Free Chrismouse Pattern: Toerag the Tube Mouse from Stitch London

Merry Chrismouse! Fancy a free pattern from my Stitch London book? No? Oh…

Ok then…

*dabs at eyes with knitted hankie and sniffles sadly*

Oh. You do? Woo hoo! Well you’re in luck! Ladies and gents, I’ve teamed up with the fantabulous folks at Craft to release one of the patterns from the shiny Stitch London book into the wild.

You’ll have to keep quiet or I’m not sure he’ll come out. You’d best dab some of this cheese-scented perfume behind your ears too. Ready? Shhhh. Meet Toerag the Tube Mouse

Toerag the Tube Mouse

"'Ello. Got any cheese, guvnor?"

“Toerag the tube mouse: sooty-furred with underground filth, hard of hearing due to endless ear-shattering train thunder and reluctant to pause for pictures, but proof that even in London’s dusty undercarriage there’s something to smile about.” (from Stitch London by me!)

Toe the Tube Mouse - above

Hungry for your leftover kebab

You might have noticed I have a squishy spot in my heart for rodent kind. In fact some would say I wouldn’t be here without them. So they tend to feature in my kooky little knitting patterns fairly often.

Toerag is my tribute to one of my favourite bits of London wildlife – the tube mouse.

Spotting a tube mouse on the London underground is magic. One minute you are impatiently waiting the three minutes for the next train (in London a wait of more than three-minutes is almost an insult), the next you spy a streak of grey fur and pattering paws and there he is. The tiniest creature you ever saw, living side by side with the giant dusty metal worms we affectionately call The Tube.

It’s like suddenly finding yourself in a wildlife documentary. You wonder: what does he eat? Why doesn’t he get squished on the rails? Are his tiny ears useless from spending his life dodging between the thundering wheels on the underground train?

He’s daring. He’s quick-footed. He’s a hardy little beast. Seeing a tube mouse makes my journey into a miniature safari. What more can a Londoner ask for?

Hop over to Craft for your free download of the Toerag the Tube Mouse knitting pattern, from the Stitch London book. I wrote a little article on the Art of Squee Knitting for them too.

If you like it and want to get your paws on more kooky little knits, you can buy a copy of Stitch London over at RU Craft.

If you don’t like it then… Well, you might want to check you’re not a robot or a little bit dead inside. I mean, just look at that face.

More Behind the Handmade stories of my kooky little knits soon…

In the meantime Merry Chrismouse!

DOWNLOAD THE FREE TOERAG THE TUBE MOUSE KNITTING PATTERN HERE

 

City Critters

Toerag hangs with his Stitch London pals: Cooey the Pigeon, Fleabag the Fox and Grog the Raven

 [box type=”info”] Toerag the name: A few people in the US have expressed concerns about poor little Toerag’s name. So just to explain. A ‘toerag’ is a London slang word for a cheeky scamp. When I was a small Knitshade my mum would often call me ‘a cheeky toerag’ when I was mischievously nicking Marmite for midnight feasts. It’s an affectionate London term for someone who is a bit of a scamp. Perfect for a sneaky little London mouse. [/box]

4 thoughts on “Free Chrismouse Pattern: Toerag the Tube Mouse from Stitch London

  1. penni

    i’ve come here from IG and just have to gush for a moment — i am totally smitten with your work, your shop and whimsy!! if i lived anywhere near you (or wasn’t 8 hours away by plane, at the very least) i would be a frequent visitor.

    awesome. so glad i happened upon you in my insomnia 🙂

    1. Deadly Knitshade

      Awwwww. Thanks ever so much. Instagram is a great place to find arty folks. I heart your fabulous macro pics too. Hurrah for the internet! Not so much for insomnia, though. Hope you get some sleep! 🙂

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