A Stuffed Friend

Although I haven't had any "new" projects to share, I have been knitting.  I started on a shamrock scarf and then this little gem.  After being introduced to ravelry I found a pattern for a stuffed owl.  I always look over the patterns to see if they match up with my abilities and if I'll be able to pull them off.  This one seemed feasible....

The first thing I worked on were the legs/feet.  It's hard to tell, but each has 3 toes that were knit using the "Icord" technique which was new to me so it took me a while to figure that out.  The body was the easiest as it was simply knit in the round on a circular needle.  However, when it got too small the pattern suggested finishing with the "magic loop" method.  This, too, was new to me but thankfully I was able to figure it out.

Moving on to the wings ANOTHER new knitting technique called Intarsia was introduced!  This one was pretty cool and I can't wait to try it on other projects.  You end up knitting with mulitple different colors of yarn but you drop colors you aren't working with rather than carrying them across the back.  Since the wings folded in half and were then sewn together, this was a perfect method for them.

The nose was tiny but simply knit in the round.  The pattern called for crochet eyes but I used felt and buttons instead.  Here is my finished product:

One thing that was super fun is that I had all the yarn I used.  I mixed and matched to make a funny little guy and am excited to make more!  Sewing the legs on and the bottom together was by far the toughest part of the project and the part I am the least happy with.  At first I forgot to start sewing in the first leg, so I had to undo some.  Then the legs weren't going to be centered so I had to undo some more and the way his bottom sits on the ledge isn't perfect.

After looking back at the pattern, I sewed the wings on differently than pictured - not a huge deal, but the other way looks a little nicer.  I only stuffed the bottom of his feet rather than his whole leg because I wanted them to be floppy.  I also think I could have stuffed him a little fuller, but again, wanted him to be a little floppy.

So, overall, fun project!  I'm excited to make more for some of my little friends.  Here's the pattern link incase you are interested!



Knitting on a Loom

I didn't know anything about looms but they look cool.  I purchased a couple circulars for myself and after investigation and YouTube realized I wanted a rectangular one.  Luckily I got one for Christmas!  From what I've investigated/tried so far, there isn't a ton of variation like there is with two-needle knitting.  But this gives more variety for projects, is different and faster.  So far I've made two scarves and both were pretty awesome.

First the yarn gets woven through the pegs.  It is important to have yarn that is thick enough for the gaps in the pegs.  I ended up using four strands for my first scarf.  It worked out well because I wanted it to be a mix of black and pink so with the four strands I used three black and one pink - just for a little something extra.

From there you use a pick to pull the lower loop over the upper loop.  The scarf, or whatever you are working on) feeds through the gap in the middle of the two rows of pegs.  Similar to the double-sided knitting, it's almost as if the scarf has been "doubled up".  A cool thing is you don't have to be a "knitter" to do loom knitting.  Because of its simplicity, I feel like anyone could do it after being shown a couple times.

Here was my end result.  It almost looks like the yarn gets braided together...at least that's how I explain it.  I am giving this as a Secret Santa gift tonight and can not wait to see what the recipient has to say about it!  I picked the colors out with her specifically in mind...

I've slowed down a bit since Christmas, but I'm hoping the blog helps me continue knitting throughout the year.  I have a few shamrock scarves to work on, a hat and the blanket for the front room in queue right now.  Loom is about $15 (get a coupon from Michael's and it'd be even cheaper), yarn is on sale all over right now and start making your own, custom scarves in no time!