Year of Projects Update 12th November

A day late, but with good reason! I was away at a LRP event this weekend, so originally planned to write and schedule my update on Thursday evening. Unfortunately, a delay in my button delivery meant I didn't actually finish this week's project until I was literally about to walk out of the door on Friday lunchtime.

The reason I was so keen to finish it before I left was because I wanted to take it with me. This week's ta-da is my hot water bottle cover! You'd have to be mad to go camping in November without one.

Project: Darwin the Platypus

Pattern: Hot Water Platypus by Brella

Yarn: Stylecraft Special Aran with Wool in Walnut and Peat

Needles: 4.5mm circs/DPNs

I've wanted to knit this ever since Jamie bought me my hot water bottle earlier in the year. I spent ages trying to think of the right yarn to use, before realising I had exactly the right yarn in my stash already! It's leftovers from the sofa bed afghan, which I added to my YoP list when I realised how much of it there would be left once I'd finished.

It turned out to be a super quick and easy knit. The body was a joy to work on; endless stocking stitch in the round, no need to count rows or anything. The head is knit directly on from the live stitches left after shaping the shoulders, and the tail is knit from stitches picked up along the cast on edge. What really makes this pattern brilliant is the way the beak and feet are constructed.

A small gap is left on the underside of the beak, allowing you to hook the beak over the end of the water bottle and secure the platypus head to the neck of the bottle.

The feet were a whole new experience for me. Provisional cast on! Short row shaping with wraps! Kitchener stitch grafting! Who knew I'd learn so many new techniques from a platypus.

Kitchener stitch on the tail as well

I finished the knitting and assembling back on the 4th November, but realised I didn't have any appropriate buttons in my box. I was at least able to determine what size of button I needed, which led me to ordering a pack of 15mm wooden buttons from eBay. They arrived on Friday, so when I got home from work I quickly sewed them on with the spare yarn from attaching the two front feet.

I was so glad to get this finished before I headed off to Oxfordshire! It was so cold at the weekend, there was sheet ice all over the outside of the tent when we went to bed on Saturday night. Having Darwin to keep my feet warm in my sleeping bag was a lifesaver. I didn't get away scot free though, as I've come back from the event with a stinking cold, so am finding it hard to concentrate on any crafting. Hopefully I will get over it soon, and get back on track with some of my outstanding YoP projects!