My granny square blanket

I have spotted a number of Pinterest boards lately with lovely designs of granny square blankets.  This reminded me that I made something similar in the early 1970's when for some reason I had lots of oddments of yarn around and just wanted something to fill the evenings in front of the TV (nothing changes!).
I rummaged around in my blanket box and there it was.

I remember trying to sort the colours so that I went light, medium, dark then repeat, well sort of  'ish. 
It did have some use but the trouble with knitted blankets is that they are very heavy, and not that comfortable to sleep under.  And of course impossible to wash. 
I remember visiting my dear old mum and the bed we were put in had several blankets made of knitted squares, and it was like sleeping under a plank, but that is another story.
In fact I made two much the same.  The other one was given to my mother-in-law and when we were sorting out her house it went to the charity shop!  I hope someone treasures it. This design was not so popular then as it is now, perhaps it is now 'retro'.
Of course I just crocheted round and round and today's designs are much more appealing, with lovely colour combinations and crochet patterns.  I expect it will go back into the blanket box for now.

I have opened an Etsy shop

As I am no longer running the bitstobuy business in the sense of selling kits and needles, yarn etc, I decided to concentrate on the knitting side.  I love making the tiny sweaters and accessories suitable for dolls house or tiny bjd but I also wanted more time for knitting for me!

My main selling is on ebay and I have several very loyal customers who snap up anything I list there.  But I wanted to do something different, and decided to dip my toes in the waters of Etsy to see what happened.

I am lucky enough to be the guardian of a couple of lovely antique dolls passed down through the family, so had a go at designing a dress pattern for the larger, 18" tall one.  I sweated blood a bit over the design but I got there eventually and this is the result.

It is a very fine lemon cotton-like yarn, and is trimmed with ribbon and flower buttons.  I really enjoyed the challenge of making it and was very pleased with the final result.  I have also knitted some lacy cotton socks for the same doll and depending on how popular this size is, have plans for lots of other designs.

These are currently for sale on Etsy in my bitstobuyknits shop.  I am not yet into all the ins-and-outs of Etsy but the dress has been favourited several times so someone has found it.

Meanwhile ever onwards and upwards with tiny sweaters.

bitstobuy miniature knitting patterns is changing

I have been running the bitstobuy business for about 10 years now.  It all started when I wanted to expand my knitting hobby in some way, but really didn't need any more garments for myself.  A book from the library about knitting tiny items for the dolls house really inspired me, and when I found some oddments of laceweight yarn in my stash I started knitting some tiny sweaters which were snapped up immediately on ebay. 
Eureka!  Something I loved doing and was of use to others. 
I have to admit that my interest has always been on the knitting side, and I do not own a dolls house or have any interest in doing so.
I searched the internet and books for patterns, but all the ones I found were very complicated and took a lot of knitting, in fact would be very difficult for someone who just wanted to produce something quickly and easily.  So I did the obvious thing and started designing my own.
My first pattern was for this bedspread and cushions

For some reason this really captured knitters' imaginations and this is probably my most popular pattern ever.  From there I quickly developed patterns for all kinds of tiny furnishings and garments, and miniature toys.

For a few years I just sold patterns, but developed into kits (so that the customer didn't have to deal with the difficulty of getting hold of small quantities of fine yarn), needles and haberdashery.  I have since written three pattern books, each of which have about 25 easy to knit designs.

I have sold through ebay and my own website, and have had patterns published in the dolls house press and online.
I am slowing down a bit now, and decided I just wanted to carry on with the knitting, and move on from the business.

So I am proud to announce that the bitstobuy webpage business has been passed on to another wonderful miniature knitter, my daughter Anna!

Anna has put in many hours over the years in setting up and running the webpage for me.  She is really into knitting, with designs published in the main knitting publications (two patterns out this very month in Issue 19 of Knit Now) and on Ravelry.  On the miniature side Anna has concentrated on patterns for 6" bjd but also has other crafty things going on such as selling beautiful buttons and ribbons.

The www.bitstobuy.co.uk webpage will continue as at present for the moment, selling all the same lovely things, but it will now be Anna who is managing it and despatching stock.  Eventually she will be redeveloping the site and moving it over to beepbeepminiatures .  We will make sure that the old webpage address still stands though and will transfer to the new one.

Thank you to all my previous customers and I hope you will support Anna in the new business.

I will continue to knit and sell the tiny garments (I still need to keep my fingers busy) on ebay and a new shop that I have opened on http://www.etsy.com/shop/bitstobuyknits.

Good Luck to Jennifer and #teamhonk who are climbing Snowdon on Saturday in aid of Comic Relief.  At least 19 are in the team and some if not all will be in fancy dress so if you are in the area you won't be able to miss them!
http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/jenniferjain

Good Luck Team!

Review of coffee shops in Horsham

I am lucky enough to meet friends regularly for a morning cup of coffee, and when we were sitting in Artisan this morning we joked about how many different coffee places we had visited in Horsham.  We like to try new ones if we can, and when we came to draw up a list we were amazed at how many coffee shops there are.  I thought I could jot down some thoughts on nice places to go.  I am not a coffee drinker when out, I tend to go for tea, so I will need to miss out a main important point about quality of the coffee!  No particular order, and you get your coffee from the counter unless stated otherwise.

Pret a Manger in West Street.  Brand new and very nice, reasonable prices.  Can get very busy, grab a table while you can.
Costa in West Street.  We only went there once and the table was dirty so didn't bother again.
Cook Shop in East Street.  OK but pricy.  County set.  Can ogle all the lovely kitchen ware at the same time and be scandalised by the prices.  The loos are hidden down the back on the right hand side, useful if you need to know this when in the area!
Waterstones in West Street.  My favourite.  Nice staff, cosy surroundings, reasonable prices and you can people watch the street below.  If you buy the coffee from the flask there are free refills.  A loyalty card gives you a free drink every now and then.  Can get busy so get there early.  Take a code for the loo from the counter (they could do with a refurbishment, not great).
Tristans in East Street.  Nice little coffee shop downstairs, lovely loos.  But we found that in the morning they are constantly walking through taking stock up the stairs to the restaurant, leaving the door ajar and making it feel cold.
Bills on Market Square.  Lovely inside and attentive staff.  They have made a great job of renovating the building.  You will be met at the door and shown to a table, and given a menu, but they are fine with just coffee.  I had lunch here once and although you are given a full menu, I only wanted a light lunch and just ordered a starter (which was very good).  If you sit near the door in winter it can be cold with people coming and going, but I am told they will supply cushions, blankets and even hot water bottles!
Cote in East Street.  Very nice cool French interior.  A very classy place for morning coffee.  Table service.  Be sure to look at the mosaic floor which is the original one from when it was the Co-op many years ago.  It fits the interior perfectly.
Black Olive on the Bishopric.  Lovely to sit out here on a sunny day and watch the people go by.
Conservatory in the Park.   Another favourite, worth the short walk from town.  You can sit inside the conservatory, which can get hot if it is summer, or outside in the park on a sunny day, which is very pleasant.  Nice staff and good choice of light lunches (the toasted sandwiches are good).  It can get very busy during school holidays.
Beals on the Forum.  Department store cafe, fine, not a great deal of atmosphere.  The loos are downstairs at the back of the lingerie department, again they don't particulary advertise them but they are a good alternative to the awful public ones outside.
Squires on the Forum.  Again good for sitting outside on a sunny day, but grab a sunshade or a table in the shade round the side.  And avoid if they are playing loud music or digging up the pavement again.
Crown on the Carfax.  Pub coffee, reasonable for sitting in comfy chairs to talk.  They don't open until late morning though.
Commodore near the Forum.  Not tried this personally but friends say they felt the waiter was not very friendly, and seemed to expect them to order a fry up rather than just coffee.
Artisan on Market Square. Brand new and lovely inside/upstairs. Table service.  You can amuse yourself by watching the tasty waiters (if you don't mind the fake tans). I am told the cakes are wonderful but pricy, although huge portions, worth sharing between two. The coffee/tea prices were a bit on the high side.

Next time we are going to try Carmellas on the Carfax,  looks good from the outside but hope they have enough tables.

There are many more we have not tried, eg M&S, BHS, La Brunch, Cafe Nero, Real Eating (centre of Swan Walk), Paninos on the Carfax, Sainsburys, Merrythorpe (I used to go there 40 years ago when it was the only tea shop in town) and of course all the pubs.  No shortage of places to have a coffee in Horsham.

Another FREE knitting pattern in dolls house scale - Child Trousers

Here is another free knitting pattern for dolls house scale.  This is for a tiny pair of trousers for a child 4 inch tall doll, and is taken from my book 'Easy to Knit Miniature Knitting Patterns  for the Doll's House in 1:12 Scale Book 2'.

The garments are shown on Heidi Ott 4" tall dolls.

Materials required:  Small ball of 2ply yarn, pair of 2mm knitting needles.

Trousers

Leg and side body (make two the same):

Starting at lower leg, cast on 18 sts.

Ss 8 rows.

Dec one st at each end of next row (16 sts).

Starting with a p row ss 7 rows.

Inc 1 st at each end of next 2 rows (20 sts).

Mark each end of next row with a short length of coloured cotton for crotch.

Dec 1 st at each end of next 2 rows (16 sts).

Ss 6 rows. 

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

To make up:

With right sides together join the two pieces from the waistband to the crotch markers along front and back seam.  Placing crotch markers together, join the inner leg seams.  Remove markers.  Press gently.

A pattern for the cardigan can be found in the book, available from the webpage http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk

Free gift for January!

With all orders made from the webpage in January I am including a FREE gift of the kit to make this lovely heirloom bedspread and cushions for the dolls house.  It is knitted in sections which are seamed together, and is not as difficult as it looks to complete.  The kit contains the pattern and all the yarn needed to make the set; you will need to supply a pair of 2mm knitting needles.
The finished blanket fits a double sized dolls house bed in 12th scale.
This kit is also for sale on ebay at the moment for £3.50, and a finished ready knitted set can be bought from the webpage for £20 if you don't want to make your own.

Tiny knitted patchwork blankets for the dolls house

I just love knitting the tiny blankets with colourful squares in 12th scale, dolls house sized.  I have lots of different coloured 2 ply yarns, and this is a great way of using up scraps left from knitting garments and other bits.  I like picking the colours as I go along and can confidently say that even though I have knitted dozens over the years, no two are the same.

Here is one all in pink colours:

This one is for sale on the webpage with the ready made items.  I have also done some in blue colourways, also in brights and pastels.  Any combination is possible really.  The trick is to divide colours up into light/medium and dark shades before starting, then to put them alternately, also to try and balance out brights with more subdued colours.  They are knitted in one piece using the intarsia method, so no seaming.

Here is a standard one just done with colours as they come:

This one is currently for sale on ebay.

I find this ideal for that 'mindless' knitting while watching the TV.  So will be working on more over Christmas!

Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all.

How to upcycle reclaimed needlepoint

Last time I went up to London I did my usual walk around Liberty as their Christmas stuff is just amazing.  Unfortunately most of the prices are out of my range but it is lovely to look at all the crafty-type makes.  It is a pity that they don't do as much fabric and haberdashery now as they used to but I suppose they have to stock what sells.
It is always interesting to look at the 'vintage' room where they are selling clothes that I was wearing in the 1960s and 70s, although they are probably much higher quality brands than I could afford then.  There are some lovely evening dresses that would be wonderful to have for that special occasion.
There are always some unusual and quirky items, especially in the furniture.  I was greatly amused to see old furniture which had been renovated and recovered in old 'reclaimed' needlepoint tapestries, which were in lovely bright condition and well cleaned.  One was an vintage metal dentist chair, which was covered in brightly coloured scenes of thatched cottages and wheat fields or similar.  Other similar unusually shaped furniture or metal objects had been reupholstered in the same way.  It seemed that the idea was to put together two disparate items, the object and the bright needlework, to make a statement. 
I am not sure what my point is really, I am just a bit bemused.  I suspect if we were clearing out an elderly relative's home the old furniture and needlepoint would have been put in the skip, even though we know that many hours of work went into the stitching.  Someone is able to see past this.   I hope they sell.  I hope that someone will give my old needlepoint a new lease of life and that the Liberty buyer is around to rummage through my skip.

Free knitting pattern for a rag rug for the dolls house in 12th scale

Here is a pattern for a dolls house rug, made to look like a traditional rag rug.  Of course it can be made in any size you want, could even be full size if you use big needles and thick or doubled up yarn and more stitches as required.

It is very quick to knit for the dolls house and looks very effective.  A good way to use up all the tiny bits of yarn left over from other projects.

Use all bright colours or all pastels for the best effect.

‘RAG’ RUG

 

Materials required:  A pair of 2.00 mm (UK size 14) knitting needles.  Scraps of 2 ply yarn.

 

Make a ball of random yarn as follows:  cut lengths of different coloured yarns about 4 to 8” (10 – 20 cm) long (or use lengths left over from other projects).  Knot firmly together in random order to make a long length, and wind into a ball.  Wind 2 small balls of black yarn.

Cast on 25 sts in black using the first ball of black.  K 6 rows.

Next row:  k5 black, join in random ball and k15 random, join in second small ball of black and keep on this side of work for left hand border and k5 black.  Make sure that the knots are kept to the wrong side of the work.

Repeat this row until work measures 2 1/2 “ (6 cm) or desired length.  K 6 rows in black.  Cast off.  Trim knots if necessary.

 

Happy knitting!

 

Just taking a break for a couple of weeks, back soon.

www.bitstobuy.co.uk

Christmas is coming TIME TO START MINIATURE KNITTING

Time to start setting the dolls house up for Christmas.  Lots of patterns in my Christmas book.

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/book/book3.php


and don't forget the free pattern for a tiny Christmas stocking (scroll down the blog for details).

Happy knitting everyone!

Christmas is coming - TIME TO KNIT

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/how-bout-a-nightcap

Lots more knitting to do

Had  a great day at the Knitting and Stitching Show.  As usual it was heaving with people but it was worth the effort to see all the lovely yarns, if only to touch and squeeze them.  I resisted the buffalo yarn at up to £65 a skein, but I did buy a beautiful wool and silk 2 ply to knit a very fine tie-front cardigan which I have been thinking about for a while.  There is so much on a skein that I only needed one, at £16, so that seemed a bargain.  I also bought some ssshhhhh acrylic to knit another Nanook, and a cotton mix for a stripy sweatshirt type pattern called Shellseeker by the same designer.  So probably got enough to keep me going until next year's show, which is already booked on the calendar for 10th to 13th October 2013. 

I had half a skein of wool/silk left over from my last Nanook, so found a pattern for a camisole and am squeezing the yarn out to hopefully have enough.  It is knitted top down and I am about half way there so should be able to get sufficient length and then stop when I run out of yarn.

Sorry no photos as him outdoors has taken the camera away for the weekend.

Meanwhile I am still knitting tiny things in between.  I try to do one a day to feed my ebay customers! Here is one I made earlier:

Off to Ally-Pally!

So me and beeptwo are off to Alexandra Palace on Saturday to the Knitting and Stitching show.  Can't wait, already got my shopping list and sharp elbows ready and looking forward to seeing all the knitty things.  Woo Hoo.

http://www.twistedthread.com

Free pattern for a 12th scale dolls house miniature knitting Christmas stocking

Here is a pattern for a tiny Christmas stocking for the dolls house in 12th scale.  Plenty of time to get lots of these knitted for Christmas!

This is taken from my Book 2 of knitting patterns.  Lots more Christmas patterns (including a long stripy Christmas stocking) can be found in my Christmas Book of miniature knitting patterns.

CHRISTMAS STOCKING 

 

Materials:  scraps of one ply or two ply yarn in red and white.  A pair of 2mm knitting needles.

Cast on 4 sts in white.

Inc in every st (8 sts)

Inc purlwise in every st (16 sts)

K two rows.

 

Join in red and ss 6 rows.

 

Change to white.

K3, turn, p3.

K4, turn, p4.

K5 white, add in red and k8 in red, k3 in white.

 

Working in white:

P4, turn, k4.

P5, turn, k5.

 

Change to red and starting with a p row ss 8 rows.

 

For cuff:  Change to white and p one row.

Next row:  k4, inc in next st, k6, inc in next st, k4 (18 sts)

Starting with a k row, ss 10 rows.

Cast off.

 

To make up:  With wrong sides together fold in half and sew cuff seam.  Turn to right sides together and seam around stocking, gathering toe.  Turn right side out and fold cuff down. Make hanging loop with white yarn.

 Copyright Helen Cox 2012

Teddy Bear for Refuge

I have finished my teddy bear which has been knitted for Refuge.

This pattern for a basic bear and clothes comes from a newly published book, but has also been distributed online by Simply Knitting and The Knitter in return for a donation to the Knit for Refuge Campaign.
Refuge is a charity which helps women and children subjected to domestic violence to rebuild their lives. The campaign has asked for blankets and teddies to pass on to families who arrive at the refuge with no possessions of their own. The campaign is due to run until December 2012.

My teddy will be delivered to The Knitting and Stitching Show in London in October.

Finished my Nanook cardigan

 I am very pleased with my Nanook jacket which I finished recently.   What a lovely pattern! 

I used a gorgeous 50% silk/50% wool undyed yarn from Uppinghams which drapes beautifully and is lovely and soft to wear.

I had a few false starts with the pattern but once you get your head around it it is easy to follow as it is so well written.

It can also be worn in several different ways.
I can see that this pattern might come out again, perhaps knit in a chunkier yarn and oversized to make it a bit different.

FREE yarn with all website orders

Gosh it's been busy lately.  Babysitting, holiday which produced enough washing to keep me busy for weeks, garden projects etc.  Time to batten down the hatches for autumn and think about yarn things again.  I finished one cardigan before we went on holiday and am just working through another.  I have enjoyed doing full size knitting again but of course still have miniature knitting on the go too, and need to build up my stocks of miniature knitted outfits for the Christmas market.

I have also just listed my Christmas pattern book on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/bitstobuy/m.html?item=130762870960&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649&_trksid=p4340.l2562 as it will be that time of year again soon.

I am doing a bit of tightening up on the miniature knitting webpage www.bitstobuy.co.uk.  The bjd patterns are being passed on to my daughter who knows far more about this scale than I do http://www.etsy.com/shop/beepbeep?ref=em. 

As I haven't offered a FREE gift lately, with all website orders until the end of October I will be adding two skeins of low bulk 2/28 2ply yarn, ideal for all those tiny sweaters and other projects.  One skein is a bright sunshine yellow and the other is a caramel brown, slightly variagated.  Ideal for that fair isle project.

Happy knitting!

Review - Smencils

Smencils are the world's only scented pencils made from 100% recycled newspaper. There are 25 scents to collect, and I was sent a pack of pencils to review which smell like Robinsons Fruit Shoots. The starter set contains five graphite pencils. Each smencil is environmentally friendly and made from 100% recycled newspaper. The pencils are enclosed in individual plastic containers, presumably to contain the scent, which are biodegradable.

I can see how the pencils would be popular with children, they have a strong and distinctive scent and they are good quality. I also really like the fact that they are made from recycled products. One thing to note, it is the pencil itself that smells, the scent doesn't transfer to the paper.

As well as the packs, you can also buy the pencils individually and they'd be really good for party bags or stocking presents.

You can enter to win a set of Smencils here on Facebook, the competition closes on Friday 7th September 2012.

Disclaimer - I received the pencils to review

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!