The Fancy Pants Leggings Blog Tour

I have made so many pairs of these leggings that I don't need to refer to the pattern directions anymore. I was lucky enough to be a tester for the pattern during the design stage, so Roman is all set for Winter with several pairs of pyjamas pants. I tested out all kinds of knits from my stash, stretch knit, baby rib knit, jersey and interlock and they all worked a treat. I love the bum panel! It gives you a chance to use fun fabric and looks really cute sticking up in the air when Roman is digging under the couch for his lost toys.

This pattern is The Fancy Pants Leggings Pattern by my good friend Laura, who blogs at Craftstorming. To kick off the release of her first pattern and the launch of her pattern company, Titchy Threads, the pattern is going on a blog tour! You can follow along the tour to see how people have used the pattern and also win a copy for yourself at each stop along the way.

I wanted to have some fun with the pattern so made up a couple of baby sized pairs. Seeing as Winter is on it's way here in Melbourne, I wanted to add little feet to the pants which was pretty simple to do.



To get the shape, I traced the feet from another pair of baby pants I had. I put the stretch of the fabric lengthways on the feet as that seemed a lot more useful that width-wise stretch. The sole piece is 10cm (4") long and 9cm (3.5") wide at the widest part.

To add them to the leggings, I sewed the curved edges together, then turned them right sides out and tucked them up into the leg of the finished and un-hemmed pants, which were inside out. The longer part of the foot (the sole) goes to the back of the pants. Once I had pinned them all in place evenly around the edges, I stitched them on. They look super cute and cosy for cold little baby toes!

Fold over cuffs would also work great on these to make optional foot covers. Check out my tutorial here on how to add them to any pair of pants.



The other thing I played around with on the pattern is using a woven fabric for the bum panel. The original pattern uses knit fabric, but I really wanted to use this lion print quilting cotton I had. To make sure it would fit well, I cut one size larger for the bum panel (3-6 months) whereas the rest of the pants are cut in the smaller size (0-3 months).

I haven't had the chance to test them out on an actual baby butt yet, but they look pretty good to me and the baby rib knit I used for the rest of the pants has plenty of stretch to make up for the lack of stretch in the bum panel.

Laura has done an amazing job with this pattern, I can't believe it's her first! I found it really easy to follow and quick to put together. The pattern is easy to read, well laid out and the pictures are nice and clear too! She also includes a lot of tips for those who are new to sewing with knits.

As part of the blog tour, you can win a copy of the pattern. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of this post to like Titchy Threads on Facebook and tell me all about your favourite pants. Good luck!

Want to follow the pattern tour around the blogosphere? Here's the full line up:

20th - Abby from Things for Boys
21st - Rachael from Imagine Gnats
22nd - Celina from Petit à Petit and Family
23rd - Jane from Buzzmills
24th - Heather from Feather's Flight

27th - Stacey from Boy, oh Boy, oh Boy
28th - Gail from Probably Actually
29th - Jenny from The Southern Institute
30th - Ros from Sew Delicious
31st - Carla from Small + Friendly

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My Surprise Virtual Baby Shower!

I have a group of women I call my friends, but we've never met in person (except for one). They all write crafty blogs, much like my own and at some point in time, I made a comment on their blog or they made a comment on mine and we've struck up a friendship.

I chat to some of them almost every day, some not as often, but I still think of them as my friends. Sometimes I think that's silly...We've never met and unfortunately, it's unlikely that I ever will meet some of them. Are we really friends? Wow, this is a deep post coming from me!

But then my lovely friends do something like this! Something so kind and generous and creative and I know I was silly to ever doubt they were people I could call friends!

Ros from Sew Delicious came over yesterday to pick something up, but then revealed she had an ulterior motive. I was intrigued. I thought maybe she had an emergency sewing project...exciting. But it was so much better than that!

Laura from Craftstorming had organised a virtual baby shower! All my lovely bloggy friends from all over the globe had organised a baby shower! For me!



I am so amazed by the creativity and the generosity that is in these beautiful handmade gifts. I apologise ladies, as my pictures do not do your items justice, but I had to show them off! I love that I can see the things that I love from each blog in each gift...the things that made me follow these amazing blogs in the first place!



Jo from Bubala made me this awesome nappy bag  I have to admit that ever since Roman was born I've been using a boring black bag that came free with a box of nappies! How embarrassing! Well, I shall be embarrassed no more. This bag is just too cool! Is it weird that I'm looking forward to carrying a nappy bag around? You can read all about it here on Jo's blog.



Laura from Craftstorming made this gorgeous Kimono Set. The fabric is so lush and soft! And rainbows...my favourite! I can't thank you enough for organising all of this Laura. I feel so very special! Get the pattern and tutorial here.

Ros from Sew Delicious made these handy Baby Change Mat Liners. We need to set up a second change station upstairs, so these will be perfect! So much cuter than the boring towels I used last time! Use her tutorial to make your own.



Dara from Coffee and Lilacs made these lush Upcycled Cashmere Pants! I have been giving them a quick cuddle every time I walk past them. The cashmere is delightfully soft and fluffy. I think the cold weather combined with their cuddlyness means that these will be in high rotation! Follow Dara's tutorial to make your own Cashmere Pants.

Narelle from Cook Clean Craft made this gorgeous flat teddy. Roman is a big fan of minky, so I'll have to hide this from him, but I can see it becoming a special friend for the new baby. You can find Narelle's tutorial here.



Jen from Mend and Make New made these gorgeous hats. The fabrics are so lovely and soft. I love wearing Merino wool myself and love it for babies too. The owl print from Spoonflower is super soft too!  Get the pattern and tutorial here.



Last, but not least is Janelle from Emmaline Bags. Janelle made these beautiful little baby shoes. I have no idea how she made them, they are so neat and perfect. Click here to go to Janelle's blog to see what pattern she used.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and will never forget this lovely day! I am full of happy tears reading all your amazing posts! Hormones or happiness? I don't care!! Thousands of actions shots to come in the next few weeks, no doubt.

Big Tote Bag Pattern Giveaway: Winners and Pattern Sale!

Drum roll please! The 2 winners of a copy of The Big Tote Bag PDF Pattern are..................................


Sandra Cootes Cartwright and Kama Clark! Congratulations ladies!! I have sent you both an email. Please get back to me within 2 days to claim your prize.


Thanks to everyone who entered. If you weren't lucky enough to win a copy of the pattern, then head on over to my Pattern Shop. This week only the Big Tote Bag pattern is on sale!

The Big Tote Bag PDF Pattern 10% off! That's only $4.50!

A Beginner's Guide to Knitting: Equipment

I've been sewing for as long as I can remember, but knitting is more of a newly acquired skill. About 5 years ago, I just decided one day that I would learn how to knit. Both my Grandmothers are amazing knitters and I felt like it was in my blood, that I must be able to do it. Armed with some cheap metal needles and horribly bright pink acrylic yarn, I knitted a babies jumper. It didn't turn out perfectly, but it wasn't bad and from then on I tackled many new projects.

Neither of my Grandmothers live close by, so in this digital age, I taught myself the easiest way I knew how, via the Internet! And if you've come here because you want to learn how to knit, then I'm going to show you all the equipment and sites you need to know about to achieve that! I'm not going to show you 'how to knit', that has been done by a great number of sites already, but I will show you where to find these sites that proved to be so invaluable in the days when I was starting out. I've also listed what you need to get started...so, let's get knitting!

At the most basic, all you need is a pair of needles and a ball of yarn to get you started. Because of this, knitting can be a fairly inexpensive hobby to take up, but the cheapest needles and yarn aren't always the best.



Needles

Like I said above, I started with some cheap metal needles on my first project. They hurt my hands and certainly didn't entice me to want to knit more. Soon enough I bought my first pair of Bamboo needles. Sure, they cost more, but they were less than $10 and made a world of difference! They are softer on the hands and just a pleasure to knit with. I also find that they are less slippery than the metal ones. So if you start out with metal needles, but hate them, don't be afraid to try another kind of needles.

These days, I use Bamboo needles or my Denise Interchangeable Needle Kit. I find these needles almost as comfortable to use as Bamboo and I was sold on the idea of the kit essentially containing so many pairs of needles. I haven't bought another pair of needles since, so it ended up saving me money in the long run. If you'd like to know more about it, take a look here.

As I mentioned, needles come in all different shapes and sizes. Thinner needles produces finer knitting. Circular and double pointed needles mean you can work a tube, like a sock or hat without a seam running up the side. Your pattern will tell you what needles you need. I'll talk about patterns in Part 2 of this series.



Yarn

If you want to sound like you know what you're talking about, then it's called 'yarn' not 'wool'. Yarn can be made from wool, but also acrylic, cotton, alpaca, silk, bamboo, cashmere, possum fur and all kinds of other things as well as blends. My Grandma has even spun some yarn from Samoyed dog hair! Yarn comes in a ball, ready to use, or often in a twisted up hank or skein (pronounced 'skayne'). These will need to be wound into balls to use easily.

I started off my first project with some cheap acrylic yarn. It's not that bad and will do a good enough job for most things. It does make my hands sweaty though. Wool is nicer on the hands, but can be itchy for some people. You can also get lovely (expensive) wool yarns that feel so silky you wouldn't believe they're wool.

I think starting out with acrylic yarn is fine, but take a look at some other varieties too. When I make things for myself I never use acrylic. I can't wear acrylic clothes because they make me sweaty and stinky so I avoid acrylic yarn. If you're knitting for babies, it can sometimes be a good idea to use acrylic instead of wool as some babies get irritated by wool. Cotton is usually a pretty safe bet.



When buying yarn, always hold the ball up against your neck for a minute. You can gauge how warm it is and also tell if it's itchy at all. Also, stick your nose right in and have a smell. Some yarns smell terrible and that's enough to put me off buying them! If you need more than one ball for your project, make sure you buy them from the same dye lot. This number is printed on the paper ball band and matching them up will make sure you get a consistent colour throughout your project.

The ball band contains a lot of information such as the fibre content of the yarn, what needle size is recommended (helpful when you are trying to match a yarn to a project) what gauge/tension you can expect for the needle size (how many stitches and rows you will get per inch or 10cm) and also the care instructions and dye lot (mentioned above).

Yarn comes in different weights (thicknesses), so you will need to consult your pattern to know which one to buy. I'll talk about patterns in Part 2 of this series.



Other equipment

Here is a list of other items that are handy to have when starting a knitting project:
Scissors - For cutting yarn
A blunt tapestry needle - Used to weave in your yarn ends or join your knitting pieces together. Find one with a nice big eye (hole) to make threading your yarn through easy.
Tape measure - To check how long your pieces are. Patterns often say 'knit for 10 inches' or similar
Crochet hook - Why does a knitter need a crochet hook? They come in very handy if you drop stitches. That means they fall off the knitting needle and can start to unravel.
Notebook and Pen - Can be handy to take note of where you are up to if you need to stop knitting.
Stitch Markers - These are useful when you need to mark a certain point along the way of your needles. They simply slide onto the needle between the stitches. I usually use small safety pins or rubber o-rings. You can also buy pretty looking ones.
A Knitting Bag - You need something cute to put all your knitting stuff in. Here's one I made my friend using my Big Tote Bag pattern.

Ok, so now you have all your equipment sorted out! In Part Two of this mini-series, I'll talk about online resources and the kinds of patterns to get you started.

Want to know when Part Two is coming out? Follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin or via email.


*None of this post is sponsored by any of the companies I have listed. They are simply products I personally like and have bought.

Giveaway Day - Big Tote Bag Pattern Giveaway

May Giveaway Day has arrived at Sew Mama Sew and I'm taking part. Bloggers everywhere host a giveaway, and best of all, you can find them all in one spot, so if you're in a competition entering kind of mood, go crazy!

I'm giving away 2 copies of The Big Tote Bag PDF Sewing Pattern. Because it's a PDF pattern, this giveaway is open Worldwide!




How to Win:

Use the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the page to tell me what you would use your bag for. Bonus entry for people who like Things for Boys on Facebook. It's a great way to keep in touch with what's happening on the blog. Feel free to leave me a comment too, but only entries via the Rafflecopter form are eligible to win.

I'll pick my 2 favourite answers who will each win a copy of the PDF pattern. Giveaway closes May 11th. If you're a winner, you'll receive an email by May 12th.



I've made a knitting bag, a library bag and several other bags using this pattern. The page for the knitting bag also has a full tutorial showing you how to add a centre divider to the bag.

Head on over to the Giveaway Day page and check out all the giveaways that are going on!

Want a copy of the pattern now? Head on over to my Shop.

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