Knitted mini-doll, neulottu mininukke

When I was a child and teenager I made loads of these dolls. Now this one is to hang on my granddaughter's pram or bouncy. She loves looking at colourful things. It is very easy to make and you could add things like buttons or hair to it.

Videotape crochet bag - videonauhasta virkattu kassi

Finished a shopping bag for my Mum. It is crocheted out of videotape. Made in a very simple way with double crochet. Also the handles are crocheted, they are very long, reach to more than half way down the sides and sewn on very securely.

Quick crochet scarf - nopeasti virkattu huivi

I made several scarfs like this for Christmas presents. It is very easy crochet in chunky wool, using crochet needle size 8 mm. Feels lovely, soft and warm. I used Novita Teddy.

This is how:

• Chain 20 + 4 for turning (makes a scarf 25 cm wide)
• Treble to 5th stitch from hook, *1 ch, skip 1, 1 treble*, repeat until end of row
  
• *chain 3, 1 double crochet into loop*, repeat unti end of rown, turn
• Continue until your scarf is long enough, mine is 140 cm.
  

etc.

Knit video tape - Neulo videonauhaa

Most of us have lots of video tapes we are no longer using. Open the casing with a screwdriver and take the tape reels out. There are many things that can be made when you knit, crochet or weave the tape. I'm making a rug for the bathroom using tape. If you think that too rough for your feet, use the rug at your entrance - or make a bag out of it.

I use hollow plastic needles metric size 10 (thickness of my little finger) and just knit back and forth, using the tape and coloured linen thread at the same time.

Knitted baby mittens - vauvan lapaset

I knitted the cuffs on smaller needles, knit 2, purl 2, so the mittens stay on better. 24 stiches, I knitted round on 4+1 needles.

Ranneosa on neulottu pienemmillä puikoilla, että siitä tulee tiukempi. 24 s.

Here's a chart for the lace part:
Pitsineuleosan kaavio:

Crochet toys for baby mobile

Recently I brought this baby mobile as a present for my new granddaughter. The hanging animals are fixed with velcro, so I decided to crochet alternative toys to hang on the mobile. Here they are, each have a string attached to a bit of velcro at the back.

Each figure is made of two circles of about 9 cm in double crochet (single crochet in American terms) and I crocheted them together from the edges, putting some wadding inside. The mouth is sewn on, the eyes small crochet circles sewn on. After the middle bits were finished I added various kinds of petals and frills to them.

The curly bits on the bottom right flower are done like this:
make a starting chain about 3 times the length you want the frill to be. Crochet back on it by making two double crochet stiches (single crochet if American) in each chain stitch. When you are finished you still need to curl it around your finger so it becomes even.

Bead earrings - korvakoruja helmistä

There are millions of lovely beads you can buy as well as other components to make up earrings. I have bought these in London at www.beadworks.co.uk but I'm sure you'll find them close to where you live or else in the many online stores. Here a photo of a few I've made.

Kauniita helmiä ja muita korvakoruihin tarvittavia osia myydään monissa paikoissa ja niistä on kiva tehdä mieleisiään korvakoruja. Nämä ostin Lontoon reissulla, mutta varmasti löytyy lähempääkin ja verkkokaupoista. www.beadworks.co.uk Tässä kuva muutamista tekemistäni korvakoruista.

Vauvan tossut, ohje

Katso myös erilaiset vauvan tossut ohjeineen uudessa blogissani.
Kätevä ja nopea tapa tehdä vauvan tossut. Nämä pysyvät hyvin jalassa ja perusohjetta on helppo muokata haluamakseen. Varren voi jättää pitkäksi tai kääntää kahtia.

Olen käyttänyt puikkoja no. 3. Langaksi käy esim. Gjästalin Maija tai Novitan Nalle tai Wool. Mutta jos haluat käyttää paksumpaa lankaa, vähennä silmukoita. Tällä ohjeella tulee ihan pienelle vauvalle sopivat tossut.

• Luo 44 s ja neulo aina oikein 16 krs
  
• Päätä 10 silmukkaa 17. krs:n alusta ja neulo krs loppuun
• Päätä 10 silmukkaa 18. krs:n alusta ja neulo krs loppuun (5 cm x 22 cm)
• Näyttää tässä vaiheessa tältä:

• Jaa loput silmukat 3 sukkapuikolle ja ala neuloa ympyrää.
  
• Näin:

• Jatka neulomista kunnes sukkaosassa on 13 krs. Keksi mitä tahansa kuvioita tai värejä. Lisään tänne kuvia, kunhan saan uusia valmiiksi...
  
• Kavenna: 2 s oikein yhteen koko kerroksen ajan.
• Seuraavalla kerroksella samoin
  
• Katkaise lanka ja vedä se loppujen silmukoitten läpi.
  
• Ompele varsiosan saumat kiinni ja päättele langat.

(The same in English)

Baby booties with instructions

This is a very handy way of knitting baby booties. They are easy to make, stay on well and also the basic pattern is easy to alter in any way you like. The cuff can be folded or left longer.

I have used knitting needles european size 3. Use any wool that you like, take needles the same thickness as wool and alter the number of stiches accordingly. Mine are for a baby up to 3 months.

• Make 44 stiches and knit 16 rows
• Finish off 10 stiches in the beginning of row 17 and knit the rest across
• Finish off 10 stiches in the beginning of row 18 and knit the rest across (5 cm x 22 cm)
• Looks like this:

• Now divide the stiches on 3 short needles and start knitting round.
• Looks like this:

• Continue knitting, making any pattern you like, until you have 13 rows of the foot bit
• Knit 2 together the whole row
• Again knit 2 together the whole row
• Cut wool, pull it through the rest of the stiches
• Sew the sides together

(SUOMEKSI - IN FINNISH)

Felted wallhanging

This is a wallhanging I made several years ago and still have on my wall. It is made out of felt I first rainbow-dyed myself.








Here's how you make this:

• Get a board (polystyrene works well) a bit bigger than the finished item
• Put nails/pins along the sides and string some sort of thread criss-cross. I used brightly coloured weaving linen thread but any other is just as fine
• put a bit of felt under each spot where the threads meet and then some felt on top and felt them together. That way the thread is stuck and when you take the hanging out of the board the whole lot stays together. I used soap and hot water for the felting but you could use needles as well.

Paljaat varpaat - sukkia Euroopan köyhimmille lapsille

Jos kudot mielelläsi sukkia, tee muutama ylimääräinen pari ja lähetä ne Radio Dein kautta Euroopan köyhimmille lapsille. Lisätietoa aiheesta os. www.radiodei.fi/?sid=152. Itse olen vasta saanut aikaiseksi kolmet sukat, mutta kaiken kaikkiaan niitä on tämän hetken tiedon mukaan kerääntynyt pian tuhat paria.

Otetaan osaa keräykseen!

Sorry about the post in Finnish only - it is about charity knitting for poor children in Eastern Europe.

Crochet baby blanket

My first grandchild was born 10 days ago :) It's a beautiful little girl and I'm a proud grandmother! Now I'm crocheting her a small blanket, more for decoration than for warmth, I suppose.



And here's a close-up:



Here's the finished blanket, size 52 x 70 cm.

Knitted baby cardigan with crochet trim

Finished another cardigan for my grand-daughter who should be born next month. (Well, the buttons are still missing.) It is on a very soft yarn and the bits around the buttons and the neck have been crocheted after the pieces had been sewn together.

Fairyland - child's applique picture

I made this applique picture many years ago for my children's wall. Even though it is simple I love the feeling of fairyland it also gives to myself! The little golden birds are on transparent thread and move from tree to tree and even hide under the "branches".



Here a couple of close-ups

Neulegraffitipalasia Manchesteriin!

Tämä myös suomeksi.

Manchester Craft & Design centre kerää neulegraffitipalasia tämän vuoden loppuun asti valtavaa neuleinstallaatiota varten. Koko 7 x 40 cm, tekniikka ihan mikä tahansa, kunhan pala on tehty langasta. Ajattelin, että kiva olisi ottaa osaa.

Täällä osoite, johon työt lähetetään, kuvia ja lisätietoa:
www.craftanddesign.com/about/yarnbombing

Choosing colours

All my free time continues to be spent on recorating my new home. I have moved many many times in the past and decorated several homes. Little by little I have got to know what I want my home to look like to feel happy and at home there. For me the most important thing is strong colours.

Every person is different and therefore nobody can tell anyone else what sort of colours they should have in their home. I find that the best advice is to get a picture, piece of fabric, a scene in a movie, object, anything... that makes you feel invigorated and content. That warm feeling that this is ME. Then use the style of that item to model your home. This time I'm doing exactly this and feel very happy about the results. I'll post photos later on when the apartment isn't so messy with tools and bits and pieces all over the floors!

This photo is one of those that really felt lovely to me. Unfortunately can't remember anymore where I got it from.

Baby cardigan

Got the baby cardigan finished :)

Working on baby cardigan

The baby cardigan needs to be finished by Sunday. Won't be a problem, I'm well on with it now. I enjoy the pattern.

Here's a detail:



And here you can see where I am at the moment:

Calculating the number of stiches using a sample

When I was about 10 and at school I had a handcraft book that explained in a very simple way how to calculate the number of sctiches you need. I looked at it so often that I still remember the page exactly! Eventually I learned it by heart.





(= Width of finished knitting multiplied with the number of stiches in the sample, then divided by the width of the sample)


This works just as well if you use centimeters or other units of measurement.


I normally have about 30 stiches in the sample, or more if there is a wide patterning on it like cables or lace. The sample obviously needs to be knitted in the same wool and using the same needles you plan to use for the actual work. When measuring it I leave out 2-3 stiches from each edge and of course count them out from the number of stiches in the sample.

Silmukkamäärän laskeminen mallitilkusta

Varmaan monelle neulojalle tämä on itsestään selvä asia, mutta kirjaan tänne kuitenkin silmukoiden laskemisen mallitilkun pohjalta. Neuloin paljon jo lapsena ja muistan vieläkin tarkasti koulun käsityökirjan sivun, jolla oli laskentakaava. Niin paljon se oli käytössä ennen kuin opin sen ulkoa.




Hyvin harvoin neulon mitään suoraan ohjeesta, vaikka mielelläni katselenkin ohjeita. Siksi kaikessa teen aina ensin mallitilkun. Luonnollisestikin mallitilkku tehdään samalla langalla ja samoilla puikoilla kuin työssä on tarkoitus käyttää. Useimmiten teen uuden neuleen mittaamalla sen kokoa olemassaolevaan. Mallitilkkuun laitan n. 30 silmukkaa ja kun mittaan sen, en ota reunasilmukoita mukaan. Mittaan 20-25 silmukan leveyden mallista riippuen.

A "new old" pattern

There is a story to this piece of knitting: when my mother (now 80) moved house a couple of years ago, we went through everything that had been accumulated in more than 40 years. Among other things she found a mouse-chewn baby cardigan that she had knitted for my younger brother before he was born. This is the pattern on the cardigan, in different colours. The original is pale green & white. Now my brother and his wife have just had a new baby, so I'm going to knit a cardigan for her, using this kind of patterning.

Tähän neulemalliin liittyy tarina: kun nyt 80-vuotias äitini pari vuotta sitten muutti talostaan, jossa oli asunut yli 40 vuotta, kävimme kaiken läpi. Yksi löytynyt esine oli vauvan villatakki, jonka äitini oli neulonut veljelleni ennen hänen syntymäänsä. Villatakissa on hiirensyömiä reikiä, mutta siitä sai kuitenkin mallin kopioitua. Veljeni ja hänen vaimonsa ovat juuri saaneet uuden vauvan, joten teen tätä mallia käyttäen vauvalle villatakin. Koetan saada sen valmiiksi parin viikon päästä oleviin ristiäisiin.

Knitted cables and crocheted frills

At the moment I'm knitting a cardigan for one of my daughters. In the photo a detail of the pattern.





This is a child's knitted hat with crochet frills. You make them by first making a chain and then single crochet 2-3 stiches to each chain stich. That's what makes it twirl around.
Tupsu virkataan siten, että ensin tehdään ketjusilmukoita. Seuraavalla kerroksella jokaiseen ketjusilmukkaan virkataan 2-3 kiinteää silmukkaa. Tämä saa aikaan kierteen.

Multi-coloured mittens and top

I love everything colourful. These mittens are another example of that.

So many balls of wool at the same time get tangled!

As you can see, I like to use up left-over wool. And then of course, there's never enough - I buy more - and then there's more left-overs. Suppose that goes for everyone who knits and crochets :)

Crochet in wool and cotton

I have always loved crocheting. Here are a few things I have made, some recent, some older. I first learned to crochet thin lace, then only later wool and other thicker materials. Some of these are very easy, others take a bit more skill to make. Starting with an easy one: a wool net scarf.





Then a top in lace crochet, with also a detailed photo. I must admit that the reason why there is a different looking bit on both sides is that the first version was a bit too small for me :)









A cardigan I finished a few weeks ago. Since I hardly ever use patterns for anything, I ended up making the bottom, lacy part twice because the first try was too tight. But I don't mind! Now that I'm not doing any craft or sewing for work, I enjoy it even when something needs to be done twice.













These mittens are a pattern I often used as a teenager. You first crochet the middle bits separately, front and back, then a few rows around them before joining the front and back. After that you last make the cuff, then crocheting round.








The little pram figure is one I have used in many baby cards, in different colours. It is starched with 50% sugar 50% water solution.






This crochet in jeans blue wool got lost when I moved about a year ago! It was a half made cardigan. It will eventually turn up from somewhere, I'm sure: