Knitty Gnomes

Hello friends!

I have been busy knitting lots of little gnomes :-)

 The fabulous free pattern for these gnomes can be found HERE

 You only need a teeny tiny amount of yarn to make your little gnome, so they're a perfect stash buster for using up all the little bits of nice yarn you have hanging around in your stash :-)

 The size of your gnome just depends on your yarn weight and needle size. Mine range from approximately 10cm to 15cm tall, from the toes to the tip of the hat :-)

 They're the perfect size for a child to hold in their hand, to take on trips to keep them company :-)
Also, HERE is a cute song about a gnome :-)

 P.S. When I made my first one, I thought i would be "clever" and knit it in the round to save myself sewing in some ends and sewing any seams... Don't do this! I was a fool! Just follow the pattern :-) It will work much better that way :-)

Entrelac Tunisian Crochet Blanket

Hello friends!
I always have lots of different projects in progress at any given time... For some reason I find it difficult to just work on one project at a time, especially if it's something big like a blanket. This Entrelac Tunisian Crochet Blanket is one of the things I'm working on at the moment, I started it in August 2012, I just do a little bit every now and then and it's slowly growing :-)
I'm not really using a pattern as such, I watched this great series of Entrelac Tunisian Crochet tutorials and made a square version instead of the rectangle version shown in the tutorial :-)
The yarn I'm using is Merino Angora Silk DK (8 ply) by Cleckheaton that I purchased at Crumbz in Healesville :-) It's a very interesting yarn to work with, it's super light weight, but super warm. I've made a few other things using this yarn and I really love them (a cardigan, a 3/4 sleeve sweater & a loom woven scarf).
I have n't decided how big I'll make this blanket yet, or if I'll keep it when it's finished or maybe give it away at Christmas time (it should be finished by then!)
Do you have more than one piece of work in progress at the moment? What are you working on? Share in the comments, I'd love to hear what everyone else is up to :-)

Sock Knitting Addicition

Hello friends!
Guess what? I'm addicted to knitting socks! Yes, there, I've said it....
Lots of my knitty friends had always talked about their sock knitting addiction, but I never really "got it"... But now that I have almost finished knitting my first pair of "real" socks I can completely understand it. 
I wasn't even halfway through the first sock before I started planning all the other socks I was going to knit :-) 
I have knitted socks before, but they've all been bed socks or tube socks... nothing with a proper heel or that could actually be worn with regular, everyday shoes :-)
This is my very first proper sock! And I'm almost finished it's partner :-)
I used a pattern that I found in Australian Creative Knitting magazine Issue #38 Spring. I don't know if this was a particularly well written and easy pattern or if sock knitting is no where near as scary as I thought :-) (The pattern isn't currently on Ravelry, just in case you were wondering :-)
The yarn I have used is Regia Design Line 4 ply in colour way "Exotic Pool". It's a very nice yarn to use and the colours are really fabulous :-)
The next pair of socks I plan to make are these ones from Purl Bee, and I'm using this scrumptious wool/cotton blend yarn from Rowan in colour way "Aqua".
Have you knit socks before? Do you have a favourite sock pattern or a favourite sock yarn? Share in the comments! :-)

Souri Beret

Hello friends!

Yes, it's that time again, for my Pattern of the Month :-)

The Souri Beret is a very easy hat to make, even beginners will have no trouble and will have a beautiful beret in a few hours :-)

Perfect for a last minute gift, the Souri Beret only uses a small amount of yarn, so it's a great stash buster as well :-)

P.S. This is also my 100th blog post! :-)

Abbreviations: 

(Please Note: this pattern uses British/Australian crochet terms, U.S. crochet terms are different) 

ch: chain stitch

tr: treble stitch

dc: double crochet

st or sts: stitch or stitches

sl st: slip stitch

sp: space

Designed to fit an average woman's head 54-58cm.

Materials: 110-120m of 8 ply or DK (Double Knit) yarn & a 5mm hook (or size to give correct gauge/tension)

Gauge/Tension: 14 stitches & 8 rows Treble to 10cm (4") (if you have more stitches, use a larger hook, if you less stitches, use a smaller hook)

PATTERN:

ch 4. Join to form a ring using a sl st into the first ch you made.

Round 1: 3ch (to count as 1tr st, here and throughout pattern), 11tr into ring, join using a sl st into 3rd ch at beginning of round. (12 sts)

Round 2:  3ch, 1tr into the st at the base of your 3ch, (2tr into next st) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (24 sts)

Round 3:  3ch, 1tr into the st at the base of your 3ch, 1tr into next st, (2tr into next st, 1tr into next st) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (36 sts)

Round 4:  3ch, 1tr into the st at the base of your 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 2 sts (2tr into next st, 1tr into each of the next 2 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (48 sts)

Round 5:  3ch, 1tr into the st at the base of your 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 3 sts (2tr into next st, 1tr into each of the next 3 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (60 sts)

Round 6:  3ch, 1tr into the st at the base of your 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 4 sts (2tr into next st, 1tr into each of the next 4 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (72 sts)

Round 7:  3ch, 1tr into the st at the base of your 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 5 sts (2tr into next st, 1tr into each of the next 5 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (84 sts)

Round 8: 3ch, 1tr into the st at the base of your 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 6 sts (2tr into next st, 1tr into each of the next 6 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (96 sts)

Rounds 9 & 10: 3ch, 1tr in each st  to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (96 sts)

Round 11: 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 6 sts, dcr over next 2 sts, (1tr into each of the next 6 sts, dcr over next 2 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (84 sts)

Round 12: 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 5 sts, dcr over next 2 sts, (1tr into each of the next 5 sts, dcr over next 2 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (72 sts)

Round 13: 3ch, 1tr in each of the next 4 sts, dcr over next 2 sts, (1tr into each of the next 4 sts, dcr over next 2 sts) repeat to end, join with a sl st into 3rd ch at beg of round (60 sts)

Rounds 14-17: 1ch (does not count as st), 1 dc into same sp as 1ch, 1dc in each st to end, join with a sl st in first dc of round.

Fasten off, weave in ends, enjoy your beret!

ALSO, a few people have asked, and YES, I will be adding babies and childrens sizes of the Souri Beret pattern at a later date :-)

© Copyright Shara Lambeth Designs. Copyright remains that of the author at all times. The pattern is for personal use only. Reproduction of this pattern in anyway (electronic, email, photocopying, transcribing etc) is strictly prohibited, except with the explicit permission of the author. Please do not sell the pattern or the finished product that is made using this pattern without permission of the author, as this is a direct infringement of the copyright laws protecting this pattern. Also please be aware that copyright laws vary from country to country (sometimes even from state to state), I am Australian, in Australia, therefore my patterns are protected by Australian copyright laws. This copyright protection still stands no matter what country the item is made in or who makes it. Thank you :-)

If you do want to sell the berets you make using this pattern at a market, craft fair or in your online store please do ask, as in most cases I will give permission :-)

And please feel free to make as many berets as you like for yourself, your friends and family, and for local charities :-)

Smoothie of the Day!

Hello friends!
Lately I have been making myself a fruity smoothie every morning for my breakfast. The ingredients vary, depending on what's available :-)
This mornings smoothies was made from: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, red currants, strawberries, banana, mandarins (freshly picked from our tree!), ginger and mint!! YUM!
I just pop all the ingredients into a jug, added a little bit of water (if I'm not using any citrus fruits sometimes I add a bit of soy milk instead of water), then I whizz it all up using a stick blender :-) You should try it!! :-)

Dentelle Cup Cosy

Hello friends! Yes, it's time for my August "Pattern of the Month"! 

This month I have written a pattern for a sweet little cup cosy. It's very easy and fast to make, & only uses a very small amount of yarn. It's perfect for using up all those little bits of left over yarn and it makes a lovely last minute gift.

A great gift for a tea or coffee loving friend is a special cup/mug, a handmade cup cosy and some of their favourite tea or coffee :-) Perfect!

Dentelle Cup Cosy

Materials:

25-30m 8ply/DK/Light Worsted Weight yarn

4.5mm crochet hook

Button (optional)

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Gauge/Tension:

Base Circle should measure 8cm (3 1/4") across.

Abbreviations (Please Note: British/Australian Crochet Terms are used in this pattern, with U.S. crochet terms in parenthesis):

ch: chain

st or sts: stitch or stitches

sl st: slip stitch

tr: treble (U.S. dc: double crochet)

bpdc: back post double crochet (U.S. bpsc: back post single crochet) 

Shell: Shell

Special Stitches:

Bpdc (Bpsc) is worked around the shaft of the treble stitch from the row below as follows:

with front of work facing you, insert the hook from the back to the front on the right hand side of the stitch you are working around, then insert hook to the back of the work, on the left hand side of the stitch you are working around, yarn over, draw up loop, yarn over, draw through both loops on hook, bpdc (bpsc) is complete.

Shell: 3tr (dc) 2ch, 3tr (dc) all in same stitch.

Pattern:

Ch 4, join with sl st to form a circle.

Round 1: 3ch, 11tr (dc) into circle, join with sl st in 3rd ch at beginning of round. (12sts)

Round 2: 3ch, 1tr (dc) into st at base of 3ch, 2tr (dc) in each stitch to end, join with sl st in 3rd ch at beginning of round. (24sts)

Round 3: 3ch, 1tr (dc) into st at base of 3ch, 1tr (dc) in next st, * 2tr (dc) in next st, 1tr (dc) in next stitch, repeat from * to end, join with sl st in 3rd ch at beginning of round. (36sts)

Round 4: 1ch (does not count as st), * bpdc (bpsc) around next tr (dc) from previous round, repeat from * to end, join with sl st in 1ch at beginning of round (36sts)

Round 5: 3ch, skip 2 sts, Shell into next st, *skip 2 sts,  1tr (dc) in each of next 2 sts, skip 2 sts, Shell into next stitch, repeat from * until 4 sts remain, skip 3 sts, 1tr (dc) in last st, join with sl st in 3rd ch at beginning of round.

Next Row: 3ch, Shell in 2ch space of Shell from previous round, * 1tr (dc) in each of next 2tr from previous round, Shell in 2ch space of Shell from previous round, repeat 3 more times, 1tr (dc) in last st (the last stitch of this row is the 3rd ch from beginning of previous round). DO NOT JOIN. TURN. (You do not join these Rows, as you need to leave a space for the handle of your cup/mug)

Repeat last Row until your Cup Cosy is the right height for your favourite cup/mug (approx. 2cm or 3/4" from top of cup/mug). Take care not to make it too tall, as you need to leave room for your lips to sip from your cup :-)

When your Cup Cosy is at the right height, do not cut yarn, create a button loop, as follows: ch12, sl st in 1st of these 12 ch, dc (sc) around the opening left for your handle. Cut yarn & fasten off, leaving a length of yarn long enough to attach a button on this side of the cosy to correspond with the button loop on the other side :-) 

If you want to make your cup cosy more versatile and able to fit various size cups and mugs you may like to omit the button and button loop and simply make some ties using ch st, that you can tie around the handle of your cup or mug, making it easier to accommodate various sizes :-)

Weave in ends. Relax and enjoy a cup of your favourite tea or coffee and admire your handy work! :-)

PLEASE NOTE: Always take care when handling cups or mugs of hot liquids and take care not to spill hot liquid by always holding your cup by the handle. Having a woolly cup cosy on your cup/mug can make it slippery to handle or hold if you're not holding the handle of your cup :-)

© Copyright Shara Lambeth Designs. Copyright remains that of the author at all times. The pattern is for personal use only. Reproduction of this pattern in anyway (electronic, email, photocopying, transcribing etc) is strictly prohibited, except with the explicit permission of the author. Please do not sell the pattern or the finished product that is made using this pattern without permission of the author, as this is a direct infringement of the copyright laws protecting this pattern. Also please be aware that copyright laws vary from country to country (sometimes even from state to state), I am Australian, in Australia, therefore my patterns are protected by Australian copyright laws. This copyright protection still stands no matter what country the item is made in or who makes it. Thank you :-)

If you do want to sell the cup cosies you make using this pattern at a market, craft fair or in your online store please do ask, as in most cases I will give permission :-)

And please feel free to make as many cosies as you like for yourself, your friends and your family.

A New Hat

Just a quick post to show you a sweet hat I knitted for my niece for her 7th Birthday :-) I used some red "String Me Along" from SWTC to add a bit of sparkle. She thinks it's pretty fabulous :-)
I'm a little bit in love with "String Me Along"... I have purchased several spools of it from Stranded In Oz :-)