Two Blind Mice (And Four Sighted Ones)

On Ravelry I am part of a group called 'Selfish Knitters'. That is, people who almost solely knit for themselves. Sounds a bit mean, sure, but after last year with all the Christmas presents, I suddenly realised I hadn't a single object that I had made for me. As it happens, only three out of thirteen of my projects on Ravelry I've kept; one was a very simple crocheted tube for storing my crochet hooks in and the other two are works in progress.

I'm a terrible selfish knitter, but I have recently bought loads of new patterns for gloves, jumpers, etc., with only myself in mind so, for the most part, from here on in, my knitting is for me. I'm the one who pays for the materials and puts the effort in, so shouldn't I get something nice at the end of it? Anyway, I digress. Although I've made the decision to become a (more) selfish knitter, every now and then something pops up that actually, you know what? Is going to be completely selfless. And this project, is exactly that.

Humble beginnings...

At the beginning of August, the woman who taught me how to knit (what, two years ago now? Jeez, and I still consider myself a knitting newbie) put out an open request for a knitting project. It was something she needed doing but simply didn't have the time. I felt that as she had, freely, taught me knitting and has been a source of help in all things yarn related that I just couldn't pass up the chance to return the favour. It was, genuinely, quite wonderful to be able to do something in return. Yes, I picked up the needles two years ago, but I originally did it so as to have something to keep me busy at re-enactments (between all the other jobs that keep me busy), rather than as something to take up as a proper hobby. But it became more than 'just a re-enacting' thing; it became something I genuinely love doing. Something that keeps my creativity going. Something that, when I finish, I get excited about and proud of myself (forget a degree, look! I KNITTED SOMETHING.) I never thought that something so 'daft' such as knitting would become such a big part of my life. And, sure, my mentor could not have known that either (or, maybe, being an avid knitter herself she knew exactly what she was getting me in to) but, certainly, without her help it is a hobby, a craft, that would otherwise remained a complete mystery to me. So, if you're reading this, thank you so much. You gave me so much more than just the knowledge on how to knit; you gave me something to enjoy, to become proud of, to explore and learn. I just thought knitting a few, toy mice was the least I could do.

So what was this knitting project exactly? Well, as the title and previous may have given away, it was six toy mice. Two adult mice (mummy and daddy mouse), two children mice (sister and brother) and two baby mice (so one could be asleep and the other awake). Originally I thought this would be a fairly quick project, but, although individually the mice knitted up reasonably quickly, the number meant that this was a fairly time consuming project. I think, in total, it took about three and a half weeks for me to knit all of them.

I-Cord Tail

Now, this pattern was a wonderfully easy pattern. It was a nice change from the project I was (still am) half way through, which I'd probably rate about a seven out of ten for difficulty compared to the mice's three. They're the harder end of beginner, or possibly the easier end of intermediate. Bridging the gap, maybe? I'd certainly recommend this pattern to any beginner knitters wishing to expand on their techniques. Part of the reason I found this pattern so easy was because it was knitted on the round; I'm most comfortable when knitting on the round as this is (unusually) how I began. Straights (that's two needles, flat knitting) didn't half feel peculiar the first time I used them! For this pattern, I used between two and three plus one needles (two/three being the amount of needles with stitches on and the 'plus one' referring to my working needle; what would be the right hand needle in straight knitting). Apart from the baby mouse, which was the child mouse pattern on smaller needles. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a hold of any 3mm DPNs, which meant I was forced, for only the second time in my knitting career, to use... Circular needles. Now, for those unfamiliar with knitting (and I do apologise, because this blog is linked to Ravelry, meaning a lot of people more versed in knitting than I am read this, but I also know full well that I have Facebook friends who wouldn't know the difference between a DPN and a crochet hook if it stabbed them, which we all know can be a painful experience) DPNs are, as the full name suggests, double pointed needles. Circulars? They are essentially two straight (single pointed) needles, attached with a piece of tubing or metal, so as to create the same effect as knitting on multiple DPNs, that is 'knitting on the round', or, producing a seamless tube instead of a flat piece of knitting.

Damnable circulars!

Anyway. I remember a long time ago I joined a discussion online about whether people preferred DPNs or circulars. I was in the minority (and it was the minority by quite a gap!) in using DPNs. The vast majority of people seemed to either struggle with DPNs or just preferred the ease of circulars. At the time I hadn't even tried circulars and, ultimately, decided to stick with what I knew, which is why I continued to buy DPNs over circulars whenever a project called for it. Some people even preferred circulars to straights! As a newbie knitter I was under the impression that circulars were a miracle send to the knitting world and I was a bit of an oddball for preferring (or only knowing how) to knit on a billion needles and in doing so increasing my chance of stabbing myself on something pointy tenfold. And this project was my second project on circulars (and the first where I'd been knitting in the round, rather than using them as straights); so, surely, I am a through and through circular convert now? I have thrown all of my DPNs and straights to the wind and replaced them all with the glory and wonder than is circulars?

No. I despise circulars. I honestly don't know how people can use them, or find them easier to DPNs. DPNs are a piece of-; it's just straight knitting with extra needles! Easy as! Circulars, however! Oh, the yarn gets tangled, and then it loops around the needles and the working yarn accidentally gets knitted into a stitch and it flops about and the tubing pulls everything which way and JUST NO. Never, ever, ever. Nope. I am declaring war against circulars. I will march with my armies of DPNs against the evil that is circulars. To make matters worse, you know that delightful M1 stitch that I love so much? Yeah, that made a regular appearance in the pattern too. Between the circulars and the M1 stitch I'm surprised I had the emotional energy left to finish the mice.

The start of Kitchener stitch.

How Kitchener stitch should
look.

My first, botched, Kitchener stitch.

Still, circulars aren't the only thing I experienced in the course of this pattern and perhaps the befuddlement of circulars is a small price to pay for picking up Kitchener stitch in no time. Kitchener stitch, also known as grafting, is a sewing looking it up. Now, from the brief amount of research I did on Kitchener stitch (because before now I had NO idea what it was or how to do it) it seems that a lot of knitters struggle with it. Someone said that part of the dislike for Kitchener stitch was simply the fact it was sewing and not knitting (although I did find a tutorial on how to knit Kitchener rather than sew it, but I never tried it out), but I also get the impression that it confuddles people. I don't know. I think it's a bit like that awful yeast based spread product; you either get it, or you don't. And I fall into the former camp (for Kitchener, not Marmite). It just makes sense to me. It's P1 front, K1 back, (K1, S1 off needle, P1) front, (P1, S1 off needle, K1) back, repeat until done. I mean, my Kitchener stitch is far from perfect (and my first attempt I bodged) but it really doesn't seem as difficult as other people make it out to be. I don't know. Maybe it's not that uncommon to understand it and I've just found the wrong sources, or maybe I'm one of the lucky ones who can do it, problem free. Whichever it is, it's a great sewing technique. I love the finish it gives and I'm really glad I got a chance to learn it. Apparently, it's a very common method for finishing off socks, although not one I've used before (I just sew them closed). Definitely be using it for my next pair!

(yes, sewing, not knitting) method used at the end of a knitted piece instead of casting off; it's used to create a seamless piece of fabric, by making it appear as if the knitting from either side is continual. It's... Not that easy to explain in text alone and I never was any good at teaching so if you really want to know what on Earth I'm on about I'd recommend

Turkish Cast On

A few rows later...

My first, terrible Turkish Cast On.

My last, better, Turkish Cast
On.

Alongside learning a new way of finishing a project, I also learnt a new way of casting on. It's called Turkish Cast on. the pattern originally states (which did have me confused) that I needed two pairs of circulars for this cast on method. Fortunately, I found tutorials for both how to cast on using DPNs and a single set of circulars. I stall have no idea (or aspiration to find out) how to do this cast on method with two circulars. It just... Seems a bit redundant to me. Anyway, this cast on method is very similar to Kitchener stitch in how it looks. It creates a seamless piece of fabric. So, match the two together and you end up with a piece of knitting that seemingly has no beginning or end. It's great! My Turkish Cast on isn't as nice as my Kitchener stitch; then again, I struggle a little more with it. It's not overly difficult, but it requires wrapping the yarn around two needles, instead of regular cast on, which only uses one. You then knit into the wrapped around stitches and somehow, miraculously, end up with a piece of knitting with no edge. It looks really nice. Again, I find Turkish Cast on a million times easier on DPNs than on circulars, although I get a tighter, less noticeable cast on when I do use circulars... Not enough to make me a convert though; I'll just iron out my DPN problems.

That scene from the Exorcist.

Most of the body parts were knitted on the round, starting with Turkish Cast on, finishing with Kitchener stitch. The ears were knitted flat and the tail was i-cord (you always knit from the right and never flip the work), which again, was something I hadn't experienced before. So although this was an easy pattern, I actually learnt a lot from it. It was a really fun project; partly because it was selfless, partly because I learnt so much, partly because it wasn't frustrating. It was just... Fun. Which was really nice and made a change from doing something challenging. The mice came out really cute, too. I may have to knit one for myself (no, I'm not sick of the pattern yet, six mice on). Plastic eyes were added for the four older mice. I only wish I'd used a different colour yarn for my stitch marker when knitting them up. One thing I hadn't expected (which wasn't an issue) was because of the way each piece was finished, it meant they needed to be stuffed while still on the needles. I had been expecting to cast off, stuff and sew closed. Ah, stuffing toys. I'm going to become an expert at this rate. Once I'd knitted all the components (forty-eight in total), I packaged them up and sent them away. I'd been told they would be assembled, and my friend wanted to add wire to make them poseable and such, so I figured it was best to leave that to her.

Beady little eyes...

Overall, I really enjoyed doing this. It's such a lovely pattern; simple, but effective and the end product is so cute. I'm really glad I got a chance to knit it. It's a pattern that was already in my Ravelry library, but one I probably was never going to do, until this chance popped up.

Oh, and if anyone reading this needs any parenting help, queries or is in need of nannying services, you should definitely check out Orchard Green. This isn't as random an endorsement as it seems, however out of the blue it appears. This is said friend who taught me knitting. She's such a lovely person and very knowledgeable.

All bagged up!

In closing; three types of yarn were used. Two DK, in white and oatmeal (Stylecraft pure wool) and one in four ply, again, white (Four Seasons Hot Socks Uni). The white DK was for the adult and children mice, the four ply for the babies. The oatmeal was used for the tails and inner ears (except on the babies who had pure white ears). The adult and children mice used 4mm DPNs, while the baby mice required 3mm circulars; pattern stipulated double circulars for both sizes, but I substituted. 4mm push fit eyes were used for adults and children, while babies had their eyes embroidered (not by me). Pattern is Mouse by ViolaSueKnits. Pattern also gives instructions for mice sized scarf and hat, but these were not knitted.

That's next to 10p.

Bendy arms!

Hello Mr. Mouse.

Major Knitting of Major Clanger

I feel that it's pretty apt that I managed to finish this project alongside the announcement of a new series of The Clangers (although they will be replacing the original knitted TV stars with more modern, CGI counterparts). If you remember, I first posted about this project way back in January and, to be fair, the knitting itself didn't take that long. I just took a hiatus on this project between completion of knitting and final assembly (that was several months; I probably finished the knitting part around Easter time and since have been working of my Lincoln Imp and a set of toy mice for a friend). I'll confess, I didn't really appreciate how much there was in the 'assembly' part and, as such, I'm not sure if this qualifies as a knitting project, a sewing project or something that combines both as well as painting, wire work and toy making.

Maybe it should just be tagged as 'toy making project', or just 'The Major Clanger Project', which sounds a little bit like some dark, government secret you'd find in a gritty, dystopian thriller.

Humble beginnings; or 'shaping'.

Clanger skin!

Anywho. The knitting part of this project is actually fairly complex. I mean, I wouldn't say it was difficult, but it certainly isn't a beginner's piece. For the most part, it is work in one long piece, which means there's lots of increases, decreases, turn (that's changing the direction of the knitting half way through a row so you end up with more rows in half of the project than the other) and all sorts of shaping. Only the arms and ears are knitted separately and they take no time at all, but the main body is time consuming. I also found the weight of yarn to needle ratio problematic; as it's a toy, the knitted fabric needs to be quite firm, so needles that are actually a size or two smaller than what would normally be required are used. This makes the stitches smaller and, as the yarn is still bulky, tighter, to create a nice, sturdy fabric that won't show or be misshapen by stuffing. Unfortunately, I'm already a tight knitter, which meant that my stitches were insanely difficult to knit. Honestly, my knitting was so tight I was having to peel the paint off of my needles to give just an extra few nanometres of space to move the stitches around on. I, uh, also bent one of my needles into an 'L' shape by fighting those stitches. Twice. That's a lot of force put into simply knitting a damned stitch. Fortunately I have a nice dad (and boyfriend) who had the tools required to straighten out my needle, although it does have a little kink in it where the bend occurred.

Ready for sewing.

I did learn how to do the 'm1' or 'make one' stitch in this pattern. It's a near invisible increase and not that difficult to do. Guess what? I hate it. Even thought it really isn't all that hard to do, I always forget how to do it and, if knitted wrong, instead of leaving an inconspicuous increase it leaves a giant, gaping hole in the fabric. So several undoing of rows, or pulling down of the entire project are needed every time I encounter an 'm1'. I wouldn't even mind so much, but every project that I have done since this (which, as I said early, is only two, or five depending on how you look at it) uses the 'm1' stitch. And if I haven't done said stitch in about three days I forget how to do it and have to look it up. It's infuriating. I don't know why I struggle so much with this stitch, but I just do. That and, particularly on this project, picking up the bar? Well, you know I mentioned that the knitting was impossibly tight? Yeah. That made knitting the 'm1' require a small act of God at times.

Bah. I hate m1. And it's stalking me where ever I go, mocking me and my inability to do it correctly. That's alright, only another four Clangers to go. And probably every knitting pattern I pick up from here on in!

First assembly.

Still, as horrible as it was to knit at times I actually, for the most part, enjoyed the project. Or maybe that's retrospect talking, as I just adore the finished product. Quite easily my favourite and, in my opinion, best of my knitting projects. In fact, at this date, it's the only one of my projects on Ravelry that I've awarded the highest happiness rating to (when you finish a project it allows you to rate how happy you are with the finish object; there's five little smiley face, with the first being really upset, the second being a bit miffed, third being kind of 'meh'/neutral, then a small smile then a giant smile. most projects get the small smile, this go the big smile).

Anyway, as I said, this project ultimately entailed a lot more than just knitting. I had intended to finish/assemble Major over summer when mum (read; the toy making expert in our family) was about to help me out. Because although I will jump wildly in to any knitting pattern, regardless of ability required, give me a needle and thread and I quake with fear. However, due to one thing then another it just didn't get done. My dad said it was fine, finish it and give it as a Christmas present, which he said was apt as it had been given as a Christmas present. But I didn't want to give it at Christmas; it was always meant to be a 'just because' (or maybe a 'thank you for buying me knitting stuff') present and it felt like I was cheating to save it for December. I knew my dad (along with the rest of my family) was coming up for my graduation ceremony so I figured I would make and finish it to present then.

Queue the song No Fear, as this became a completely solo project.

Never has a Clanger looked so evil...

Clangers drink tea, as well as soup!

The assembly wasn't overly difficult, to be honest, just time consuming. First I sewed the body piece together and then stuffed him. That was more difficult that I first envisaged as I foolishly didn't leave a very big hole at the bottom to stuff him. As such, his nose isn't very firmly stuffed (which means it's somewhat poseable, so that's a bonus?) but the rest of the body is. Once the body was stuffed, the hole was sewed up, then arms were sewn together, stuffed, and sewn to the body. After this came the 'cutting stuff out of felt' bit. Fortunately, my parents had provided me with al(most all) the felt I needed and had already scanned and blown up (boom) the patterns to the correct size. So I had to cut out two tiny, pink hands, two black eyes, two bits of pink felt for the ears, a tiny oval of pink for the nose, four feet (they sandwiched a piece of card, so each foot was made of two pieces of felt) and all the necessary components for Major's armour. I also had to cut out hair from brown felt, which was the only colour I hadn't been supplied with. Although the pattern says to make his armour from felt, in the show it's actually metal, so they did suggest painting it gold. I did this, but didn't realise they would need over night to dry. Oh well, no big issue... Right? I spent Monday day and evening sewing Major and assembling all his body bits, so by the time I went to bed I had a finished, but naked, Clanger. That meant I only had to put his armour together the next day. Only, the next morning, as I got out my jewellery wire (I make wire rings/jewellery on occasion, so have reels of gold coloured wire, which was just perfect for the finishing touches to the armour), and started adding the holes and wiring everything together I suddenly realised... The armour didn't fit. Even though it was the right size, there was just no way I was going to get it to all connect seamlessly. So I had two options; fix the front and back panels and have gaps at the side or try and make some panels to fit the gaps. Which meant more painting, even though my parents were coming that evening.

Back and front panels of armour.

So paint away I did. The panels are a little large, but I don't think that matters too much. After fixing the rest of the armour together and creating the harness that it all hangs off of (and then having to rush around tidying the house) I eventually got the hair dryer out to quick dry the paint. It was still a little wet by the time I decided to fix it into the rest of the armour, but not so wet it was going to come off on anything. Then I glued the 'C's on the front and back with PVA and, again, used the hairdryer. Then all that was left was to dress Major.

Adding holes for wiring.

And didn't he look fantastic. I had been pretty pleased when I'd just finished him, but the addition of the armour really made it perfect. As I've said before, I really am pleased with the project. The only thing I think is perhaps a bit iffy is his feet (I'm not a fantastic sewer and they were really difficult to sew on); they may need sorting out some time, but now he's in the hands of my dad (which means mum is nearby to sort out my sewing mishaps). They're just not as secure as I would have liked, but, hey, learning curves. Overall, I still think he's brilliant.

Extra panels being added.

So after he was made, all that was left was to leave him on dad's pillow to find later on that evening. I think dad was just as happy (if not more so) than I was; it's always a great feeling when your hand made gifts are genuinely appreciated. Everyone was pretty impressed with him, which is always a confidence boost. My boyfriend even tried to convince me to keep him as, he said, it 'was a shame to give away something that so much effort had been put in to'. But no. As much as I love Major Clanger, he was never meant to be anything more than my creation. And I'm glad that my dad likes him so much.

'C' for 'Clanger'.

As always, the base facts. Used a pink DK wool (no known brand, acrylic) with 2.75mm (UK 12) needles. About 50g of yarn was required. Needed gold, brown, black and pink felt, plus gold wire and thin card, to finish the project in total. The body, arms and ears were sewn with a tapestry needle and yarn; the felt (feet, inner ear, hands, nose, eyes and hair) were sewn with matching thread and fine needles. No sewnign was required for the tunic, although wire tools were needed to secure the wire 'staples'. Assembly too two days, knitting took a couple of months. Pattern was from The Clangers, by creator Peter Firmin, Carol Meldrum and Ruth Herbert.

Major Clanger!

 

The happiest Clanger.