Six Squares more

I have knitted six more sqaures and getting ready to knit something different. I have chosen squares that are a little different all easy to do and in colours that need using up.

Square 21 Tabbard

Very simple but effective a mix of orange's and yellow's with white and dusky rose.

96 Buttoned Up

Nothing could be easier a large square with a seed stitch border and a garter stitch square in the middle sewn on using the four buttons. Simple but effective.

Square 181 Solid Leaf

I like these squares a lot, the leaf stands proud of the square and looks far more complex than it is.

Square 125 Jacob's Ladder

This looks complicated but is so easy it is ridiculous a simple slip stitch pattern with two colours that are swapped every two rows. 

Square 81 Chevron Eyelets

Lacey patterns are fun to do and easy as well this one looks like mountains to me. I will make a few more lacey squares to add to the afghan and place them randomly.

Square 73 Two Edges

Yet another double decrease square I like these they are easy to do and lay nice and flat.

More stash is used up and various colours are slowly coming to an end and that is just what I want. Am I running out of stash? No there is plenty left I am just using up the smaller balls of yarn first trust me there is plenty more to use up.

Dream Pillows and Squares

I have wanted a new dream pillow for a while now but had got around to making one so I decided to get on with it and make one.

Striped Dream Pillow

All I did was knit a large square by casting on 50 stitches on 5mm needles and changed colours every two rows keeping white as the main colour and adding new colours as I knitted. I chose garter stitch as it creates a flat piece of work.
I created the pillow by folding the corners into the middle of the square and sewing the seams leaving one seam open. This will allow me to add the filler and the lavender. To close the opening I added plaited yarn that I tied into bows.

Envelope Dream Pillow

This Dream Pillow was created from a square that turned out too large for my project I used the wrong needle size by mistake. This time I folded the square so that it formed and envelope  using the blue as the envelope flap. Then I plaited some yarn and attached it to the point so that it was looped and the two ends pulled through the loop to secure it. I also added a plaited ring to the bottom of the square so that it closes by tying the two plaited strands into the ring.
My Husband says the tie looks like a long armed person with very short legs, that was not the plan but it does look a bit like a person I suppose. Again the stuffing can be added with the scent I want to the pillow.

With both of the Dream Pillows I will add the stuffing to a simple cotton pocket so that I can refresh the Lavender when I need to. Dream pillows go under your pillow on the bed or inside the pillow case and can be filled with Lavender or Rose Petals and even dried Hops. Lavender and Hops are good for relaxing and Roses always go well with Lavender.

No wasting knitted squares that turn out too large I can now make something from them like a Dream Pillow.

New Squares

So onto the new squares that I have made for the afghan that I will eventually complete. I say eventually as I get fed up knitting squares and make something else for a while and go back to the squares again.

Square 62 Interwoven

I love this it is so easy to do and looks really nice in a lighter colour, for this one I chose a soft light brown and used 4.5cm needles to get correct size. Some times I end up having to leave the last section of the pattern as the square is the correct size before that. So this was created repeating the the pattern as described  Repeat Rows 1-8 four more times ending with  Row 8. The last section Repeat Rows 1-6 once again was not needed as it was large enough, had I continued it would have been too large.

Square 145 Corner Square

This is yet another double decrease square with colour changes and I love making them it is such an easy pattern with endless possibilities for colour changes. This one needed 4mm needles to get the right size.

Square 129 titled Purple Haze

Okay not purple but a mix of greens, blue and yellow but it worked. Knitted using 4mm needles, I have found that you need to keep changing needle size for the squares to turn out the same size and sometimes decrease the amount of rows as well. 

That is probably just me as we all knit to different tensions but I have found that the squares look fine even if I do have to later things a bit.

Another square is on the needles and I will keep going until the end of the month as November will see the start of a Stash Buster Challenge on Spark people. I have already sorted out the pattern that I will use but have no idea of the yardage used to create it and so far unable to contact the person to find out. In the Challenge they use yardage rather than weight which can be a problem if the pattern does not have the yardage used. I will get around it though if I cannot find the yardage used in the pattern so what will I be making in November? This

   Stained Glass Scrap Blanket

 It will be something new for me to try and will make a nice colouful blanket and use up loads of scrap yarn in the process.

New squares for an afghan

Wanting to use up more stash and create something as well I have started knitting squares again.
I am hoping to knit enough to create a new afghan  it will take a while and no doubt I will have break and make something else in between.
Using the book 200 Knitted blocks for blankets, throws and afghans by Jan Eaton I have started my new project.

I have made these two so far so along way to go to make an afghan.

This is square 64 Pyramids

An easy pattern to follow and one that looks far more complex than it is, sadly the colour does not show up well I used a sort of petrol blue with a light blue yarn. For this one I used 4.5mm needles to get the correct width I needed.

This is square 101 Blue seas

I used a beige yarn with the same light blue in the Pyramids square a green and a yellow yarn. Again a nice easy pattern and the double decrease creates the ridge down the middle. 

For this square I used 4mm needles. I have found you need to use different size needles to get the same size squares, so I knit the first row and measure it to the square I have already to get the same width. Too wide and I drop down a size or half a size until I get the right width. Then I make sure I knit to correct size square, this some times means altering things as I have ended up with an oblong before now.

So onto the next square no idea which one I will pick as I want the afghan to be a mixture to give it added interest.

Meet Toby and Tina

I have two new characters to introduce you to Toby and Tina Bear. They have been made for the  Lincolnshire Police as they hand bears out to children who been in traumatic situations.

So meet Toby

He was knitted using the pattern for Teddies for Tragedies I gave him a waist as it helps small hands to grasp him easier. His scarf is sewn on at the back so it can not be lost.
 Teddy for Tragedies

Now meet Tina

She is what they call an Angel bear and very different from any bear I have ever knitted. You can find the pattern for these bears in the link below. This is an old post from November 2013 but I contacted the Police and they still accept bears but not putting out a public notice for them.
Angel Bear Patterns

I have never done the Loop stitch before so had to find out how to do it. There seems to be many different ways to accomplish this stitch and I found one that was easiest for me to do.

There are no spoken instructions with this video but I found this method the easiest to do

Loop Stitch

Here is another way of doing the Loop stitch, this link shows how to do the Loop stitch for Western and Continental knitters

How to Loop stitch

So there are two more characters looking for someone to love them and one day I am sure they will be introduced to someone who will love them.

I always name my bears or any toy I make as I think a toy without a name is sad, yes I know it may be strange for a grown woman to name the toys but I am still a child at heart.