Knitting … Bunny Nuggets and Tiny Baby Bunnies

This weekend I actually started and finished a little project!

It’s an award for my 3rd grade mentee who has reached her learning goals for the end of the year (or near end of the year, we still have 21 days left!) I knitted her another tiny brown bunny awhile back and she requested a pink one.

Tiny Baby Bunnies pattern by MochiMochi

Tiny Baby Bunnies pattern by MochiMochi

 

The first one that I made for her and gave to her a few weeks ago got “lost” on the bus on the way home when she was sharing it with her “friends”. I’ve told her that I’ll knit one more but she is not allowed to share it on the bus. Apparently her friends there can’t be trusted. What a shame that children have to learn that! Anyway, I thought I’d add to the little bunny and make her another and when my knitting friend, Terri, brought some Bunny Nuggets to our knitting group the other week, the choice was easy! The pocket is my addition so the little bunny will have a safe home.

Bunny Nugget with pocket and tiny bunny

Bunny Nugget (by Danger Crafts) with pocket and Tiny Baby Bunny (by MochiMochi)

 

 

The patterns are super simple to follow and easy, quick knits.

The Tiny Baby Bunnies pattern by MochiMochi told me that I had to make it in a sock-weight yarn (fortunately I had pink on hand in my stash so I didn’t have to buy more just for this tiny project!). I used US #1 double pointed needles and it came out so cute (both times). Clear instructions and about a ten-minute knit. You do need to know (or learn between now and then) how to knit in the round on DPNs and how to make i-cord. Gotta love those quick-to-knit projects!

The Bunny Nugget pattern, too, is quick and simple. Although, if I’m totally honest, I didn’t make mine in the exact order that is described in the written pattern … and it was only because I was being impulsive and maybe not paying attention! If you follow the instructions, you’ll have no problems at all! 🙂 I made the pocket by picking up eight (8) stitches in the lower belly of the nugget and knitted six or seven rows and then bound off and attached the sides. Easy-peasy! I used some stashed light pink acrylic worsted-weight yarn that I had from an old project. Just about any yarn can be used in this pattern because you can “adjust” it by using needles that are a couple sizes smaller than the yarn requires. I used a US #4 DPN with my worsted weight yarn. For this pattern, knitting in the round on DPNs, picking up stitches (if adding a pocket like mine) are two things you might need to know.

I think it’s a perfect pocket for it’s teeny tiny pink friend!

I hope she’ll love it!

Gone knitting.

 

 

Jogless Joins … say that three times fast!

So, I’ve been wanting to knit one of the beer can mittens that I have seen a couple of on Facebook. Thinking that they must be a pretty normal mitten that is somehow connected back to the base of the mitten (by the cuff). Today is the day!

I pulled out my trusty Lamb’s Pride Bulky yarn from my stash in two colors: Onyx and Limeade (not sure where to find my purple shade but that’s already off topic!) and cast on 24 stitches on my size 7US DPNs. Ribbing for a few inches and then switched up to my size 10US needles and added four stitches in the first row of stockinette stitch.

After a few rounds, I decided that the black needed to be broken up with a few stripes. But every time I’ve worked in the round with stripes, I have had that awkward “jog” where the stripes don’t quite match up. Which makes sense because knitting in the round is more like knitting a spiral than stacks of rows that line up (as in straight knitting).

So, to fix the jog, all we need to do is pick up a stitch and knit two together … and this is done very easily in the first stitch of the second round. When you’re ready to change colors, just change colors. Knit one round in your new color. At the beginning of the second round, pick up the right leg of the stitch under (in the old color) your first new color stitch and pull it up and slip it onto your left needle. Then you simply knit the two stitches together and knit to the end of your round. Here is a photo of my knitting … I am going to change from green to black …

First … knit one round with the new color (if you’re using a marker to mark the start of a new round, slip the marker) you are now back to the first stitch.

I’ve finished my first row of my new color (black)

Second … Pick up the right leg of the stitch below with your extra needle and slip it onto your left needle.

The stitch (green) right in front of my thumb is the stitch below. The black stitch above it is the first stitch of my first new color row. (Hope that makes sense!)

I’m picking up the right leg of the stitch below (purl-wise)

and slipping the stitch onto my left-hand needle

And now you can just knit the first two stitches together and then knit to the end of your round.

Knitting the two stitches together (one is the stitch from below and the other is the first stitch with the new color.)

That’s all there is to this method. And as you can see, there is no awkward “jog” now on my stripes.

No jog! 🙂

Note that this works for stripes of at least two rounds. I haven’t figured out if there is a way to do this with one row stripes. I saw one video (on my search for the answers) where Euny Jang alternated where the stripes started rather than stacking them up but starting in the exact same place at the start of the row. But that tutorial will come later. For now you’re all set to knit stripes in the round … with two or more rows per stripe!

Have fun!

Gone knitting!