MOKONA PATTERN!!!! (finally)

Finally after much testing and retesting, writing and rewriting (stupid laptop) of the Mokona pattern I feel confident enough to share the pattern; now that I'm positive its not riddled with mistakes.
So here it is, Enjoy!

What you need:
-1 skien red heart supersaver or red heart with love worsted weight yarn in black or white.
-Bernat satin yarn in flamingo for the small details (any pink yarn would do)
-3.50mm dpns
-1 red or blue bead 1mm in diameter
-Cotton or polyfill
-yarn needle (you're gonna need it)

Pattern body:
CO 6 st across 3 DPN and join. (2 st per needle)
Round 1 and all odd rows: Knit to secure
Round 2:KFB all stitches (12sts)
Round 4:K1, KFB (18sts)
Round 6:K2, KFB (24sts)
Rounds 8, 10,12, 14 and 16: K3 KFB (70sts)
continue to Knit for 4 inches

Decrease rounds:
Round 1:K10, K2tog
Round 2 and all even numbered rows: Knit
Round 3:K9, K2tog
NOTE: This would be a good time to stop knitting and sew on the face, the bead and start to stuff the little guy. Continue to stuff until very firm before finishing up.
Round 5:K8,K2Tog
Round 7: K7,K2tog
Round 9: K6, K2tog
Round11:K5, K2tog
Round 13:K4, K2tog
Round 15:K3, K2tog
Round 17:K2, K2tog
Round 19:K1, K2tog
Round 20: Knit the last row and thread the tail through the loops and pull snuggly. tie off.

Tail: CO 3 st. and make an I-cord 1 inch in length. (for how to visit www.knittinghelp.com)

Arms (make 2):
CO 6 sts and divide over 3 DPNs (like with the body)
K1 row to secure
KFB all the sts (12 sts)
Continue to knit in the round until 2 inches in length. Cast off. Stuff and sew to body.

Ears (make 2):
CO 6 sts on a straight needle (or one DPN)
Row 1: K
Row 2: P
Row 3:KFB, K5
Row 4: PFB, K6
Row 5: K
Row 6: P
Row 7: K1, KFB, K6
Row 8:P1, PFB, P7
From row 9 on K one side and purl the other until 9 inches in length.
Cast off and sew on the top of the body (right beside the cast off end.)

Do the same in the pink yarn until 7 1/2 inches in length. sew to the other side of the ear piece.

Feet (make 2 again):
CO 6 sts and divide over 3 needles (again)
K1 row
KFB all sts.
Knit in the round until 3 inches in length. Stuff and thread yarn through the remaining stitches pull tight and tie.
Sew a little leftover pink yarn (4 satin sts) on just before the end of the foot (optional) and sew to either the bottom (for standing mokona) or to the bottom front (for a sitting one.).

And there you have it! Your very own adorable mokona!
If you have any questions at all feel free to ask me!

Happy knitting!
Berlynn

Happy WWKIP day!

What an awesome event this was! Every knitter in the city of Peterborough came out to knit in the sunshine and get a tan (or burn as is my ritual now for 2 years in a row.). I went to help out The Pridie Collection with carrying supplies and also to show off Mokona the Sequel (a white one), which was well near done for the torso. I would have brought the Heartilly sweater, but it was way too much to deal with. However, I'm proud to update that it now has the starting of armholes! HOORAY for being in the home stretch! Also proof that I can stick to one large project and see it through (curse you knitting A.D.D!) Anyways, there was so much to see and so much yarn to resist the urge to buy (*drools* Indigodragonfly silk and cashmere), which was a real test of my willpower as a recovering Shopoholic. I was really amazed by the turnout which was not limited to just knitters, but to every facet of the fibre arts there could possibly be.
I saw someone working a drop spindle, there were machine knitters and crocheters. It was awesome!
Now, hopefully (fingers crossed) I'll be able to post the Mokona pattern soon, I was planning on doing it this weekend, but my laptop has decided to go comatose on me and I doubt its ever going to snap out of it. Its had a good run, but I really hope I can recover my files. I had some really amazing short stories on there that in hindsight I probably should have backed up. But as my Grandpa used to say "If foresight was as good as hindsight we'd be better off by a damned sight." and I've learned my lesson well.
So, now its back to deciphering my chicken scratch to bring the Mokona to you.
Cheers
Berlynn The Knitting Gypsy

The call of the wild

It has been so lovely out here! The sun is shining, birds are singing and I've been spending more and more time outdoors, especially now that my allergies are now going away! YIPIEEEEE!!!!! So now comes the time of year when I take my crafting outside, and yearn to go away from civilization. Right now my ideal getaway would be me and Dear Hubby away from the noise of cities and towns quietly camping in Algonquin park or something similar. No computers, no tv, no video games and nobody asking for favours. I would love to just bug out for a little while and concentrate on my knitting (my heartilly sweater, aka the neverending sweater is still in progress and the deadline is looming over me, and beginning to really stress me out!) or crochet (that's right, the knitting gypsy now swings both ways! Thanks to my wonderful sensei Christina, owner of the Pridie Collection in Peterborough.) in the quiet sanctity of the outdoors. I was really inspired by my ecotourism class at the college to get outside and be more adventurous, even if I haven't tent camped since I was 15. An experience ruined by sharing a tent with my kid sister who kick-boxes in her sleep. I've pretty much been strictly a vardo/ hotel kind of girl since then. Anyways, I found myself wandering around outdoors stores more so than my LYS lately, and so now I've been planning this great camping trip, which hopefully will come to fruition soon. For now I'll just keep dreaming of the wild while I keep going on the never ending sweater.
Happy Travels,
Berlynn The Knitting (and crocheting) Gypsy

Into the wild

Yay! I finally got out of town! I went to the cottage for a late celebration of Ostara, but I now feel 100% better after being out in nature! It was exactly what I needed to re-center myself and sort out exactly what my priorities are. I even finished my hooded scarf  while I was up there; it's so nice and cozy!
Anyways I started making up some washcloths to accompany my handmade herbal soaps that will be sold at a few local businesses this summer, just to make them look a little cuter I think. I still haven't picked up the heartilly sweater in a little while, but I have a new plan of attack for finishing it with a minimal of weight and yarn, so I'll have to see how that pans out. I'm still confident it will be done for Fanexpo in August, despite my avoiding-like-the-plague attitude toward working on it.
And I've decided to go forth with publishing the cute little Mokona I designed, so within a couple of days the Mokona pattern will be made available here.
until then, Cheers
Berlynn, The Knitting Gypsy

Lazier than a well-fed house cat

Ok, I know its been awhile, I just haven't really knit much in the last little while, let alone really have much to write about. It seems I've gotten lazy when it comes to knitting. I start something, I put it aside and then instead gnaw through a book (by the way, just finished One for the Money by Janet Evanovich after YEARS of it being in my "to read" drawer, and now I can't wait to see the movie when it comes out on DVD). I guess its all part of the restlessness that my gypsy spirit experiences every spring; the weather gets nicer and I get really restless and want to get the hell out of town. I guess that restless attitude is showing my knitting as well. I'm still in the process of the epic Heartilly Sweater, half way done the back and nearly ran out of yarn, so I raided the Zellers liquidation sale (not that good of a deal as of yet.). I've been working on a cabled scarf with a hood and actually got MOST of it done. Just the hood to go, so much for it being ready for St. Patty's day as I'd planned however.
lets see what else... half way through an afghan, and a march patch for a monthly patch KAL I started back in October, and for reasons unknown I started a baby sweater. I suppose for practice shaping necklines and stuff for bigger sweaters.
Which reminds me, I'm proud to announce that I've FINALLY worn my husband down in letting me make him a sweater! YAY!!!!! I love the way Irish aran looks on men, so I'm making him a storm gray aran cabled sweater using red heart ecoways. Start date to be decided though; probably after this cluster of unfinished projects clear out.
Well bye for now, hopefully I can travel again soon, before this rut drives me up a tree.

Berlynn, The Knitting (yet currently stationary) Gypsy

the largest design yet/ the Heartilly sweater chronicle

Twas the night before Christmas and FINALLY all of my knitting was done! So I decided to try my hand at knitting my own cosplay, for a more ambitious project. So over the last month I've been working on my own design of Rinoa's blue duster and arm warmers from Final Fantasy 8. I finished the arm bands about mid-January, and have been taking the back portion of the sweater with me everywhere I go.  Unfortunately I've had a bad month, running back and forth to the hospital (I was in an accident and bruised my neck, the rest of the visits have been for my husband) but the upside of that is that there has been a great deal of waiting room time in which to knit with. As of now the length is from my knee to my waist (not sure the lenth in inches or cm, but I'll have to measure later.) and within a few more inches and I can start reducing the stitches for a more form-fitting shape. This is my first clothing design so I hope it turns out right.
Stay tuned for more updates on my progress on this project!
Cheers!
Berlynn

Cabin fever

I'm starting to go a little crazy sitting still. This happens a lot where I start to get fed up with this town and everything in it and badly desire to load up the caravan and hit the road. It could be my gypsy nature compelling me to the road, or it could be that the politics of this town are starting to weigh heavily on me that are driving my desire to get away, but sadly I am stuck until it gets warmer.
I was supposed to be going to the little town of Combermere and seeing about some handspun yarn from the Madonna house, but plans have fallen through and here we are stuck here still. At least it gives me time to get some of my larger projects done (or at least started) such as the cabled poncho I've had sitting in Queue for the last 8 months and I'm still working on that monthly patch afghan (yay! 3 down 9 to go!) and I've been working on the schematics to a sweater and wristwarmer combo for my cosplay to Anime north in May. Thank the goddess I got my Yule knitting done with time to spare. I hope everyone will be very happy with what I've made them.
So I suppose since travel will not be happening for the next 4 months *sigh* I guess I'll bury myself in my work and try desperately to ignore the local yarn shop politics.
Cheers and blessed Yule!
Berlynn The knitting gypsy