Knitted Hotwater Bottle Cover

This is a hottie cover I usually knit on circular needles but I broke the wire on my size 8mm and decided to try knitting it up on the flat. You'll end up with a side seam but because you use fluffy wool the seam isnt obvious AND you can always knit it on circular needles - the principle is the same. I absolutely love knitting these up because they grow so fast, I whip one of these up in about 3 hours. They are lovely and thick so you wont burn yourself and the fluffy yarn makes them snuggleable.

Ingredients:

2 x 50g balls of ostrich, eyelash, feathers or any of that lovely cheap fluffy yarn you can get these days

1 x 100gm ball of a matching 8 ply yarn
size 8mm needles and size 6mm needles

Method:

You are using one strand of the fluffy yarn and one strand of 8 ply knitted together as one strand.

On size 8mm needles cast on 52 stitches.

Knit in stocking stitch (knit 1 row, Purl 1 row) until your work measures 10 inches (25cm)

Shape the "shoulders"

Knit 2 tog, knit 24, knit 2 tog, knit 24

Purl 2 tog, Purl 23, Purl 2 tog, Purl 23

Knit 2 tog, knit 22, knit 2 tog, knit 22

Purl 2 tog, Purl 21, Purl 2 tog, purl 21

Knit 2 tog, *knit 6, knit 2 tog* to end of row

Change to size 6mm needles and using 2 strands of 8 ply knitted together as one knit 1, Purl 1 to end of row

Continue in rib until work measures 8 inches (20cm)

Cast off leaving a long tail to sew your side seam and bottom seam.

Turn right side out. "Squish" your empty hottie into it's cover, fill with hot water and ENJOY!

For circular knitting you just KNIT around and around and around until your work measures the required length. Do the "shoulder" shaping thus: Knit 2 tog, knit 24, knit 2 tog, knit 24, knit 2 tog, knit 23, knit 2 tog, knit 23, knit 2 tog, knit 22, knit 2 tog, knit 22, knit 2 tog, knit 21, knit 2 tog, knit 21. Work the extra decrease row: knit 2 tog, *knit 6, knit 2 tog* to end. Change to your size 6mm needles and work in rib for the required length. Cast off. Sew the bottom seam and turn right side out.

Still working on my Africa Flower Afghan

Just thought I'd post this so y'all know why I havent posted anything recently. I still have a few hexagons to make AND all those half hexagons but I decided to sew some together just to satisfy my curiousity about what the heck it would look like completed.

Not bad huh?

Knitting pattern: 8 ply "London" Beanie ... now known as Hamish's TeenieBeanie

My teenage son Hamish asked me to make him a beanie but "not one of those chunky hats with that stupid fold up" Hey, no problem! Actually it turned into a drama of googling and googling and resorting to an old 70's hat book my mother-in-law gave me years ago. I loved the LONDON beanie http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt16.htm because it's exactly what Hamish wanted but it's knitted up on worsted weight (Aran weight) wool on size 4.5mm circular needles (which I have but wasnt in the mood to use). The first line said to cast on 72 stitches .... hmmm, that's not right I thought. I'd just finished making a beanie for myself with 12 ply on size 6.5mm needles and had cast on 70 stitches to get a fabulous result - there was no way 72 stitches on size 4.5mm needles would work.


Ugh! American knitting patterns drive me crazy!

Here is Hamish's TEENIE BEANIE

Recipe

Ingredients: 

               1 x 100gm ball of 8ply wool

                size 4mm needles

Method:

Cast on 92 stitches

1st row: *knit 2, purl 2*, Repeat ** to end

Repeat 1st row until work measures 6cm

Next row: knit to end

Next row: purl to end

Repeat last two rows until work measure 14cm

Next row: *knit 7, knit 2 tog,* repeat ** to end (NB: you WONT have 7 stitches at the end. Just knit whatever is left to complete the row. Don't fret - it looks great when it's finished and whoever gets close enough to count your decrease rows needs shot)

Next row: Purl to end

Next row: *knit 6, knit 2 tog*, Repeat ** to end 

Next row: Purl to end

Next row:  *knit 5, knit 2 tog*, Repeat ** to end

Next row: Purl to end

Next row:  *knit 4, knit 2 tog*, Repeat ** to end

Next row: Purl to end

Next row:  *knit 3, knit 2 tog*, Repeat ** to end

Next row: Purl to end

Next row: *knit 2, knit 2 tog*, Repeat ** to end

Next row: Purl to end

Next row:  *knit 1, knit 2 tog*, Repeat ** to end

Next row: Purl to end

Next row: *knit 2tog*, Repeat ** to end

Break wool leaving a long tail. Thread tail through the remaining 10 stiches on the needle and pull tight.

Sew your seam neatly.

                                                                                 Thanks Mum!

Crocheted Can Cap

So many projects, so little time!

I've been busy this past week working and also my daughter Lisa and grandson Jayden came to visit from Northcliffe so I haven't had much time to crochet or knit. Lisa noticed my pile of can labels sitting on the microwave and couldn't picture a Can Cap so I whipped one up for her.

Isnt she a cute model?

There are heaps of different tutorials on the internet for making these. I liked the concept of recycling something and making it into something so totally, radically different.
I am seriously considering combining PLARN and cans and having a hat that is made fully from trash. If I ever make it I will post a photo of it.

Send me your cans!

Plarn - recycle your supermarket bags!

CREATING A BALL OF PLASTIC YARN:
Straighten the plastic bag and lay it flat on the table or ironing board which is where I cut mine.  
Smooth to remove any trapped air.

           
Start by cutting off the bottom and handles/top of the grocery bag.  
      


            1) 
These are fastened together with a half hitch knot.  1) Lay out 2 loops, laying 1 loop on top of the other.  2) Pull  the top loop under and through the bottom loop.  3) This will form a half hitch.
  2) 3) 4)
4) Be really careful when you pull the knots as flat as possible without stretching the plastic - it WILL break.
     
After all loops are fastened together--roll into a ball.  
This can be crocheted like 'yarn'.
This ball is your 'yarn'. from which bags, mats and etc can be crocheted. 
NOTE: You cannot stretch the yarn tightly over your fingers as it will stretch the yarn and break it. As you crochet, hold it firmly but not tightly.
This link will take you to a fabulous website with free patterns to use your plarn for.

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/

Enjoy!

Crocheted Cloche Hat

This is MY version of the fabulous Cloche Hat. It's sized to fit an average woman's head.

Materials:

• Size 6mm crochet hook
• 12 ply yarn (I used Moda Vera Marvel)

Instructions:

Chain 3 and join.
Round 1: 7 hdc in ring formed by joined chain, join with a slip stitch(7hdc)
Round 2: ch 1, 2 hdc in ea st around, join (14hdc)
Round 3: ch 1, *1 hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st* rep around, join (21hdc)
Round 4: ch 1, *1 hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st* rep around, join (28hdc)
Round 5: ch 1, *1 hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in next st* rep around, join (35hdc)
Round 6: ch 1, *1 hdc in next 4 sts, 2 hdc in next st* rep around, join (42hdc)
Round 7: ch 1, *1 hdc in next 5 sts, 2 hdc in next st* rep around, join (49hdc)
Round 8: ch 1, *1 hdc in next 6 sts, 2 hdc in next st* rep around, join (56hdc)
Round 9: ch 1, 1 hdc in ea st around, join (56hdc)

Your increases should line up as you work your way from round to round.
Round 10-19 : rep Rnd 9

Once the body of the hat is as long you as want (work less or more rows to get the length you want) you start on your brim as follows.

Round 20: ch 1, in back loops only, *1 hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st* rep around, join (84hdc)
Round 21: ch 1, 1 hdc in ea st around, join.
Round 22-24: rep Round 20

Round 25: ch 1, sc into each stitch to the end of the row. Fasten off.

Abbreviations:

• ch = chain
• ea = each
• hdc = half double crochet
• sc = single crochet
• st = stitch
• rep = repeat

Adorn your hat with a flower made as follows:

size 5 mm hook and yarn

Chain 30

(dc,ch 3, slip st, {ch 3, dc, ch 3, slip st} twice) all in the 4th ch from the hook, 

*(slip st, ch 3, dc, ch 3, slip st)* all in the next ch, repeat from * across the chain to the end. Fasten off.

Starting with the first 3 petals you made, spiral the petals around in layers and stitch in place from the back.

Stitch firmly to your hat.

Covert American yarn and hook sizes to Australian

OK, so I live "down-under" and I'm not primitive but Googling just about always leads me to American sites where they talk about worsted weight or sport weight yarns and tell me to use an F or a J hook (or any other random letter of the alphabet). Sometimes they tell me to use 4 ply and I get all excited because hey, I KNOW what that is! Now, 4 ply yarn here in Australia (and New Zeland) is baby wool. So I look at the pattern and think to myself that no idiot would make a ladies hat out of baby wool unless they had way too much time on their hands and head back to google and click "next".

Some times I think that OK, I'll try 8 ply and use a size 5 hook (following the suggestion on the wool wrapper) .... the woman's beanie I made using that method would probably fit a 3 year old. I followed the pattern exactly! I am continually modifying patterns I find on the internet to accomodate my down-under brain, hooks and yarn but eventually I get the result I want.

Viola! 

Below is the correct wool weights/plys and hook sizes.

lace weight, superfine, ultra fine, baby weight is 2-3 ply in UK/NZ/Aus

fingering weight, fine, baby weight is 3-4 ply in UK/NZ/Aus

sport or light weight is 4ply in UK/NZ/Aus

DK or medium is 8 ply in UK/NZ/Aus

worsted or heavy weight is 10 ply or double knitting in UK/NZ/Aus

Aran is 12-ply or triple knitting in UK/NZ/Aus

bulky yarn is 14 ply, double double in UK/NZ/Aus

Crochet Hook Conversion Chart

US Hook Sizes	Canada/UK Hook Sizes	AUS/NZ/Metric Hook Sizes
0	14	2.0 mm
B/1	13	2.25 mm
C/2	12	2.75 mm
C/2	11	3.0 mm
D/3	10	3.25 mm
E/4	-	3.5 mm
F/5	9	3.75 mm
G/6	8	4.0 mm
7	7	4.5 mm
H/8	6	5.0 mm
I/9	5	5.5 mm
J/10	4	6.0 mm
K/10 ½	3	6.5 mm
10.75	2	7.0 mm
-	1	7.5 mm
L/11	0	8.0 mm
M/13	00	9.0 mm
N/15	000	10.0 mm
O/17	-	12.0 mm
P/19	-	15.0 mm
Q/19	-	16.0 mm
S/35	-	19.0 mm
50	-	25.0 mm