It was Felix’s fourth birthday on Thursday, and subsequently we had a party for her, her friends and school friends.

At her request, we had an Octonauts themed party – pin the eyepatch on Kwazii, Octonaut skittles, paper plate whales, Octonaut colouring sheets…there was also decorating cupcakes but how does this relate to knitting?

Because of the best game ever!

Feed the Shark!

As well as the party bags that get handed out, I’m putting together a ‘Feed the Shark’ game where kids toss fish into a cardboard cutout sharks mouth. For completing this Octonaut Mission, they got to pick a fish and put it in their party bag.

I used the free pattern: Fishies by Jackie Ziegler, and had over sixty for the party! Took a photo of what was left afterwards, as well as the rather beat up shark – clearly he’s suffering from indigestion! (It was the selfies at the I end with the kids putting their heads through the mouth that did it really!) It was also the most popular game at the party, so mission success!

Wool count

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 117 (2 since last post!)
Wool bought – 42 (5 since last post – needed Gyrados blue, came in packs of five, honest!)
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 647

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Just back from a week long family holiday in Wales, there were steam engines, beaches, swimming, fishing, arts and crafts, shows, feeding (and attempted catching) of ducks interspersed with eating and sleeping.  However a distinct lack of cats…

I could do with a holiday from my holiday!

But between all that, snatched in quiet moments, I managed to not just complete a project, but actually design one! So without further ado, my Pusheen the Cat Scarf pattern!

You can find the pattern in the free patterns section or click on the link above.

The reason behind this one is that my neice adores Pusheen and I wanted to make a little something for her Christmas. Also scarves are always a good choice in Scotland! Next up: A gyrados scarf for my nephew!

Busy busy!

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 115 (6 since last post!)
Wool bought – 37 (4 since last post – Felix wanted me to get a souvenir from Wales!)
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 644

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How very Halloween sounding is that blog post title?

Anyhow…

Last post I said I wanted to knit something that wasn’t food or caterpillar related, perhaps a ‘cute Halloween knit, Christmas presents, a little something for me, or a little something for Felix or Inkling…?’

Decided to first of all combine Halloween knit with an Inkling knit and a practical one too!

It’s a bat pacifier clip. Or dummy clip. I actually made two.

I crossed two free patterns together to make these, first of all Corrente com Lagarta (Pacifier Clip with a Caterpillar) by Mamã Martinho (for the idea mostly, but the chain too) and Bat Knitting Pattern by Linda Dawkins. I’ve used this pattern before for the wings of my flying eyeballs, which, are still hanging up two years on from that post…

The other thing I’ve finished this week is also kind of Halloween in a sense, and for Felix, and again another practical knit.

They are seat belt cosies as Felix has moved on to using a seat belt now! (She’s grown so fast!) Again, another free pattern – Seat belt snuggles by Chris Behme – and again, I made two, one for my car and one for her Yeah-Yeahs car. Here’s a close up of those adorable buttons!

As a slight aside, when asked what colour she wanted it, she responded with ‘any colour so long as it’s green’

How very Henry Ford!

I’ve got a few more projects on the go at the moment, all of them good stash busters, but more on those when they’re finished.

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 109 (11 since last post!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 646 (Finally less than my starting total! Again…)

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It’s the end of an era! Ok, not quite, but I have been working on the Hungry Caterpillar project since the end of June, that’s two and a half months!

For someone used to not really spending more than a week on something, that’s a very, very long time.

But without further ado:

That there, is all three sets laid out. Even I have to admit it’s pretty impressive when you see it like that. You will also notice that there are cocoons in that photo!

Like the salami, I couldn’t find a pattern in my books or online, so I made one. You can find it in the free patterns page or just click here!

And now onto something completely different.

But what? Nothing to do with the metamorphosis of a caterpillar, or any form of food item that’s for sure.

Hmm…

Cute Halloween knit, Christmas presents, a little something for me, or a little something for Felix or Inkling…?

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 98 (9 since last post!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 657

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So, let’s show off the only thing I have to show this week: Butterflies!

For these guys, I used the free pattern: Metamorphosis part II – the Butterfly by ChemKnits. You’ll notice that each of these, unlike the other Hungry Caterpillar set items, are all different. I had three different wools I could use for the wings, so decided to make one butterfly per different wool. (I couldn’t decide basically). Then did body colour to match. My favourite is the left one, though Engel likes the one on the right! Felix settled on the middle one as it was the first one to be made.

I’m currently working on the cocoon, though I’m having to make up my own pattern for this one, if it turns out well I’ll post it online. Hopefully it will at least meet the demands set by my three (four in just over three weeks!) year old gremlin…

That’s all for now, there’s a cold going through the house so I’m going to make lemon tea and curl up in a blanket nest and relish the few hours of quiet I have before bed…

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 89 (9 since last post!)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 666 (Mwahahah!!!!!)

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Hi all! Been enjoying my bank holiday weekend by doing more birthday stuff! Meeting up with some friends and gaming with other friends as well, even managed to sneak in a trip to my LYS and found a ball of wool that was whispering…just one! And once I get through my queue of knits I know exactly what it’s going to be!

Now if only I could say the same for the rest of the wool I have…

On that note, on to my finished knitting! Still ploughing on with the Hungry Caterpillar sets, and this week I have made:

Muffins! Ok, they’re really actually a modified version of the free pattern: Divine Cupcakes by Maiya Becker – I worked K2P2 rib on the cake bottom to make the cupcake wrapper (increasing an extra two sts in the base to do so) then doubled the number of knit rows called for in the frosting to make it taller.

Oddly enough, I really wanted to make these so was glad to finally get them on the needles! I worked the free pattern: knitted watermelon by Elaine Simper double stranded to give a more textured/mottled appearance particularly in the watermelon flesh.

Oops, appears Ziggy decided to photobomb me here! (Actually that reminds me of an amusing fact, one of the reasons we got Ziggy was Engel wanted a boy kitty. Took Ziggy to the vets to be vaccinated and the vet rather worriedly informed me, in a hushed voice so Felix wouldn’t overhear, that she was very sorry but he was a she. I couldn’t stop laughing for nearly 20 minutes…)

Anyhow.

And on Sunday he ate through a nice big leaf. Again, double stranded for more colour variation and I used the free cloth pattern: Leaf Cloth Trio by Theresa L. Jones, I used Leaf 3 as I like that it both curved and had veins.

When I was working on the leaves, Felix asked me yet again to knit the caterpillar egg from the beginning of the book, to which it responded that no, it would be so small it would be lost instantly. She then countered my argument by stating the egg could be sewn onto its own little leaf, then it won’t get lost.

I worry that she’s out smarting me and she’s not even four. Not that it’s difficult to do that, but still.

So without further ado:

A little egg on a little leaf. The leaf is made using yet another free pattern: Woodland Wreath, Leaves by Frankie Brown. The egg is simply a little bobble I knitted up and sewn on afterwards.

Alright, that’s enough typing for now, I have butterflies, cocoons and fish to get knitting.

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 80 (7 since last post)
Wool bought – 34
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 675

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Lollipops:

The pattern is ‘Lollipop’ by Sarah Keen from her book 100 Little Knitted Projects

Cherry Pie

These where made with the free pattern: Piece O’ Cherry Pie by Jennifer Tallapaneni

Sausages

These where made with the free pattern: Very Vegan Sausages by Emily Anna Bingham.

In knitting news, I was given Engels grandmother’s (Felix and Inklings Great Grandma) old knitting stash. Once I sifted through it and split the useable from the mohair (allergic) I was left with eighty 10-50g balls of wool. Yes. Eighty.

There goes the wool count again.

I was also given two lovely balls of alpaca wool for my birthday, I feel no guilt as in my mind they’re already knitted into toy alpacas! I will have my own herd of alpacas! They will be miniature and cuddly and require no feeding or cleaning, but I shall have a herd of them!

Mwahahah!!!!!!

You may have guessed that it’s been a long weekend of celebrating, it’s been behind awesome and I may be shattered, but worth it!

Till next week (hopefully I’ll have another productive week of knitting to show you!)

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 73 (6 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 131
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 682

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Apologies for the lack of updates lately, I’ve had family visiting, holiday in the Lakes (I highly recommend the ‘Wheres Peter Rabbit?’ show – the puppets are beautiful!) then more family visiting!

But, I have finally finished the next part of the Hungry Caterpillar sets! The salami!

In order to get a salami I liked, I created my own pattern, which is available here for free!

This one took a few trial and errors – colour mostly, then how I wanted to do the ‘slice’ but I got there in the end. Enjoy!

Short post today as I have a lot to do!

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 67 (0 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 606

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First of all, apologies on missing my blog post last week – been having lots of family down visiting, and also a new addition!

Everyone, meet Ziggy:

 

Now onto the knitted food!

Oranges:

Pattern used was Advent Tree: Tangerine by Alan Dart. (Knitting 15 of those was a challenge in staying awake!)

Chocolate cake (with a cherry on top)

Used free knitting pattern Let Them Knit Cake by Hannah Kaminsky, and Cherry by Linda Dawkins. (I used fuzzy wool for the frosting, to give it a bit more texture)

Ice cream

Used free pattern Scooped by Marcie Nishioka (Felix decided she didn’t want a pink one like in the book, and instead wanted her favourite ice cream flavour – mint choc chip!)

Pickles (yes, really, pickles)

Used free pattern Fuzzy Short Row Pickle by Ana Clerc (I was amazed this pattern existed, but apparently it’s a German tradition to hide them in Christmas trees…?)

Swiss cheese slice

Very heavily modified the free pattern Swiss Cheese Scarf by Winnie Shih (My mods have been noted down on the project page on my Ravelry account)

Phew, lots of knitting! And still lots more to do to finish the Hungry Caterpillar sets…

In other news, been doing a massive clean up before the next round of family fun! There was a very near disaster though with Engel hoovering…much like the one documented here:

True story…killed the hoover too…but I got my wool back!

Man these comics are old…now I feel old…oh well! Back to knitting, it’s salami next.

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 67 (2 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 606

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Pears:

Free pattern – mr. pear by peachcake knits

Plums:

Pattern used is Advent Tree: Sugar Plum by Alan Dart

Strawberries:

Free pattern – Strawberries by Pezdiva

Been a hectic week with family down – won’t lie, there was a lot of ups and downs, but also a fair bit of knitting time!

On that note, I am shattered, so super short post today, but at least there was lots to look at!

Wool count:

Starting total – 650

Wool used – 65 (2 since last post)
Wool bought – 33
Wool given – 49
Wool gifted – 59

Total – 608

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