Union Jack Mini Cooper

So much for all my New Year resolutions to post more often. I have just finished this mini cooper with a Union Jack roof, for a customer on Etsy. I always like making this version of my car pattern, and it is off to be gifted to Harry in New Hampshire. His name is on the numberplates, which you can't really see in these photo.

I have been knitting, but have been working on a jersey for my husband. His Christmas present, which may be ready just for when the weather warms up, and he doesn't need it.
 

 

Happy New Year - and a Morris Traveller

Happy New Year. It has been a tough time for everyone, in different ways, but I am wishing everyone who visits here that you find joy and comfort in being creative in 2022.

I would like to show you one of the things I have been working on. It is a Morris Traveller for my mother-in-law. When my husband was a child this was the family car, and he remembers all four children being piled early in the morning half asleep into this car for the long trip from Devon to Norfolk. Although I wasn't well enough to go on the Christmas visit, my husband says she instantly recognised it when she opened the parcel and was really delighted to see the old family car.

You really don't see these cars around much any more, but they were very distinctive, with the wooden box frame at the back. I have spent a lot of time looking at photos. The curved bonnet at the front has also been a bit of a challenge. In due course this will be a pattern, but I will have to write up from my notes, and make a few more, before I am ready to publish it.  

 

I have decided for the moment to have a little break from the regular monthly Ginx Woolly Linx Party. I will continue to visit the blogs of regular contributors and keep up-to-date with what you are working on. I started the link party in 2018, but have felt recently I have been relying on it too much, and not been publishing my own original work. I am hoping that I can focus a bit next year, and write a few more patterns. Plenty of ideas, but it is very easy to get distracted. But I may occasionally do a themed link party, so do keep checking in with me.

My favourite projects from December's party are this lovely lapghan throw from Valeria of Just East of Eden. Nice to see these Christmas cards from Liz at Howling at the Moon. Simple and elegant.  Alexandra of Eye Love Knots has reviewed a pattern for this fair isle gansey cowl. I enjoyed the fair isle crochet. And finally I could not resist showing you Tonna of Sew Craftsy Crochet who has modelled this Christmas bauble on her own cat, Maki. Just adorable.

 

 

Tesla Model 3

 

I'm always pleased when someone returns to my shop, as it must mean they were happy with their previous experience.  And a customer recently came back from 2016 (have I really been doing this that long?), for whom I had made several cars. 

 

 

This time he asked if I could make a Tesla Model 3. I started off by thinking I could just adapt my mini cooper pattern, but after one failed attempt, decided to more or less start from scratch for the side panels. It is amazing what can be done with a bit of printing from the internet, and graph paper, and I am really pleased with how the side of the car looks, with its streamline curve on the roof.

 

After that the wheels had to be slightly reduced in size, so they could sit in flush with the side of the car. Then it was all down to getting the glass roof right, and the finishing details.

 

Strangely I keep spotting a white Tesla Model 3 in my neighbourhood just like the one I have made. I know it must have been there all along, and it just because I have been thinking Tesla for the last few days. 

 

I am not writing this up as a pattern, but will file my notes away just in case. I imagine this is probably the only handknitted Tesla in existance. Would you like me to have a go at making your model of car? I am always up for a challenge.

 

Still plenty of time left to join in Ginx Woolly Linx Party for August.

 

 

My Very Own Mini Cooper

I have made my fair share of knitted mini coopers over the years. I have tried to do a count up, and think it is at least 15, but I have have missed some. But finally I have made a car for myself, and it is going to live on the back shelf of my very own mini cooper.
  

This knitted car is smaller than the usual cars I make from my Mini Cooper pattern, as I decided to knit it in Cornwall over the half-term holiday. I rather stupidly only took the needles for the wheels. The body of the car is knitted on larger needles. So I had to really adapt the wheels so they were in proportion.

It sort of upsets me that real life minis seem to be getting bigger and bigger.  Occasionally you still see an orginal mini, and they really are like a different car to the mini countryman. Little confession - I was quite keen to get a Fiat, but was over-ruled, and now we have the mini (called Neville) I really love it. It is very easy to park, but also quite nippy when needed. I am taking my daughter out in it for driving practice, and she finds it a lot more powerful than the driving instructor's car on which she is also learning.

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of time left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for March. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

2CV Cushion

My last new pattern was for a 2CV cushion. I got the idea for this project from Jo, who saw my Henrietta 2CV pattern, and sent me a message on Etsy to see if I had a pattern for a cushion. I didn't, but I thought it was such a good idea, I set to work make one. And when it was done I sent her a copy. She has sent me some photos of the cushion that she made, and I have been holding them back so as not to spoil the Christmas surprise for someone.

She had done a fantastic job, and very quickly. I really like her method for the back of the cushion. Much more practical than mine, which may have to be unpicked at some point, when it needs washing.

I have really had very little interest in the pattern, but actually suspect it may be one of those slowburners. But my own 2CV cushion has sold, and is now in  France! Very happy about that, and am thinking of making another one.  

Also I have just thought that I would mention that I have rethought my pricing of knitting items on Etsy. I have removed all the postage fees, and adjusted the pricing. It was almost impossible to keep the postage accurate, as it seems to go up so often, and the rules about weight and size of packages seem quite hard to follow. I also find it a bit annoying to put something in your basket and then find that the postage puts it beyond what you are happy to pay. So I will see what happens ....

Just a reminder that there is still a little bit of time left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for January. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Yellow 2CV

I was joking about my Christmas Rush, but orders do seem to be picking up. This yellow 2CV is now on its way to Poland. Made from my Henrietta 2CV pattern. I do hope it makes someone happy. Very hard to get nice photos, as it seems to be dark when I leave the house, and when I return.
 

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of time left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for December. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

2CV Cushion

I've been working away for so long on this pattern, but am really happy with the final result. Not at all my usual style, but I keep just looking at it and smiling. I nearly published the pattern a few weeks ago, with just the front view, which I had intended to sew onto a fabric back. But once I had had the idea for the back view, I just had to do it. 

So this pattern contains the charts for the back and front, and a smaller chart for the chevron corners. Then there is an explanation of how I used them to make this cushion. But you could use them for other projects. I do really fancy the idea of a jersey for my husband with a car on the front and back. Probably not enough time to do this for Christmas. Other ideas are possibly to make a car rug incorporating it, or perhaps a scarf for those breezy ride in your 2CV with the roof open.  Would love to hear if you make a cushion, or use it in another way.

I have called this pattern hard, which might be a reflection of the fact that I have not done a lot of work like this. If you are used to intarsia knitting from charts you might find it fairly easy. The wool is only carried across the back behind the wheels and on the striped roof. You can end up with a few colours on the go at once. I found the best way was to try not to worry about this, but then every so often just turn the work over, and do a bit of untangling.

The pattern for this cushion will be available in all my shops, ravelry, Etsy and Loveknitting. I've also decided to put this cushion in my Etsy shop. Pricing is going to be tricky, as it has taken me weeks of work. Don't tell anyone, but I might be quite happy if it doesn't sell, and I can keep it! 

Just a reminder that there are still a few days left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for October. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

My Garage Project

I just thought I would give you a peek at the project I am working on at the moment. I had a message on Etsy from Jo asking me if I had a pattern for a 2CV cushion cover. I had a search over the internet, and surprisingly couldn't find one. Plenty of minis, beetles and campervans, but no 2CV that I could see. 

So I decided I would give it a go. These are just my first attempts. Version one seemed a bit too wide and not tall enough, and I am more happy with the second version below. The next plan is to scale this up to at least double the size. I will keep you posted.

Just a reminder that there are still a few days left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for September. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Red Vespa

I have a new item in my Etsy shop, which is my Vespa Scooter. Up until now I have only had the pattern for sale, but I had a request from someone in New York to make a Red Vespa, as a birthday gift for a friend. I'm not sure why I hadn't listed it before, but it is quite fun to have a break from the pattern writing, (or trying to pattern write as it is not going very well at the minute), to knit a customised item. I also like to returning to my own patterns, and on reknitting I decided to slightly reduce the size of the wheels, as I think it looks more realistic like this.  

Just a reminder that there is still time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for March. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Plums and Custard 2CV

I have just completed an order for a slightly different 2CV from my Etsy shop. The customer referred to the car as "plums and custard", and I hadn't heard this cream and maroon combination on the 2CV referred to in this way. I wonder if other 2CV colour combinations have nicknames.

She was really pleased with the finished car, which is knitted from my Henrietta 2CV pattern, with a bit of personalisation.  Here is link to the post with the original Henrietta, and me looking much younger than I do now.

So once again I have had a bit of distraction from my "big project", but I am back on it. (And all I can say is that I have finished the back, and one side of the front. But time is running out before Christmas! Help!)

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of time join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for December. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month

A Few More 2CVs

2CV orders are a bit like buses. You wait for ages, and then two come along at the same time. The first order was for this black and yellow Charleston 2CV. I really like it when I have to slightly adapt my pattern. Much more interesting for me, and I was really pleased with how the side panels turned out. Here is an actual 2CV Charleston, to show you what I was aiming at.

And then just a few days later I got another order for a red 2CV. Both are knitted from my pattern Henrietta 2CV, and you can read about the original car that inspired me here.  And if you would like me to make a 2CV for you, here is link to the page on Etsy where you can place on order. Although making these little cars is part of my business, it is always very cheering when I hear someone is happy with their purchase.

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for August is now running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

Most Personalised Mini (so far)

This is probably the most personalised mini I have ever seen. Isn't this photo of the car great? It was quite a challenge to make a knitted version. The purchaser, from Wales, was OK with me not making the roof rack.  A shame, as it is part of the look, but I think would have needed wire etc, and I like to try to just use wool.

This knitted version was bought for the owner by his girlfriend for Christmas. I wonder if I will ever get a more personal mini to make? I very much doubt it, but who knows.

Just a reminder that there is still plenty of time left to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for February. Click on the photo below or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.