This is Tilly Teddy, made from a pattern by Emma King in her book “The Best Dressed Knitted Bears”. She’s going to go to a new home with one of my son’s friends, a little girl who is two. I made her with Sirdar Calico in a lovely rose pink shade, and Rowan Calmer in dusty lavender for her clothes. I did adapt the pattern quite a bit as the original had lots of sequins and things on it, and I wanted to make a very simple toy as it was for a toddler. It’s a lovely little pattern though, and knits up in about 3 or 4 hours, so great for a last minute present.
Author: toryawintersdesigns
Designer, maker, lover of colourful sparkly things.
Mobile Phone Case Free Pattern
My husband amazed me today, when he asked me to knit him a case for his mobile phone. This is from a man who usually hates knitting and handmade things, so I jumped at the opportunity. He recently bought some very cool Adidas trainers in bright multi colours, and wanted the case to match them.
I have a whole box of bright coloured acrylic yarn oddments in the loft, so I dug out a variety of colours and set to work. The pattern is below if anyone wants to have a go, and he loves the finished result!
Mobile Phone Case
You will need:
3.25mm knitting needles
4mm crochet hook
Yarn in your preferred colours – I used black as the main colour, and blue, pink, orange, purple, yellow and green as the contrast colours.
This case measures 4.5 x 3 inches.
Cast on 20 sts (this can be adjusted to make a wider or narrower case, but make the number divisible by two) and knit 2 rows in stocking stitch. All subsequent rows will also be in stocking stitch.
Row 1 – With the first contrast colour, knit two stitches. Then knit two stitches each in the second and third contrast colours. Repeat to the end of the row.
Row 2 – Purl this row, working all stitches in the same colours as previous row.
Rows 3 & 4 – Work two rows in with main colour.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 with the other three contrast colours.
*Knit 6 rows with the main colour. Knit 1 row in the first contrast colour.
Repeat from * 8 times, using each contrast colour in turn, and starting again from the beginning when all have been used once.
Knit 2 rows in main colour.
Cast off.
Fold the case in half so that the cast off edge is just under the checked piece of knitting, matching all stripes. Sew the side seams with backstitch, and weave in ends.
Edge the top opening and flap of the case with two rows of double crochet in the main colour, adding a chain loop in the centre of the flap on the second row.
Sew on a button to finish!
Designed by Torya Williams for ButterflySparkleDesigns, 2009. Please do not reproduce the pattern or the design for financial gain.
Vintage knitting
My mum has a huge collection of old books which I like to browse through from time to time, and I discovered this fantastic vintage knitting book the other day. It’s called Practical Home Knitting, and was reprinted in 1949. Some of the patterns are charmingly dated – for example a brightly coloured fair isle hat and scarf set that will apparently be sought after by any young man under twenty. I can’t quite see my teenage brothers wearing it!
I did notice one pattern that I thought would look great knitted up as a modern garment. It’s a sailor style top with a textured boat pattern and a classic sailor collar.
The pattern called for 3ply yarn and No. 9 needles, which seemed like an odd match to me. I went on the internet to find out some information about vintage yarns and knitting, and discovered a number of really useful websites. Kristen Rengren has written a whole series of articles about the subject, covering everything from yarn substitution to adapting gauge for a better fit. There’s also a website called Skiff Vintage Knitting which has a lot of tips and tricks for deciphering the patterns.
I was quite lucky in that the pattern happened to be in my size already, so I didn’t have to worry too much about adapting it. According to the websites I found, vintage 3ply is more like modern 4ply yarn. I swatched some grey Regia yarn with the No. 9 (3.75mm) needles, but the tension was just too loose. Then I remembered a cone of blue acrylic at the back of my stash, and swatched this with 3.25mm needles. It knitted up beautifully, so I got started!
The pattern is beautifully designed, with hems at the bottom and sleeve edges, and of course the lovely textured pattern. I think it’s going to look quite cool with jeans when it’s finished, and tie into the nautical trend that always seems to pop up again in fashion. Even if I never wear it, it’s a fun experiment in vintage knitting, and I’ve learnt loads!
Moss stitch purse
John Lewis was having a sale, and I couldn’t resist picking up a few (well, lots!) of bargains. I haven’t made anything for my Folksy shop for ages, so I decided to design a purse with some RYC Cotton Jeans.
I made it in moss stitch with a double crochet edging on the flap, and a crochet hexagon on the back. The lining is made from yellow cotton, and there’s a zip fastening under the poppered flap. It’s perfect for holding money and cards, or using as a little evening clutch bag.
The colour scheme was inspired by 70s hippy style and citrus fruit, which might not be to everyone’s taste, but I like it! I’m off to have a look through the rest of my purchases and do some more designing now.
Although, it’s hard to find the time when there’s something this cute to play with…
Crochet football
I’ve finished my first real crochet project! It’s a football from Simply Knitting magazine, and although it was supposed to be for H, F hasn’t let go of it since I sewed the last stitch! I used cotton yarn from my stash for the outside, and white cotton fabric for the lining.
The crocheting was easy enough to do once I got into it, but it took me a while to work out how to do the lining. I had to cut out pentagon shapes, and maths has never been my strong point. My old protractor was dug out for the first time since I did my GCSEs!
I’m inspired by the success of this project, so I’m working on a rug for the kids’ room now, and would like to try a doily at some point. Crochet is more fun than I thought – now I just need to learn to do it without looking so I can watch telly at the same time!
Torya Winters Designs 