Wash cloths in happy colours #5

The bright green wash cloth is made of the same quality cotton yarn as the rest of them. I like to knit patterns into the cloths. It makes them pretty to look at, and also much more fun to make. This pattern is very easy, as it is just made up of 6x6 stitches squares. The green squares are knitted on the right side, and pearled on the wrong side, and the white squares are pearled on the right side, and knitted on the wrong side.

What you need: 1 bundle, apxm 50 grams of cotton yarn (50 gr = 160m), knitting pins (2,5 mm), and a needle to sew the ends.

How you do it: Cast on 60 stitches. Knit back and forth according to the pattern. Repeat it in width and height until there's about 3m left of yarn. Cast off, and secure the ends by weaving them a bit back and forth into the stitches. You now have another great wash cloth, and if you have made them all, your pile of cloths is beginning to look great!! 😉

Super cute knitted cat lantern or vase

These are also something I made for the cat shelter sale..  They are all made from the same pattern, and size varies due to different yarns. I use some of them for candle lanterns and some for flower vases.. They work well as both.

What you need: Some leftover yarn of 2 different colours, the small ones are made of cotton yarn (170 meters= 50 grams), and the larger ones of wool yarn (100 meters=50 grams), 5 knitting pins that fit the yarn, a sewing needle to secure the ends, a ribbon to tie on top, and a glass jar that fits the diameter of your work.( I use ordinary jam jars.)

How to make them:   
1. Cast on 66 stitches with your base colour, and make a circle. 
2. *Knit one, pearl one* repeat the whole round 
3. Repeat nr 2, 2 times = 3 rows.
4. Knit one round.
5. Add your second colour, and follow the pattern.
6. Knit one round with your base colour.
7. *Knit one, pearl one* repeat the whole round 
8. Repeat nr 7, 2 times = 3 rows.
9. Cast off.
10. Secure all ends
11. Put a glass inside, and tie a ribbon on top 😊 

Decorative, fun to make, Easter eggs

These cute Easter eggs are really fun and simple to make. Why not host a workshop with your friends or family, and make lots of them?

Here is what you need: Small balloons (I used water balloons), cotton yarn, PVA glue, or other glue that will turn transparent when dry (I used ordinary wood glue), disposable gloves, a plastic cover for your table, some nice coloured ribbons 😊😊

This is how you do it:  
1. Inflate the balloon, and tie a knot in the end. 
2. Pour some glue into a small container. 
3.Dip the cotton yarn in the glue, inch by inch while you gently lay it around the balloon. Turn around and around to make the pattern random. It all may seem quite icky... But no worries. They will look great in the end. 

4. When you are satisfied with the amount of yarn, lay the balloon on a plastic surface to dry.
5. When it is fully dried, and the yarn has hardened, pop the balloon, and remove it.
6. If you have uneven edges, just pluck off the small bits of glue. (A nail file may also be useful.)
7. Select a nice coloured ribbon that goes with you choice of yarn. Tie it on top, and make a loop with a bow on it.. Your cute Easter egg is now finished, and ready to decorate your home 💜 
8. If you wish, you may fill them with feathers, but I think they look just as nice without.

 Happy Easter!

Beautiful knitted Easter eggs

These eggs are inspired by the Christmas bulbs of Arne and Carlos.. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/julekuler

I made a few adjustments, and got them egg shaped..

The green egg is made with the increases that are on the pattern.. But if you want a seamless egg, you need to randomly increase and decrease the stitches around the egg 😏

This is what you need: Some scrap yarn that fits knitting pins 2,5 mm or 3mm.  5 Knitting pins size 2 mm.. Yes, to make it tighter.. LOL. Stuffing to fill the egg. I save my cut off ends of yarn from everything I make, and use those to fill it.. You may also use cotton or other stuffing..  A needle to sew the ends, and a marker to help you follow the pattern. Also cute ribbons to hang them ..

Step 1: Cast on 3 stitches to each of your 4 knitting pins.. Then follow this pattern to increase and decrease your number of stitches :

 The green/blue egg is made of a semi coloured cotton yarn and will get it's pattern from the yarn itself.. It will be useful to use a marker to see where your round begins, to help you count 😊

Step 2: When you start decreasing the stitches, turn the egg inside out, and sew the bottom of it tightly..
Step 3: When you have apxm 32 stitches, fill your egg with some stuffing. ( See above)
Then continue to the end, and cast off.
Step 4: Sew the top.
Step 5: Find a nice ribbon that fits your colours, and use the needle to pull it through the top of the egg. Make a nice bow, and a loop for hanging it..

The green egg is made of thin wool yarn, following this pattern, with a very pale pink as decoration:

 

Remember to secure the loose ends on the inside of the egg before you stuff it.

This is the pattern for the white and pink egg.. I made this with alpaca yarn. So as you can see, basically any thin yarn will make a pretty egg. Look through your leftovers, and choose some nice colours. Follow instructions as for the green one 😊
Hopefully you will have time to make some of these eggs before Easter. Good Luck!

Need to have cat hat

These super easy cute cat hats are made in a couple of hours.. Large knitting pins and thick yarn is the reason. I made them with acrylic yarn that has a reflecting ribbon in it. It is great for the dark season, because you will not only be warm on your ears, but also visible along the roads 😄 They can of course be made of other yarn qualities that will fit the knitting pins. This size will fit most adults, since it is quite elastic and flexible. If you want smaller sizes, cast on fewer stitches, but make sure they are dividable with 5.

What you need:

Apxm 75 grams of yarn that fits 8 mm knitting pins. (Mine is 50 m per 50 grams.)
1 circular knitting pin, size 8mm, and 40 cm long. (Or a set of stocking pins size 8.)
1 thick sowing needle to sow the ends and the ears.

How to make them:

1. Cast on 60 stitches.

2.  Knit around: *Knit 3, pearl 2* Repeat from * to * 12 times.

3. Repeat step 2 apxm 33 times, or until it has the length you want.

4. Cast off. Sow the hat together along the top.

5. Sow a diagonal seam on each side, from the top seam, and down to the side. Start about 9 cm from the corner, and end about 9 cm down on the side.

Meeeeeaaaaoooo... Your purrfect cat hat is done 😻

Felted seating pads for cold cat lovers

I have accepted a challenge to make some things for our local cat shelter. They are in need of things to sell on their annual market. Therefore there will be some cat related things coming up here on my blog. First things I made were these felted seating pads. They are very quick to make, since you use thick yarn, and a big crochet hook. Here in Norway it is very popular to bring these out on skiing trips or other trips out in nature. They will keep you nice and warm, if you want to sit out in the cold seasons. I have crocheted them in wool yarn, and then felted on the appliquetions with loose wool. When you are felting things in the washing machine, the results are quite unpredictable, but that's half the fun I think. Even so, you can not count on getting the same measurements on your pad, as me. It all depends on what machine you have, what program you use, and how much you put into the machine.

What you need: 

Apxm 150 grams of wool yarn. (It is important that it is 100 % wool, and that it is NOT superwash, otherwise they will not felt. It should fit crochet hook 8mm, mine is 55 meters per 50 gram bundle.) 1 crochet hook 8 mm, some loose wool (5-10 grams) of  a different colour than the yarn, a needle to secure loose ends,  a felting needle and some latex foam, or similar, to have under your pad when felting on the wool.

How to do it:

1. Make a magic ring. If you don't know how, there's a good tutorial here. Make 5 sc in the ring, and tighten it.
2.Make 2 sc in each stitch = 10 stitches
3.  Make 1 sc in the first st, then 2 in the second, and so on around the ring = 15 stitches.
4. Make 1 sc in the first 2 st, then 2 sc in the third st. Repeat all the way around = 20 stitches
5. Make 1 sc in the first 3 st, then 2 sc in the forth st. Repeat all the way around = 25 stitches
6. Repeat like this until you have 5 x 25 st around = 125 st. Cut the thread and pull it through the loop. Secure the ends.. This will make a pentagon shaped seating pad. If you want a round one, you should move the extra stitches for each round. Place them randomly around.. Use a marker to show the beginning of the round to help you increase enough stitches.

7. Now choose a pattern you like.. For this blue one, I went with a kitten's face.. Then use your loose wool, and the felting needle, and foam underneath, to pin it into your pad.. You need to pin a lot of times in order to make it stick..  Put your work into the washing machine.. I used a sportswear programme and 40 degrees for this one, your machine may be different.. When I took it out of the machine, the whiskers of the cat were not the way I wanted them to be, so I used the felting needle again, and washed it once more on 30 degrees.. Remember to use a detergent that is made for wool 😃
8. After washing it the 2nd time, I noticed it had become a bit smaller, but if you pull it a bit when it's wet, you can increase the size..
After all, I'm quite happy with the result..

Cute hippie style hairband with flowers

We were invited to a hippie party, and I wanted to make a hairband to wear with my costume. However, I think it turned out looking really good, so I use it on other occasions as well. It has a touch of summer to it, since it is so colourful. I used double yarn to crochet it. The white colour is consistent the whole time, and the second colour changes.

What you need: Some leftover cotton yarn, crochet hooks size 5mm and 2,5mm, 3 small buttons, apx 10 cm elastics. A needle and some sowing thread.

How you make it.

1. With double yarn (white and green), and crochet hook size 5: crochet 7 chain stitches, *turn, do 1 sc in the 2nd st from the hook, and continue with 5 more sc, 1 ch.* repeat from * to * one time.

2. Turn. Do 1 sc in the 1st sc, 2 sc in the 2nd sc, 1 sc in the following 2 sc, 2 sc in the next one, and 1 sc in the last. 1ch, turn.

3. * Do 1 sc in the second st from the hook (the first sc), 1 sc in each st throughout the row (= 8 sc), 1ch, turn.* Repeat from * to * 11 times. The first 4 rows with green and white yarn, the last 7 rows with orange and white yarn. (See colour change tip at the end.)

4. With white and lilac yarn: Do 1 sc in the 1st sc, 2 sc in the 2nd sc, 1 sc in the following 4 sc, 2 sc in the next one, and 1 sc in the last. 1ch, turn.

5. * Do 1 sc in the second st from the hook (the first sc), 1 sc in each st throughout the row (= 10 sc), 1ch, turn.* Repeat from * to * 42 times. The first 6 rows with lilac and white yarn, then 7 rows with turquoise and white, 14 rows with yellow and white, 7 rows with turquoise and white, 7 rows with lilac and white, 1 row with orange and white. (See colour change tip at the end.)

6. Do 1 sc in the second st from the hook, then skip one, and do 1 sc in the next 5, skip one, and do 1 sc in the last st on the row, 1 ch, turn.

7. * Do 1 sc in the second st from the hook (the first sc), 1 sc in each st throughout the row (= 8 sc), 1ch, turn.* Repeat from * to * 10 times.The first 5 rows with orange and white, then 5 rows with green and white.

8.  Do 1 sc in the second st from the hook, then skip one, and do 1 sc in the next 3, skip one, and do 1 sc in the last st on the row, 1 ch, turn. Do 1 sc in the second st from the hook (the first sc), 1 sc in each st throughout the row (= 6 sc). Cut the yarn, and pull it through the loop. Secure all ends.

9. Measure your head, and compare it to the hair band. Cut some elastics that fits your measurements, and sow it on the band, to attach the ends.

How to make the flowers:

Use single yarn and crochet hook size 2,5 mm.

1. Do 5 ch st, and 1 sl st to bind them together in a ring.

2.  In the ring, do *3ch, 3dc, 3ch, 1 sl st* repeat from * to * 5 times. Cut the yarn, and pull it through the loop. Secure the ends by weaving them in on the backside of the flower.

Make 3 of them, or more if you want.. Sow them onto the hair band with the buttons in the middle.