More toys for the grandchildren

I recently blogged about keeping toys for the grandchildren and then I remembered, we actually still have toys from the previous generation, which belonged to my husband and myself when we were tiny.   They have been stored away for years and are just coming out again.
My husband's grandfather was apparently brilliant at woodwork and any kind of practical stuff, and we have several wooden toys that he made, built to withstand WW3.
Here is the blackboard and easel:

(The shed was leaking that day-yes it was raining, hence the water stain).  It amuses my husband that it is painted yellow as this was the standard company colour paint used at Eastwoods in Lewes where he worked. 

Then there is the working windmill:

You pull the cord at the side and the sweeps go round.  Our children got bored with this quite quickly, as when you have done it once it doesn't do anything else.  But Harry spent ages looking through the little door at the back investigating all the cogs and working out how it functioned.

The rocking horse had a bit of a sprucing up when our children were little, with new leather seat and paint, but it still had a lot of use.  It needs supervision as we lost several children over the front when they got a bit enthusiastic:

Next time around we will make sure there are lots of cushions!

These toys were all made in the late 1940s, and if you work it out, you will see that our grandchildren are now playing with toys made by their great-great-grandfather.  I wonder what he would have thought.

Then there are a couple of things made by my father for me in the early 1950s.  Apparently this little cot is one of Emily's favourite toys:



It was one of my favourite toys too, I loved playing with dolls.  I was passionate about kittens and can also remember dressing several up in dolls clothes and trying to get them to lie in the cot.  A futile game of course.

I digress, but this is my first kitten, Tiger:

From the look on his face, he is probably terrified of being dressed up and put in a cot.

And lastly there is my dolls house:

It is looking a bit sad now, sitting in the loft.  In its heyday it had working lights fuelled by a battery under the stairs, and I spent ages redecorating the rooms and even cut little tiles for the bathroom floor.  When it was moved from the house I was born in in Cheshire, number '36', the door was repainted to match our glazing and to '37' to where we live now.  It wouldn't fit in the car and Dad made the roof removable which is why it looks a bit wonky.  It may come out again one day but will need a bit of attention.

So these last two were made by the little ones great-grandfather.

I'm not normally one for looking to the past, I prefer to look to the future, but I must confess to feeling nostalgic about these old toys.  They may be around for many years to come.

PS We are well aware that these things are not made to current toy standards, and the paint no doubt contains lead.  They are all used under supervision!

New FREE knitting pattern for a quick-to-knit chunky sweater

I have designed a new FREE pattern for a quick and easy chunky sweater which I have called 'Chunky with a Twist'. 

I wanted a quick to knit chunky design that was slimming rather than adding inches, so came up with this sweater with side cable panels to add shaping.
The main pieces are knitted flat to the underarm, then joined and knitted flat to the neck with raglan and front shaping, then finished with a back neck band and with just side and sleeve seaming.
The pattern is only available in my size (36” bust).
Suitable for knitting in any chunky yarn to match gauge.

It can be downloaded as a PDF file from Ravelry and is also reproduced below.  Hope you like it and I would love to receive comments and photos if you knit it!

bitstobuy

www.bitstobuy.co.uk

CHUNKY WITH A TWIST

A quick to knit sweater in chunky yarn.  Twisted side panels and ribbings give a slimming outline.

 

Materials:

8 balls of Sirdar Tweedie Chunky 50g (864 yards, 800 metres)

or
7 balls of Patons Soft Tweed 50g (882 yards, 805 metres)
or
Any light weight chunky yarn to give correct gauge.

A pair of 4mm knitting needles

A 5mm circular needle

4 stitch markers

Size:

To fit chest size 36 inches (92 cm)

Actual measurements of finished sweater laid flat after blocking:

 

Chest	Length to underarm	Length of sleeve to underarm	Length to back of neck
20 inches	15 inches	17 inches	23 ½ inches
51 cm	38 cm	43 cm	59.5 cm

Gauge:

 14 stitches and 21 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch on 5mm needle

Abbreviations:

K = knit;  p = purl; st = stitch;  sts = stitches;  ss = stocking stitch (stockinette stitch); twist2back = twist two sts back by knitting into the back of the second st on the needle, then into the front of the first st on the needle and dropping both loops off together;  knit2front = knit two sts front by knitting into the front of the second st on the needle, then into the front of the first st on the needle and dropping both loops off together;  ssk = slip the next 2 sts knitwise, transfer back to left hand needle, then k together through back of loops; sl1 = slip one;  [  ] = repeat instructions in brackets

All pieces are knitted flat.  The main sections are knitted separately flat to the underarm, then joined and knitted flat to the neck.  The circular needle is required to hold the large number of stitches on the yoke.

BACK AND FRONT (make two pieces the same)     

With 4mm needles cast on 74 sts.

Work rib as follows:

Row 1:  p2, [k4, p2] to end

Row 2:  k2, [p4, k2] to end

Row 3:  As Row 1

Row 4:  As Row 2

Row 5:  p2, [twist2back, twist2front, p2] to end

Row 6:  As Row 2

Repeat these 6 rows 3 times more.

Change to 5mm needle and work in pattern as follows:

Row 1:  p2, k4, p2, k to last 8 sts, p2, k4, p2

Row 2:  k2, p4, k2, p to last 8 sts, k2, p4, k2

Row 3:  As Row 1

Row 4:  As Row 2

Row 5:  p2, twist2back, twist2front, p2, k to last 8 sts, p2, twist2back, twist2front, p2

Row 6:  As Row 2

Continue in pattern until work measures approximately 15 inches (38 cm).

Break yarn and leave sts on a stitch holder or a spare needle.

SLEEVE (make two the same)   

Cast on 38 sts with 4mm needles.

Work 24 rows of rib as given for Back/Front.

Change to 5mm needle and continue in ss.

Increase one st at both ends of 9^th and then every following 8^th row to 52 sts.

Work straight until work measures approximately 17 inches (43 cm).

Break yarn and leave sts on a stitch holder or spare needle.

 

YOKE

The yoke and raglan decrease is knitted in one piece from the underarm to the neck.

 

Take the Front, and with right side facing slip 37 sts onto a stitch holder.

Using the 5mm circular needle, join in yarn (centre front) and starting with the remaining sts of the Front, work as follows:

-          sl1 purlwise, p1, twist2back, twist2front, p2, k26, ssk, place marker, k1

-          continue across first Sleeve, k1, k2tog, k46, ssk, place marker, k1

-          continue across Back, k1, k2tog, k68, ssk, place marker, k1

-          continue across second Sleeve, k1, k2tog, k46, ssk, place marker, k1

-          continue across sts on stitch holder for Front, k1, k2tog, k26, p2, twist2back, twist2front, p2 (244 sts)

 

Note that the yoke is knitted flat – sts are not joined in a circle and the work is turned at the end of each row.

 

Next row:  sl1 knitwise, k1, p4, k2, p to last 8 sts, k2, p4, k2

Continue in pattern as follows:

Row 1:  sl1 purlwise, p1, k4, p2, [k to 2 sts before next marker, ssk, k2, k2tog] 4 times, k to last 8 sts, p2, k4, p2

Row 2:  sl1 knitwise, k1, p4, k2, p to last 8 sts, k2, p4, k2

Row 3:  As Row 1

Row 4:  As Row 2

Row 5:  sl1 purlwise, p1, twist2back, twist2front, p2, k2tog, [k to 2 sts before next marker, ssk, k2, k2tog] 4 times, k to last 10 sts, ssk, p2, twist2back, twist2front, p2

Row 6:  As Row 2

 

Repeat Rows 1 to 6 until 72 sts remain, ending on Row 4.

 

Next row:  sl1 purlwise, p1, twist2back, twist2front, p2, ssk, (remove marker), k1, k2tog, [knit to 2sts before next marker, ssk, k2, k2tog] twice, k to 2 sts before next marker, ssk, k1, k2tog, p2, twist2back, twist2front, p2

Next row:  sl1 knitwise, k1, p4, k2, p to last 8 sts, k2, p4, k2

Next row:  sl1 purlwise, p1, k4, p2, ssk, k2tog, [knit to 2sts before next marker, ssk, k2, k2tog] twice, k to 2 sts before next marker, ssk, k2tog, p2, k4, p2

Next row:  sl1 knitwise, k1, p4, k2, p to last 8 sts, k2, p4, k2

Next row:  sl1 purlwise, p1, k4, p2, k2tog, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, knit to 2sts before next marker, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, ssk, p2, k4, p2

Next row:  sl1 knitwise, k1, p4, k2, p to last 8 sts, k2, p4, k2

Next row:  sl1 purlwise, p1, twist2back, twist2front, p2, cast off 34 sts, p1, twist2back, twist2front, p2 (2 sets of 8 sts remain)

 

BACK NECK BANDS

Continue working on last 8 sts, and starting with a wrong side row, working in twist pattern (slipping first stitch of row on neck edge and twisting on every 6^th row) until length reaches to centre back with slight stretching.  Cast off.

Rejoin yarn to 8 sts on needle and complete in same way, working twist pattern to match.

Cast off.

  

TO MAKE UP

Join cast off edges of back neck bands.

Join neck bands to back along neck edge.

Join side and sleeve seams.

Run in ends and block to size.

 

©  Helen Cox 2012

Saving toys for the grandchildren and filling the dishwasher with Lego

When the children grow out of their toys there is always the dilema - pass the toys on to jumble sales/charity shops/friends/school bazaars etc, or store them away in the loft in case they are ever wanted again.  In the 1980s we did a bit of all of these, but there were some things that I couldn't bear to part with.

Now the grandchildren have arrived and I keep saying 'why did I throw so much out?'  My children say the things we kept are now 'retro' and it is true that some are collectable, if you believe ebay.
I mainly kept the classic Fisher Price toys, like the stacking rings, circus train, telephone (the grandchildren have no idea what this could be), and the Duplo train.  They are being played with all over again.

So now my spare bedroom is stacked with boxes of toys again!  Oh well, I suppose they will all go one day.

The latest thing to come out of the loft was the huge collection of Lego.  Beepthree did a fantastic job of sorting it out - Lego train to Beepone, Technical Lego for himself, then a rough division into three for the rest.  I found that as it was stored in open boxes (for 30 years!) it was fairly dusty and grubby so set too with nail brush and a sink full of soapy water to give it a clean.  There must be an easier way I thought.  BRAINWAVE.  I have several of those mesh bags that you use for lingerie in the washing machine, and even a big version that came with a washable mans suit.  So I filled them up with Lego and put them in the dishwasher.  Perfect!  All sparkly clean with the minimum of effort.  At least that is three boxes now gone.

The next boxes to sort out will be the Playmobil.  It has already had a rough sort into three (no-one will forget that the pirate ship belongs to Beepthree, his best toy ever, after the Duplo train).  It will be time to do the dishwasher thing again soon.

I have this theory, that about one in three lofts out of every house, in every street in the UK contains the following:
A big box of Lego*
Box games of Monopoly, Cluedo and Scrabble
At least one of those blue boxes with orange handles that say Sainsbury's on the side.


*Approx 36,000 bricks are manufactured every minute,  it must go somewhere!

The iconic 'Owl' sweater design

Many of you knitters will be aware of the lovely Owl sweater design that has gone global.
Astounded to read about one high street shop which has ripped off the design:
http://katedaviesdesigns.com/2012/07/08/the-o-w-l-sweater-a-design-story/#comment-55413
Please pass this on, I feel so sorry for the designer.

Summer cardigan

I have huge cone of a random 2 ply tweedy yarn that I got from a bin end.  This is one that I often use for tiny 12th scale jumpers...

...but I was never going to get through it that way and it has been sitting there asking me to do something with it.
I found this lovely pattern for a summer cardigan from Ravelry Spring Fling so with a bit of tweaking here it is:

I'm still waiting for some summer weather to wear it, but it looks a useful lightweight cardigan.