Thoughts from the Bus Stop

Knitting for UK charity: Save The Children's Knit One, Save One campaign

Save The Children are asking knitters to knit a hat for a newborn baby, and attach a message for Gordon Brown, telling him why he must act now to save newborn lives around the world. Details of the campaign, including a free baby hat pattern and a card for your message to the Prime Minister, are available on the Save The Children website.

Save The Children will ensure the card reaches Mr Brown, and the hat will go directly on to the head of a newborn baby; a baby in places that suffer high numbers of newborn deaths, like Kenya, Sierra Leone or Tibet:

"Parents do everything they can to protect their babies from cold. But the most important thing, putting a hat on the baby's head, is neglected – that’s like leaving a thermos bottle filled with hot water but without a lid."
Tashi Tsering, Save the Children’s Health Project Manager in Tibet

Captain Jack Sparrow knitted doll

Captain Jack Sparrow knitted doll (c) Kristen Bailey, 2008

It was The Blonde's 30th birthday, so I thought I'd better whip up (that's 'whip' with the emphasis on the 'h', Family Guy fans) something special. So here he is - a Captain Jack Sparrow doll, based on Jean Greenhowe's 'Pirate' doll pattern, from her Storybook Dolls booklet.

I ran out of time to knit a bandana, waistcoat and sash, so they're made of remnants from my fabric stash. His hair was done by French knitting (on a Clover Wonder Knitter), and then beads were sewn in. Yarrrr!!!!!!!

Two Princesses

Two princesses, adapted from a Jean Greenhowe pattern

It is my great honour to introduce to you Princess Isabel and Princess Roxanne of Lewes. They are going to go and live with two very special young friends of mine who just happen to be obsessed with princesses!

These dolls were knitted from the wonderful Jean Greenhowe's Christmas Tree Fairy pattern, taken from her Little Gift Dolls booklet. I then added felt and beaded flowers to the skirts, and felt crowns with sew-on jewels.

I'm such a big fan of Jean Greenhowe's toy patterns. They're colourful, simple and fun to knit - perfect for the amateur knitter who has a short attention span and is easily confused! If you've knitted one of her designs, why not join my Jean Greenhowe knitted toys group on Flickr?

Pirate Penguin for The Blonde

Pirate Penguin doll (c) Kristen Bailey 2008

This little fella was knitted for my pirate- and penguin-obsessed sister. He's adapted from Jean Greenhowe's Christmas Penguin pattern (from her Knitted Animals booklet).

I added a bandana in 'skull and crossbones' fabric, a gold hoop earring and a cutlass and eyepatch stitched from felt. Click on the pic for a closer look. Yaaaarrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

The Queen's Progress: Knitting Elizabeth I

Knitted Elizabeth I doll in progress, next to the 'Pelican Portrait' of Elizabeth I, c1574

When my M.E. forced me to jack my job in, my beloved colleagues at 24 Hour Museum threw me a party and presented me with my very own spoof homepage, which included personalised links to (made-up, sadly) sites such as BuildABaptistBoyfriend.com and KnitYourOwnTudor.com. It's the latter which has spurred me into action!

Using Jean Greenhowe's Pedlar Doll as a base, along with the wig from her Cinderella doll, I have started to create a likeness of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I - in knitting. (It's already been done but I wanted to have a go myself.)

For inspiration, I consulted my gorgeous glossy catalogue from the Elizabeth I exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in 2003.

I'm concentrating on two portraits in particular, both from the 1570s and both depicting the Queen wearing deep red - Nicholas Hilliard's 'Pelican Portrait' of Elizabeth I, c1574, which is in the collection of the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, and the 'Plimpton Sieve Portrait' of 1579, by George Gower.

I'm also looking at portraits of Elizabeth I in the National Portrait Gallery's collection, concentrating on those from the 1570s, and researching fashion in hairstyles and clothing in the 1570s.

As you can see she's taking shape. Now for the fun part - beading, braiding and embroidery-a-go-go!

See also:
ElizabethI.org.uk: Elizabeth I - Appearance
Elizabethan Geek: Elizabethan Costume Review
Extreme Costuming: Two Elizabethan Hairstyles
Elizabethan-Era.org.uk: Elizabethan Hairstyles
themakeupgallery: Queen Elizabeth I
Semptress: Elizabethan Costuming
ElizabethanCostume.net: Elizabethan Hairnets, Cauls & Muffin Caps

Fifty Tiny Bobble Hats

Fifty bobble hats for Innocent smoothie bottles (c) Kristen Bailey 2007

Well, they've gone off in the post - only managed to contribute fifty hats towards the target of 400,000, but it was fun playing just a small part in it.

Look out for Innocent Smoothie bottles wearing hats in branches of Sainsburys from 7th November - and buy one, it's in aid of Age Concern!

The Big Knit: Hats for Smoothies!

Well, this looks like just the sort of knitting project someone with a limited concentration span, who tires easily, needs: knitting tiny hats for Innocent Smoothies, in aid of Age Concern's Fight The Freeze campaign. Each hat knitted and sent to Innocent by 22nd October will adorn a bottle of smoothie in Sainsbury's stores from 7th to 21st November, and for each bottle sold, Innocent and Sainsbury's will donate 50p to Age Concern. For inspiration, see the Big Knit group on Flickr, or browse through the Hat of the Week archive. Innocent's target is for 400,000 hats this year, which would mean £200,000 for Age Concern. They will use the money raised to provide support to older people in winter including hot meals, blankets and advice on how to keep their houses warm. So get knitting - and if you can't knit, buy a behatted smoothie!

Take a look at this movie about last year's Big Knit:

"Eat up... we'll knit more!"

'Knitted by Nanas' ad for Shreddies

I love the new ad for Shreddies cereal, where Shreddie are seen being knitted by an industrious band of old ladies (far less scary than the one on The Mighty Boosh).

A great, daft idea, and a fab slogan by McCann Erikson for CPUK.

Knitted Pink Rabbits - LARGE and small

(L-R) Knitted rabbit (c) Gelitin | Knitted rabbit (c) Heartstrings Fiber Arts

LARGE: This humungous knitted bunny was placed on a mountainside in the Italian Alps in 2005 and will stay there until 2025. Knitted in 'toilet paper pink' yarn over 5 years, it is the brainchild of art collective Gelitin. Its (knitted) heart, liver and intestines spill out of a wound in its side. It's even been visible on Google Maps. Take a look at the photos which visitors to the rabbit have already sent in... including one of the rabbit snowbound and one showing grass starting to grow on it.

small: This tiny bunny is made from a square of knitting - folded, stitched and stuffed. You can get hold of the free pattern courtesy of Heartstrings Fiber Arts.

The Last Knit (Kutoja)

The Last Knit (2005) via YouTube

Props to me dear old Dad for flagging up this lovely, witty animated short. It's directed by Finnish director Laura Neuvonen and stars a clifftop knitter whose obsession gets her into some tricky situations. Fab.