Fiber Flux...Adventures in Stitching

Free Knitting Pattern! Baby In Bloom Hats

2012-03-02T10:57:00.003-05:00

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Baby In Bloom

By Jennifer Dickerson

Baby in Bloom is the ultimate all purpose baby hat pattern. Knitted in fresh springy colors, they make lovely gifts for babies of all ages. Knitting one in each size for baby's first year makes a thoughtful baby shower gift too!

Hats shown with blooms, but easily customizable with more or less blooms, or no bloom if knitting for a baby boy. Worked quickly with US 10.5 needles, this pattern is great for charity knitting too!

Picture examples shown here are knit with worsted weight yarn, but feel free to experiment with other yarn weights or luxury yarns for gift giving. Pattern includes instructions for hat, large bloom and small bloom, and includes directions for both knitting in the round and for knitting flat.

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn in bright cheerful colors (note: if knitting for charity, be sure to use a machine washable yarn, as most hospitals will sterilize them)
US 10.5 (6.5mm) straight needles (if knitting flat)
US 10.5 (6.5mm) circular needles and set of 4 US 10.5 DPNs (for knitting in the round)
Tapestry Needle

Gauge: 14 Stitches and 19 Rows = 4 inches

Sizing:

*Note: Hat is very stretchy and fits a variety of heads, but be sure to check head circumference first to ensure best fit.

Preemie 11”-12” Circumference
Newborn/Baby 14”-16” Circumference
Toddler/Child 17”-19” Circumference

Abbreviations:

CO - Cast On (I used the long tail cast on and left an extra long tail for seaming up later for the flat version.
BO - Bind off (knitwise)
KFB - Knit front and back of stitch
K2tog – Knit two stitches together
PM-Place Marker

Instructions:

Hat (Knitted Flat Version):

CO 40 (48, 56) sts (leave an extra long tail for seaming up later)

Work 6 rows of K2 P2 ribbing

Switch to stockinette until hat measures 5 (6, 6.5) inches from CO edge.

Decrease:

Row 1: K2, K2tog across row

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: K1, K2tog across row

Row 4: Purl

Row 5: K2tog across row

Using tapestry needle, break yarn leaving a long tail. Thread through remaining stitches and pull tightly. Seam up the back and weave in ends.

Hat (Knitted In the Round Version):

CO 40 (48, 56) sts

Join in the round, being careful not to twist, PM

Work 6 rows of K2 P2 ribbing

Switch to stockinette (knit all rows) until hat measures 5 (6, 6.5) inches from CO edge.

Decrease:

Row 1: K2, K2tog across row

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: K1, K2tog across row

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: K2tog across row

Using tapestry needle, break yarn leaving a long tail. Thread through remaining stitches, pull tightly, and weave in ends.

Large Bloom:

CO 5 sts.

Row 1: KFB each st (10 sts)

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: KFB each st (20 sts)

Row 4: Purl

Row 5: KFB each st (40 sts)

BO and attach to hat.

Small Bloom:

CO 3 sts.

Row 1: KFB each st (6 sts)

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: KFB each st (12 sts)

Row 4: Purl

Row 5: KFB each st (24 sts)

BO and attach to hat.

Please note: Patterns are for personal and charity use only.

More Free Knitting Patterns Here!

Free Crochet Patterns Here!

Stitchy Tutorial: How to Wind Yarn

2012-02-28T10:49:00.000-05:00

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Winding yarn is so fun and satisfying. I used to rely on my yarn shop to do it for me, and finally got these when I ordered some yarn online and didn't have that luxury. The umbrella swift and ball winder makes makes beautiful yarn "cakes" or you can always wind it by hand using the just the swift too. Here I'm winding some lovely sock yarn, let's begin...

A ball winder and a swift are amazing tools to have of your knitting and crochet aresenal...they are able to transform this skein...

to this perfect little yarn cake, making it easy to pull yarn from its center.

Got both of these at Knit Picks by the way...

Lets get started...

First you'll need to set up your equipment. You'll need a table with a sturdy edge for both clamps. If you desire, place a piece of fabric in between to protect your surface (my table doesn't mind). My particular model ball winder turns to the right, so I placed the ball winder on the right and the swift on the left about a foot or so apart. Be sure to get these nice and tight onto your surface, no wiggling allowed!

Gently unwrap your skein all the way so it makes a large ring,

Using the knob on the side to raise and lower the umbrella and the wooden screw to tighten, place the on the swift. I like to put it on the partially open umbrella, then open it up all the way so that the yarn rests comfortably, not too tight, but not so loose that it is saggy. Be sure there are no twists in the yarn either.

Some people like to snip the yarn before placing it on the swift, I like to snip it after it is already on the swift.

When snipping, it is important to know that all yarn comes bundled/tied differently, so be careful with this step and just snip the ties holding it together, not the yarn itself. Sometimes, you can even just untie it not even have to snip it. The yarn shown here is a different color from the ties...

Now, if you don't have a ball winder, you can skip the next part and wind it into a ball with you hand, or if you have a ball winder, keep reading!

Ball winders are really handy because they save time and make a neat little “cake” of yarn with a handy pull string in the middle, thus eliminating a ball rolling around.

If you model has a swing out arm, be sure to do so and take one end of the yarn and feed it through the metal ring on the arm, then place it across the two notches on top of the center cylinder.

This ball winder indicates the direction (to the right) and as I said earlier, I therefore placed it on the right.

Begin gently turning the knob on the ball winder, going at a pace that it neither too fast nor too slow...you will be able to determine your pace as you begin to wind. Both the swift and winder will both be turning as you turn the knob.

Important tip: Sometimes you will have to gently guide the yarn from the swift to the ball winder so it does not get caught on the swift's "spokes."

Keep going until all of the yarn from the swift is on the ball winder. Almost done...

When you are finished, carefully pull the center piece from when you began before lifting it off, otherwise it may get lost in the center (I speak from experience here!) Use both hands and gently slip the yarn cake from the ball winder.

All finished!

The nice thing about using an umbrella swift and ball winder to wind your yarn is that you can either pull from the center or the outside. Also, if you need to double up and hold two strands of yarn together for a knitting or crochet project, you have both ends in one place. Some local yarn shops will wind your yarn when you purchase from their store, but I love to do it myself.

Free Knitting Patterns Here!

Free Crochet Patterns Here!

From the Knitting Stitch Library...How to Make Cables

2012-02-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

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Before I learned how to make a cable in my knitting, the idea totally terrified me! It looked so complicated and I was sure it was for only those with tons of knitting experience...not the case! Quite simply, making a cable in your knitting is just a matter of changing the order in which you knit the stitches. That's all. This photo tutorial will guide you through the process of making a very basic cable so that you may add them to your hand knits too! After you learn the basics, you will be able to then move on to more intricate and advanced cable work.

In order to make the cable, you will need a cable needle...here are some I have (metal and plastic), straight ones are also available, the bent ones are helpful for beginners. My favorite are Clover brand (the pink and white). Knit Picks also makes gorgeous wooden ones...on my wish list!

Basic cable making involves knitting to where your cable is in the pattern, placing the indicated number of stitches on the cable needle, then holding them either in the front or back of the work. You then knit the next group of stitches, then the stitches on the cable needle.

*Important to Know: Holding stitches to the back creates a right crossing cable (as shown in our example) and holding the stitches to the front creates a left crossing cable.

For the cable shown in this tutorial, we are going to do a Cable Back Six or CB6 for short. Your pattern will tell you the specific cable needed for your piece. First, knit to where the cable is in the row,

Then, using your cable needle, carefully slip three stitches onto your cable needle,

Move the stitches on the cable needle to the back of the work.

Then, knit the next three stitches on your left needle,

Then the stitches on your cable needle,

Then resume with the remainder of the row.

There you have it! Simple to knit cables with dramatic beautiful results...another added benefit of cables are the extra warmth they create with the double thickness of fabric.

Free Knitting Patterns Here

Stitchy Tutorial: How to Make Your Own French Knitter

2012-02-24T13:02:00.000-05:00

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Yesterday, I showed you how to use a French Knitter:

How to Use A French Knitter

Here's how to make one using only a toilet paper tube, craft sticks, and tape (packing or masking).

This is a great project for kids too, it is actually two activities in one, the making of the spool (kids would like decorating it too with stickers) and the knitting part. Plus a large spool is fun and easy for little hands.

First decide if you want yours to have four or six sticks, I made the one shown with six sticks. If you want four, tape the first two across from each other, and the last two on either side of that. For six, tape them around making them of equal distance apart. I left about an inch or so of stick sticking up from the top. If that is too high for you, try a half inch.

Finished! Now you are ready to start making cords with your own handmade French Knitter!

Here's a free knitting pattern using the cords:

Luggage Blossoms Pattern

From the Stitch Library...How to Use a French Knitter

2012-02-23T06:46:00.000-05:00

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I got this cute little guy for a gift recently and had to share...Here is a fun tutorial you can use to make your own i-cords—before learning how to use one of these, I was only using DPNs, so I am now proud to say I have another interesting knitting skill in my pocket!

OK, let's begin...I will be demonstrating on Lion Brand's knitting spool. As a side note, I learned recently that these little guys have a plethora of names: French Knitter, Knitting Spool or Knitting Nancy. You can easily get one at a local yarn shop, craft store, fabric store, amazon.com, etc. I also saw some gorgeous antiquey ones on ebay...might be fun to hunt for one too at your local antique shop.

Most spools come with a small stick, if you don't have one, you can use a narrow DPN, experiment with the size until you find one that works best with your spool. The stick mine came with is made of plastic and a had a little too much flex in it for me...I chose to use a bamboo US7 DPN instead, but definitely choose the size you feel most comfortable handling.

Here we go...

Pull a strand of yarn through the hole of the spool from the top until a short end comes through the bottom of the spool.

Hold the French Knitter top with thumb facing, yarn is held and runs over the top of your index finger. The middle and ring fingers hold both yarn and base of French Knitter.

Hold the needle/DPN as you would hold your knitting needle.

To cast on, wind the yarn around the pins counterclockwise as shown...take care not to do this too tightly or it will extremely difficult and/or impossible to complete the first round.

First round: Wind yarn around the OUTSIDE of the pins this time in the same counterclockwise direction,

Using the needle/DPN in your right hand, lift the loop over each pin head and over the yarn wound around the outside of the four pins, working in a counter clockwise direction.

Here is the needle going in:

Here is the needle lifting the stitch over the pin:

Continue working in this counterclockwise manner until cord reaches desired length. From time to time, give the strand of yarn a gentle little tug at the bottom to keep things from bunching up:

As you continue to add rounds, the cord will start to emerge from the bottom of the spool like this:

When you are ready to cast-off, you can do one of two things: you can cast off as you would when knitting by using your needle and moving each loop to the next pin as shown here in this sequence:

Working in the same direction, lift the first loop over to the next pin,

Lift the bottom loop over the pin,

Move loop over to the next pin and lift bottom loop over the pin,

Continue working in this manner until only one loop remains on the pin.

Then carefully slip it off of the pin and fasten off.

Or, you can simply cut a tail and thread it through each loop and pull tightly and fasten off, similarly to finishing off the top of a hat in the round.

There you have it! Try experimenting with different kinds of yarns for interesting and beautiful effects!

Here is a simple pattern to use your new skill!

Luggage Blossoms Free Knitting Pattern

More Free Knitting Patterns Here

More Free Crochet Patterns Here

From the Stitch Library...How to Make A Pom Pom

2012-02-22T06:38:00.000-05:00

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How To Make A Pom Pom

By Jennifer Dickerson

This is one of the easiest ways to make a pom pom. This tutorial is so super simple and requires minimal tools, no special gadgets required! Pom poms are so cute added to your knitting and crochet projects and add a bit of whimsy. Use them on hats, throw pillows, make a garland out of them or put them on the ends of a scarf!

To make a pom pom, all you need is yarn of your choice, a pair of sharp scissors, and a ruler (optional):

Begin by cutting a length of yarn about 12 inches long (exact measurement not necessary, just make sure it's not too short--better to be too long than too short),

Holding the yarn like so in your fingers,

Begin winding it around two fingers for a smaller pom pom...

and around three fingers for a larger pom pom. If you want a larger one, go up to four fingers, just be sure as you go up in size to wrap more yarn around, to keep it from looking too loose.

Once you get a full bundle of yarn in your hand (I would this about 100 times), slip the the length of yarn you cut through your bundle without removing it from your hand and tie off very tightly and securely. You will end up with something that looks like this:

Cut all of the loops of the pom pom until it looks like this:

Note: this pom pom is a bit looser, if a denser pom pom is what you desire, simple wind more yarn around your hand before tying off. Now for my favorite part! Give your pom pom a "haircut" and snip until ends are uniform. For this pom pom I cut it back a bit more to make it looks fuller. The more you snip back, the fuller/denser the pom pom will be too.

There you have it...very simple. You can now leave the tails on the pom poms if you want to tie them to something, as shown here:

Or you can snip the tails if you'd like to glue them to something, as shown here.

I experimented with some different yarns to make these, try several for yourself too! I used baby yarn for the yellow one and it was particularly interesting because it turned out to be extremely fuzzy, almost like a cotton ball. These are so fun!

From the Stitch Library...How to Make A Tassel

2012-02-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

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How To Make A Tassel

By Jennifer Dickerson

I've seen many ways to make tassels, but I think this is the most easy and fuss-free way to make one...no special tools needed except scissors!

They are super cute on hats, pillows, or other home décor projects. I used a simple worsted weight yarn, but as always, feel free to experiment with different yarns or even other materials for a variety of effects.

Materials Needed:

Yarn (your choice)

Sharp Scissors

Ruler

Let's begin! First cut two pieces of yarn, each measuring about 12 inches long,

Holding the yarn like this,

start winding yarn around four fingers,

Wind the yarn about 50 times around or so,

Then, with one of the strands of yarn, tuck it through your bundle without removing it from your hand as shown:

Carefully slip your hand from the yarn bundle and tie securely and as tightly as possible...it will look something like this:

About an inch or so down from where you tied the yarn, wrap then tie around two times, tying securely.

Cut the loops at the bottom and snip across if needed so all strands are uniform. Done!

Free Crochet Pattern! One Round Baby Eggs

2012-02-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

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One Round Baby Eggs

By Jennifer Dickerson

These sweet baby eggs crochet up super fast in fresh spring colors. Use them to brighten up your home as warmer weather arrives or slip a few into someone's basket...also looks cheerful scattered on a table!

Materials:

5.0mm (H) hook

Cheerful yarn in springy color(s) of your choice (I used worsted weight)

Tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

ch: Chain

sl st: Slip Stitch

sc: Single Crochet

dc: Double Crochet

tr: Treble Crochet

Sizing:

Eggs are about an inch wide (2.5 cm). However, feel free to experiment with different hooks and yarn to make a variety of beautiful eggs! A great stash buster...

Instructions:

Foundation: Chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring.

Round 1: 2 dc, tr, 2 dc, 4 sc, 1 tr, 4 sc, join to close egg and fasten off.

(If you prefer, here is round 1 written in column format so that you won't lose your place.

2 dc,

tr,

2 dc,

4 sc,

tr,

4dc

...join to close egg and fasten off.

Finishing:

Weave in ends and you're all finished! Shape a bit with your hands if needed.

Please note: Patterns are for personal and charity use only.

Mix them up with tiny stars and hearts!

Tiny One Round Hearts Pattern

Tiny One Round Stars Pattern

Check out more free crochet patterns here!

Sharing the Granny Square Love...

2012-02-17T10:05:00.002-05:00

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Happy Valentine's Day Stitchers!

2012-02-14T13:30:00.002-05:00

Hope you have a lovely love-filled day!

These will be going in pockets today and tomorrow!

2012-02-13T07:11:00.003-05:00

Print this page? Yes please!

2012-02-13T07:06:00.000-05:00

Stitchy Tutorial: Tiny Hearts Wreath

2012-02-10T14:11:00.000-05:00

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This sweet little wreath is all you need to dress up a door or wall. It is super simple to make using a recycled cereal box to make the form.

The hearts were made using my free pattern:

Tiny One Round Hearts

Materials Needed:

A cereal box or similar box for the cardboard heart form
Tiny crochet hearts (I used red, light pink, hot pink, and white--8 to 10 in each color)
Scissors
A hot glue gun
Ribbon for hanging
Packing tape

How to make your wreath:

First, cut out your form. You can free hand it or here's a special tip...if you are a Cheerios fan, their box has a heart shape on it for you!

Now fold your heart shape in half (don't worry about the crease, it will straighten out when everything is glued together), and cut along the inside of the shape (about an inch or so). Now you have your form!

Now start gluing the hearts on, making sure to overlap them as shown as to not leave any cardboard showing. Also make sure to mix up the colors for the best looking effect.

There, all done! Now time to attach the hanger...

I took some heavy duty packing tape and attached a piece of ribbon to the back. (you can see the cereal box here too--Cheerios!)

Now you have a beautiful handmade wreath for your door...I hung mine on an interior door in my house, as not to expose it to the elements.

Check out more stitchy tutorials here!

Here's some more free crochet patterns too!

Crafty Tutorial: Rainbow Sticker Book

2012-02-09T06:42:00.001-05:00

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This is a super easy project that you can do with kids to give them a special place for their stickers and help them learn their colors at the same time! It's fun to comb through stickers and play a matching game to place all of the green stickers on the green page, yellow stickers on the yellow page and so on.

Most families find themselves up to their elbows in stickers and sometimes they get stuck in less than desirable places...here is a fun solution that is actually two activities in one...the making of the book and the matching of colors.

To make the Rainbow Sticker Book all you need is:

Colorful paper ( I used basic construction paper)
Scissors
Ribbon (about a yard or so)
A ruler (optional)
Stickers!

Here's what you do:

Arrange the paper in the color sequence you prefer and stack paper. Begin by trimming a 1 inch strip off of the second to last sheet, 2 inches off of the third to last sheet, 3 inches off of the fourth to last sheet and so on, until you have this:

As you can see, I'm a bit of a rebel and like to eye things up and just cut...that's OK! Also, you could have fun with decorative edged scissors for each page too.

Next, Snip two slits through all sheets to bind it...you could punch a hole in it, but I found it to be a bit too thick. Finally, bind your sheets together with the ribbon and tie a lovely bow. Voila! It's ready to fill!

Finally, a use for that barnyard animals ribbon!

Be sure to add names of colors to each page (as shown below) to help little ones begin to associate the name of the color with the color.

We got fancy and added stickers to the front to make a cover too...be sure to fill the front and back of each page with all of your stickers! So much fun!

Here's an example of one of the sheets...the "blue" page with blue stickers. It becomes sort of a game to dig through stickers looking for a particular color.

Check out more crafty tutorials here!

Round or Flat...you choose!

2012-02-08T07:42:00.004-05:00

Good Morning Stitchers!

I have updated the Baby Bear Hat for Newborns and Preemies...now includes instructions for both a hat in the round and a seamed hat...also check out expanded sizing for the hat as well! See links below:

Updated Baby Bear Hat for Newborns and Preemies

Baby Bear Hat for the Rest of Us-New Expanded Sizing!

Free Knitting Pattern! Bear Hat for the Rest of Us

2012-02-08T06:49:00.002-05:00

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Bear Hat For the Rest of Us

By Jennifer Dickerson

By popular demand! I have received many requests for additional sizing for the baby bear hat...

Here's the original pattern:

Baby Bear Newborn or Preemie Hat

Because of your wonderful comments and requests, I have written this pattern in a multitude of sizing to accommodate everyone else's heads!

Please Note: Pattern includes instructions for both a seamed hat and a hat in the round.

Materials:

1 (2, 2) Skein(s) Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton (or your favorite worsted weight yarn)
US10.5 Straight needles (for knitting flat)
US10.5 Circular Needles and Set of 4 US 10.5 DPNs (for knitting in the round)
Tapestry Needle

Sizing:

Toddler/Child (Woman, Man)
Circumference: 17” (20”, 22”) (toddler/child, woman, man)
Height: 6.25” (7.25”, 8”), includes roll of brim
Note: hat is very stretchy, but measure circumference of head first for best fit.

Gauge:

14 Stitches and 19 Rows = 4 Inches

Abbreviations:

CO: Cast on
BO: Bind off
K2tog: Knit two stitches together
St st: Stockinette stitch
WS: Wrong side
PM: Place marker

Instructions for Hat (knitted flat):

CO 56 (64, 72) sts leaving a long tail for seaming up later.

Work in st st until hat measures 6.5” (7.5”, 8.25”) from CO edge, ending on a WS row.

Decrease (all sizes):

Row 1: K4, K2tog across

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: K3, K2tog across

Row 4: Purl

Row 5: K2, K2tog across

Row 6: Purl

Row 7: K1, K2tog across

Row 8: Purl

Row 9: K2tog across

Using tapestry needle, break yarn leaving a long tail. Thread through remaining stitches and pull tightly. Seam up the back of hat and weave in ends.

Instructions for Hat (knitted in the round):

CO 56 (64, 72) sts

Join in the round, being careful not to twist, PM

Begin working in st st (knit all rounds) until hat measures 6.5” (7.5”, 8.25”) from CO edge.

Decrease (all sizes):

*Note: Switch to DPNs when necessary.

Row 1: K4, K2tog around

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: K3, K2tog around

Row 4: Knit

Row 5: K2, K2tog around

Row 6: Knit

Row 7: K1, K2tog around

Row 8: Knit

Row 9: K2tog around

Using tapestry needle, break yarn leaving a long tail. Thread through remaining stitches and pull tightly.

Instructions for Ears (make two):

Note: Ears are worked in garter stitch to make them nice and sturdy.

CO 8 (10, 10) sts (be sure to leave a long tail for attaching the ears later)

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: Knit

Row 4 (toddler/child size): K2, k2tog, k2tog, k2

Row 4 (woman and man size): K3, k2tog, k2tog, k3

Finishing:

Stitch both ears to top of hat. Weave in any ends.

Please note: Patterns are for personal and charity use only.

Stitchy Tutorial: Tiny Heart Earrings

2012-02-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

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These earrings are super cute and use just a smidge of sock yarn. For a bolder pair, try using thicker yarn and a bigger hook.

Materials:

2.75mm (C) hook
Sock yarn in color(s) of your choice
Tapestry needle
Jump Rings (2 per pair)
French Earring Hooks (2 per pair)
Needle Nose Pliers

Instructions:

Start by making two hearts...link below will show you how to make them)

Tiny One Round Hearts Instructions

Using the pliers, open up one jump ring (note: sometimes if it is too fiddly, I use two pairs of pliers to open it)

Carefully slide the open jump ring into the top of your heart, and add the french hook.

Close the jump ring with pliers and you're all done! Repeat for the second earring.

Note: The darker fuchsia yarn is Smooshy Dream In Color in Ruby River and the lighter colored yarn is Araucania Ranco Multy...love those colors!

Check out more stitchy tutorials here!

Free Crochet Pattern-Tiny One Round Stars!

2012-01-26T21:07:00.001-05:00

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Using just a bit of yarn, these fun little stars work up super fast in just one round! Make up a few for a garland or create a shower of them for a window. Tuck one or two in a loved one's lunch or jacket pocket. A fabulous beginner project to learn an array of stitches!

Mix them up with tiny hearts too!

Tiny One Round Hearts Pattern

Materials:

5.0mm (H) hook
Cheerful yarn in color(s) of your choice (I used worsted weight)
Tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

ch: Chain
sl st: Slip Stitch
tr: Treble Crochet

Instructions:

Foundation: Chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring.

Round 1: First point—[tr, ch 1, sl st] repeat four more times for a total of five star points.

Finishing:

Fasten off, weave in ends and you're all finished. Note: because the star is so tiny, you may have to shape it just a bit.

Please note: Patterns are for personal and charity use only.

Top Secret...not really!

2012-01-26T12:04:00.002-05:00

Usually when I show something on the needles, it is to show a secret sneak peek. But this time I want you all to know due to popular demand, I am working on the baby bear hat in expanded sizing...I've sent the sizing to a few of you individually already, but I'm going to put it on the site so everyone can see... coming soon!!!

Also...If you notice the DPNs...I am planning to add instructions for both flat and in the round for the expanded sizing--plus, added directions for a circularly knit hat on the original pattern too...stay tuned, more to come!!!

Free Crochet Pattern: Tiny One Round Hearts!

2012-01-15T15:14:00.001-05:00

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Using minuscule amounts of yarn, these sweet little hearts work up super fast in just one round! Make up a few for a garland or create a shower of them for a window. Tuck one or two in a loved one's lunch or jacket pocket. A fabulous beginner project to learn an array of stitches!

Mix it up with tiny stars!
Tiny One Round Stars Pattern

Materials:

5.0mm (H) hook
Cheerful yarn in color(s) of your choice (I used worsted weight)
Tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

ch: Chain
sl st: Slip Stitch
sc: Single Crochet
dc: Double Crochet
tr: Treble Crochet

Instructions:

Foundation: Chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring.

Round 1: dc, tr, dc, sl st, dc, tr, dc, sc, sc, sc, tr, sc, sc, sc, join to close heart and fasten off.

(Here is round 1 written in column format so that you won't lose your place; I like to use a ruler to mark my spot :)

dc,

tr,

dc,

sl st,

dc,

tr,

dc,

sc,

tr,

sc,

...join to close heart and fasten off.

Finishing:

Weave in ends and you're all finished!

Here's how to make a pretty wreath using these hearts...

Here's how to make earrings too...

Check out these free crochet patterns too!

Please note: Patterns are for personal and charity use only.

Android Anyone?

2012-01-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

Just got this little guy off the needles, the Android robot! His eyes are some flat little black buttons found at the fabric store. I had to be especially neat and careful when doing the finish work on this one...it really made all the difference to get everything looking just right.

Here's the pattern on Ravelry:
Android Love Pattern

PS If knitting this for a young child, be sure to stitch on eyes instead of buttons.

Stitchy Tutorial: Tagging your hand stitched gifts!

2011-12-22T21:47:00.002-05:00

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(This is a gift I made here)

When I make a gift, I make sure to include a tag on it to let the recipient know a few things:

That they are special and I took the time to make something especially for them.
That the item is in fact handmade and not store bought.
How to take care of their gift.

(Pattern for these trivets here)

Many times (but not always) when making something for someone, I will knit or crochet it in easy care yarn, because many people like easy care things, especially things that will get washed a lot (babies and kids!)

(Pattern for this scarf here)

Here's all you need:

Some pretty paper (I used watercolor paper in all examples shown)
A stamp or pen (you can stamp your sentiment or write it)
The yarn label or band used for the project (always save these!)
A hole punch
Beautiful ribbon that matches or coordinates with the project

To make your tags:

Write or stamp your sentiment on paper and trip in to desired tag shape.
Neatly trim the care instructions from the yarn band.
Punch a hole in both.
Secure with a beautiful ribbon

Note: If you've lost the yarn band (been there!), just look up the yarn information online and hand write it on the back of the tag.

All done...easy and pretty!!

Slipper socks...

I use tags for charity projects too!

Some pretty little notecards...

2011-12-20T13:22:00.003-05:00

Got these done yesterday to tuck in with some gifts...

Here's the tutorial in case you missed it:

Deckled Paper Flower Notecards

This is a great way to use leftover paper and a special button or two...

...plus it's fun to tear paper...

all done!

I was having so much fun I decided to make some in red (like in the tutorial)...

more fun ensued...

...pretty!!! These are so quick and EASY to make for a last minute gift!

New Grab Button!

2011-12-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

Check it out! I have a new grab button! I put it here, but its permanent will be in the left hand column...

It's getting festive here!

2011-12-18T15:19:00.000-05:00

I'm attempting to inject even more Holiday cheer around here...here are a few things I'm working on furiously at the last minute:

The beginnings of a granny square stocking! I had one as a child and wanted to make another, just make four for one side and four for the other and sandwich them together, so cute!

The stocking's construction can be found here
The (awesomely illustrated and written) granny square tutorial can be found here

Here's another I made into an ornament for the tree, so cheerful! Less rounds (just 3) for ornament size...

And here's a sneak peek for something I'm working on...more of this to come soon ;-)