Contraversial cupcake

My friend Harriet and I decided to be out and proud when we celebrated International Knit In Public Day on 13th June this year. The big day coincided with the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival – knitting and song, the perfect combination, or so we thought!

Inspired by Harriet’s fabulous knitted fruit, I decided to attempt my first creation on double pointed needles. We found a sunny spot at the end of the pier and got to work. At first there was lots of swearing and thoughts of throwing the whole lot into the harbour, but with Harriet’s patient help and my stubborn persistance, my cupcake was soon shaping up. And the banana Harriet was working on was also looking delightful.

In search of refreshment, we found a table at one of the many venues around town where groups of shanty singers were entertaining the crowds. Now we had tea, lovely company, new knitting projects AND sea shanties, nothing could be better.

Until… we started getting heckled by one of the singing groups! They shouted at us through the crowd, incredulous that we could be knitting and listening at the same time. We were surprised but not deterred, determined to do our bit for knitters everywhere. They left us alone for a bit, but then accused us of being like the women who used to knit near the guillotines in the French Revolution and one man asked if we were knitting condoms for sailors! What a notion! Eager not to be seen to be retreating with our tails between our legs, we knitted on and tried to sneak out a while later, half way through a song. But the singers stopped mid shanty and bade us a fond farewell! I like to think that the next time they encounter knitters, they’ll know we’re just the same as everyone else, we just like making stuff with wool!

So here’s the cupcake that caused a stir, quite innocent really I think you’ll agree. And to see Harriet’s fruity creations, check out her blog – hblikethepencil.

I found the original pattern by Blah Blah Blahhhg on Ravelry, using mods by neekie, kelly-ann and noteventherain. I made even more mods myself, so the pattern I followed in the end was something like this:

With wrapper colour, cast on 6 sts on dpns.
Row 1 – kfb into each st (12 sts)
Row 2 – (and all even numbered rows) k all sts
Row 3 – kfb, k1 to end (18 sts)
Row 5 – kfb, k1 to end (27 sts)
Row 7 – kfb, k2 to end (36 sts)
Row 8 – p all sts (36 sts)
Rows 9 – 20 – k1, p1 to end (Row 14 & 17 increase by one stitch at either end to make the cup angle out a bit)

Change to icing colour.
Row 21 – k2, kfb to end
Rows 22 & 23 – k all sts
Row 24 – k2tog, YO to end
Row 25 – Pick up purl bumps from the top of the cupcake base on wrong side of work, k2tog with one st from icing (this can get very tight so be careful)
Rows 26 – 32 – k all sts
Put circle of card in base and fill cup bit with rolled up toy stuffing (I put a small stone in the middle of the stuffing to give it weight, but that may not be suitable if it’s a gift for children).

Here's the cupcake in an Alice in Wonderland window display at the lovely babahogs cafe

Row 33 – k6, k2tog to end
Row 34 – k5, k2tog to end
Row 35 – k all sts
Row 36 – k4, k2tog to end
Row 37 – k all sts
Row 38 – k3, k2tog to end
Row 39 – k all sts
Fill top / icing bit with stuffing.
Row 40 – k2, k2tog to end
Row 41 – k all sts
Row 42 – k1, k2tog to end
Row 43 – k all sts
Row 44 – k1, k2tog to end
Row 45 – k all sts
Row 46 – k1, k2tog to end
Row 47 – k2tog to end
Row 48 – k all sts

Change to cherry colour.
Row 49 – k all sts
Row 50 – kfb into all sts
Row 51 – k all sts
Row 52 – k2tog to end
Cut wool leaving at least 6 inches. Thread needle and run through remaining sts, pull tightly. Run needle down through cherry, emerging at the base of the cherry. Wind wool around base of cherry and tie off to secure. Cut off any remaining wool.

My first knitting project

Just before I moved to Falmouth in July 2008, I was lucky enough to meet the lovely Sarah in Nottingham who was also headed to sunny Cornwall. We met on the UCF forum for new MA students and it turned out we were both migrating south on the same day. Well a few G&Ts later we became firm friends and we’ve not stopped eating, drinking and guffawing since.

It was Sarah who had the idea to start up Knit Club, having been a member of a knitting group for young, trendy types in Nottingham. I of course agreed to attend the first meeting, at the lovely Babahogs art cafe, thinking I could always just busy myself with tea and cake while the real knitters got on with it. But it wasn’t long before I was knitting along with the rest and with Sarah’s expert tuition, and some distant memories of knitting scarves for teddy bears when I was about 7, I soon completed my first project! Click here to see me proudly modelling my scarf when I finished it at Knit Club.

It ended up being much too wide and much too long and really much too fluffy to wear, but it’s still the first thing I knitted, so I’m proud of it.

Here’s how I made it:

Using chunky wool (I used 5 x 50g balls for mine but I could have managed with 4 if I’d made it narrower) and 10mm needles, cast on 32 stitches.

Row 1 & 2 – *K1, P1, repeat from * to end of row
Row 3 & 4 – *P1, K1, repeat from * to end of row

I think this is called irish moss stitch.

Repeat rows 1 -4 until desired length and cast off. Finish off with tassles (here’s how to make them if you’re not sure)