Other bits
Stuffing
Heavy filling to stabilize base of tower (steel shot, sand, tiny pebbles, baking beans or, if you’re really rich, gemstones)
Felt for sewing cube-shaped container for heavy filling 4 wooden clock face buttons or ordinary buttons with clock faces drawn on Thick cardboard or foam for shaping sides
PATTERN
Sides of Tower (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 38 K, p to last st, k.
Row 39 P across.
Rows 40–46 Beg row 2 rep row
Beg row 2 rep row 1 (odd rows) and 2 (even rows).
Row 47 P across.
Row 48 K2, *p, k, rep three times from *, p, k2.
Row 49 P2, *k, p, rep three times from *, k, p2.
Row 50 K across.
Row 51 P2, k7, p2.
Row 52 K2, p7, k2.
Rows 53–58 Beg row 51 rep row 51 (odd rows) and 52 (even rows).
Row 59 P across.
Row 60 K2, *p, k, rep three times from *, p, k2.
Row 61 P2, *k, p rep three times from *, k, p2.
Row 62 K across.
Change colour to dark grey yarn for roof.
Row 63 P across.
Row 64 P across.
Row 65 K2tog, knit to last 2 sts, k2tog (9 sts).
Row 66 P across.
Row 67 K across.
Row 68 P2tog, p to last 2 sts, p2tog (7 sts).
Row 69 K across.
Row 70 P across.
Row 71 K2tog, k to last 2 sts, k2tog (5 sts).
Row 72 P across.
Row 73 K across.
Row 74 P across.
Row 75 K across.
Row 76 P2tog, k, p2tog (3 sts). Row 77 K3tog.
Thread yarn through st.
Polymer clay makes good clock face buttons if you can’t get your paws on buttons like the lovely carved wooden ones I used. Poke holes in where the ends of the hands should be and sew through them to show the time.
Clock Areas (make 4)
Cast on 10 sts in gold yarn. K 10 rows.
Cast off (bind off).
Area under Big Ben
Cast on 11 sts in any colour yarn. Work 10 rows st st.
Cast off (bind off).
Prepare for rude jokes. Baby Big Ben does look a bit dodgy before you sew on the gold bits.
FINISHING
Sew all four sides together, from 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
