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!

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

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. 

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

New haberdashery on the webpage - buttons and more in 12th scale

 

I have listed some new haberdashery items on the webpage - these are all in 1:12 scale so are suitable for dolls house (for example Heidi Ott), and other small dolls such as tiny bjd (Hujoo Baby, American Girl, Rosen Lied Monday child, Lati Yellow, Pukifee, Bobobie Tiny, Ellery Kish, PukiPuki, Lati White, Yoshi).

I have buttons in lots of colours and sizes from 2mm to 4mm, snap fasterners (press studs), hooks and eyes, and tiny buckles.

These items are also suitable for use when making garments for other 5 -7" dolls such as Pippa, Dawn, Bobobie, Kelly, Ginny and Ginger, and Strawberry Shortcake, or for larger dolls such as Barbie and Sindy.

 

 

All available now on the webpage

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

New miniature knitting pattern book

Now available - my second miniature knitting pattern book!

'EASY TO KNIT MINIATURE KNITTING PATTERNS for the doll's house in 1:12 scale BOOK 2'
by Helen Cox.


This book presents over 20 knitting patterns specially designed to be easy and quick to knit, for new and experienced knitters, with designs suitable for both the miniature collector or for a child's first doll's house. Although intended for doll's house scale, many of the garments will also fit other 5 -7" dolls such as Pippa, Dawn, Bobobie, Kelly, Ginny and Ginger, and bjd such as Lati, and Pukifee (with the exception of jumpers which won't fit over a head larger than 8cm around).
These are brand new designs not available elsewhere, suitable for adult (5-7" tall) and child (4" tall) dolls.
Designs include: Baby dresses and hooded shawl, toddler dress, girl's pinafore and dress, child's cardigan and trousers, cabled pullover, lace blanket and cushions, yoked sweater, yoked cardigan, cot bedding, patchwork blanket, cane effect conservatory furniture, shopping bag, Christmas stocking, hot water bottle cover, and beret.
All the designs are made using readily available materials, with a manageable 2mm knitting needle size and 2 ply yarn, and are very quick to produce.
I have been designing miniature knitting patters for many years, and have gained international recognition with many projects published online and in the doll's house press. As well as these new designs not available elsewhere, this publication is packed with hints and tips, suggested pattern variations, and instructions on how to convert the patterns to 1:24 scale.
Softcover booklet printed with full colour photographs, size 6 x 8", 32 pages.
Available NOW from the webpage
http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Back from holiday

Just back from holiday and busy catching up with bitstobuy.  After a little break I have listed loads of things on ebay again and will soon be putting some new items up on the webpage - watch this space!

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/bitstobuy/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

Here are some of the things I have listed at the moment:



http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Easy to knit miniature knitting patterns for the dolls house

My first booklet of knitting patterns for the dolls house continues to sell well, and I have had many kind comments about how easy the patterns are to knit and the good results. This collection has lots of garments for adult and child dolls, and furnishings such as bedcovers, baskets, tiny toys and tea cosy - over 25 patterns in total.
But my brain is buzzing all the time with new patterns and I have so many that more books will be following - watch this space.
I am also thinking about a publication for tiny bjd patterns when I can find the time!
The book is available from the website
http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Knitting patterns for Strawberry Shortcake

Yet another doll who fits my patterns :)
These are pictures of Strawberry Shortcake in two of my garments, kindly sent to me from Raquel in Spain: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25718230@N02/5464936870/sizes/m/in/photostream/



http://www.flickr.com/photos/25718230@N02/5392822222/



Photos are copyright msrakel

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Hujoo Baby pictures

One of my customers has sent me these lovely photos of her Hujoo Baby in a couple of my jumpers.  This is a 10cm tall doll, so they are a bit oversized, but still look great!  The socks and shoes are mine too.

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Dolls house and bjd knitting patterns measurements

There are so many tiny dolls out there and I am being asked all the time which dolls my patterns fit.  It can be difficult to know without having the doll in front of me, but I have spent some time gathering together measurements and am fairly confident now about sizing.  My own doll is a Doll Family JoJo (how I would love to have a Lati Yellow) which is a fairly average tiny doll size.  As knitted garments are so stretchy anyway they adapt fairly well to most tiny doll sizes.  All my basic patterns will fit 5 to 6" (13 to 15 cm) dolls house dolls including Heidi Ott, also Pippa, Dawn and Kelly.  Those patterns which are either specially designed for larger heads, or have a front opening such as a cardigan will fit 5 to 7" bjds  (13 to 18 cm) such as American Girl, Rosen Lied Monday child, Lati Yellow, Pukifee, Bobobie Tiny, Ellery Kish and JoJo.  They fit but look oversized on smaller 4 to 5" (10 to 13 cm) PukiPuki, Lati White, Yoshi, and Hujoo baby, although I have adapted patterns and knitted specially for these sizes.  I also have some patterns for dolls house child dolls such as the Heidi Ott children, which are 4" (10cm) tall.
Hope that helps!

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Missed a few things

So while I was busy knitting and not blogging I missed a few items of news.
So not forgetting Harry:

And Emily:

AND another wedding:

It's been a busy couple of years.

http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Don't they just make you smile?

Lovely buttons for knitters

My daughter has just started a shop on Folksy selling buttons and ribbons.  Do have a look, she has chosen some really fun and unusual designs!  Ideal for that special knit or child outfit.
http://www.folksy.com/shops/windthebobbinup
She sells her ready made lovely crafted items at
http://www.folksy.com/shops/beepbeep

I am busy working on a second book of knitting patterns for dolls house size dolls, more information soon :)
Meanwhile all my usual patterns, kits and 2 ply miniature knitting yarns are available on the webpage
http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/

Helen

New on the webpage: ready made garments for dolls house and bjd

Due to popular demand :) I am now including ready made tiny garments on the webpage:
http://www.bitstobuy.co.uk/readymade/readymade.php

Some of these are miniatures for the dolls house, but those which have an opening will also fit small bjd such as Lati, Pukifee and other small dolls up to 7 inches tall.

My jacket with a fluffy mohair edging is particularly popular as it is ideal for an older dolls house doll.

I hope to have more garments up there soon.

bjd Lati knitted duffle coat

Knitting patterns for bjd - Lati, puki and similar

Gosh it's been a while but decided to resurrect the blog.
I have been very busy knitting and designing patterns, and just lately seem to have been knitting more for bjd (ball jointed dolls). It took me a while to cotton-on, but my customers have told me that the dolls house size also fits lots more dolls, especially the collector bjd tiny dolls. Some other dolls that my garments fit include:
Lati Yellow, Puki and Pukifee, Bobobie tiny, Kelly, Pippa Dawn, Ginny, Ginger, Amanda Jane. And yesterday I was asked to knit for Hujoo Baby which is one I hadn't come across before. As the garments are stretchy they seem to fit any 5 to 7" ish dolls. The only difference between dolls house and the bjd's is the size of the head, but I have sorted out now how to make a big head opening so that is not a problem! My own bjd which I use for sizing and as a model is Doll Family Jojo - not the most attractive and cute I admit and I really must get her a better wig, but she works hard for me posing for photos!
I am always keen to hear of other named dolls - I am trying to collect measurements but must have missed some so any information would be helpful.
Last week I made a tiny duffle coat with hood, and Fimo toggles. Turned out quite cute!

Too busy knitting to blog

Lots of baby things to knit :)

Pretty in pink

Knitting has taken a back seat lately, been busy travelling up the motorway to see number one grandaughter.

She is such a sweetie!

Been a bit busy lately

Thanks Anna!
http://beepbeepdesigns.blogspot.com

Baby knitting

So now my knitting projects are all concerned with making baby things. I have finished two pushchair blankets for expected babies 1 and 2, and the next project is a big clown doll, then some baby cardigans and jumpers. I might be brave and have a go at the famous Zimmerman 'surprise' baby jacket, hopefully with some assistance from beeptwo, who has made one with the help of copious notes along the way.

One big plug

Not the sort you put in sinks or into the electrical socket, or even in your ears.
http://www.enlightenmentthebook.co.uk

If you want a really funny read for the summer, this book will provide that and is a cracking page-turner too. Available from Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enlightment-Cox-Thomas-P/dp/1843863081/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214577893&sr=1-27

This week I have mostly been knitting.......

.....dishcloths.

They are really quick to knit and lovely to use - much better than those blue cloths which soon get yucky. These can be thrown in the washing machine and kept nice and clean. A ball of dishwash craft cotton makes about one and a half, but I found some cotton on a cone in my stash which works just as well hence the multicoloured design!

There are millions of dishcloth patterns on the web, I just liked this one as it was easy to knit and looks quite nice on the sink.

Long time no blog - sorry, have been massive disruptions in the house (it's a long story and a big insurance claim) but gradually getting back to normal.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Just felt like adding a complete contrast to the last photo. Difficult to believe it was taken 5 weeks later!

Long time gone...

Been away for ages! Had a lovely holiday which involved Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Cook Islands. Ready to start knitting again and getting back to listing on Ebay. And now with a grandchild on the way I have a whole new lot of knitting to plan! Just need to get over the jet lag...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone and Happy Knitting.

Me and him outdoors are off to the other side of the world for a little while, so will be out of touch for a few weeks. Bitstobuy will be in capable hands though! See you in the Spring....

Woops what happened there?

I don't know why tiger got cut in half.

I have been doing some crocheting!

I have bought a lovely new book with crochet motifs in and have been having a go at some of them. I found that I could follow a pattern after all, I know the basic stitches and techniques, although I find I get on just as well by looking at the picture of the finished motif. I don't think I could write a pattern though, I will leave that to someone else!

The tiger motif is just the right size for a dolls house rug. I love the way the crochet stitches give a ragged look, just like tiger fur. There are all sorts of possibilities based on this one....

I found a lovely lacy motif which I have put together to make a dolls house bedspread. It took quite a long time to make but looks really pretty now it is finished.

Perhaps I have gone through my crochet phase for the moment; my first love is still knitting after all. I have now started a Rowan wool jumper so that will keep me busy for a while.

Feed the world!

And increase your vocabulary at the same time!

Just had a pattern accepted for the Knitting-Pattern-A-Day calendar for 2009. This publication is great, gives lots of ideas for new designs and ways of using up spare yarn.
Otherwise still knitting as usual, no big projects on the go at the moment so just filling spare time with knitting tiny bits from my patterns to go onto ebay. Have been doing a bit of crocheting too, making tiny blankets, but my crocheting skills are limited. I love doing granny squares type though where you just keep going round and round with trebles. I can keep that up for hours.
We are off for an autumn break to Amsterdam at the weekend, the weather apparently is mostly cold! Hope to see lots of Van Gogh and canals no doubt.

This week I have mostly been.........

........knitting tiny toys. Had an order for ALL my toy patterns to be knitted. This lot are off to Spain.

New 'I Love Knitting Shop'!

After not very good service from the supplier of my last on-line I Love Knitting shop, I have now set up a new one! Apologies that the link from the webpage has been broken for some time, but hopefully all is in order now.
Otherwise all is good, enjoying the warm weather at last even if it is not so good for knitting. One of the lovely ladies at my knitting club came up with a new idea for me which involves a completely new range of patterns to design, so I am working hard on that. Still at the thinking stage but hope to have something to show soon.
Our knitting club is known as 'Knit and Natter' and we meet on alternate Thursdays at the South Lodge Hotel, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding (near Horsham). We are a thriving club of about 30 members, with about 8 turning up on a typical evening. We enjoy sharing ideas and patterns, and have a good chat in very pleasant surroundings, overlooking the Sussex Downs. I am the only knitter who works in the mini-scale, but other members produce some very inventive knitting, with lots of colours and beautiful textures. I always find it a great inspiration. More details on request if anyone is interested in joining!
I have been quite busy selling patterns, and am finding that my latest idea of selling 1 and 2 ply yarn on Ebay seems to be taking off. It is not easy to find such thin yarn in the shops, but I am able to buy in bulk and sell in small quantities for the mini-knitter. Just need to keep that kitten well out of the way when I am winding!
No listing on Ebay for a couple of weeks though. We are away in a couple of weeks time, then I am on Jury Service for a possible couple of weeks. I am told that Jury Service can involve a lot of waiting around, will I be the first person to take along my knitting?

Lots of new jumpers

I have been busy designing new jumpers in 1:12 dolls house scale. These are kits, providing all the yarn and haberdashery required, so no need to buy lots of different colours. My favourite is the rabbit!

I have learned a valuable new lesson this week...

...kittens and wool don't mix. There should be at least two closed doors between a new kitty and any project involving knitting needles and wool.

Latest magazine article

I received my preview copy of 'Dolls House Magazine' today, with my latest article. This is a general description of miniature knitting, with lots of hints and tips to get the beginner started. They have taken some lovely photos of my work and hopefully this will inspire lots of new knitters!

What a strange find

So today (as it wasn't raining for a change) I spent the whole day in the garden. I prepared all the borders and put out the bedding plants, so now all ready for summer. I was pulling up an old plant which was spilling over the wall, when I noticed something round just sitting on top of the wall. I was going to throw it away but on closer look it turned out to be a coin.

I have looked on the internet (whatever you have got someone is selling one on ebay) and it turns out to be a French coin dating from the 1790's, minted in Paris - not a very good photo, it is much clearer in real life. On the back it says Cinq Centimes L'An .... (unfortunately the year is obliterated but it seems the number usually varies from 5 to 7 ish).

So how did it end up in my garden, and what was it doing just sitting on the wall? Presumably it was pushed up by a plant and left for me to find. I wonder who was the last person to hold it? Could it have been dropped by someone at the private school which was on this site many years ago?

How strange.

New pattern

This is the new bedspread pattern I have developed. I have done it as a kit, with all the yarn included, in both a pink and a blue version. There is enough yarn left over to make a matching rug.

It looks very effective when finished, quite an intricate pattern, but once you get in to it not too difficult.

I have been to see a commercial printer this week and my brochures are now in their system, should be available in a lovely glossy version in a couple of weeks. Will make life much easier for me, and stop me cursing at the computer printer quite so often when it misfeeds or prints one side on the wrong side of another! (Why do printers work perfectly when you are in the room but misbehave as soon as you go to make a cup of tea?).

I will be having another article printed soon, which normally provokes a rash of requests for brochures, so I will be all ready to go!

Otherwise bitstobuy has been fairly quiet the last couple of weeks. Perhaps no-one feels like knitting when the weather is so nice and warm.

I am feeling fairly patterned-out now, but still have a few ideas in the pipeline. Time to catch up on all that other knitting and refresh the brain cells.

Oh and if Mrs D Lovatt happens to read this - thanks for your order and cheque, but there was no delivery address on the order form and I can't trace you! I haven't cashed the cheque of course, just hoping that you realise and get in touch.

More wedding photos

Beeptwo is doing a sterling job on her blog in showing more wedding photos; she has now got some of the Indian ceremony up there. The official photos of the English ceremony are available on the photographers site for about another 6 weeks I believe.
I have taken the plunge and signed up for etsy.com, so have now opened a shop to see how it goes. There are loads of lovely hand made things on this site, there are some very talented people out there. Will be interesting to see if I have any sales. I am also thinking now about supplying my patterns via etsy and ebay by attachment to an email, so that customers can download them instantly. It will mean that there is no P&P to pay for the customer, and it will save me printing costs, so should be of benefit all round. I will have to change the format of the leaflets from Publisher to Word, but apart from the time it will take, it shouldn't be too difficult. Another project to keep me busy.
Otherwise I am knitting up my new bedspread pattern, more news soon.

What a wonderful wedding weekend

So beepone and her man are now husband and wife. Not many Mums and Dads get to see their daughter get married twice in one weekend!

Wedding 1 was at Coombe Abbey near Warwick on Saturday 7th April. The sun shone and everything was perfect.

Wedding 2 was at the Hilton Coventry on Sunday 8th April and was perfect all over again. Can't wait to see all the photos and DVDs!

Congratulations to Jennifer and Ram and well done to everyone who managed to stay the course for what was a long and tiring weekend!

Me and him outdoors had a lovely walk this afternoon. It was blowy but sunny and quite dry underfoot so a very pleasant outing - we did 2 1/2 hours round and about Horsham. Him is busy photographing the countryside around to put images up on geograph, a very interesting project!

More new patterns

Have been quite busy this week finalising some new miniature knitting patterns (ie knitting them over and over to proof the instructions). I have an outfit for a lady doll, consisting of a cardigan, skirt and top, with instructions on how to make a pearl necklace to go with it.

I have also finished a pattern for a belted car coat, hat and trousers. This one developed from a design I was asked to make for a customer in America, who was making a 'bag' lady doll!

I have nearly finished a new bedspread miniature pattern kit in 1:12 scale which I am quite pleased with, more on that soon. I need to knit a couple of versions and they do take quite a while to make.

I am hoping to have some more work published this summer in one or more of the dolls house magazines - more information when I have the final details!

I have enquired this week about having my brochure professionally printed. At the moment I print them off myself on the computer but I get through so many print cartridges! Not to say the frustration when the printer misfeeds or I manage to get the wrong page on the back of another. It may not be any more expensive than buying print cartridges to have the finished brochure printed, but I think the art work to set it up might be prohibitive. I will have to think about it very hard to see if I can justify the outlay, and also have to think that as I update it with new patterns quite often it could go out of date. I have had some customers think that because my leaflets are self-printed on non-glossy paper, that I have photocopied someone else's work, or that they are somehow not 'official' patterns. I can assure everyone that they are all my own work, and they do cost me a significant amount to print! It is not possible to have every leaflet professionally printed as I don't sell enough of each design to justify the cost.

I have had a lot of hits on the webpage asking for a copy of the brochure, so it was obviously of use adding the button to be able to do this. Strange how sometimes I get requests coming from the same area (I had a spate of orders from Tyne and Wear). It makes me wonder if I have had some publicity I don't know about, or if I have been mentioned at a Dolls House Club. The link on the webpage to the 'I love knitting' is down at the moment - the external site has undergone some changes and we haven't yet been able to pin it down.

So next weekend we have the big wedding(s) of the year, when beepone and Ram finally get it together! I have got the big hat(s) and the chocolate fountain is ordered, so nothing holding us back now. Might need a few days to recover before I am up to blogging (or knitting) again!

My new stash!

I have got around to sorting out my new stash of yarn which I bought in New Zealand. Firstly, I found a wonderful knitting shop in Auckland (no web page unfortunately) which sold lovely pure wool local yarn made by Touch. The first one shown here is a hand painted DK Touch yarn made from 65% pure wool, 35% possum. Possum is very light and very warm, so I am told that my 3 skeins of 100g will be plenty to knit a sweater. Possum are seen as a pest in New Zealand ('buy possum, save a tree') and the fur spins well with wool to make a lovely soft yarn. Anything bought ready made with possum is very expensive, but this cost me about £40, which is not an excessive amount for such a lovely yarn. The next one is also a handpainted DK Touch yarn, this one is 100% Super Fine Kid mohair, and again 3 skeins, for a total of about £30, should make a beautiful sweater.

Whilst driving along a typically empty New Zealand main road in the middle of nowhere, I suddenly spotted at the side of the road a largish warehouse with WOOL painted in big letters on the roof. I yelled STOP!!! and we found ourselves at the Wool Company. This was a big shed with sheep in the back field absolutely stashed full of beautiful 100% wool yarns and garments. They seemed to process the raw wool there, sending it away for spinning and dying. I was in heaven! They had every colour, every weight, both pure wool and possum mixtures. I really didn't know what to buy, but being restricted in what I could bring back, treated myself to some bright red DK. This was about £4.50 for a 200g skein. They do ship all over the world and the shipping rates are not unreasonable, so I might even think about ordering online.

By now I was banned from buying any more, but we just happened to stop at a little cafe cum craft workshop at the side of the road, and I spotted this bag of mixed pure wool in eight toning shades, for about £3 for 200g. I haven't opened it yet to see if it is spun for knitting, but it may need some attention before it can be used. Haven't yet decided what to do with it but I am seeing some sort of patchwork sweater with a linking colour. Need to think about that, but I am sure I have got enough yarn to keep me going for a while yet, so no hurry!!

Can't wait to get knitting.

Have a huge stash of wool!

So we are back from our big adventure on the other side of the world, and I have reduced the stocks of wool in New Zealand by a fair amount, with help from airline baggage handlers internationally.
Just catching up on the sleep and wondering what to knit first. Will post piccies of some of the wonderful yarn I have acquired soon!
bitstobuy was left in the capable hands of beepone, and has been ticking over while we were away. I have some new ideas for patterns so hope also to get onto those soon. So much to knit, so little time.
I have opened a new shop on the website, selling knitting related items; see the 'I Love Knitting' button on the home page. There are lots of things for all those knitting fanatics out there, including t-shirts and tote bags!
Back soon

Two warm feet

Very pleased with my socks! They are lovely and toasty and just right for this cold wet weather. Can't wait to start the next pair.
Quite a lot of yarn left over though. I suspect if I knit them with shorter leg bits I might even get two pairs out of the next ball. I shall have to do some weighing of knitted pieces to see how the yarn will pan out.
Am thinking that I could use some of my 2 ply yarn double to knit socks as that would give the equivalent of 4 ply to use with the same sock pattern. Then they could be in all kinds of stripey patterns as I have got most colours.
Signing out for a while now as am off for an extended period; back at the end of February. Leaving bitstobuy in capable hands so orders (apart from ready knitted items) will be going out as normal.