A Few More Elf on the Shelf Bits

I mentioned yesterday that I have been a bit under the weather since the start of the year.  Most of the time I have not really felt much like doing anything but from time the fog did lift from my head and I picked up my knitting needles.

There are not many clothes patterns for for all of those little Elf on the Shelf dolls and, thinking ahead to this year's Advent Calenders, I decided to play around with the patterns I have to see if I could come up with something new.

I attempted to make one of these panel skirts last year but I found that the recommended number of panels were not enough to fasten the skirt at the waist.  I almost doubled the number of panels in these skirts but they where still not enough to affix a press stud to ...... so I plaited some of the wool to make ties.  

Laid out like this they look more like fans.

I also took the opportunity to make my elf a mermaids tail and a ballerina wrap around style cardigan, - with matching hat of course.

I experimented with a dress pattern to come up with these short sleeved tops.  The larger cardigan was a 'Little Cotton Rabbit' cardigan made on larger needles and double knit yarn .... but it came out too large for an elf, I am sure my niece will have a doll it will fit!

Dionne

Ducks Are A-Dabbling

January always seems such a long month, but we are almost there - just a week or so to go now.

Over Christmas/New Year both my husband and I came down with this nasty respiratory virus which is doing the rounds and we are still struggling to shift it.  It seems everyone I talk to has had this bug and some have taken as long as seven weeks to get rid of it!  After three weeks of having it I actually woke up this morning with no voice and a head full of cotton wool.  Every day is like a new adventure!

I have not really felt much like crafting but now I am starting to feel a bit better I have been doing a little bit of knitting.  I had immense fun making this cardigan for my little niece, I have never really embroidered a knitted item in this way before and I was worried that my chain stitch was not up to the task.  My previous experience of embroidering a knitted cardigan had been when I attempted to embroider roses on a cardigan.  I think I did better this time, although my waves could have been a little better, but overall I am very pleased with the end result.

This a a vintage Coates knitting pattern which I made in double knit yarn.  Both the pattern and the cute little duck buttons came from eBay.

Here you can see a close up of the front panel of ducks, the ducks were knitted in a Fair Isle style and the detail was added at the end.  Although you could add the ducks in Duplicate Stitch (also sometimes called Swiss Darning) if you so wished.

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The ducks go right around the back ... paddling in and out of the bull rushes.

The pattern allows you to design your unique layout of ducks and pond - I think the bull rushes were my favourite part to do.

Dionne

PS If you are wondering about the title of this post, it is a Kenneth Grahame quote from "Wind in the Willows" - 

“All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!

Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim--
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes!
WE like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call--
WE are down a-dabbling
Up tails all!”

Purple Fairies

A few days ago I shared with you a set of birthday cards featuring a Hunkydory card kit.  I was quite impressed with the Hunkydory Christmas cards I made last month, so I thought I would buy a couple of their birthday card sets to see what they were like.

They are designed on exactly the same principle - a sheet of mixed toppers and sentiments with two sheets of matching backing card.  This set features purple fairies and bluebells.

All I added to these cards were flowers, flat backed gems, ribbon and glue.  These cards is very high gloss and they look really good but they are really difficult to photograph.


Dionneh.


Dionne

Green Fairies

I was quite impressed with the Hunkydory Christmas cards I made last month, so I thought I would buy a couple of their birthday card sets to see what they were like.

They are designed on exactly the same principle - a sheet of mixed toppers and sentiments with two sheets of matching backing card.  This set features green fairies and snowdrops.

 

The only thing I added to this set was glue and ribbon.  The card is very high gloss and looks great but oh so difficult to photograph.


Dionne