Minions......

Our Minion finally got a friend........

If life would happen according to plans, this second minion would be finished around Christmas time. By now there would be few more minions, the pattern would be written, edited and test knitted. And I would write this post about the new knitting pattern.

But life tends to change the plans.

The pattern is still not written, or edited or test knitted.

It will be done. I am sure about that. I am just not sure about when that's going to happen. I hope, it will be very soon.

Thank you for visiting

Lottery Winners...

This morning we had the lottery. We used this knitted hat which was inspired by Dr. Seuss book Cat in the Hat.
My child had so much fun doing it, that we ended up with two winners per each category. All winners will receive the knitted toy, or one of my knitting patterns for sale for free (the winners will choose the pattern they would like to receive).

1. Huggaluf - the winners are:
1. Knotted Fingers
2. Holly Gundolfi

2.Earthy colors Bear - the winners are:
1. Karolina
2. Neicee

3.Green colors Bear - the winners are:
1. Wanda
2. Suzanne - Love my fiber
4.Free Pattern - the winners are:
1.Morgy
2. Michelle Wennis

The free pattern to choose from are:
1. Mini Pig
2. Mini Cat
3. Huggaluf
4. Huggaluf Baby


Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for visiting.
PS: To sort out the shipping please send me email to this email address: crowsd@yahoo.com

Random Act of Kindness.....

What actually is random act of kindness?

Is there a definition for it?

Would a gift to charity count as a one?
Would donation of the knitted toys to PTO at school count as one?
Would a toy left in a random place to be found by a stranger count as one?
Would a toy mailed out to a somebody's child count as one?
Whatever is the definition I will continue to give away the toys, with a little hope that they are loved and cared for in their new homes.....

Thank you for visiting.

Time to celebrate...

...the first year anniversary.

It's hard to believe, but the first post for this blog Stana's Critters etc was written exactly one year ago, March 3rd 2011.

In a way it's like watching a child growing up. From day to day we do not see much difference, but from a distance we can see the change.
It is hard to share a birthday cake in the virtual world, but I can share something else.



These are my gifts to you:
1. Huggaluf
2. Teddy bear in green PJ
3. Teddy bear in earthly colors PJ
4. One of my Knitting patterns for sale - for free

These are the rules:
I will add the names of all followers in a hat.
For the next few weeks (deadline is March 21st 2012) anyone's name who leaves a comment on my blog will be added to the hat.
On March 22nd I will have my child draw the winners. I will post the winners and sort out the details about shipping.
This gift away is open to the whole Universe (though I am not sure about the cost of shipping outside of Earth)

Enjoy, and thank you for visiting.

Why I knit more than I write about it

There are few  reasons why I prefer to knit over writing about it.
First of all in the end there is an actual product. May it be a garment to wear, home decorating object, or a toy to play with.
The finished objects bring a lot of happiness, for me because I have created it, and for the recipient because they just received something special and unique.
Secondly, the knitting needles are not trying to attack me with viruses and nasty bugs that the Internet seems to be full of. The sad truth is, it's always the innocent bystander who is the victim of such an attack. The good thing is, life goes on and I continue and keep on creating something new.

Here are some of the new creations that I have been working on lately. You can see them, unlike the work that was lost.



Thank you for visiting.

Knitting Pattern for Funky Stripes Scarf

Funky Stripes Scarf
by Stana D.S.
This pattern is for both, the adults and children's version. It's very simple, and easy to knit. The scarf is double sided, and really warm as a result.
Yarn: For the adult scarf on left I have used all sorts of leftover yarn, I tried to use yarn in similar thickness, but if the yarn was thinner, I used two strands of yarn.
For the children's scarf on right, I have used two balls of gray colored yarn, in medium weight. The pattern for the kid's version was inspired by Gru's scarf from the movie "Despicable Me".
Recommended Needle Size: For flat knitting use US#7/4.5mm, for knitting in the rounds 5 Double pointed needles US#7/4.5mm.
Notions: Yarn needle, Scissors.
INSTRUCTIONS:
There are two possibilities how to knit this scarf. Either it could be knitted flat, and seamed on the side. The flat knitted scarf is knitted in stockinette stitch, which is all odd rows are knitted and all even rows are purled.Or it could be knitted in the round, and therefore it's seamless. In that case the scarf is knitted only.
Adult version:
The size of this scarf is approximately:  8" (20cm) wide and 91" (231cm) long.
For flat knitting use the US#7/4.5mm needle and cast on 77sts.
1 row and all odd rows: Knit
2 row and all even rows: Purl
Keep repeating these two rows until desired length is reached. Cast off. Change the colors and yarns whenever you feel like, or when you run out of that particular yarn, or keep a nice mathematical pattern (example could be 5rows-10rows-5rows-10rows-5rows).
For knitting in the round, use the 5DPN US#7/4.5mm and cast on 75sts. Begin to knit in the round. Keep knitting in the round until desired length is reached. Cast off.
Children version:
The size of this scarf is approximately: 6" (15cm) wide and 61" (155cm) long.
For flat knitting use the US#7/4.5mm needle and cast on 52sts.
1 row and all odd rows: Knit
2 row and all even rows: Purl
Keep repeating these two rows until desired length is reached. Cast off. Change the colors and yarns whenever you feel like, or when you run out of that particular yarn, or keep a nice mathematical pattern (the pattern I used for the Gru inspired scarf is:  *16rows of light gray, 7rows of dark gray; repeat from *.
For knitting in the round, use the 5DPN US#7/4.5mm and cast on 50sts. Begin to knit in the round. Keep knitting in the round until desired length is reached. Cast off
Finishing: If the scarf was knitted flat, sew together the two edges along the entire length of scarf. Sew together the cast on stitches, and also sew together the cast off stitches. All the ends from color changes should be inside the scarf. If the scarf was knitted in the round, sew together the cast on stitches, and sew together the cast off stitches. 

Copyright: This pattern was design and written by Stana D.S.
The pattern is for personal use only. The finished items may not be sold for profit, except for charity purposes. Please acknowledge the author. Thank you.

Knitting Pattern for Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Scarves Too

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Scarves Too.
by Stana D. S.
This is the pattern for adult version of very basic patterns, yet the results are delightful and warm.
Yarn: 2 balls of medium or sport weight yarn. The yarn should be soft to the touch. The good way to test this is to put the yarn  against your cheek.
Recommended Needle size: For these particular scarves I used US#7/4.5mm.
Notions: Scissors, crochet hook.
INSTRUCTIONS:
The adult versions of these scarves are approximately 7" (18cm) wide, and between 68" (171cm) and 6' (183cm) long. The taller the person is, the longer the scarf should be.
Decide which pattern or patterns to use and cast on 28sts. Begin to work.
Pattern # 1:
Knit all rows.
Pattern # 2:
Row 1: *Knit1, Purl 1; repeat from *
Row 2: *Purl 1, Knit 1; repeat from *
Repeat these 2 rows.
Pattern # 3:
Row 1: * Knit 2, Purl 2; repeat from *
Row 2: *Knit 2, Purl 2; repeat from *
Row 3: *Purl 2, Knit 2; repeat from *
Row 4: *Purl 2, Knit 2; repeat from *
Repeat these 4 rows.
Pattern #4:
Row 1: *Knit 2, Purl 2; repeat from *
Row 2: *Purl 2, Knit 2; repeat from *
Row 3: *Purl 2, Knit 2; repeat from *
Row 4: *Knit 2, Purl 2; repeat from *
Repeat these 4 rows.
Pattern #5:
Row 1: *Knit 4, Purl 4; repeat from *
Row 2: *Purl 4, Knit 4; repeat from *
Row 3: *Knit 4, Purl 4; repeat from *
Row 4: *Purl 4, Knit 4; repeat from *
Row 5: *Purl 4, Knit 4; repeat from *
Row 6: *Knit 4, Purl 4; repeat from *
Row 7: *Purl 4,Knit 4; repeat from *
Row 8: *Knit 4, Purl 4; repeat from *
Repeat these 8 rows.
This pattern makes a small checker squares.
Keep knitting until desired length is reached. Cast off. To make the scarf more interesting keep changing the various patterns. The first and the last pattern should be the same, just to keep a bit of symmetry. The changing of the patterns will make the knitting less boring and monotonous, especially if you knitting scarf for a very tall person.

Finishing: Cut the yarn for fringes. Take two pieces of cut yarn and bend in half. With a crochet hook pull about half of the yarn through the edge of scarf. Pull the ends of yarn through the eye and make a knot. For easy way to have all fringes cut the same length check out my post : How to make the same length fringes, from October 2011.

Copyright: This pattern was design and written by Stana D.S.
The pattern is for personal use only. The finished items may not be sold for profit, except for charity purposes. Please acknowledge the author. Thank you.