Independent craft blog since 2007
If you like repeating cross stitch designs, borders you can use on other projects or as bookmarks, florals and Japanese-inspired designs, you’ll want to check out 200 Japanese Cross Stitch Designs by Saeko Endo. This collection of 200 cross stitch … Read More...
I love using LEGOs and other blocks in educational ways, because it’s a way to build on something that most kids already love and sneak in a bit of learning about another topic. Building is a great STEM lesson because … Read More...
I guess I’ve decided it’s time to start knitting vests, and while I typically think of vests as being for fall, this one is decidedly summery.
Vanessa Ewing’s Fruit Salad Fest is covered with all kinds of fruits. I see … Read More...
It’s not really that close to Halloween as I write this, but as crafters we’re always looking ahead and spooky season is one of my favorites. If it’s yours, too, or you just like things on the Gothic side, you … Read More...
Owls are around all the time, of course, but they feel like a fall animal to me. Maybe that’s because of their association with witches and Halloween, but owls don’t have to be scary, as this cute collection of owl … Read More...
It’s always a good time for a bookmark, and even more so as we start thinking about back to school time. Reading is more fun when you have a pretty bookmark. That’s just science.
Plus bookmarks are fast, portable, and … Read More...
There are lots of things you can do with leaves in the classroom and at home, and fun ways to learn about leaves as they start changing color in the fall.
Learn about different kinds of leaves and match them … Read More...
I’m trying to include more knits for kids in my posts because I know a lot of people do a lot of their knitting for the little ones in their lives.
This child’s striped vest from Lion Brand Yarn is … Read More...
I’m always looking for different approaches to holidays in different crafts, and this year I’m noticing a lot of cute ghosts. Check out these adorable ghost cross stitch patterns for tons of cute without the creepy.
My daughter’s school has project-based finals instead of tests in the spring, and in her geometry class last year the students constructed a scale model of a town complete with three-dimensional buildings.
Of course building a paper town doesn’t have … Read More...
To celebrate back to school season, I wanted to make a fun and useful cross stitch pattern, so I decided on this cross stitch pencil bookmark.
It’s a really easy pattern even though it calls for six colors. You definitely … Read More...
I feel like when it comes to things that people are afraid to knit, socks probably top the list. I’ve heard people say they would never knit socks because they look too hard, but really you just need to know … Read More...
When I was in the A’s for this nations of the world tour, I somehow missed Angola, a nation in central Africa that is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking nation in the world. Officially known as the Republic of Angola, its the … Read More...
I’ve long had a soft spot for puffins, so of course when I found an Etsy shop called Murder Puffin I had to share it.
And I’m so glad I found it because they’ve got some weird stuff that I … Read More...
Maybe it’s not your Labubu, but if you’ve ever looked at one of those creepy cute dolls and thought “what that thing needs is a sweater,” you’ve come to the right place. These Labubu knitting patterns are super cute and … Read More...
Lately I have been feeling like all of my clothes are looking a little worn or feeling a little tired. I don’t want to buy new clothes, though, so there’s been a lot of mending, altering and adding special touches … Read More...
I’m honestly not totally sure what to say about the Sun King shawl pattern from Ursa Major Knits other than isn’t this cool? You should probably make one.
This modular design is worked in two parts, the “waxing” and “waning” … Read More...
Make it a fun-filled ball-rolling and playing day when you read This is How a Ball Rolls by Heather Tekavec, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa.
This book talks about increasing larger balls, starting with marbles and moving on to juggling balls, … Read More...
Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to do with self-striping and color changing yarns. And sometimes the best option is just to throw two different colorways together and make it even more stripey.
That was the approach … Read More...
If you’re ready to move beyond basic, solid orange pumpkins, check out these pumpkin cross stitch patterns that are just a little bit fancier with some kind of pattern on the pumpkin.
Keep it simple and rustic with this plaid … Read More...