From the Needles of DrFrankKnits

Showcasing the knitted toys and patterns from my shop, DrFrankKnits on Etsy, as well as general chatter on things that catch my fancy.

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Free Pattern Fridays - Rocket Ship Reprint!

Free Pattern Fridays – Rocket Ship Reprint!

Unfortunately, I’ve decided that I can’t keep up the Free Pattern Friday feature every week.  I know the patterns seem to materialize out of thin air, but as anyone who has ever written a pattern before can attest to, they take up a large chunk of time.  Between designing and perfecting the new toys, knitting them, transferring pattern note scrawl into a usable pattern, typing it up, reknitting…

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Free Pattern Fridays - Knitted "Ferrari" Sports Car!

Free Pattern Fridays – Knitted “Ferrari” Sports Car!

I’m always putting the offer out there for toy design requests – and someone finally took me up on it! A very kind and always-supportive friend on Ravelry had a dream of knitting a Ferrari!  I have to say I don’t blame her – they make beautiful cars!  The request was somewhat of a coincidence, seeing as I had been looking at Ferraris (images of them, not the real thing, unfortunately) a few weeks…

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Rainy Days and Tuesdays ...

Sorry, I couldn’t resist “paraphrasing” that Carpenter’s classic.  We’ve had some crazy weather in Phoenix these past few days.  The usual monsoonal flow got a boost from a downgraded hurricane and created some major rainy conditions here.  Luckily, in my area, the flooding wasn’t too severe – I know that some of Phoenix’s flooding made the US national news.  That’s a pretty major feat for a…

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Free Pattern Fridays - Knitted Tractor Toy!

I thought I’d do another vehicle pattern this week!  Tractors seem to be having their “moment in the sun,” if you will.  The last time I was in the toy store, I saw several die-cast tractor toys sharing space with the other Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars.  The image searches I did while devising this pattern brought up many pictures of people restoring old tractors.  It also showed me how far tractor…

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Free Pattern Fridays - Gecko Lizards!

Free Pattern Fridays – Gecko Lizards!

Gecko lizards are a common sight out here in the desert.  The other night, I noticed one on the outside of my kitchen window.  It had obviously been attacked or otherwise frightened because it was missing a part of its tail.  Shedding off a part of its tail is a fascinating method that many of these lizards use as a defense mechanism.  I grew up with cats – and as you probably know, cats like to…

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Another Knitted Guitar and Some Shop News!

Another Knitted Guitar and Some Shop News!

I added another knitted guitar to the collection this weekend with a BC Rich Warlock model, upon a suggestion from a friend.

White is always the easiest color to do an initial design in, particularly if you know that design is going to be a hassle. :)  I think this particular guitar is going to be a “toy only” item (i.e. no pattern release planned) because you’ll probably curse my name if you…

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Free Pattern Fridays - Music Note Softies!

Free Pattern Fridays – Music Note Softies!

My mind has been on music this week.  Of course, I don’t know that there’s ever a time when my mind isn’t on music!  I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t spend at least a few minutes listening to music.  I’ve been a violinist since I was 9 years old – with about a 10 year hiatus after high school before picking it up again as an adult.  I also made somewhat of an effort to learn acoustic…

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The Start of a Collection!

The Start of a Collection!

I’ve got guitars on the mind!  It’s sort of funny because I’ve never played electric guitar and I only have extremely rudimentary acoustic guitar skills – that I haven’t exercised in over 10 years.  As usual, though, I’m fascinated by shapes.  Just as I’m not an expert in cars or planes but still love to look at them and ponder their construction, guitars and instruments are the same way.  So,…

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A Rockin' Start to the Week!

A Rockin’ Start to the Week!

I’m usually pretty easily distracted.  When something comes up that inspires me, or an idea materializes out of the creative mess that is my brain, sometimes I just have to follow it for fear that the inspiration and excitement will be too ethereal to hold on to for any length of time.  That happened this weekend when I started thinking about music and found myself with the desire to knit a…

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Free Pattern Fridays - Mini Backpack Charms!

Free Pattern Fridays – Mini Backpack Charms!

The kids in my area are beginning to head back to school already … and I’m sure, similarly, your children are either back in school already or will be in the near future.  I don’t have any children, but I live a block away from an elementary school, so I always know when school’s back in session from the playground shouts and influx of traffic in the neighborhood!  So, this week’s pattern is a…

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Perseid Meteor Shower!

I love stargazing, and one of the great treats for any stargazer is a meteor shower.  Peaking late tonight and early tomorrow morning, the Perseids are one of the most reliable meteor showers, and they occur at a time of year when the weather is generally most conducive to sitting outside and watching.  Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods in Phoenix, Arizona, it looks like we’re going to have…

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The Monday Report!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend – and I hope you made it through the weekend without too many real ice cream sandwiches winding up in your bellies!  Thank you to everyone for the wonderful response to that pattern, as well!

The lovely ladies at SimplyNotable were kind enough to do a feature interview with me on their blog!  Check it out at http://www.simplynotable.com/2014/featured-design…

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Free Pattern Fridays - Knitted Ice Cream Sandwiches!

Free Pattern Fridays – Knitted Ice Cream Sandwiches!

To quote Monty Python’s Flying Circus:  “And now for something completely different!”

After a few weeks of vehicle patterns, I thought you might like a bit of a change!  August 2nd was National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, so I thought I’d celebrate that ever-so-important holiday by knitting ice cream sandwiches!  Of course, simple ice cream sandwiches just aren’t quirky enough for me, so I knew I had…

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A Prize Inside!

I drink copious amounts of tea.  I’m sure the amount of caffeine I consume every day from my favorite beverage is probably way off the charts – but I choose not to think about that.  I’ve been drinking iced unsweetened black tea since I was a child, and the habit has stuck with me.  Anyway, to feed my habit, I seem to always be buying 100 packs of black teabags.  Usually I wind up with the Lipton…

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Free Pattern Fridays - Fighter Jets!

Free Pattern Fridays – Fighter Jets!

As a knitter who thinks out of the box, I get inspiration from all kinds of places.  Usually the more “difficult” a shape looks, the more eager I am to try knitting it!  I’m a pretty huge stickler for detail as well, and I try to make models as accurate as possible.  Given that stuffed toys are safer than their metal or plastic counterparts, I try to design items that not only provide an…

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The Latest Bizarre Knit!

The Latest Bizarre Knit!

Social media is an amazing thing – it allows us to connect with people we’d never have met otherwise, and can reconnect us with people we never thought we’d see again.  For me, one of those people was an old Jr. High and High School Friend that I hadn’t seen in over 15 years.  We reconnected on Facebook and realized that we’re still just as crazy as we were back then!

I often put pictures of my…

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Thank You, DrFrankKnits Blog Readers!

Thank You, DrFrankKnits Blog Readers!

Happy Monday!  I wanted to start off with a big thanks to all my Ravelry readers who gave the little dragster cars all their hearts!  I really wasn’t expecting them to be so popular, so it made me very happy to see.  I’m also very excited that they may be bringing some fun into your little ones’ (or big ones’) lives!  That is, after all, the real joy of toymaking – seeing someone get excited…

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