May & June Newsletter 2010

That's Woolly Something

Woolly Sheep is the pattern of the month! It is my newest pattern and it is NOW available for order!

Woolly Sheep.

This pattern gives directions for a folk-like sheep with the classic black face and legs in two positions: the standing and grazing.

Woolly Sheep

The pattern uses worsted weight yarns and size 10-1/2 double point needles. The sheep measure about 4-1/2 to 6-inches, after being felted and stuffed with fiberfill. The legs consist of a length of 18-gauge wire with a knitted and felted tube that slips over the wire. This gives the legs bendability. The pattern is sold separately or included in a kit, see below.

Woolly Sheep Kit

The kit has all the materials needed to make either a standing or a grazing sheep. The kit includes: Woolly Sheep pattern, cream worsted weight yarn, cream fingering weight yarn, black worsted weight yarn, 18-gauge craft wire, silver cowbell, hemp cord, and a bamboo skewer.

The 'Black' Sheep

This sheep was knit using two yarns carried together: Nature Spun worsted weight yarn, Pepper, and Frog Tree Brushed Suri fingering weight, dark gray. The combination created a soft, fluffy, hairy-looking sheep. The face and legs were knit using ONLY the black Nature Spun yarn, so the texture is different, not hairy. Every flock has a 'black' sheep!

Embellishing Your Woolly Sheep

This sheep was knit using Cascade 220, #8010 cream. Cascade 220 yarn creates a smooth felted surface perfect for embellishing.

I added cream and white buttons giving the sheep texture and the illusion of curly cues. The buttons were sewn on with a 2-ply cream yarn.

Nap Riser Brush

This little brush is such a wonderful find! it is about two inches big and slips onto your finger. I mention it briefly in my pattern. I use it to brush out the sheep after felting. It works especially well on yarns that have mohair or alpaca in them. Vigorously brushing with the fine wires pulls out the hairs creating soft, fuzzy sheep.

This brush works especially well on all Frog Tree alpacas. So now your Woolly Chicks, Bunnies, Owls---all can be brushed to hairy perfection!

The brush costs about $4.00, contact me if you are interested in ordering.

Recipe Corner

I like to include a recipe at the back of most of my patterns. I've found over the years that knitters, like myself, cook and bake, and are quick to share their recipes.

The recipe inside the Woolly Sheep pattern is 'fudgy oatmeal bars'. These are my favorite bars! I get requests for this recipe every time I serve them.

I prefer using milk chocolate chips and lots of walnuts. I don't chop the walnuts with a knife but break them with my fingers so the pieces are chunky. Also, I use fat-free sweetened condensed milk; it doesn't effect the taste at all. Enjoy!

fudgy oatmeal bars

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups regular oats

(1) 12-oz. package semisweet OR milk chocolate chips

(1) 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix brown sugar, 1 cup butter, eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in flour, soda, and oats. Reserve a 1/3 of this mixture. Press the rest of the mixture into a greased 9x13-inch pan.

Heat chocolate chips, condensed milk, and 2 tablespoon butter, stirring constantly, until melted. Stir in nuts and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over oatmeal mixture in pan. Drop small clumps of reserved oatmeal onto chocolate mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes.