Monday, December 03, 2007

FREE PATTERN: Space Invader

I got really inspired by Anna Hrachovec who designed the Woodins in the last Knitty issue. I fell in love with those cute creatures and wanted to design a stuffed toy myself. Other than that, I'm on ravelry now and just having one design there (and one really old one) is so, well, meagre.


I've always been a fan of the street artist 'Invader'. I like the way he uses an existing form and gives it another meaning. He takes the main characters from the 1978 arcade video game 'Space Invader', turnes them into mozaiques and then sticks them onto walls all over the world. So cool, so fun, such a friendly form of street art! Love it, love it, love it!


And so I thought it might be cool if the invaders took over the world one step further, this time 'knitty style'. So I designed knitted Space Invaders.

There's a big one and a small one, the small one is a little different. It was the first one that I knit and didn't turn out as boxy as I planned but I still like the little fellar so he can stay. Just so you know when you see the measurements beeing anything but logical. ;-)

Have fun invading!
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FREE PATTERN: Space Invader

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
This project is great for those leftovers that can’t seem to find a suitable pattern, it really doesn’t matter how big it will turn out so use all kinds of yarn just make sure you use the needle size that’s recommended or a bit smaller so that the stitches won’t bee too loose for filling. (So you still want to make a swatch... sorry...)

MATERIALS

Any yarn you like and 1 set needles to match the yarn, these ones are made with a 60% acrylic/ 40% wool mix, worsted weight knit on 4mm needles.
a tapestry needle
stich holders
stitch markers

GAUGE
17sts x 25rows = 4"


PATTERN NOTES
The space invader is knit in one shape, folded in half, then sewn up.

Used Techniques
casting on (single cast on + Double Cast-On aka Long-Tail Cast-On)
binding off
stockinette stitch
placing stitches on a holder
simple embroidery

PATTERN
Front Body
Cast on 10 (10) st
K 10(5) rows st st
(RS) Cast on 10(5) stitches using single cast on and K to end
(WS) Cast on 10(5) stitches using single cast on and P to end
(30 st on the needle)
K 12(5) rows st st
(RS) Cast on 10(5) stitches using single cast on and K to end
(WS) Cast on 10(5) stitches using single cast on and P to end
(50 st on the needle)
K 14(15) rows st st

Legs
(RS) K 10(5) st, BO 3(4), K10(5), BO 4(5), K 10(5), BO 3(5), K10(5)
(WS) P 10(5) st, place all other st on st holder
*Continue with the 10(5) st on the needle, K 24(15) rows
Place these 10 st on second st holder
Get next 10(5) st from first holder, K 24 rows(15) *repeat 3 times
Now all 40(24) st are on the second holder
(RS) K first 10(5) st
Cast on 3(4) st using single cast on
Add next 10(5) st from second holder and k10(5)
Cast on 4(5) st using single cast on
Add next 10(5) st from second holder and k10(5)
Cast on 3(5) st using single cast on
Add next 10(5) st from second holder and k10(5)

Back Body
K 14(15) rows st st
BO 10(5) st K till end of row
Bo 10(5) st P till end of row
K 12(5) rows st st
BO 10(5) st K till end of row
BO 10(5) st P till end of row
K 10(5) rows
BO all st.

FINISHING
Using simple straight stitches embroider eyes onto front side, making sure you ALWAYS stick in the middle of the yarn to make sure that when the knitting is stretched, the embroidery stays in shape.

* don't be gentle with me, I'm learning, if you have a suggestion or a remark, let me have 'em!

7 comments:

Tijm said...

Wat grappig. Ik heb niks met die Space films en spelletjes maar kan erg genieten van hoe jij de vrom omzet in een breipatroon. Hoop op een groot succes!

Jolanda said...

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

hij is leuk! ik ben zelf erg weg van dat ontwerp van de slang die de muis opeet. met die toupetjes. grinnik.

Anonymous said...

It's the perfect valentine's gift for my geeky old man! Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

OK, I was a little confused by the legs part, but i used a calculator and figured it all out. This pattern rocks!

Lucy said...

Okay, so I've gotten through the first leg, and now I have my first ten stitches on the second stitch holder, 20 stitches on the first stitch holder, and 10 stitches waiting on my left needle to begin working the second leg.

My question is this: The working end of my yarn (the one I'll be using to knit the second leg with) is still coming out of the last stitch on the first leg -- i.e. several inches above the start of the new leg, on the second stitch holder.

How do I go about joining the yarn to the new leg without leaving loads of slack? Is this where the double cast on comes into play? I can't figure it out for the life of me.

Thanks in advance!

IckleAme said...

Hey, I love this knitting pattern and have begun knitting myself my very own space invader! :D Unfortunately, I have become stuck on the same problem as Lucy has already posted:

"My question is this: The working end of my yarn (the one I'll be using to knit the second leg with) is still coming out of the last stitch on the first leg -- i.e. several inches above the start of the new leg, on the second stitch holder.

How do I go about joining the yarn to the new leg without leaving loads of slack?"

I'm completely baffled, it's probebly dead easy and I'm jusy being silly but could you let me know how. That would be awesome! My space invader awaits. :D

Thanks so much for an awesome pattern

Emma xx