More history on the button making industry in Dorset

Here is a very interesting site documenting the history of Dorset and the button making industry.

Initially the buttons were made from a disc of the horn of Dorset Sheep, which as you can see from the picture of the Portland sheep provided a plentiful source of raw materials. The disk was covered with a piece of cloth and then overworked with a fine tracery of linen thread. The diameter of the buttons ranging from half an inch down to an unbelievable eighth of an inch.

This site shows some different examples of Dorset buttons.

High tops

Dorset Knobs

Kits to make your own are available here.

Enjoy, Debby

How to Make Dorset Buttons

First made in Dorset, England, you can make your own Dorset buttons in 2013!

Here is a step by step tutorial with great photos:

The British Button Society also has directions with photos of wonderful examples of variations.

Enjoy, Debby

Knit and crochet some buttons!

I love buttons. I'm a sucker for a button box at Goodwill or a garage sale!

I also like to learn different techniques to make buttons.

Here is a tutorial on Youtube to crochet very simple buttons...

and to knit them...

as well as a tutorial for nice looking Buttons with a plastic ring

Enjoy, Debby

Crochet a little prince hat or a royal mobile

Make your own gifts for the prince or princess in your life with our collection of Royal Baby patterns, like these:

Sleep Tight Royal Mobile

Little Prince Hat

Available at RedHeart.com

Enjoy, Debby

Craftsy Summer Supplies Sale from 7/26-7/28

Lace bonnets for babies

Here are two free patterns for easy to knit lace bonnets to add to your heirloom baby set. 

Enjoy, Debby

Craftsy Summer Supplies Sale from 7/26-7/28

Knitted baby gown...free pattern

Continuing the theme of heirloom knitting, here is a lovely baby gown. It would make a great christening gown.

I like the scalloped hem from the lace design.

Enjoy, Debby

Craftsy Summer Supplies Sale from 7/26-7/28

Let's take a closer look at Prince George's lace shawl

Britain’s new Royal Baby has been named George Alexander Louis and will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. The third in line to the throne appeared in public for the first time yesterday escorted by his proud parents The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, enshrouded in a luxury knitted lace shawl believed to have been knitted by Nottinghamshire, UK, based manufacturer G.H. Hurt & Son. - See more at: http://www.knittingindustry.com/knitting-for-a-future-king/#sthash.KrN2VYW6.dpuf

Here is a link to G H Hurt and Son. 

The OUR HISTORY page is very interesting showing the development of the knitting industry over the last 400 years!

Enjoy, Debby

Free Rowan pattern for the new royal prince

To celebrate the arrival of the royal baby, knit this gorgeous embroidered and stocking stitch sweater designed by Martin Storey from the archive collections and reknitted using the sumptuous Wool Cotton 4ply (wool and cotton). With a round neck and moss stitch borders, full raglan sleeves and a beautiful embroidered emblem pattern on the front, this knitting pattern is for the intermediate knitter.

You will need to login or register at KnitRowan to download the pattern.

Give premature babies a royal welcome

From the SUN newspaper:

Knit Sun baby bonnet in the little Prince’s honour

Give premature babies a Royal welcome by making them hats to keep warm

This article and pattern is in a British newspaper and directs donations to a London charity. If you live elsewhere, you can contact your local hospital and inquire about their need for donated items for premature babies.

Heirloom knitting...3 piece set to go with shawl

Here is a pattern for a bonnet, booties and gown that will go with the heirloom shawl. 

From Australian Women's Weekly. What a beautiful pattern!

Enjoy, Debby

Knitting pattern for a lace heirloom shawl

Want to knit an heirloom shawl for a new baby in your family? Here is a beautiful pattern from Women's Weekly.

Better get started now! This one will take a while...

Enjoy, Debby

NZ gift for new Prince and singlet pattern

It is always good news when a family has a new baby but this one will be a king! So what do you give a baby Prince? An heirloom shawl! Here are some links to articles about the shawl designed by Margaret Stove and spun and knit by Cynthia Read!
Article one, article two, article three.

As mentioned in the third article, here is a pattern for a singlet from Plunket.org. They can be knit and donated for other families with a new baby.

Enjoy, Debby

Beautiful Crochet Accessories from 1847

I was doing some research on Victorian accessories and found these three lovely examples from the 1847 book by Eleonore Riego de la Branchardiere. 

You can find a copy here and enjoy her lovely designs. The crochet book  By Eléonore Riego de la Branchardière.

Enjoy, Debby

Surprise! Craftsy Sweet Summer Sale Extended through 7/22!

More small summer projects... knit and crochet baby bibs

UGH. It is in the mid 90's here in Virginia. I think this is the hottest and most humid summer I have experienced in VA since we moved here in 1997. Still, I have managed to knit a few shawls and some more lace edging for tea towels this week. Here are some easy projects for hot days!

Always be ready for a baby shower with these easy to make baby bibs.

Free download on Ravelry

Free download on Ravelry

Free download on Ravelry

Free pattern at Peaches and Cream Yarn

Try to stay cool. Check on your friends, family and neighbors!

Debby

Please help with this short survey

I have created a short survey of 6 questions to help me know what you folks would like to see on this blog.  If you can take a minute or two to complete it, I would love to hear from you. It is anonymous.

Here is a link to the survey.

Scrubbie and dishcloth combo

Summer is a good time for me to replenish my Giftie box. It is a box with little gifts or presents for friends or family when we are invited over. It is always a nice idea to have a 'hostess' gift or a 'thank you' gift when you need one. I fill it with pretty soaps, candles, little bags of lavender from my garden, and...(this is where this post comes in!) dish and wash cloths. 

Here are some great, easy to make, patterns to get your stash started!

From Knitability

Dishcloth and scrubbie

More scrubbies!

From Dishcloth Boutique

From DragonFlyMomof2

Crocheted Dishcloth with heart

From Best Free Crochet

Rose in bloom

Enjoy, Debby

Craftsy Sweet Summer Sale 7/17-7/21

Shop Sale Products Now!
Shop Craftsy Yarn Products Now!
Shop Craftsy Fabric Products Now!

Summer Classes:
Craftsy Summer Course Gallery
A selection of Craftsy classes that are great for summertime! Work on your garden in the sunshine, or beat the heat by learning to knit inside.

Royal babies...part two

In June 1949, another article was published in Australia's Woman's Weekly as a follow up to the matinee jacket pattern for Prince Phillip in 1948. This article provided a matching bonnet and booties to the matinee jacket.

You can find a PDF of the page from the magazine here.

Happy knitting, Debby

Craftsy Sweet Summer Sale 7/17-7/21

Shop Sale Products Now!
Shop Craftsy Yarn Products Now!
Shop Craftsy Fabric Products Now!

Summer Classes:
Craftsy Summer Course Gallery
A selection of Craftsy classes that are great for summertime! Work on your garden in the sunshine, or beat the heat by learning to knit inside.

Royal babies from the past...and knitting for them.

While we wait for the William and Kate's baby to be born, let's look at past royal babies and the knitting done for them.

Here is an article from an Australian Woman's magazine with a matinee jacket for Prince Charles. The article was published in Dec. 1948

You can download a page from the magazine here.

Happy knitting, Debby

Shop Sale Products Now!
Shop Craftsy Yarn Products Now!
Shop Craftsy Fabric Products Now!

Summer Classes:
Craftsy Summer Course Gallery
A selection of Craftsy classes that are great for summertime! Work on your garden in the sunshine, or beat the heat by learning to knit inside.

Easy to crochet Flower Cleansing Pads...free pattern

I found this cute pattern pinned on Lion Brand's Pinterest page.

You can get this pattern from Kara on her Petal to Picots site

This would make a nice giftie with a bar of Yardley soap. Did you know you can find Yardley and Pears soap at Dollar Tree? The lavender soap is just dreamy. I also use Pears soap on my face. It is the only soap that my facial skin is not allergic to.

Enjoy, Debby

Vintage hankie style washcloth...free pattern

More summer projects...

From Simply Noteable:

Create this dainty vintage hankie look washcloth by knitting in the round, then pick up the live stitches with your crochet hook to fashion a quick and easy lace edging.

A PDF version of the pattern is available here.

Enjoy, Debby

Crock Pot Blackberry Jam

The berries are coming but it is TOO HOT to turn on the stove to make jam. Try this Crock pot recipe! If you don't have a crock pot, run to the local Goodwill. I know there are a few sitting there waiting for you!

Repeat Crafter Me: Crock Pot Blackberry Jam

More recipes can be found here!

Enjoy, Debby

A Dog sweater for Dream House Rescue and their adoption event today.

Most of my customers purchase patterns to make items for themselves, friends or family members. Ann purchased this collection of Celtic Doggie sweater patterns to knit a sweater for a raffle supporting Dream House Rescue. 

Check out her great work!

Dream House Rescue is located in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. 

The raffle is today – it’s an outdoor event at their dog adoption event.

 

Here are links for more info:

Dream-House-Rescue on Facebook

 

Dream House Rescue Website

Click here to see the pets available for  adoption!

Here is a picture of Quinn. She will be at the adoption event today and hopefully will find a forever home.  She’s only a year old, a sheltie mix.

My name is Quinn. Come and see me at the adoption event today!

Thanks Ann, for being a foster mother. My two kitties are rescue pets and they are the best cats I have ever had!

Enjoy, Debby

Crochet a lacy summer kerchief...free pattern

Today we have another easy summer project to crochet: a lacy kerchief.

The pattern is written so any yarn can be used, at practically any gauge. Here are the suggestions from the pattern:

SIZE: One Size, pattern is for any gauge.

Finished Measurements: approx 21" circumference, or to fit.

MATERIALS:

Sundance by Classic Elite (50% cotton, 50% microfiber; 50 gram ball = approx 83 yards)

• 1 ball 6235 Canary Green 

OR

Soft Linen by Classic Elite (35% linen, 35% wool, 30% baby alpaca; 50 gram ball = approx 137 yards)

• 1 ball 2281 New Fern

Crochet Hook

• Size US I/9 (5.5 mm) for Sundance or size US G/6 (4 mm) for Soft Linen

Or size to obtain desired gauge

• Removable stitch markers or paper clips

GAUGE: 13 1⁄2 (18) sts in sc-tbl. 

Gauge is not critical for this design.

This pattern from Classic Elite Yarns can be downloaded HERE

Enjoy, Debby

Summer crochet project....lacy headbands. Free pattern

Do you have some pretty yarn but don't think you have enough to make something? One solution is headbands. These are especially nice in the summer: not only do they keep your hair out of your face but being small they make great travel projects and they work up quickly.

The mobius bands are fun to make and the twist helps the headband lie nicely at the nape of the neck.  These need to be stretched over the head so choose a yarn that will keep its shape. A wool yarn blended with cotton or linen will provide stretch and breathe-ability.

This pattern from Classic Elite yarns is available HERE.

Enjoy, Debby

What was your first knitting or crochet project?

What was your first knitting or crochet project? My mother purchased Mary Maxim yarn and patterns so I liked to look through their catalogs. I would ambitiously dream that I could knit and crochet all the items. My first knitting project was these simple slippers shown below. I think everyone has either made a pair or received a pair from someone! They are ubiquitous.

Here is a free copy of the slipper pattern. It will be available for the month of July.

What was your first knitting or crochet project?

Summer Classes at Craftsy:
Craftsy Summer Course Gallery
A selection of Craftsy classes that are great for summertime! Work on your garden in the sunshine, or beat the heat by learning to knit inside.

Kids Classes:
Craftsy Kids Course Gallery
Looking for ways to entertain your kids and teens now that school is out? Check out these beginner craft classes that are great for kids of all ages. Classes are priced from $9.99 to $29.99, and three are even FREE! Your kids and teens can learn to knit, make a purse, cook a pizza, and more. 

New patterns on the drawing board

There has been a wonderful response to my dog sweater knitting patterns so I am working on a new series of designs. These new patterns will feature fancy ribbing variations.

Here is a picture of my very simple to knit, basic ribbed sweater.

For the month of July, you can download this pattern for free HERE. 

You can see my other designs here on ETSY. 

Let me know if you have any suggestions for new sweater designs.

Enjoy, Debby

Summer Classes at Craftsy:
Craftsy Summer Course Gallery
A selection of Craftsy classes that are great for summertime! Work on your garden in the sunshine, or beat the heat by learning to knit inside.

Kids Classes:
Craftsy Kids Course Gallery
Looking for ways to entertain your kids and teens now that school is out? Check out these beginner craft classes that are great for kids of all ages. Classes are priced from $9.99 to $29.99, and three are even FREE! Your kids and teens can learn to knit, make a purse, cook a pizza, and more. 

Potholders are CLEAN and free crochet patterns

It took a few soaks but I finally got the potholders clean. I don't have a "before" photo but believe me, they were very dark brown with years of dirt and grease. Here they are now:

Ta dah!

Here are some free patterns that are available at Purple Kitty and knitting-and.com.

Single flower potholder

Round flower potholder

Dress potholder

Enjoy, Debby