NEW! owl-be-yours! pincushion pattern

owl-be-yours! pincushion

February is fast approaching, little over a week away. My February pincushion pattern is officially ready! Owl-Be-Yours! pincushion is my sixth pincushion of the month pattern finished, only 6 more to go.

I love this little guy, his big eyes, and how his wings are tucked behind, holding a little valentine and tiny envelope, just waiting for you to take notice and ask: what do you have there?

The knit and felt owl measures about 4-inches tall. He is knit as one continuous piece. It begins at the base and works upward to the top. The owl's mask, wings and tail stitches are each individually picked up and knit. Once felted, the eyes are embellished using simple needle felting and embroidery. The wool roving beak is created and attached using needle felting.

valentine & envelope

Decorative heart-themed pins and a hand-made valentine are the final accents to the finished owl pincushion. The mini-pins set is from Just Another Button Company. I have created a custom-selected set that is only available in my Etsy Shoppe: red & white valentine pins.

Create a sweet little owl pincushion just in time for Valentine's Day! And yes, you have plenty of time. It knits and felts up quick and is ready for embellishing in hours.

Happy knitting!

happy thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2019

Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving! Thank you for supporting me and my patterns over this year. I am so grateful for your encouraging words, photos and enthusiasm. It keeps me creating!

Look forward to a new year of knitting and fun new patterns.

Happy knitting!

NEW! roly-poly snowman pincushion pattern

roly-poly snowman pincushion pattern

Introducing my newest pattern: Roly-poly Snowman Pincushion! Just published today. It is the 5th of a series of monthly pincushion designs: January's month. January rings in the color and snowy weather, reminding the child within each of us: It's snowman-time again!

The felted snowman measures about 3.5-inch/8.99-cm from the base to the top of its hat. Knitting begins at the bottom of the snowball working upwards to the top, changing yarn color for the hat, and finishing by picking up stitches for the hat's brim. The snowman is knit as one continuous piece. No sewing required. Once felted, the snowman's face is embellished with felt cheeks, button eyes and mouth, and your choice of either a roving cherry or clay carrot nose.

dusted with snow

The snowman is knit using 100% wool worsted weight yarns and size 10.5/6.5-mm double point needles. The skill level is beginning to intermediate because it requires double point needle experience. It is a quick and easy knit and felt, leaving lots of playing time for embellishing!

This winter build your own frosty snowman without ever leaving the house! Guaranteed to warm the hearts of all those winter enthusiasts.

NOTE: The pins shown in the above photo are from Just Another Button Company. This mini-pins set is sold in my Etsy Shoppe: Sing in the Snow pins

Happy knitting!

pumpkin pillow two!

two sizes of pillow-toss pumpkins

Pumpkin season has arrived, sooner than later this year! Cooler weather, shorter days.

After publishing the Pillow-Toss Pumpkin pattern, I continued playing and came up with a smaller version of the pillow. The smaller pillow measures about 9.5-inches across (the bigger pumpkin pattern measures about 12-inches). With a few edits to the pattern (see link to download below), you too can create a smaller pumpkin pillow!

12-inch pillow-toss pumpkin

Small-Size Pumpkin Instructions:
Knit the pumpkin the same as the original pattern, Pillow-Toss Pumpkin, up to the completion of Round 15 (78 its). Stop after this round. Jump then to Rounds 20-39 and knit the following pattern: *k13, p1*; repeat *to* to the end for 20 rounds.

NOTE: Change to size 11 dps at any time for ease of knitting. Place a stitch pin marker at this point to indicate the BOR.

Once the 20 rounds are complete, jump to Round 44, and begin the decrease rounds. Knit the rest of the pattern as per the original instructions. Assemble the smaller pumpkin pillow the same as the larger one, but use 2 to 3 total yards of Color B yarn for creating the furrow lines (instead of the original 4 yards).


For the smaller pillow-toss pumpkins, I don't attach
a knit leaf or curly vine. Just keep the smaller pillow simple and sweet. The combination of two pillow sizes makes a beautiful autumnal display!

Pillow-Toss Pumpkin Addendum download


Happy knitting!

'k1b' pumpkin tutorial

cable-knit pumpkin

HELP ME, please? Are you having troubles figuring out the 'k1b' in my newest pumpkin patterns (pumpkin patch, cable-knit or tartan-plaid)? Well, you are not alone. I am finding out that 'k1b' can mean a lot of different things out on the web. This tutorial will put your searching to rest so you can finish that pumpkin with a smile still on your face!

The reason I chose a 'k1b' is because it is near-invisible increase and doesn't leave a hole. Holes are not good when stuffing with fiberfill. I am used to dealing with felted wool where everything evens out in the wash. I am having to learn new stitches to get the final results I want in my patterns, thus the 'k1b'. So here is a quick tutorial.

To create a 'k1b', first insert your right needle into the back of the stitch below the next stitch on the left needle. Insert the needle into the stitch and lift that stitch up onto the left needle, then knit it. Those two moves (lifting and knitting) is the 'k1b'.

Now, the original stitch (the stitch on the needle above) is still there to be knit, BUT it is NOT part of the 'k1b' sequence.

So for instance, in my cable-knit pattern on Round 4 it says to *k1, k1b, k1*; repeat *to* to end of round (36 its):

You knit one stitch (k1), lift and knit into the stitch below (k1b), knit one stitch (k1). That is the pattern. For every two stitches on the needle, you are increasing one more with the 'k1b'. Repeat this sequence throughout the round and you will have increased 12 stitches for Round 4.

Hope that makes sense. If not, email me and I can help you further. I am here to help. My patterns are meant to be enjoyable, producing enjoyable results. So, if you are not enjoying it, give me a holler.

mariemayhewdesigns@gmail.com


Happy knitting!

pincushions galore!

September  |  October  |  November  |  December

I finished 4 pincushion designs just shy of my August 1st deadline! I am thrilled to publish them and thrilled to be done with them. My goal is a pincushion for each month-of-the-year! Four more will roll out around Christmas time. Fingers crossed.

Each pincushion averages about 3-5 to 4-inches tall by wide, so they are all relatively the same size. They are all a knit & felt design. All have fun and new detailing which I have enjoyed playing with. Let me introduce them:

Back-to-School Apple Pincushion (September). Can be knit either as a solid-color or a two-tone (carrying two yarns together). It has a knit non-felted leaf with a cinnamon stick stem, complete with an apple-blossom end. Love it!

Black Retro-Cat Pincushion (October). Quick and easy knit and felt. Don't be limited by my face design, create your own. My daughter loves this one!

Crazy Quilt Acorn Pincushion (November). This pattern gives two designs: A solid-color acorn or a crazy quilt one with three panels of color. The cap on both acorns is knit using the seed stitch to create a bumpy-like texture.

Holly-Dazzle Ornament Pincushion (December). Similar to my Woolly Holiday Ornaments pattern but unique in the size and embellishments. I show you how to create the holly leaf & berry motif, so fun and fast with a little felt and needle felting. The caps are decorative metal caps sold either at a craft store or online in my Etsy Shoppe.

All the decorative pins shown are from Just Another Button Company. Many of the sets have been custom arranged for me and the only way to get them is through my Etsy Shoppe. The apple pins were made from buttons into pins for me and JABC is now selling them as part of their collection. How cool is that?

My goal is to have 12 pincushion patterns total, one for each month of the year. I have ideas for many, but if you have any thoughts, please be sure to share them. I am all ears!

Happy knitting!

a flock of sheep

woolly sheep

I just added four hand-knit sheep to my newest Etsy shoppe, My Woolly Somethings. It is a collection of fun and very textured woolly friends. All reasonably priced to sell, just in time for Spring!

The top left sheep was knit using Frog Tree brushed Suri (no longer available), so when brushed it is so soft and fuzzy to the touch. The top right photo, is the loopy stitch sheep. A nubby little guy that  would actually make a wonderful bath scrubber, but please don't do that! The third sheep, bottom left sheep, is so fuzzy and grey, another brushed Suri knit; a great addition to anyone's flock of knitted sheep (if you buy two or more, you get free shipping). And finally, the bottom right sheep has sewn to her front-side a collection of antique pearly buttons in various styles and sizes, a great gift for quilters and sewers. All the sheep are knit and ready to ship!

I am publishing an updated version of my Woolly Sheep pattern this week. It will include a new version to the legs, that is easier to knit.

The instructions for how-to-knit the Loopy Stitch sheep (top right photo) are found in my book, Whimsical Woollies.

Please remember, that if you ever have any questions on how I made something, don't hesitate to ask. I am always here to help.

Happy knitting!