Jelly Bums

For Auld Land Syne

2011-12-31T18:58:00.000Z

Well today is the very last day of 2011 or as us Scots like to call it Hogmanay.

Our 2011 has been a bit up and down with the loss of my grandmother in January but the complete high of the birth of our son Flynn in August. Our family has also been adjusting to my father becoming severely disabled after a road accident from the terrible weather of winter 2010 as well as my husband being made redundant from his job of 12 years in November.
However for some reason I feel I'm seeing this year out with a high and the realisation that I am blessed with my wonderful family and my own health and happiness and I should never take that for granted.

I look forward to the new year ahead mainly new ventures of returning to uni, my husband getting a new job, and my eldest child beginning school ( how the heck did that happen so quickly!). Tonight I will be celebrating with an early night mainly due to the fact that my husband is holed up in bed with food poisoning. So for all you guys out there who have taken the time to read this I hope you all have a fantastic start to the year of 2012, celebrate with he ones you love and you all look forward to the wonderful things that will come your way. So for new year tradition I'm going to sign out with the most famous new year song of all time:

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o kindness yet, for auld lang syne."

All the best

Love Raynor x

Jelly Bum Crocodile

2011-11-11T10:12:00.001Z

Well hello there, long time no see!Ok so I've been very lax with the upkeep of the blog for the past while now. Its due to a huge combination of things such as juggling studying, work placements, family life, pregnancy etc etc etc. However I also wanted to confess that I've just been stuck in a bit of creative rut or somewhat of a 'designers block' for some time now. Perhaps it's just because I have a million other things to deal with in the day and then when it comes the time to get a half hour here or there to knit my brain is just frazzled. I've been finding it hard to get inspiration to pick up the needles and create, and then when I do I just end up frogging it because the finished item isn't turning out how I want it to, oh the joys of being a Virgo perfectionist eh? Anyhoo last week I got a little light bulb moment and took the bull by the horns and started to knit. Out of nowhere popped this little guy, a cheeky little crocodile. He will be the 30th Jelly Bum animal to join the crew. Can you believe it there are 30 animal patterns, it seems crazy to have that many available now. As usual he is available from my website and etsy store.By the way if you were wondering what the difference between a crocodile and an alligator, apparently alligators are only found in south USA and whereas crocs are found worldwide, plus a crocs teeth will always show when its mouth is closed whereas an alligators teeth are hidden.You learn something new everyday huh? (Can you tell I googled it? haha).

A little Jelly Bean!

2011-04-24T23:39:00.004+01:00

My apologies for my distinct lack of blogging for the last few months. Everything is a bit up in the air at the moment the biggest news being that we're having another baby!

This is our newest little addition due to arrive 30th August 2011!

We also found out at out 20 week scan that we are expecting a little boy this time. Eek, what do I do with one of those! Haha only joking it, just hope he likes being doused in pink which seems radiate from every corner of our house as our girls grow older and get decisively more girly everyday!

The news also means that I will be on maternity leave from 18th July and so am hoping to use it to try and get more patterns on the go (once it all settles down).

This is also my perfect excuse to start knitting some baby clothes, which is completely alien to me, but I'm loving the gorgeous little shawl collar cardigan on Ravelry. I have a feeling my baby may be in some wonky shaped cardigans for the first few months of his life.

Raynor x

Jelly Bum Panda

2010-09-10T08:30:00.004+01:00

Why hello there!

I've popped on to let you all know about the new Jelly Bum panda pattern, it's he adorable! As usually he is available from my website or from my etsy shop.

My apologies to everyone who has been in contact asking when I was be releasing a new pattern. My fingers have been itching for months to try and get more patterns out, I've just been so busy with work/uni which are definitely pattern stoppers, much to my disappointment.

I've been off on holiday this week for the first time in 3 months so I've had a chance to catch up with things, the the new pattern out and even get started on a new pattern. I am catching the bull by the horns this time as I won't get another break until Christmas time. Once I get the new pattern out I'll try and get some new dress up patterns available too.

I hope your all doing well and enjoying your knitting, I love the change in the seasons when it feels good to be knitting cosy stuff again, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.

I'll be back soon with updates on the latest pattern under construction.

Raynor x

Favors and Facebook

2010-06-26T07:57:00.006+01:00

Hey everyone,
It's been ages since my last post, so thought I would pop back for a wee update. Whenever I send out my pattern I always ask people to send me pictures or upload them somewhere like ravelry or the flickr group, because I really do love to see what people make with the patterns. I also love the little stories that accompany each little animal that has been made and you guys always seem to personalise them so well. I little while back I recieved an email from a lovely lady called Christine, she had sent me a photo of 80 Jelly Bum finger puppets she had created as favors for her daughters wedding guests. I thought that was such a fantastic idea, very personalised and unique. Here is a photos of them altogether, also note the adorable little bride and groom at the front.

I was also informed that some of these little guys even have there own facebook profile! So it got me thinking that Jelly Bums needed its own facebook group, and at long last I have eventually set one up, so please feel free to join and ask questions and photos etc. Also if anyone has one of these little finger puppets as a facebook friend then add them i'd love to see there profile.

To join the Jelly Bums Facebook group click here

Raynor x

Jelly Bum Kangaroo

2010-04-11T19:46:00.003+01:00

Ok I'm just going to slip quietly through the door here, since I should be ashamed at myself for neglecting this little blog!

My apologies for disappearing, it seems my knitting life is back on track after my little stint on work placement for uni. It seems to be hotting up here in Scotland (Read as: the temperatures are now just above freezing!) but all I want to do is knit, knit, knit. Seems that it's the perfect way to procrastinate when I should really be writing that 3000 word essay.

Over the last while I've been mulling away with this pattern until I had perfected it, so I'm proud to introduce to you the Jelly Bum Kangaroo. I've been informed by the lovely Australian Faye that the toys should be referred to as 'she' as male kangaroos do not have pouches (ashamedly showing my ignorance by calling it a 'he') which would make sense since they are for the little Joeys after all.

As usual available from all the usual etsy and website locations. I hope you all like him and want to knit them up for your little joeys.

For the next few pattern I'm going to concentrate on a few more clothing patterns for the toys so I'll be doing a boy theme and a girl theme still deciding what I'll go with for them though but have a few sketches down. So keep an eye out for them.

Love, hugs and thanks for your patience

Raynor x

Jelly Bum Squirrel

2009-12-30T14:04:00.006Z

First of all I want to thank you all for being so patient with me during my huge absence from posting. I have been around juts lurking in the background really as I've not had much time over the last few months only to send patterns and answer my emails. I hadn't lost the knitting bug just that i barely had any time to dedicate to my family etc with all my uni stuff going on and so something had to give. I came of on holiday juts before Christmas and picked up my needles as soon as. It felt like being reacquainted with a long lost friend!

So now that i have a little time to myself I've been creating again and this time I get to announce the arrival of the Jelly Bum Squirrel. Naturally with me being a redhead he had to be a red squirrel. Adorable as ever I really enjoyed knitting him up since he was my first project in as many months. So if you want to knit him up as always he is available from my Etsy shop and website.

In other knitting news I have went and purchased a little drop spindle, and some nice Shetland tops. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then I'm planning to start hand spinning some yarn for myself. The whole reason behind this was that I'm starting up a new little venture called Little Hobos. These will be little toys knit by myself in my own hand spun wool. You never know I might even give dyeing the wool a bash as well. So if you would like to keep updated with that new venture you can follow my progress at http://www.littlehobos.blogspot.com/.

OK I'm off for now, I'm still knitting away so please check back for any updates and I'll see you all on the other side in 2010!

Happy new year all

Raynor x

Jelly Bums Bat

2009-09-22T21:59:00.004+01:00

Hey all, I can't believe its getting into autumn of the year already! As promised in the last post I'm concentrating on the holiday season, so I've added a little Halloween bat to the Jelly Bum gang. You can't really see it in the photo but his wings have a nice little ridge detail and little points to the bottom rather than just a straight edge. I love how they eventually turned out after many trial and error test knits. I can see these little guys being knit with the dangly legs and hanging upside down as a little Halloween display, how adorable.

As you probably know I usually keep the next pattern a secret, however I have promised to make a turkey for all those knitters out there who like to celebrate Thanksgiving, or even those who would like a like little Xmas turkey. I might try and squeeze a little Halloween dress up costume or two in before then.

In other knitting news some of you may have seen that I was featured in 'Let's Knit' inspiration station this month, which is very exciting. I was quite pleased my photography skills lived up to publishing standards!

In the non-knitting news It's been really hectic here recently as I try to settle into the routine of being at university and meeting lots of new people, lots of fun though. The girlies are also still settling into nursery but taking to it quite well, independent little madams, making me feel rather redundant now.

OK I'll be off for now, and as usual will be back with any updates, in the meantime feel free to get in tough if you have any questions or queries I'm always happy to hear form my fellow toy knitters.

Happy knitting

Raynor x

Jelly Bums Meerkat

2009-09-08T09:00:00.007+01:00

Happy September everyone, can you even believe it's got this far into the year already?

Just popping on to formally introduce the Jelly Bums meerkat pattern, even though he has been available for a while now, I though it would be rather rude not to give him a shout out like the others. If your in the UK you may know where my inspiration has come from for this little fellow. If not then I'll let you know my inspiration was from a little meerkat by the name of Aleksandr Orlov who is founder of Comparethemeerkat.com , and face of the TV ad campaign for Compare the Market.com Try not to get the two confused it get Aleksandr very cross! He is an adorable little Meerkat who has the catchphrase 'simples'. I'm even thinking of making a little smoking jacket outfit complete with cravat to accompany him, a little bit of Hugh Hefner style for the Jelly Bums, don't worry I won't accompany it with any buxom blonde dress up.

My thoughts at the moment are turning to the holiday seasons, first Halloween so perhaps a few spooky outfits and then thanksgiving and Christmas, so will definitely try and get some more themed outfits and perhaps animals out by then.

Also it is 1st anniversary of the very first Jelly Bum pattern being released on 23rd September so I'm hoping to perhaps have some sort of special celebration for that, so keep your eyes peeled.

Happy Knitting

Raynor x

More dress up

2009-08-29T08:35:00.008+01:00

It seems the Jelly Bums have been raiding the dress up box again! This time we're in the kitchen with the chef dress up. There was a suggestion on the Ravlery group posts to make a little mitt to go with the outfit so I tried it out and it looks adorable. I hope you all like it, I think he looks great on the pig, but the outfit will fit any of the Jelly Bum animals made with the animal or big foot legs. The outfit comes with instructions to make the jacket, trousers, scarf, hat and oven mitt.

I'm starting work on a little girly baker outfit now, still in the process of designing the apron as I have a few idea of how I would like it to look.

I just thought I'd write a little bit about the ballerina costume that is also available from the etsy shop or from the website. It has been available for a while now but I completely forgot to blog about it. The costume comes with instructions to make the body suit, tutu, wrap top and pumps. If you have knit up any of the animals for a little girl they will love this dress up outfit, it's perfect for those who loves things sugary sweet and pink, pink, pink!

In other non knitting news, I apologies for being such a slacker with the blog recently it seems that my husband is just a big distraction when he is on holiday from work, and I've got nothing done over the past few weeks. That rolled in with the fact we have been trying to the girls settled into a nursery (first day on Monday, oh no) and I'm starting university in 8 days, eek!
I'll keep you all updated with how things are going with any new designs and hope to get my fingers working on a new animal pattern soon.
Happy weekend knitting everyone
Raynor x

Quick knits

2009-08-02T20:33:00.005+01:00

Hi everyone,
I hope you all having a lovely weekend. The weather has been lovely in Dundee today, makes a nice change from the rain and thunderstorms we've had for the past few weeks. It's been great to have the girls running around in the garden whilst I'm getting on with a few more designs.

My darling husband had informed me today that he seen the magazine I was speaking about in my previous post on sale yesterday so I guess it ok to post about it now.

This is the very first pattern I have ever made for a printed publication. It's called cute couple and is was for a magazine called Let's get crafting! issue 15 Quick Knits. It was extremely interesting to see how the whole process works, and I'm very pleased with the end results.
I really enjoyed working on this project and would love to do more magazine work so if there are any magazine editors out there reading then I'd love to hear from you.
The magazine is aimed at crafters who would like to have a taster of different crafts and so the issue come with four balls of 35g yarn in blue, pink, orange and green, plus a pair of 4mm needles. Perfect if your a beginner knitter and loads of other really quick and easy projects in the magazine too. I've been looking through all the articles drooling over the gorgeous yarns they have featured, and trying to resit logging onto all the great adverts for knitting shops.
I've added the pattern to the ravelry library so if you knit this little pair up please add them to your ravelry projects I'd love to see everyone finished toys.
Happy knitting everyone
Raynor x

Playing dress up

2009-07-31T13:51:00.005+01:00

Hey all,
I've been slacking lately with the blog, as I've been busy making more of my lists! This time I've created a huge list of dress up clothes for the animals to wear. I've already released the superhero and supergirl costumes.

I'm currently working on a ballerina which is almost compete, just needing photographs and the pattern checked over. I'm really excited about knitting these up as I love the idea that child can play dress up with the animals or they can be giving as a themed gift.

Also if your a Raveller I've started up a new Jelly Bums Group so please feel free to come and join by clicking here. It will be great to have one place to answer questions and get feedback from everyone and also to make any announcements.

I 've had a really good week so far as I've just received a copy of my first ever non-self published pattern! I don't know if I can say to much about it yet as the publication won't be released for a few more days yet so I'll let you all know once it's all official.

So I'll probably be back in a few days with the new ballerina pattern so please pop back. I hope you have a lovely weekend everyone, relax, knit and enjoy life.
Raynor x

Click Click Click

2009-07-23T20:56:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone,
Hope your all doing well and have had a lovely week. First off I wanted to let you all know how excited I was to be featured in the Lime & Violet daily chum on Tuesday. I love the little empire the guys have going on over there, I still can't believe it I felt like writing an acceptance speech!

So other than that I have about a million and one things to do before I start Uni and I only have a month to go. Will I get it done? Probably not but hey a girl can try, right? So I've decided that one of the many thing I'm adding to my 'to do' list is to photograph all the patterns with all the pieces they come with so they will have a photo of each form. I've been meaning to do it for ages but well I'm a procrastinator and putting things to one side is what I'm good at.

Ok that's all I've popped on for today I'm hoping to start a new pattern soon although I'm not too sure when but hopefully by the end of next week. In the meantime keep those needles clicking.

♥ Raynor

You know your addicted to knitting toys........

2009-07-18T16:05:00.003+01:00

..........when you get excited by safety eyes arriving in the post!

These beautiful eyes were from enami eyes and come in 28 different colours. They will be used for some doll patterns I have in the pipeline.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Badger

2009-07-15T10:16:00.004+01:00

Hey all, just popping in to introduce the little Jelly Bum Badger pattern. This pattern seems to have taken me forever to create as it took a few attempts to get his face stripes just right (I'm such a faux perfectionist!).
This is the part where I usually say he is available from my etsy shop, however in addition to that I'd like to take the opportunity to announce the opening of the Jelly bums website. I can't believe I actually got around to doing it, my little shiny new website! So if you want to have a peek then click on the 'buy patterns' picture on the right hand side.
The website uses paypal payment so it's just the same as buying my patterns from Etsy, apart from you don't need to have any type of account to use it, just a valid working email address. Simples!
All prices are in pounds (£) sterling, however paypal will automatically convert your currency to the sterling if your outside the UK. So it's really easy to buy the single pattern and pattern deals. I will probably be using the website to add some help videos as well, so look out for that in the future! Also keep an eye out as I'm hoping to run a competition soon to officially launch the website.

At the moment I'm juggling between writing more animal patterns and creating some pattern for the Little Red Stitches shop, as I'm really enjoying creating the dolls. If only you could see the idea lists I have scribbled all over little pieces of paper in my knitting drawer, there's never enough time in the day eh?

Ok back to my knitting, as usual I'll be back with any updates, so in the meantime happy knitting.
♥ Raynor

Little Red Stitches

2009-07-05T11:08:00.005+01:00

Hey all,
It feels like its been such a long time since I last blogged. things have been so hectic with the house move and it feels like I've got a million and one things to sort out everyday but I'm getting there slowly but surely.

just as we were starting to move I had started on a new little knitting project which was a nice change from making the animal patterns. I eventually finished the pattern last night and this is the result

It's little red riding hood accompanied by a Jelly Bum Wolf. So now I'm going to be splitting my time between creating the Jelly Bum animals and some fairy tale doll patterns for my new Etsy shop Little Red Stitches.

To be honest I've wanted to create some doll patterns for a while but finding a way to make the doll hair scared me off a bit. I prefer to knit the hair as a piece rather than having the yarn strands, so I've taken the plunge and decided to give it a go. I'm really pleased with the results and can't wait to get cracking on a few more dolls.

I'm also thinking about creating a new blog which is dedicated to helping with toy knitting. I'd add some videos to demonstrate some skills rewired for toy knitting such as mattress stitch, sewing limbs, attaching safety eyes etc. Let me know if you would be interested in this kind of thing and I'll try and get it set up.

Ok everyone have a lovely lazy Sunday, especially for my American visitors who may still be recovering from their July 4th celebrations. I'll be back soon with any updates.
Happy knitting
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Rhino

2009-06-14T08:51:00.004+01:00

Hey all, apologies as this post is about 2 days too late! I've popped in with the latest little Jelly Bum buddy. I've had him half completed for a week or so now and he needed arms attached so he could pose for the camera, so he sat there patiently waiting for me. As always he's available from my etsy shop and blog shop.
The reason I've been so busy is that we are eventually moving house! I'm so excited its actually a house with stairs and a garden for the girls to run about in, perfect for the approaching summer.
We will be slowly moving over the next two weeks, but I'll still have access to the computer so please don't hesitate if you want to get in touch with me, I promise I'll reply.
Sorry this post is a bit up in the air we're rushing around today trying to get ready to go support my mum and my sister as they are doing the 'Race for Life' sponsored run for Cancer Research today at Camperdown park, looks like it will be a good day so we might have a picnic in the park.
OK I'm off for now, I'll be back with any updates but at least you'll know where I've going if I'm gone for a little while.
Happy knitting everyone
Raynor x

Jelly Bums Goat

2009-06-02T09:31:00.006+01:00

Hey all, dropping by today to show you the latest Jelly Bum member, a little billy goat. I had been meaning to make this pattern for ages because a lady by the name of Leslie had requested a goat ages ago as her sister has a sweet little Goat named Lexie. Also another great lady, Margaret had requested one to help her sister demonstrate 'The three Billy Goats Gruff' Story for the kids at her school. So I got the needles out and this little guy hopped off the end of them! I'm not sure if you can make it out in the photo but he has a fluffy little beard. I just love how grumpy he looks, it really gives him character.

When I'm creating the animal I like to look at lots of different pictures of them as research to how I want the finished toy to look. I never realised there was so many different types of goats with distinctive looks, so it was back to the drawing board and imaging how I remember them from my childhood, so I hope you all like him.

Also just wanted to make a quick little note about the clothes patterns. I've been wanting to make more pattern but I don't just want to do a dress or a t-shirt etc I would like to make them little themes so that people can pick and choose clothes to individualise their toys. It means I'll take longer to get the pattern out but also that there will be a few bits of clothing at a time. So hope you can bear with me whilst I brainstorm for a while over the themes.

In non-knitting news, what a glorious week its been here. The sun is shining brightly which is a rarity in Scotland so we've been on plenty of long walks with the girls to make the most of it. We're still house hunting at the moment, it's getting really daunting as time is drawing closer for me going to university, so fingers crossed something will crop up soon.

Ok as always I'll be back soon with any Jelly updates

♥Raynor

Jelly Bums Mouse

2009-05-28T16:10:00.004+01:00

Hey all, just dropping by to show off the latest Jelly Bum Pattern, a sweet little mouse.
I had this pattern ready for a few days but somehow just could not get good pictures of the finished toy. I love how she looks a little bit chubby because I doubled up the white yarn because it was so thin, reminds me of the greedy little mouse from Cinderella.
I also wanted to say a huge thank you for your kind word about the dino suit I'm so pleased it was received so well. I'm in the process of working on a dress pattern but i'm still tweaking to get it perfect, and then I'll get photos and get it up for you all to use.
Apologies at the moment if I'm a bit absent I'm trying to get on to update as much as possible but we are in the middle of house hunting before I start university so it seems my spare time is filled with searching for the perfect house and then going to viewings. That and the fact that we have to start looking for a nursery for the girls soon, so hopefully you could all forgive me if I'm a bit quiet with things for a few days at a time. However do remember I'm always available to help or answer any questions and I'll always answer any emails within 24hours so please don't be afraid to write to me I'm always happy to hear from my fellow toy knitters.
OK I'm off for now to bask in the last of the rare afternoon sun, so drop by soon for any more Jelly updates
♥ Raynor

Free Patterns: Dino Suit

2009-05-17T22:40:00.005+01:00

Hey all, just popping by to let you all know that I've finished another free pattern to dress up the Jelly Bums. It's an awesome little dino suit!

Click here for pattern

I got the idea from the show 'Peppa Pig' (which my 2 year old is obsessed with) as Peppas' little brother George answers everything with 'dinosaur'. So I thought it would be really cool to be able to dress the animals up as a dinosaur. I hope you all enjoy the pattern, I'd love to see if anyone makes one, I can picture them now in a whole variety of colours so let your imagination run wild.
The pattern was designed to use with the oval body pattern and either the animal legs or the big foot legs, I've modelled the suit on a little lamb with the animal legs.
I really enjoyed creating this pattern so you'll be happy to know that I'm already jotting down lots of ideas for more dress up patterns and hopefully you can soon have a whole little wardrobe for your Jelly Bums. The biggest problem is deciding between making more outfits or more animals now, so I'll hopefully find a happy medium soon maybe alternate between the two.
Hope you all had a lovely weekend and I'll hopefully be back with any updates soon.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Beaver

2009-05-15T15:42:00.004+01:00

Hey all just popping in to introduce the latest Jelly Bum animal, don't you just love that little buck tooth? As with all the other patterns he is available to buy on his own or as part of any of the pattern deals. Can you believe that's the 20th Jelly Bum pattern already, it seems like so many now, but I've still got a big list to get through so I'm not hanging up my needles just yet!
I apologise for my lack of blogging lately, I seem to be trying to have my finger in to many knitting pies. I've been working on a little pattern for The Knitted Toy box, and also trying to clear out a lot of the knitted toys I've had stored away in a box for ages, hopefully I'll be able to find them a home where they will get lots of love and hugs.
I've also been looking into lots of ideas for more free clothes patterns for the toys, but can't seem to make up my mind on something yet. I was thinking perhaps a ballerina outfit or a superhero outfit, but I'm still researching lots of ideas so if anyone has any suggestions of what they would like to see please feel free to leave a comment, as I'd love your feedback.
Ok I'm off just now but promise I'll be back soon with any updates.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Moose

2009-04-30T08:57:00.004+01:00

There's a moose loose aboot the hoose!

Hey all, I'm back to introduce the latest addition to the Jelly Bums an adorable moose. He's been available to purchase since Tuesday however blogger has been playing up and I've been unable to post about him. His horns were a bit of a nightmare to design, but I got there in the end and I love the way they turned out, plus its always great to have a design challenge with a pattern, it makes the whole process more exciting.

Nothing much to report from this side of the pond as I'm pretty under the weather with some sort of virus as the moment so not feeling to great. However I'm not going to let that get me down as I really want to get cracking with some more patterns as I've got a lot of ideas running through my head at the moment, so I can't wait to get them down on paper (or should that be computer?).

The next pattern will be the 20th pattern still can't believe how quickly it seems to have gone and doesn't feel that long ago that I was creating the very first little doggy pattern. The only problem now is deciding what animal to design next!

Raynor x

Just popping my head in

2009-04-26T15:04:00.003+01:00

I'm back again!
Apologies for my long unexplained absence, the last month has just gone a bit haywire. At the start of the month we had a big scare when Evie pulled down a cup of coffee from the counter and scolded herself, resulting in a 5 day stay in the hospital. We were so happy once Evie was allowed home and then it turned out that Lois had caught a viral infection which meant lots of projectile vomiting etc... mmm not nice but you get the idea. It was an awful time and unfortunately has taken the whole family a good whilst to recover and get back into routines etc. I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all of those who sent the girls their get well thoughts and also thank you all for being so patient with me sending out patterns and answering questions.
Obviously the knitting went on the back burner the last few weeks, however now that the girls are all better now I've got back on to it. The next pattern should be out by Tuesday at the latest as I'm still making final touches to everything. I can't believe it will be the 19th pattern, I'm really in the knitting 'zone' at the moment so I'll have to get cracking with more patterns whilst I'm there.
Also thought I'd let you know that I've eventually plucked up the courage to start crocheting! Its actually a lot easier than I thought but I'm still learning, you never know there might even be some Jelly Bum crochet patterns in the pipeline!
Hope your all having a lovely weekend and pop back to see the latest pattern soon.
♥Raynor

Jelly Bums Cow

2009-03-28T07:38:00.003Z

How now brown cow, look what I've eventually got around to finishing!

Finally managed to get things sorted out with the light box and managed to get a new one which was luckily delivered very quickly. I hope this little fellow was worth the wait.
In knitting news this week, I was so touched to learn that a lovely lady named Kate had purchased her pattern to knit for her friends newly adopted son who was making a long trip from Kazakhstan. His birth name means 'leader of the snow leopards' so she was going to knit him up a white Jelly Bum tiger and give it to him for him to cuddle on his long journey home. It never ceases to amaze me how kind-hearted some people can be, and I hope little Bekbaris is now settling into his lovely new home with his little snow leopard.
Things will be a bit hectic in out house this next week as my little princesses celebrate their birthdays. Evie will turn 2 on Monday and Lois will have her first birthday on the following Sunday, oh how time flies. I will be attempting to make a cake for Evies birthday but we'll see how that goes as my baking skills are a little rusty!
I will try and get started on the next pattern during middle of next week so hopefully I will be back on track again with getting the patterns out more regularly. Ok I'm off to purchase some baking ingredients, do you think guests would mind eating knitted cupcakes if it all goes pear-shaped?
♥ Raynor

Look what the cat dragged in!

2009-03-24T07:20:00.003Z

Hello there everyone,
Apologies for my long unexplained absence. things got a bit hectic here for a few weeks and the knitting had to be put on hold for a while. Firstly I've had the 18th pattern completed to be photographed for over a month now, however I tried to purchase a light box to help with the pattern photography and it basically never arrived, so I've been waiting a long time to get my refund and will then be looking for a replacement.
Also had my interview to go back to university in September and I've got in, yippee!!! I'm so happy there was only 12 places left out of 70 interviews. As I said before I'll still be trying to create the patterns when I'm back there it juts may be a little slower, plus I'll always be selling and be on hand to help when anyone needs me.
I'm hoping things will resume to normal over the next fortnight once I get my new light box and the excitement of the little ones birthdays are out of the way. Can you believe my little babies are going to be one and two?!! They grow so fast.
Anyways enough of my rabbiting on, hope your all having fun knitting the patterns. Remember to keep posting your finished toys on the Jelly Bums flickr group and/or Ravelry, I'm loving the pictures that are being posted so keep up the good work everyone.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Raccoon

2009-02-15T21:43:00.004Z

Hi everyone, I've bounded on hear very excited today to show the latest Jelly Bum pattern. I think to date this must be the finished I adore the most out of them all, although I'm torn between him and the lion.
This little fellow was inspired by my (almost!) 2 year old daughter. A few weeks ago she started to go through a peculiar phase when eating her meals. She would often take her juice beaker and start pouring it all over her food and then eating it, especially with things like bread. It reminded me of a nature program I had seen on raccoons who also carry out this 'dousing' behaviour with their food. So I started to call her a little raccoon and though I should whip up a little pattern in honour of her animalistic ways!

I've had a pretty rough week as I've developed some sort of cold and chest infection combo, leaving me feeling extremely tired, however I really need to start getting a move on with making more patterns.
I think I may have mentioned it a few posts back about wanting to go back to university to become a midwife, and after a long long 7 month wait I eventually got word of an interview for 23rd February. So hopefully if everything goes according to plan then I'll be back at university by September. So I'm hoping to reach my target of 50 patterns by September otherwise the time frame in which they will be released will slow considerably. I'll take it month by month but I'm hoping to make real progress.
Just thought I would mention that if I am returning to university then I will still be selling the patterns and I will still be around to answer all your questions and queries.
As usual I'll be back hopefully within the week to show of the latest pattern.
Happy knitting everyone
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Tiger

2009-02-11T18:45:00.006Z

Hello everyone, just popping in to debut the newest Jelly Bum member, he's a cute little tiger.

After many attempts to get his stripes right I eventually managed to get them just how I pictured. He's now available to buy as a single pattern and in any of the pattern deals.

Thank you all for your kind emails congratulating me on my first Etsy year, your words mean so much and to know that when I write these little messages that I'm not just talking to myself in cyber space.

I've seen a few new pictures of the new leg patterns on Ravelry and the Jelly Bum Flickr group, and they look fantastic, so I'm glad you all like them. So remember if your knitting them, take photos and pop them on the Flickr group so I can see what everyone's creating.

I just realised the last few days that I'm slowing sown a lot more with the pattern creating again so it's all system go here. Tomorrow I'll be back on the ball getting started with the next pattern, I'm still in the process of perfecting the design. This time the pattern will be a little bit more unusual as there are very few patterns out there for this animal, so pop back soon to see what the needles have been stitching.

♥ Raynor

1st Etsy-versary

2009-02-09T00:01:00.002Z

Hey everyone,
Thank you all for all your lovely emails regarding the new leg patterns, I'm glad you all liked them, and hope they are keeping your needle clicking away creating for for all the kiddies and the adults who are just kiddies at heart!.
So today is the first 'birthday' of my etsy shop, and it's all gone so quickly. I've learned so much from running my little online shop and it has been a saviour for me whilst being a stay at home mum and allowing me a little bit of creative freedom to break the monotony. I love creating the little animals, but most of all I love getting to know the people who knit them, I've met some truly amazing people through starting up Jelly Bums so I wanted to thank each and everyone of you out there have supported me in some way, through buying patterns or even just a kind comment it's all greatly appreciated.
I wanted to have a little special give-back to all my customers, so for the whole of the 9th February I will be giving a 20% discount on all orders I get from my Etsy and Blog shops. So simply purchase the patterns from either shop and I will refund the discount to your paypal (unfortunately there is no discount options on etsy).
I will keep the discount open until 8am GMT so that gives everyone outside the UK the chance to buy during the 9th.
Thanks so much for dropping in and I'll be back in a fews days to show off the latest pattern I'm starting on tomorrow.
Happy knitting
♥ Raynor

Patterns updated- Legs

2009-02-06T11:12:00.006Z

Hi everyone, thank you all for being so patient with me while I got all the revised patterns sent out to my customers. I think I've managed to get everyone, however if you haven't received you copies yet just pop me an email and I'll send them on.

It took me a bit longer than expected as my computer went AWOL on Wednesday. It kept overheating and crashing, so I couldn't get on for longer than a few minutes at a time, but it's all better now so I'm back on track.
I thought I'd show some photos of how the new legs look and explain a little bit about them.

This little lamb is modelling the 'animal' legs, these legs are designed to give a similar look to how the animals natural legs would look. They are stuffed and should be used with the newly added oval body pattern. The toys will measure roughly 6.5" -7.5" tall with these legs added.

The lion is modelling the dangly legs. These legs have been designed to use with the original 'flat bottom' body, the idea is that it can be used as a shelf toy with it's body on the shelf and its legs dangling over the edge. Only the foot part is stuffed and the leg is an i-cord. With these legs the finished toys measure approx. 7"-8" tall.

This cheeky little monkey is showing off the big foot leg pattern. I had loads of requests for this type of foot and I love how it turned out. The leg is fully stuffed, however unlike the animal leg it gives a more classic plushie look to the toy. This leg type should be used with the oval body pattern. The finished toys will measure approx. 6.5"-7.5" tall when these legs are added.

I'm really pleased with how these little patterns are evolving due to customer feedback. There are options for 6 different types of animal to be created from a single pattern so hopefully it should be enough to keep your needles clicking for a while.

I'll be back on Monday with a special anniversary post, so check back to see what offers I have.
Happy knitting
♥ Raynor

Missing in action

2009-02-01T11:33:00.003Z

Well I spent all day making up a new toy to demonstrate how the new legs pattern will look, and I'm just finishing up stuffing and seaming today. however I might be missing for a few days while I re-organise my pattern layout.
I was originally going to make the leg patterns a free download, however I realised that I would have to generalise it for all the animals, which becomes a bit trickier when we have to bodies with intarsia or fair-isle patterns. So I'm going to add the leg patterns to the original pattern, and then email out the revised patterns to everyone who has already purchased the patterns. This may take me a few days to work my way through my previous orders, hence why I won't be around for a bit.
I'll try and get everything organised as quickly as possible, but it means the next animal pattern will be put on hold for a bit.
I'll put up a post with a picture of the leg patterns soon so you can see how they look.
In the mean time happy knitting.
♥ Raynor

Free Patterns: Waistcoat & Baseball Cap

2009-01-31T10:48:00.006Z

This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed at home, but the Jelly Bum piggy got new clothes, and the big bad wolf got none!

Today I come bearing freebies!

So to go with the 'Three little pigs' theme I made a pattern for a little waistcoat and baseball cap so they can be made in all different colours so each pig can be dressed different.

They will also fit on any other of the Jelly Bum patterns so feel free to accessorise your toys. Just as a note the waistcoat will probably be too large to fit the finger puppet bodies, however the hat will still fit.

The pattern is available as a PDF download by clicking here.

I hope you you enjoy the patterns, I will work on some more clothes patterns for the animals in the future as they look adorable with little outfits on. Perhaps I could go with some dress up themes. Remember and add your photos to the flickr group if you make the waistcoat or the baseball cap.

Today I'm going to start on the leg pattern for stuffed toy, but I've decided to give two different options so it may take me a few days to get them up. So pop back soon and see the results.

♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Wolf

2009-01-26T22:56:00.004Z

Whose afraid of the big bad wolf?

Well this latest pattern took a little long than expected to get released, after getting off to a flying start, general life got in the way and he had to be put on the back burner for a few days.

This pattern was made as a request from a customer of mine who used my pattern for her shamanic work, it's great when people tell me their purpose for knitting the patterns.

I also had a lovely lady write to me a few weeks back letting me know that she uses the animals to illustrate her own homemade stories for her grandchildren, which I thought was a fantastic idea, to get a kids imagination flowing. So along those line I thought perhaps this wolf could be used alongside the Jelly Bums pig pattern to make little toys or finger puppets to go with 'The three little pigs' children's story. I'll add a little free pattern to the blog this week to help 'accessorise' the story a little.

Another request I've had from a few people lately is about legs for stuffed toys. The toys sort of just took on a look of their own when I started creating the jelly bums and the flat bottom of the toy just seemed to have its own unique 'look'. However I'll work on a little leg pattern for the toys this week and I'll pop it on the blog for free so it's accessible to everyone who has previously purchased a pattern.

So with my little blog patterns on my 'to do' list this week, the next pattern won't be available until the start of February. So please come back again and see what goodies the Jelly Bums have in store over the next few weeks.

♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Fox

2009-01-15T21:38:00.005Z

Here is the newest little member of the Jelly Bum posse and the pattern is now available from my blog and Etsy shops. I love his colour, but the original yarn colour doesn't show too well in the photo. I must have a natural affinity to foxes as I'm a redhead too.

I'm getting really frustrated with taking photos for the animals as they are often finished and waiting to be photographed, but I'm having to wait until certain times of day to get the perfect lighting, I really need to find a good light box kit.

Right, enough of my moaning! One thing that has made me a very happy bunny is the fact that Julie Williams from Little Cotton Rabbits has linked to here from her blog. Julie is an amazingly talented knitter with a huge following plus she has fantastic writing skills, the combination makes her blog so lovable. It's an great honour to be mentioned on the blog so I wanted to say a huge thank you to Julie. If you haven't ventured over to see her amazing little bunnies (amongst other animals and cupcakes) then take a peek, you'll be sure to get hooked on her latest cotton creations. Also a big hello to anyone who arrived here from the little cotton rabbits site, I'm glad you came.
I've already started another new pattern which was requested from one of my Etsy customers, and I really needed to start it while I still had the design in my head. It should be available by next week, so keep your peepers open for any updates.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Rabbit

2009-01-08T20:13:00.005Z

This is the first Jelly Bum pattern of 2009, a cute little bunny rabbit. Very easy to knit up, he was requested by a few of my customers so that they could knit up a storm before Easter time. I'm glad it's not just me who barely gets one holiday season out of the way but is starting up their knitting projects for the next! So if you knit him up you can hide all you Cadburys cream eggs under the tea cosy body and he'll keep them safe for you.

Each time I knit an animal I always like to imagine what people would use them for. Some of my customers have used them for all different things such as animated stories and even shamanic work. The safari animals are always a popular choice to knit up for kids nursery rooms. I love knowing how people use the patterns, so if you've knit up one (or more) of my patterns send, add your pictures of you work to the Jelly Bums Flickr group, I'd love to see the secret lives of the Jelly Bums.

I'm going to get started on the next pattern tomorrow, as I want to make up for lost time over the holiday season and get cracking on that target of 50 animals.

So check back soon to see what my needles have been creating.

♥ Raynor

Happy 2009

2009-01-07T20:31:00.002Z

Hello everyone, I thought I would wearily dip my head back in here after what seems like a little hibernating period. Well first of all I just wanted to say a little belated Happy New Year to everyone and I hope you had a lovely holiday season. For those who have been waiting ever so patiently you'll be glad to know that my knitting needles have been warmed up again today and are now back in action, clicking away creating the latest animal pattern. I was informed by my husband that I 'hadn't made a pattern in ages', I think he missed getting to choose the animals! Now the winter may be a little cold for the little fellow being created but I've had a few requests to have his pattern ready before spring time. I'm hoping to have him ready before the start of the weekend, so remember and pop back to meet the newest furry friends.
Take care
♥ Raynor

Blog Shop

2008-12-12T17:29:00.008Z

I've decided to set up a little blog shop for people to buy from me directly via paypal or credit card rather than having to sign up for an etsy account.

Just follow these simple steps:
1. Choose how many patterns you would like from the drop down menu in the sidebar.
2. Click 'Buy Now'
3. Sign into your paypal account
4. Remember to leave a 'note to seller' telling me which pattern(s) you would like
5. Click pay

All prices are in US Dollars so to check the price in your own currency use this currency convertor .

Your patterns will be delivered to your paypal email address (unless another email address is stated) in PDF format within 24 hours of payment. you will need adobe reader to view the patterns which you can download for free at http://www.adobe.com/.

Pattern cannot be refunded once they have been sent, so always double check your order.

If your having any problems with the blog shop or would like to order more than 10 patterns please email me, I'm always happy to help out.

♥Raynor

Jelly Bums Zebra

2008-12-10T21:45:00.003Z

I am so pleased to finally get around to posting about this little guy as he seemed to take an age to create. As you can see we have an inconspicuous stripey friend.... a little Zebra.

The reason he took so long was because I couldn't make up my mind about his hair. At first I threaded all his hair with knots and it took forever and in the end I didn't like the way it looked so I gave him a haircut! Once it was all off I decided on just knitting the mane as one piece, and I love how it turned out, he looks like a little punk with a mo-hawk from the side.

I've had so much fun creating these little guys in the past few months, however this pattern will be the last one before the new year as I'm taking a break from pattern writing over the holiday season, don't worry though I'll still around to send out an orders.

I hope everyone is having fun knitting their little Jelly Bums for loved ones this Christmas, and if you do knit one please take some pictures for me and upload them onto the Jelly Bums flickr group because I really do love to see them.

So I'll pop off for now, and in the mean time have a lovely holiday season and try not to stress out too much (I know, easier said than done!).

♥ Raynor

Give-Away Winner

2008-12-04T17:47:00.004Z

Ok first off I wanted to thank everyone who left a comment for the give-away yesterday I loved reading each and every one of the 133 comments left! I can't believe the response, it was such a great event to take part in.

Here are the results from the random number generator thingy ma-bob:

So congratulations to Eema-le who was comment number 25, I have sent out your patterns so you can get started on some stocking fillers for those little kiddywinks a.s.a.p.

Ok now my little bit of excitement is over with, I'm going to get cracking with the upcoming pattern, it's driving me a little bit nuts as I making little tweaks here and there so it's taking a little longer than expected. I'm hoping to have it out by the middle of next week at the latest. as this pattern has taken a little longer it will probably be the last one I'll be making this year, to give myself a break and then I'll be back to working on that long list of animals after the holiday season.

So check back soon to see the newbie animal.

♥ Raynor

Surprise Give-away Day

2008-12-03T00:01:00.006Z

Yep that time of the year is here again, It's now officially advent calender eating season! And as it is the season of goodwill I thought I would hop on the wagon with Sew Mama Sew who are having a marathon giveaway day.

I just want to say a big hello and a huge thank you to all the regulars who read this little blog and to all the new faces as well, I hope you enjoy it here.

So on to the the good part:

The prize ~ 12 Jelly Bum knitted animal patterns including a dog, cat, pig, monkey, elephant, lion, bear, giraffe, penguin, sheep, hippo and...
The first copy of the latest animal pattern I'm working on but that one will be kept secret until release date because I know you all love a little surprise!

The patterns all come with bodies for a stuffed toy, finger puppet and an egg cosy, and would make the perfect stocking fillers for the little ones in your life.
The patterns will be sent via PDF email only so make sure you have adobe reader available for free at http://www.adobe.com/ . More information on the patterns can be found if you click here.

How to enter~ Please leave me a comment of any sort below and I'll pick a random winner on Thursday 4th. The competition is open worldwide, and please remember to leave me a contact email so I can get hold of you.

The Competition will now be closed at 5pm GMT on 4th December to account for different timezones and I'll announce the winner later on that night.

Good luck to all entrants and have fun entering all the fantastic give-aways today.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Hippo

2008-11-27T10:41:00.004Z

Sorry to those who have been patiently waiting to find out what the newest animal is, I've been having trouble trying to log in to my blogger account so the pattern has been available for a few days now. SoIi present to you the Jelly Bum hippo

This little fellow was in demand as I had a few requests to make him. He gave me a great opportunity to try out double stranded knitting as the grey yarn I used was really thin so I doubled it up (Note to self: do not send hubby yarn shopping again). The method was a lot easier to do than I originally thought so I'd defiantly do it again.
I'm already started on making the latest pattern as I'm hoping to have 2 more animal patterns out by Christmas time, so finger crossed I don't get too distracted by the holiday season.
It's getting so much more difficult to photograph my toys in the natural light these days as the winter weather draws ever closer. We even had a blast on snow here on Sunday so it was really dark and chilly, so we have to wrap up warm every time we are out and about. looks like it's going to be a really cold winter in Scotland this year, i just wish I knew how to knit gloves and beautiful cowls, although a girl can dream by window shopping on Etsy!
Take care
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Sheep

2008-11-13T12:46:00.006Z

Ok ok I confess I've been procrastinating again this week! However I have not been slacking and as promised I've eventually finished the pattern with my fuzzy wuzzy yarn. So here is a new little sheep pattern for you all.

The yarn used was sirdar snuggly snowflake, and it was perfect for creating a fleecy fur look. Although it was the first time I have ever worked with novelty yarn and it was strange but in a learning curve sort of way.
The finished toy reminds me of a Lamb toy my dad bought in Amsterdam when I was small. We affectionately named him Lambsy and he had a 'baa-er'* inside him. Lambsy was the star of many of a nativity shows at our primary school. He is still round today looking a bit scruffy and weary after one too many rough play times from my siblings and now our children. Sadly now his baa no longer works but he always leaves me feeling sweetly nostalgic.
I'm now planning to get started on a particular animal which I've had a few requests for since I've started creating the animal patterns. I promise I'll get it out as soon as possible as I know a few people are knitting furiously to pop a few little critters into their loved one's Xmas stocking this year (yes it is that time of year already!).
Happy Knitting
♥ Raynor

* A 'baa-er' is my own made up word used to describe the device inside Lambsy which made him 'baa' when rocked backwards, similar to a teddy bear 'growler'.

Pattern updates

2008-11-09T09:58:00.002Z

Hey everyone, hope your all having a nice relaxing Sunday. Just thought I would pop on to give you a few updates from the world of Jelly Bums.
I recently updated all the pattern in the collection so they are now available with 3 different body shapes to make a stuffed toy, an egg cosy and a finger puppet. I was always being asked if the toys were finger puppets and my answer was always that the body was too wide for finger puppets but would make good egg cosies. So instead of confusing everyone I thought it would be a lot easier to give the option to make both an egg cosy and a finger puppet as well as the original toy pattern.
Also this week I got my Ravlery shop set up, so my patterns are now available to buy as downloads from there aswell (the link to my store is in the sidebar --->). If you purchase my patterns this way not only will you be supporting a great community but they are also downloaded directly to your computer, so no waiting for me to check my etsy orders.
Are you wondering what 'Ravelry' is? Well it's a fantastic knitting and crochet community which is currently only accessible by being sent an invite. If you want in to this little secret club then get your name on the list here www.ravelry.com . It make take a while for you to get the invite through but the wait is worth it, the community is a godsend for knitters and crocheters (is that a word?). So if you get an invite remember to add me as a friend my username is jellybum.
Ok my lovelies I'm off for now, but I'll be back mid-week with a new pattern, so be good in the mean-time.
♥Raynor

Jelly Bums Penguin

2008-11-04T10:00:00.008Z

Hey all I hope your all having a lovely start to your week. As promised I have another new pattern, this time its for a sweet little penguin.

This little sweetheart is the first bird to be added to the Jelly Bum collection. I think he's rather adorable and reminds me of pingu. He's the perfect little toy to knit up for the up and coming winter months.
As usual I'm going to get started on the next pattern either tonight or tomorrow, and it means I'm going to get using my new snowflake yarn, so if you know what this yarn looks like you might already have a little hint as to what animal is coming next, and if you don't then I'm leaving you in suspense.
♥Raynor
P.S sorry about all the extra spacing, blogger has gone a bit crazy over the last few weeks and it keeps putting lots of extra spacing into my posts and I can't fix it.

Knitting heaven

2008-11-01T08:54:00.002Z

Hi all, just a little end of the week update to let you all know the new pattern is coming along nicely, and should hopefully be available by the start of next week.
Yesterday was hubby's day off work so we went for a little run in the car with the girls. We ended up going to a little village called Letham which has a fantastic little craft shop. I think I could easily spend all my hours (and money!) in there and never get bored. In their little yarn corner they only really stock high quality yarn like cotton, wool, mohair, angora...... so different to the normal acrylic I usually use for my toys. It's safe to say I was in knitters heaven surrounded by all those beautiful textures and colours, thank you Debbie Bliss.
Anyway I got my paws on a nice little ball of Sirdar Snowflake yarn for a future pattern, it really is the perfect yarn for the job and I'm more than sure the finished toy will look perfect.
OK I'll stop being a yarn bore for today, have a lovely weekend all and I'll see you all next week.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Giraffe

2008-10-29T22:27:00.003Z

After a few days of knitting (and mostly frogging) the latest pattern picked by Michelle T in the very first Jelly Bums competition, It's eventually finished and I'm proud to present a little giraffe.

The pattern was a nice challenge as it required a whole chart design for the body and neck, plus the addition of the long neck. I think he is super cute and he seemed to be in demand before he was even created. Out of the 92 entries for the competition a giraffe was selected as the most wanted pattern with 17 entries. So if you want to get your mitts on your very own little giraffe he is now available as a single pattern and also part of the pattern deals from my etsy shop.

So for now I'll dash off to get working on another new pattern, and I'll see you all back here in a few days for the pattern reveal.

Take Care

♥ Raynor

And the winners are........

2008-10-25T09:24:00.002+01:00

Wow, what a great turn out there was for the very first Jelly Bums competition. In total we had 92 entries with 40 different types of animals picked to be the next Jelly Bum Pattern. So I've used the random number generator thingy ma-bob and paired up the number to each entrant.

In 3rd place we have:
Entry 92 - Sandra Blickett
Congratulations Sandra you have won 1 current Jelly Bums pattern of your choice.

In 2nd Place we have:
Entry 20 - Jenn St. Germain
Congratulations Jenn you have won 3 current Jelly Bum patterns of your choice.

And the winner is (insert drum roll here):
Entry 24 - Michelle T
Congratulations Michelle you have won all 7 of the current Jelly Bum patterns and also your choice of the next pattern.

A huge congratulations to everyone who won and a huge thank you to everyone who entered. I will be emailing the winners soon for you to collect your prizes. For those who didn't win check back soon to see which animal Michelle has selected to join the Jelly Bums fauna.
Have lovely weekend everyone
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Bear

2008-10-21T21:28:00.003+01:00

I would like to start this post by saying a huge thank you to all the people who have entered the competition so far, your kind words and comments have bowled me over thank you so much. It's really interesting to see what animals everyone is requesting, there is quite a variety although there are one or two which are being requested a lot. Remember the competition is still running until Friday, and the winners will be emailed to let them know they have won, but I'll announce it on here too, so fingers crossed everyone.

OK so as promised I have another new pattern albeit a week late! Its a little bear, don't worry though he is far from grizzly, as usual he is now available from my etsy shop as a single pattern or any of the pattern deals.

Jelly Bum Bears cuddly little fellows. They may seem scary but they are actually really shy and easily scared, so they need to be loved and protected. They are very loyal and will always defend the ones they love most. They love nothing more than sniffing out delicious food and gobbling up anything they find, so don't let them near your kitchen or you may find yourself eaten out of house and home!
The Bear pattern is also one of the prizes to go to the winner and is eligible to pick as a prize by the runners up. Right, I'm off for now, but I'll be back on Friday to announce the winner, so heave a lovely day/night in your part of the world.
♥Raynor

Competition time

2008-10-20T15:31:00.009+01:00

Hey all, sorry to all those who were awaiting the arrival of a new Jelly Bum critter this week, I'm running a bit behind with the new pattern but I promise it will be available by Wednesday at the latest.
So to make it up to you I've decided to run a competition, and here are the prizes:

First place :
* The 7 current Jelly Bum patterns (Dog, cat, pig, monkey, elephant, lion & bear)
* Your choice of animal made into a Jelly Bums pattern

Second place:
* 3 current Jelly Bum patterns of your choice

Third Place:
* 1 current Jelly Bum pattern of your choice

The patterns will be sent via PDF email only so make sure you have adobe reader available for free at http://www.adobe.com/ .
Only one entry per email address please.
The winners will be chosen at random by computer generated numbers.
The Competition is now closed.

Good Luck to all the entrants.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Lion

2008-10-13T21:41:00.003+01:00

Hello all, I'm back again with another new pattern. This time we have a little Lion, isn't he adorable!

Jelly Bum Lions are proud little creatures. They love to spend time with their family 'pride' and they always hunt, rest and play together. They are little softies at heart and love nothing more than a little bit of sunbathing on a hot day.
I'm really happy with how this little guy turned out, he looks really sweet. I'll get started on another pattern either tomorrow or Wednesday so check back to see who will be the newest addition to the Jelly Bum zoo.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Elephant

2008-10-10T21:41:00.005+01:00

Another day, another new pattern. This time I'm proud to introduce you to the Jelly Bum elephant, the pattern is now available from my etsy shop.

Jelly Bum elephants are very wise and intelligent creatures. They are very family orientated so you'll have to knit up a whole herd of them so they don't feel lonely. They like to talk to each other with their 'trumpet-like' calls and their favourite hang out is wallowing around waterholes whilst their playful little ones grab each others tails.
I eventually finished my little ear flap hat for my little girl, it turned out really well but I think I'm going to remake it with some chunkier yarn so its nice and cosy. In other needle news I'm trying to finish off a Sheldon for my eldest daughter who took a shine to the first one I knitted which was blue. So as she has a penchant for all things purple I decided that would be the perfect colour for her, she only 18 months old and is chomping at the bit for it as she keeps trying to steal it off my needles!
I'll be back to creating another new pattern this week, I'm not too sure what it will be yet but as usual I promise I'll get pictures up as soon as it's available to buy. So have a nice weekend everyone and happy knitting.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Monkey

2008-10-05T20:26:00.004+01:00

As promised I'm back with another new pattern for you all, it's a little cheeky monkey. He is now available to but from my etsy shop.

Jelly Bum monkeys are mischievous little critters. They extremely fun-loving and especially love to play practical jokes . Bananas are their favourite food and swinging from trees is their favourite pastime. They are very curious, but don't let them get easily bored as they may stir up some trouble!
Ok I'm off to have some me time now that the kids are in bed, and tomorrow I will be starting on another new patterns so keep your eyes peeled for any updates.
♥ Raynor

Pattern Deals

2008-10-02T09:12:00.002+01:00

Hey all,
The first Jellybums animal pattern deal is ready to buy. It's for the first 3 patterns, the pig, the cat and the dog. As the number of patterns increases I will put up the price list for set pattern numbers so the the more you buy the more you save, and you have the choice of which animals you want.

I'm working on the latest pattern just now and I've had it half done for a few days now but got side tracked with knitting a winter hat for my little one as its beginning to get chilly up here in Scotland. So I'll finish off knitting it up today so hopefully the pattern should be ready by the weekend. I'll post here as soon as its available so check back for any updates.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Pig

2008-09-28T17:53:00.009+01:00

I've eventually got around to finishing my latest pattern today and it's now available to buy from my Etsy shop. This time we have a little piggy!

Jelly Bum pigs are shy little fellows. They will always be a little friend who is very trustworthy and will never let you down. They love the countryside and a roll in a nice muddy field will make their day. A lover of all foods, these cute little porkers will make you smile with a wiggly of their curly tail and a sweet little 'oink'.
I nicknamed this little guy Ham, and reminds me of the three little pigs from the Shrek movies, and I just imagine him speaking in a little German accent like them. All he needs is a pair of mini lederhosen.
Just in case anyone was wondering, if you wanted to buy my patterns but don't have an Etsy account then you can still buy them through my Paypal account, just email me at jellybums[at]hotmail[dot]com letting me know what patterns your after and I'll send you an invoice.
Ok I'm off to get started on the new pattern as I know some of you are looking forward to having more patterns to choose from.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Cat

2008-09-25T08:38:00.004+01:00

Today another new pattern is available in my Etsy shop, and it's a little kitty cat.

Jelly Bum cats are the perfect little furry companions. They are playful little creatures and love nothing more than to chase after your balls of yarn! A piece of fish and a bowl of cream will go down a treat with these guys, and to show your their delight they will sit for hours on your lap purring contentedly.

As a request from a fantastic customer of mine I'm going to working on a new free pattern for my other blog The Knitted Toy Box for the next day or so. Then I'll be right back to creating more pattern for my Etsy shop. Hopefully I should have another pattern ready for next week.

Once I have a few patterns available I'm going to put up pattern deals where the more you buy the more you save. Remember I have a list of about 50 animals I'm wanting to make so you may want to hang fire if there is a particular little critter you want.
♥ Raynor

Jelly Bums Dog

2008-09-24T10:59:00.006+01:00

Ok as promised my very first Jelly Bums animal pattern is finally finished, and it's a little doggy.

Jelly Bum Dogs are very loyal creature who love company. Known as mans best friend they make great companions for us humans. They love to run around and their favourite game is fetch with a big bouncy ball. These little guys adore kids, and love to be treated with a a big juicy bone when they've been a good boy.

The pattern is currently available from my Etsy shop or if you don't have an etsy account then just email me and I can take payment directly via paypal.

As mentioned before this toy is the first of a very long list of animals I have in the pipeline. I have another one finished but the pattern needs formatting so it should be available over the next day or so. So pop back in and check to see which new animal will be joining the gang.
♥ Raynor

Long time no see

2008-09-23T09:03:00.000+01:00

Hello all!
So i'm back after a long break. For the last few months i've been away developing my new knitting patterns. I have a few up which have been made and are in the process of being edited so they will be available to buy very soon. I'll be putting pictures of the patterns up as soon as they are available. I have a long list of animals in the pipeline just waiting to be made into patterns, so if your favourite animal isn't available soon please be patient as I'll try and develop them as quickly as possible.
This blog will be used to let you all know of any new Jelly Bums patterns and I hope to give out some free patterns and ideas for all the patterns.
Happy Knitting
♥ Raynor