"Pistachio" headband & neckwarmer

Item: "Cabled Headband"

Pattern: from the book "One-Skein Wonders"
Made for: Me
Time it took to knit: 2 afternoons/evenings, I think
Yarn: Bendigo Woolen Mills Alpaca "Pistachio" #458

Notes: I can't remember for sure, but I don't think I altered the pattern or needle size in any way. It's a little bit loose, I might try experimenting with a smaller needle size later.

Item: "Garter Stitch Loop-Through Scarf"
Pattern: from the book "101 Designer One-Skein Wonders"

Made for: Me

Time it took to knit: Probably 3-4 afternoons

Yarn: Bendigo Woolen Mills Alpaca "Pistachio" #458

Notes: The pattern calls for 3.5mm needles (& 3.5mm DPNs), but with most BWM yarn, 3mm needles & DPNs give a much better tension. This one was knitted with 3mm needles & DPNs & fits beautifully. Also learned while making this one that Alpaca wool is the only yarn that should ever be used for this item as it feels amazing while other wools/yarns tend to feel a bit too rough for some reason. Maybe it's the stitch used, or maybe because it has a more snug fit than a scarf, I don't know, but I strongly recommend only using Alpaca wool for this.

Both items shown here on me. Photo by Dragon Enterprises.

"Midnight Tweed" hand warmers & neck warmer

Item: "The Wave" hand warmers
Pattern: from the book "One-Skein Wonders"

Made for: Me

Time it took to knit: 2-3 afternoons/evenings? 4 at most.

Yarn: Bendigo Woolen Mills Rustic "Midnight Tweed" #919

Notes: The pattern calls for 5mm DPNs, but 4.5mm DPNs give the right tension with most BWM yarn. It also says to do 8 rounds, but that's a bit short for me. 10 rounds = elbow length

Item: "Garter Stitch Loop-Through Scarf"

Pattern: from the book "101 Designer One-Skein Wonders"
Made for: Me
Time it took to knit: I have no idea... 4 afternoons, I think?
Yarn: Bendigo Woolen Mills Rustic "Midnight Tweed" #919
Notes: The pattern calls for 3.5mm needles (& 3.5mm DPNs), but with most BWM yarn, 3mm needles & DPNs give a much better tension. This one was knitted with 3.5mm needles & DPNs & is a little bit loose/big.

Both items shown here on me. Apologies for the lighting, the wool I used is a very dark blue & using my dark blue couch as the background probably wasn't the smartest idea! Photo by Dragon Enterprises.

"Mulga" hand warmers

Item: "The Wave" hand warmers
Pattern: from the book "One-Skein Wonders"
Made for: Me!
Time it took to knit: I wasn't timing way back then, but a few evenings? It takes a while to get used to the pattern, but once you've got the hang of it, they don't take too long to knit up.
Yarn: Bendigo Woolen Mills Classic "Mulga" #690

Shown here on me with a simple Moss Stitch scarf made using BWM Alpaca yarn in 'Havana" #460. Photo by Dragon Enterprises.

Notes: The pattern calls for 5mm DPNs, but 4.5mm DPNs give the right tension with most BWM yarn. It also says to do 8 rounds, but that's a bit short for me. 10 rounds = elbow length. Very easy once you get into the groove of the pattern.

Owlcakes!

Item: "Owlcakes"
Made for: My sister Jo - we were waiting in line at the post office & we found a calender with a picture of some owl cupcakes on it. Jo wanted to know if the calender gave instructions for making them & I said that it didn't look like it, but I could probably make them without instructions. So then she dared me to try it & we were both pleasantly surprised at how they came out!
Time they took to make: Umm... slightly longer than normal cupcakes? They were pretty easy!
Materials: Cupcakes (I just used my favourite chocolate cake recipe), icing (I used Wilton's Buttercream Icing - when making chocolate icing, leave out the vanilla & use cocoa powder instead. You'll need to add a few more tablespoons of milk to get the right consistency), a piping bag, Wilton piping tip #233 (or similar), Mini Oreos & M&Ms (brown & orange).


(Photos by Dragon Enterprises)

Instructions:

1. Bake cupcakes & mix icing (duh)
2. To make eyes: seperate Oreos (try to get the cream all on one side), stick brown M&Ms to cream side
3. To make ears: cut/break plain side of Oreos in half.
4. To assemble: Stick ears to cupcakes with a small blob of icing, ice cupcakes using #233 tip (start in centre & work outwards - don't forget to ice ears), add eyes & press an orange M&M halfway in (sideways) for beak.

See? Easy!