ends for a final, groovy touch.
I wasn't happy with this bag for many days and I almost frogged it, but at some point I realized I liked it. I'm not sure why. Maybe I just got used to the idea I hadn't made a bag--I made a purse, although I think it's big enough to carry around the blue KK and some yarn. So there's a little lesson--don't frog something right away, because it just may grow on you. I would still like to put a fabric lining in this little purse. I think it'd make a good gift for a girl who's into wearing bell bottoms.
I've been a little bit proud of the fact that I don't really have a yarn stash. When I want to make something, I head out and buy the yarn for the project, only giving into temptation once in awhile. So, what happened to me last night? My head is still swimming. I ventured into Goodwill, wondering if I could find a sweater I could salvage, when I happened to notice this Moda-Dea yarn for $1 each. I have no idea what came over me, but I walked out of the store ten minutes later with nine skeins! Okay, it's only nine dollars, but still... What am I going to do with all this?
