Knitting & Crochet
Tit Bits: Hand-knitted breasts
Knitting & Crochet
Tit Bits: Hand-knitted breasts
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When Beryl Tsang lost a breast to cancer, she found it difficult to find a comfortable prosthesis that fit properly. So she knit her own. Soon, other breast cancer survivors were asking for them, so she started up Tit Bits: Hand-Knitted Breasts. And now she is sharing her instructions on how to make them for free. Note: This pattern is provided for your personal use only.
Click here to view a larger image of the finished craft
Size
A[B,C,D,DD] Cup
Materials
1 skein Butterfly Super 10 Cotton (100 per cent merqcerized cotton; 250 yds/230 m per 100 g skein)
1 set of four 4mm double-pointed needles (DPN)
3.75 mm double-pointed needles (DPN)
Small split ring marker or safety pin
Sharp tapestry needle
Decorative shank button for "nipple" (I find vintage buttons work best)
Stuffing (cotton fleece or polyester fibrefill)
Small weight, such as a smooth stone (see "Designer's Notes," below)
Gauge: 22 sts/24 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in stockinette stitch, before felting. To save time, take time to check gauge.
Stitches:
I-Cord:
CO 3 sts onto DPN. K all sts.
Next Row: *Instead of turning the work around to work back on the WS, slide all sts to the other end of the needle, switch the needle back to your left hand, bring the yarn around the back of the work, and start knitting the sts again. After the first 2 sts, give the yarn a sharp tug.
Repeat from * to form I-cord.
To make:
Outer Piece:
Using larger needles, CO 3 sts. Work 2 rows of I-Cord.
(Variation: If you don't want to use a bead or button nipple, knit 4 to 5 cm/1.5 to 2-in of I-Cord before beginning to shape outer piece. This cord can be knotted when the boob is finished. It will look like a nipple through your bra.)
*Work one more row of I-Cord, increasing as follows: kfb in each st. 6 sts now on needle.
Divide sts between 3 DPN, in preparation to begin working in the round. Place marker in first stitch.
Next Round: [K to last st on needle, m1, k1] around. 3 sts increased.
Repeat this round 19[21, 25, 27, 29] times more. 66[72, 84, 90, 96] sts now on needles. P 2 rounds. BO all sts.*
You will now have what looks like a small, sweet triangular hat (or in the words of my breast surgeon who is Jewish, "A very badly-made kippah"). Don't worry; it will make a perky breast!
Inner Piece:
Using smaller needles, CO 3 sts. Work 1 row of I-Cord.
Work from * to * as for Outer Piece.
Page 1 of 2 -- On page 2, learn how to finish your Tit Bit, as well as helpful designer's notes.
Finishing:
With wrong sides together, sew edges together, leaving a space open for stuffing.
Turn right side out and stuff, using as much or as little stuffing as you like. One side (the Inner Piece) of the Tit Bit should be flat, the other side perky but pliable. If it "stands at attention," or looks like a mutated balloon, you have overfilled it.
Embed weight carefully in stuffing. Sew edge of Tit closed.
Tack the Outer and Inner pieces together through the center, so that the back is concave and does not sit against the scar and chafe or irritate it.
Attach a small decorative bead or button for the "nipple" or, if you have made the I-Cord nipple, knot the I-cord and sew in place. (If you have made the I-cord nipple, and always wanted a pierced nipple, you could put a small ring or stud in your Tit's nipple.)
Block by soaking your Tit in warm water and soap flakes, rinse thoroughly, and gently squeeze and shape. Allow to dry completely. Pop it into your bra and wear it out!
Designer's notes:
• 111 yds/100 m will make 2 Tits. Any soft DK weight yarn may be used, for example, samples are knit in Berroco Cotton Twist with Sirdar Gigi; Butterfly Super 10; Crystal Place Chenille; Crystal Palace Labrador; and Needful Yarns Feeling with Sirdar's Gigi.
• Weight will keep the Tit Bit from bouncing about in your bra. I use small smooth stones that I have collected as weights. When I make them for women who are just starting their breast cancer journey I will write "hope" and "courage" on the stones. I also include a lucky penny, so that their journey will be an auspicious and not an arduous one.
• Breasts aren't exact sizes, despite what the lingerie industry would have us believe. Don't hesitate to adjust the number of stitches in the pattern to make a Tit that is the right size for you.
• The pattern can be personalized and embellished to match your bras, clothes or occasion. Last winter, I knit myself an après-tobbagan titty in striped bright purple and lime green Icelandic wool (no, it didn't itch) to wear while sipping hot chocolate at the café with my kids after a hard day on the hill.
• Do not wear a Tit Bit with a weight onto an airplane, as it may be confiscated as a dangerous projectile. Make yourself a non-weighted travel titty instead.
Page 2 of 2 -- On page 1, find what materials are needed and how to begin your own hand-knitted Tit Bit.
When Beryl Tsang lost a breast to cancer, she found it difficult to find a comfortable prosthesis that fit properly. So she knit her own. Soon, other breast cancer survivors were asking for them, so she started up Tit Bits: Hand-Knitted Breasts. And now she is sharing her instructions on how to make them for free. Note: This pattern is provided for your personal use only.
Click here to view a larger image of the finished craft
Size
A[B,C,D,DD] Cup
Materials
1 skein Butterfly Super 10 Cotton (100 per cent merqcerized cotton; 250 yds/230 m per 100 g skein)
1 set of four 4mm double-pointed needles (DPN)
3.75 mm double-pointed needles (DPN)
Small split ring marker or safety pin
Sharp tapestry needle
Decorative shank button for "nipple" (I find vintage buttons work best)
Stuffing (cotton fleece or polyester fibrefill)
Small weight, such as a smooth stone (see "Designer's Notes," below)
Gauge: 22 sts/24 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in stockinette stitch, before felting. To save time, take time to check gauge.
Stitches:
I-Cord:
CO 3 sts onto DPN. K all sts.
Next Row: *Instead of turning the work around to work back on the WS, slide all sts to the other end of the needle, switch the needle back to your left hand, bring the yarn around the back of the work, and start knitting the sts again. After the first 2 sts, give the yarn a sharp tug.
Repeat from * to form I-cord.
To make:
Outer Piece:
Using larger needles, CO 3 sts. Work 2 rows of I-Cord.
(Variation: If you don't want to use a bead or button nipple, knit 4 to 5 cm/1.5 to 2-in of I-Cord before beginning to shape outer piece. This cord can be knotted when the boob is finished. It will look like a nipple through your bra.)
*Work one more row of I-Cord, increasing as follows: kfb in each st. 6 sts now on needle.
Divide sts between 3 DPN, in preparation to begin working in the round. Place marker in first stitch.
Next Round: [K to last st on needle, m1, k1] around. 3 sts increased.
Repeat this round 19[21, 25, 27, 29] times more. 66[72, 84, 90, 96] sts now on needles. P 2 rounds. BO all sts.*
You will now have what looks like a small, sweet triangular hat (or in the words of my breast surgeon who is Jewish, "A very badly-made kippah"). Don't worry; it will make a perky breast!
Inner Piece:
Using smaller needles, CO 3 sts. Work 1 row of I-Cord.
Work from * to * as for Outer Piece.
Page 1 of 2 -- On page 2, learn how to finish your Tit Bit, as well as helpful designer's notes.
Finishing:
With wrong sides together, sew edges together, leaving a space open for stuffing.
Turn right side out and stuff, using as much or as little stuffing as you like. One side (the Inner Piece) of the Tit Bit should be flat, the other side perky but pliable. If it "stands at attention," or looks like a mutated balloon, you have overfilled it.
Embed weight carefully in stuffing. Sew edge of Tit closed.
Tack the Outer and Inner pieces together through the center, so that the back is concave and does not sit against the scar and chafe or irritate it.
Attach a small decorative bead or button for the "nipple" or, if you have made the I-Cord nipple, knot the I-cord and sew in place. (If you have made the I-cord nipple, and always wanted a pierced nipple, you could put a small ring or stud in your Tit's nipple.)
Block by soaking your Tit in warm water and soap flakes, rinse thoroughly, and gently squeeze and shape. Allow to dry completely. Pop it into your bra and wear it out!
Designer's notes:
• 111 yds/100 m will make 2 Tits. Any soft DK weight yarn may be used, for example, samples are knit in Berroco Cotton Twist with Sirdar Gigi; Butterfly Super 10; Crystal Place Chenille; Crystal Palace Labrador; and Needful Yarns Feeling with Sirdar's Gigi.
• Weight will keep the Tit Bit from bouncing about in your bra. I use small smooth stones that I have collected as weights. When I make them for women who are just starting their breast cancer journey I will write "hope" and "courage" on the stones. I also include a lucky penny, so that their journey will be an auspicious and not an arduous one.
• Breasts aren't exact sizes, despite what the lingerie industry would have us believe. Don't hesitate to adjust the number of stitches in the pattern to make a Tit that is the right size for you.
• The pattern can be personalized and embellished to match your bras, clothes or occasion. Last winter, I knit myself an après-tobbagan titty in striped bright purple and lime green Icelandic wool (no, it didn't itch) to wear while sipping hot chocolate at the café with my kids after a hard day on the hill.
• Do not wear a Tit Bit with a weight onto an airplane, as it may be confiscated as a dangerous projectile. Make yourself a non-weighted travel titty instead.
Page 2 of 2 -- On page 1, find what materials are needed and how to begin your own hand-knitted Tit Bit.
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