All posts by Jackie E-S

Jackie E-S is the owner of HeartStrings FiberArts, a showcase for her growing roster of original pattern designs. As a certified master knitter and teacher, Jackie continues to share her love of knitting and knowledge through design and publication of skill-building pattern instructions, and conducting workshops, programs and demonstrations. Her interest in the fiber arts extends beyond knitting and spinning to include weaving, dyeing and all needle arts. She also enjoys contract bridge and music.
Promotions at HSFA

Treasure Hunt for a Gentle Breezes Stole Kit prize

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Are you up for a little game and chance to win yarn and pattern for my Gentle Breezes Stole? There’s a Treasure Hunt going on at the Sandrasingh.com Blog. Please help Sandra celebrate her 7th anniversary!

Answer a few easy questions based on your hunt through the HeartStrings pattern collections at the Sandrasingh.com website store. Then email your answers to Sandra to be entered to win the generous prize (details about the giveaway are here). Hurry, the cut-off date is next Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

Gentle Breezes Stole
Gentle Breezes Stole

I designed Gentle Breezes for Sandrasingh.com in their exclusive Lace yarn. If you have not seen or knit with this yarn before, I think you will really like it.

Have fun playing and good luck on winning!

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Promotions at HSFA

Jackie and the Beanstalk – get free magic seeds

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Jackie and the Beanstalk Seed Packets. Read on for an offer, good April 15 – 30, 2012 or while seeds last.

Purple Hyacinth Bean

I love the freshness of Springtime and the opportunities to play in my garden before the heat of summer sets in. This is a time to mulch old friends (meaning my plants, lol), fertilize the lawn and plant new seeds. Almost every year I try a new thing or two.

And so I’d like to offer you a packet of my special Jackie and the Beanstalk magic seeds. Actually, they are purple hyacinth bean. But I didn’t know their name during the time I first grew the largest, most beautiful flowering vines from just a few seeds. Since I did not know what I was growing when I planted the seeds (other than I recalled it was some kind of flowering vine), I did not have any special care instructions to go by. I just used common sense to keep plants happy, lol. But now that I know the name, I’ve found references in many places. There is a good one at The Gardener’s Network.

purple hyacinth bean vine seeds and pods
purple hyacinth bean vine seeds and pods

To receive a free packet of real seed pods with your order of any Kits or Yarn products in the HeartStrings catalogs at Shopatron, just enter the words “Jackie and the Beanstalk Seeds” in the comments field of your Shopatron order. One gift packet per customer. Offer is good April 15 – 30, 2012 or while seeds last.

Capture the magic. Happy spring planting! Happy all-year-long knitting!

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Friends of HeartStrings Gallery

more Bunny Ears and Tail variations

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Mary Lou Norton of Washington state is another of many Friends of HeartStrings who are so kind in sharing what they are knitting with HeartStrings patterns. She also contributed instructions and photos of ear and tail variations for the bunnies she made from the Knitted Bunny pattern.

Knitted Bunny photos from Mary Lou Norton

She wrote:

Hi Jackie

I have made 6 of your bunnies and here is how I did my ears and tails.

Also I use a knitting machine so hope these hand directions are good enough to understand what I did. LOVE your bunny.

I am providing here the instructions from Mary Lou exactly as I received them, i.e. they have not been edited for completeness, accuracy and consistency as would normally be done for my officially published HeartStrings patterns. But I think her instructions look reasonable ; so wanted to pass them along on behalf of Mary Lou for your enjoyment and use as you see fit.

EARS

cast on 6 stitches on a small double pointed needle, leaving enough yarn to sew this side to the body of the bunny

FIRST ROW

Row #1 Knit 1, P1, K2, P1, K1 TURN WORK

Row #2 P 1, K1, P2, K1, P1

Repeat these 2 rows for a total of 12 rows

decrease – K2 together, K 2, K2 together. You should have 4 stitches left

decrease in the same manor again leaving 2 stitches

Last row knit the last two stitches together, cut yarn (leaving a small tail) and pull through the last stitch… using a darning needle tack this loose end down at the top of the ear. Tight

Gather the cast on row a little bit and sew to bunny.

Knitted Bunny photos from Mary Lou Norton - ear variation

TAIL

Make a idiot cord …….. co 3 stitches on small double pointed needle

knit across these 3 stitches… Push stitches to the beginning side of the needle (this is a slip row) and knit across these same stitches again. Continue the knit row, slip row 10 times total.. Pick up one of the CO stitches and knit it along with the first stitch on the needle. Continuing to have 3 stitches on your needles.

Knit/Slip 10 rows, pick up a stitch in the same space, knit 10 R. Repeat 5 times so you have 5 little loops/bumps, cut yarn. Fasten off….

Pull the yarn through the center so both tail ends are on the same side and sew to bunny bottom.

Mary Lou Norton

Walla Walla, WA

Knitted Bunny photos from Mary Lou Norton - tail variation

Interested in trying some other variations? I had posted some other ear and tail variations on the official Knitted Bunny pattern page at the HeartStringsFiberArts.com website (I didn’t have this blog yet, at the time, I don’t believe). Thanks for Nicole Huau, Barbara White and Mary Lou Norton for their contributions to bunny happiness.

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Friends of HeartStrings Gallery

Dusty Bunny and Knitted Bunny

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I love to hear and see what others are doing with HeartStrings patterns. How appropriate at this time of year to feature Mary Love in today’s Friends of HeartStrings Gallery with her pet bunny, Dusty, and the little knitted bunny she made as a beginner knitter. I think she did a great job, don’t you?!

Pet bunny Dusty and Mary's knitted bunny

Mary wrote:

I stumbled upon your site when I was searching for an easy toy pattern.

I just started knitting at the beginning of the year and joined a knitting group. They want to make toys to donate, and I thought this might be beyond my new beginner skills. So, you can’t imagine how happy I was to find your bunny pattern! It’s great! So simple, and I like the realistic shape of the rabbit. Even our pet bunny Dusty liked it as you can see in the photos … I’m going to try another one using a softer yarn.

Thanks again for this great pattern! I’ll check out more of the treasures on your site!

How cute is this?! Thank you so much, Mary, for sharing. Dusty is just precious, and so is your little knitted bunny.

Dusty kissing Knitted Bunny

Happy Easter!

 Mary's Knitted Bunny

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Needlearts

No Calorie Chocolate Bunny

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One of the most popular little patterns I offer is the origami Knitted Bunny (a.k.a. Bunny from a Square or Bunny from a Swatch). Of course, part of its popularity might be that it is available for personal use at no cost to you (although a donation is appreciated if you are able and feel inclined). But I think that more so (even if I were charging for the pattern), it would be popular because this folded origami style makes up into such dang cute bunnies!

I’ve made SO many little bunnies from this pattern and have enjoyed every one of them. Most are given away, but here is one I still have on hand to keep me company this Easter. I call him my No Calorie Chocolate Bunny.

Chocolate Knitted Bunny

This is a sample I  made in a class I taught at an alpaca farm in Mississippi. Appropriately, the yarn is alpaca. I love the chocolaty color. This version of Knitted Bunny is done entirely in garter stitch, so is even better suited to the absolute beginning knitter level.

You’ll notice that one ear flops forward and one flops backwards. I love the personality of this little bunny — those ears give him a jaunty, carefree look. I think he is enjoying nibbling in my herb garden!

The tail is a little felted ball of yarn with the ends securely sewn into the body. So this little guy can also be considered a ‘kid safe’ version.

I’ll be back again in a day or two with instructions and photos for other Knitted Bunny ear and tail variations contributed by one of the many Friends of HeartStrings who are so kind in sharing what they are knitting with HeartStrings patterns. Can’t wait to show you — so cute.

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