woolly eggs egg-stravaganza!

woolly eggs

Let the Woolly Egg season begin in all its wonder!

In the next couple of weeks, I will share a few of my favorite woolly egg decorating tips and ideas, plus a few fun ideas for decorating the good ol' hard-boiled kind too. But let me start with the pattern in general.

The pattern consists of instructions to make both a Grade A Large-size egg using worsted weight yarns and a Grade A Medium-size egg, using sport or DK weight yarns. It is basically the same pattern with the differences coming from the yarn weights and needle sizes used. FYI, I still have a few Woolly Eggs Kits consisting of worsted weight yarns still available for sale in my Etsy shoppe.

The pattern instructions are quick and easy, only 30 rounds of knitting! You can knit an egg in 15 minutes plus or minus. Everyone knows though the real fun is in the embellishing: no two eggs EVER need be the same! But more on the embellishing later.

I have improvised my Woolly Eggs pattern slightly since it was printed. That is, I have cut out a few rounds to make the egg less long-looking. This is a recent change I have been playing with and I like the end results. I knit the egg according to the pattern, but when it comes to Rounds 9-23, I only knit 10 rounds instead of the called for 15. I really like the shape of this new size egg.

Remember to play with stripes and bigger blocks of color to create a variety of eggs. The key word here is PLAY. When doing stripes, remember to knit at least 2 rounds for a stripe, otherwise the stripe 'disappears' in the wash and melds too much into the other stripes. A two-round rule stripe is a good one to keep, unless the color yarn is dark and the overall desire is super thin. A one round dark stripe will show up but be fuzzy, if you know what I mean. When creating stripes I carry the yarns up rather than cut each one. Unless you choose to have several colors then cutting them is okay too, just a little more work in the end, but still well worth it.

FYI, Part 2: how to fill a carton of eggs.

Happy knitting!

NEW! woolly eggs kits!

woolly eggs kits

For a limited time I will have Woolly Eggs kits available on my Etsy shoppe for sale. Just in time for a little Springtime cheer!

Each Woolly Eggs Kit includes the pattern and yarns you need to make either 5 solid-color or striped felted eggs or a mixture of both, your choice. The yarn colors are those displayed in the photo. The yarns are all 100% wool in either DK or worsted weights. Once knitted and felted, the eggs will create a medium-sized egg, about 3-4 inches long from base to top. Size 8 double point needles are recommended for the DK weight and size 10.5 for the worsted. The needles are NOT included in these kits.

The pattern includes instructions for knitting and felting the eggs as well as lots of embellishing ideas to decorate your eggs, such as needle felting polka dots or squiggles, simple embroidery and beading and more! No two eggs ever need be the same!

I am starting a series of Woolly Eggs posts on knitting and embellishing. Check it out!

FYI, Woolly Eggs Egg-stravaganza.

Happy knitting!

a sweet little interview

woolly nest & eggs

An interview with your's truly was just posted live on Robin Hunter's blog, How to Become a Professional Knitter. I don't know if I furthered the cause any, but it was fun to capture my thoughts down on paper, so to speak.

Here is the direct link if you want to read it: Interview with Marie Mayhew. Thanks for helping me get my name and patterns out there. If it wasn't for all of you, my knitting friends, I would be mainly in my basement drowning in felted ideas and yarn! Happy reading!

Happy knitting!

NEW black sheep kits!

woolly sheep

For a limited time I will be carrying Woolly Black Sheep kits now available in my Etsy Shoppe:

woolly black sheep kits

grazing sheep

The kit creates an all black sheep from head to toe. In each kit I have included Frog Tree's Alpaca Suri in a dark grey color that corresponds with the black worsted. Once felted it creates a wonderfully soft and fuzzy sheep especially after being vigorously brushed the nap riser brush. The head, tail, and legs do not have the Suri carried along with to give a different texture after felting. The kit has all the makings for one sheep either in the standing position, as shown above, or the grazing position.

If you don't need another black sheep in your family at this time, I do sell the traditional sheep kits:

woolly sheep kits

woolly sheep kit

 Happy knitting!

 

we wish you a merry christmas!

woolly snowman

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and your families this holiday season! Blessings on your new year as well. Thanks again for a 'woolly' good year!

Happy knitting!

gingerbread cookie candle rugs

woolly gingerbread cookie

'Tis the season for all things sweet and sugary, but in this case, sweet but woolly. This larger-than-life gingerbread cookie candle rug would make a great holiday hostess gift. It measures about 10-inches tall from head to foot.

I used two strands of Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn and one strand of sport Berroco Ultra Alpaca, both in brown tones and size 13 dps. I followed my Woolly Gingerbread Cookie pattern just like a recipe. I had hoped that the alpaca would 'fill in' better than it did, but the garter stitch ridges were still apparent after several washes. Sometimes that happens when you double up your yarns. I am hoping to try it again but redesigning the pattern not knitting it in the garter stitch but rather in stockinette.

When I designed this pattern I wanted the thickness of a solid gingerbread cookie and the felted garter stitch does just that. The cookie when knit with only one strand felts beautifully and all the stitches disappear every time, but two strands is another story, sometimes.

vary the sizes

This photo, right, shows the differences in sizes: the smallest cookie is one strand of worsted and the large cookie, 2 strands worsted and 1 strand sport. The larger size lends itself perfectly for the candle rug idea.

Add a candle that gives off the aroma of sugar cookies or baking gingerbread as it burns. Too bad you can't eat them!

Happy knitting!

here, little birdie!

woolly birds

Isn't this little bird just perfect as an ornament? Recognize the pattern? Yes, the Woolly Birds pattern, but knit using fingering weight yarn and size 5 double point needles. The photo doesn't capture the size very well. But the chickadee is about half the size of the worsted weight version. A perfect size for a holiday ornament for any bird lover!

sport weight and worsted

The photo of the cardinals shows them knit and felted in sport weight and also worsted weight so you can see the size differences using the same pattern but different yarn weights and needle sizes. The fingering weight yarn creates an even smaller size bird believe it or not. I keep the final detailing simple because of its small size, mainly no eyes and a needle felted beak. To finish, tie a ribbon or fishing line as a loop and you have a quick and easy ornament idea.

NOTE: Need a reference of what size needle to use for each yarn weight when felting? I have created a chart on my website for easy and quick referral:

yarn weights & needle sizes

Happy knitting!