Supergirl

Because it is the last day of the year I have a little treat for you today.

If you have been following my posts for a long time you could be forgiven for thinking that you had seen this post before and you would be close.  In 2020 I posted 'Is it a Bird?  Is it  a Plane?  No, It's a Flying Giraffe!  That giraffe was the boy version of this lovable knitted 'teddy' from the Knitables collection.

These beautifully designed range of knitted toys have quickly become one of my favourites. The number of patterns grows continuously but at the time of writing this post there are 19 different animals (all of which are refered to as teddies in the Knitables world), 4 mythical creatures and 4 dolls.  There are also 29 patterns for different costumes, all of which fit any of the teddies.

This is my Supergirl Giraffe, go girl!

The back view, so you can see her cloak.

Look away now if you have a delicate nature, here comes the full frontal photographs.

And the view from the back .....

Now a closer look at her costume.  The jumper and the cloak are one piece, joined at the shoulders.

I flipped it over to show you the back.

Here are her shorts, which she wears under her skirt.

And, of course, her skirt.

And her very fetching boots.

It can get very chilly flying around up there amongst the clouds, so I made her some trousers for those cold days.

Her full costume.

Both Supergirl and I wish you and your family a very happy and healthy New Year.  Whatever you do this evening, stay safe.

Thank you for all of your support this year, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.

See you soon.

Dionne

Other Knitables patterns I have made

Cat

Thank you Bears

Tabby Cat

Elephant

Super Giraffe

Hippopotamus

Halloween

Lilac Round Necked Cardigan

Hello, I have another cardigan to show you today.

This one is a very pale lilac made in King Cole Cherish Double Knit.  The design is Sirdar pattern number 2081.  

It is such a pretty colour but,I am afraid, that the colour has not photographed very well but at least you can see the design in this close-up.

I hope you have a good day.

Dionne

Blue and Grey Striped Jumper

What have you been doing with yourself since the Christmas Holidays, have you returned to work or have you been taking advantage of this lull between holidays to do a spot of crafting?  I have been trying to get all of my handmade items onto my blog in order to share them with you.  I have been such a dilettante blogger this year.  

Today I have a striped jumper I made for my youngest nephew.  I wanted to use up some oddments of yarn left over from other jumpers I had recently made him.  It is one of those designs which comes out of your head - using elements from this and that pattern.

I had enough yarn leftover to make him a matching beanie.

Whatever you choose to do today, I hope you have a good time.

Dionne

Chunky Blue Cardigan

My youngest niece has been having a bit of a growing spurt and has outgrown all of the cardigans I had previously made for her.  I love knitting for her as she loves everything I make for her - mind you, she is a bit of a clotheshorse.

This cardigan is made in King Cole Cherish Double Knit.  The pattern is one I obtained from ebay, no make or number I am afraid.

A close-up, so you can see the pattern better - I'm not sure it helps!

I'll try to be back again tomorrow.

Dionne

Olive Green Cardigan

I am back this morning to show you another of the cardigans I made for my young nephew.  His parents particularly like him in earthy tones; mainly greys, greens and browns.  He is only 2 but he has developed into a right little character and has everyone running around him.  

I made this round necked cardigan in King Cole Cherish Double Kit using one of my favourite Stylecraft patterns - number 4909.

I just could not find buttons to match, so I opted for wooden ones.

Take care.

Dione

Baby Blue Cardigan

I hope you had a really good Christmas Day.   Lots of presents, a lovely meal and surrounded by those you love the most.

I have to confess that I am not actually here in person today - I have scheduled this post.  I am probably watching TV and nodding off on the sofa - having eaten far too much yesterday.

I had an operation earlier this year and whilst I was recuperating I did a lot of knitting for my youngest niece and nephew and I am trying to get up to date with sharing everything I made with you.  Today I wanted to show you a pale blue cardigan made in King Cole Cherish Double Knit, the design is another of my vintage patterns from Ebay number 468.

A close up of the lattice pattern .....

Do you remember my Christmas Eve post, where Daisy and Danny promised the girls a special present if they were good?  Did you wonder what it was?  Would you like to see?

The girls each received an angel teddy bear, with a special message on their tums.

They are so sweet and very special.

I hope you are having a wonderful Boxing Day, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Dionne

Thank You Bears

It's Christmas Eve and I have been saving something a little special to share with you today.  Earlier this year I had to have an operation, the operations was a sucess and I am fine now.  The hospital staff were wonderful and I cannot praise them enough, from the surgeons to the nursing staff and all of the ambulance drivers, porters and cleaners.  They were so kind, friendly and caring.  

I also needed to say a very special thank you to all of my family and friends who got me through those difficult days, I do not think I could have done it without their support.  

I know that the hospital staff receive lots biscuits and chocolates so I tried to think of a more personal way to say thank you.  I decided to make them 'Thank you Bears'.  The Thank you Bear was conceived and designed by Sarah from Knitables as a way of saying thank you to all of our amazing NHS staff and the pattern is a freebe from their website.  

There are rather a lot of them, so I am warning you that this is an extra long post with a lot of photographs.

Several of the bears posed on the stairs for a group photo before heading off to their new homes.

Each bear is made in doube knit yarn.

Their hats and masks are made separately, but their uniforms from part of their body.

I am not very good at sewing the eyes and noses but that quirkiness does add to their individual character.

Each bear is differnt in some way, it is not just the colour of their uniform, sometimes their body is different, others have differently coloured muzzles and ears.  All of which goes towards making each bear unique.

I stitched a little Handmade with Love button in one of their ears.

You may be thinking that their ears sit a little low on their heads.  This is so their ears are positioned correctly to fit the hat.

These bears may look a little familiar, I posted a pair of Thank you Bears I made about a year ago

Each bear stands around 12 inches tall.

The bears and I would like to wish each and everyone one of you a very happy Christmas and we thank you for following this blog and leaving comments.

Before we check on those naughty elves I have another Christmas card to share with you.  This card was sent to me by my good friend and fellow crafter Mrs Beez (some of us call her Lisette).  I am sure you will agree with me, it is gorgeous.

Shall we pay one last visit to our little elf friends - Daisy and Danny?  They go back to the North Pole tonight.

 

I apologise for the quality of this photo, the speach bubble reads 'Goodbye and we love you.  xxx'.

I am not sure whether you are able to read this photograph - the letter from Daisy and Danny reads::

We have to go back with Santa tonight but we'll see you next year.

We've left you a little present to bring you some cheer. 

Tonight just before 6pm sprinkle your reindeer food on the grass.

Don't forget Santa's treats, he likes his milk in a glass. 

Then at 6pm ring your bells, shake them fast and loud,

And think of Nanny sitting on a soft cloud. 

For every time a bell rings, 

An angel gets her wings. 

When you come back through the door,

There is a present you've never seen before.

We hope it helps you keep, 

Those special memories while you sleep.

And know you are so loved, 

Both on earth and from heaven above.

I hope you have enjoyed the elf adventures this year, their antics can be a little risqué at times but they are not intended to offend. Hopefully they will be back again next year with new ideas - to be honest I do not know how they dream them up.

I should like to wish you and your family and very happy Christmas and a healthy and joyous 2022.  And, in the words of the late, great Dave Allen, 'May your God go with you'.

Dionne

Broom-broom Knitted Cardigan

I just love vintage knitting patterns for children, all of those familiar designs from when I was a child. 

When I was a girl, my cardigans were all handmade by either my mum or my grandmother.  As a child I never had a cardigan like this, because when I was young, everything was very stereotypical and only boys would have a cardigan with a big blue car and a pick-up truck.

This was a very old Sirdir Snuggly pattern (number 3236) made in King Cole Cherish Double Knit, which is one of my favourite yarns.  I managed to track the pattern down on Ebay

I am not sure I am doing myself any favours, showing the vehicles in close-up.

I have a quick update on what our little elf friends have been getting up to. recently

Call me an old cynic if you like, but I have started to get very suspicious when these two do something nice.  It looks like they left the girls some money the other evening.

............................................................................

I thought it was too good to be true.  I am sure those elves were up to no good again the next night, what do you think?

Oh no, don't look.  I knew it, I knew it.  They are so naughty!

I hope that Louis and Coco are better behaved than Daisy and Danny.........

Oh look, they are dressed up as pirates today.  They have hidden pirate coins around the house and, if the children can find them, they can be exchanged for the chocolate money from the pirate chest.

Just one more day to go - not that I am counting or anything.

Dionne