Category: crafts & knitting

crafts & knitting · new patterns

Little Cotton Rabbits Dogs Patterns

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)46 Comments

 

Here are my new patterns for 9 inch (23cms) tall knitted dogs, and I cannot tell you how delighted and relieved I am to be pressing ‘publish’ on these today. This has been one of the most challenging projects that I’ve ever worked on. The patterns themselves are not difficult to knit but my part,  putting everything together with the layout and ordering of all the different options that I’ve included, has been a complete headache. Still, I am happy at last with the outcome and now I will be having some down-time to celebrate finishing. I’ve still not made it out to the orchard and the bluebell wood this year so those are top of my list of things to do next week.

So, as usual there are 2 versions (available on Ravelry, Etsy and later today also on Lovecrafts);

  • a dog in a dress which has knitted on panties, socks and shoes and the choice of 2 dresses, one knitted with a cabled chain texture in a single colour and another knitted in two colours with a simple, stranded swag design.
  • a dog in a sweater and shorts, which has a bare body and legs and comes with removable shorts and a choice of 2 sweaters, one knitted with a mock cable texture and the other in a simple 2 colour texture which is a lot easier to knit than it looks.

Both of these options contain the same multiple options for different dog breeds, so there’s no need to purchase both unless you really want to. As usual you can combine body parts from my other patterns, as they are the same size as my regular animal patterns (9 inches, 23cms tall) so clothes from my other existing regular sized animal patterns and the extra clothing sets will also fit these.

The patterns contain a single basic head shape with 8 different colour-work treatments and this combined with 7 different styles of ear gives you a lot of options to make different breeds of dogs.

So far I have made the following breeds and I still have a few ideas to play with that I’ll post here in the future; Labrador, Beagle, Spaniel, Dalmatian, Alsatian, Dobermann, Rottweiler, Dachshund, Pug, Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, Border Collie, Husky, Jack Russell, West Highland White Terrier, and quite a few of mixed parentage 🙂

In short it’s a very comprehensive set of instructions that will enable you to make many different types of dog.

If you give it a go I hope you’ll come and share your project on Ravelry or the Facebook group or perhaps on both – it would be lovely to see what you make from the pattern, and I’m so looking forward to seeing the first projects emerge.

And as always, I hope the new patterns give a little pleasure and enjoyment, happy knitting, J xxx

 

countryside · crafts & knitting · in the woods · spring

Recapping April

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)45 Comments

Hello again and sorry it’s been so long. April was mostly taken up with the school Easter break and so was full on Toby-time for me. We had a good few weeks though, with wood walks featuring heavily. Spring has taken hold here and sprinkled the countryside with blossoms and blooms. Most of the ones pictured here are now finished for the season as they were the first of the spring flowers; blackthorn blossom, wild daffodils, wood anemones and primroses. I’m happy that I managed to see most of them at their best this year, though it did mean getting up at dawn and heading out with my camera while Toby was still sleeping, as he really doesn’t tolerate me stopping to take photos on our joint wood walks.

Since the start of the school term I’ve had another thing keeping me busy, as you’ll see in the last picture 🙂  I’ve been working on this dogs pattern intensely since the beginning of the year and it’s been growing weekly in terms of the number of options for different breeds. I’ll give you full details once it’s finished and ready, but so far I’ve knitted a total of 57 different heads. The pattern is mostly written up and part of it is already in testing, so it won’t be too long before it will be ready to share. ‘Til then I’m off to work on it some more, I hope to be back here a little more regularly now that most of the hard work is done, see you again soon, J x

 

crafts & knitting · foxes in my garden · garden stuff · spring

springtime

Julie (little Cotton Rabbits)22 Comments

This morning I went out into the garden in my pyjamas with my early morning cuppa and walked with bare feet on the dew damp grass. Because I’m trying to conjure up a romantic image I’ll gloss over the fact that I had to look very carefully before stepping, in order to ensure I didn’t tread in any fox poo! The point is that the morning was warm and inviting enough for me to want to walk barefooted on damp grass and that’s because at last Spring has arrived here. One of my favourite Spring things is the dawn chorus and to stand rooted in stillness and listen to the liquid golden sound of a robin or blackbird singing in daybreak is a joyful way to start any day.

The blossom on the old plum tree has been spectacular this year (I’m predicting a deluge of plums later in the year) and has been a magnet to bees, hoverflies and a few butterflies emerging from hibernation.

I’ve been knitting, oh so much knitting, but I can’t show you most of it just yet because it’s all for the new pattern that I’m working on and is not yet ready to reveal. Though I have also been trying to make a little lamb to celebrate Easter this coming weekend – hopefully I’ll get her finished in time. Her dress colours are inspired by these beautiful tulips – I don’t often buy cut flowers but found these irresistible.

Lastly, the reason I have to watch my step while walking on the grass has been our usual daily visitor. We’ve not yet seen any sign of Kit’s cubs for this year but she’s taking food away each time she visits, so I’m convinced that at least some have survived the very cold snap that was here when they were born. She remains as wild and cautious as ever but is content to sit 6 feet away from me and let me photograph her while she’s waiting for a snack.

I hope life has been kind to you this last month, and that the feeling of hope that has been creeping into my heart with the advancement of spring has found a home with you too xxx