Back to school bunny

July 29, 2019January 18, 2021Out of the Thistle 2 Comments

For some of you, you are already singing the praises of school days being back. For some of us, we still have a month of summer… but, that means some more time at the pool and taking a few more small trips!

I made a back to school bunny to celebrate the occasion! Here she is!

Her short-sleeved shirt, skirt with straps, and shoes are all removable.

As pattern suggests, it is recommended to use the same yarn for doll and clothes to ensure the best fit, however, you can knit a swatch of the doll yarn on a size bigger needle, then gauge it and match a yarn exactly.

Materials used:

Doll: Fur-Cascade 220 Aran in ‘Aspen Heather,’ knitted on sz 5 needles; socks-Cascade 220 Aran in ‘Natural,’ knitted on sz 5 needles

Skirt with straps: Quince and Co Lark in ‘River,’ sz 7 needles

Shirt: Quince and Co Lark in ‘River’ and ‘Egret,’ sz 7 needles

Shoes: Quince and Co Lark ‘Smoke,’ sz 7 needles

Apple knee pads: Quince and Co Lark in ‘Peaks Ferry’ and ‘Snap Pea,’ duplicate stitched

The stocking instructions are included in the pattern. I’ve attached the apple knee pads below, which can be duplicate stitched onto the knee. Just ensure that the knee pads are centered on the front of the leg and even with the opposite one.

The shirt pattern will soon be available as well! Enjoy!

Merry Knitmas!

December 14, 2018December 14, 2018Out of the Thistle 2 Comments

Yesterday was a bit of a cliffhanger, but I feel like it was obvious enough. We’ve got new patterns!

I decided to make a line of Dress Up Dolls patterns. Say you are a knitter and love our items, but they just aren’t in the budget. Well now, you can make one for yourself! They are a more simplified version of my shrunken wool rabbits that I’ve been creating lately, but they still have hips and feet and shoulders and beautiful heads! Another bonus: they are knitted in the round! Makes knitting a breeze. No mountain of body parts waiting for their seams to be sewn up and attached. They look beautiful dressed and undressed.

The pattern is a standard deer: one color, no muss no fuss. So if you’re still a kind-of new knitter, you can do this! If you would like to venture out, you can change colors like I did. I simply knitted the muzzle a different color (tip included in pattern), added antlers (also included in pattern), embroidered on some spots and ‘hairs’ in the ears and voila! Rudolph! My daughter went nuts over him.

I also bought a skein of a mohair lace weight and knitted it together with my wool to create a fuzzier doe:

ALSO, You can see they have little sweaters on–that is also available as a pattern! It was so easy to make; I foresee a boatload of beautifully detailed sweaters in the future! The pattern is for a simple, single-colored sweater. However, as you can see, it makes a great base for being creative. I double-knit in a nordic design on one. I embroidered little holly cluster polka dots onto another. I made Rudolph’s sweater striped! Details for the stripes included in pattern. I can’t wait to see all of the different finishes!

***Please note, I created this pattern as just to be knitted, not shrunken as well. If you do decide to shrink it, it will look completely different than this! I do not use these designs for my shrunken wool dolls. I merely created a pattern to look similar to those. ***

I wasn’t really sure of when I was going to offer these patterns, but I figured no better time than the present! It may be a little bit like offering in the eleventh hour, but they don’t need to be holiday deer. There’s always New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Easter, birthdays, nightly toy knitting, or just ’cause! So grab these patterns at our Etsy shop; more are already in the works!

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

Avery Hand Warmers Pattern

September 24, 2014April 8, 2015Out of the Thistle 2 Comments

My daughter is always getting her hands into things, so much so, that she hates having anything obstruct her ability to do so–including gloves. And so, for the soon-to-be cooler weather, I designed these little hand warmers for my curious little one, which are aptly named the “Avery Hand Warmers.”

The finished hand warmers feature a simple garter stitch and cable design, perfect for matching any Fall/Winter outfit. The non-bulky design and use of fingering weight yarn allows for items to snugly fit on little ones hands yet allowing plenty of room to move. These hand warmers are perfect for little ones who will be collecting acorns or picking apples in the cooler seasons.

These hand warmers are a breeze to make, and they only use 1 skein of Quince & Co. “Tern” or “Finch” yarns!

The pattern is designed to make hand warmers for ages 12 months up to 6 years.

This pattern can be purchased here on Etsy, or here on Ravelry (will be available on our website soon!

Happy knitting, and Happy Autumn!

Rhonda Potteet

Leaf Collecting Leg Warmers Knitting Pattern now available!

September 23, 2014April 8, 2015Out of the Thistle 1 Comment

I love putting dresses on my daughter, no matter what time of year. I mean, have you seen some of the knitted dresses available now?? So cute. And, what better way to keep those little legs warm when it gets a little chilly outside than with a pair of these:

I wanted my daughter to have a pair of legwarmers that she can wear while jumping in a pile of leaves, or while dressed up to pick out her own pumpkin. So, I designed a PDF pattern for these little leg warmers, which fit perfectly inside of boots, or over tights for an extra cozy, layered look. They feature an all-over leaf lace design and are created from a fingering weight Peruvian Highland Wool, so they are lightweight yet warm.

Due to the amount of stretch, these leg warmers can fit most sizes 12 months up to 5T. Once knitted, these leggings are a perfect three-season accessory. Pattern includes: comprehensive charts, detailed written instructions, suggestions, and color photos.

This pattern is a perfect option for any knitter who knows some intermediate techniques of knitting, such as: yo, s2kp (description included in pattern), and knitting in the round. No prior experience needed of making Leg warmers since this pattern gives detailed, step-by-step instructions.

Patterns can be purchase here on Etsy, or here on Ravelry. Will be available on our website soon.

Thanks for looking!

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

knitting patterns

Back to school bunny

Merry Knitmas!

A Pair of Hares.

Avery Hand Warmers Pattern

Leaf Collecting Leg Warmers Knitting Pattern now available!

“Claire the Hare.”

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