Stitch London. Lauren O'Farrel
roof to bottom of tower.
Stuff top of tower.
Cut four 12 × 5.5cm (4 ¾ × 2¼in) rectangles of cardboard or foam. Place inside to hold up Big Ben. Stuff, leaving 5cm (2in) at bottom. Cut felt to make a 5cm (2in) cube. Sew felt into a cube, leaving top open. Fill cube with heavy filling and sew top closed. Place cube carefully in bottom of tower.
Sew Area under Big Ben onto bottom of tower to secure cube. Sew gold clock areas on to each face of tower.
Embroider tip of tower with gold yarn. Sew on clock face buttons.
ALL CHANGE
Baby Big Ben has a basic skyscraper shape. A little silver and fewer purled ledges could turn it into Canary Wharf, one of your own city’s church towers, or general bits of cityscape.
TINY TOWER BRIDGE
Difficulty rating: Black Cab Driver
Size: Approx. 22cm (8½in) high
Gauge: 20 sts and 30 rows = 10cm (4in) in pattern
The first test of proving yourself a real Londoner is not confusing Tower Bridge with nearby London Bridge. London Bridge is the one you can see Tower Bridge from. Tower Bridge is the one with the towers. London’s Tower Bridge was born in 1886 and is impressively made of 70,000 tons of concrete and 1,100 tons of steel. Tiny Tower Bridge won’t use quite that much in materials. It will, however, be just as impressive. Honest, guvnor.
GUBBINS
Needles
Pair of 4mm (US size 6) needles
Yarn
50g (1¾ oz) light browny-yellow DK (worsted) for tower walls
25g (7/8 oz) dark grey DK (worsted) for roof
Small amount of light blue DK (worsted) for walkways and bridges
Small amount of white DK (worsted) for embellishing walkways
Other bits
Stuffing
Heavy filling to stabilize bases of towers
Felt for sewing envelope container for heavy filling
Silver embroidery thread
Gold embroidery thread
Thick cardboard or foam for shaping sides
PATTERN NOTES
You’ll need to make two Towers to create each end of the bridge. Each Tower consists of Front, Back, two Sides and one Under Bridge. There are two Walkways and two Bridge bits to join them up.
You are going to grumble at how many very similar bits of this you have to knit. Sorry about that.
PATTERN
Fronts and Backs of Towers
Left Leg (make 4)
Cast on 5 sts in light browny-yellow yarn.
Row 1 P, k3, p (5 sts).
Row 2 K, p3, k.
Rows 3–10 Rep row 1 (odd rows) and 2 (even rows).
Row 11 Inc1 twice, k2, p (7 sts).
Row 12 K, p across.
Row 13 Inc1 twice, k4, p (9 sts).
Row 14 K, p across.
Leave sts on needle.
Right Leg (make 4)
Cast on 5 sts in light browny-yellow yarn.
Row 1 P, k3, p (5 sts).
Row 2 K, p3, k.
Rows 3–10 Rep row 1 (odd) and 2 (even).
Row 11 P, k2, inc1 twice (7 sts). Row 12 P to last st, k.
Row 13 P, k4, inc1 twice (9 sts). Row 14 P to last st, k.
Leave sts on needle.
Knit bits of this in public and then weird people out by telling them you’re knitting Tower Bridge when they ask.
Front (make 2)
Starting with Right Leg, knit across both legs to join them.
Row 15 P, k across to last st, p (18 sts). Row 16 K, p across to last st, k.
Row 17 P across.
Row 18 K, p to last st, k.
Row 19 P across.
Rows 20–26 Beg row 16 rep row 15 (odd rows) and 16 (even rows).
Row 27 P across.
Row 28 K, p to last st, k.
Row 29 P across.
Rows 30–36 Beg row 16 rep row
Beg row 16 rep row 15 (odd rows) and 16 (even rows). Row 37 P across.
Row 38 K, p to last st, k.
Row 39 P across.
Rows 40–46 Beg row 16 rep row
Beg row 16 rep row 15 (odd rows) and 16 (even rows).. Row 47 P across.
Row 48 K across.
Change colour to dark grey yarn for roof.
Row 49 P across.
Row 50 P across.
Row 51 K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (16 sts).
Row 52 P across.
Row 53 K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (14 sts).
Row 54 P across.
Row 55 K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (12 sts).
Row 56 P across.
Row 57 K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (10 sts).
Row 58 P across.
Row 59 K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (8 sts).
Row 60 P across.
Row 61 K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (6 sts).
Row 62 P across.
Row 63 K2tog, k2, k2tog (4 sts).
Row 64 P across.
Row 65 K2tog twice (2 sts).
Thread yarn through sts.
Place small, energetic pet rodents on your tiny monument and pretend that they’re oversized sewer rats freed from London’s underbelly and hungry for the city’s supply of cheese.
Back (make 2)
Rep instructions for Front.
Tower Sides (make 4)
Cast on 11 sts in light browny-yellow yarn.
Row 1 P, k to last st, p.
Row 2 K, p to last st, k.
Rows 3–16 Rep row 1 (odd) and 2 (even).
Row 17 P across.
Row 18 K, p to last st, k.
Row 19 P across.
Rows 20–26 Beg row 2 rep row 1 (odd rows) and 2 (even rows). Row 27 P across.
Row 28 K, p to last st, k.
Row 29 P across.
Rows 30–36 Beg row 2 rep row
Beg row 2 rep row 1 (odd rows) and 2 (even rows). Row 37 P across.
Row