The other day I shared some crafts involving fall leaves, but there are a lot of fun leaf-related activities that don’t use real leaves, so I wanted to share some of those, too.
Like these watercolor leaves from The … Read More...
Colorful Christmas Tree Cross Stitch Patterns
There’s no rule that says Christmas trees in real life have to be green, and there’s no rule in cross stitch that Christmas trees have to be green, either. While I love a good traditional looking tree (in reality or … Read More...
Book Review: Little Mole Gives Thanks
One way to help teach kids about Thanksgiving and why it’s important to be grateful is by reading books, and Little Mole Gives Thanks by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Sally Garland, is a sweet story about the value of friendship … Read More...
Book Review: Gilmore Girls The Official Knitting Book
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never watched Gilmore Girls. I know I probably should, but I feel like I wasn’t quite the right age for it when it came out and I’ve never gone back to watch it. … Read More...
Designer Spotlight: Niche Stitches
Niche Stitches is a United States based Etsy shop that sells, by its own description, “bookish and modern cross stitch patterns.” You’ll also find patterns related to video games, movies, and more.
There is definitely a fantasy focus when it … Read More...
Fall Leaf Crafts for Kids
There are so many fun things to do with fall leaves, which is a good thing because they are everywhere. We have more than a dozen trees in our yard so I would always try to do some leaf … Read More...
Christmas Chocolate Orange Cover Knitting Patterns
A Terry’s Chocolate Orange is a classic Christmas gift in the UK that has become more popular in America as well. And if you know knitters, you know they’re going to cover something in knitting if they can, so there … Read More...
The Perfect Socks to Knit for Fall
I love a good themed sock, even though I don’t knit them all that often. I guess maybe it feels like why take all that time to knit something I can only use for a couple of weeks a year?… Read More...
Knit the Coziest Sweater Ever
I’ve always wanted to knit a mohair sweater. It just seems to me like the ultimate in comfort and a bit of luxury, and I would probably live in such a sweater all winter long if I had one.
Now … Read More...
Ways to Display Your Cross Stitch Projects
I think most of the time when we make cross stitch projects, we are pretty conventional in how we choose to display them. We might mount them on a board of some sort, or show them in a frame.
Sometimes … Read More...
Viking Unit Study
I love the idea of unit studies, which can be done at school, in a homeschool environment or just for fun at home as a way to learn about something specific your kids might be into (or maybe that you … Read More...
Knit a Mosaic Scarf
I know I’ve said this before, but in case you missed it, I am a big cheerleader for mosaic knitting. I don’t feel like it’s ever had the popularity of some other knitting techniques, particularly other colorwork knitting options, but … Read More...
Designer Spotlight: Ulysses Blue Stitching
I have been holding onto this Etsy shop to share with you when we got a little closer to Christmas, because as of this writing 17 of the designer’s 39 cross stitch charts have a Christmas theme. I think we’re … Read More...
Play Battleship with a Hundreds Chart
Teachers are always coming up with fun ways to use Battleship in the classroom for teaching different concepts. My teen recently made a Battleship game in Google Sheets for her computing class, which used conditional formatting so when you guessed … Read More...
How to Keep Your Place in a Cross Stitch Chart
I love to help my fellow cross stitchers to make this craft easier and more enjoyable, so I love sharing tips when I come across them that will make it easier to have success.
When you’re working a small project, … Read More...
Book Review: Knitting with Dog Hair
If you’ve been around the knitting world as long as I have (or even longer!) you might remember the book Knitting with Dog Hair. First published in 1994, the book by Kendall Crolius is being reissued for its 30th … Read More...
Only Murders in the Building Cross Stitch Patterns
I don’t know why it sometimes still surprises me when I go to look for cross stitch patterns from a particular fandom and end up finding them. I should know by now that there are cross stitch designers who are … Read More...
Learning about Bosnia and Herzegovina for Kids
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes also known just as Bosnia, is a country in southeastern Europe that was part of the kingdom (and later the republic) of Yugoslavia. It declared its independence in 1992, which led to a war that ended… Read More... A Quick and Easy Baby Blanket to Knit
We had a bit of a fun surprise over the summer when a friend announced they were adopting a baby, with less than a month to go until the due date.
It’s never a good idea to spring a surprise … Read More...
Designer Spotlight: Ruby Red Thread Design
Calling all lovers of geeky and gamer cross stitch! I’d like to introduce you to Ruby Red Thread Design, a Canadian Etsy shop full of projects you’ll love if you’re into Pokemon, Studio Ghibli, Final Fantasy and other geeky genres.… Read More...