After the rain...

Hello friends!
So, it's already November! Can you believe it?!
In the Southern Hemisphere, where I live, we're in the middle of Spring... not that you could tell today. The weather here is notoriously unpredictable and we often have four seasons in one day.

This week it has been windy and rainy and hot and cold. We've had a little bit of everything! We had two days of over 30 degrees celsius (not my favourite sort of weather) followed by two days of freezing, rainy weather. 

 The best thing abut the rainy weather is it gives the garden a good drink and it makes everything a little bit more beautiful :-) I took these pictures of some of the plants in our garden after the rain :-) So pretty :-)
What's the weather been doing at your place lately? Has it been a bit crazy? Share in the comments! :-)
xo

Petit Meow

Hello friends!
I made a little cat :-)
As you may know from some of my earlier posts I am knitting some toys for my lovely friends who are having a baby :-)

 To make this kitty I used Bendigo Woollen Mills DK/8ply Classic wool that I have dyed using a combination of food dye (the orange) and Landscape dyes (the purple). The pattern I followed was Tabitha the Destash Kitty, which is a free pattern by Oliver Boliver :-)

I really love the way this little kitty has turned out :-) The colours worked perfectly for the look I was going for too :-)
What have you been making lately? Share in the comments! :-)

Happy Halloween

Hello friends!
Happy Halloween... if that's your thing :-)
We don't celebrate Halloween in Australia, but I really do LOVE any excuse to dress up in costume :-) If you're heading off to a Halloween party or Trick or Treating tonight I hope the weather is kind to you!!
Do you celebrate Halloween? Are you dressing up? What are you dressing up as? Share in the comments!

xo

P.S. Today is the last day of Blogtoberfest 2012. I have absolutely loved participating this year and I will be sure to participate next year as well :-) I think I might miss posting something everyday... maybe I'll have to start up "Blogvember" hehehe. It has certainly encouraged to me to post a lot more often and shown me how easy it is to blog much more often than I had been doing in the past :-) I hope to see you all around here a lot more often from now on :-)

Little Rabbit

Hello friends!
As I wrote about in an earlier post I am knitting a bunch of toys for my lovely friends who are having a baby :-) So far I have knitted a dachshund and this little rabbit :-)
I made this little critter using Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply/DK Classic that I have dyed using Landscape Dyes. I followed this free PATTERN from Lion Brand Yarns. I altered the ears a little though as I found that following the instructions as written in the pattern gave an unsatisfactory result, all lumpy and uneven up the sides of the ears :-(, So I did all my decreases for the ears one stitch in from the edges, rather than on the edges :-) The pattern doesn't include the scarf, but I felt that the little rabbit needed something to keep him warm :-) I made the scarf using some scrap 8ply/DK wool, cast on 4 stitches, knit one row, then all following rows I slipped one stitch purlwise, knit to end... until the scarf was the right length & cast off :-)
I wonder what my friends will name the little rabbit?

Howard Dachshund

Hello friends!
Recently I have been working on knitting some toys for two of my lovely friends who are having a baby together :-) And I've loved every minute of it :-)
Here is Howard the Dachshund! I dyed some Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply/DK Classic using Landscape Dyes in colourway Wombat :-)
And I followed this PATTERN by Annie Watts :-) It's a really great pattern and Annie is a very clever designer :-)

I have also been working on a little cat, a bigger cat and a rabbit :-) I'll show you pictures of those creatures when they're finished :-)

Pinwheel Socks

Hello friends!
I'm still enjoying Socktober and embarking on new sock styles :-)
The Work in Progress pictured above is the Pinwheel Sock pattern by Elise Duvekot, which is in her book "Knit One Below". It's a really interesting book about a really interesting technique which was new to me. I love the vertical stripes appearing on this sock so far!
This pattern uses an "after thought" heel, which is also a new method for me, so I'm looking forward to learning more about socks as I go on with this project.
The black yarn I am using is a Bendigo Woollen Mills sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon) which is unfortunately no longer available and the coloured yarn I am using is Rico Design Superba Bamboo (which is a particularly delightful sock yarn to work with and wear :-)
I'm looking forward to being able to show you the finished socks I make using this interesting pattern :-)
What have you been working on lately? Have you recently learnt a new technique? Share in the comments :-)

Little Treasures Envelope

Hello friends!

It's time for my "Pattern of the Month" :-)

Here is a pattern for a Little Treasures Envelope to keep all your little treasures in :-) It's quick and easy and only uses a small amount of yarn. It's perfect for using up all those little bits of lovely yarn at the bottom of your knitting basket that are too pretty to throw away.

You could make a Little Treasures Envelope to hold a little gift you are giving to a friend, like jewellery. You could even use it as a cute "wrapping" if you are giving a Gift Card as a present :-)

Little Treasures Envelope

Materials:

3.5mm crochet hook

50m (55yds) DK or 8ply yarn

Button

Scissors

Tapestry needle to weave in yarn ends

NOTE: Even though 8ply/DK weight yarn is suggested for this pattern you can use any weight yarn & an appropriate size hook to make your Little Treasures Envelope. Heavier weight yarn will make a larger enveope & lighter weight yarn will make a smaller envelope :-)

Tension/Gauge:  Exact tension/gauge is not essential to the outcome of this pattern, however I decided that having a tighter tension than usually worked with this yarn weight would be better for this project as it would stop little treasures accidentally falling out of the "envelope" :-) 

20 treble stitches & 10 rows = 10cm (4")

Finished Size: If your tension/gauge is the same as is listed above then your Little Treasures Envelope will be 13cm x 10cm (4" x 5") when finished.

Abbreviations: (Please note that British/Australian terms are used through out this pattern with a conversion to U.S. terms listed in the abbreviation explanation below :-)

ch : chain

st or sts : stitch or stitches

dc : double crochet (U.S. sc : single crochet)

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

PATTERN:

ch 35.

Row 1:  1 tr in 4th ch from hook, 1 tr in each ch until one ch remains unworked, 6 tr into this ch, you will now be working into the other side of the foundation chain (see Picture #1), 1 tr in each st to end. Turn. (70sts)

Row 2: 2ch (to count as 1 tr, here and throughout pattern), 1 tr in each of next 31 sts, 2tr in each of next 6 sts, 1 tr in each st to end. Turn. (76 sts)

Row 3:  2ch, 1 tr in each of next 31 sts, 2 tr in next st, (1tr in next st, 2 tr in next st) 5 times, 1 tr in each st to end. turn. (82 sts)

Row 4: 2ch, 1 tr in each of next 31 sts, 2tr in next st, (1 tr in each of next 2 sts, 2tr in next st) 5 times, 1 tr in each st to end. Turn. (88 sts)

Row 5: 1 ch (to count as 1dc), 1dc in each of next 42 sts, 2ch, skip 2 sts (buttonhole made), 1dc in each st to end. Turn. (88 sts)

Row 6:  2ch, 1 tr in each of next 31 sts, 2 tr in next st, (1tr in each of next 3 sts, 2 tr in next st) 5 times, 1 tr in each st to end. Cut yarn. Your piece should look like picture #2)

To finish:

Fold piece, as shown in picture #3. Rejoin yarn, using slip stitch, as shown in picture #4, dc through each st of both pieces folded together, and dc around "envelope" flap, and back down the other side, joining both folded pieces together (taking care that you have the same amount of stitches on both joined sides), fasten off. Weave in ends. Attach button to correspond with button hole. Fill your little envelope with treasures and enjoy :-)

 You can use all the little scraps of lovely yarn at the bottom of your knitting basket and make each row a different colour for a lovely stripey envelope. Maybe you have some self-striping yarn left over from another project, that would be perfect for this project! You can make this project using any type of yarn you like. You can use a big, chunky yarn and a larger hook to make a bigger Treasure Envelope, or you can use a lighter weight yarn and a smaller hook to make a tiny Treasure Envelope :-) 
Also, just in case you were wondering the little apple buttons are available in sets of 10 in my shop HERE :-)

 © 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 Treasure Envelopes 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 Treasure Envelopes as you like for yourself, your friends and family :-)