We don’t really have any travel to speak of planned this summer, and my daughter is old enough that any lengthy time in the car is usually spent with an audiobook or watching videos. But I remember the struggle of … Read More...
An Update on the Stitches/XRX Story
Recently I shared the news that XRX, the company behind the Stitches live and virtual events, had announced it would be filing for bankruptcy and was canceling all events. So far the actual filing doesn’t seem to have happened, and … Read More...
An Easy Scarf to Use Up All Your Scraps
If you’ve been around here long, you know that I’m in a perpetual battle with my stash. I feel like I haven’t bought yarn in years unless I needed it for a specific project. I knit fairly a lot, and … Read More...
What are ORTs and Why Do People Keep Them?
If you’ve been around the cross stitch community for long, you might have come across the word ORT. It’s commonly used as a acronym for “old ratty thread,” but what it means is the little leftover bits of thread when … Read More...
Take Your Stitches in New Directions with this Knit Sweater
When I first saw the New Directions Knit Pullover from Yarnspirations, I thought it was a cable knitting project.
But it turns out these shifting stitches are caused by strategic increases and decreases that form those lines that look … Read More...
Fun Printables for Father’s Day
Printing out a coloring sheet or a survey for kids to fill out about dad is a quick and easy way to have a semi-homemade gift for Father’s Day. None of these take a long time to do but they … Read More...
Rainbow Knitting Patterns for Pride and Beyond
Rainbow is a color scheme that most people like, and it’s an easy way to bring color into your knitting projects without having to put a whole lot of thought into it. Whether you’re stitching for Pride or just for … Read More...
Cross Stitch Patterns Inspired by the Beach
After talking about little summer cross stitch patterns the other day, I got to thinking about beach themed cross stitch projects. We have gone to the beach for vacation with our daughter most years, but this year we aren’t going … Read More...
Hand Print Crafts for Father’s Day
Cards and crafts involving hand prints and footprints are classic for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and they give us a chance to look back through the years and see how much our kids have grown.
They’re also really easy … Read More...
Have You Put Your Sweaters Away for the Season?
My guess would be that for most people in the Northern Hemisphere, we are coming out of sweater season. Through the cold weather I don’t wash my sweaters every time I wear them (because they don’t need it) but it’s … Read More...
Summer Sampler Cross Stitch Patterns
It’s funny that we are all supposed to have more time in the summer for things we enjoy like crafting, but at the same time it’s the time of year I’m least inclined to start a big project.
I guess … Read More...
Book Review: The Art of Knitting Hats
Hats are a great canvas on which to try just about any knitting technique. They’re relatively small and quick to knit, and everyone can use a hat, right?
Courtney Flynn shares 30 designs for colorwork hats in her book The … Read More...
Easy Crafts for Kids to Make for Father’s Day
There’s nothing better than a kid made craft or card for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, and since school is usually out by the time Father’s Day rolls around, it’s often on the moms to encourage/help kids to make something … Read More...
Knit a Perfect Tank Top for Summer
There is just something about Jessie Mead’s knitting patterns. They are so cute and they look great on literally everyone. I made her Ripple Bralette pattern (twice — so far) and it’s so comfortable and nice and the only bra … Read More...
Stripes and flowers Socks knitting pattern
These socks combine stripes and colorwork flowers for a fun summery design that is inspired by the Finnish fashion brand Marimekko.
The construction is quite basic: the socks are knitted cuff down and the pattern comes with a german short … Read More...
Cross Stitch Borders and How to Use Them
I love a good cross stitch border. They’re just the thing to make a simple project look a little more finished or to add a bit more color to a project.
You can add a border to just about any … Read More...
Stitch Up a Cowl Full of Color and Texture
Some patterns just look like they would be amazing stash busting projects. I know the vast majority of the time designers make a project with a particular yarn for a reason, and knitters tend to like having more information about … Read More...
Book Review: Fabulous Florals
Flower designs are probably some of the most popular motifs in cross stitching, and Fabulous Florals brings together six projects from Herrschners using flower designs.
These projects aren’t just the cross stitch charts themselves. Instead, they show how the designs … Read More...
How to Fix a Dropped Cast On Stitch
I feel like if you knit long enough you’ll make every possible mistake that a knitter can make. And while it might feel like no one possibly could have done that same boneheaded thing you just did, I can guarantee … Read More...
Flag Day Crafts and Activities for Kids
It’s kind of weird to people outside of the United States (and maybe within them, too) that the USA has a special holiday dedicated to its flag.
Flag Day is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on June … Read More...