This past week I’ve been busy whipping up a special order for an Eco conscious company in Ontario!
I was asked to make a few farm themed hand puppets and a couple of other eco themed items. I quickly jumped at the opportunity and started looking for patterns.
We landed on a farmer girl hand puppet, a rooster and raven puppet as well as a globe and a head of lettuce.
Farm gang
Having never made hand puppets before, this was really fun for me.
I could see myself making more of these in the future if the opportunity comes up again.
My favorite piece to make was the globe (however UN-geographically correct it may be!) and I learned a new technique of color work. It was also really fun seeing how cute the world is with a smile 🙂
I took a few creative liberties with the original patters, which worked out great in the end. The braids and a hat were added to the farmer girl and I created the red pieces for the rooster drawing from my inventory of crochet stitches that I know.
The lettuce turned out to be life sized which I thought was hilarious. I can picture the kids throwing this around like a football.
Overall this was a great commission project and I hope to have more like this in the future.
This Christmas craft show season, LivSimple Farms will be hosting my hats, baskets and bags all the way out in Enterprise, Ontario, near Kingston.
Liv specializes in handmade goat milk products including soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions. I’ve personally used the soaps and face mask so I can say they’re pretty great products!
Goat’s milk is amazing for your skin – it contains a lot of vitamin A which helps to repair your skin, the lactic acid helps to remove dead skin cells AND to top it all off, it’s super moisturizing.
Check out her website so see all the things she makes.
I’ve been busily working on getting some inventory made up this summer in preparation for the craft show. There will be mom and baby matching hats, cat baskets, market bags and more. Can’t wait! Thanks Liv!
Please join me in the celebration of the 3 year anniversary of my first pattern release 🙂 The Owl Book Cover Pattern!
I started designing the Owl Book Cover Pattern when I saw that my books were getting frayed and bent by stuffing them into my purse everyday. The book cover protects the pages and makes it easier to store in my bag. It can of course be used for anything you want – makeup bag, i-pad cover or tablets etc.
Final size of storage area (excluding flap) is 8 x 6 inches FLAT – will stretch to accommodate larger objects.
This is knit flat and then sewn together using mattress stitch.
Materials:
-Size US 8 / 5.00mm needle -Worsted weight yarn- gauge 4 st/ inch in stockinette stitch -2 buttons approximately 1-1.25 inches in diameter for fastening -4 small buttons for eyes -Tapestry and sewing needles -Cable Needle
Abbreviations: CO- Cast on K- knit P-purl St- stitch St st- stockinette stitch sl- slip psso- pass the slipped stitch over pw- purlwise RS – right side WS – wrong side
Cable Instructions: C4B- slip 2 stitches pw onto cable needle, hold needle in back, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then knit stitches from cable needle C4F- slip 2 stitches pw onto cable needle, hold needle in front, knit 2 stitches from left needle, then knit stitches from cable needle C2B- slip 1 stitch pw onto cable needle, hold needle in back, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then knit stitch from cable needle C2F- slip 1 stitch pw onto cable needle, hold needle in front, knit 1 stitch from left needle, then knit stitch from cable needle
Begin:
Cast on 38 stitches Knit 9 rows in garter stitch, slipping the first stitch pw starting on row 2. Row 10 (Button hole row): K8– make 1 button hole (see below. We are making a 4 stitch button hole) – once that is completed, knit until there are 12 stitches remaining – make second button hole- knit to the end of the row.
Making the button holes: 1 Bring yarn to front of work, slip 1 stitch pw. 2 Bring yarn to back of work again 3 sl 1, psso, sl 1, psso, sl 1, psso, sl 1, psso 4 Slip the last stitch back to left needle 5 Turn work 6 Bring yarn to back of work 7 CO 5 stitches using cable cast on method 8 Turn work and bring yarn to back again 9 Sl 1 stitch pw and pass last CO st over
Continue: Knit 9 rows in garter stitch, slipping the first stitch pw Change to stockinette st until piece measures 9.5 inches then make the owls.
Make the Owls: Row 1-RS- K4, P5, C4B, C4F, P4, C4B, C4F, P5, K4 Rows 2-6- Work stitches as established (knit the knits, purl the purls) Row 7-RS – Repeat row 1 Row Row 8-10 – Work stitches as established (knit the knits, purl the purls) Row 11- RS- Repeat row 1 Row 12- Work stitches as established (knit the knits, purl the purls) Row 13- K4, P5, C2B, K4, C2F, P4, C2B, K4, C2F, P5, K4 Row 14- Purl all stitches
Continue in st st for 1.5 inches, ending in a WS row. Knit 7 rows slipping first st pw. Bind off – the right side should be facing you during bind off.
Finishing:
-Sew on buttons for the owls’ eyes. -Sew the sides together using mattress stitch starting at the bottoms.
Fold piece so the wrong sides are touching – the right side is facing you. Make sure to leave flap loose- the garter stitch area with the button holes should not be sewn. Align large buttons on garter stitch area on the front side of the tote with button holes on the flap and sew to front of piece.
Weave in any loose ends.
Done! Enjoy your Owl Book Cover!
Please do not publish or reproduce this pattern in any way for commercial use.
Summer is a time for sipping drinks, sitting by the lake and soaking up the sun. I try to do this as often as I can because I know it’s not going to last forever. Soon the winter will be upon us and I’ll be back to curling up under blankets and knitting sweaters.. but enough about the cold.
I’ve been keeping my hands busy this summer making purses and beach bags. My latest adventure has been making market bags. We all know how important taking care of the planet is and with one simple change we can make all the difference. I chose super soft cotton yarn to make these, it’s so soft and dreamy.
Taking just one of these bags to the grocery store or farmer’s market can save up to 30 plastic bags a year. So you can imagine how many you save if you use 2 or even 3!
I made 3 crochet style bags and 2 knitted ones to far. Head over to the shop to see my knit bags- you will have to visit ReStyle in Brampton to see the crochet ones 🙂
ReStyle Beauty Boutique with Woolstreet Crochet Purses
A quick update to announce that I’ve teamed up with ReStyle Boutique in Brampton- they’ll be carrying my purses and bags ! Hooray! This is super exciting to say the least and I’ve got a bunch of new ideas coming your way. Stay tuned!!
ReStyle is a local consignment and beauty shop. They take gently used name brand items for reselling. They sell new items as well from pillows to handmade kimonos which are quite stunning. Also on their list of offers are group calligraphy nights, yoga, and beauty services and treatments like EyEnvy and Makeup Forever.
These lucky little pencil keychains are going to elementary school teachers for their end of school gifts. I hope they love them as much as I do! I lucked out in that I had just enough key-chains to make them all. These were a blast to make because I love stationary and pencils so one obsession kind of leaked into the other. I think for my next project I’ll make some pencil crayons 🙂 🙂
Head over to the shop to pick up your own pencil keychain.
Original Hudson’s Bay Blanket (I didn’t make this)
I decided to do a new thing recently… knit a Hudson’s Bay Blanket. The challenge of taking on a big project of knitting an adult sized blanket which I haven’t ever done before. I’d knit blankets for my friends’ baby showers but nothing so big as a Queen sized one!
The blankets we have right now at home are a just a wee bit small and this had my other half and I resorting to bringing out comforters to use instead.. which wasn’t working for me since they just didn’t look too great out there.
So it was decided that I was going to knit a blanket. But what colours? What pattern? I sat on the idea for a little while and it finally hit me that I’d always had my eye on the iconic blankets from The Bay but didn’t want to actually buy one.. so the natural thing to do at that point was to spend twice the price of the blanket on yarn and knit my own! It’s much more satisfying this way, I swear.
I started knitting this about mid-April and I just finished the first green stripe. It’ll likely take me a total of 3 months to knit if I keep up this pace.
When I was choosing the yarn in store at Michael’s Craft Store, a lady asked me if I needed any help- but she didn’t work at the store! Just a nice lady asking what I was up to. So I told her what I was planning to make and she gave me a little history on this blanket.
History of the Hudson’s Bay Blanket
It was originally called the Hudson’s Bay point blanket- referring to the little black stripes in the middle of the blanket in the photo above. In the 1700s and 1800s during the fur trade, it was commonly traded to the Natives for beaver pelts. The black stripes were sewed into the edge of the blanket to mark its size- the most common sizes in those times were 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 point – 3.5 point being a twin bed size and 4 points a double. Today’s sizes are more commonly made at 4, 6( Queen) and 8 (King).
The blankets were often folded and made into coats to keep their owners warm during the brutal Canadian winters. It has become a Canadian icon today and most people can recognize the striped pattern and where it comes from. It’s pretty amazing that Hudson’s Bay has been able to keep it’s doors open after all these years having been the first company to operate in Canada nearly 350 years ago.
I can’t wait to curl up under this super cozy blanket and knit some more!
The Crochet Cat Basket storage pattern is a simple pattern than can be crocheted in an hour or two and is a great stash buster.
This is a little twist on a crochet storage basket that I thought would be cute for cat lovers. Use it for cat toys or kids craft items or bathroom storage!
The yarn is held double to make the basket sturdy.
Materials used:
-10 mm crochet hook -125 grams of Cozy Woolâ„¢ Yarn By Loops & Threads- held double in the colour of your choice (any chunky wool can be used in place here ) -Worsted Weight yarn for nose and whiskers in the colours of your choice -Tapestry needle -Scissors
*This pattern is crocheted in spirals except for the ears.
Pattern:
Holding yarn double, sc 6 in magic ring (6)
*inc * repeat around (12)
*sc, inc* repeat (18)
*sc 2, inc* repeat (24)
*sc 3, inc* repeat (30)
*sc 4, inc* repeat (36)
sc tbl all around
8-16 sc all around.
DO NOT FASTEN OFF
Ear 1:
sc 5, ch 1, turn (5)
sc 5, ch 1, turn (5)
dec, sc, dec, ch 1 turn (3)
dec last 3 stitches together (1)
FO
Ear 2:
Skip 5 stitches starting from bottom left of Ear 1. Connect yarn using slip stitch and repeat instructions for Ear 1.
Finishing:
Holding a single strand of yarn, starting in the bottom left corner of Ear 2 (left ear), slip stitch all around. As you reach the ears, single crochet 2 in the points of each ear. FO and weave in all ends. Embroider nose, whiskers and eyes if you wish.
Happy crocheting!
Please comment below and show me your finished cat baskets!
A friend of mine recently commissioned me to immortalize his 3 kitties in yarn form. It started about mid December and he asked if I could do it as a Christmas gift for his wife. My first thought was AHH it’s only 2 weeks until Christmas! So I committed to 1 for the Christmas gift and then I would knit the other 2 later since it was so close to Santa time. So then I set about searching for a pattern.
I started looking on Pinterest and Ravelry ( a knitter and crocheter pattern database) and nothing was sparking my interest but then I remembered I had bought this pattern from Mochimochi Land a couple years ago and thought it would be AWESOME for this because the pattern included 3 different sized cats.
I set to work on the middle cat Sammy first because he was the first of their brood. I busted him out in a couple weeks and saved Christmas! Just kidding I’m sure he had something else to give her if I didn’t meet my deadline.
Not gonna lie… Sammy ended up a little crooked cause I got confused with the pattern. He was my guinea pig kitty. But all worked out in the end. After Sammy came giant Flossy and then tiny Josie.
I learned a new stitch (duplicate stitch) when I was adding Flossy and Josie’s features, a little time consuming but I think it turned out great.
So without further ado, here they are in all their glory!
Ahh my second favourite season has arrived (nothing beats fall :D). The snow is on its way out and the sun is unpacking and moving back in. As soon as that time change goes through, the whole world seems to change. It’s still light out when I get home and not just until 5:30 but for a couple hours after that. It’s wonderful.
All the little animals are coming out of hibernation and the songbirds have started singing again in the morning. I’m sure we’ll be seeing little bunny rabbits very soon as well.
Speaking of rabbits, I’d like to share a project from a few years back- this was one of my first crochet amigurumi projects. Crochet amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting little stuffed animals. The possibilities are endless with thousands of little creatures to make.
It happened to be springtime when I got into amigurumi and I had decided to make a little bunny! I don’t remember exactly what happened to her, I must have given her away to somebody. I did end up making 3 of this pattern, one white, one brown and one pink.
