More Patterns in the Pipeline

Hello friends!
As you may have read in THIS earlier post, I have been working on some new patterns recently. A series of little vests for little ones, in 6 sizes from New Born to 18 months :-)
Here is a preview of one of the patterns that will be available separately or as part of an e-book on Ravelry, Etsy and Craftsy . All styles are in the testing stage at the moment and I hope to have the patterns released very soon!
This little red vest is made using a wool/alpaca/silk blend yarn, which is lovely and soft and warm :-)
All the little vests in this series work up very quickly and only use a small amount of 8ply/DK weight yarn so they make a fabulous last minute gift :-)
Stay tuned for more previews of this pattern series and for the official release date!
xo

Patterns in the Pipeline

Hello friends!
I have been working on a big bunch of new patterns over the last few weeks, and most of them are in the testing stage now, so they should be ready for release very soon :-)
The sweet little vest pictured above is one of the patterns. It will be available in 6 sizes from New Born to 18 months. Sizes from 2 years to 6 years will be released at a later date in a separate pattern :-)
Easy, all-in-one construction with NO seams at all! And if you choose to make the vest in a single colour, then you would only have two yarn ends to weave in, one at the beginning and one at the end! (This idea appeals to me immensely :-)
I made my vest with cotton yarn, but the pattern is lovely worked up in wool or alpaca. Any 8ply or DK weight yarn that matches gauge/tension can be used :-)
I think it would look particularly beautiful made using a lovely hand dyed wool :-)
This vest is part of a series of little vests, for both boys and girls that will be released together. The patterns will be available separately or as part of an e-book, available through Ravelry, Etsy and Craftsy :-)
The plan is to have the patterns released in the next week so that you will have time to make up a few vests for all the little people in your life for Christmas presents :-)
Stay tuned for more previews of the other vest styles!
xo

Little Star Ornamnet

 Star Ornament 

Hello friends!

Here is my "Pattern of the Month" for November :-) I thought it was almost time to be getting a little bit festive, so I have made a pattern for a little star ornament :-) Of course, your star doesn't have to be for Christmas... stars are fabulous for any time of year or any occasion :-)
While they do make great ornaments to hang on a Christmas tree, these little stars would be just as lovely made in a nice bright colour to hang around and add a little bit of sparkle to any room in your house :-) You could even fill your star with dried lavender and hang it in your wardrobe to keep it smelling sweet & to ward off any moths that might be thinking about making a meal of your favourite jacket :-)

Enjoy!

xo

Materials:

*Small amount any weight yarn and an appropriate size hook can be used for this project. Choose a smaller hook, to work a tighter gauge/tension than you usually would for the weight yarn you choose. For example, I have used 8ply/DK weight yarn and a 3.5mm hook. This creates a nice sturdy shape and stops any toy stuffing from showing through :-)

*Small amount of toy stuffing or polyfil

*tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends

Abbreviations (British/Australian crochet terms used in this pattern):

ch: chain 

dc: double crochet

dc3: double crochet 3 together

sl st: slip stitch

st or sts: stitch or stitches

Special Stitch Instructions:

dc3 (double crochet 3 together): insert hook into next st, yarn over hook, draw loop through, insert hook into next st, yarn over hook, draw loop through, insert hook into next st, yarn over hook, draw loop through, yarn over hook, draw through all 4 loops on hook. Dc3 decreases 2 sts at once :-)

Pattern:

Side 1

Ch 75, join using sl st to work in the round, taking care not to twist the sts.

Round 1: 1ch, (does not count as 1dc, here or at any point throughout the pattern), 1dc in st at base of 1ch, 1dc in each st to end, join with sl st in first dc at beginning of round. (75sts)

Round 2: 1ch, 1dc in st at base of 1ch, 1dc in each of next 5 sts, *dc3, 1dc in next 12 sts, repeat from * until 6 sts remain unworked, 1dc in each of next 6 sts, join with sl st in first dc at beginning of round. (65sts)

Round 3: 1ch, 1dc in st at base of 1ch, 1dc in each of next 4 sts, *dc3, 1dc in next 10 sts, repeat from * until 5 sts remain unworked, 1dc in each of next 5 sts, join with sl st in first dc at beginning of round. (55sts)

Round 4: 1ch, 1dc in st at base of 1ch, 1dc in each of next 3 sts, *dc3, 1dc in next 8 sts, repeat from * until 4 sts remain unworked, 1dc in each of next 4 sts, join with sl st in first dc at beginning of round. (45sts)

Round 5: 1ch, 1dc in st at base of 1ch, 1dc in each of next 2 sts, *dc3, 1dc in next 6 sts, repeat from * until 3 sts remain unworked, 1dc in each of next 3 sts, join with sl st in first dc at beginning of round. (35sts)

Round 6: 1ch, 1dc in st at base of 1ch, 1dc in next, *dc3, 1dc in next 4 sts, repeat from * until 2 sts remain unworked, 1dc in each of next 2 sts, join with sl st in first dc at beginning of round. (25sts)

Round 7: 1ch, 1dc in st at base of 1ch, *dc3, 1dc in next 2 sts, repeat from * until 1 st remains unworked, 1dc in next st, join with sl st in first dc at beginning of round. (15sts)

Round 8: 1ch, dc3 (beginning with the first st of the dc3 in the st at the base of 1ch), dc3 to end of round, join with sl st in first dc3 at beginning of round. (5 sts).

Cut yarn, leaving enough yarn to weave through the remain 5 sts, pull tight and fasten off securely. **When you are weaving in your yarn end after completing Round 8 you might like to weave your yarn across any gaps that may have been created by decreasing so much in the last few rounds :-) 

Side 1 is complete.

Side 2

With right side of Side 1 facing you, you will now be working into the base of the foundation ch of Side 1. Beginning Side 2 by rejoining yarn at the same point at which you began Side one, work Side 2 as for Side 1 from Round 2 to Round 7. Stuff your star evenly. Complete Round 8 as for Side 1. 

Attach a 25ch loop for hanging, as shown in picture, weave in any loose yarn ends.

Enjoy your star! :-)

 © Copyright Shara Lambeth Designs. Copyright remains that of the author at all times. The pattern is for personal use only. Reproduction of this pattern in anyway (electronic, email, photocopying, transcribing etc) is strictly prohibited, except with the explicit permission of the author. Please do not sell the pattern or the finished product that is made using this pattern without permission of the author, as this is a direct infringement of the copyright laws protecting this pattern. Also please be aware that copyright laws vary from country to country (sometimes even from state to state), I am Australian, in Australia, therefore my patterns are protected by Australian copyright laws. This copyright protection still stands no matter what country the item is made in or who makes it. Thank you :-)

If you do want to sell the Little Star Ornaments you make using this pattern at a market, craft fair or in your online store please do ask, as in most cases I will give permission :-)

And please feel free to make as many Little Star Ornaments as you like for yourself, your friends and family :-)

I know it's only November....

Hello friends!
I know it's still only November, but I have been getting into the festive spirit recently :-) I had to start early so I would have time to make everything I'm dreaming of before Christmas :-)
Here is a sweet little "Granny Tree" I have crocheted using cotton yarn & a little Mother of Pearl shell button, both from Crumbz in Healesville.
The pattern I used is from The Royal Sisters Blog (if you've never visited this blog, do yourself a favour and head on over there!) :-) The "Grandma Tree" is part of a collection of clever crocheted Christmas decoration patterns available for free on the blog :-)
All of the patterns on the blog are really well written, nice and clear, with LOTS of explanatory photographs (Yay!) I've made many of the lovely things from the blog and adore them all :-)
Are you making things this Christmas?? What are you making?? Share in the comments! :-)
xo

Sun Hat For A Little One

Hello friends!
I hope you had a good weekend! :-)
I recently made this little sun hat for a little friend who is turning 2! I also made him a Milo Vest that I have written about HERE :-)
When asked what his favourite thing was he replied: "Outside!"
So I think a sun hat is a good present for him as we're coming into summer in the Southern Hemisphere :-)
I used a 10-ply or Worsted weight cotton, so it's sturdy, as well as being nice and cool on a hot day :-)
I really am pleased with the way this little hat turned out, so I think I might make a few more for the little folks in my life :-)

What have you been making lately? Share in the comments! :-)
xo

In the garden....

Hello friends!

As you probably already know from some earlier posts, like THIS one, I really love my garden :-) 

I recently made a trip to a local plant nursery to see what else was out there :-)

I found some really amazing plants that I hadn't seen before.

 I'm not entirely sure what they all are... but they're very pretty :-)

 I think this one pictured above is my favourite :-) I think it's some sort of Grevillea... but I'm not sure... do you know what it is? :-)

Another Milo

Hello friends!
You might already read about how much I love the Milo Vest pattern by tikki Knits HERE.
Yep, I've made another one. This time it's a Size 3, in grey and blue cotton stripes :-)
A little friend of mine if turning 2! I hope he likes is summer vest :-)
The beautiful Wendy Cotton DK yarn is soft enough to be worn against the skin, but I'm sure this versatile vest would look just as sweet with a long sleeve t-shirt underneath on a cooler day too :-)

Do you love to give handmade gifts? What have you given lately? Share in the comments :-)

xo

Little Knitting

Hello friends!
You may have read in some earlier posts that a few of my beautiful friends are having babies at the moment :-) Yay! And finally one of them is having a GIRL! Yay (again)! It seems like everyone has been having boys over the last few years and I haven't been able to make anything pretty, and lacy, and my colour palette has been a bit limited.... Let the girly knits begin!
The first little thing I have made is this tiny Newborn size Milo Vest in a lovely deep red cotton :-)
You can find the pattern for the Milo Vest by tikki Knits on Ravelry. I think it is one of my all time favourite patterns. It is SO versatile and easy and fast. The original pattern doesn't include the lacy pattern that I have added to my little Milo, but it's just a simple, traditional Fish Tail Lace, over a repeat of 8 stitches :-)
Do you have a favourite pattern that you have knit over and over again? Share in the comments!! :-)
xo

We made a cake!

Hello friends!
Yesterday I had one of my little nephews with me for the day... it was too cold and wet to play outside much... we didn't know what to do with ourselves... so we made a cake! And we put dinosaur sprinkles on it!
It was very delicious with tea :-)
We decided that a good motto is..."When in doubt, bake a cake!" :-)

What fun things do you do to eleviate boredom in rainy weather? Share in the comments! :-)
xo

After the rain...

Hello friends!
So, it's already November! Can you believe it?!
In the Southern Hemisphere, where I live, we're in the middle of Spring... not that you could tell today. The weather here is notoriously unpredictable and we often have four seasons in one day.

This week it has been windy and rainy and hot and cold. We've had a little bit of everything! We had two days of over 30 degrees celsius (not my favourite sort of weather) followed by two days of freezing, rainy weather. 

 The best thing abut the rainy weather is it gives the garden a good drink and it makes everything a little bit more beautiful :-) I took these pictures of some of the plants in our garden after the rain :-) So pretty :-)
What's the weather been doing at your place lately? Has it been a bit crazy? Share in the comments! :-)
xo

Petit Meow

Hello friends!
I made a little cat :-)
As you may know from some of my earlier posts I am knitting some toys for my lovely friends who are having a baby :-)

 To make this kitty I used Bendigo Woollen Mills DK/8ply Classic wool that I have dyed using a combination of food dye (the orange) and Landscape dyes (the purple). The pattern I followed was Tabitha the Destash Kitty, which is a free pattern by Oliver Boliver :-)

I really love the way this little kitty has turned out :-) The colours worked perfectly for the look I was going for too :-)
What have you been making lately? Share in the comments! :-)