A ChunkyStitches Announcement

Special Announcement!

I'll be launching the New and Improved 

ChunkyStitches Made It Shop

in 1 month! I know it's a long wait but

by then, I should have plenty of items to offer!

And in celebration of the re-launch I'll be offering a

special deal for the first few days or weeks.

Stay tuned for more info closer to the date.

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays

Sneak Peaks

Currently working towards getting awesome things

made for a new Made It shop launch.

My goal is to have my revamped shop

go live by the end of January.

This gives me roughly six weeks to make

as much as I can to fill the shop.

In the meantime, here is a sneak peak at two of the beanie's

I've knit up over the previous few weeks.

Chunkystitches Labels

I've been seeing these type of labels

on hand made knit and crochet items

all over Etsy and Made It for a while now.

I really like the finished look they give

these items so I decided that my brand

needed something similar.

Most of the labels I've seen are wooden ones

but I felt that ultra-leather would suit

my items a lot more than the wooden tags.

So I jumped on Etsy, found "Grain Deep"

and ordered a handful of labels with

Chunkystitches on them 

Aren't they just the best!

And they make the beanie's I've made

look 110%, instead of just 99%!

The name is actually burnt into the leather

and these are super soft and flexible.

I love, love, love them!

Knit and Crochet

I've been knitting and knitting

with a tad of crochet!

Here are three beanie's I've made so far

and the cream one of the left is a combo

of crochet and knit!

I'm hoping to add a special finishing touch to these

as well as make a whole heap more over the next month 

with the aim of re-opening my Made It story

in January with a whole bunch

of hand knit and hand crochet beanies

and accessories for sale!

Cable Knits

I knit some cables!!

I borrowed a book from the Library

to help with my knitting and this 

cabled hat pattern was inside!

I love the look of these cables and working with super chunky yarn and

10mm needles, whilst working flat was pretty easy to get used to!

It worked up fast and I've order some more luxe

yarn to make some more chunky cabled beanies

to hopefully offer for sale shortly!

Knit Beanie WIP

Here is another knit beanie in the works

I'm making this one for myself because I LOVE 

the colours in this yarn and the way 

it looks so delicate on the tiny needles.

I'm not rushing this one, as I've had to pull out

several rows already and re-started it about 7 times

just to get this far!

But, I'm loving it and loving knitting!

Colour Block Knit Beanie

Here it is ...

The finished Colour Block Knit Beanie!

For sizing and yarn details

as well a price and postage (within Aus)

check out my Made It Store Listing

Sneak Peak - Knit Beanie!

Still practicing my knitting

with this colour block

grey and blue beanie!

I;m using MyBoshi yarn for this

as it's chunky and works up fast

and the colours are gorgeous! 

A Teal Blue Owl

I've just completed a custom made

Teal Blue owl!

I really love these shades of blue

and love that strangers can

suggest colour combo's

that I wouldn't have thought of myself!

A Knit 'Stripe' Cowl

I'm practicing my knitting

and have wanted to knit a cowl

for a very long time.

I love the look of knit rib

so when I found this pattern

I knew I had to use the

Moda Very Monkey yarn I bought

to make one for myself.

I learnt a lot while making this cowl, like

continental knitting is a lot faster when you get the hang of it

and out of fear for binding off too tightly, I bound off too loosely

(as you can see at the base of the cowl, ooopsy).

When I wear it (photo on the way?!)

the loose bind off actually looks really good as 

it flares around my collar bones.

Pattern Details:

Pattern found here -> Knit and Bake

My Ravelry Project Page - Add Me!

Project Updates

A few projects currently in the works:

A Knight Beanie

A Knit Cowl (learning to knit still)

A Baby Doll + Accessories

This little bub now has some arms

Baby Character Beanie

This little beanie

was a special request from my

sister's fiance for their new little bub Hudson!

I used a standard beanie pattern

and improvised the ears.

It was ridiculously quick to make up

and I think I might have to make more

for sale in my Made it Shop

Cabled Beanie

Do you remember when I found that my

local yarn (chain) store had started stocking

Lionbrand yarn?

Well I finally made something with it!

I got this pattern from All About Ami

I think it still needs a pompom but 1 ball of yarn

left me with only a few metres to try and make one.

I have also heavily modified this pattern as 

I crochet tightly and didn't want it to

be too bulky at the top where you pull it together.

Chunky Pink, Purple and White Kids Beanie

I've made another chunky winter beanie.

This one is a shell stitch in 

white, pink and purple

and fits roughly 18 months - 3/4 years.

It can be found on sale HERE

Once again I've used MyBoshie yarn

and a 6mm hook to create this beanie.

Chunky Winter Blue Beanie

Here is a Chunky Winter Beanie

in Blue, Turquoise and White Stripes, 

topped with a mega pom pom in white.

This one is sized 2-4 years roughly

and it currently for sale HERE

(Australia customer only, sorry)

I have used MyBoshi Yarn to make this

with a 6mm hook as called for.

It's a 30% wool, 70% polyacrylic yarn that is

quite cosy and warm to use and wear.

I love the colour combo's available in this yarn

and would love to make more beanies!

Making Pom Poms *sigh*

I love pom poms! 

They make everything cuter and are so versatile!

But,

I hate making pom poms.

Well the part I actually hate is the fact that no matter

what way I make them, there are still

strands that can be pulled out!

I feel like I will forever be trying to find a way

to make a yarn pom pom where the strands can't

be easily pulled out, but I'm losing hope.

I did try a new method of making a pom pom

which you can find here

to sit atop this chunky beanie (coming soon!)

Hudson's Hooded Jacket

My nephew was born on the 

13th of April and knowing there

was a little boy on the way,

I wanted to make him some cute things!

Here is the hooded jacket I crocheted for him

I just love the buttons and the way grey looks with the blue, tan and white striped sleeves and hood.

Pattern is from Newborn Knots

but I have altered the pattern quite a bit.

My Ravelry project page details my alterations

My First Quilt (And What I've Learnt)

Here is my first ever quilt.

I decided to make this for my nephew

when I found out my sister was pregnant towards the end of 2014.

I already had the grey and yellow jelly rolls from Craftsy, I got the fleece backing from Ikea and

the polyester batting and cotton binding from Spotlight.

This quilt took me a long time because I would get discouraged

by curvy lines and minor mistakes, as well as not knowing

whether I wanted to use batting or fleece or cotton.

What I've Learnt:

1) Plan Ahead! I started not really knowing what I wanted the finished quilt to look like. While I might have still changed my mind, a plan would have been very helpful!

2) Quilt's don't need to be this thick! I had to make my binding 5" wide so I could wrap it around but this may have been difficult because I'm a newbie.

3) Go SLOW! Don't rush. Just. Don't. Rush! Simple.

4) As above, going slowly = straighter lines!

5) Fleece would make a suitable batting and backing fabric!

6) And lastly - Practice makes perfect!

Spikey Brontosaurus

Only a few days ago I posted the

Brontosaurus I made without his spikes.

Well here he is with his spikes attached

and he's already off to his new home!

Brontosaurus

I've recently made a Brontosaurus

from the Fresh Stitches pattern Cliff the Brontosaurus

Although, I will be adding orange spikes down his back, 

which might actually make him a different type of dinosaur?

This item is available for Custom Order

Check out the Catalogue tab above for details!

Pop Culture Cross Stitch

One of my very good friends and I are

constantly quoting movie lines to each other,

and one of her favourite movies to quote is Mean Girls.

So when I saw something similar on Pinterest,

I knew I had to make this for her birthday present

and send it over to Essex, England for her.

I drafted the pattern for this myself on 14 count Aida.

There are a few mistakes here and there, but

overall I'm very happy with it, and so is the Birthday Girl!

Wilbur's Tiny Dog Coat

My future Sister-in-Law got a tiny Fox Terrier for Christmas last year

from her parents and asked me to Crochet him a little coat

to keep him cozy through the cold weather.

When I say he is tiny, I mean he is smaller than most cat's I've seen

and I had to skip 6 rows of this pattern to make it the correct length.

The above photo's are of him on my lap, and he hasn't gotten much bigger!

I used this pattern from Stitch 11, but because I crochet tightly, I used

the recommended hook size, but Wilbur's coat is only 8 & 3/4" long

In order from top to bottom - underneath, top and side views of the coat.

It's stretchy with a gap to avoid mess when Wilbur has a bathroom break!

Lacy Crochet Shorts

I was asked to make some Lacy Crochet Shorts

for a Bride and Groom, as a joke/gag gift as their wedding night négligée.

Even though it's a joke gift, I was more than happy to make these

because they work up really fast and are easily

adjustable. I also know how I could make some cute beach shorts

using the schematics from these patterns.

Blue and Tan (Female)

Front View with Tie

Back View with Extra Bottom Room/Rows

Green Shorts (Male)

Front View with Tie 

Back View

There are a few extra rows for room in the green towards the waistband

These ones do not have a centre seam down the front or back

which I thought would be more comfortable if they were to ever be worn.

Both patterns are from Bikini Sandi on Etsy,

although the Green and Tan pair are a free pattern (possibly on Ravelry)

I used Moda Vera Gelato for these shorts, which is 50% acrylic and 50% cotton, as well as a 4mm hook. The waist measurements are roughly the same for each pair, as the couple have very similar body shapes. I added the ties to improve fit if they wear them. 

I think these would look good as beach shorts in more pleasant colours, the request was for Gawdy colours and I think I delivered!

Yarn Excitement!

Here in Australia, we are not extremely spoilt for choice when buying yarn.

I haven't ventured into too many speciality yarn shops

because those yarns can be pricey and a little bit fancy.

I have always envied Lion Brand's yarn, but the conversion rate

and postage to Australia have always stopped me from buying any.

Until today, when I walked into my chain craft store (Spotlight)

and found Lion Brand Heartland in medium weight and Thick and Quick!

I basically had a heart attack but limited myself to two balls for now, one in Thick and Quick and the other in medium weight to get a feel for how it works up.

Isn't it gorgeous! I got the 'black canyon' colour, which is black with grey twisted through.

I have a chunky beanie with a pom pom is calling it's name.

And another fantastic find was this 10 pack of

Moda Vera Mini's in Cotton Brights!

I can't get over how cute they are and couldn't say no!

They measure 3inches tall, are 10 grams and roughy 26 metres long.

Made it For Heartfelt

Here's the heart for Heartfelt

I chose to crochet a white beanie and sew on this cotton heart

and sell this to raise funds for Heartfelt, as part of Madeit's

Made it for Heartfelt

(see post here for details)

100% of sales will be donated to Heartfelt, and there are many more sellers

offering handmade items on Made It, just search "Heartfelt Fundraiser".

Item will be live and for sale from Sunday, 22/03/2015 @ 12;00am SOLD on 24/03/2015!!