Looking for my mojo

Where oh where does my creativeness go??

Sometimes, when I'm all knitted out & my creativity has gone awol, I wander off looking for inspiration. Living on the coast certainly has a plus side......I'm off to the beach.

Jynx hunting for my mojo at the beach

I was lucky to grow up in the beautiful coastal village of Westward Ho! I spent many hours, day & night, sat on the pebbles listening to the waves crash on the shore. Letting the salty air blow the cobwebs away & enjoying the quietness of my own company.

Baby head band pattern

Babies everywhere…

I love knitting for babies, it’s quick & easy & doesn't use much yarn.

My sister blessed our Dad with his first grand-daughter last year (after the rest of us managed to produce 12 boys between us). My own son is the eldest grandson & at the time of blogging we are 4 months away from his 23rd birthday. I always wanted lots of babies but it didn't happen for me, but I'm blessed with a lovely lad so I can’t complain.

Anyway, my latest baby make is a cute little headband which you can choose to decorate with whatever your imagination comes up with…buttons…bows…or knitted flowers. I've added my flower pattern at the bottom of this page. (Other free flower patterns can be found on-line )

The pattern is made up of 3 simple row. You will need…

(UK) 4mm knitting needles, double knit yarn (less than 50g)

Abbreviations:~ K2tog-Knit 2 stitches together. Yfw- yarn forward/yarn around needle (to create a stitch)

Cast on 10 stitches

Row 1. Knit

Row 2. Knit

Row 3. K2, ( yfw, K2tog) rep to last 2 sts, K2

Repeat these 3 rows until work fits comfortably around head. I knit about 12 inches for a newborn.

Cast off & sew 2 ends together. Decorate with bows, flowers, buttons..whatever takes your fancy.

You can make a thicker band by doubling up the wool & using larger needles, this would work for making an adult size band too. You can also make the band wider by casting on extra stitches at the start in multiples of 2. For a recent adult band I cast on 16 stitches.

 Here is the simple flower pattern that can be added to the baby head band.

You can use any yarn & needle size you want to make small or large flowers, the pattern is so simple & easy to adapt to what you need.  The pattern below produces a flower approximately 2 inches across.

You will need:~ Scrap of double knit yarn. 4mm (uk) needles. Darning needle to sew up.

Cast on 12 stitches.

Row 1. Knit

Row 2. Knit into front & back of each stitch (24 stitches)

Row 3. Knit

Row 4.  Knit into front & back of each stitch (48 stitches)

Row 5. Knit

Cast off. **To have the contrast edge like in my photo simply add a different colour at the end of the last row & cast off using the contrasting yarn.

For the head band shown above you may want to repeat rows 4 & 5 again to make the flower bigger. You can repeat these rows a few more times to make an even bigger flower too.

To make up simply curl the flower around to the desired shape & use ends to sew into place.

Try adding a bead or a button to the centre for that little extra touch. I have added a brooch pin to the back of this one & have also added them to elastic hair bands & hair clips too.

Happy knitting.

Premature baby hat pattern

Knitted preemie hat pattern

 There are lots of hospitals & charity pages always on the look out for donations to their baby care units. I recently made this one for a customer but thought I would share this simple pattern with you should you feel the desire to donate to your local hospital.

This makes a hat just 10 inches in circumference.

You will need- 4mm needles, darning needle, 25g yarn

{ Abbreviations K-knit.  K2tog-knit 2 stitches together.  P-Purl.  St-stitch}

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Using size 4mm (UK) needles & double knit yarn cast on 48 stitches.

Knit in rib ( K1 P1) until work measures 2 inches

•If you are using a contrast colour for brim, change to main colour now•

Continue in stocking stitch ( Knit 1 row, Purl 1 row) until work measures 5 inches from cast on edge.

Shape top:

Row 1 *K2tog K2. rep from * to end {36 st}

Row 2, 4 & 6 Purl

Row 3 *K2tog K2. rep from * to end {27 st}

Row 5 *K2tog K1. rep from * to end {18 st}

Row 7 * K2tog. rep from * to end {9 st}

Cut yarn leaving a long enough tail to sew up seam. Thread end of yarn onto darning needle & thread through remaining stitches on needle & pull tight & fasten off. Sew down seam & sew in ends. Turn hat the right way around & fold up brim….tah dah, you’re done.

To be a crafting Mother

A day in the life....


Fitting a craft business into your life,
Whilst being a Mother, a cleaner, a wife,
It's not easy, I'll tell you about a typical day,
I'm sure you'll relate in some similar way.


For supplies I need to drive into town,
I pull up at the craft store..the kids start to frown,
So I say if they're good they can buy something nice,
But I know that this blackmail will cost a fair price.



I grab things I don't need & things that I do,
Then my little one shout's 'Mummy I need a poo'
I rush through the checkout with what I've picked up so far,
Then hurriedly bundle the kids in the car.


You see, my youngest Son won't use a public loo,
He say's home is the place to do a number two,
I am hoping that soon this phase will pass,
As it's really a right royal pain in the arse.


Later that evening they're tucked up in bed,
All the housework is done & the husband's been fed,
It's finally my time to sit down & craft,
And if you think it's that easy then you must be daft.

From the bedroom comes a murderous yell,
'Mummy, please help there's a really bad smell!'
I dash up the stairs & I enter their room,
To be be hit in the face by the deadliest fume.

I want to be cross, but I don't have the heart,
When an angel face tells you 'It was only a fart',
I flop exhausted on the sofa thinking it must be quite late,
I look at the clock & it's quarter past eight.

I want to be creating the ideas in my head, 
Instead of checking for monsters under the bed,
But I look at my children who are growing up fast,
And know I'm a Mother first & a crafter last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kwirky Knits 2016

Why a frog?

The trouble with frogs....

I have this frog mad friend and when I say she is mad about them I doubt you can even comprehend the magnitude of her addiction. 

There is the little frog by her sink that holds the scouring pad. No flying ducks on her wall…no sir….three flying frogs.  Then there are the twelve or so frog mugs, the matching silver frogs on the fireplace, the frog soap dish in the bathroom on which sits a frog soap that you are not allowed to use…EVER! I could go on but you get the idea, but I do feel I have to mention the frog head toilet roll holder that nods at you every time time you pull the roll. Gives me a giggle.

You may be wondering where this is all heading & what it has to do with knitting??!! Well what do you get Mrs frog as a gift that she doesn't already have??….I know I’ll knit a froggy wash cloth, that will be easy right? Hmmm.

I got the materials together & I sat down to design how I want it to look, that was easy enough, but then actually trying to knit what I’d drawn…lets just say it looked more half grown tadpole than frog. Anyway to cut a long story short, after starting it & undoing it to restart it (6 times!!) I finally have a wash cloth that looks a little bit like a frog. Hooray!! And what does this magnificent frog cloth look like?….

…… check out my frog cloth pattern & see for yourself ♥

Easy wrist warmers knitting pattern

The easiest wrist warmers ever!!

Can you knit a square??

Then you can knit an easy pair of wrist warmers…No pattern required.

Let’s start with the easiest bit…..what do you need?

  I have chosen Robin super chunky yarn for this project as it knits up quickly on large needles. Check the ball band of your yarn to see what size needles you need. A pair of scissors are also handy & a darning needle to sew up at the end. 

It is also a good idea to have a scrap of paper to make note of how many stitches you cast on & how many rows you knit on the first wrist warmer, then you can make the other one the same to match.

Let us begin….

Cast on as many stitches as you want, so when you stretch them out they are the required length you want your wrist warmers to be. Then just knit…

Keep knitting (taking note of your number of rows for making the matching wrist warmer) until it fits around your hand when stretched. 

Not too tight or it will not fit.

When you are happy simply cast off.    

Sew it up….

You now need to sew up your wrist warmer. You can simply sew it right up if you prefer the style with no thumb holes that you wear like extended jumper sleeves, if you prefer thumb holes then here is what to do. 

Wrap the square around your hand in the position you would wear it. Just underneath your thumb is where you need to sew up to, if you have a stitch marker place it where you need to sew to or simple thread an odd piece of yarn through to mark the spot.

Sew the two ends together from the edge up to the thumb hole mark & fasten off.

I usually have a thumb hole of about an inch & half or approx 3 & a half cm. You can decide by popping your wrist warmer on your hand and finding the size hole that is most comfortable for you. Making the hole too small can restrict blood flow, so don’t make it to tight or your thumb may drop off in the cold.

Again you can mark the spot by threading a scrap piece of yarn through if required. Sew from the top edge down to the mark for the top of the thumb hole & fasten off.

Sew in any loose ends & turn your wrist warmer inside out…… Tah da!! One wrist warmer.

Repeat for the matching wrist warmer & there you go. One pair of cosy wrist warmers. How easy was that?

 If your knitting skills stretch to doing a purl stitch then how about making them in a moss stitch. It’s easy to do, you knit one stitch purl one stitch & on the next row you knit the ones you purled on the last row & purl the knits. Simplest way to keep track is to cast on an odd number of stitches at the start, that way you always start your row with a knit stitch so every row is K1 P1.

You can make your wrist warmers as long or short as you want & can add buttons, ribbons or bows to make them perfect for you. So go on, what are you waiting for?

Happy knitting

♥ Andi ♥

Head band knitting pattern

Knitted head band pattern

Wear it your way, knit for free

Making a cosy ear warmer couldn’t be easier. All you need is basic knitting knowledge, yarn & needles.

Using size 4mm (UK) needles & double knit yarn cast on 18 stitches

Row 1: Knit 1 Purl 1 to end

Row 2: Purl 1 Knit 1 to end

These 2 rows make up your pattern. Continue until it fits comfortably around your head (approx 17 inches fits my 22 inch head)

Cast off. sew ends together using blunt darning needle.

For the clinch knot cast on 10 stitches & using the same pattern continue until it fits around the headband. (I find approx 5-6 inches is long enough)

Wrap this around the seam of your headband (to hide the seam)

& sew ends together.

And you can now wear your stylish ear warmer however you wish as the seam is hidden by the knot.

Enjoy x

Frog wash cloth knitting pattern

Knitted frog wash cloth pattern

This is a test piece I designed for a friend. The pattern is just knit & purl stitches so easy to do, just a long pattern to follow.

Feel free to make for yourself or as a gift, but please appreciate this is my own design therefore would appreciate you not recreating it for sale or distributing the pattern for sale either.

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Needed- 3.25mm needles, 50g double knit cotton, darning needle to sew in ends.
{Abbreviations K-knit.  P-Purl.  St-stitch/s}

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Cast on 50 stitches

Knit 5 rows

Next row K3 P to last 3 st K3

Next row K

Pattern:

Row 1.  K3, P9, K26, P9, K3.

Row 2. and all even rows Knit

Row 3.  K3, P8, K5, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, K4, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, K5, P8, K3.

Row 5.  K3, P7, K5, P1, K3, P1, K2, P1, K4, P1, K2, P1, K3, P1, K5, P7, K3.

Row 7.  K3, P7, K4, P1, K4, P1, K2, P1, K4, P1, K2, P1, K4, P1, K4,P7, K3.

Row 9.  K3, P6, K4, P1, K4, P1, K3, P1, K4, P1, K3, P1, K4, P1, K4, P6, K3.

Row 11.  K3, P5, K4, P1, K5, P1, K3, P1, K4, P1, K3, P1, K5, P1, K4, P5, K3.

Row 13.  K3, P4, K10, P1, K4, P1, K4, P1, K4, P1, K10, P4, K3.

Row 15.  K3, P3, K11, P1, K4, P1, K4, P1, K4, P1, K11, P3, K3.

Row 17.  K3, P2, K11, P1, K5, P1, K4, P1, K5, P1, K11, P2, K3.

Row 19. K3, P2, K12, P1, K14, P1, K12, P2, K3.

Row 21.  K3, P2, K40, P2, K3.

Row 23.  K3, P2, K7, P2, K22, P2, K7, P2, K3.

Row 25. K3, P3, K6, P1, K24, P1, K6, P3, K3.

Row 27.  K3, P4, K4, P2, K24, P2, K4, P4, K3.

Row’s 29-31-33 & 35.  K3, P9, K26, P9, K3.

Row 37.  K3, P10, K24, P10, K3.

Row 39. K3, P11, K22, P11, K3.

Row 41. K3, P12, K20, P12, K3.

Row 43.  K3, P13, K18, P13, K3.

Row 45. K3, P12, K20, P12, K3.

Row 47.   K3, P11, K22, P11, K3.

Row 49.  K3, P10, K9, P6, K9, P10, K3.

Row 51.  K3, P9, K9, P1, K6, P1, K9, P9, K3.

Row 53.  K3, P9, K8, P1, K8, P1, K8, P9, K3.

Row 55.  K3, P9, K7, P1, K10, P1, K7, P9, K3.

Row 57 & 59.  K3, P9, K26, P9, K3.

Row 61.  K3, P9, K11, P1, K2, P1, K11, P9, K3.

Row 63.  K3, P9, K10, P1, K4, P1, K10, P9, K3.

Row 65.  K3, P10, K5, P1, K12, P1, K5, P10, K3.

Row 67.  K3, P11, K3, P3, K10, P3, K3, P11, K3.

Row 69.  K3, P10, K3, P2, K1, P2, K8, P2, K1, P2, K3, P10, K10.

Row 71.  K3, P10, K4, P3, K10, P3, K4, P10, K3.

Row 73.  K3, P10, K5, P1, K2, P2, K4, P2, K2, P1, K5, P10, K3.

Row 75.  K3, P11, K7, P2, K4, P2, K7, P11, K3.

Row 77. K3, P12, K6, P8, K6, P12, K3.

Row 79. K3, P13, K4, P10, K4, P13, K3.

Row 80. Knit.

Row 81. K3, P to last 3 st, K3.

Knit 5 rows & cast off.

Sew in ends & your done Phewwww ♥