Happy New Year!!

Happy new year 2014!

I'm currently at my grannie's place watching fireworks outside and even though I've tried taking pictures of them, I just can't capture the beauty of fireworks. I love fireworks!

 I want to thank you all my blogreaders for continuin reading my blog. I've liked your comments, and your likes of my patters on Ravelry, each one of them made me happy :o)
This year has been great, even though I've had so much to do. Being an university student, having a great summer job, taking care of  my lil siblings.Of course there have also been hard and sad moments this past year.  But all in all I'm very grateful of this year 2013!!

God bless your next year!

-Minttusuklaa

Hello :)

Hiljaa hyvä tulee... (in Finnish only)

Edellinen viikko on ollut aivan hurjan kiireinen, koulussa vielä viimeinen tentti ja sitten kaikkien mahdollisten joululahjojen valmiiksi tekeminen. Huoh... Luennoilla vaan puikot sauhusi, kun tein (lue: yritin tehdä) loppuja lahjoja valmiiksi. Melkein onnistui, muttei ihan. Vielä on paljon kesken, mutta onneks aikaa on vielä ;)
 Päätintä sitten postaa vielä kuvaa keskeneräisistä tekeleistä tänne ja luottaa siihen, ettei yllätykset ja lopputulokset paljastu:

  Terkuin:
Minttusukla

This time of the year...

Hello all,

This is just a quick post to share what I've been knitting the past week. Surprise surprise I realised that Xmas is in like 19 days, and I still have like 10+ presents to finish and I still have on huge test on anthibioticcs etc. on the friday before Christmas. So now you can guess who has been busy...

-Minttusuklaa

ps. I really hope you enjoyed my 1st sewing tutorial.

Stripey (sewing tutorial) *free pattern*

Hello all,

I finally got my new computer to work and hence I'm able to continue blogging (I broke the on/off button in my old computer) and lost my all patterns and pictures I was working. You can guess how devasted I am for losing few unpublsihed patterns and also my old patterns and a few pattern bookletes. (I made a copy of most of my folders, but not all)
But that is enough of ranting, now for the business itself: Remember the stripey fellow I made some time ago. I made another doll and decided to share the tutorial for the doll. It's my first time trying to make a sewing pattern, so please tell me if the tutorial has some problems.

You need (Click pictures to enlarge them):
Stripey and skin colour jersey/tricot fabric
Stuffing
Patience

Cut following pieces from the stipey fabric:
2 pieces (8cm x 14cm) for the body
2 pieces (6cm x 21 cm) for the legs
2 pieces (6cm x 16 cm) for the arms

Cut 4 round pieces (diamter 16cm) and one round piece (diameter 28 cm) from the skin-coloured fabric.

And now for head-making and hand/feet making. You need to put stuffing in the middle of the round pieces Remember to use enough stuffing to reach the final diameter. Pull the edges together and secure tightly with yarn. Your pieces should look like these in the end:

 

And now for arms and legs. 

Step 1: Sew the long-edge of each arm and leg (right sides of the fabrics facing each other).

Step 2: Turn the tube inside in. Now you will have 4 hollow tubes, with holes in both ends.

Step 3: Attaching hands and feet to the arms/legs. Fold about 0,5cm of the "tubes" end from outside to inside. Insert the hand/foot piece in the tube. Secure it with a needle. Sew by hand.

Stuff arms and legs from the other end. You can choose the amount of filling you want use. I stuffed my doll's legs with quite a little amount of stuffing. If you want you can use pellets or rice to stuff legs/arms (that way the legs will be haeverier and the doll can sit better).
Next you need to grab the body parts and needle them together right sides of the fabric together. Attach arms to the body:
1st: Place the top of the arm to the place on the long edge of the body (about 1,5cm from the top of the body (neck).
2nd: Insert arm inside to body, pin it securely between the two body parts. Sew the long edges together.
Do the other arm the same way. I hope the picture will give you a better idea of what I'm trying to explain (this is for the first arm):

Attach legs:
The body is still the "wrong" side of the body on the outside and the arms both inside.
Attach legs to the bottom and pin the there similarly to what you did for the arms. Sew the bottom seam. And turn the body so that now you have the right side of the fabric facing outside and arms/legs sticking out from the body.

 Stuff the body firmly from the neck. Fold about 0,5cm from the neck part of the body inside (like you did when inserting hands/feet). Insert the head and secure it with needles, sew body and head together.

Voilá, your doll is ready except for face and all the accesories it needs. I drew the face on the black/white guy, but for yellow/white doll I used black yarn for eyes.

I made a baby hat from the stripey fabric, but you can knit/crochet the hat if you want.

 Hope you enjoy making little stripey fellows!! And if you have any guestions/problems, please ask and I'll try my best to help/clarify the pattern.

-Minttusuklaa

Copyright: Minttusuklaa

 

In progress

Hello,

(At first I'm going to say sorry about not posting earlier...) My school began a month ago and has been so far the hardest and busiest month of school I've ever had. But I find studying human brain functions rather fascinating (and that is a mild word for it).
I've also started my new pattern and as you can see it is also a crochet pattern. And still in progress.

Arrrrggh, I really dislike balncing decreases and increases in crochet work. It is just frustrating!! (But I'm content with the result now.)
I hope that I get the pattern finished by the end of next week. (I still have a few increases and decreases left...)

-Minttusuklaa

Jelly Babies *free pattern*

Hello all,


Here is the pattern for Jelly Babies.

You need:
Yarn, hook suitable size for the yarn
Stuffing, felt

Head and body:
1) Ch 2, 6sc to tthe 2nd ch from the hook
2) 2 sc in every sc (12sc)
3) 2sc in sc, 1 sc in sc, repeat around (18sc)
4-7) sc in each sc
Stuff top of the head at this point
8) Sc-dec, sc repeat around (18sc)
9) 2 sc in every sc
10) 2 sc in sc, 1 sc in next 2 sc each, repeat around
11-16) sc in each sc. Cast off.
 Stuff the body.

 Legs (make 2):
1) Ch 2, 6sc to tthe 2nd ch from the hook
2- 6) sc in each sc.
Cast off.
Sew legs to the open end of the body.

Arms (make 2):
1) Ch 2, 5sc to tthe 2nd ch from the hook
2-8) sc in each sc
 Finish off.
Sew arms to the body.

Face: Cut a round piece of felt for face( Mine are about 1,5cm diameter). You can embroider eyes and mouth at this point. Sew the felt piece to the head.

Ta-daa, your jelly baby is finished!!

Sock Monkeys and so on...

Hi,

Having a summer job is hard work, at least where I work. I've even worked 13hour shifts and after that I really knew what working feels like.
I went through my old closet whre I have my party dresses and under a box I found old socks and stockings. I did some surfing and found a doll pattern and of course the traditional sock monkey patterns.And he is made out of my old stockings (I used them about ten years ago)

My three-year-old little borther made a sock doll for his friend. He even used my sewing machine. And Ithis normally oh so lively little young man was so concentrated on what he was doing that he hardly noticed anything else.I hope his friend likes her new doll.


Best wishes!
 -Minttusuklaa

ps. I have a new idea for my new knitting pattern (and I probably will have something for you in a couple of weeks. My real holiday begins next monday)

Summer, summer...

Hi,

This post is jus random babbling about everything...
I love summers! Summer is absolutely the best season of the year. And so far this has probably been the besiest year of my life. My summer holiday began in May and I started my summer job started last week. My first REAL summer job! I love it. I take care of mentally-disabled people (I don't know if that is a correct term...) It's though and physically tiring, but rewarding anyhow. I've learnt a lot about treating different diseases and different medication. I'm glad that God has created different and unique people. :)

Summer is also the time for starting new random projects. I've sewn two summer dresses for myself and started a doll, a rabbit and some other stuff. I hope to get them ready and pictures taken earlier than later.

Until then!
-Minttusuklaa

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear...

Happy (late) Easter!

I had the most busiest Easter ever! I could actually write an essay of 5000words of my holiday and I still have two days left before school starts again. (i.e. I still have 2 more days to study the anatomy of upper limb...) My grandma was admitted to a hospital, my car broke down, I tasted lamb for the first time and so on.
I don't what bit me, but suddenly I had this itch to make a teddy bear (and I still plan to do a few more). I haven't been a big fan of traditional teddy bears, so this is a first.
Tell me what you think? I had to modify the pattern (again), because I didn't have any furry fabric.

-Minttusuklaa-

p.s. Can you really believe that my anatomy book is called Gray's anatomy?

Updates and random stuff

Seriously, I've decided that I utterly dislike moving! Packing boxes, wahsing dishes, cleaning up... Uuurrrgghhh. I really do not like it!! But I guess that moving out is just part of growing up and so on. Mum tells me that I'm a littel hamster, who just has collected "stuff" (random mugs, plates, towels etc.) all her life. Well I guess that's true, I have boxes full of plates under my bed and next weekend I get my own little flat (or a room) and now I need to pack my things, which is easer said than done. Preferably I'd just knit that hamster... 
I've made a few potholders and I think I need to sew curtains, cushions and stuff like that, any ideas for good patterns or tutorials?
The worst thing about moving out is that I already miss my little siblings and mum and dad, and my own old bed.

But I'm glad that spring is coming soon! I can't wait for small flowers and green grass and small leaves on trees.

All the best!
-Minttusuklaa

Jelly babies and knitting

Hello and happy February!

I took orange and purple yarn to lectures day before yesterda and started crocheting. Boys sitting with me in the lecture asked, what I was making (I said I didn't know) and this is the result:

 

I plan to make a whole rainbow of Jelly Babies, but now I have only these three. At least I'm going to make a green one, red one and a blue one (probabyl black and white also). It took only 40mins to make each. 

The body and legs are crocheted as one piece and arms are made separatedly. 

And I also got myself DPNs size 7mm and I have been able to start knitting an new hat for myself. My old one is not-so-fashionable any more and I need a new (that is just an excuse to get new yarn and new needles... But I guess everyone knows that already).

And lastly I got a summer job for next summer earlier this week (can't wait for summer) and I'll be moving next month, so I'll be super busy trying to find furniture and making curtains and cushions and potholders and stuff like that.

-Minttusuklaa

p.s. Would you like me tho write down the pattern for Jelly babies and publish it?

 

Picture says it all