A tisket, a tasket, bunnies in a basket!

October 10, 2015Out of the Thistle Leave a comment

These three little cuties are now available on our website! They are the perfect size for being toted around by your little one. I hand-knit them with 100% American wool (from Quince & Co), then I put them through a process to shrink ’em up! The result: a more durable, fuzzy knit that holds its shape. I can’t even fully explain how much of a difference there is in just the feel of shrunken (felted) knitted dolls compared to regularly knitted ones. They just feel more substantial, yet… light-weight.

They are jointed (buttons are decorative) so they can sit on a shelf with ease.

They have shapely features such as curved paws and feet and a perfectly puckered nose. Each little bunny is wearing a hand knitted alpaca, flutter-sleeve vest that ties in the front, and each one has a coordinating 100% cotton skirt (made from Liberty of London fabric). The outfits are completely removable for ease of cleaning. Standing at about 12.5″ tall, they are the perfect size for squeezing. xx

Keep an eye out for more of these one-of-a-kind softies on our website! Thanks for looking!

–Rhonda Potteet

Pattern prices reduced!

September 5, 2015Out of the Thistle 5 Comments

First thing we’d like to report: all knitters and crocheters can purchase any Out of the Thistle pattern for just $4.99!! We have patterns available on our website, on Etsy, and on Ravlery! {links to the right}

Second announcement: We have a new pattern available! It is for this adorable, unusual bear–this bear was crocheted from 100% wool, then shrunken for a fuzzier/denser fur! It is called “Tea for Ted,” and the finished bear looks perfectly poised inside a tea cup.

{Ted also doesn’t mind joining in on tea parties}

This pattern gives the instructions on crocheting the bear, then on how to felt it (if desired).

We’ve also made a few additions to our website, if you’d like to have a look!

Signed, the Out of the Thistle® Team.

Homage to Honesty.

June 30, 2015July 1, 2015Out of the Thistle 6 Comments

Have you ever had one of those weeks?

You know, the ones where you have a ton of friends and family in town, doing renovations for the elders and celebrating birthdays. And there’s a giant waterslide/bounce house in your driveway with a dozen kids running in and out, leaving puddles everywhere. It is loud, yet wonderful. And in the slivers of quiet moments, you work on your knitting–trying to meet a deadline… a deadline you told everyone to “mark the calendars” for. And you’ve been practicing shrinking wool for like eight months now, and you’re so excited that you THINK you’ve perfected it. Your mom (the master at it) offers to help finish shrinking a couple of dolls that you still have left to do. And she super-shrinks it (which is what you wanted!), but you realize that the waist is a good inch smaller than your other dolls (which may as well be a mile). And that’s fine and dandy. But, you’ve already jointed all your other dolls, which now must be cut apart and shrunken more. Oh, and don’t forget that you made 27 dresses for them. TWENTY SEVEN. And it won’t work, because you wanted to give people an option to purchase different outfits for the dolls–which means that they’d all have to be the same size. And so here you are, a 29-year-old woman, crying into doll dresses…

… and you’re cursing your ambition and praying for sanity. And you’re thinking that working in customer service at the bank doesn’t seem so bad now. That maybe, handling dental insurance claims was just a walk in the park.

And when you pull it together after going through the seven stages of grief with your tiny knitted dolls, you begin to amputate those limbs and get back to work. Because, it’s what you truly love to do.

Then you pour yourself another cup of coffee, eat birthday cake for breakfast, and pray that it won’t be another year before you get these done. And you share your experience and honesty with other ‘Purveyors of Perfection’ and hope that they’ll have a good laugh, maybe even sympathize. That they’ll understand the strife in striving for better, in knowing that settling is not an option. And now you’re truly understanding that being a ‘maker’ is so much more than just “making.”

Sincerely, Rhonda

Provisional patterns.

April 16, 2015April 16, 2015Out of the Thistle 21 Comments

With the big changes in this company’s name and appearance, we have also decided to step even further from our old ‘image.’

There was a time when our first designs were new and unusual, but through the years, were duplicated so much that they just became usual. In light of this, we have decided to indefinitely retire our thread crochet patterns numbers 6-14. As you can see from the patterns below, they are in desperate need of updating!

We may bring them back promotionally, eventually. Those that have purchased these patterns, please note that they are still protected by copyright laws, which will be enforced. For now, we would like to continue to differentiate our products and our business.

These patterns will be available for purchase until Mid-May.
Thank you!

-Out of the Thistle Co.

A Pair of Hares.

March 22, 2015April 8, 2015Out of the Thistle 6 Comments

If you are like me you are probably shocked that Easter has somehow snuck up on you, that it is in TWO WEEKS. I’m pretty sure that it was January last week, so how did this happen??

Lucky for you, we’re giving you a heads up! If you knit and like giving one-of-a-kind gifts, then our “Claire the Hare” PDF knitting pattern is right up your alley. It’s available on our website, on Ravelry, and on Etsy (all of these links can be found to the right of this post).

If knitting isn’t your thing and you still love giving one-of-a-kind gifts, then these are for you! I have created a few rabbits using my pattern and they are available for purchase!

Instead of wearing the knitted overall dress, they are dressed in a couple of short-and-shirt outfits I created specifically for them. These took some time to make, especially sewing these tiny little shorts! But I just love the way they turned out.

This first little bunny is wearing cotton, jade-colored high-waist shorts with a crisp floral, lace-trimmed tank top tucked in.

The shirt was sewn using a high-quality Liberty of London cotton. She was hand knitted from 100% wool and has a wool embroidered face.

This second little rabbit was also hand knitted from 100% wool, with a wool embroidered face.

I designed and knitted her flutter-sleeve tank using 100% pure virgin wool. She is also wearing bubble shorts that were sewn using a high-quality Liberty of London cotton.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these bunnies, please feel free to contact me privately for details via email. rhondapotteet[at]gmail[dot]com

Happy Easter!
Rhonda Potteet

“Claire the Hare.”

May 16, 2014May 16, 2014Out of the Thistle 19 Comments

“Claire the Hare” Knitting Pattern is now available as a PDF Pattern! This little bunny was so much fun to design and create. It’s the perfect size for my daughter to tote around, and it makes the perfect little shelf accessory when not in use.

This vintage-style knitted rabbit doll measures 16″ from head to toe. I love her pigeon-toed stance, and her long, lanky body. Her face is detailed just enough to have the perfect bunny-faced pucker. I think I enjoyed creating her little overall dress the most. It has tiny crisscross straps in the back and a teeny tiny pocket right at her hip.

The biggest bonus of this pattern: it is knitted completely in the round. NO SEAMS! Makes for a quick and easy knit. I created this pattern using Knit Picks’ “Wool of the Andes Sport” yarn because of it’s beautiful heathered coloring. I love how rustic it is.

Be sure to check back for updates on different knitted outfit patterns for “Claire,” and even a fella friend! You can substitute any yarn for this pattern, but just keep in mind that you will have to use yarn with the same exact gauge for any new outfit designs in the future, so make a note of any alternative yarn you use!

If you would like to purchase this pattern, follow this link to my Etsy shop. It’ll be available there until our new website update is complete! We’ll keep you posted!

Again, here is the listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/189763054/claire-the-hare-knit-pdf-pattern-instant

Thanks for looking! Rhonda

out of the thistle

the blog

dolls & toys

A tisket, a tasket, bunnies in a basket!

Pattern prices reduced!

Homage to Honesty.

Provisional patterns.

A Pair of Hares.

“Claire the Hare.”

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