Free gift of yarn with all webpage orders in March

Don't forget, two free skeins of 2 ply knitting yarn with all orders from the webpage in March.  Nearly last chance to claim them!
http://bitstobuy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/two-free-skeins-of-knitting-yarn-with.html



www.bitstobuy.co.uk

Not just knitted baby ugg boots but tiny tiny doll Ugg boots

Some time ago I adapted a pattern to make some baby knitted Ugg type boots.  That set me thinking on making the pattern even smaller, to make some Ugg boots to fit a tiny doll.  This is the result;  these will fit a doll such as the tiny bjd, Lati Yellow, Pukifee etc, and similar 6 to 7 inch tall dolls.

The British penny is to show the size, which is very small!

I have developed a new pattern, with a duffle coat, leggings and boots, to fit the tiny bjd.  The pattern will be available very soon from the webpage shop, and comes in a brown version with pink leggings, or the black version with red leggings.

www.bitstobuy.co.uk



Fabulous new knitting patterns for bjd, Lati, Pukifee and all 5 to 6" tall dolls

Check out the lovely easy to knit knitting patterns in this new leaflet

Lots of pretty new designs, my favourite is the sweater dress which looks so sweet on a Pukifee.  It is available from
http://beepbeepdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/simply-sweaters-bjd-lati-yellow-pukifee.html

A garden gnome tale

A garden gnome lives in our garden.  He has been passed down through the family, and my husband knows his history, so we know he dates from the 1930s.  He is made from terracotta, but is in a poor way, he is quite badly frost damaged, his arm is hanging loose and is held on with a nail, and most of the back is missing.  At some stage he has been filled with concrete to hold him together.  Originally he held a little wooden hammer but my husband remembers trashing it as a child.  Poor gnome.  But we are very attached to him.  I scrubbed him up for his photo.

A little while ago the local paper did a feature about garden gnomes.  Garden gnomes were introduced to England by Sir Charles Isham in 1847. Isham wanted to liven up his rock garden with a little color and he decided that gnomes, as then made in Germany, were the best way to do so. The only surviving terracotta gnome from Isham's 1847 introduction is now valued at two million pounds and is featured in a museum on the Isham estate in New York.  He died in 1903.

Why are you blogging about garden gnomes? I hear you ask.  Well the interesting twist to the story is that Sir Charles Isham died nearby.  Our house is actually built on the site of the house and garden where he died.  So I like to think that our garden gnome has come home.

I have to add here, I have researched his value and he is not worth 2 million pounds.  If he fetched £5 on a good day I would be surprised.  So please no raids by all the villians in the area, he is not worth anything!

You might now be thinking, what has this to do with knitting?

Well I couldn't resist.

Free miniature knitting pattern - Dolls house family part 3

I designed this pattern for a dolls house family because I thought it would be fun! OK not one for miniature collectors this one, but ideal to knit for a first dolls house for a toddler or small child. The figures are in 1:12 scale, so all the usual 12th scale garments will fit.

Here is the final part of the pattern which gives instructions for the child dolls.

DOLLS HOUSE FAMILY MINIATURE KNITTING PATTERN - CHILD DOLLS

Copyright Helen Cox 2012

Materials required: A pair of 2mm (size 14) knitting needles. A small ball of 2ply flesh coloured or cream yarn and a small ball of 2ply white yarn or 20 crochet cotton for the underclothes. Two black beads for eyes for each doll and scraps of yarn for hair. Polyester stuffing.

Measurements: The child dolls are about 4 tall. All the 1:12 scale garments in the bitstobuy range will fit the dolls.

Abbreviations: st = stitch; sts = stitches; k = knit; p = purl; ss = stocking stitch (one row knit, one row purl); inc = increase by working twice into next stitch; dec = decrease by working next two sts together; turn = turn knitting round and work back along sts just knitted; k2tog = knit 2 sts together; p2tog = purl 2 sts together; [ ] = repeat instructions in brackets.

CHILD BODY AND HEAD

Cast on 12 sts.

Ss 12 rows.

Next row:  k2, inc in next st, k6, inc in next st, k2 (14 sts)

Starting with a p row, ss 3 rows

Next row:  [k2tog] 7 times (7 sts)

Starting with a p row ss 3 rows.

Next row:  inc once in every st (14 sts)

Starting with a p row, ss 9 rows.

Next row:  [k2tog] 7 times (7 sts)

Next row:  inc purlwise once in every st (14 sts)

Ss 9 rows.

Next row:  [p2tog] 7 times (7 sts)

Ss 3 rows.

Next row:  inc purlwise once in every st (14 sts)

Ss 3 rows.

Next row:  p2, p2tog, p6, p2tog, p2 (12 sts)

Ss 12 rows.

Cast off.

To make up body and head:

Do not press. With right sides together, fold in half and seam down each side. Turn right side out and insert a small amount of stuffing. Close bottom seam.

ARM (Make two )

Cast on 10 sts.

Ss 8 rows.

Next row:  k, decreasing one st at each end of row (8 sts).

Starting with a p row ss 5 rows.

Next row:  [k2tog] 4 times (4 sts)

Next row:  inc purlwise once in every st (8 sts)

Ss 4 rows.

Break yarn, leaving a long end, and gather through sts.  Fasten off.

To make up:

Do not press. With wrong sides together, fold in half and seam on right side with small stitches, inserting a small amount of stuffing at the same time. Leave top open. Sew into place on body.

LEG (Make two)

Cast on 3 sts.

Next row:  Inc once in every st (6 sts)

Next row:  p

Next row:  [k2, inc in next st] twice (8 sts)

Starting with a p row ss 3 rows.

To turn heel:

Next row: k1, turn

Next row: p

Next row: k2, turn

Next row: p

Next row: k3, turn

Next row: p

Next row: k to end

Next row: p1, turn

Next row: k

Next row: p2, turn

Next row: k

Next row: p3, turn

Next row:  k

Starting with a p row ss 7 rows.

Next row:  k, increasing one st at each end of row (10 sts).

Starting with a p row ss 11 rows.

Cast off.

To make up:

Do not press. With wrong sides together, fold in half and seam on right side with small stitches, inserting a small amount of stuffing at the same time. Leave top open. Sew into place on body.

Finishing:

Make hair as follows:

Girl  – cut lengths of yarn about 12 inches (30 cm) long and sew into place on head along parting.   Tie girls hair into bunches and secure at side of head, trim or make into plaits.  Tie red yarn around plaits as ribbon.

Boy – Cut lengths of yarn about 2 inches (5 cm) long and sew into place on parting.  Sew long loops at front of head for fringe.  Trim to length.

Sew tiny black beads to face for eyes.

KNICKERS

Cast on 14 sts. Work in k1, p1 rib for 2 rows.

Next row: Working in k, inc 1 st at each end of row (16 sts)

Beginning with a p row, ss 9 rows.

Continue in ss, dec one st at each end of the next 6 rows (4 sts).

Ss 4 rows.

Continue in ss, inc one st at each end of the next 6 rows (16 sts).

Ss 9 rows.

Next row: Working in p, dec 1 st at each end of row (14 sts)

Work in k1, p1 rib for 2 rows. Cast off in rib.

To make up:

With right sides together fold in half and join along the side seams. Turn right side out and press very gently with a cool iron.

 

BOXER SHORTS

Cast on 14 sts. Work in k1, p1 rib for 2 rows.

Next row:  Working in k, inc 1 st at each end of row (16 sts)

Beginning with a p row, ss 11 rows.

Next row:  Cast off 4 sts, k to end (12 sts)

Next row:  Cast off 4 sts purlwise, p to end (8 sts)

Continue in ss, dec one st at each end of the next 2 rows (4 sts).

Ss 4 rows.

Continue in ss, inc one st at each end of the next 2 rows (8 sts).

Next row:  Cast on 4 sts, k to end (12 sts)

Next row:  Cast on 4 sts, p to end (16 sts)

Ss 11 rows.

Next row:  Working in p, dec 1 st at each end of row (14 sts)

Work in k1, p1 rib for 2 rows.  Cast off in rib.

To make up:

With right sides together fold in half and join along the side seams.  Turn right side out and press very gently with a cool iron.

(My apologies for the formatting of the above pattern, I have problems copying and pasting successfully into Blogger!)

 

The pattern is also available as a kit from the website www.bitstobuy.co.uk, giving all the yarn etc needed to complete the whole family.

 

Has anyone tried the patterns?  What did you think?

Guest blog from Anna of beepbeepdesigns - Knitting for bjd

Anna has written a guest blog for me about knitting for ball jointed dolls (bjd).  These are collector dolls, very popular in the US and Far East.  They come in all sizes but Anna designs for the tiny range, which are 12th, 1:12 scale, and includes the Lati Yellow and Pukifee ranges, also the Hoojoo or Hujoo Baby.  Her patterns are available from Etsy and her own webpage, see links below.

BJD, or ball-jointed dolls, are collectors' dolls that come in all sizes from three inches to three feet. They are fun to dress and style as they are very posable and photogenic! My doll, Felicity, is a Fairyland Pukifee, and she's called a 'tiny' as she's only six inches tall. This makes her about the same size as a dolls house doll. Her body shape is a bit different to an adult dolls house doll though, and her head is much bigger, so it's worth using patterns that have been adapted to fit a BJD.

I've been a knitter for many years so it was natural for me to knit for my doll. Sewing can be very fiddly in this small size and you have to worry about seams and fraying. Knitted seams don't fray which can make it easier to make things you wouldn't knit for a person, such as leggings or even a swimming costume.

 

One of the great things about miniature knitting is how quick it can be. You can knit a sweater in an evening, and a whole wardrobe for your doll in a week! It's easy to make cardigans in colours to match every outfit. And plain items can be easily made more exciting by adding buttons, ribbons and felt shapes. If you snip the shoulder-ribbons off your tops, those are just right for miniature crafting. And a full-sized button looks great sewn onto a jumper or a hat (well, I love buttons so I think they look great anywhere).

So whatever kind of doll you have, why not knit them something completely unique.

For beepbeep designs:

http://beepbeepdesigns.blogspot.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/beepbeep?ref=em

http://www.windthebobbinup.co.uk/

http://folksy.com/shops/beepbeep

http://www.beepbeepdesigns.co.uk/minis/

http://www.beeptwo.com/

Two free skeins of knitting yarn with all webpage orders in March

This months free offer is for two 50m skeins of yarn, rusty brown and yellow, with all orders from the webpage during March.

Enough yarn to knit at least two tiny sweaters.

Check out the webpage at www.bitstobuy.co.uk