Rainbow Vera in her raingear

vera_dressed

Recently I’ve been on an Annita Wilschut knitting frenzy. I’ve knit Joris, Karel, Jacobus and Saar, and Vera. Mostly I’ve knit in Quaere Fibre Self-Striping Sportweight Superwash–a wonderful yarn, including for stuffed buddy projects.

Here’s my entire Wilschut gang, including Rainbow Vera decked out in her raingear.annita_gang

Vera’s clothes, a separate Wilschut pattern, are very detailed. Apparently Vera is a bit fussy about how her clothes fit. You knit linings, pockets, and even some short row shaping.

vera_hat2

vera's_raincoat

That teeny raincoat even needed blocking to assure that its seams laid properly and that the garter stitch band didn’t curl. There are three small yarn over buttonholes knit into the band. But Vera is headed to a little one and so right now buttons are not a good idea.

Vera is especially pleased with her hat.

vera_hat

She thinks the color shows off her stripes quite nicely and even tones down her red nose a tad.

vera_sidedressed

She isn’t sure why she’s got both a hood on her raincoat and a hat, but she’s not complaining. I told her that the hood could come in handy in a major downpour.

Vera pleaded with me not to show her naked, but I told her knitters and readers would want to see her pretty rainbow skin. I did agree that I’d not put her butt on display, though.

Rainbow_vera

 

Karel

bunny3_lowres

I’ve got an already-identified thing for knitting bunnies. In fact, one of my early bunnies recently surfaced and put in an appearance on the blog. Isaac’s baby bunny was a recent addition to the bunny hutch.

This is Karel, Dutch knit designer Annita Wilschut’s enhancement of the knitted bunny kingdom. Wilschut’s patterns are available on her blog and on Ravelry. My Karel is knit in an extravagant luxury yarn for a critter: Cricket, by Anzula. Cricket is DK weight, 80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon. Perfect for socks and for small rabbits. Karel’s overalls, which are included in his pattern, are knit in Quaere Fibre self-striping sportweight.

The details on Wilschut’s patterns are wonderful. Not just the obligatory bunny tail hole. (But isn’t it a cute one?) She is a master of short row placement. This gives just the needed shaping for rounded bellies and for butts that let the animals sit upright. And, as with all her patterns, when you finish the knitting there’s no parts to sew together.

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