I had some left over bamboo wool, and wanted to do a bit of practising with knitting in the round; my simple baby hat was born. You could use any scrap or left over wool for this, but the I found the bamboo quite stretchy, so you may need to cast on more stitches with a less stretchy yarn.
I knit the simple baby hat with a set of double pointed needles (dpn's) there's no reason why you couldn't do it with circular needles using the magic loop technique.
Simple baby hat free knitting pattern
What you need
To fit six month old baby approx.
4 double pointed needles, I used 3.5 mm ones
DK yarn, I used sirdar snuggly bamboo dk (about 1/2 a ball)
Cast 76 on stitches, putting an even amount onto three of the needles, leaving the fourth to knit with, knit the first round, joining together to form a round when you reach the end.
Now p1 round, k1 round, continue for 6 rounds.
Continue k each round until the work measures 14cm, or as long as you want it.
Cast off.
Turn the tube of knitting inside out, fold the top and sew together, across the top.
Turn the right side out, and there you have it, a very simple baby hat, knit in the round.
This pattern is offered free of charge for your own personal use. Please do not make items using this pattern for sale. Should you wish to sell items made from this pattern, then please contact me for details of my Cottage Industry Licenses.
I wrote this pattern for a knitted sanitary pad a good few years ago now, but decided to come back and update it a little now. It is a free knitting pattern, and you are more than welcome to make as many as you want for your own uses or charity. Should you wish to make them to sell, then please get in touch with me first.
I've used cloth menstrual pads for a long time, and when I created this I was wondering if a knitted one would work. I used a cotton yarn, but other fibres may well work. It is knit using the 'double knitting' technique. This means that you knit it flat, but it is knitted in one piece. It sounds, really complicated, but in fact isn't, and creates a knitted menstrual pad with very little sewing up to do. (Yay) Please try it, and if you have any problems, let me know, I will see what I can do to help.
Any way, enough of that, here it is, the knitted menstrual pad pattern (free).
Knitted Sanitary Pad
By Kelly-Jo Sweeney
This cloth menstrual pad/san-pro is knitted flat, but uses the double knitting technique, so that there is no sewing up required. It has a hole in the back which you can use to stuff the pad with either knitted pads, or pieces of cloth, depending on how much and what you want to add. It is very important that you slip stitches when told, as to knit (or purl) them will stop the technique from working. As you work, you will have the inside of the work facing you.
I knitted the pad in cotton yarn, but other yarns might also work well, I'd be interested in hearing of any other yarns that you have tried and how they worked. Feel free to give me feedback on the pattern too. You can contact me here.
You will need;
Small amount of DK yarn of your choice
1 button
pair of 5mm knitting needles
Stitch marker
Terms used;
k knit
p purl
sl slip stitch purlwise
PM place marker
YO yarn over.
K2tog knit two stitches together.
For the main pad;
Cast on 32 stitches
Row 1; k1, sl1, continue to end, turn.
Row 2; As row 1.
Continue in this way for 30 rows in total.
Make back opening;
Row 1; k1, sl1 to centre of work, 8 stitches. PM, turn.
Row 2; sl1, p1 to end, turn.
Row 3; sl1, p1 to end, turn.
Row 4; sl1, p1 to marker, turn.
Row 5; k1, sl1 to end, turn.
Row 6; k1, sl1 to end, turn.
Row 7; k1, sl1 to marker, turn.
Repeat rows 2 to 7 11 more times and then repeat row 2 to 6 once.
Next row; k1, sl1 to marker, remover marker and k1, sl1 to end, turn.
Next row; k1, sl1 to end, turn.
Work 28 more rows like this.
Cast off.
Now turn the whole thing inside out, through the hole that you created on the back, so that the right side is now facing you.
Making the tabs;
Fold the piece in half lengthwise. Count back four stitches from the centre.
With the top of the pad facing you, on the side of the piece pick up and knit eight stitches.
Row 1; P.
Row 2; K.
Work four more rows like this. *
Next row; k3 stitches, yo k2tog, k3 stitches.
Next row p.
Next row, cast off stitches.
Second tab;
Repeat the process as above, as far as *
Work two more rows and then cast off.
Weave in all ends and sew on buttons.
Inner Pads;
Cast on 16 stitches.
K each row until pad measures just shorter than the outer. Cast off. If you have any thoughts on our knitted cloth menstrual pad, then I'd love to hear them, either in the comments or on our facebook page.
This pattern is offered free of charge for your own personal use. Please do not make items using this pattern for sale. Should you wish to sell items made from this pattern, then please contact me for details of my Cottage Industry Licenses.
I thought I'd have an entry that wasn't a pattern being moved over for a change, so here goes...... I've spent the other day dying up some yarn. I need to add quite a bit of stock to my store over at wonderwool so with a nice warm day on Tuesday, I thought that I'd better make a start.
I've got quite a few new dyes to use, but I wanted to use up some of my almost finished ones first. I've got quite a bit of hot pink, navy blue and red left, and I wondered if I could manage to get some different effects with just those colours. I had a play around, and this was the result:
I'm really quite pleased with the results. The closest one is merino possum, which effects the way the colours take, and the other two are 100% wool, really love the way that they look though, so tempted to keep them and use them myself........
This is one of the first ever knitted soakers that I made, I tried a couple from other patterns and then thought that I could create something myself. Woollen soakers are great for over cloth nappies, especially at night, as they are breathable and natural, so great for babies. 100% wool is best, and if you can, hand wash only. Treat your soaker with a small amount of lanolin, around peas sized (pure lanolin nipple creams can work) dissolved in warm water and a little wool wash. Soak your knitted soaker over night, and then allow to dry. You should only need to do this every few months, when it starts to smell, allow it to air between uses unless actually soiled.
Woolly pants
This is a flat knit soaker, very simple and easy to make. You have the option of using either Worsted Weight (10ply) yarn, or DK (8ply) yarn, which will give a slightly smaller soaker. There is also the option of adding a textured body to the soaker. Directions are given for a small, or newborn size, and directions for medium (approx 6 months) and large (approx 1 year) follow in brackets.
You will need
Approx 50g of DK or 10ply yarn, I would recommend 100% wool.
1 pair 4mm knitting needles
1 pair 5mm knitting needles
1 wool needle for weaving in ends.
If you are planning on making a soaker with a textured pattern, then use the pattern bellow on all areas marked with an * in the main pattern.
Textured pattern for body of soaker
Row 1 k
Row 2 p1 k2 repeat to end
Row 3 k
Row 4 k1 p1 k2 repeat to end
Row 4 k
Row 6 k2 p1
(Use this pattern on all areas worked in stocking stitch, marked with a *, including the short rows.)
Pattern
Using 4mm needles, cast on 56 (62) (68) stitches.
Row 1, (k1 p1) continue to end, this forms the 1x1 rib.
Continue in 1x1 rib for 6 more rows
Next row, k1(k2tog yo k1) repeat to last stitch k1.
Then do 7 more rows 1x1 rib.
Change to larger 5mm needles.
Row 1 (inc one stitch each end) k all stitches* 58 (64, 62) stitches.
Continue in stocking stitch for 12cm (15cm, 18cm) not including rib band.*
Shaping for leg holes:
Row 1, dec 2 stitches each end, 54 (60, 64)* Row 2 Dec 3 stitches each end. 48 (54, 58)* Repeat these two rows three more times. For smaller size only dec 1 stitch each end.* For medium and large sizes only dec 2 stitches each end twice.* 16 (18, 18) Continue in stocking stitch for 10 (12, 14) more rows.* Increase 1 stitch at each end of each row 3 (5, 7) times. 22 (28, 32).* Increase 4 (4, 6) stitches at each end.* 30 (36, 44)
Front:
Continue in stocking stitch to match back, 12 (15, 18cm).* Change to 4mm needles, and work 6 rows in 1x1 rib. k1(k2tog yo k1) to last stitch k1 Work 7 more rows in 1x1 rib. Cast off.
Legs Pick up 38 (42, 48) stitches around each leg hole, Work 7 rows of 1x1 rib. Cast off
Sew soaker together along front seams using mattress stitch. Using double thickness of wool, and a 5mm crochet hook, chain a length long enough to use as a waist tie. Alternatively plait a length of wool. Thread this in the holes at the top of the soaker.
This pattern is offered free of charge for your own personal use. Please do not make items using this pattern for sale. Should you wish to sell items made from this pattern, then please contact me for details of my Cottage Industry Licenses.
For yarns, more free patterns and knitting and crochet accessories, please see my site: http://www.wonderwool.congocart.co.nz
I realised earlier that it's over a year since I last released a pattern, and that was a quick free crochet square, it's about time I launched something new. I really need to get myself together and get some of the patterns that I've been working on written up.
I showed you last time the cardigan that I made for Anja before she was born, but that's not all that I've had on my needles over the last year. There's also this wrap around sleepsuit;
It was a little big for her when this was taken, and you don't have to scar your children for life by using such bright colours.....It's a great little outfit for keeping them warm in winter, and as it's a seamless top down construction, there isn't lots of sewing up to do either.
More recently I made a little cardigan for a friends new baby, quite a simple design this time, but cute all the same, and again; top down and seamless:
So, there are things in the pipeline, I am working on them (vaguely) and at some point I will get them written up, tested and out there. At least, I hope I will.....
Well, if you've ever been here before, you might notice that suddenly there's a different name. You might also notice that it's over a year since I last posted. So, what have I been up to? And what's happened to NZ wools?
Well, things have been quiet on that front for quite a while, and although I've been working on new patterns, and dying yarn, I haven't done a lot else. So earlier this year I decided to close NZ Wools, and become involved in a new site; wonderwool. Basically we now have a new store on there, along with a number of other New Zealand based wool crafters. Pop along and check us out if you haven't already.
We're also to be found on the hive NZ, another really great site.
So why have I been quiet for so long? Well, earlier this year we had another addition to our family, and welcomed our fourth child, (and second daughter).
Here she is, just two days old (back in June) modelling the cardigan and hat that I designed and made for her. The yarn is one of mine too, possum merino, hand dyed in yellow as we didn't know what flavour she was going to be.
So, as you can imagine, life has been busy, but we've got the new site up and running, and I have at least three new patterns for you. All I need now is time to write them down and get them tested...... Watch this space.
