Baxter Bug

Good day folks! My name is Sloane Solanto and I am also a brand new member of The Needle!!

I love to knit plush critters. No matter how many I make they never cease to make me laugh out loud! Probably because they each have a distinct personality.

All my patterns are original and just when I think I will never come up with a new one...BAM..I do! Sometimes it happens from a mistake, sometimes inspiration from a new textured yarn, and I especially love it when my 7 year old brother gives me yarn as a gift.... last year he gave me a skein of rainbow yarn and some solid colored fun fur..I had never used variegated yarn and usually used patterned fun fur and solid yarn (I knit with two strands)...I set them out on my work station and waited for inspiration to strike..and POOF...a new bug was born! A Catapilla'

This one's name is Baxter Bug.

Thanks to The Needle for having me and I look forward to sharing my critters with ya'll!

hedgehog

I've been working on a set of new Autumn designs all summer, and I'm glad the cool weather has finally arrived. Here's a little preview, but I hope to share all of them soon!

some toys

Here's a few toys I've been working on the last few weeks. It's been nice to take a break from designing and just knit something for fun.

A mama and baby owl

Azalea the tabby kitty

Rousseau the baby orangutan

bunnies!

I haven't posted here in ages! Being a mom of a toddler can do that to your free time...

Anyway, here's a couple cuties to share with you. The first photo is a new design I just released. I've been working on this puppet pattern for over a year. I had a few set-backs, and quit working on it for a while. I finally dug out my old notes, found some nicer yarn, and got it done! It's a lot more knitting (especially the large size) and more complex than my usual patterns, but I've been wanting to expand my range for a while. My standard toys are pretty easy, really, and some knitters like a challenge.

This little girl is a toy I just finished on the weekend. Every time I knit this pattern, I remember how much fun it is, and how awesome the results always are!

holiday mice

A couple weeks ago I had readers of my blog, Fuzzy Thoughts, give me suggestions of holiday knitting patterns they might like. Those ideas led to a page of sketches, which I then put up for a vote. The winning design was for a little Holiday Mouse, although I wished I had time to make a few of the others too. You can find the free pattern here, if you like knitting (or just get the pdf). It was fun collaborating with my readers and customers, although I now have so many ideas, I don't think I'll need any more input for a while!

pug!

Anyone here like pugs? I was inspired to design this new toy by some pugs you might know ;)

His face was really difficult to get just right. I didn't count how many times I ripped it out and started over, but I'm sure I needed new yarn at some point because it was getting so worn out. Finally I found the right proportions, and even figured out a way to incorporate the little nose wrinkles and jowls. It was clear from the beginning that a pug needs a hoodie, so I designed this anorak to frame his adorable face. If any of you know how to knit, try out the pattern!

two new characters

I just couldn't keep these new designs a secret any longer - they were just so cute I had to share them once I had a few photos.


Peanut, a chipmunk with a cable pullover. He's sweet on his own, but in the pullover he looks like the star of a 70's knitting pattern book. His stripes are done with duplicate stitch, so you can follow what I've done or improvise your own stripe pattern based on the chipmunks in your neighbourhood.


Kelby, a smooshy faced pug in a seamless hooded anorak. He's about the same size as the big teddy and bunny, so super cuddly for a little kid. His face is more complicated than most of my patterns, but it was necessary to get him to look just right. Don't forget to check out his tail. This little guy was inspired by a pug you might know :)

peep peep!

I wanted to make something cute and quick for Easter, so I messed around with my Chicken pattern until I had a fuzzy little chick! Now I wish I had more of that yellow mohair yarn, so I could knit more! Anyway, if you'd like to make some, you can find the pattern on my blog.

scraps chaps

I haven't posted over here in forever! That's what having a new baby will do, I suppose. So little free time for blogging, when it's all taken up with feeding, changing, and playing!


I have a new design out, called Scraps Chaps. I wanted something knitted that looked a bit like a rag doll, with floppy arms and legs, mismatched colours, and goofy faces. Strangely enough, I was inspired while knitting a pair of socks from Noro yarn! You can read more about my design process here. I'm sure happy with how they turned out, and wish I had more time to try knitting up different combinations of yarns and colours. Instead, I've made up kits for other people to make! In fact, you could win one, if you comment here before tomorrow morning.

custom kitty

Isn't it fun getting custom orders? I had a request to make a kitty just like a customer's cat, named Silkie Sue. Good thing she had lots of photos of her cat on her blog, so I had lots of angles to work from. I chose a silky and slightly shiny bamboo/wool yarn for the main colour, and changed my usual stripe pattern to better match the real kitty. I think she turned out pretty cute!

menagerie

After working like crazy for the last few months, my new book of toy knitting patterns is finally done! Making the toys seemed to take a lot more time and effort than coming up with the ideas. I even had a couple patterns that never made it into the book, and I have several ideas that I never got around to working on. I'm really happy with the designs that I put into it, although I feel a little bad for the guys that got left out! All this creating has made quite a menagerie at my house, though. I took a big bag of toys to a knitter's guild meeting last night. My husband thought I had put all the toys into the bag, but it was actually only about 2/3 of them! I miss these little cuties, though. I wonder who took them home from Plush You? Do any of you ever wonder where some of your creations end up?

Barbara
(fuzzymitten.com)

secret plans

I've been super busy the last few weeks, and I'll continue to be busy for the next 6 weeks! (and then I'm taking a holiday) I'm working on all kinds of fun new designs, but I want to keep them a surprise. I find it more exciting working in secret this way, but it sure makes my blog and flickr stream a tad boring. I work on fun new stuff every day, and when I sit down to blog, I realize I can't write about any of it! I guess that happens to everyone now and then.

One of the things I've been working away at is my Plush You contribution. Part of that I can share! There's this teddy that I finished a while ago, and there will be a sweet little owl a bit like the one in the photo. The third item is a secret (surprised?) but I will say that it's purple. I even made some little items for gift bags, and I wonder who will get them? It would be so fun to get emails from the people who eventually take the toys home, so I know where they end up.

Anyway, once everything is ready to share, I will definitely be posting over here more often.

Kitty Serendipity

Ladies and Gentlemen! Roll up, roll up to see the wonder girl in wool, the lusciousness in yarn, the scintillater in hand knit stockings, the material girl herself, Kitty Serendipity!


To let you in on her costume, she is dressed in a red bustier and mini skirt with black trim, black opera length evening gloves with red edging, fishnet stockings, garter belt and if you’re lucky, she might just flash you her tiny black g-string! She dances and titillates her audience with her hand knitted (and removable) red ‘feather’ boa and her sexy red boots. She has an elaborate hair style with two bunches of roses woven in and, like all burlesque performers she is wearing huge false eyelashes.


Please show your appreciation by tossing your coins on the stage.

as much fun as...

Well, it's not a whole barrel of monkeys, but two are definitely more fun than one! I knit these two as a commission. A sweet lady contacted me, and wanted two monkeys as a gift for her fiancé, because they both love monkeys. How could I resist?

Their bodies are knit from a suri alpaca and wool yarn I just started using. It's so fuzzy and soft I want to try knitting all kinds of animals from it. I dyed the yarn for their outfits, not realizing how difficult it could be to get a bright, intense red. Now that they're finished, I like this slightly faded red much better.

happy monday contest

I'm having a contest/give-away over at my Fuzzy Thoughts blog. You could win the lovely tote-bag in the photo, plus a copy of the Pirate Hippopotamus knitting pattern! Hop over there for all the details. Arrr, matey!

aloha

I just finished this batch of sweeties that are off to Hawaii. Lucky things. It's still snowy and wintry here in Montreal, and sure to stay that way for another month at least.

I'm really enjoying all the toys I've been making lately. I bought good-quality yarn for the toys, so they feel soft and fuzzy. I dyed the yarn for their clothes in pretty Spring colours. And I still manage to infuse each one with enough character to make them special and endearing. Some of these guys are hard to part with.

howdy!

Let me introduce you to Wayne. He's a cowboy. He'll protect you from rustlers and bandits, while winning your heart with his charming smile and humble manner.

I knit another cow as a commission about a year ago now. At the time, I thought it was a one-off, and never bothered writing down the pattern. I didn't figure anyone else would want a cow shaped like a teddy-bear. Turned out I was wrong. The original cow was a bit tricky to knit, and I couldn't figure out a simple way to write the knitting pattern for others to follow. Then followed a bunch of failed attempts, worrying, and maybe a bit of freaking out and hair-pulling. Finally I got it together, and created this fellow.

He's a little more work than my other toys, because his spots are knit separately and then sewn on. But I like that the people following my pattern can knit as many spots as they want, and sew them on where they want. I like to encourage creativity. Plus, the vest is so fun to embellish. I went with simple v-shapes on the shoulders and back, but you could totally add flowers, stars, or tassels.

My next endeavor is a unicorn. I'm not sure when I'll have time for it though. Everyone wants me to make bunnies and lambs. I may be tired of the idea of spring by the time it finally arrives.