Giant Timothy T-rex

I had this one skein of colorful Red Heart Super Saver Color Block yarn in the Party Time colorway that I wanted to use to make something for Rose. Orange is featured prominently in the colorful skein, and orange is one of Rose's favorite colors. 

At first I tried to see if there was enough yarn to make something to wear, like a "Housecoat of Many Colors" sort of thing. But the one skein wasn't enough for that, and apparently the colorway was discontinued, so I couldn't buy more.

Not enough yarn to make a cardigan or blanket

So then I had another idea: Why not make a giant Timothy T-rex for Rose by holding the colorful yarn double with a neutral gray and using an 8mm hook? And that's how this giant Timothy was born. 

Timothy and friends

The pattern specifies to use 10mm safety eyes, but I didn't have any safety eyes on hand, so I used two 25mm black buttons from this kit that I found on Amazon. It has black buttons in a bunch of different sizes, so they are useful for lots of various projects. So far I have used these buttons for eyes on a few recent amigurumis: my Zoey Zebra and also my Halloween Melly Teddy Ragdolls Gabby Ghost and Bobby Bat.

Holding the two colors of yarn together and working at this large gauge with an 8mm hook, my finished Timothy stands about 15 inches tall. I hope he will make a nice, snuggly companion for Rose!

Zoey Zebra Melly Teddy Ragdoll

I only made it through the first two parts of the free Zoey Zebra crochet-along before life got in the way and I regrettably had to set the project aside for a few months. By the time I was able to pick it up again, the free links were gone, so I decided to endeavor to finish the project by making the remaining pieces based on the designer Melanie Grobler's photos.

It was easy enough to approximate the legs by looking at the photos, but when it came to the ears, I decided to google around to find something similar that someone else had done and shared the steps. Why reinvent the wheel if I didn't have to, right? I used the ears from Jess Huff's Heidi the Horse free amigurumi pattern, which is also available at this link.

For the rose, I used the free 3D Rose pattern by Lisa Auch, which is also available at this link.

The eyes are 12mm black buttons from this set on Amazon.

Here is a link to my Ravelry project page.

Lunch with friends

Today we had lunch with Tony, Annie, and Rose. It was great to spend some time together!

For a friend

I found out this week that a dear friend has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As she faces this battle, I wanted to give her something to remind her of the warm thoughts and love that people who know her are sending her way.

She is such an elegant lady. So I thought that Britta Graham's lovely Shell Stitch Cloche would suit her well.

I added a clip-on detachable rose that she can wear - or not - according to her mood each day.

Yarn hug. Please get well, J.

Howarts Houses scarves free pattern

This Slytherin House scarf is Rose Love's Christmas present. (Shhh!!)

Made with Caron Simply Soft yarn (6 ounce skeins) in Dark Sage (green) and Grey Heather (silver), because Slytherin House colors are green and silver. (Rose Love adores Slytherin.)

Knitted School Scarf based on Harry Potter Hogwarts House Colors

Knit pattern by Susan Benitez. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Pattern may not be sold or duplicated in any form. The written instructions, templates and illustrations are intended for personal, non-commercial use only. PATTERN UPDATED 5/4/2013 to correct errata.

Gauge

Gauge is not critical to this project.

Abbreviations used

k – knit
p – purl
st – stitch

Materials list

Knitting needles size 5 (3.75 mm).
Worsted weight yarn: 2 skeins for primary color A, 1 skein for contrast stripe B); samples were made using Caron Simply Soft solids in 6-ounce skeins.
For Gryffindor House: Autumn Red 9730 (A) and Sunshine 9755 (B)
For Hufflepuff House: Sunshine 9755 (A) and Black 9727 (B)
For Ravenclaw House: Dark Country Blue 9711 (A) and Gray Heather 9742 (B)
For Slytherin House: Dark Sage 9707 (A) and Gray Heather 9742 (B)

Notes

Scarf finished size is approximately 7 inches wide by 66 inches long, not including the 6-inch fringe on each end. The fabric is knitted in a 2-by-2 rib. Gauge isn't terribly important when you're making a scarf, but this ribbed fabric came out to about 6 stitches per inch for me. You can make your scarf narrower or wider, according to your preference, but the total number of stitches cast on must be divisible by 4 for a 2-by-2 rib knit.

Instructions

For scarf: In A, cast on 48 st.

1. Work one of each of the following sections in order (*, **, ***).

* Half-height block in primary color: In A, work 24 rows in 2-by-2 rib (k2, p2).

** Stripes section: In B, work in 2-by-2 rib (k2, p2) for 3 rows. In A, work in 2-by-2 rib (k2, p2) for 6 rows. In B, work in 2-by-2 rib for 3 rows.

*** Full-height block in primary color: In A, work 48 rows in 2-by-2 rib (k2, p2).

2. Repeat ** and *** sections in alternating order 5 times. At this point, your scarf will have 6 full-height block sections and 6 stripes sections (plus one half-height block * at the beginning).

3. Work one more stripes section **, followed by a final half-height block *. Cast off.

For fringe: Cut 52 12-inch lengths of yarn in each color A and B. Hold together 2 strands (1 of each color). Using a small crochet hook, partially pull the strands through at one end of the scarf, just above the casted row. Pull the loose ends through the loop, making sure strand ends are even, and pull to tighten. I like lots of fringe on my scarves, so I tied 26 fringe knots across each end (which was a snug fit all the way across), but you may use fewer (spacing them a bit further apart) if you wish.

Enjoy your new scarf. Now you can show the world into which Hogwarts house YOU have been sorted!


Update: Here's a scarf I made for Silver using Gryffindor House colors.

And a scarf I made for Mika using Ravenclaw House colors.

And here's a scarf I knitted for Montie using Patriot Guard Riders colors. (I actually ended up stealing this one for myself!)

 

And another scarf for Montie following a special alternate stripes configuration that he requested.