Creative Designs by Sheila Zachariae: October 2014

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Holiday Knitting & Crocheting Toys

This week, holiday knitting and crocheting is all about toys!

If you have a baby on your list, there is plenty of time to make a hand made, lovable, squishy toy. Not just for babies either! Toddlers to your bestie would love one of these. Knit this Precious Pachyderm in a weekend. Big floppy ears and foot pads make it extra special with the use of fabric. The trunk, head and body are worked up as one piece. The ears, legs and tail are knit separately and sewn on at the end.

A good size too....15" from the tip of the trunk to tail and 10" from top to bottom.

You can find the pattern in my Etsy, Craftsy, Ravelry or Annie's shops.

Next is a lovely pattern from Susan B Anderson. I have posted about this before as I have made many of her toys. If you look closely, you can see my hand holding up the head. That will give you an idea of the size. Surprisingly simple to knit up. You can find this pattern in Susan's book, Itty Bitty Toys. There also is a class on Craftsy available here.

Emily over on Etsy at yarnmiracle designed this M Is For Monkey pattern. I just LOVE her designs and patterns. Isn't he cute? Just look at that little belly button! All her patterns are so adorable and super fun to knit.

This one is from Crochet Today May/June 2009 issue. You can read a prior post here. I've done this in neutral, no flower or dress and it's still really cute, tied with a ribbon around the neck. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures for you....really must take some the next time. If you don't have safety eyes, you can just use some black yarn and two french knots. A little belly button is cute too! It's a good size at about 10" high.

There you have it! What are you knitting or crocheting this holiday season?

Find all my pattern stores in the header at the top of this page or

Best,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

When knitting or crocheting toys for babies, think safety first. It's best to use fiberfil only and not pellets. Embroidered features instead of buttons. No tags, labels or anything that might pose a choking hazard. I often embroider my initials and year instead of using my business label.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Holiday Knitting & Crocheting Part 4

Holiday knitting and crocheting sweaters might not be the quickest, but they are so worth the time and effort. This ruby beauty is from Amy Miller Lovely and sophisticated. It is worked up flat using fingering weight yarn. I love the ribbed detail and swing design at the bottom. The pattern is available on Ravelry.

This Autumnal Cardigan pattern by Hannah Fettig on Ravelry was originally published in Knitscene and is also available in French. I love the color of this Berroco sport weight yarn. The rolled collar design is one of my favorites. The perfect sweater to wear curled up in your favorite chair with a cup of tea!

This Crochet Motif Wrap, on Craftsy, is from Vogue Knitting. Beautifully designed by Kathy Merrick using crocheted motifs and joined together as you go. Perfect on any body shape and a great use of your yarn scraps.

This coat is from Crochet Today. I love the front detail, large collar and big buttons! If you keep all your issues as I do, find the pattern in the Nov/Dec 2007 issue. I believe the magazine is not in print any longer, but you might be able to purchase back issues online.

If you are in need of baby sweaters, this sweet pattern is from Kelly Brooker on Ravelry. Newborn Vertebrae uses fingering weight yarn and the pattern is free and uses only 200 yards! Yippee! It's a frontless cardi, so more like a shrug with a long back and oh so cute. I love the frontless idea as it keeps spit-up off the sweater.

This last one is my own design especially for the beginner. It is knit flat, in garter stitch, in pieces and seamed up at the end. No button holes as the buttons are just pushed through to the front. Choosing buttons is my favorite part of this project. Take the sweater with you when you pick them out. Selecting the right button is key for pushing through and the button detail makes all the difference on this simple sweater.

That's is for Holiday Knitting and Crocheting Part 4. Toys are up next time!

Have a great week,

Sheila

Find all my patterns in my

Etsy shop

Crafty shop

Ravelry shop

or go to the top of this page and find them in the header.

Yarn tip:

Get yourself some labels or buttons for projects, especially if you are gifting an item.

I use custom buttons from RemberWynn on Etsy

and labels from Tags and Labels on Etsy

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Just a Quickie!

I'm SO very late in posting something and I do apologize. I know I promised you Holiday Knitting and Crocheting Part 4.....sweaters, but I have had a sudden onslaught of custom blanket orders. We are also getting ready for a Big Fat Greek Wedding and a custom made veil for the bride. It turned out lovely and I'll post some photos next week!

I have also been rushing to get this pattern written. I designed this especially for me as I did not have anything in black. I know, hard to imagine, nothing in black!!!!!

Anyhoo, here it is. Midnight Granny Shawl with a pom pom fringe.

I must say that I DO love it. Now, I am rather "fluffy", so it is quite large, but my petite daughter loves and wears it well, too. The pattern includes a link on how to crochet the pom pom edge....so simple, yet very effective don't you think?

I love the size and could see this in so many different colorways. Red shawl with black pom poms for our beloved college football team the Nebraska Cornhuskers! I should have made one for the bride in her wedding colors of yellow and orange. Not bright, but something in a more subdued hue.

I love wearing it this way, off to the side. Maybe it's a bit warm, but you don't want to carry it on your arm while shopping or walking. I've seen Meryl Streep where her shawls this way in Out of Africa.

It almost looks like a coat here. Arg! I just noticed the big wet spot on the patio! Good thing she wasn't standing right over it like she had a little accident!