Quick Update

This blog has been deathly quiet for quite a while. I've more or less dropped out of the Blythe hobby for a number of reasons, with my poor health being the major one. That said, I've been selling a couple of girls recently, and it has got me thinking about all the crafty projects I never got around to.

So my plan is this. I need some distraction at the moment, and crafting is perfect for that. In the next couple of weeks I'm going to start a gentle knit a long through my collection of Blythe patterns. I'll post a link where I can find it, wip pictures, and hopefully have a fluffy time with some yarn.

My first project will be the Lati top, my very favourite pattern.

Polly Makes - Febuary Flirty dress pattern

Polly is doing a free pattern every month and this dress is Febuary's. Pop over there (the link is in my sidebar) and take a look at the goodies on offer.
This is a super simple pattern to knit. You need 2.75mm needles and sock wool or 4ply as I always use :-P
You need to be able to cast on, rib, stocking stitch, increase in the front & back of a stitch and cast off. Simple!
I added a picot hem to this which turned out to be really unruly despite being blocked twice. I ended up popping a running stitch through the hem to calm it down.
This is a simple and satisfying project to have a go at and I would say beginners should manage this no bother.

Ravelry Pattern - Parasol Doll Shrug

Another Ravelry pattern (Have you joined yet?) and this is a lovely one! Shrugs and kisses by Maggie Baird aka Parasoll Doll is a delight to knit, simple and very cute. This pattern is also free so hop to it!
You need sock weight or fingering yarn, I used 4ply as I don't have sock yarn (shcoking oversight on my part) and you'll need 2.25mm needles. Again I didn't have these so I used a 2.5mm and it didn't make much difference.
To make it you need to be able to cast on, do moss stitch & stocking stitch, increase by knitting in the front and back of a stitch, and cast off. Easy peasy!
I admit that I had no clue how this would work from the picture as I usually need to see something 'in the wool' before I can figure it out. Once made I folded it and had the light bulb moment, yes I am that daft.
I would recommend this for beginners and anyone who wants a lovely shrug!
Maggie also has patterns on her website here, enjoy!

Knitting patterns on Ravelry!

I have returned from my holiday and suprisingly I did no knitting whatsoever. I didn't even venture into a yarn shop which is most unlike me.
Anyway, I am aiming to venture through some of the patterns available on ravelry for Blythe and give you a brief description of each project, such as how easy they are, if the pattern has any mistakes, how well they turn out, etc. I have so many patterns from ravelry, most of which I have yet to try. First up will be my very favourite pattern - the lati dress.

Lace knitting and other adventures

Having seen the beautiful lace dress patterns by Sara on Ravelry I decided to get learning lace knitting at last. One of the things I try to do with every knitting project is learn something new, no matter how small that new thing may be. So in a bid to learn lace I chose what I thought was a simple dress pattern with a small lace section from my Mum's pattern collection. It's a Sindy one that was printed in a newspaper sometime in the 70's or 80's from the look of it so it is seriously outdated. It is also huge as Sindy's aren't exactly Blythe sized.

Here's my first go. For a start I managed to rib instead of seed stitch, something I do quite alot for some weird reason, then I struggled on the lace pattern as it turns out that the pattern itself is wrong! I was also fairly rubbish at it but it taught me the following things about lace knitting: Pay close attention to what you are doing and keep counting your stitches. This is an 8 st repeat followed by a purl row so relatively straightforward. The sleeves section are worked with a variety of cast on and cast offs, the pattern also gave the wrong number of stitches for the sleeves so they are bigger at the back than the front. Unfortunately the neckline is also appalling - the cast off on the neck line gives it a really untidy edge. It is also far too big.
I firmly believe (maybe stupidly) that this could be a nice pattern with a total rewrite so I am currently working on a complete overhaul. Given my knitting speed this could take me a very long time!

Simple Shrug

Fancy trying your hand at a simple shrug for your blythe? Here's how to do it.
Get your trusty size 3mm needles (also called a size 11) and cast on 10 stitches using double knit.Knit approximately 35 rows in rib stitch (knit then purl) or longer if you'd like long sleeves. Cast off. Sew the very ends together, just catching the edges so that you're not making a big seam - I usually sew about 1cm at each side to make the sleeves. Weave in your ends and you're all done!
You can go for an 8 cast on instead if it's not going over sleeves but a 10 gives you more room. Have fun trying it out and let me know if you manage one! If you're really good at knitting and actually have time to follow a pattern there is a beautiful shrug pattern by Parasol Doll over on Ravelry, it looks amazing but I haven't had time to try it yet. And my printer is dead.

Up and knitting

It's Sunday and I have managed to get out of bed and knit! My knitting progress has been interrupted by various requests (More breakfast please mummy, can you draw me a tiger and other lovely things) so I am going rather slowly.

I promised a Shrug pattern and here's a pic of my progress so far.
The green one is one that I made ages ago and forgot to write down what I did. The purple is from a pattern my Mum gave me and is far too small. The brown is one I'm working on at the moment and if this turns out fine I will post the pattern, they are really simple.

Knitting at last!

After an eventful few months I am starting to get back on track with my knitting and I'm even aiming to get a new How to Knit for Blythe PDF done for downloading on here. It should be updated in time for Blythecon 2011. Well, I can dream anyway! I'm also working on a basic shrug pattern to pop on here as well, it will involve ribbing though so be prepared.
I am also going on a culling session of my girls as I have TOO many. I haven't sold a girl in ages so it will be a bit weird seeing them go. Oh well, fewer girls to knit for I suppose.

Shop Goodies!

Here's a sneak peek of the new shop stock! I'll be adding these helmets over the next few days specially for christmas so keep an eye out! I'm popping the cable knit cardigans and new hoodies in the shop today so if you're after one you're in luck.

New tutorial up!

At last, the last tutorial is up! I now have tutorials for slip knots, casting on and knit stitch - all the things I'll be showing at Blythecon UK.
My next tutorial will be casting off and basic finishing techniques, these should be up in a few weeks as I'm concentrating on my Blythecon leaflet for now.
Happy Knitting!

Slight delays!

My modem has decided to die a slow death so whilst I wait for the new one the new tutorials will have to wait. I'm hoping to have them all up by the end of this week ahead of the ever closer Blythecon UK. My Mum is busy knitting away and I'm even hoping to have some of my basic hat & scarf sets for sale too. That does mean i have to get knitting though!
Don't forget to stop by the stall and say hello if you get chance!

Really Useful Knitting Books!

Here's some of the books I have found very useful since starting knitting.
We'll start with Knitty Gritty. This book is for the absolute beginner so it is perfect if you're just starting out. However I would say that if you just want to knit for Blythe I wouldn't bother with the projects in this book as they are rather time consuming.
Next is the Ultimate Knitting Bible. If you become a crazy obsessed knitter like me then there is nothing better than browsing through this delicious book. The pictures are lovely, the instructions are clear & easy to follow. In short this is Knitting Nirvana. It takes you through LOTS of knitting techniques rather than going through knitting projects so it's very helpful.
Onto Knitspeak, a handy little tome that lives in my knitting bag. This book is an A-Z of knitting language and abbreviations. It has helped me solve many a knitting puzzle.
And now Knit Aid another handy little book that lives in my knitting book. Despite being aimed at an American audience it is very helpful, with diagrams of techniques, helpful hints and problem solving.
And last but not least one of my favourites How to Knit. This is actually a kids book but I have found it really useful as the diagrams are easy and unlike Knitty Gritty the projects are smaller so much easier to finish.

How I got knitting....Again

My Mum, being the keen knitter that she is, taught me to knit when I was little. I have no memory of this to be honest. I picked up the sticks again as an adult when I was confined to my bed with a threatened miscarriage so I whiled away the hours attempting to knit and watching Pie Griller play space games (he tried knitting aswell and all but welded the knitting to the needle) I didn't pick up the sticks again until after my second child came along and I found myself posessed with the desire to knit again after looking at peoples Blythe Knits online. I was desperate to knit but as my handy knitting teacher mother was busy I decided I'd have to refresh my memory another way. Embarrassingly it was one of my kids books that got me going. As you can see from the picture it's basic but it gave me an actual goal - a finger puppet! This comes from The Rainy Day Book (which is quite handy for kids during holidays in the UK) The finger puppets were chewed up and thrown away somewhere by my small people but the sense of achievement I got from actually finishing something was really inspiring. I ordered myself some expensive custom needles and a fantastic book called Knitty Gritty: Knitting for the absolute beginner. I also joined Ravelry and a new obsession was born. I've been knitting for just over a year now and it has been tremendous fun, I've made some bloody awful things for my girls, frogged some eyewateringly difficult knitting that I'd slaved over and even made up a few very basic patterns. If you're just starting out there are plenty of resources online, I've listed a few in my links section, and I've made up some very basic beginner blythe knits for you to try. The scarf is the best place to start as it is quick & simple to make. Happy Knitting!