NEW - Little Angels for Christmas

Just popping in to tell you about another new pattern. It's been a busy autumn so far but this will definitely be my last pattern for 2016. Needles to say I'm already making plans for something a bit different in 2017.

 

Let me introduce you to four Little Angels

 

These cuties are only 10cm (4in) tall and so the perfect size to hang on your Christmas tree. They are quick and easy to make and perfect for utilising all those odds and ends of yarn left over from other projects. They are knitted with double knitting yarn on 2.75mm needles (USA yarn - light-worsted/Australia - 8 ply). If you'd like the pattern you'll find it in my Etsy shop (it should be available from Ravelry and LoveKnitting by tomorrow).

 

Little Angels pattern can be found HERE

 

Happy Angel knitting everyone x

 

 

 

 





New patterns

Greetings friends. I know many of you have been popping into Dollytime on Facebook and will have seen my regular posts. I visit my Flutterby Patch blog less frequently these days as unfortunately the rural area of England where I live has an annoyingly slow internet speed that makes blogging quite a lengthy process. Doing short posts on Facebook is quick and easy and so that's where you'll usually find me.

At the beginning of the year I decided to restock my yarn shelves with scrumptious colours from the Stylecraft Special DK range. This yarn is available in many countries and I've found it to be perfect for knitting toys. As you can see, several dolls decided I needed help with the unpacking. The bigger girls are all reasonably sensible but I had to keep a watchful eye on some of the smaller rascals who love nothing more than tumbling about in heaps of springy soft yarn.

I can never remember seeing summer flowers throughout the winter but this year the weather remained so mild that our roses never stopped blooming which felt very strange. The picture below was taken in January.

As Easter approached my thoughts went to warmer days and . . . . rabbits. I made this little bunny for my new doll Betsy. Betsy loves her bunny and takes it with her wherever she goes. To avoid her little friend becoming lost I stitched a loop of elastic to the paw.

 

The elastic slips over Betsy's hand and the bunny is held securely.

 

 

Betsy wears a cosy pair of bunny slippers when she's playing indoors.

 

 

 

When she goes outside she wears a pretty pair of Mary Jane shoes and a pink hat with a blue flower on the front. The knitting pattern for Betsy and her bunny can be found in all three of my Dollytime shops on Etsy, Ravelry and LoveKnitting.

 

 

Earlier this week Kate discovered some tiny bunnies who were looking lost so she popped them into tiny baskets to keep them safe.

 

 

Much to her dismay, the little rascals suddenly sprouted wings and flew away into the garden. Kate hadn't realised they were fairy bunnies.

Luckily they weren't too difficult to spot and we quickly gathered together a group of eight. Seven of them wear bonnets but the eighth seems to have lost his.

The bunny without a bonnet is Kate's favourite and she carries him in a basket wherever she goes which he seems to enjoy as it makes him feel special.

These sweet fairy bunnies measure just 7cm to the tops of their ears. Quick to make as small gifts, I know any little girl would love one. So if you'd like to knit one (or maybe a few) you'll find the pattern in my Etsy, Ravelry and LoveKnitting shops.

 

Please don't forget you  can find regular updates on Facebook

Enjoy your weekend everyone. Until next time X

 

 

 

FREE PATTERN - Fairy and pin cushion

I thought I’d start the week by showing you the free knitting pattern I’ve just put online. This tiny (5cm) fairy is attached to a pin and happily sits in her pin cushion garden.

The fairy would, I'm sure, be happy to sit on any pin cushion but this pretty one is quick and easy to knit and easily constructed from two 13cm (5in) squares knitted in garter stitch.

It is very easy to stitch together in the biscornu style (Google for 'biscornu' if you aren't familiar with this).

The fairy pins are quick and easy to make from short lengths of yarn. Make one and I'm sure she'll soon be joined by a friend!!

The FREE download for the fairy and the pin cushion is currently

from my LoveCrafts page.

You'll find regular updates about my knitting and family of knitted dolls

on my Dollytime Facebook page

Cottage garden fairies

I've been busy making little fairies this week and was hoping to show them having fun in our garden but unbelievably we are still in the depths of winter. The garden remains cloaked in white and the wind is bitter and so my little girls are posing beside their favourite cottage pictures.

 

Each fairy measure just 6ins (15cm) and wears a little knitted sweater, stockings and shoes.

 

An apron with pocket is worn over a pretty floral skirt. 

 

The wide brim on the felt hat is pinned back with tiny beads.

 And imitation leaves have become fairy wings.

I know many of you are experiencing similar topsy-turvy weather conditions at the moment. Unbelievably at this time last year Britain was in the middle of a heatwave and water supplies in several areas were running dangerously low. What a difference a year makes. Let us hope things warm up in time for the Easter holiday.

Stars and fairy dust

Here at Flutterby Patch we are dreaming of warm summer days to come and hoping that this year they will actually stay for a while. Last year the sun popped in to say 'hello' early in the season and then packed his bags and returned only fleetingly. Sadly, when summer days remain cold and damp our tiny garden fairies hide themselves away.

 

In previous years, when the weather was warm and summer days long and golden, we often spotted them hard at work around the garden. They swept their tiny pathways.

 

 

They gathered tiny eggs laid in the meadow grass by their tiny hens

 

And when their work was done they busied themselves making daisy chains.

 

Last weekend, when unseasonal snow once again cloaked our garden, I decided to add a few more flutterby fairies to the little family we already have. 

 

 

So out came my prettiest floral fabrics and with a sprinkling of stars and fairy dust I'm currently busy with needle and thread whilst continuing to dream of summer days to come (and I'm hoping to add a little bit of fairy magic to our dismal UK weather forecasts!)

 

Puzzling snow

Unlike many other parts of the world, snowfall in Britain can never be predicted. Some years a few flakes are seen in late November. They flutter about for a bit and then completely disappear until the following year. Other years can bring a deluge and we are buried in the stuff for several weeks which causes total chaos throughout the country.

As our white stuff is so unreliable I get much pleasure from looking at snowy scenes like the one below. It was painted by one of my favourite Dutch artists, Anton Pieck (1895 - 1987).

Here is another of his winter worlds. I can feel the frosty night air as I imagine myself hurrying across the busy street on my way home to a cosy fireside and a plate of hot buttered toast.

We always complete a few jigsaw puzzles during the dreary winter months and this Christmas my husband was given this large puzzle depicting Anton Pieck's 'Carol Singers.'

A lovely puzzle for the festive season, we completed the colourful singers on the first day which left us with the more challenging surrounding areas to finish on day two.

If you are familiar with the story 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' you might think this little elf had come to lend a helping hand and correctly fit a few pieces of the puzzle whilst we were asleep. But you'd be wrong . . . . .

This is the rascally little fairy that Kate captured last year and he's full of mischief. Luckily Kate spotted him running away with two pieces of puzzle.

She chased him across the playroom floor and just managed to catch him before he'd had time to hide them. And so we finished the puzzle on day two and thanks to Kate there were no pieces missing!

Today the weatherman told us that Britain might get some snow next week. On the other hand we might not! Our weather is totally unreliable so anything could happen!

Fairy dust and magic

I love mid-summer when evening light lingers until 11pm and there's a definite hint of magic in the air. But oh dear! The longest day was yesterday and darkness came around 9 o'clock as our summer skies were heavy with rain. So I'm glad that earlier in the week I had treated myself to some of this magical fabric. Needless to say it's become a great favourite with the playroom dolls and now everyone wants to look just like a fairy princess. And who can blame them!

Today the rain has lashed against the windows all day and spirits could have been low. But happy little Rainbow Rose raided the dressing-up box and with a crown precariously balanced on her head she proceeded to sprinkle fairy dust on several dolly volunteers. 

And then, much to everyone's delight and as if by magic, a fairy bunny suddenly appeared.

Sadly this magical moment was short-lived as the rascally bunny family joined in the fun. The fairy dust fabric was hurriedly heaped into a wool basket and wool was strewn across the floor. Quite what this game is all about no one is sure but it seems to have kept dolls and bunnies happily occupied all day and so maybe there is a bit of mid-summer magic around here after all.

Have a magical weekend wherever you are and if you are in rain-soaked Britain, do try to keep warm and dry!

All good fun

I thought I'd show you the curtains I've just finished making for our cloakroom. As I always seem to end up choosing flowery fabric I was determined this time to have something different, checks or stripes perhaps.

As you can see, I fell into the 'flowery trap' yet again. These delicious roses on a pale aqua background stole my heart as soon as I saw them. I have a few bits of vintage china on the cloakroom windowsill which are a perfect match so there was no contest. Perhaps I'll choose checks or stripes next time!

Our weather has been wet and windy for weeks but there has been plenty to keep us busy. Whilst I've been decorating and making curtains the playroom has been its usual buzz of activity. There are a number of Mabel Lucie Attwell books on the playroom shelves and the pictures are a constant source of inspiration to everyone, including me!

Don't you just love this illustration. It comes from an early Attwell book, written in 1920, about a little baby that goes missing.

As the sun goes down and the moon rises some little elves discover the baby asleep under a tree. But how do tiny fairy folk transport a chubby baby safely back home?

Luckily these quick thinking little characters have the answer. They bundle the baby into an old linen basket and with great effort pull the cutie back home.

This tale is a great favourite in the playroom not least because it gives some of the dolls the perfect excuse to have a game of 'let's rescue the baby'. The Rainbow Rascals love to wrap Daisy in a clean handkerchief, bundle her into the old linen basket and drag her across the playroom floor.

Of course this game doesn't last long and usually leads to more boisterous adventures, especially when inspired by this picture.

If one baby will fit into a small basket then how many dolls will fit into an even bigger basket? Let's find out!

Isn't it funny how empty containers act as a magnet for youngsters and can inspire the most creative play. Children will never be bored when there are empty baskets and boxes nearby.

Before I go I'd like to thank everyone for the very generous comments left with my last post. Many of you popped over to Toyshelf to see what patterns were available.

Recent arrivals are these little sailors,

Tilda and Tommy-Ted

It was with a sigh of relief I finally completed decorating the three rooms I started last October, and with the new curtains in place I am at last able to give my mind to creating a new knitting pattern. As always I have plenty of ideas buzzing around in my head and have already started on one particular dolly idea. It's a bit experimental and might be a hopeless failure, in which case you'll not hear any more about it. However, I'm hoping it will turn out well so I'll keep you posted.

Until next time

Eli

Flying high (and trying)

We've just enjoyed a gloriously sunny weekend. The garden hummed with the sound of bees whilst butterflies fluttered prettily from flower to flower seeking sun warmed nectar. After several attempts I managed to snap this picture of a Small Tortoiseshell.

The weekend was not a haven of peace however as the summery sound of bees was frequently interrupted by the roar of jet aircraft swooping and diving overhead. Every July the Lake District stages an airshow and this year's was bigger than ever. The planes always perform their aerobatics over the lake so we are able to view them from the garden or through an upstairs window.

This enormous delta wing Vulcan rattled the rafters as it climbed high above the house.

Late on Sunday afternoon the 'Red Arrows' (the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team) performed their amazing display as a finale to this year's show and then at last the summery buzzing of bees was again audible.

The aerobatics we witnessed over the weekend seem to have influenced activities in the playroom today. This afternoon I found Tilly and Kate looking at pictures of flying fairies.

Then out came some coloured paper and wings were made for all the Rainbow Rascals.

Although the names - Lysimachia Fairy, Hydrangea Fairy, Red Petunia Fairy and Mauve Petunia Fairy are too long for the average dolly to remember the girls were happy to pose with their flowery namesakes.

So far so good. But then the flying idea was put to the test and the fairy aerobatic team prepared to take to the skies. . . . . .and landed with a thud on the ground below.

Until next time

Eli