Same Pattern - Different Results!

When I was about 12, school jumpers were a lot cheaper to knit than buy. Consequently, because I could knit and my mother didn't particularly enjoy it, I knitted all the sleeves for all the school jumpers.

This scarred me for life of course. I steer away from any pattern that looks like endless knitting for mediocre results. In fact boredom sowed the seeds for a much, much later project - The Ekokids -  creative, quick and boredom-free!

I recently knitted myself a jumper from sparkly yarn I bought in a budget shop, made the pattern up as I went along - believe me it's as simple as it gets :-) - and finished it in a week. How? I kind of cheated. I used double knitting yarn on big needles. The result is a slinky sparkly jumper rather than a solid, practical one.

Terrible photo but it looks great on!



The looseness of the fabric makes it just about impossible to machine wash, but a gentle wash by hand works. Oh, and it cost just £3 to make!

Using the right yarn and needles, according to your pattern, will give you the best results, but experiment if you have some spare yarn and different size needles. The variations are amazing!...

All these pieces of knitting were made with double knitting yarn, and knitted with 14sts and 10 rows;

this was made with 9 mm needles

 made with 6½ mm. needles

made with 3 ¾ mm. needles



The Ekokids are knitted with 3 ¾ mm needles to create the closed texture. Slightly larger needles may work but the finished knitting will be looser.

Knitting For Beginners: The Ekokids

Download your Kindle Ekokids copy today and see just how easy it is to have fun and be ultra-creative with knitting.

Borrow it FREE to get an idea, then splash out the few dollars and keep it on your Kindle!



Happy Knitting!

Linda x

Relax and Tone

Hi,

Many years ago, when I first developed The Ekokids, it was in a moment of, yes creativity, but also to get out of the habit of chain eating chocolate every evening. And it really works. Knitting is completely incompatible with eating chocolate, and the more interested I became in knitting, the less I consumed. So share this with all your friends who are having issues with the couch potato thing. :-)

You need to keep clean dry (and non-sticky) hands while knitting which means you have a perfect excuse to give yourself a mini-manicure before you start ... and there are other amazing benefits.


1. Rewarding

Yep, it really is rewarding to be able to create a piece of 'cloth' from two pointy sticks and a length of yarn. When we start to knit, the obvious first pattern to follow is a scarf. Unfortunately scarves tend to be a bit repetitive, and boring - interest lost very quickly. This is where these dolls come in. The patterns have been modified, simplified and brought bang up to date, to give the most inexperienced of knitters motivation to carry on!


2. Toning

Sitting still toning is just the best :-) Before you start to knit, get comfortable. Support your back in a straight chair or with cushions. And while you're knitting, concentrate on slowly pulling in your stomach muscles, then releasing. Make up games for yourself...eg every 5 stitches pull in, hold for 3 sts, and release.. do what suits you. If you knit quickly, a whole row could be knitted during one 'hold'. I love the idea of knitting for a six-pack!


3. Weight Loss

Knitting will take up those hours in the evening when you think you're being entertained by the TV but actually you are really being entertained by the creamy chocolate pralines! And, with the reward and toning in place, you will be inspired to watch what you're consuming - then you can knit a slinky jumper for the new slimmer you!

Knitting For Beginners: The Ekokids

Knitting is a hobby that seems to dip in and out of fashion. I've gone full circle. Back in the 'hippy' fashion days, knitting and crocheting were considered to be cool, but then a couple of decades later, I found myself being embarassed when knitting... how ridiculous :-)

Get those needles clicking, create some fabulous dolls for the children in your life, and get fit while you're doing it..

Happy Knitting!

Linda x

Fudge Hearts

Hi :-)

Bit late for Valentine's day perhaps, but we can share the love - and the fudge - every day! This is another recipe from the archives...

FUDGE HEARTS OR ROUNDS




 

2 cups of granulated sugar,
1/3 a cup of condensed milk,
1/3 a cup of water,
¼ a cup of butter,
1 ½ squares of Chocolate,
1 teaspoonful of vanilla extract.

Boil the sugar, milk and water to 236° F., or to the "soft ball" degree; stir gently every few minutes; add the butter and let boil up vigorously, then remove from the fire and add the chocolate; let stand undisturbed until cool, then add the vanilla and beat the candy until it thickens and begins to sugar. Pour into a pan lined with paper to stand until cooled somewhat; turn from the mold and with a French cutter or a sharp edged tube cut into symmetrical shapes.

Have a yummy weekend!

Linda x

Cocoa Fudge

Hi,

I may be advocating less chocolate this Easter, but the Ekokids have other ideas. They've decided to try out the recipes in this 100 year old book:

Most old recipes confuse me, but this one seems pretty straightforward... must give it a go.

The reference to 'Baker's Cocoa' relates to the original book being put together by Walter Baker & Co Ltd. I would imagine any good quality cocoa will do :-)



COCOA FUDGE (by Miss Elizabeth Kevill Burr)

    ½ a cup of milk, (4fl.oz)
    3 level tablespoonfuls of butter,
    2 ½ cups of powdered sugar, (about 1lb or 450g))
    6 tablespoonfuls of Baker's Cocoa,
    Pinch of salt,
    1 teaspoonful of vanilla.

Mix all ingredients together but vanilla; cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil, then cook slowly, stirring occasionally, eight or ten minutes, or until it makes a firm ball when dropped in cold water. (put a small drop in cold water and squeeze gently with your fingers. If it stays together well, it's ready.)

When cooked enough, add the vanilla and beat until it seems like very cold molasses in winter. Pour into a buttered pan; when firm, cut in squares.

Great care must be taken not to beat too much, because it cannot be poured into the pan, and will not have a gloss on top.

"I have no idea what cold molasses in winter is like, but maybe just go with the instincts :-)"

Enjoy!

Linda x

P.S. Don't forget to join us on Facebook! The Ekokids

Dancing Skirt

Hi and Happy Tuesday!

Quick photo of the 'dancing skirt' in green. Polly's wearing a pink version in the picture above.

Although the pink is cute, it's also a bit luminous - with matching shoes can you believe? :-)



These dolls are so quick to make, you could knit one each for all the kids in the family before Easter.

They are just the right size to be carrying a basket of mini eggs... cutting down on the inevitable Easter sugar overload, and sparking the imagination of everyone who loves them.

The Ekokids are planning their Easter celebrations, which is only FIVE weeks away - I'll let you know what's happening!

The Ekokids on Kindle!

Hi, and welcome!

This is the first post on the new blog, so I'm just going to share the wonderful news about the Ekokids on Kindle!

The book on your left is available now on Kindle. I think it comes out at $4 ish, with taxes and stuff. And if you join the Kindle library, you can borrow it for FREE! Well worth a look if you are a beginner knitter or you just want to make some fun toys for the kids. It's also available pretty much worlwide... Ekokids going global!

They cost so little to make, and are quick too. I can make a whole doll in one evening - with no distractions. Two evenings max!

The clothes can be made from oddments of yarn, and there are 10 patterns for clothes in this book, all of which you can make if you can do the basics:

cast on
cast off
knit stitches
purl stitches
knit 2 stitches together
purl 2 stitches together
Increase a stitch (by knitting into the front and the back of the stitch, creating 2 for the price of 1)

This pretty ball gown is adorable! 

Other patterns for the dolls include:

Salopettes
Cropped T-shirt
Puffball skirt
Disco dress
Chunky jumper

These dolls have proved themselves in play value for many years and now you can join the fun! Create magical worlds for the children - big and small - that don't need batteries or chargers, and also don't max out the credit card.

Happy Knitting!