Thursday, August 23, 2012

Sniffets! with FREE Pattern!


The Sniffets are a type of insect that inhabit Planet Lumpet, they are known as social insects as they enjoy a good party. They live in burrows underground in groups of 10 to 25 depending how big they have made their burrow - extensions can be made but young Sniffets are encouraged to venture out and start new colonies (who wants to live with their parents forever?). Some have been known to wander Lumpet for many many months seeing as many of the sights as possible before settling down - these are considered the wisest of the Sniffets and welcomed into most colonies.

Sniffets are easily identified by their long torpedo bodies that have 2 sets of eyes and a bumper-like nose each end. It also has 2 sets of 4 legs. This allows it to change its direction in a split second ensuring it a fast getaway from its predators. It is also very useful in the narrow underground tunnels where few 'turning-circles' have been incorporated.






There are 5 main types of Sniffet recorded, these are easily distinguished by there colour, smell and taste.
  1. Yellow - Pineapple Sponge
  2. Brown - Treacle Tart
  3. Green - Apple Pie
  4. Beige - Roasted Peanut*
  5. Orange - Carrot Cake
Plus 3 rare types:
  1. White - Pina Colada
  2. Dark Brown - Chocolate Whip
  3. Blue - Blueberry Surprise
*No one knows why there is one that is savoury as opposed to sweet.

Want to make your own Sniffet? Here's how:


What you need:
  • 4ply wool (I used Jura Sunshine 22)
  • 4 x 2.25mm double pointed (DP) needles
  • Tapestry needle
  • Toy stuffing
  • Small pieces of Felt in white and black
  • Embroidery floss in black
Body
Cast on 6 sts and distribute onto 3 DP needles
Round 1 : Join in the round with a Knit row
Round 2 : KFB (Knit into front and back of stitch) 6 times
Round 3: Knit
Round 4: KFB, K1 - 6 times
Round 5 - 30 : Knit
Round 31 : K2tog (Knit 2 stitches together), K1 - 6 times
Round 32 :  Knit
Round 33 : K2tog - 6 times
Stuff body with toy filling
Cut wool leaving 4-5 inches tail, thread onto tapestry needles then draw through the last 6 sts and pull tight. Secure end and weave in. Also, use needle to weave in the other end.

Legs - Make 8

Cast on 3 stitches onto 1 DP needle work as an I-Cord and knit 14 rows.
Bind off and using the tapestry needle pull it tightly through last stitch.
Using the needle insert the leg into the underside of the sniffet about 6 stitches down from end and leaving 4 stitches in between the entrance and exit of the leg. You will need to give it a few tugs to get it through! Then just weave in the ends of the wool.

Each leg was placed with 2 stitches in between them and 4 stitch gap in the middle.

Eyes and Nose

The eyes were cut out of white felt - 4 small circles.
The Nose was cut out of black felt - 2 slightly bigger circles.

I used 2 strands of black embroidery floss to sew a french knot into the centre of each eye and then onto the Sniffet. The nose was then sewn on to the front and back of the Sniffet.

Tah Dah!!!

Your Sniffet is now done and ready to cause mischief!! What colour/flavour will you make?

Please visit my Ravelry page or Facebook page to upload a picture of your completed Sniffets! :D

Why not buy the Snufflelump pattern and make some of these cute animals too!

Snufflelump spots Yellow Pineapple Sponge Sniffet!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Snufflelumps Big Adventure!

The Snufflelump thought it was time he got to see some of the world - Earth that is.

So off he went of his first Big Adventure!!

First he went to the area known as The Lake District, he had been told that there he would find large expanses of water surrounded by lovely green countryside. He was not disappointed! He was impressed by the white animals that seemed to float across the water. They had strange long necks and made strange noises. He wanted to try out the wooden boats but had forgotten to pack his rubber ring.

After the excitement of the Lakes and as it was such a sunny day he was advised to try the traditional British pastime of having a long cool beer outside a public house which most people referred to as a 'Pub'. It was great just to sit back and enjoy the views after all that walking around a place called Windermere. He looked it up and discovered it had been around for over 13,000 years - he continued to be suitably impressed.

The next day he got to go to the beach! It was in a place known as Scotland so he was no longer in England and had travelled to a new country! He was sooo excited!
The beach was a lot of fun, it was full of sand which was very easy to dig in but got everywhere! He got sand in his feet and sand in his tail hair and even sand in his snout! He went down to the sea and saw how it moved in and out. He was told this was due to the tide and also was under control from the Earths Moon. He found this hard to believe and wondered if the Moon had a remote contol like he had seen for the TV.
The Snufflelumps adventure wasn't all play though, next up he went to find out about this guy called Robbie Burns. He was an important man that was very popular in Scotland. He was a little disappointed that he was no longer around but got to visit his house and found out all about his poems and music.
The Snufflelump returned home and was so happy to have seen so many things and loved his Big adventure!

Make your own Snufflelump! Relive his adventure and create many more!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Sufflelump Pattern now available!

Yes! its true :) The Snufflelump is now ready and available as a pdf pattern to buy.

Do visit my Etsy shop and check it out : http://www.etsy.com/shop/MonsterDen