There are now pigs in the Little Cotton Rabbits pattern range! It is such a relief to sign off on these patterns, it does feel like I've been working on them for a very long time.
The finished patterns themselves are very straightforward but when I'm pattern writing I do like to try out lots of different ways of doing the same thing with the hopeful aim that the final pattern will be easy to use and give a toy that someone is pleased to have made. Inevitably this means a lot of frogged samples and things in the bin but also leaves me with a lot of heads that now need bodies, so I'll be making lots of finished animals from now until Christmas!
One of the hardest things about writing up the pig patterns has been choosing the yarn to make them in, pink yarn has to be the hardest colour to choose from on-screen pictures. I ordered masses of different worsted, DK and Aran weight pink yarns and was constantly surprised when each batch arrived. I'd sift through 10 balls of what I'd hoped would be perfect piggy pinks only to find some were too salmon-coloured, some were dirty pinks, some too boiled lobster-ish. I finally decided upon Milliamia's Naturally soft Aran in Blush (229) as the main colour for the pigs in the patterns. It's a nice rosy pink (think creamy strawberry milkshake) and the yarn is soft and not too expensive. You can see below some of the other yarns that were on my shortlist - the runner up was definitely Quince and Co Lark in Petal which was probably my personal favourite but being a very pale shell pink didn't show up so well in the photos and maybe harder for people to get hold of.
I've had a lot of fun coming up with some different designs to represent different pig breeds too. I have a real soft spot for Tamworth pigs which have coarse ginger hair all over their bodies and so much character. So there are tips in the pattern for yarns to use to get a similar effect. There's also a pattern for a pig with a patch (a bit like a Gloucester Old Spot pig) and an alternative set of ears if you'd rather make a floppy eared pig. Both patterns include all options.
The boy pig pattern includes shorts and a sailor sweater (both removable). The shorts can be knitted with stripes all over or in a single colour. The girl pig has short socks and shoes (both attached) and a removable dress and within the pattern there are easier or more complex options for the socks.
The patterns are now available via Ravelry and my pattern shop (I'll be uploading them to Etsy shortly). For a limited time (until midnight on Friday) I am offering a special price on both of the pig patterns bought together (buy one of them, get the other for half price, so £6 for both instead of £4 each). To take advantage of the discount all you need to do is add both patterns to your basket before checking out and then a message and the discount should pop up at the bottom of the basket window and you can proceed to the payment once you're sure the discounted price is showing.
(Please note that the discount is only available on Ravelry and my pattern shop as Etsy doesn't have very sophisticated facilities for promotions)
As always, I'd love your feedback on these patterns and I'm eagerly awaiting the uploading of the first projects over on Ravelry. The Little Cotton Rabbits Ravelry group is full of lovely people who like sharing projects they've made, so if you do give any of the patterns a go please come and join in, we'd love to admire what you've made.
Happy knitting xxx