A happy miniature knitting Christmas!

Tiny tiny Christmas knitted stockings for the dolls house.

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Miniature knitting is not just for Christmas....

I thought I would list some Christmassy miniature knitting.  All these are dolls house size 12th scale, so the tea cosy is about one inch high, and the stockings and Santa toy are both about 1 1/2 inches high.

Perfect for the seasonal dolls house, or to accessorise other 6 inch dolls such as bjd, Kelly, Strawberry Shortcake and so on.

Patterns are available in the Christmas knitting book, from the webpage shop.

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Seven things about me award

Thanks Jennifer for tagging me for this award!

Here are seven things about me:

1   I have not eaten meat since 1985
2   I have been round the world twice
3   I have climbed a glacier in New Zealand with ropes and crampons
4   At the age of 17 I achieved the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award and went to Buckingham Palace for the presentation by Prince Philip
6  I do conservation work with Horsham Green Gym and am proficient at dead hedging
7  I swim three times a week

I don't know 15 other bloggers to nominate so this is the best you get!

Easy cookie recipe

SULTANA AND CINNAMON COOKIES

This is a very easy recipe and makes lovely chewy cookies.  It can be varied in any number of ways, for example leave out the sultanas and cinnamon, and add some vanilla and chocolate drops.  Or use chopped dried cranberries or dried apricots with white chocolate chunks.  Be careful not to cook too long so that they stay soft and chewy.

40g butter

40g sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

90g self-raising flour

Pinch of cinnamon

75g sultanas

Beat together ingredients, adding sultanas last and stirring them in.  Spoon into balls on a baking sheet and flatten slightly, leaving room to spread.  Bake at 170C for about 10 minutes.

Yummy



Lalique - A labour of love

So this is probably the most challenging knitting pattern I have attempted.  I saw a knitted sample at the Knitting and Stitching Show, and decided I just had to have a go, and here it is, finally finished after many hours of sweat and possibly tears.

The yarn is a gorgeous cashmere and silk mixture, a pleasure to knit with, from Artisan Yarns.  the pattern is Lalique, as found on Ravelry.

There are lots of issues with this pattern, as described by the other knitters who have tried it and listed comments on Ravelry, for example it needs to be made longer in the body, and the sleeves are a bit tight.  If knitting again I would make several amendments to make it fit better, but it was so difficult to knit I am not sure I would want to attempt it again!  Although in the end it only took me 2-3 weeks, but I am ready for a bit of more mindless knitting now.

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Knitted baby Ugg type boots

There are several lovely patterns on Ravelry for knitted baby bootees that look like Ugg boots.  I used one of them and adapted it a bit to make these for Mia who is just about 5 months old.  I think they turned out to be quite cute!  Very easy to knit and I knitted in the contrast to save having to embroider it on at the end.  I made another pair on slightly larger needles which fit Emily who is now 15 months old.

A good evening's work! 

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Knitted tee-shirt rug with fringe

I needed a new rug for the hallway and inspired by knitted tee versions I had seen on the web decided to have a go.  I sort of made it up as I went along, but these are the basic instructions with quantities:

I took a chance on quantities and bought 75cm of cream jersey tee-shirt type fabric, 50cm of dark rose (115cm wide) and the largest size green tee-shirt I could find.  It all came from the North Laines, Brighton UK, the fabric from the two shops there selling from rolls at a total cost of about £10, and the tee-shirt from the cheap shop selling them on rails at £2.

Of course you should really use old tee-shirts but I didn’t have the quantity or colours I wanted.

I cut the fabric into strips about one cm wide, by laying it out flat, rounding the corners slightly, then just cutting round the edges in a spiral to make one length which was wound into balls, the same with the tee. There are various methods on-line on how to cut a tee into strips, but just making the main part flat and cutting like this worked for me.  The cream I cut as I went along, as I also cut some into a very narrow 3-4mm width.  I used this with some of the solid colour stripes to ‘bleed’ one colour into the next.

The needles were size 15mm.

I cast on 45 stitches.

Stocking stitch 4 rows in cream, then 2 rows in green + the narrow cream, 2 rows green, 2 rows green + the narrow cream.

Stocking stitch 4 rows in cream, then 2 rows rose + the narrow cream, 2 rows rose, 2 rows rose + the narrow cream.

Continue in this way, you get the idea, finishing with 4 rows cream.

I didn’t bother sewing together any joins, just knotted and pushed through to the wrong side.

I intended to make a garter stitch border with mitred edges but wasn’t sure if I would have enough rose, so just crocheted around the edge (one row double crochet cream, two rows double crochet rose) until I ran out.

I cut the remaining rose into pieces to make the fringe, just enough if rather sparse!

The finished size was 72 x 75cm without the fringe.

I backed it with a piece of cream fabric and also sewed on some non-slip backing from the £1 shop.

Quite pleased with the result and really enjoyed making it.
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12th scale dolls house heirloom blanket

This week I have been tweaking one of my favourite (and most popular designs) to knit it in a finer one ply yarn.  I had to make the panels a bit bigger and adjust the stitch counts so that it fitter together properly.  I am pleased with the finished result though, the thinner yarn (it was previously 2 ply) looks much more in scale and drapes beautifully on a dolls house bed.  Well worth the effort.

The bed in the photograph is 5" x 6" in size.

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The easiest pasta recipe in the world

While I leave the main vegetable growing to him outdoors on the allotment, my job is to grow the tomatoes in the greenhouse at home.  He usually grows Moneymaker outdoors, but due to disaster with blight spreading across the allotment over the last few years I think next year I will have to find space in the garden for a few plants.  But I reserve the greenhouse for my favourite variety Sungold.  This is a small orange cherry tomato with an intense sweet flavour that is simply delicious.  I am just coming to the end of the summer glut.  I wash and bag them as they are and freeze them loosely so that they can just be tipped out of bags for cooking.  This is my favourite pasta recipe to use with the fresh or the frozen tomatoes.

Wash the tomatoes and put into an oven proof dish.  Sprinkle with olive oil, garlic powder and dried Italian herbs.  Put under the grill for a few minutes until they are soft and starting to char slightly.

Meanwhile cook some pasta.  When ready, tip the pasta in a bowl and top with the tomatoes and lovely juices.  Delicious!

Knitting and Stitching Show Alexander Palace

Had a lovely day yesterday at the annual Knitting and Stitching Show in London, at Alexander Palace.  It is very popular and well worth attending if you are into knitting or quilting.  This is my second visit and I absolutely loved it.  We went on Friday and I expect it is even more busy over the weekend.

I thought I would just throw out a few ideas in case you are thinking of attending.

• I don't find it the easiest place to get to.  I travelled by train from southern England to Victoria, then 30 minutes on the Piccadilly Line (changed at Green Park) to Wood Green tube station.  From there it is a 30 minute walk uphill.  The courtesy buses are about every 20 minutes, leaving from the road which runs perpendicular to the station exit, and expect long queues.  However the W13 bus which goes from an adjacent stop does the same journey every 2-3 minutes, and the queues are fairly fast moving.  You get free travel with a train Travelcard or an over 60 bus pass - I am not sure what the fare would be.  Don't get off at the first Ally Pally stop for the ice rink, but the next one (don't worry the bus will be full of ladies of a certain age all going to the same place).
• We got there about 11:30am and left about 4pm, which is about right.  It is packed with people but did seem a bit quieter in the afternoon.  It opens at 10am but leaving it that bit later avoided having to queue to get in.
• We took a packed lunch and did what a lot of people were doing, that is sat down on the floor at the edge of the exhibition area to eat it.  There are several lunch places around the edge of the main hall (all serving the same food at the same price) but they were packed.  In the afternoon we managed to get a couple of seats at a table for a cup of tea but the service at the counter was very slow.
• We tackled the main exhibition room first and if you are looking to buy supplies that is the best way to do it before you run out of steam.  The smaller exhibition hall also has some suppliers but also a lot of exhibitors showing artworks etc, which we weren't that interested in, so we did that last.  There is also another area on the way in, next to the main Cafe, which is mostly associations and charities.
• If you have a budget, you might like to take cash and not a credit card.  There is so much lovely stuff it is easy to get carried away.  I heard some suppliers say they only took cash not cards for under £10 so take plenty of change.
• I read somewhere it is a good idea to take a rolling case or shopping bag on wheels to put your purchases in, but I wouldn't like to try as those who had were not very popular in that huge crush of people.  I did see a few pushchairs but it must have been very hard work to push them around and try to see anything. It may not be PC to say so, but ride on mobility scooters are also perhaps not a brilliant idea in that situation.
• If you look around there are plenty of bargains to be had, eg end of lines, bin ends, large packs of branded quality yarns.  But probably a good idea to make a list before you go of what you are looking for.
• I bought some quite expensive luxury yarn to knit a cardigan which was on show, but when I got it home there was no label on it.  I wished I had paid a bit more attention and asked more questions as now I am not sure of the composition or washing instructions, or even who I bought it from.

Don't be put off by all these negative comments, it is definitely worth going, just takes some planning!

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Christmas is coming

I have tried most crafts in my time, but knitting is my favourite hobby and I just have to knit all the time. I long ago got tired of garments which never seemed to turn out just as I wanted, although I sometimes get tempted by socks and all the lovely patterns on Ravelry.

I have found my niche with miniature knitting (dolls house scale).  I began designing little patterns, which I sold through my website, and developed the business into kits (so customers don't have to buy large amounts of yarn they won't use), books of patterns, yarn and needles suitable for my patterns, also some ready knitted garments.

Knitting isn't popular during the summer, and most of the business is done in the run-up to Christmas, especially with the little ready made sweaters.  Cardigans and anything with colourwork are especially popular.

So at this time of year I spend the evening in front of the TV making little garments - I can usually do one in an evening.  I sell them on ebay  and they go quite well, although I know this is because I don't charge much for them.  I justify it by saying that it is a hobby and I am not in it for the money, and hopefully it also provides some advertising for the webpage.  And I love doing it!

This is a few I have around at the moment

Did I mention that this is just a few???

Achievement of the week

I am so pleased with myself.  Last week I was up in London and visited St Pauls cathedral.  I went up to the Whispering Gallery and then thought, what the heck, I can do the rest, so ended up climbing right to the top.  The last bit is a bit scary, with tight open spiral staircases between the inner and outer dome of 150 steps, so you can see exactly where you have come from and where you are going, with a lot of space around.  I'm not brilliant at heights but it had to be done.  And at 61 years old I feel it was quite an achievement and not something I will do again.  Thanks Liz for being patient and waiting for me!

Dress up your dolls and dolls house for Halloween

Anna is selling lots of knitted clothes and related items for Halloween, suitable for bjd but also some will fit dolls house dolls too.  Check out her store at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/beepbeep?ref=pr_shop_more

Hallowe'en knitting patterns for bjd

Anna has just published her new book of knitting patterns for tiny bjd, Lati Yellow and Pukifee size.

they are lovely seasonal patterns perfect for dressing a tiny bjd for Hallowe'en, including pumpkin, a pumpkin hat, witches hat, cloak and treat bag!  Pretty and very unusual.  Available now from http://www.etsy.com/shop/beepbeep?ref=pr_shop_more

Christmas is here!

My new book of Christmas patterns for the doll's house is now available.

All new miniature knitting patterns for the holiday season, easy to knit using 2 ply yarn and 2 mm knitting needles. 



Patterns included are:

• Wreath decoration
• Garland
• Christmas stockings
• Father Christmas outfit
• Mother Christmas outfit
• Santa hat
• Pixie outfit
• Toddler dress
• Child's sweater and pleated skirt
• Adult sweater
• Santa toy
• Stained glass windows blanket
• Christmas pudding tea cosy

Available from ebay or the webpage, or contact me for details.

www.bitstobuy.co.uk

New collection of bjd knitting patterns for the summer

Anna's new e-booklet of bjd knitting patterns is now available:

Absolutely gorgeous patterns for the summer for your tiny bjd, Lati Yellow size. 
Available from her on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76957837/summer-sun-knitting-pattern-ebook-for

And I believe she is currently working on the winter collection, so more patterns to come soon.

www.bitstobuy.co.uk

Coming soon!

Almost finished my next book - this is the Christmas collection.  Lots of seasonal dolls house knitting patterns for the winter holiday season, including garments, decorations and more.
Just putting in the final touches and hopefully it will be available within the next month or so in plenty of time to get the dolls house ready for December.
Here is a preview

Mia

Been a bit busy the last couple of weeks, welcome to baby Mia

Lots of knitting patterns for bjd, lati yellow, pukifee and other tiny dolls

I have decided to concentrate on dolls house scale knitting patterns and have passed over designing tiny bjd patterns to my daughter Anna.  She has so many of her own lovely ideas that it was a shame to be in competition and she understands the collection of these tiny dolls, and appropriate designs, much better than I do.
She is putting together several lovely collections of designs, and the first booklet is now available.

More details can be found on her blog
http://beepbeepdesigns.blogspot.com/
She is selling it as an ebook on Folksy
http://www.etsy.com/listing/73897449/brilliant-basics-knitting-pattern-ebook
also on Ravelry
http://www.ravelry.com/
Where her designer's name is JaneUK
Here's looking forward to the next collection!

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Not happy

I became the victim of internet fraud this week when I found someone had hacked into my Paypal account (how??? only I know the password and I am very cautious and never respond to spoofs etc, can only assume there was some sort of inside job???).  A bit of research finds that it is quite common - three transactions very close together on my account transferring money to Skype, a total of about $44.  I have never used Skype and don't have an account with them.  It appears that a prepayment account was set up without my knowledge (a sort of Direct Debit).   I was fortunate in that I discovered it very quickly and Paypal have refunded the money within a couple of days.  BUT the really annoying thing is that Paypal have now restricted my account.  I can still take money from customers but can't remove or transfer money, even refunds, or do anything else.  To get back on track I have got to supply Paypal with all sorts of information including photo ID, bank statements etc.   I haven't yet worked out how to do this without having a scanner to email them copies or access to a fax to send them that way (the only way they will accept it), and it will cost me time and money.
I thought it was worth posting this so it will warn others of this scam which is not unusual.  Keep a close eye on emails from Paypal about debits, and check your account regularly. 

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