Monday 27 October 2014

Mug Cosies

Knitted Mug Cosy

A mug cosy is usually one of the more basic knitting patterns, but I have never made one before. For my parents wedding anniversary I thought it would be cute to make his and hers cosies with their initials on.

I found this free Valentine Mug Hug pattern and decided to give it a go. The pattern states "Use any size needles to obtain the gauge" but I just chose needles suitable for my yarn and decided I'd just go for it... the pattern was easy to follow and turned out correctly, but was too small to fit around a mug and has now become my button jar cosy... although it's actually more like a jar cape.

cape cosy cape cosy

But the good thing about the first attempt going wrong was that I was able to adjust what I didn't like about the pattern. I decided I would make the button loop in the middle rather than the top to avoid the cape effect. I also learned that I would have to cast on more stitches to make it fit a mug.

I know that my Mum likes drinking from really large Disney mugs, so for her cosy I cast on 60, then did the increases in row 7 (75 stitches). In row 17 I continued the K2, P3 ribbing but  cast on 14 more stitches to make the loop. I continued with the ribbed pattern until I was happy with the height of the cosy.

For my Dad's cosy I decided to still cast on 60, and knit ribbed, but I did not make the increases.

Knitted Mug Cosy


Once I had finished both cosies I knitted two little white panels with my parents initials on. I used my Knitters Bible which has an alphabet graph to knit the letters.

R + J

Knitted Mug Cosy


I am happy with the finished cosies, they both look very cute and easily fit around a large mug. You can really see the shape difference between the pink one where I increased and the Blue one where I didn't. It's worth keeping in mind the shape of your mug before starting the pattern.

Knitted Mug Cosy


To illustrate how the shape makes the cosy 'fit' and to show just how stretchy the ribbing is, I tested out my cosies for other possible uses...

Measuring Jug Cosy
Measuring Jug Cosy

Blender Cosy
Blender Cosy

Spray Bottle Cosy
Spray Bottle Cosy

Coffee Plunger Cosy
Coffee Plunger Cosy


Monday 20 October 2014

KnitPro Needles and Hooks

I was recommended KnitPro by a friend so decided to treat myself to these two sets:

Amazon UK
7 Pairs of Needles -
4.00mm (US 6)
4.50mm (US 7)
5.00mm (US 8)
5.50mm (US 9)
6.00mm (US 10)
7.00mm (US 10.75)
8.00mm (US 11)


4 Cables -
1 x 60cm (24")
2 x 80cm (32'')
1 x 100cm (40'')


8 End Caps
 4 Cable Keys
1 Cable Case


Amazon UK

Contains Sizes:
2mm
2.5mm
3mm
3.5mm
4mm
4.5mm
5mm
5.5mm
6mm








KnitPro generally seems to be rated as having good quality products, and reviews on these sets in particular have been very good, so I am very excited to receive them and give them a try.

Watch this space for a review in the near future. Please also let me know your experience and/or recommendations with these or other KnitPro products.

Sunday 12 October 2014

Untwisting a Skein of Yarn



If you had asked me a week ago if I would have needed to watch a tutorial explaining how to untwist a skein of yarn, I probably would have laughed, but now I will never underestimate just how tangled these kinds of skeins can get if not 'un-twisted' correctly! I spent about four hours unravelling a big messy knot of sequinned mess to get just one skein neatly rolled into a useable ball.


Once I realised there must be an art to unravelling them without making a giant knot, I searched YouTube to see if there was such a thing as an 'untwisting how-to'... Luckily for me there are tutorials out there and this meant that my second and third skein were transformed into balls within a matter of minutes.

This is not my video, just one I found on YouTube, skip to about 1:50 for the demo to start:



Monday 6 October 2014

The Knitters Bible



I recently picked up this book in a second hand shop, thinking I would maybe get a few patterns for a cheap price. However when I got home I was glued to the book for hours!

The Knitters Bible on Amazon UK is only £11.89 or available to NZ at the Book Depository for $28.08.


The Knitters Bible The Knitters Bible

I think the copy I picked up is an older edition of this book (the cover is different) but the content is still amazing. There are simple, easy instructions with pictures & diagrams from choosing your yarn and needles to more complex patterns and knitting techniques.

As a fairly new knitter I love having a neat catalogue of different stitches, edgings and methods. I usually use the internet to find patterns and learn new techniques, but I still found this book an invaluable source. It's also useful if you want to make something without a set pattern.

For me personally I was very happy to see suggested patterns to make a patchwork blanket (plenty of inspiration for my ongoing project) I have also been working on a little gift (which I will post about once it has been given) using this book.

The Knitters Bible The Knitters Bible
The Knitters Bible The Knitters Bible
The Knitters Bible The Knitters Bible
The Knitters Bible The Knitters Bible