jessie + bear

taking a break

2009-03-13T00:16:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break for a while. But you probably guessed that from the lack of blog attention. Be back sometime soon.

xoxo

i heart you

2009-02-13T17:03:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! (heart decoration with new deer in the background)

has it been that long...

2009-02-10T23:45:00.001-08:00

Bad blogger, slaps on the wrist. How could I be so neglectful? I haven't even got any pictures to share. Busy, busy, busy. But I have been working on some new! exciting! things that I will share with you very soon. Thoughts go out to the people in Victoria at the moment. If you are from Australia, I'm pretty sure you've heard and if not, bushfires of a horrendous magnitude have swept through the state and claimed at last count, somewhere around 130 lives. Wishes to all families that have been affected in any way by this disaster :(

On a more cheerful note, stay tuned because I can't wait to show you my new projects!

update

2009-01-27T00:40:00.001-08:00

Check it out! I finally made a banner!

a huge thankyou that deserves multiple exclamation marks!!!

2009-01-25T01:40:00.000-08:00

Recently Julia Vesper of Knitterly Things held a giveaway at her blog. I entered, not thinking I had a snowflake's chance in hell of winning. But the other day I received the most wonderful package in the world!

[photo credit: Julia Vesper Knitterly Things]

Not only was I lucky enough to win a skein of Julia's beautiful Vesper Sock Yarn in "Muddy Waters"...

[photo credit: Julia Vesper Knitterly Things]

...but she also included a copy of the beautiful knit.1 magazine which the yarn featured in recently. Thankyou so much Julia! I spent the first few minutes stroking the yarn with my mouth open and then managed to proceed to devouring as much of the magazine as I could in the shortest period of time. Please visit her blog if you like knitting, yarn or just drop dead gorgeous photos.

rabbitsmoon @ etsy

2009-01-21T23:08:00.000-08:00

I love showing pictures of other people's work. They take such nicer photos than I do. These items are all from rabbitsmoon. I definately think that the racoon holds a special place in my heart. You can even request specific colours and patterns. How great is that?

back from my travels...

2009-01-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

...and I finally managed to finish that mysterious creature that I mentioned a while ago. My new fat bunny friend is made out of recycled denim, patterned fabric, plastic safety eyes, wooden buttons, pink embroidery thread and a little white pompom tail. He's not perfect (what's going on with that nose?) but I love him just the same. I liked using an olf pair of jeans that I had grown out of to make him...it makes him just a little bit more special. I've already started my next denim project...

And look what I picked up while I was away.

Yum. It's (I think handspun) recycled silk that I managed to find in a funny little shop that sold second-hand books and dreamcatchers and smelt like incense. My yarn sense was tingling.

(P.S. Sorry about the horrid pictures. I'm trying to get better at my photography shoots but I don't think my camera likes to help much.)

Bear

2009-01-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

So I thought that Bear deserved a proper introduction, and here it is:

Bear is Jessie's best friend that only she can see. He is made from acrylic fur, glass eyes and brown felt. He is a very well mannered Bear and always eats with cutlery. He loves Bob Dylan, caramel slice and, deep down, is really just a big softie.

I'll be back in a couple of days...hope so far you are having a great 2009!

what i have been up to

2009-01-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

Umm...craft!

I finally sewed a face onto Bear (he's been sitting around creepily with no face for more than a year)Did a bit of ripple crochet (I have no idea what this is going to be- it's about cushion-sized I guess)

Made a ski headband as a Christmas present who has gone to Quebec for about three weeks- lucky :( This gave me a chance to try out some double knitting (note: it's reversible) and also to use my new fair isle skills in a project.

And I also finally made some clothes for my Jessie doll.

The jumper that Bear is wearing and the cream wrap top for Jessie are both patterns from Toys to Knit by Tracey Chapman. I suppose my resolution for the new year is to finish all the half-completed projects that I have lying around, like these clothes that have been cluttering my desk for months. That way I can start lots of new ones! Oh, I also made these biscuit houses as a small Christmas present for each of my friends:

The recipe is from the December issue of Good Taste Magazine.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T23:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! This is a bit of a nothing post: I just wanted to pop my head in to say that I hope everyone had a very merry christmas and that 2009 is safe, happy and full of plenty of crafting. I've been really busy with preparing gifts (even though I said that I probably wouldn't make any this year!), celebrating with loved ones and hitting the shops for post-christmas sales (no, not clothes shops, craft shops!).

I'll take some photos of everything and show them to you after I've gone and had a lie down :)

Beautiful things from Norma W

2008-12-16T21:44:00.000-08:00

I really do love all of these things from Norma W. And any would make fabulous Christmas presents.

I really wanted to share some photos of what I've been up to lately but the weather has been so rotten that good pictures have been hard to find. Next post I'll show you my latest projects!

Finished!

2008-12-09T01:16:00.000-08:00

I completed my first commission!

They took so long to make because I had to figure out the pattern for the medium and small babushkas as I was crocheting them and I kept making mistakes. Also, I was halfway through making the large blue one when I found out that I had been using a crochet hook one size too small. These are the tags that went with them:

hurrah for craft shopping!

2008-12-07T00:45:00.000-08:00

The other day I visited Spotlight the other day and these are the goodies that I picked up:

Grey felt, calico and some gorgeous mushroom fabric,

two balls of Yarn Bee Down to Earth (55% acrylic and 45% cotton)

which I have already started knitting up into a new project,

(more when it is finished),

and some buttons.

Love love love craft shopping :)

enfant terrible

2008-12-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

Gaaah! The cuteness! These are all for the littlies from enfant terrible.

No elves, but there's a shoemaker!

2008-12-03T16:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, that was a little corney. But I really have been making shoes!

This pair is made from acrylic felt in grey and greyish blue, embroidery thread and pink ribbon.

And this pair is made from blue wool felt, white acrylic felt, embroidery thread and two red buttons.

My mum requested them for a colleague who had not had her baby at the time, but who is now about two months old! Thank the lord I made the larger size. The pattern I used was Heather Bailey's Bitty Booties. This is a great and easy to follow pattern, and I would recommend visiting Heather's blog. It's pretty. Also, if you want to learn how to make yo-yos, she has a great tutorial for you to follow.

La Pomme

2008-11-30T02:02:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you've checked out the La Pomme shop at Etsy yet...

...but what can I say. It's very nice.

just a bit of fun

2008-11-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

Ooooh! This is what Jessie looks like vintage style. You can try turning your new photos into old ones like this here.

ahaha!

2008-11-27T23:31:00.000-08:00

I've found another uber cute shop

All but the bag are sold items, but aren't they adorable? These are all from mpatrizio

I found something!

2008-11-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

Have you checked out this shop?

Its oliviaew at etsy. These dolls are so gorgeous it makes me cry.

Hurrah!

2008-11-24T23:24:00.000-08:00

Yesss! I've finished all my exams! Thank the lord. So now there will be a whole lot more time for crafting. Although it is getting quite hot, making it a bit more uncomfortable. Does anyone have any ideas on how to counteract this? As in, how to make your hands less sticky and sweaty? I think moisturiser is supposed to help, but its not foolproof. Oh, and guess what? I now have Ravelry! I'm stil figuring out how to use it, but you can visit me as jessiebear. I'll try and find some pictures to post soon...

Christmas is looming...

2008-11-16T22:48:00.000-08:00

I swear that the silly season begins sooner and sooner each year. I think some of you would probably agree with me on that one. Yes, the shops have already brought out their stock and the streets are already lined with Christmas decorations. I'm sure there are plenty of people who plan to get all their shopping done in November, but despite these good intentions I think there's only a slim chance of this actually occuring. And please, if you crafters are planning on making all or some of your gifts, it's probably a good idea to have started already. Last year I made all my friend's presents and there was a mad dash at the end to have them completed on time. I'm sure I'm not the only one who can speak from experience.

I don't know if I'll make any presents this year. I think it's a lovely thought but not always appreciated for the time and effort involved. Also I haven't been struck by inspiration yet. I did consider making a pair of fingerless gloves for one of my girlfriends, but I gave up on that one due to the current 35 degrees celsius weather.

So anyways, if you are stuck for ideas, this may help you out a bit. Etsy is a great place to visit- you can still give a handmade gift but it will take you considerably less time to have it organised. This rabbit and fawn are from alberto's family

A: Don't be silly, a rabbit and a gorilla look nothing alike!

2008-11-14T01:48:00.000-08:00

Hahaha.

Just a word of warning that I may not be around a whole lot over the next couple of weeks. It's exam period again when everything goes insane and nothing runs to plan. But I'll try to include some updates.

I was trawling Etsy for ages trying to find something to share but I had difficulty finding anything that really took my fancy. So instead I decided to include this picture of some yo-yos that I made...

They don't have a purpose- I just think they look pretty.

I hope all that makes sense. It's late and I'm tired. More soon!

.....and this is fair isle attempt #2!

2008-11-11T00:02:00.001-08:00

Fair isle attempt #2
Originally uploaded by jessie + bear

This one is my favourite- it's a Scandinavian design worked in black and white yarn. I actually inverted the colour order that the pattern specified so that the black was predominant instead of the white. How much do you love this blogging thing on flickr by the way? I love how easy it is to upload your photos and then blog about them too. I've only figured out how to do one at a time though- does anyone know how to blog about more than one photo in the same post?

As well as trying desperately to finish that order of three sets of Babushka dolls before Christmas, (I'm not very good at going fast), I've also been trying out a new pattern. What I have discovered is that if you make a yo-yo and then stuff it, it makes a good circle sort of shape, useful for heads and bodies. I'll share some pictures when my little critter is complete.

And I'll leave you with a joke today just because I think it is hilarious (really, it is)

Q: How do you tell the difference between a rabbit and a gorilla?

I'll let you know next time!

Fair isle attempt- #1

2008-11-08T16:23:00.001-08:00

Fair isle attempt- #1
Originally uploaded by jessie + bear

So I've always avoided fair isle like the plague because I thought it was too hard. It didn't help that I also had a pretty bad experience trying to fair isle something that should have been done in intarsia. That made me think that it was impossible to create a smooth, neat piece of knitting in more than one colour. But, thanks to some online tutorials, I was willing to give it another go....

....and here are the results! Still not as neat as it could have been, but definately an improvement. It's just a simple checkered pattern using purple and white yarn.

I can't remember the names of the blogs that I used tutorials from, but just type "fair isle tutorial" into Google if you want to find them too.

More coming soon

2008-10-26T01:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry that there hasn't been any communication for...gosh a couple of weeks now. It's kinda because I've been really busy and kinda because really, nothing interesting has happened. There's been a bit of crochet, a bit of knitting, a bit of sewing and a bit of a certain disaster that I don't care to mention but haven't given up on yet. I will take photos of everything soon. I'm still lusting after a better camera, anything would be better than what I'm stuck with at the moment. Anyway, I can't leave you with a pictureless post, so here's a very cute portly hedgehog from Marjji

CHECK THIS SHOP OUT NOW! abigailbrown at Etsy

2008-10-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

These are absolutely too cute. I want the fox! All from abigailbrown

Egg-A-Go-Go at Etsy

2008-10-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

What a cute shop! For adorable handmade pillows like these, cards, badges and more, visit Egg-A-Go-Go :)

Little babushka doll

2008-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

So this is the little (but not littlest!) babushka doll that I made as part of the set:

And next to Mama babushka!

This is just two thirds out of one of three sets I have to finish by Christmas. So I better get that hook flying so they're finished in time!

Cat-Rabbit at Etsy

2008-10-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

I just had to poke my head in again to show you these fab plushies.

Somehow cute, blood-drinking, zombie cat

Sweet little owlet and

ohhhh! A rabbit wearing its heart on its sleeve!

All of these super awesome creations are from Cat-Rabbit

New and improved babushka doll

2008-10-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

How is it improved?

The body is larger

The shaping is different and

The embroidery is more detailed.

The only problem is that I took these pictures, then realised that I hadn't added any eyelashes yet. The good news is that there will be more pictures soon as I just finished a smaller sized replica of the same doll.

I've been managing to finish quite a few projects lately. Maybe its the transition of seasons from winter to summer that is so inspiring. Whatever the reason, October has been "finish projects before you start new ones" month. And I challenge everyone else to do the same. So go on, for every new project you start, complete at least one old one!

Deer baby

2008-10-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite critters- a little baby deer. It's been sitting half completed on my desk for months and the other day I finally motivated myself to finish it.

This little guy is made with brown felt, some of my favourite apple printed fabric and is sporting a hand knitted bright blue scarf.

I also wanted to share with you this scarf that I made for myself a while ago, photographed and then promptly lost the photos for:

I was thinking about including the free pattern for it here- what do you think?

cathycullis on Etsy

2008-10-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this shop today on Etsy. cathycullis is the home of a range of gorgeous embroidered works including birds and brooches. I love the black bird and the heart the most. You can also check out the website here.

Meet Oliver and Harper

2008-10-06T19:52:00.001-07:00

Wow! Actual completed craftiness on my blog! A doodle, a couple of hours, some corduroy, fabric and yarn and a whole lot of embroidery thread later and I had a couple of new friends to share.

This is Oliver. He likes books, chocolate biscuits and whistling. Oliver was kinda my prototype and after finishing him, I just had to make another.....

.........and this is Harper. Harper likes Gregory Peck movies, listening to music and thick fluffy carpets.

I've been quite good lately in that I have been actually finishing projects that I have started. Also completed are a (modified) babushka doll and a deer. Those I'll share in the next couple of days.

It was my birthday yesterday too. Happy birthday to anyone who shared theirs yesterday also or today!

Doodles

2008-09-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

To get the creative juices flowing, I've been doing a bit of doodling. I get bored with projects very easily (as I'm sure a lot of people do), so there are always some new ideas which I jump at the chance to try out. Amidst other ideas, I think that this one has a lot of potential:

Bad picture, but what do you think of little Oliver? I think I feel a plushie coming on!

Free Pattern #2

2008-09-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hurrah! Another free pattern! This time it’s a hat. It reminds me of when we were young.

Whimsical Hat

Materials:

- 5 mm crochet hook
- DK/ Worstered/ 8 ply yarn. I used Pallette Collection (155 m/ 170 yd, 50 g per ball) a 100% acrylic yarn in Sage ( available for 99c at K- Mart in Oz)
- A stitch marker or scrap of yarn to do the same job
- A small wooden button for the centre of the flower
- Yarn needle

EDIT- The following are US crochet abbreviations. The UK equivalents for slip st, sc and dc are sc, dc and tr respectively. Sorry about that!

Abbreviations:

ch= chain
sc= single crochet
dc= double crochet

yrh= yarn over hook
inc= increase
st/s= stitch/es

Tension:
Approximately 21 sts by 25 rows per 4 inches/ 10 cm

Note on sizing:

This hat may be a bit on the large size as it is made to fit my unusually large head. The increases in the pattern should only be used as a guide, so what I would recommend is following the pattern until the top of the hat is as large as the top of your head. Then just stop increasing and single crochet for the specified amount of rows. Easy!

Copyright note:

Method:

Start by making a circle. Here’s how (hope these pictures are clear enough):

- Hold yarn with the tail in your right hand (sorry lefties!).

- Place yarn tail behind itself.

- Insert hook, yrh, draw yarn through then ch 1.

- sc 6 into circle, then pull on the yarn tail to draw the hole closed tight.

Place stitch marker to mark start of round, replacing at the start of every subsequent round.

Round 2- inc in each st (12 sts).
Round 3- (sc 1, inc in next st) to end (18 sts).
Round 4- (sc 2, inc in next st) to end (24 sts).
Round 5- (sc 3, inc in next st) to end (30 sts).
Round 6- (sc 4, inc in next st) to end (36 sts).
Round 7- (sc 5, inc in next st) to end (42 sts).
Round 8- (sc 6, inc in next st) to end (48 sts).
Round 9- (sc 7, inc in next st) to end (54 sts).
Round 10- (sc 8, inc in next st) to end (60 sts).
Round 11- (sc 9, inc in next st) to end (66 sts).
Round 12- (sc 10, inc in next st) to end (72 sts).
Round 13- (sc 11, inc in next st) to end (78 sts).
Round 14- (sc 12, inc in next st) to end (84 sts).
Round 15- (sc 13, inc in next st) to end (90 sts).
Round 16- (sc 14, inc in next st) to end (96 sts).
Round 17- (sc 15, inc in next st) to end (102 sts).
Round 18- (sc 16, inc in next st) to end (108 sts).
Round 19- (sc 17, inc in next st) to end (114 sts).
Round 20- (sc 18, inc in next st) to end (120 sts).

Sc in each st for 30 rounds.
You will now be crocheting the edging.
Working in front loops only- slip st, (ch 3, slip st) to end.
Working in back loops only- slip st, (ch 4, slip st) to end.

Finish off and weave in all ends.

Crocheted Flower:

Back-

Make a beginning circle as for the hat, leaving a long yarn tail which will be used later on to attach the flower to the hat.
Round 2- 2 ch, 13 dc, slip st and turn work.
Round 3- 2 ch, dc, (inc in next st) to end, slip st and turn work.
Round 4- 2 ch, (inc in next st, slip st) to end.

Finish off and weave in end.

Front-

Make a beginning circle as for the hat.
Round 2- 2 ch, 13 dc, slip st and turn work.
Round 3- 2 ch, (inc in next st, slip st) to end.

Finish off and weave in all ends.

Attach flower to hat using tail of yarn from the back of the flower.

And your finished!

How about trying some of these ideas to individualize your hat?

- Use a multicoloured and/ or glittery yarn to really make a statement.
- Forget about the crocheted edging and flower and work the hat in bold stripes of about five or six rows.
- Add a pompom or two!
- Or........add your own idea here!

Any problems? E-mail me! cookie.monster-36@hotmail.com

I'm back!

2008-09-15T00:31:00.001-07:00

Hurrah! And how I missed all my fellow bloggers. Catching up on missed posts is one of my favourite things to do after an absence. There are so many new projects to enjoy and lust after and plenty of crafty goodness. You may recall that I too promised a completed project. About that. I had been working on a new hat pattern (which will soon be available as a free pattern!) and had almost completed it, when to my absolute horror, I found a small imperfection. There, to my utter annoyance, was one minute increase near the start of the piece. Naturally, I had to undo the whole damn thing and start again. But it will be completed soon, and to satisfy your craftiness in the meantime, here are some more etsy finds (I heart etsy!):

Hannibal Lecter Mouse

Hulk Mouse

Obiwan Kenobi Mouse

Emperor Mouse

Hehehe, being a Star Wars nerd I absolutely love the last two mice. Some of the other characters you can get are also hilarious, such as Alice in Wonderland, The Beatles and James Bond, and you can also place custom orders. I'm also loving this zombie mouse:

All these wonderful creations are from TheHouseOfMouse

P.S. A while ago I included a link in one of my posts about an article on blog etiquette. However, I just realised that I forgot to source it properly. The article is courtesy of Meet Me at Mikes (sorry!).

Note of Abscence

2008-09-03T02:53:00.000-07:00

JUST A QUICK NOTE THAT I WILL BE AWAY FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR SO!!!! MORE CRAFTINESS THEN!!!! (is that how you spell abscence? absence?)

another etsy post

2008-08-29T02:53:00.000-07:00

and just a little more!

Ghost Bunny from artfulartsyamy

i would gladly steal a child to clothe them in these gorgeous booties from pedrosprout!

very scary hairy tarantula from curster

i just love all the skunkboy creatures

and

gorgeous robot heart pendants from mokokokat. Just look at those little broken hearts!

On the crafty front, I know I keep promising projects but they are taking a frustratingly long time to complete. In fact, I'm trying to finish four babushkas at once as well as a deer and other miscellaneous thingies. This isn't a whinge though as I am loving every second of it and will try really hard to have something finished to show you next time. I have no idea how crafters finish even more than one item a week because I am incredibly slow. Any tiny stich that is slightly wonky will be ripped out and done over. I'm not sure if it's a bad thing or not, but it sure as hell makes things stretch out for longer than they should. That's enough from me I think, stay tuned for more updates!

I Heart Etsy

2008-08-28T01:39:00.000-07:00

Hey all! It's time for some etsy love!

v. cute wall clock from decoylab

oh my god these are cute magnets from vozamer

and

gorgeously gorgeous needle books from BigFish

Plus I wanted to include a link to here. Some of you may have already read it, but it's an article about good blog etiquette. It really opened my eyes and is definately a must read!

Guardian Angel knits...almost due!

2008-08-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ugghh. Still sick. I hope I'm not infecting everything seeing as I've managed to cough over nearly every part of the house. Loving the Olympics though. I don't think I've ever watched so much television in one sitting. My favourites are the relays- always interesting to see who drops the baton...there's always one!- and the gymnastics- god they're talented. Sooooo, here is the fruit of my labour this morning:

Just a friendly reminder that your Guardian Angel pharmacy knits are almost due. I'm a bit disappointed that all I could produce was one beanie, but due to other commitments (i.e. distractions, i.e. wips, i.e. babushkas, etc.), plus what are actually relatively small and tricky stitches, that's all for this year. All garments still make a big difference though, and will keep a child warm this season. Again, if you want to find out more details (it's not too late!) go here where you will actually find the free pattern for the beanie, plus a matching scarf.

Now I'm off to clean my slippers after an unfortunate accident with some macaroni and cheese. Stay well!

LOADS of WIPs

2008-08-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed that I love to take pictures outside. I reckon natural lighting is the best kind of lighting. Plus, I don't have any good inside lighting. Wow I just said lighting a lot of times. Anyways, here are just a few of my works in progress at the moment:

Group shot

New and improved babushka. How, may you ask? This one is a bigger and skinnier shape, taking a cue from babushkas such as this one.

Ohhh, sleepy babushka!

One of my favourite patterns, if I do say so myself. I loooove deers and fawns, and this one is no exception. Deer baby, more pictures when it is actually finished.

Heart decoration. I've kinda stuffed it up though because I've made it too big and not heart shaped enough. To get the shape, I just went onto Microsoft Word and used the heart Autoshape, but I don't think I'll be using it again.

And lastly, an elephant in the near future, perhaps?

Today is actually a sick day for me. I've got a horrible headache/cough which is restricting me to television and crochet *sigh*. But I'll leave you with a couple of outtakes, courtesy of Gypsey!

A little bit of inspiration

2008-08-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Continuing with a lot of crafting at the moment, especially on a commission for some Babushka dolls to be given away as presents...........okay, so it was from my aunty but hey, its my first commission, so its still an excuse to get excited. But today I thought I would show you some of my favourite etsy finds:

This gogeous set of owl earrings, just an excue to fuel my owl obsession!

These very very cute baby booties,

This uber awesome bag, love it love it love it! and...

...yes another owly thing, this gorgeously gorgeous owl pendant.

Well I think that's pretty much it. Thankyou to everyone who has viewed my fingerless glove pattern and an especial thankyou to Rachel for providing a link from Knitting Pattern Central. Go check it out for a huge selection of fantastic knitting patterns as well as crochet patterns at the sister site, Crochet Pattern Central, all free free free!!!

a bit of spring

2008-08-11T04:03:00.000-07:00

awww pretty.

Babushka doll..........thing

2008-08-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yeeaahh, so I made this with practically no plan in place, only that I wanted to make a flat version of my Babushka dolls. I drew out the shape I thought I wanted to use, blanket stitched around the edges then added chain daisy stitches as decoration. I decided too late that it could possibly become a hanging decoration if I added a ribbon, and was then too lazy to undo my work. I might post the pattern here in more detail when all the kinks are ironed out and adjustements made, but at the moment, it's not one of my favourites.Oh well, at least it makes a good pincushion!

Lovely swatch

2008-08-01T23:06:00.001-07:00

Solid Scallop pattern. Quite like this one, the fabric is nice and thick, the stitch is easy to get the hang of and I think the design is quite versatile. Maybe...doll clothing?

Knits Appeal

2008-07-31T01:50:00.001-07:00

Mock Cable Beanie for Guardian Angel Knitting Program. A great program for a great cause, run by Guardian Angel pharmacies. Learn more.

Meet Jessie

2008-07-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

This is just a prototype, but I would like for you to meet Jessie. She likes cupcakes, buttons and playing with her imaginary friend, Bear. I promise to make some clothes for her soon!

Free Fingerless Glove Pattern!!!

2008-07-25T04:53:00.000-07:00

Well, as promised, here is my free pattern for you! I don't know if you can see, but when I took the photos I was a bit naughty and hadn't woven the ends in yet so tucked them underneath! It's not recommended that you do the same... :)

Jessie’s Fingerless Gloves

Materials:

- DK (double knitting) weight yarn, or 8 ply in any colour you like. I used Marvel acrylic yarn, available from Spotlight and 100 gm was more than enough (probably enough for almost two pairs)
- A set of four 3.25 mm double-pointed needles
- Cable needle. I just use an extra double- pointed needle for mine
- 2 stitch holders
- Yarn needle
- Tape measure

Abbreviations:

st= stitch
k= knit
p= purl
C4R= Cable 4 right; place next 3 stitches on cable needle and hold at back of work. K 1 then k stitches from cable needle, continue as written.
C4L= Cable 4 left; place next stitch on cable needle and hold at front of work. K 3 then k stitch from cable needle, continue as written.
m 1= make 1
CO= Cast Off (also known as Bind Off)

Tension:
30 sts and 42 rows per 10 cm (4 in.)

Claw pattern (worked over 11 stitches and four rows):

Row 1: p 1, k 9, p 1, k to end
Row 2: p 1, k 9, p 1, k to end
Row 3: p 1, C4R, k 1, C4L, p 1, k to end
Row 4: p 1, k 9, p 1, k to end
Repeat rows 1 to 4 to form pattern, k to end

Stitch markers: I would suggest using stitch markers to mark the beginning of each round. You can buy them, or tie scraps of yarn into a loop for a make-shift one.

Copyright note: This is my own original pattern, so please do not sell any products you make using it. Of course the pattern is free for your own personal use, as well as gifts and charity donations.

Method:

Right glove (both gloves worked upwards from cuff)-

*Cast on 44 sts using tubular cast-on. There’s a great video tutorial here if you’re not sure how to. I knotted the ends together, then divided the sts evenly between three needles and worked as normal for ribbing. Join, being careful not to twist knitting.

Work 1 by 1 rib, beginning with p 1 for 16 rows. This should work out to being about 2 inches (5 cm). Alternatively, work the cuff as long or as short as you like!*

Now you are ready to begin the hand and claw pattern. Work four-row pattern, (including k to end), four times.

Begin thumb increase (continuing with claw pattern):

p 1, k 9, p 1, k 10 1, k 2, m 1, k to end (46 sts).
p 1, k 9, p 1, k to end (46 sts).
p 1, C4R, k 1, C4L, p 1, k 10, m 1, k 4, m 1, k to end (48 sts).
p 1, k 9, p 1, k to end (48 sts).
p 1, k 9, p 1, k 10, m 1, k 6, m 1, k to end (50 sts).
p 1, k 9, p 1, k to end (50 sts).
p 1, C4R, k 1, C4L, p 1, k 10, m 1, k 8, m 1, k to end (52 sts).
p 1, k 9, p 1, k to end (52 sts).
p 1, k 9, p 1, k 10, m 1, k 10, m 1, k to end (54 sts).
p 1, k 9, p 1, k 10, pick up 2 sts, k 12, pick up 2 sts, put all other stitches on holders.

*You will now be working with just these 16 sts for the thumb. Divide sts evenly between three needles and join, being careful not to twist knitting. Work 10 rows stocking stitch, then cast off and weave in ends.*

Pick up 4 sts at base of thumb, k to end (46 sts). Beginning with 3rd row of claw pattern, continue in pattern for 22 rows. CO in desired method and weave in all ends.

Left glove:

Work as for Right glove from * to *.

Work claw pattern, but begin each row with k 35 instead of k to end (i.e. claw is on opposite side of the glove). Work four-row pattern four times.

Begin thumb increase (continuing with claw pattern):

k 21, m 1, k 2, m 1, k 10, p 1, k 9, p 1 (46 sts)
k 35, p 1, k 9, p 1 (46 sts)
k 21, m 1, k 4, m 1, k 10, p 1, C4R, k 1, C4L, p 1 (48 sts)
k 37, p 1, k 9, p 1 (48 sts)
k 21, m 1, k 6, m 1, k 10, p 1, k 9, p 1 (50 sts)
k 39, p 1, k 9, p 1 (50 sts)
k 21, m 1, k 8, m 1, k 10, p 1, C4R, k 1, C4L, p 1 (52 sts)
k 41, p 1, k 9, p 1 (52 sts)
k 21, m 1, k 10, m 1, k 10, p 1, k 9, p 1 (54 sts)
k 21, pick up 2 sts, k 12, pick up 2 sts, put all other stitches on holders.
Work as for * to * for thumb.

Pick up 4 sts at base of thumb, k 10, p 1, k 9, p 1 (46 sts). Beginning with 3rd row of claw pattern, continue in pattern for 22 rows. CO in desired method and weave in all ends.

If you find any errors in the pattern, have any questions or would simply like to share any pictures of your finished products, please don't hesitate to contact me at cookie.monster-36@hotmail. com. Enjoy!

stay tuned

2008-07-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

This is just a touch base. I'm still working on the fingerless glove pattern as well as taking pictures of everything. Life's been busy at the moment, but I promise there will be more soon!

Polly

2008-07-08T17:13:00.001-07:00

Second Babushka doll. Or matrokysha doll, if you will.

I think I may post a free pattern here for my fingerless gloves. No pictures yet but I'll make sure to next time. I'd like to have a couple of free patterns to say thankyou to all of you who do the same.

I'll also have someone new for you to meet. Next time!

Holidays=WIPs

2008-07-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what (or who) it is?

P.S. I am very happy to announce I am now a member of The Needle.

Check out all the wonderfully talented softie makers here

sorry, no pics

2008-07-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the pictureless post today. I can tell you though that I am working on a new pattern, as well as more babushka dolls (including little ones) and some of my favourites. Stay tuned!

Meet Molly

2008-06-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

Molly is a Babushka doll. She is made from acrylic yarn, wool blend felt and plastic safety eyes. She is hand embroidered (but you can't really see it).

Molly is my own design. More Babushka dolls coming soon.

ARRRRGG!

2008-06-26T03:14:00.000-07:00

I hate an inanimate object. My camera. It stinks. This is a picture I took of one of my elephants with it and look how blurry it turned out! I can't wait for a new one. It's a Kodak, I think one of the first ever made (!), but I hear the Cybershot ones are quite good. What do you think?

Warning: may contain craft content

2008-06-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Jessie and welcome to jessie + bear. I was inspired to create a blog after viewing many by all those talented artists out there who use a range of materials and techniques. I am obsessed with softies and love to make them when I should be doing other things! To get the ball rolling, here's a picture of a dog that I made a while ago for a friend:

sorry about the blurriness!