happy holidays sale

Happy Holidays Sale

From December 12-27, enjoy 35% off selected patterns! A new pattern will be added to the sale each day for 12 days, so check back to see if there's something you'd like! I'm starting the sale with this well-loved Pug in Anorak pattern (Ravelry, Etsy), in honour of my son's 7th birthday. (please note that Ravelry discounts are done at check-out)

Here's the full list of patterns that will be on sale, with links to the Ravelry pages. Here's a link to my Etsy shop, if you'd rather buy the patterns there.

Dec 12: Pug with Anorak 
Dec 13: Santa Reindeer 
Dec 14: Beaver with Sweater Coat 
Dec 15: Polar Bear 
Dec 16: Dragon and Friends 
Dec 17: River Otter 
Dec 18: Chipmunk 
Dec 19: Tiger 
Dec 20: Owl and Baby 
Dec 21: Pirate Hippo 
Dec 22: Sloth 
Dec 23: Savannah Chaps

having fun with a bunny puppet

In case you were hesitating to knit a bunny puppet, because you weren't sure if your kids would like one, maybe this will convince you!


Remember that the pattern is 50% off until the end of March! You can find it on Etsy and Ravelry (if you buy it on Ravelry, the discount will be subtracted when you check-out)

Featured pattern: Mama and Baby Bunny

I've decided to try something new this year. I have so many patterns now that some tend to get overlooked, so I’d like to feature a different pattern each month. Since I missed January, there will be two patterns featured for February. This post will be about the Mama and Baby Bunny pattern (Ravelry, Etsy), and I'll write about the other featured pattern (the Flat Foot Floogies) on Feb. 2.

As an extra bonus, the featured patterns will be 50% off during the month they are featured!

I designed the Mama and Baby Bunny pattens to be part of my Festive Knits collection back in 2008. I was pregnant with my first child that year, and I'm pretty sure that influenced my choice! Right from the beginning, a bunny toy was one of my most popular designs (and still is today). While I love the size of my regular toys, I also liked the big, squishy teddy I made from chunky yarn, and wanted to make a rabbit in the same style. Because it's knit from thick yarn on big needles, the toy works up very quickly. However, with the big feet and ears, 100 g of yarn isn't quite enough, so I designed the toy to be made from two colours. It can be fun to play with different colour combinations, or you can knit it in natural colours like mine.

I tried out a few different outfit options for the Mama Bunny, but in the end decided to go with a very simple apron, so the toy would still be quick to make. Also, aprons don't get in the way of bunny tails! You can knit the apron with a plain colour, or use variegated or striping yarn for a more colourful apron. It can be finished with some pretty ribbon, or I-cord ties. You could even try making it fancier by adding a bit of embroidery. However, if you want different outfits for your Mama Bunny, you can try the anorak from the Pug, or the overalls from the Big Teddy. As well, any of my clothing patterns which call for fingering weight yarn can be scaled up to fit. Knit them with worsted weight yarn on 4.5 mm needles, adding a few rows for some extra length, if necessary. You can see an example with this toy, which is wearing a modified pinafore dress from my Well-Dressed Bunny pattern (photo used with permission).

Once I had designed a Mama Bunny, of course I had to make a Baby Bunny for her! I did this by scaling down my other bunny pattern, using lighter yarn, and making a few adjustments to the shaping of the toy pieces. The finished Baby Bunny will fit in your hand! A slightly fuzzy yarn is a good choice for this toy, and use 10 mm safety eyes to make it extra cute. The nappy/diaper is simple to knit, and a couple of small safety pins are a sweet detail (I found these as scrap-booking supplies). The Festive Knits book also includes a pattern for a very simple blanket, made with yarn scraps. Since this isn't included in the individual pattern, I will post a free pattern later in the month for a similar scrappy baby blanket.

If there is anything more you would like to know about the pattern, please let me know and I will add my answers to the bottom of the post. I will also be posting some examples of the pattern in another post, so look forward to that!

7 years!

November 6 will mark the seventh anniversary of Fuzzy Mitten! I'm not sure how it's all lasted this long, but I'm so grateful that so many people enjoy my patterns - enough to keep me going longer than I ever expected, and hopefully for a few more years to come!

Did I ever explain how Fuzzy Mitten got started? I used to work as a gardener, at a garden center. However, being in Canada, I had a few months off over the winter. I was bored, so I started knitting little toys just for fun, and to use up bits of yarn I'd found. Each toy had it's own character, and it was very satisfying to see how many variations I could make on one basic shape. The clothes were a big part of the fun too. I'd only been knitting for a couple years, and hadn't tackled anything like clothes for myself. Tiny toy outfits were a great way to experiment with garment shapes, stitches, and yarn types.

A friend suggested I try selling the toys on Etsy, since they were just sitting around my apartment. It seemed like an interesting idea, and setting everything up, while challenging for someone who wasn't really internet savvy, was also a good use of spare time. (If you're curious about my shop name, you can read about it here). Within a couple weeks of listing my toys, knitters found them, and started asking for patterns. I was quite hesitant at first, because I didn't consider myself an experienced knitter, and certainly not qualified to be a designer.

But the interest was clear, and growing, so I thought I would try. I wrote out the instructions for all those first toys I had made: a polar bear, a squirrel, a tabby cat, a puppy, a lamb, and many others. The patterns were rough, and I needed help with a lot of things, but they were popular! By the middle of the next summer, I was so busy designing and running my Etsy shop, I realized I would have to cut back the hours at my regular gardening job if I wanted to keep Fuzzy Mitten going.

It hasn't always been an easy or smooth journey since that day, but I don't regret giving my business the chance to grow, and giving myself the chance to grow and change along with it. I've been given some great opportunities, met a lot of lovely knitters, and overall had a wonderful time designing cute toys for others to knit.

Now, as a treat for reading all of that, here is some lovely news: I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop and my Ravelry shop to celebrate it's 7th anniversary!

EDIT: The coupon code I'd posted earlier for Etsy was causing problems, so I've simply reduced the prices of all the items. I hope you enjoy trying some new patterns, or giving them as gifts to fellow knitters!
In my Ravlery shop, you'll get 20% off when you check-out.

happy holidays sale

Do you still have time to fit in one or two little holiday knitting projects? Of course you do! Or perhaps you'd like to gift a pattern to someone who likes to knit cute toys? Starting November 22 and running until November 30 (eastern time in Canada), there will be a Happy Holidays Sale in my Ravelry shop!

Use the coupon code "happyholidays" to get 20% off the following holiday patterns:
Baby Penguin
Cozy Elf Tuque
Festive Knits (ebook)
Macaroni Penguin
Polar Bear
Santa Reindeer
Surfer Koala (for my friends in the Southern hemisphere)

But even if you decide not to use the coupon, I have a new holiday pattern for you which should be ready very soon!

summer vacation sale

We're headed out west next week, to spend the summer with my family! Mountains, lakes, forests, small towns, cousins, grandparents, and all kinds of other good things. My 3-year old asks about 20 times a day how soon we're leaving. I'm looking forward to actually being there. Getting ready to go is another matter! Thank goodness we have lovely friends house-sitting for us, so there's a lot less to worry about (like poor lonely kitties).

As a little summer treat for you, my lovely knitters, I'm having a sale in my Ravelry shop. The sale starts June 27 and runs until July 11. You'll get 15% off all my single patterns, and 10% off both my ebooks. No coupon code, and no minimum purchase required (just to make things simpler for all of us). Why not pick a summery pattern, like the Alpaca with Bikini or Surfer Koala? Or if you've done these already, knit summer outfits for your other toys! You could also try using a soft cotton yarn for more comfortable knitting in summer weather. I've been knitting up a bunch of Wee Wuzzies for gifts in un-dyed organic cotton. You can get all kinds of colours which are perfect for little animals (I've used this one, and really like it).

Before we leave, I have a couple blog posts I'd like to get written. A small modification on the Pookies to make another cute animal, and I've just had a fun idea for a give-away. So check back soon!

holiday sale

Thanks for all your kind words and thoughts. I can't tell you how much it helps at this time. As a little thank you, I'm having a sale in my Ravelry shop over the holidays, starting today and ending January 2. You get 20% off all my patterns and ebooks, no minimum purchase or coupon code required (the only exception is the Owl Tuque, since its proceeds are donated to charity). So, if you were thinking of gifting a pattern to yourself or another knitter, hopefully I've made it a little more affordable.

Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year!

savannah chaps

At long last, the new Savannah Chaps pattern is ready for sale! The pattern includes instructions for 3 animals: an elephant, a zebra, and a rhino. The toys can be knit from a single type of worsted weight yarn, or from multiple yarns like my Scraps Chaps pattern. Each toy takes about 50 g (at least 100 yards) of yarn. The zebra is done in 25 g of a main colour, and 25 g of white. Other materials needed are safety eyes or black yarn, stuffing, and a tapestry needle for seaming the pieces. It also includes a bonus pattern for a tiny mouse, knit with fingering weight yarn on 2.75 mm needles.

To celebrate the new pattern, and reward your patience, everything in my Ravelry shop is on sale for 20% off until Sunday night! The discount will be applied when you go to checkout. And if you've been wanting a printed book, they're also 20% off (just click on the book title to see the discounted price).

holiday sale updates

A few things today:

You know what, we'd really like you to have our books -- they make very nice presents! This is why between now and Christmas the printed versions of both "Fuzzy Knits" and "Festive Knits" are 25% off on Lulu.

I'm hoping to have a new hat pattern to release soon, maybe by the end of the week? I should be able to get the rest of the photos today, and then it just needs formatting (really wish that publishing software was easier to use). Like the books, I will probably offer it for a special sale price for the holidays, so save a little time in your knitting schedule!

I plan to have a big Etsy shop update of gift items next week. I have several toys to list, and plan to sew a few zip pouches. I'm also thinking of making kits for gift-giving. These would be for my Holiday Mice pattern, and would include yarn, stuffing, and notions for 2 mice, plus the printed pattern. A rough price estimate is about $10-12 US, plus shipping. Is this something many of you would be interested in?

holiday sale

I just had a sudden inspiration to offer you a surprise New Year's sale! Until January 7th, my Well Dressed Bunny pattern, as well as Clothing Bundles 1, 2, and 3 are all $2 off! Those links are to my Lulu store, but you can also find all those patterns on Etsy, and the Well Dressed Bunny on Ravelry. Happy knitting!

(Edit: the listed prices have been changed to the sale price, so you don't need to worry about sale codes or anything like that)

I hope you are all enjoying the holidays, and maybe even a well-deserved break from work (I know I am). We had a good visit with our house-guest last week, and even managed to get out to see a movie thanks to free babysitting. This week should be a little more laid-back without any holiday preparations to worry about. Although, we are officially on a diet from all the sweets and rich food (we might make an exception for New Year's eve celebrations). Lev is enjoying the new toys and books he received from relatives. We got him a shiny red sled, but he wasn't very happy in it the first time we took him out. Hopefully we get some fresh snow and less-cold weather this week, so we can try again.

I have completely failed at getting any photos, though I intend to try a little harder this week. It's just so discouraging when our house isn't very sunny (especially in winter) and I find our camera too clunky and heavy for fun snaps. The only photos we have are some portraits of Lev, which we took to send out to our families. Hopefully this goofy smile makes up for the lack of other photos!

sale

I have no birthday-type photos of myself, so you get to enjoy Greta making a wish on my ex-roommate's birthday cake.

I'm having a sale at my Etsy shop for my birthday, May 19! All the patterns are 15% off, and everything else is 10% off. I've already changed the prices on the patterns, and I'll change the prices on the other items tomorrow morning. The sale will last until the morning of May 20.

birthday sale

Sorry for the grumpiness earlier. Stuff like that gets to me, but it's resolved now, sort of... I'm still not happy with Lulu, and there are discussions going on about different options for my patterns and books. I'll keep you updated as we figure out the best plan for a new shop.

I have a special day coming next week - it's my birthday on May 19! I don't have much planned, except to see the new Star Trek movie. I've been looking forward to seeing it for something like a year now (I'm a big Star Trek geek, what can I say?). Anyway, I wanted to have a special promotion that day, as a birthday gift to all my wonderful customers. Everything in my Etsy store will be 10% off that day! The sale will start from the morning when I can get all the listings updated with the discounted price, to the next day around the same time. I might add some of my other patterns too, so there's lots to choose from.

Anyway, have a great weekend everyone!