10th anniversary give-away: Knit and Crochet Toys magazine

For my third give-away, you could win a copy of Knit and Crochet toys magazine! I contributed two patterns to this special issue, and in addition to those, there are over 20 adorable and fun patterns to knit or crochet. You can check out the magazine here, and see all the patterns over on Ravlery.

As before, if you'd like a chance to win this gift, please leave a comment on this post, including a contact method (email, Ravelry name, etc).

P.S. I didn't mention on the previous post that I'm willing to ship to just about anywhere. If for some reason you win, but I can't ship to your country, I hope we can figure out an alternative prize.

10th anniversary give-away - Puss in Boots kit

Today I have a kit plus pattern to give-away! My Puss in Boots pattern was originally published in Knit Now magazine, and came with a kit, containing enough yarn to knit one toy. If you'd like a chance to win this kit and pattern, please leave a comment below, including a contact (email, Ravelry name, etc). I will draw a random winner on November 15, so you have lots of time to enter!

Don't forget to check yesterday's post, if you'd like a chance to win a free pattern of your choice. Plus, more give-away contests to come over the next 2 days!

10th anniversary give-away - Patterns

In addition to the free teddy pattern I mentioned yesterday, I will be having a few give-away contests this week. I'll announce each separately, and you can enter all of them, or just the ones you're interested in. To enter, please leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. If you comment in both places, you'll have 2 chances to win, since it would be too hard to sort out who's who. If you do comment here, please include a way for me to contact you (email address, Ravelry name, etc). I'll draw for all the give-away gifts on November 15, so you'll have lots of time to enter.

Today, the give-away is for a copy of one of my knitting patterns. I'll choose 10 winners (one for each year, of course), and you can pick whichever design you like. You can see all of them in my Ravelry store. (Please note that I have a number of other designs which I cannot sell myself, so the store is the best place to see what you could choose). I've even been working on my newest pattern, the Wood-Elves, so it's ready in time for the give-away draw.

Please check back later in the week, to see what else you could win! Or just come to see photos of cute knitted toys, I don't mind ;)

10 year anniversary celebration

I'm resurrecting this long-quiet blog, to announce a special 10 year anniversary event!

It has been ten years since I opened my first shop on Etsy, and I wanted to do something special to show all my lovely customers how much I appreciate you. To start off a week of fun give-aways, I've updated my very first pattern: a teddy with a sweet cardigan. You can download it for free, for the whole month of November! I'll announce a new prize each day this week, both here and on my Facebook page, so be sure to check back later! More details will be given each day, but the give-aways will remain open for a while, so don't worry about missing them.

Teddy Pattern

 I never thought I would still be designing knitted toys ten years after I started, as it was just something to keep me busy between jobs. I've learned so much over the years, tried lots of interesting things, and I am still enjoying creating cute toys for people to knit. I have some projects in mind for the next year or two, so if you enjoy my patterns, be sure to visit and see what I'm up to!

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

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.

Wee Panda Toy and Finger Puppet

In honour of my birthday today, I'm sharing a new free pattern with you! This one was originally published in Knit Now magazine last year. I've made a few small changes to that version, and added a finger puppet body. These tiny toys are great as a last minute gift. You can turn them into back-pack accessories, a key-chain, or just give them as a special pocket-friend. (Tip: you can also ignore the colour changes, and so make the toy a bear or hamster instead. Or, if you own the Wee Wuzzies pattern, you can add their heads and tails to the finger puppet body, and make a whole handful of cuteness!)

I hope you all enjoy making a Wee Panda or three! 

Materials
9 g of white (MC) and 6 g of black (CC) DK weight yarn, pair of 3.25 mm (US size 3) knitting needles, pair of black 6 mm safety eyes or beads, polyester stuffing, tapestry needle
Gauge 
5.5 sts and 8.5 rows = 2.5 cm (1") measured over st st
Size 
5.5 cm (2¼”). The finger puppet will fit a child or small adult hand.

Notes
Use a long-tail, or similar, cast on. Leaving a 25 cm (10”) yarn end when casting on will give you a convenient length of yarn for seaming and assembling the toy.
Intarsia colour changes are marked by the yarn colour preceding each set of stitches. Use mattress stitch for seams, and whip stitch to assemble toy pieces.
If you don’t want to work the intarsia eye-patches, they can also be embroidered with duplicate stitch on the finished head.

Toy Body 
Begin at bottom. With MC, cast on 6 sts.
Row 1: Purl.
Row 2: K1, [m1, k1] to end. (11 sts)
Row 3: Purl.
Row 4: K1, [m1, k1] to end. (21 sts)
Row 5: MC p7, CC p1, MC p5, CC p1, MC p7.
Row 6: MC k7, CC mb, MC k5, CC mb, MC k7.
Continue in MC.
Row 7-12: Work 6 rows in st st.
Break off MC, change to CC.
Row 13: Purl.
Row 14: K7, mb, ssk, k1, k2tog, mb, k7. (19 sts)
Row 15: Purl.
Row 16: K2, [ssk] x 3, k3, [k2tog] x 3, k2. (13 sts)
Row 17: Purl.
Bind off. With a length of MC yarn (or the ends from working instaria) sew down the edges of the bobbles, then knot yarn ends tightly together and trim short. Sew together cast-on edge, then sew up back seam, leaving bound-off edge open. Stuff body (you'll need to be careful when stuffing the body, so the black yarn ends from the bobbles don't show).

Finger Puppet Body 
Begin at bottom. With MC, cast on 16 sts.
Row 1-2: Beginning with a P row, work 2 rows in st st.
Row 3: MC p5, CC p1, MC p4, CC p1, MC p5.
Row 4: MC k5, CC mb, MC k4, CC mb, MC k5.
Row 5-7: Work 3 rows in st st.
Row 8: K5, ssk, k2, k2tog, k5. (14 sts)
Row 9-10: Work 2 rows in st st.
Break off MC, change to CC.
Row 11: Purl.
Row 12: K4, mb, ssk, k2tog, mb, k4. (12 sts)
Row 13: Purl.
Bind off. With a length of MC yarn (or the ends from working instaria) sew down edges of bobbles, weave yarn ends through the bobbles a few times, and trim ends. Sew up back seam, leaving cast-on and bound-off edges open.

Head 
Begin at back of head. With MC, cast on 7 sts.
Row 1: Purl.
Row 2: K1, [m1, k1] x 5, k1. (12 sts)
Row 3: Purl.
Row 4: K1, [m1, k1] x 10, k1. (22 sts)
Row 5: MC p8, CC p1, MC p4, CC p1, MC p8.
Row 6: MC k8, CC kfbf, turn, p3, turn, sk2p, MC k4, CC kfbf, turn, p3, turn, sk2p, MC k8. (this rows makes tiny bobbles for the ears)
Continue in MC.
Row 7-9: Work 3 rows in st st.
Row 10: MC k6, CC k4, MC k2, CC k4, MC k6.
Row 11: MC p6, CC p4, MC p2, CC p4, MC p6.
Continue in MC.
Row 12: K2, [k2tog] x 4, k2, [ssk] x 4, k2. (14 sts)
Row 13-15: Work 3 rows in st st.
Row 16: [k2tog] x 7. (7 sts)
Cut yarn, thread end through loops of rem sts, and pull tight to gather. Weave in yarn ends from intarsia sections. Attach safety eyes. Sew seam towards back of head, leaving an opening. Stuff head, smoothing and shaping as you stuff. Sew closed. Embroider nose and mouth. Sew head to the open bound-off-edge of the toy or puppet body.

Abbreviations 
[ ] x N = repeat sequence in brackets N times ("to end" means to repeat until the end of the row)
K = knit
k2tog = decrease 1 by knitting 2 together
kfbf: increase 2 by knitting into front, then back, then front of next stitch
m1 = increase 1 by picking up loop between stitch just worked and next stitch, and knit into the back of this loop
mb = Make bobble: increase 5 sts into next st (knit, purl, knit, purl, knit into this stitch), turn. P5, turn. K5, turn. P5, turn. Ssk, k1, k2tog, then, one at a time, pass first 2 sts over the last st on your right-hand needle, to get 1 rem st.
P = purl
RS = right side
s2kp = decrease 2 by slipping 2 stitches as if to k2tog, knit the next stitch, then pass the 2 slipped stitches over the knit stitch
ssk = decrease 1 by slipping 2 stitches purl-wise, slip back onto left needle, then knit slipped sts together
st or sts = stitch or stitches
st st = stockinette stitch
WS = wrong side

Kyr very kindly modelled the toys for me, 

so you can see how big they are compared to a 4-year old.