Moving house again - buy one get one free!

Our year in Herne Bay is almost over, and we're about to relocate to Littlehampton on the south coast.

Rather than pack all those knits, I'm offering you the opportunity to buy one, get one free! 

I have removed all the duplicate listings across Folksy and Etsy (I hope!!) unless I actually have two of whatever-it-is, so there are some different pieces in each shop.

All are ready to ship, first come first served. 

You can either buy both pieces and I will refund the price of the lowest-priced item through paypal, or you can buy one and message me to let me know which second piece you'd like as your freebie. There is a risk that someone else will buy it in the meantime, so please let me know a second choice just in case.

You can mix and match between shops if it helps! This offer will run until the weekend. I will be shutting both shops after the weekend and concentrating on packing - see you from our new house!

 Shop at: Folksy and Etsy

Buzz, buzz, buzz: knitting pattern for buzzy bees!

Did you know that bees are in decline? Friends of the Earth are organising a summit, Donna Noble thinks that Dr Who is involved...


but I'm just going to knit some. They won't do much towards crop pollination, but neither do they sting. Feel free to knit my patterns for your personal use but not to sell.

As you can see, I've designed two sizes. I've put a keychain on the smaller version, but actually the bigger bee isn't too big for a keycharm. Both use small amounts of double knitting in yellow and black and smallish needles, to keep the knit quite tight. I used my trusty 3.25mm DPNS (UK 10, US 3) but it really doesn't matter too much, it's not as if they HAVE to be a particular size. Ordinary needles are fine for the bigger bee but DPNs (double pointed needles) make the smaller bee easier.

I'll start with the small bee, simply because I knitted him first! I used DPNs to avoid breaking the yarn at the end of each stripe, but if that's what you prefer to do, go for it! If you prefer to use normal needles, just alternate knit/purl and yellow/black, breaking and fastening as you go.

Cast on 5 stitches in Yellow

R1: Increase to 10 stitches by knitting into front and back of each stitch.

R2: purl

R3: knit

R4: purl

***If you're using DPNs, this is where they become useful*** 

***If you're NOT using DPNs, ignore the next bit - just alternate black and yellow to make black and yellow stripes, one row each. Finish with black at R11 below.

do not cut yellow R5: in Black, knit. 

Slide stitches back to the other end of the DPN to pick up the yellow yarn, R6: knit in yellow

both yarns are now at the same end. Turn, R7: purl in black, 

slide stitches again, R8: purl in yellow

R9: knit black

R10: knit yellow

R11: p2 together in black, cut both yarns, draw through black and fasten off. Use yellow end to sew seam, stuffing as you go. Embroider eyes and smile.

Wings (make 4 in white)

Cast on 10 stitches, cut yarn leaving a long end and pull through to form a circular wing (you may need to sew an additional stitch or two to form the circle) Stitch in place. If you're going to attach a keychain, leave a gap between the wings! I overlapped front/back slightly for effect.

bigger bee

You won't need DPNs for this one.

Cast on 5 stitches in yellow
R1: Increase to 10 stitches by knitting into front and back of each stitch.
R2: purl
R3: Increase to 20 stitches by knitting into front and back of each stitch.
R4: purl
R5: knit
R6: purl

don't break yellow, but join in black and continue in stocking stitch begin 2row stripes

R7: knit in black
R8: purl in black

R9: knit in yellow
R10: purl in yellow

Repeat last four rows till you have 3 black stripes, ending with a yellow stripe. Break yellow leaving a long end for sewing up.

Next row: knit black
final row: purl 2 together in black to end, break off black leaving sufficient yarn to draw through stitches and fasten off.

Sew seam, stuffing as you go. You might like to embroider the face before seaming but it's easier to work out where they eyes "go" afterwards!

Wings (make 4, white)

Cast on 20 stitches
R1: knit
R2: K2 together to end, cut yarn leaving a long end. Draw through stitches tightly. This will give you a "pacman" shape. Take a couple of stitches through the cast-on ends to form a circular wing, stitch in place on bee's back.

And that's it folks! As always, let me know please if you find an error, I'm not used to writing my patterns down for others to read. I'd love to hear from you if you do knit my bees.

Hail Chickenfish

You can see the original chickenfish in the vid above.

I've already shared my knitting pattern for a mini chickenfish and now I'm working on a sewing pattern for a full-sized chickenfish cat toy.

I'm going to be using craft felt, but for now I'm working with scrap material as I work out how to get the shapes I want.

I started by making a cardboard template for a rainbow shape, as I plan to join two for the base, and then add a third for the top.

My rainbow measures 35 cm along the outer edge, 25 cm on the inner edge and 3 cm across its width, so decide to cut a rectangle of fabric that is double that, with an extra couple of centimetres for seam allowance. If I just sewed that together to make a tube and bent it into shape it would be very puckered, so I need to take darts in the inner edge to shrink it down to 25 cm.

Each vertical line is for the fold, I then sewed along the "diamond" edge. I'm deliberately using contrast thread and just roughly hand stitching. I'll get the sewing machine out for the real thing.

Here's my first attempt which shows that I need remedial maths, 5 darts of 4 cm each. That's 5 x 4 = 10 ??? Next, I reduced the darts to 2 cm each, and sewed the top edge ready to turn the right side out.

I slipped a "fin" in place when I sewed the top seam.

Well, the fin was "nearly" in the right place! The shape isn't right though. The darts are too few and too chunky. I decided to go for 10 darts, each half as deep. 

By now the scrap fabric is inside out so ignore the marks - waste not, want not! I stitched a narrow dart on 10 folds where marked above - and here it is, fully stitched and partly stuffed.

I'm happy with this final shape, so now it's on to draw a more accurate pattern, get out the sewing machine  and start the real thing. I'll share my "real" pattern when it's ready, but I wanted to record my thought process for posterity. Sewing is not my first language, so if you know a better way to achieve the shape, PLEASE leave a comment. I did consider just cutting two rainbow shapes, but that would waste a lot of fabric.

Meanwhile...back to the kittencam!

The Flash, fastest meerkat in the world!

Faster than a speeding bullet... The Flash comes with his own little wooden block to help him pose in running-mode!

I decided to make his mask as a hood, so he can pull it back to show his cute little meerkat face...

or of course he can pull his hood back up and stay superheroic!

First one off the needles available here on folksy or on etsy 

Meerkat Makeovers

My designs have improved over the years and every now and then someone decides they need a makeover. This week it has been the turn of a few superkats...

WonderWoman (above) now has hair and bracelets, she can be found on etsy or folksy.

Supergirl has had a change of hairstyle: find her on folksy or etsy

And finally Flash Gordon has also been to the hairdresser! Etsy or folksy as before...

I also have one brand new meerkat to list...pop back tomorrow to see The Flash, Sheldon's favourite!

Socks A la Carte (knitting book review)

Disclaimer: As with my other book reviews, I have been given these books free so that I can review them. My opinions are my own, as always!

I have two books in this series, the one pictured above and its sequel, Socks a la carte 2, toes up!

Both books share a great format, the designs are set out in flip charts so you can mix and match cuffs, bodies and feet. It's taken me forever to get around to this review because I just could not decide which combination to knit. I decided to start with book 1 and knit "cuff first", choosing a zigzaggy cuff (prestige) and then the wavy lines of "surfin" for the body. Both patterns are based on sets of 8 stitches, which I assume would mean the patterns would line up well.

I've only knitted socks once before (I still wear them, surprised to see I knitted them 2 years ago!)  and  was expecting to be working with double pointed needles again. I work with DPNs daily, but the writers recommend a style of knitting that was completely new to me - using two circular needles AT THE SAME TIME! eek....

There are clear instructions (although I googled a few youtube videos to help) but I had to cast on several times before I managed to get the join right. Toptip from me is not to panic. There are conflicting opinions online regarding which needle to knit from (front or back) and where (and how soon) to dangle the "resting" needle. In my opinion, as long as you're consistent it doesn't matter too much.

Once I'd got the first round knitted though, it became easier. I decided to abandon my plan for a fancy cuff and decided to stick with simple rib while I got used to knitting with the 2 circular needles, that helped too!

The flip chart gives the page numbers for each section of the design, and the patterns are helpfully laid out as both charts (where appropriate) and line by line. I prefer to avoid charts!

I discovered an error in round two, and learnt a lesson - always check online for errata! Even without the error though, this is not a book for novice knitters. I'm loving the wavy pattern though, it's not too tricky to knit while watching TV (key for me!) and I'm looking forward to trying my first sock on.

I'll show you how far I've got tomorrow... (no pressure then!)

Happy St George's Day!

Meerkat St George

Abakhan creative challenge

Oh I do so enjoy a challenge! Abakhan challenged me (and other creative bloggers) to spend £15 in their online supplies shop abakhan.co.uk and share the results. I went straight to the knitting section and just look what I spotted in "other": I chose the black/red floral version but there are lots of others, even animal prints!

I have to say I think they need to get more creative with the section heading, "other" just doesn't do it justice. The line of knitting "yarn" is seriously bizarre and was in my virtual basket in seconds, it comes in a range of colours and patterns but this one spoke to me and I knew what I'd be making before it arrived...

It's not really yarn at all, it's a thin strip of chiffon fabric with holes punched regularly along the length. Abakhan link to another website with instructions on how to knit with it, there are also diagrams on the ball band. Basically, instead of winding the yarn around your needle to knit a stitch you slip the needle through the next hole - easiest to understand by looking at the video Desire Fabric Yarn video tutorial  (she doesn't start knitting until 2min10sec so you might want to whoosh straight to that point)

Looking at the fabric just one strip thick, it's quite translucent. However, it knits in rippling layers so that soon changes.

As you see, the suggestion is 4 mm - 5mm needles. I grabbed both from my stash but after starting to knit realised it doesn't actually matter. Usually a bigger needle results in bigger stitches and looser weave, but of course with this fabric yarn you're going to poke the needle into the holes in the fabric which will always be the same size. I chose to carry on with my 4mm needles because they were shorter and therefore more comfortable on so few stitches.

After knitting a couple of rows I decided to switch needles again. The 4mm needles were plastic and quite sharp. I unravelled what I'd knitted so far and several of the holes were starting to fray. This is not very forgiving yarn! Best to use smooth blunt needles if you have them, and try to be sure what you're going to make from the start!

At this point I also discovered the yarn was not one continuous strip as I'd expected. I hope the break isn't going to show, but I'm surprised. (edited to add - there was only one break)

Back to work - this is going to be one VERY fancily dressed meerkat!

I'm finding the yarn is twisting around on itself as I knit, so I suspect I should have started using it from the middle, rather than the outside of the skein as shown on the video tutorial. I also discovered (too late of course!) that it is really easy to see if you have enough length left for a final row: all you need to do is count the holes remaining in the strip. Next time I'll do that slightly earlier :-)

My intended design needed some fancy feathers, so I chose these:

Have you guessed what I've been making yet? Because of the season, she's dressed for Mardi Gras!

I wanted her ruffled skirt to be longer at the back so I cast on 7 stitches, knitted 4 rows and then cast on another 8 and carried on to the waist. Cutting the strip at that point I joined in my normal red yarn and just picked up the stitches by knitting into the holes as before, it made a seamless join which just needed the red end sewing off. I liked the ease of changing yarn, it means you can use the fancy expensive yarn in small amounts to jazz up an otherwise plain piece. 

I tacked the edges of the chiffon together in a few laces to keep the meerkat's modesty but to be honest the ruffles blend in together very well. 

I then picked out a few feathers, tacked them together and added a wire handle so she can hold her fan - she's good to go! Whether for Mardi Gras or for her weekly flamenco lesson, this is one jazzed up meerkat! If you fancy becoming her dancing partner you can buy her from my Etsy shop.

I still have a decent quantity of the fancy "yarn" and I'll show you the next project when I've figured out how to finish it. I'll also let you know about my third purchase from abakhan.

Kittencam and Chickenfish

Each day MrNifty and I have to have our kitten fix on livestream, all the way from America. John fosters kittens for Purrfect Pals and streams video 24/7. Kitty bliss!

One of the kitten's favourite toys is chickenfish, you can just about spot it in the middle of the screen - and I have knitted a tiny version to hang on a keychain.

I'm posting the pattern I designed free for your personal use, but I'd ask that you don't make them to sell unless you donate the profits to Purrfect Pals, the charity John fosters for.

Before I get to the pattern: I used double strands of DK wool simply because I have lots of it in my stash. If you choose to use a single strand of thicker yarn, that will work fine. My patterns aren't rocket science, try it and see what works for you. I used smallish needles and thick yarn to get a fairly solid piece of knit so that it will "stand up" by itself. Using single strand DK will result in a floppy fish.

You'll need a small amount of yellow DK yarn (light worsted weight), an even smaller amount of red DK yarn, a pair of double pointed needles (3.25mm, UK 10, US 3), a keychain and a pair of googly eyes. The yellow part is knitted as i-cord, there are lots of tutorials online if you're not sure how to do this.

Using TWO STRANDS of yellow DK yarn, cast on 3 stitches (leave a few inches of yarn for sewing up later) and knit i-cord for 10 inches (25cm). Cut yarn, leaving about 6 inches or so and pull through.

Now for the fiddly bit! Fiddle with your yellow tube until you've got it into chickenfish shape - basically 2 thirds will be the bottom loop, with the last third going from tail to nose. Use your yarn ends to sew in position, you may need a few extra stitches to "tweak" the shape at either end. Don't cut off the yarn yet, you'll need it to sew on the keychain.

Fins: make 3, red yarn, garter stitch. (It's a bit fiddly, but results in a sloping fin rather than just a square.)
cast on 4 stitches
row 1: knit
row 2: slip 1, knit 1, pass slip stitch over, K2 (3 stitches)
row 3: inc 1, knit 3 (4 stitches)
row 4: repeat row 2
row 5 inc 1, cast off all stitches.

Tail: make 1, using red DK yarn, garter stitch (just knit)
cast on 4 stitches
row 1: knit
row 2: knit 1, increase by knitting in back and front of next 2 stitches, knit 1 (6 stitches)
row 3: knit 6
row 4: knit 1, increase by knitting in back and front of next 4 stitches, knit 1 (10 stitches)
row 5: knit 10
row 6: Slip 1, knit 1, pass slip stitch over, cast off till 2 stitches remain, knit 2 together, cast off. Cut yarn leaving a few inches for sewing on.

The tail should be fan shaped at the moment. Take one of your ends of yarn and stitch through the middle and pull tight, this will give a better "fishtail" shape - then stitch to whichever end you have decided looks most like the bottom!

Stick the googly eyes either side of the other end with superglue, or embroider eyes if you prefer. Craft glue probably won't do the job, it's not easy to persuade knitted yarn to stick!

Stitch the fins on either side and at the top - and then decide where you want to attach your keychain. I tried two positions:  between the eyes, and just behind the top fin. It's up to you.

Hail Chickenfish!

Now I know some of you won't want to wait...so if you would like one of the two I've knitted, I've listed them in my Etsy shop here. I promise to donate £5 from each purchase price to Purrfect Pals.

oh...and before I go, if you're here before February 9th, don't forget to enter my giveaway here!!

Valentine's Day at Niftyknits

I think it's about time I blew my own trumpet, so here's a round up of Nifty offerings for the season of lurve! My favourite card celebrating Klingon Meerkat love, above, can be found in the card section at folksy or etsy, there are some others that might tickle your fancy too...including one with naked knitted breasts (oo er matron!)

I also have some love hearts with tiny meerkats:

Meerkats with bouquets:

nd even meerkats with tiny gift boxes, just right for popping in a ring (or a chocolate!) on that special day

Niftyknits at Etsy or Niftyknits at Folksy

View from our new house

and this is the view from the garden fence!

We're very excited - can you tell? Not moving till March now, so need to get back to my knitting. 

Good thing I haven't packed it all yet, we had originally planned to move next week, to a different house. 

I'm SO GLAD we waited and this one popped up.

We're on the BBC news website today!

woohoo! Elvis is rocking with many of his friends from Etsy and Folksy on the BBC News online magazine which is fab! I do rather take issue with their idea of crafts such as mine being learned in just a few hours though. I've been knitting for over 45 years!

New Yarnbomb!

I've been yarnbombing one of my last remaining wooden sculptures, saving him from landfill and making a thing of beauty!

He was quite embarrassed that one of his horns was shorter than the other, so I've compensated by giving them a wonderfully swirly appearance. He's knitted in bright orange and yellow and seated on a grassy mound. I'm rather pleased with the way his legs are over the grass, that took some thinking.

Most difficult piece? The strangely shaped orange piece for his head! I wasn't quite sure how I was going to manage the head all-in-one, but did my usual trick of sleeping on the problem and awoke with the solution!

He's one of a kind, obviously, and I've chosen to list him on Etsy.

Christmas Last Shipping Dates

It's that time of year again, when online sellers enter a state of panic, worrying that parcels won't arrive in time! I know a really good way of making sure they arrive - it's the technique known as BUY EARLY.

Royal Mail have issued their optimistic dates for last shipping for Christmas arrival, but my experience is that they mean "it'll probably arrive by December 24th" and that is just not good enough. So I'm going to give an extra 2 weeks for international parcels...which means that my last recommended shipping dates will be:

Wednesday 21st November : Asia, Australia, Far East (including Japan) New Zealand

Friday 23rd November         : Africa, Caribbean, Central America, Middle East and South America

Monday 26th November      : Canada, Eastern Europe and USA

Wednesday 28th November : Western Europe

Thursday 6th December       : UK

I will still ship after those dates if you buy - but it's down to you to do the worrying :-)

I will be removing "knit to order" items from my shops within the next few weeks, so please please please buy early to avoid disappointment - or buy a gift card from my Etsy shop so that your gift recipient can choose for themselves. 

Niftyknits at Etsy

Niftyknits at Folksy