GIRL'S PARTY ANGEL CAPE - CROCHET PATTERN
Free downloadable and pintable crochet pattern in pdf format (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) Click on the link below.
SPINNING FACT SHEET
Visit the link below for a spinning fact sheet. I helped to compile it and the photos are of me and my equipment. Sorry about the slippers!
KNITTED & FELTED TOTE BAG PATTERN
Materials
9mm knitting needles
4 strands of double knitting wool knitted together or equivalent. I used 3 strands d/k and one strand of mohair loop yarn. Alternatives would be chunky wool, one strand Aran weight and 2 of double knitting or Rowan Big Wool. This project is ideal for using up left-overs and it is quite okay to change colour in the middle. NB any wool that says machine washable or superwash will not work. Cotton, acrylic or other synthetic yarn will not work either. It must be wool, alpaca, cashmere, mohair or other natural animal fibre.
Sampling (ignore this bit if you can't be bothered or don't care what size the bag is)
It is important to see how the wool will felt before you knit a whole bag or you could be disappointed.
To sample: cast on 20 stitches and knit a square. Lay it on a piece of paper and draw round it to get the pre-felted size. Then put the sample in the washing machine along with a pair of jeans or an old towel and wash on 40c wool wash cycle or nearest equivalent on your machine. Take sample out and measure against the drawing on the piece of paper. If it is not felted as firmly as you would like, put it back in and wash it again.
Assuming it has felted, you can now cast on your bag in the firm knowledge that it will felt okay once you have knitted it.
If you want your bag to be a certain size, work out the dimensions as follows:
Measure the felted tension square. You know you cast on 20 stitches so just work out how many stitches you need to get the desired width. (ie if 20 stitches measures 6 inches/15cm and you want a bag 12 inches wide you cast on 40 stitches). If you are not bothered, just use the instructions below and you will get a nice big roomy bag. Mine is large enough to get an A4 file in with lots of room to spare.
Method
Body of bag - make two.
Cast on 40 stitches. Knit in garter stitch until work measures 20 inches/50cms. Cast off loosely.
Band and handle
Cast on 12 stitches. Knit enough to go all round the edge of the bag and for a handle to go over your shoulder and/or body, plus about a third more. It is better too long than too short as you can always cut it and sew it back together AFTER you have felted it.
Making up
Use a strand of the SAME WOOL that you used to knit the bag with, so that if felts evenly.
Sew band to one side of bag, around one long edge, base (short e edge) and up other long edge, leaving the opening without a band. Sew it to the other side. Sew handle together at shoulder.
Put in washing machine with an old towel or pair of jeans and small amount of detergent. Wash on wool cycle for one full cycle. Take it out and check progress. Put it in again if needed. The bag and handle need to be firm and not too stretchy.
Wipe inside of machine afterwards so that clothes do not pick up wool and empty filter if machine has one. (it will probably not need emptying but better safe than sorry.
Try bag on once dry, and adjust handle length by cutting and sewing if necessary.
©Janet Renouf-Miller 2010
Please seek permission if you wish to copy this pattern for commercial reasons.
You are welcome to copy it for non-commercial reasons.
www.createwithfibre.co.uk e mail mail@createwithfibre.co.uk
FELTED TEA COSY PATTERN
MATERIALS
200G left over WOOL yarn (not acrylic or cotton) used as multiple strands to make chunky equivalent, Janet's Hand dyed Lopi roving, Rowan Big Wool or other suitable yarn measuring 4 wraps per inch (see below)
Size 12mm knitting needles
Tension 6.5sts to 4inches/10cm
Size of tea pot
This tea cosy is for a 4 cup metal tea pot with a short spout. You can adapt it to accommodate a larger or smaller tea pot by reducing one stitch for every inch/2.5cms less width you want and one row for every inch/cm less height. You could also cut a hole for the spout and handle after felting and then rub the edges with soap and hot water by hand to neaten them up.
If in any doubt, knit a 10cm sample square. Note the measurements. Felt it and then measure again. You can then work out how many stitches you need.
REMEMBER WE ALL KNIT TO A DIFFERENT TENSION AND THERE FORE A DIFFERENT SIZE. A tension square is the only way to be sure you will get the size you want.
NB you can use any other yarn of equivalent content that will felt. That usually means it has a high wool content or 100% wool and does NOT say machine washable or super wash on the label. If in doubt, knit a 10cm square and try felting it in the washing machine as per instructions below.
This is a good idea in any case if size is important and you are using different yarns.
If you measure your square, felt it and then measure it again you will know how much it will reduce in size.
If using substitute yarns, you can use multiple strands of yarn to get the desired thickness.
Wraps per inch is a way to measure thickness. Wrap a strand of your yarn around a ruler. Wrap it loosely so that the yarn is not stretched and do not pack it tightly on the ruler, but do make sure there are no gaps. Then simply measure how many strands it takes to cover one inch of the ruler.
Knitting method (knit 2)
Cast on 28 stitches.
Knit in stocking stitch for 10cms.
Knit 2 together at each end of every other row 3 times.
Knit 2 tog. At each end of every 3rd row until you have half the number of stitches you cast on.
Knit another 8 rows without decreasing.
Felting
Sew the 2 sides together. Felt in the washing machine. Use the wool wash or gentle setting and put an old towel in with the tea cosy.
Let the machine run through the wash part of the cycle and empty. Switch it off if possible and wait until the door lock goes off. Check how much the cosy has felted. If it is not enough, put it in again. Continue this process until it is the size you want.
Finishing (optional)
Measure a length of yarn about 3 times what it takes to go around the edge of the tea cosy.
Twist it until it is very tight doubles back on itself to make a double strand of thicker yarn.
Sew this around the edge of the tea cosy. You can include a loop at the top when sewing it on if you want to.
©Janet Renouf-Miller you are welcome to copy and use this pattern for personal reasons but not for commercial reasons.
HOT WATER BOTTLE COVER - KNITTING PATTERN
Materials 3 balls pound shop chenille type yarn (this is quite fine and multi-coloured) or equivalent. 8mm knitting needles.
For an average sized hot water bottle: Cast on 19 stitches, using 3 strands (ie all 3 balls) of yarn together. Alternatively use one strand of the chenille yarn and one strand of double knitting wool together.
Knit until you reach the neck of the hot water bottle plus 10cms. The extra 10cms is for a turn over at the end to close the opening. Next row: Knit 7 cast off 5 knit 7. Next row: knit 7 cast on 5 knit 7. This makes the neck opening.
Continue to knit until it is long enough on what is now the second side from the neck opening back to the bottom of the hot water bottle. Cast off.
You should now have a piece of knitting with a hole in the middle that goes over the neck of the hot water bottle. One side will be longer than the other.
Fit it over the hot water bottle and fold the excess 10cms back on itself inside the hot water bottle cover. Sew up the side seams, catching this folded back bit in as you go. Turn it the other way out so that the seams are on the inside and the folded back bit is on the OUTSIDE.
Put if over the hot water bottle. Turn the folded back 'pocket' over the hot water bottle to fasten.
Cast on 16 stitches. Knit until it is the same height as the neck bit of the hot water bottle. Cast off 8 stitches and continue to knit with the other 8 until it is almost as long again. Cast off.
Stitch the long edge of this onto the neck part of the hot water bottle so it goes all the way round it. Fold the narrower bit back on itself to make a pocket similar to the one you have already made on the bottom of the cover. Stitch up the side seam, catching in the folded back bit as you go. This makes a pocket that can be folded over the stopper.
How to get your edgings to work out right when picking up stitches. When you knit the garment, slip the first stitch of every row. this is because when you pick up for the edge, you want to pick up a stitch from every other row.
If you have slipped the first stitch this means you simply pick up each stitch along the edge without having to think. the stitches are also bigger so pick up more easily.
Aim to pick up the central 'bar' of each stitch, but if you find that is too fiddly just pick up the inside of the 2 'v' parts of the stitch.
Make sure you don't meander and end up picking up stitches other than the edge one.
© Janet Renouf-Miller 2010 you are welcome to copy this pattern for personal reasons but not for commercial ones.
jrmservices@tiscali.co.uk