polar bear pouch

I have a new winter holiday pattern for you this year: a little knitted pouch, with a flap shaped as a polar bear face! This quick knit makes a sweet tree ornament, or it can be worn as a necklace. Hide a surprise or a treasure inside to make it extra special!

You need to know how to knit in the round, increase, decrease (ssk and k2tog), and make bobbles. An intermediate-level knitter should be able to knit and finish at least one of these in an evening. But don't be intimidated if you're more of a beginner: this project is so small, it's a great way to learn a new skill!

You will find the full pattern below, or download the PDF from Ravelry. Happy holiday knitting!

P.S. If this project is not your style, try one of my other free holiday patterns: Holiday Mice, Inuk and Seal, Reindeer finger-puppet, Mini Pookies. (Ravelry links: Holiday Mice, Inuk and Seal, Reindeer finger-puppet, and Mini Pookies.)

holiday pattern round-up

Instead of a new holiday pattern this year, I wanted to share with you all the free patterns I've made in previous years. Perhaps you missed something in the past, your knitting skills have improved and you want to try new things, or you'd like to see an old project in a new way. Whatever the reason, I hope you find an hour or two to try out one of these adorable patterns. 

(Links are below, not on the individual photos)

From left to right, along to top row:

1. My most popular holiday pattern, these Mice are easy and quick to make. They can be toys to tuck into a stocking, tree ornaments, or even a gift topper. Knit them from bits of left over yarn, in any weight from fingering to worsted.

2. A close second, Mini Pookies are quirky and sweet. They're the perfect size for a Christmas tree, a child's hands, or even add a bit of cat-nip for your favourite kitty.

3. If you'd rather knit an accessory, this free hat pattern is easy and fast. Two 50 g balls of worsted yarn in your toddler's favourite colours, a few hours of knitting, and you'll have a toasty warm gift!

From left to right, along the bottom row:

4. If you know someone who loves pandas as much as my little boy, this toy is perfect. You can make a little pocket friend, or a finger puppet!

5. This reindeer finger-puppet is very similar to the panda, and more seasonal. If you don't mind a bit of hand-sewing, you can make the antlers from felt.

6: A special ornament set for those who love the North, this pattern makes an adorable baby seal and a little Inuk (person). Dress your Inuk in your favourite colours, and make the hair long or short. You can also have fun with a bit of embroidery on the coat.

And if these ideas are not enough, here's a few more:

7. One of my oldest patterns, these little stuffed trees are a great way to use up little bits of left-over yarn.

8. Have you wanted to try felting, and have some bits of wool yarn you're not using? Try making some felted star ornaments.

9. Finally, for those friends or relations who don't appreciate seasonal decorations, maybe you could knit some Mini Aliens!

For even more ideas, have a look at this similar post from Knitted Bliss.

reindeer finger-puppet pattern

Here's a cute little project that you can make in those little bits of time you always have during the holidays: chatting with family at parties, waiting for a school pageant to start, watching Christmas specials with your kids for the 12th time.

It's a fairly easy knit, so if you can knit, purl, increase, decrease, and change colours, you should be fine! I've made the antlers from felt, but if you hate hand-sewing, and your kids are a bit older, you could use pipe-cleaners (chenille wires) instead. Wouldn't your children be so pleased to find one of these in their stocking?

Please note, this is a free pattern, and I haven't had time to get it test-knit. If you find a mistake, or have a question, please email me (barbara at fuzzymitten .com).

Materials
15 g of worsted weight yarn in light brown (MC), 5 g of worsted weight yarn in white (CC), pair of 4 mm (US size 6) knitting needles, two 4 mm (US size 6) double pointed needles (dpns), pair of 6 mm safety eyes or beads, stuffing, yarn to embroider the face, tapestry needle, brown felt plus hand-sewing needle and thread
Gauge
22 sts and 32 rows per 10cm (4˝) in st st
Size
8 cm (3”)

Body
CO 34 sts with MC.
Row 1: P6, bind off 8 sts, p6, bind off 8 sts, p6. (18 sts, the bound off stitches make the legs)
Row 2: K5, ssk, k4, k2tog, k5. (16 sts)
Row 3-7: Work 5 rows in st st.
Row 8: K5, ssk, k2, k2tog, k5. (14 sts)
Row 9-11: Work 3 rows in st st.
Row 12: K4, k2tog, k2, ssk, k4. (12 sts)
Change to CC.
Row 13-14: Work 2 rows in st st.
Bind off. Using a length of your MC yarn, sew the tops and bottoms of the feet together with a few whip stitches.

Arm (make 2)
With dpns and MC, cast on 3 sts. Work in I-cord for 5 rounds. Cut yarn, thread end through remaining stitches, and pull tight to gather.
If you don’t want to work the arms as I-cord, cast on 4 sts, and work in st st for 5 rows. Cut yarn, thread end through remaining stitches, and pull tight to gather. Then sew arm seam towards cast-on edge.

Head
Start at back. CO 6 sts with MC.
Row 1: Purl.
Row 2: k1, [m1, k1] x 5. (11 sts)
Row 3: Purl.
Row 4: k2, [m1, k1] x 8, k1. (19 sts)
Row 5-9: Work 5 rows in st st.
Row 10: k3, ssk, k1, k2tog, k3, ssk, k1, k2tog, k3. (15 sts)
Row 11: Purl.
Row 12: k4, k2tog, k3, ssk, k4. (13 sts)
Change to CC.
Row 13-15: Work 3 rows in st st.
Row 16: [k2tog] x 3, k1, [ssk] x 3. (7 sts)
Cut yarn, thread end through remaining sts, and pull tight to gather. Attach safety eyes or beads, or embroider eyes with black yarn. Sew seam, leaving an opening. Stuff head, then sew closed. Embroider a nose and mouth.

Ear (make 2)
CO 3 sts with MC.
Row 1: Purl.
Row 2: K1, m1, k1, m1, k1. (5 sts)
Row 3-5: Work 3 rows in st st.
Row 6: K1, ssk, k2. (4 sts)
Row 7: [p2tog] x 2. (2 sts)
Pass first stitch over second. Cut yarn, pull end through rem st, then thread yarn end along side of ear to cast-on edge. Sew cast-on edge of ears to head, then weave in yarn ends.

Finishing
Sew cast-on edge of arms to body, then weave in yarn ends on WS of body. Sew body’s back seam from cast-on edge to bound-off edge, leaving the bound-off edge open, for sewing to the head.
Make antlers from felt: cut out 4 pieces of felt using the photo below as your pattern*. Matching 2 pieces together, sew around outside edges with a blanket stitch. Sew antler base to the head, just above one ear. Repeat for the other antler. (Another method of making antlers is to use pipe-cleaners or chenille wire, but this is not recommended for young children)
Sew head to open bound-off edge of body. Weave in yarn ends. If you like, add a bow and jingle-bell.

*You should be able to click on the photo above, and then print it. I have tried to make the photo so that it will print at the correct size to use as a pattern for cutting out your antler pieces. But if it's not the correct size, just use it as a guide for the shape. All reindeer have different antlers anyway!

P.S. If you want to make a whole family of finger puppets, the body from the reindeer will work with any of the heads from my Wee Wuzzies pattern. You'll just need to knit it in the appropriate colours.

Abbreviations
[ ] x N = repeat sequence in brackets N times ("to end" means to repeat until the end of the row)
CO = cast on
K or k = knit
k2tog = decrease 1 stitch by knitting 2 together
m1 = increase 1 by picking up loop between stitch just worked and next stitch, from front to back, and knit into the back of this loop.
P or p = purl
p2tog = decrease 1 stitch by purling 2 together
ssk = decrease 1 stitch by slipping 2 stitches purl-wise, then knit slipped stitches together
st or sts = stitch or stitches
st st = stockinette stitch WS = wrong side

happy, happy holidays!

I hope all of you are enjoying the holiday season, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, or anything else. I would like to wish you happiness, health, and successful crafting in the new year!

This past year has seen many new adventures and trials for me, and it's been so comforting to have an audience willing to listen, and offer such kind support. I'm so lucky to this opportunity to do something I love, and that so many of you enjoy making my toys. From what I hear, this holiday season many little ones (and a few grown-ups too) will be receiving knitted toys made with love and care. I've found time to make a few myself, although I can't share photos, or they wouldn't be a surprise!

The next few days will be busy for me, and for many of you too, I'm sure. I'll be back here closer to the new year, hopefully with some cute photos to share! Take care, and best wishes to all of you!

mother-in-law

My mother-in-law is visiting for the next 10 days, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to spend writing here. It's certainly going to be an interesting visit, since I can't really talk to her (she speaks only Russian, me only English). However, I just might have time to finish my gift crafting, since all she wants to do is play with Lev (can't blame her, he's at a very fun stage). I'm going to try really hard to get some photos to share, since we haven't been doing that enough the last few months.

I thought I would share again these little gift tags I made last year, since the timing seems about right. Just click here, to get the largest size to download. Then print them on heavy paper, cut out (with fancy scissors if you have them), and punch a little hole. Piece of cake!

P.S. If you're not in North America, and your printer takes a different paper size, your printer should adjust the image margins to fit (you might have to check your printer settings to make sure it does this).

holiday pattern ideas

Thanks so much for all your ideas! You've really inspired me. I read through all the suggestions, and drew up sketches of all the ones I thought would be doable in the limited time I have. Here's a sketch and a brief description of each one, to help you make your choice:


1: Mistletoe and holly: little white or red berries with options for each kind of leaf. I think these would be great on their own, or to add to wreaths, table decorations, etc.
2: Pullover: this would be based on a simple pullover pattern, with striped sleeves, and a snowflake worked as intarsia on the front.
3: Skirt: to dress-up your toys for the holidays. It would be knit in the round (with optional instructions for knitting flat), possibly with stripes or a colour-work design.
4: Mouse: a small ornament, with bobble feet, and with head and hat sewn on.
5: Elf hat and boots: to fit smaller toys. A pointy striped hat, and boots with pointy toes. Both items would probably be easiest to design knit in the round.
6: Sleeping bag and pillow: simple and quick item to knit, and a nice addition to a gifted toy.
7: Angel wings: similar design to wings from owls/penguin/duck patterns. I'll probably add some way to strap them onto the toy. (there are lots of dress patterns already which could be adapted to make an angel's gown)
8: Elf: I know people probably wanted a full-size elf toy, but I just haven't time! This would be made similar to the mini alien (and much cuter than my terrible sketch).

You have until Sunday evening to vote for your favourite idea. I'll choose the winning design based on which gets the most votes and which one I feel most excited to design. Hopefully it won't take too long to get ready for you, so you have a few weeks to get your needles busy!

holiday pattern

For the past two years, around this time, I've released a free holiday-type pattern. Unfortunately, I can't think of a fun, original idea this year (not like me, really. I blame being sick and distracted by my almost-toddler). A quick look at Ravelry shows dozens of decorations, ornaments, and other things of that kind. I had thought of quickly knitting and writing up a clothing bundle for the toys, but sadly we just don't have the time, what with trying to get Fuzzy Knits done.

So, I thought maybe the best idea would be to ask what you would like. Is there some type of decoration or ornament for which you just can't find a good pattern? Is there an item of toy clothing you'd love to be able to knit for the holidays? It will have to be something relatively small and not too complicated, since we're running out of time (yes, scary thought for me too)! Please leave a comment this week, and on Friday I'll post a poll with all the ideas I think I could accomplish. You can vote on your favourite idea over the weekend, so I can get started next week on the most popular one.

P.S. This seemed like a good post to mention the gift tags I made a while ago.

gift tags

I had a little fun this morning putting together a sheet of gift tags for you! There are six different tags, with 12 to a sheet of paper. Nothing very fancy, but I tried to make them cute! I figured the easiest way for you to get them was to make it an image file, so you can just download it from my Flickr page. Make sure to download the largest size, though, or the tags won't look very good (click on the 'all sizes' icon above the image). Then print them out on some heavier weight paper, cut out, and punch a hole for attaching to gifts! I tried to leave enough room around each tag so you can use a set of those fancy scissors, if you have them.

I hope you're all getting excited about the upcoming holidays! I certainly am, especially since we got a tree this year! I didn't think I'd have enough ornaments to decorate a full-size tree of my own, since my rather large family usually pools all their ornaments for my parents' tree. Surprizingly, I had more than enough, so I left off the really tatty and ugly ones. With a few other decorations thrown around, some eggnog and cookies, and Christmas carols on the radio, I'm really feeling good about this holiday away from my family. Now I'm just hoping Baby Mitten doesn't show up in the middle of it! (I'm imagining holiday staffing at the hospital is not the best)

santa reindeer

Finally, everything came together last night, and we got the Santa Reindeer pattern done! I actually listed it last night (Lulu, Etsy), but was too lazy to blog about it. Good thing the toys are small and quick to knit, so there is still plenty of time to make one before the holidays. Someone already finished a super nice one on Ravelry, so I know the pattern is all good! I'm kind of curious how the toy would look with bigger antlers too, if anyone decides to get creative. Felt might work better than trying to knit them, which is why the pattern just has little baby antlers knit in I-cord.

I've also made the old reindeer pattern free. It's so different from all my other patterns, and I've never knit it again myself, so I felt bad about charging for it. I've sold a few copies since I published it, but I don't know if anyone else has knit it either. Maybe when I've got some time over the winter, I'll knit another one and keep it for myself this time, instead of selling it.

felted stars

Here's a new free pattern for you! I came up with this idea in the middle of the night (no kidding, but I did wait until morning to start on it) and after a few false starts, I hit on a simple and fast method of knitting them. They also need very little yarn, so I've been using up odd ends of hand-dyed yarn to make them. The felting makes them flat, and look lovely and soft from both sides. Make sure you use 100% wool yarn or they will not felt properly. You could try knitting them with a different weight yarn (with appropriate sized needles) to achieve larger or smaller stars. I think they will look lovely on a tree, added to a garland, or just hung up wherever you like!

Felted Stars

Materials
Tools: set of four 4mm dpns, tapestry needle, crochet hook (optional)
Large: 14 m or yards (about 7 g) of worsted weight wool in colour A, same amount of worsted weight wool in colour B
Medium: 10 m or yards (about 5 g) of worsted weight wool in colour A, same amount of worsted weight wool in colour B
Small: 8 m or yards (about 4 g) of worsted weight wool in colour A, same amount of worsted weight wool in colour B

Measurements
Large: 12 cm (4.75") diameter
Medium: 10 cm (4") diameter
Small: 8 cm (3.25") diameter
(note: finished size of star will depend on amount of felting and blocking you do)

Large Star

Cast on 72 sts with yarn A. Distribute 24 sts to each of 3 needles. P 1 round.
Work round 2 with yarn B. For rest of star, purl odd number rows with yarn A, and work even number rows in yarn B.
Rnd 2: [k2tog, k4, yo, k4, skpo] 6 times. (66 sts)
Rnd 4: [k2tog, k3, yo, k4, skpo] 6 times. (60 sts)
Rnd 6: [k2tog, k3, yo, k3, skpo] 6 times. (54 sts)
Rnd 8: [k2tog, k2, yo, k3, skpo] 6 times. (48 sts)
Rnd 10: [k2tog, k2, yo, k2, skpo] 6 times. (42 sts)
Rnd 12: [k2tog, k1, yo, k2, skpo] 6 times. (36 sts)
Rnd 14: [k2tog, k1, yo, k1, skpo] 6 times. (30 sts)
Rnd 16: [k2tog, yo, k1, skpo] 6 times. (24 sts)
Rnd 18: [k2tog, yo, skpo] 6 times. (18 sts)
Rnd 20: [k2tog] 9 times. (9 sts)
Break off yarn B, thread end through remaining sts, and pull tight to gather.

Medium Star

Cast on 60 sts with yarn A. Distribute 20 sts to each of 3 needles. P 1 round.
Follow pattern for large star starting at Rnd 6, working even numbered rounds in yarn B.

Small Star

Cast on 48 sts with A. Distribute 16 sts to each of 3 needles. P 1 round.
Follow pattern for large star starting at Rnd 10, working even numbered rounds in yarn B.

Finishing
Weave in all yarn ends securely. Optional: crochet a loop on one of the star points. Hand-felt the star in hot water until it is flat and smooth (stars will be cup-shaped before felting). Gently remove as much water as possible, then pin to a flat surface, stretching out points and indenting between points. Leave until dry. If you didn't crochet a loop for hanging, you can add a length of yarn or ribbon.


Abbreviations
k = knit
k2tog = knit 2 sts together
p = purl
skpo = slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over knit stitch
yo = yarn over

holidays

Well, I'm home from visiting my family. What can I say about the trip? It was noisy and fun, hectic but relaxing, snowy and beautiful. There were babies to play with, relatives to chat with, and old friends to catch up with. I will share a few photos when they're ready.

My luggage was lost on the way there, and returned soggy from sitting on the tarmac in Vancouver for a day. Nothing was ruined, although some books were badly damaged. I tried not to let it bother me, and just be happy that all my family's Christmas presents weren't lost. I think everybody liked what I gave them :)

I feel like the trip should have been longer, although I'm happy to be home. I don't get to go to BC very often, and I love it there. My husband and I walked all over my home town (it's not very big!), and it still looks mostly as I remember, and the changes aren't bad ones. I wish there was more work there, because I would love to raise my family there too.

away for the holidays

In case I forgot to mention it already, I will be away visiting my family for the holidays. It's going to be a wee bit crazy, since there are a lot more relatives coming than I originally thought. Seems that everyone wants to meet my husband, and my niece and nephew who were both born this year. My husband is petrified, having never participated in a big family Christmas celebration. I promised we would go walking, snowshoeing, or skiing whenever he was feeling overwhelmed. Now I just hope they have as much snow as here!

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone, since it's been at least two and a half years since I saw most of them. A lot has changed since then, including meeting my husband. I hope I don't lose my voice, having to tell everything to each person! Both sets of my grandparents will be there, and I hope to spend lots of time with them. They are all getting quite old, and are not in very good health. I'm so glad I have lots of good things to tell them.

Anyway, this does mean that my Etsy shop will be closed from the 18th to the 28th of December. You can still buy patterns and books from my Lulu shop, though. I am hoping to have a couple new patterns for early January, and other stuff to update my shop, so don't forget about me! I may blog one or two posts while I'm away, if I have anything really fun and exciting to share.

I wish you all a lovely and fun holiday, wherever you are! *hugs*

don't look if you're related to me!

I might not be knitting toys for my shop right now, but that doesn't mean I'm not busy. Not everyone in my family is getting knitted gifts this year, but I am working on a few nice ones. I wanted to share what I have done, so if you're a member of my family, you should stop looking now or you might spoil the surprise :)

The last couple days I've been working on little knitted Christmas trees. These will be stocking stuffers for my my family. I'm particularly pleased with the white one covered in bobbles.


When I offered to make a toy for my niece for Christmas, my brother-in-law asked for an Eeyore, saying he was the most neglected Winnie-the-Pooh character. I happened to have a pattern that was close, and I finally finished his face today. I knit him from Swish Superwash merino, so he's easily washed when my niece decides to get food, dirt, or other nasty stuff on him. I know he doesn't look exactly like Eeyore, but he's still cute!


These little farm animals are for my nephew. I've been working on them for a while, whenever I found a little time between other projects. I love the pigs and sheep, and check out the horns on the ram! They still crack me up :)


The calf was supposed to be a cow, but I changed the pattern a lot, and he is much to small compared to the other toys to be a cow. I like the idea of knitting more animals for his birthday, and maybe some other farm-type things.

I'm also half-way through a pair of mittens, and I have a tuque to knit this weekend. I will try to take photos when they're done, although I haven't much time left before I leave. I am so looking forward to seeing my family again, and maybe dreading it a little too. They are all rather a lot louder than me, and it can be overwhelming.

blizzarding

I wish you could see the snow here. I want to take photos, but the camera would only get wet. We should have over a foot (or more than 30cm) by the end of the day. They're fat, fluffy flakes too - the prettiest kind. I always enjoy snow days like this, but then, I don't drive :) Good thing I bought myself some new winter boots on the weekend for my trip to the post office.

Thanks so much to everyone who bought a copy of our pattern book :) There was a lot more demand than we expected, and we ran out of printed copies this weekend. But if you still want one, you can order it directly from Lulu. Mr. Mitten is working on a non-holiday version, which will be available in January. It has all the same patterns, only the picture pages have been changed. The kits were a lot of fun to put together, and I will definitely put more in the shop once I have more books.

Today will be for working on Christmas presents. I must say, a break from knitting the toys is appreciated. I wouldn't want to get bored of them. I managed some sewing yesterday too, and someone on my gift list is getting an apron made from a vintage tablecloth. Think yellow, brown, and olive 70's goodness :) Sorry, no pics until after Christmas, since I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise any more.

is it too early?

Festive Knits
Originally uploaded by mricon

Can I mention the C-word?

My wonderful husband has spent the last few weekends working on a big surprise for all of my fans. (I helped a little with the editing, but he really did the worst of the work) We now have a pattern book! Woo hoo!

I am really excited about this, because it's an idea we've talked about for months. Only lots of pressure and late nights managed to get it done in plenty of time for Christmas shoppers. We imagined it as a gift for people who love to knit, and love cute cuddly things. Of course, if you want it just for yourself, that's okay too :) The book has 12 toy patterns, plus a little bonus, and you can get it in printed book form or as a pdf file. We ordered an early copy, and it's so special to be holding our book in my hands, with lovely colour pictures and everything!

I hope you all like it too :)