Coraline the Movie

I rushed out to see the Coraline movie on opening day. It was fantastic. I saw the 3D version and the glasses took some getting used to, but they worked very well. The artwork was superb and the music and story were just right. I highly recommend this move.

There are a few fun crafty links for Coraline over at the CRAFT blog including a knitting pattern for the Coraline sweater and a button poster.

Be sure to check out the map on the Coraline website. It is interactive and shows you a bunch of neat stuff.

New Knitting Pattern: Doll Sweater Tank

The girls had a get together today to catch up and have a drink at home. They had to take a group photo to show off their new sweater tanks. The perfect item for any fall wardrobe.

This new knitting pattern, sweater tank, fits most medium and small busted 1:6 scale dolls including Barbie, Obitusu, Volks, and J-Doll. I used Cotton Classic yarn by Tahki Stacy Charles. It is an inexpensive yarn that comes in a rainbow of beautiful colors.

The pattern is available at my etsy store.

Barbie is my gateway doll

The other week, I was at the bookstore picking up the latest Vogue Knitting magazine and came across Haute Doll. I could not put it down and ended up purchasing it. Inside there were all these beautiful photos of "Barbie like" dolls set-up in lush dioramas with amazing outfits.

As a kid, I had always coveted Barbie. I had the Skipper doll, The Sunshine Family, and other non-Barbie 1:6 scale dolls, but not an actual Barbie. To make amends for this, I purchased a Barbie about 6 months ago. She was cool, and I made the knit mermaid tail for her, but it was frustrating that her posing abilities were so limited. My need for 1:6 scale dolls was satiated, or so I thought.

In the pages of Haute Doll, I discovered ball jointed dolls (bjd's) and became obsessed with researching all I could find online. My first purchase was a Tonner doll, but I soon discovered the diy Asian bjd's such as Volks and Obitsu. Many of the Asian bjd's allow you totally customize them by choosing wigs, painting their faces, and changing their hands or feet. I also pre-ordered a J-Doll and discovered the wonders of Re-ment 1:6 scale miniatures.

I had not realized that I liked dolls so much. I guess Barbie was my gateway doll. Luckily the mermaid tail fits my new 1:6 scale bjd's. More doll knitting patterns will be on the way.

I have a Volks doll up for sale over at e-bay this week that comes with acrylic eyes. I over bought.

New Knitting Pattern: Squared Up, fingerless Mitts

I adore fingerless gloves because they keep your hands warm and still let you do things. The design for this Squared Up pattern was inspired by the open floor plans of loft living and the clean geometric lines of mid-century modern furniture.

This pattern calls for 3 colors of Sock by Shibui Knits. It is a really soft superwash merino wool in semi-solid colors. The pattern for Squared Up is available in my etsy store and includes sizing instructions for small, medium, and large sized gloves.

New Knitting Pattern: Mermaid Tail for Dolls

Transform your Barbie into a siren of the sea with this new knitting pattern, Mermaid Tail for Barbie.

The pattern, which requires knitting in the round, increasing, and decreasing is now available in my Etsy store, AnsleyBleu.

The pattern calls for 1 skein of Cotton Classic yarn by Tahki Stacy Charles and US 5 dpns or a long circular needle.

Katamari Hat, COMPLETE!

I am so excited. I finally finished my Katamari Ball Hat that I started a year ago. I think I was afraid to make ear flaps for some strange reason so I put it down.

The other night I felt the desire to pick it up again, and it was done in just a few hours. I really like how it turned out and I love the colors, although they remind me of frog eyeballs a little.

I used an i-cord knitting machine for the "chin straps" and then sewed them to the corners of the ear flaps. You can read more details about what I used here.

Here are the directions for how I made the bumps. The pattern is based on directions by Easily Amused and The Knitting Fiend.

Materials
US 7 DPNS
Merino Style yarn by Knit Picks (3 Colors)
8 – 2” Styrofoam Balls
Thin batting
Tapestry needle

Directions for Bumps
Using top down method mentioned by the Knitting Fiend
With waste yarn, CO 6 sts, knit
Transfer sts to 3 DPNS
Round 1 knit
Round 2 KF&B, 12 sts
Round 3 KF&B, K1, 18 sts
Round 4 KF&B, K2, 24 sts
Round 5 KF&B, K3, 30 sts

Change Color

Round 6, knit
Round 7 KF&B, K4
Round 8 - 10 Knit

Change Color

Round 11 – 18 knit

Repeat 7 more times for a total of 8 bumps.

Bind off all sts, leaving a long yarn tail to be used to sew bump to hat later.
Trim away the CO waste yarn and close up the top of the bump and weave in the ends.

Slice off one side of a Styrofoam ball, cover it in thin batting, insert into a stocking to keep the batting on the ball, and insert it into the knitted bump. The sliced off side should face out so that the bump will lay flat against the hat. I used Styrofoam balls inside the knit bumps so that they would retain their shape over time.

Twist Collective - New Online Knitting Magazine

Twist Collective is a new online knitting magazine created by Kate Gilbert and her knit designer friends. I am excited about this new format and the patterns available are lovely. The main difference with this magazine and other online knitting magazines is that the patterns are for sale.

It is a sad fact that knitwear designers get paid much less for their design work today than what they were paid in the 1980's. Although I enjoy a free pattern, I am more than happy to pay the small fee of $7 for a knitting pattern. This way individual designers make money for their talent and also retain the rights to their work. There is nothing like good pay to inspire great work. I hope this project takes off and sets a new standard for the fair treatment of artists.

There is a nice interview about Twist Collective with Kate Gilbert on episode 90 of the Ready Set Knit podcast.

Jenny & Nicole of Stash & Burn podcast also discuss this new magazine in episode 59.

There was a great discussion about the fair treatment of knitwear designers over at Cast On podcast, but I can't seem to find which episode it was on. Lily Chin also touches on this topic during her interview on episode 67 of Craft Sanity.

Book Inspired Knits - Twilight Series

This summer it has been hot, so I have been doing much more reading rather than crafting. About a month ago I was bitten by the Twilight series written by Stephenie Meyer. They were so much fun to read. I also started listening to a great podcast about the series, Imprint.

As with many other books, this series has inspired a number of knitters. Two that stand out are this great pair of Eclipse socks by Shiny Knits that were inspired by the Eclipse book cover, and this pair of Twilight socks by Chicken Betty that were inspired by the Twilight book cover. I may have to start knitting socks!

New Online Knitting Magazine

I just stumbled upon Knotions, a new online magazine with free knitting patterns. Yea!

New Knitting Patterns at Berroco

Although LA has had record breaking heat the last two days and it is almost unbearable to even look at knitting, I am smitten with this new sweater pattern, Crotona, over at Berroco. It is knit in Cuzco which has a gorgeous color pallete. If I do get a chance to make it, I would probably shorten it to hip length. This pattern and a few other amazing patterns can be found in Berroco's Booklet #281.

I-Cord Knitting Machine

I have just purchased an Embellish Knit i-cord knitting machine. I have been wanting one ever since I saw Betz White use one during her pincushion tutorial on the Martha Stewart show. I opened the packet and, after a few cranks on the handle, got it going fairly easily. I made this pile of i-cord with the yarn provided, which would have taken a few hours if hand knit, in just a few minuets.

One thing I noticed is that the tension of my cord is a bit uneven in a few places. I think this is because I waited a while to move the weight up the cord. This is not a major issue and I will be sure to remember to change the position of the weight more frequently.

This little machine only has four stitches and uses sport weight yarn or thinner. I think I may get one of theses little machines or possibly this one too. I think they will be a great help for making knitted toys.

Tutorial: Knitted Dish Scrubbie

I just came across this tutorial for a Knitted Dish Scrubby written up by Berlin's Whimsy. She uses tulle fabric combined with yarn for good scrubbing action. What a great idea and cute too!

Knitted Car Cover

I came across this photo of an amazing knitted Volvo car cover over in the flickr's The Knitting Club photo pool by secretagentmartens. You can read more about the Manifest festival that the art car was created for here.

New Knittng Pattern Love: Praying Mantis

I totally adore the creature knitting patterns of Seattle based artist Hansigrumi. They are completely cute and a little creepy at the same time. She has just completed a new knitted toy, a Praying Manits, which I love. Her work is so detailed and well crafted. I will have to make one of her patterns soon. You can purchase her knitting patterns at her etsy store.

New Knitting Pattern: Sparkle Beetle

Metallic beetles fascinate me. Their beautiful colors and body structure are striking and sometimes creepy. I wanted to create a toy that captured that glitter and form, but also had a sense of humor. So, the Sparkle Beetle knitting pattern is born.

This knitting pattern uses 4 balls of Shine Worsted yarn by Knit Picks where a thin metallic yarn is held together with this soft cotton yarn so the beetle sparkles.

The beetle measures 12” long x 11” wide, from leg to leg.

The pattern is available in my etsy store, ansleybleu.etsy.com

Softie Awards Winners Announced

The 2nd Annual Softie Award winners have been announced. The Knit Carrot & Mandarin did not win in the picnic food category, but who could resist those cute mice! Thanks to everyone who voted for me.

Voting for the Softie Awards is now open!

Softies Central is hosting another Softie Awards competition and I am honored to announce that my Knit Carrot & Mandarin have made it to the finals in the Picnic Food Category. This time there are five categories with five finalists each.

Voting is open now through Tuesday, May 6th at 8pm PST and winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 7th. Voting is taking place here.

New Knitting Pattern: Carrot & Mandarin

There have been so many babies amongst my family and friends lately that I decided to design a few knitting patterns that could become baby gifts.

This cute pattern is for a knit Carrot and Mandarin is a really versatile project that can be made into a baby rattle, sachet, or pincushion. It is a quick and inexpensive gift to make. I used one skein of orange and green Lamb's Pride yarn to make both toys with yarn to spare.


This pattern and the Rolled Brim Baby Hat with Stripes are both available in my etsy store.

Knitted Innards

I just stumbed across these images of amazing knitted innards at the Sarah Illenberger website. This site is mainly in German, so I am unsure if she knit or photographed these pieces, but I love how the mohair yarn has captured the feel of the pieces.

Related:
Brain Embroidery at Monster Crochet
Knitted Digestive System at Craftster
Other Fiber Brains at Museum of Fabric Brain Art
Womb at Knitty

New Knitting Pattern: Rolled Brim Baby Hat with Stripes

I have created another hat pattern, but this time it is for baby. It is called the Rolled Brim Baby Hat with Stripes. I made this little hat for the same friend that I made the Strawberry Baby Rattle for. She wanted a baby hat for the little guy when he comes home from delivery, and I am happy to be able to fulfill this request.

I used Merino Style yarn from Knit Picks. So this is a very soft, yet inexpensive gift to make. I have really enjoyed designing for baby I will probably do more. This pattern is available in my etsy store, ansleybleu.etsy.com.