Review: Loom Knit Safari Collection by Scarlett Royal

Loom Knit Safari Collection by Scarlett Royal

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can finally give a review of this book! I made each and every animal featured in this book. Yet I have to take responsibility for the less than 5 stars here. That makes me a little sad. You see, I am not as good at reading patterns as I would like. I have been loom knitting since about February of last year. Mostly I feel I have learned to watch YouTube instructions better and better. In the process, I am gaining the ability to read patterns, but still not there.

What does this have to do with the book? Well, each of the patterns in this book has a corresponding tutorial on YouTube. Except for the giraffe. That one leads you to a Ravelry page with a picture of the giraffe but nothing else. So there was my problem. I only had the pattern and did my best to help the giraffe come to be. I think I did okay. If you follow my blog you will see my nearly finished giraffe and a hat to go with it. I need to add eyes. I want to make the long lashes I love so much on giraffes so for now, the baby is sightless.

Oh, the other problem I have to own is my inability to count. The poor lion had a few curls that were a bit too long. But that is not the fault of the author. She did a fantastic job writing the instructions and filming the tutorials. Maybe she could teach us some hints as to how she keeps track of small rows and the like?

Anyway if you go to darsword on wordpress you will see my results. (I can’t put an URL on here. Hope you can find me.) This book was reasonably priced. I just wish I could afford Scarlett Royals other books. She is a great designer of loom knitting items. I can’t wait to learn more from her.

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Here are pictures of what I have made:

I made the elephant first. Since the yarn is donated I often don’t have the right colors or enough of said colors. Hence the psychedelic elephant.

I didn’t like how the monkey’s muzzle turned out so I added lips. I don’t have glass eyes that Scarlett Royal suggests. So I made these on the spool knitter. The lips I did that way, too. The hat is Tuteate’s pattern. I followed her tutorial on YouTube as I do most of my knitted things. The reason I made a hat with ears is I made most things with the donated yarn for charity and my group said that they gave my things to the local clinic. I thought that the hat and monkey would be fun together.

See what happens when I run out of the right color yarn? Colorful arms! I still haven’t made the eyes for this guy. Again, I don’t think the glass eyes would be good if the recipient of the gift might put them in their mouths and choke. My brother suggested whiskers. You can’t see them very well here but they are there. The nose was done on the spool knitter.

The giraffe was the hardest as I had to use just a pattern. Still, I think he turned out okay. I still need to make the eyes. I hope I can make eyes with long lashes like real giraffes have. The hat was the Tuteate patter except I used the ear pattern from Scarlett Royal’s animal patterns so I didn’t have to sew it on. And I didn’t close the way Tuteate does hers. I used Scarlett Royal’s Kitchener stitch to close. I think it worked out quite well. Oops, I just noticed I need to sew close the ears. Well, I wasn’t finished when I finished the book. If I think it makes a big difference I will post the finished products here.

And though he isn’t in the book here is another stuffed animal using Scarlett Royal’s YouTube:

My friend suggested steam or flame from the nostrils so I added a those bits.

Eyes are done on the spool knitter. Since this is going to an adult I will get the glass eyes instead.

I love how the spike knit up. I added the wings from Scarlett Royal’s bat pattern. I will add pipe cleaners to these so they can stand out. I made this dragon with my own materials is for one of my best friends who is crazy for dragons.

I love him! I can’t wait to make more of him for me and my other friends who are dragonphiles.

But will this next one has nothing to do with the book it is the latest of my tiny dolls. This pattern is by Denise of LoomAHat. This is the cupcake doll. I added the ears–just because I wanted to! These are so fun and easy and versatile. This will go to the clinic.

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Tiny Bear

Mothered a tiny bear today!

But truth of the day, I am so glad to have birthed my real babies over thirty years ago. They are still the love and light of my life.

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

Assembled

And that is two days of work. Still, need to work on these as I learn ways to make them look special, but that is the fun part. And I think it shouldn’t take this long, but mistakes, frogging or tinking take a lot of time but teach ways to avoid the same later.

Body Parts

I have been busy all day. I’ve made four legs with feet, a body and most of a head. The pattern called for two skeins. In all the donated yarn I have no two skeins are the same. So I found some fuzzy rose and a gray with white spots. I am on the trunk which is the end of the elephant in the making. But the gray ran out. It is too dark to go looking for something to finish the trunk and make the toy tonight. I hope I can figure out something. But here’s the gruesome sight.

Poor little elephant never had a chance! 😦

One-Liner Wednesday

Black-bottom bears are vegetarians who need scarves all year round.

 

That was the one line I felt I would tease with. Trying to play with Linda G Hill and her Wednesday fun.

Now for the rest of the story. Boring one? I ran out of the raspberry mohair-ish yarn. No labels on most of the donated yarn so I don’t know how much I have or what it is made of. So I found some black yarn that seemed to go okay.

But the story in my head goes like this:

“Please type this for me.” Whispered the Raspberry Bear.

“Okay,” I said fingers readied to transpose.

“I am Raz.” That’s what my mother called me. But I am sure somebody will soon give me another name. I am a black-bottomed bear. Don’t ever mistake us for Black Bears. They have long claws and can be dangerous.” Raz shutters.

“When we are born, we spend most of our time in the raspberry bushes. We love raspberries, well and other berries. We come in a variety of shades of berry colors and stay that way until we are grown. Then for some reason, our bottoms and legs grow black. Do you think it is due to climbing mulberry trees?”

“Why don’t your noses and mouths become black?” I asked.

“Well,” Raz starts. “Since we only eat veggies, we eat many different leaves and fruits. So maybe it just rubs off?” Raz starts to shiver.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m cold.”

“But it is 73 degrees!” I say.

“We are vegetarians, we black-bottomed bears. We tend to need more warmth and a lot of love.”

I got busy with my knitting and donned Raz with a scarf. I hope it tides her over until someone adopts her. Here are a couple shots for Raz to model her new scarf.

 

Raz wants to thank Scarlett Royal for helping her come into being.

Sunday Smile

This little guy came into being today. Tomorrow A Bear! (I hope!)

Stream of Consciousness Saturday–Inter

Since the prompt of the day is any word that starts with inter-  and I wanted to share my newest interknitted interests.

I think this one looks like a pixie or a brownie or something from Peter Pan. The green eyelash yarn interknitted with the brown makes it look like punk hair or pixie hair!

I still have a few projects that take a lot of time going on interspersing harder looming with easier looming so as to keep my hands from hurting. So I am still working on the sock that you’ve seen before, and a baby hat that is double interknitted. Another doll needs stuffing and sewn together.

If only there weren’t so many interruptions that make me interact!

Oh, and let me interject the person who caused this verbal intercourse: Linda G Hill!

🙂

Finished It Friday

I picked up some Bernet Blanket yarn at Joann’s when my kids were here. I wish I would have bought a whole lot more as I need a blanket or sheet for the recliner sofa. So maybe, instead, I give these at the new mother/pregnant mother shower our library is going to have. This yarn is so soft! I miss working with it already! Notice that I used two different looms. The oval is a finer gauge. I used this YouTube

 

Yes, one more Ombre Slouch Pony/Bun Hat. I had a lot of purples to use up. And Lookie! I finally have a styrofoam wig/hat model! Yay!

#A to Z Challenge–P

Pals

Once or twice a week in a normal week, my pals from Reno and I get on Google Hangout and chat. It is a way we can see each other and just enjoy our time together, even if it isn’t in person.

Thanks to my son and daughter I was able to see my pals this past week. One of those pals came to see me at my daughter’s and sometimes took me places. Even took me to the next city to see our other pal. We were too busy visiting and knitting to take a picture so I substitute this. The other pictures were of women around tables. We weren’t around tables. We were on the sofa (I like sitting on the floor.) And I believe there should be more guys who knit, feminist that I am.

Even so, knitting with my pals while visiting was the best of fun, I think for all three of us!

Yep, still behind, but still Plugging away. Check out the #AtoZChallenge to learn more.

#A TO Z Challenge–K

And of course K means:

This little sweet Kali who has a visitor–her MommaLaura, my daughter! So we are both happy. Kali can’t decide who she is going to sleep with tonight. Tomorrow she get to see the vet to get updates on shots and get her nails clipped. Then we will go looking for a doggy run for her so that when days are nicer weather she can stay outside safely sometimes.

Oh. K is also for Knit.

Here is the latest hat finished.

The hat has a sun brim. Next is the sock I am STILL working on. knitting with thread on a small gauge loom takes forever! The next is another hat with the Andalusian stitch, another fine gauge that is taking forever. The doll needs a hat and a face but nearly finished.

Busy days ahead. Hope to be able to hit here. Looking forward to fun times with family and friends!

Come join the fun but joining the #A to Z Challenge