Chaos Dwarf

Posted on 18/12/2012 by

1

 

New pattern time!

After I made a Warhammer Dwarf hat for my partner a couple of months ago (dwarves are his army), I was asked by his friend to make him a hat too. His army is a Chaos Dwarf one, and he provided me with the picture above as a guide.

The making of this was massive fun! Choosing the yarn, figuring out the increases, deciding how to represent the different features of the hat in woolly wool. And it gave me an opportunity to use the project to raise money for animal welfare. The recipient made a big donation to our local animal rescue, as ‘payment’ for this!

photo-5

 

In case anyone else out there wants to make their own Chaos Dwarf hat, I’ve written up the pattern, and it is freely available here. If you do use it, please make a small donation of your own choosing to an animal welfare charity, in the spirit of the occasion ;)

The hat is knitted, but the beard is crocheted. I found that this was the best medium for the effect that looks the most similar to the actual little dwarf models.

photo-6You can link to it on Ravelry here. This is the first in a series of these Warhammer hats that I’m making and writing up. I’ve made a Dwarf one, which is next, then a High Elf. So if your army hasn’t been represented yet, chances are it will be soon.

OK, enjoy!

 

Posted in patterns what I have conjured | 2 Comments

New Christmas Hat Pattern!

Posted on 19/11/2012 by

Even though it looks like I just popped this out in time for Christmas 2012, it has actually been on my mind for the past three Christmases! I have a scrap of paper from sometime in 2009, when there was very cold weather in Ireland, saying ‘Sari Ribbon and Frosty Aran – in Snowflakes! Glitter!’, plus a scribbled half-circle (the hat) with x’s going around it (the snowflakes). Three years later, here we are!

The yarn used is Louisa Harding Orielle, a fabulous new yarn from her which is feather-soft alpaca mixed with silver glitter. Perfection! Glitter on both the background, and the snowflakes! The first hat I made was last winter, using Debbie Bliss Rialto DK as the background, and Louisa Harding Simonetta (sparkle sparkle!) as the contrast colour. The picture is below. I loved this version so much; loved the icy blue colour on the white, it was just so wintry. The design stands out far more on a ‘night sky’ background though (above picture)!

Get your own copy of this pattern here, or just click on the link below if you aren’t a member of Ravelry. Were you planning on knitting Christmas jumpers for people this year, and now just can’t face all that work? Knit them these hats instead, in a mad variety of colours! Much faster ;) Happy knitting!

Posted in patterns what I have conjured | 3 Comments

Hand-Everything

Posted on 12/11/2012 by

Hand-dyed by Laura of LHogan Fibres…

Hand-spun by Eimear of Playing With Fi(b)re…

…which she sold about 570m of in sport weight, to raise funds for cancer research.

And hand-knitted by me!

The buttons came free with a magazine, and the pattern is a basic top-down raglan. I used up all of the lovely wool by knitting the body first, then dividing whatever I had left for the sleeves, and knitting them down til the wool ran out. I find raglan shoulders just a smidgen sloppy on me, maybe I have sloppy shoulders or something? The colours in this are just amazing. I’ve worn it constantly since casting off, love it love it.

PS the lego stitch marker I bought in a shop called Stitch (or something) in Birmingham last year. You can get loads of lego stitch markers on Etsy though. Or make them yourself!

 

 

 

 

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Shell Shawl, and A Return

Posted on 11/11/2012 by

 

Brace yourself! After a break of months and months, I am blogging again! The last thing I was making before I abandoned this corner of the internet for bigger! brighter! things (not really), was this crochet shawl, which I had named ‘Knickers‘. It’s done, okay, has been done for months now. It’s just half a granny square. Very easy. Limited brain power needed, which is the best kind of project. It’s a ball of Malabrigo Sock in Abril, striped with a ball of Knitpicks Palette in Lantana, on a 3mm hook. If you want to adjust that for your own tension, I’d go right up to a 5mm hook (here’s where you can make the loose hooker joke about me).

Here’s N in the shop holding it out so you can see the stripes. Only criticism of this pattern is that the top edge is quite tight, and that is the bit you wrap around your neck. But if you make it wide enough, then bob’s your uncle and you’re grand. Here’s my Ravelry page about it.

I have tons to blog about, and some new patterns to share. Don’t change this batchannel! Talk to you soon.

Posted in crochet is awesome | 2 Comments

Cotton Cooler Winner

Posted on 27/03/2012 by

I’m so late to this! Judge me not, I was all caught up in my crochet shawl. That and Netflix, which I just subscribed to. I’ve done NOTHING since the last blogpost but crochet and watch old tv programmes.

Random number thingy on the other website says that number ONE is the winner, which is Clare! Thank you for commenting Clare and send me an email sheknitupthatball@gmail.com to tell me what your favourite colour combo of that yarn is. YAY!

Posted in giveaway | 2 Comments

Cotton Cooler Cowl Competition!

Posted on 07/03/2012 by

I haz a new pattern for you! A simple little thing that works up quickly in that gorgeous new ever-so-slightly-tonally-variegated Louisa Harding 100% cotton ribbony yarn, Delphine. It’s deliberately airy and cottony, and it’s ready to knit *now*, just as the warm weather is approaching us. YOU WILL BE READY. I love cowls. I love wearing them. They’re funky, they add pops of colour to your outfit, and they can also be incredibly flattering to the bust area, allowing you to wear tops that would otherwise make you feel like your ribs were playing host to a shelf. They’re the idea small space to show off your complicated knitting techniques, or to use that yarn that would overwhelm a larger garment. In short, COWLS ROCK.

In honour of the fabulousness that are cowls, would you like to win the supplies to knit this one? OF COURSE YOU WOULD. Leave a comment on this post telling me why you love cowls. Or just that cowls are great. Leave a cowly comment of any ilk, and you will be in to win. The prize is this: enough supplies to make TWO Cotton Cooler cowls, in any colour you like (shade card here), pretty Knitpro needles in the right size to knit it on, the pattern itself, plus a goodie bag brimful of knitty goodies (I give good goodie bag). Good luck! I’ll draw a number out of a hat a week from now to determine the lucky about-to-be-cowl-wearing winner.

Posted in finished projects, patterns what I have conjured, special joy | 17 Comments

Knitting Knickers

Posted on 23/02/2012 by

KIDDING!

I am not knitting knickers. I’m not knitting and it’s not a pair of knickers. But that’s what it looks like, right?!

It’s a crocheted shawl, you reader of lowbrow garment reference. Int it lovely? That’s Mmmmmalabrigo sock in Abril, and Knitpicks Palette in Something (finally using the Knitpicks Palette. Finally!). The pattern is half a granny square and is amazingly effective. I’m going to stripe the two yarns throughout and just crochet mindlessly on until I have something big, glamorous and purple to wrap around me. Cannot wait.

Posted in crochet is awesome, wip | 11 Comments

Hardcore

Posted on 21/02/2012 by

Oh yeah. Oh yeah baby. These are now in This Is Knit. Unless they’re sold out. Because I may have bought them in bulk. (Ok, I bought two packets, that’s not going over board, is it?) (NO is the answer to that, btw.) I’ll need two packets, if I’m to have a fresh temporary awesome knitting tattoo every couple of days, right? I already have the fear of running out. The first one I put on was the cat one (see the little spindly black guy?). I generously shared the blue skull one (it was my least favourite, I’m not that generous) with Aileen. I think the lady one is weird. And I’m going to freak my mother out with the ‘Mom’ one. OMG knitting tattoos. 

Posted in special joy | 3 Comments

Christmas Spinning

Posted on 06/02/2012 by

Some photos from the Christmas Dublin Sunday Spin-In. There was such a great crowd, and we had LOADS of spinny fun. Lisa made cake, hurrah! I finished up spinning the skein in the last picture, finally, and it hung to dry over the Christmas holidays. Do you see the gorgeous handspun jumper in one of the pictures above? That’s Laura’s. Her jumpers are amazing!

Posted in spinning | 6 Comments

Dent and Tomten

Posted on 31/01/2012 by

I can’t believe the responses that the post about the name of the cowl got! Let’s get it out there straightaway – the answer was that it was named after Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, a character in Batman. And Bairbre guessed it first (she *just* pipped Cathy to the post), so she gets the prize. But some of the replies! Were so much better! Than the real thing! Here’s a selection:

Were the needles you used bent?
I think it’s cos you’re dedented.
Dented can mean a significant impression, and this pattern has made a significant impression on me.
I googled …and found Dented, a horror movie that is. ‘A Twisted Tapestry Of Digital Debris’.
Perhaps the big chunky needles went flying around the room & bounced off a wall & made a dent in your head?

This is what’s currently bopping around the workbasket – an adult tomten in Spud and Chloe. I’m *terrified* that I’m knitting it the wrong size, even though I have the person’s measurements, and I measured measured measured. 2″ of positive ease is good, right? On a big guy’s hoodie? *grasping*

Anyways, hope all is well with you out there!

Posted in funny stuff, wip | 4 Comments