Crochet definitely has something on knitting when it comes to making amigirumi, fun little objects that look like animals or just about anything else. That’s not to say you can’t knit amigurimi or larger toys or animals, but there seem … Read More...
Resources for Teaching Kids about Thanksgiving
I think we all have an image in our mind of what the first Thanksgiving might have looked like from books and movies that show somber Pilgrims dressed all in black and native people in blankets and feathers. We might … Read More...
A Fall Harvest to Cross Stitch
Every now and then I like to check the new free patterns on Craftsy, and I recently found a great one for fall.
The Autumn Pantry by Brooke’s Books features shelves with jars full of canned goods and … Read More...
This Little Acorn Pattern is Perfect for Fall
KBB Crafts and Stitches is the old blog of Kathleen Berlew, and even though she doesn’t update it anymore it has a great collection of projects as well as some free cross stitch patterns.
For this time of year … Read More...
More Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
I’ve got Thanksgiving on the brain, though I’m still in a bit of denial about how soon it is coming!
Having some easy kids activities on hand is always a good idea, and you might be surprised how adults get … Read More...
Thankful Word Art Cross Stitch Pattern
After finding the Give Thanks cross-stitch pattern I shared yesterday, I went on the hunt for more Thanksgiving word art cross stitch patterns.
This one from Seven Gnomes Stitchery on etsy is really pretty and has a great message that … Read More...
Give Thanks with this Simple Stitched Design
It’s getting a little late in the month to plan a big cross-stitch project for Thanksgiving, but this little Give Thanks design from Alita Designs is sweet and simple and you still have time to stitch it.
The sample is … Read More...
Thanksgiving Pattern Block Mats
Thanksgiving is a holiday that requires a lot of waiting of kids, so its great to have some activities on hand to entertain them.
These printable Thanksgiving-themed pattern block sheets from This Reading Mama are really cute and a great … Read More...
Grab the Pattern Used to Teach 10,000 New Knitters
The other day I shared about the 10,000 New Knitters project, and now that the big day has happened, the pattern for the mitts that was used in the knitting kit used for the projects has been released for others … Read More...
Thanksgiving Books Reading Challenge
One of the fun things about holidays is all the great children’s books available to make story time a little more engaging.
KC Edventures has a free printable for a Thanksgiving-book-themed reading challenge, covering things like reading a book … Read More...
Cross Stitch Some Harry Potter Love
I deliberately saved this pattern to share after Halloween because Harry Potter is an all-year love. The Kim Six Fix made an amazing Harry Potter heart cross stitch pattern that is great for wizards and muggles alike to stitch.
It … Read More...
A Musical Lesson for Thanksgiving
Does the song “Over the River and through the Woods” remind you of Thanksgiving? I always think of it more as a Christmas song (I guess because I’ve never lived anywhere it snows for Thanksgiving), but I learned from this … Read More...
Build a Lego Advent Calendar
I love Lego building challenges because they are a sneaky way to bring a bit of engineering and STEM fun into your everyday.
But combining Lego, building challenges and candy may just be the best of all.
Most of us, … Read More...
Help Recruit 10,000 New Knitters This Weekend
Have you heard about the project 10,000 New Knitters? Sponsored by skacel, the project provides free learn to knit kits to new knitters who visit participating yarn shops. They are encouraging experienced knitters to lend a hand by … Read More...
Get a Jump on Holiday Crafting with Merry Yarning
I am pretty much in denial about how soon the holidays will be here, and I know some people are already deep into decorating and making ready. Good for you, but I’m going to sit over here with my Halloween … Read More...
An In-Depth Look at Designing Intarsia
I’ve done a bit of intarsia designing (it’s one of the genres of knitting covered in Colorwork Knitting) but I always find it fascinating to learn about how other designers go about making their projects.
Hands Occupied has just … Read More...
Download this Great Editing Checklist for Kids
One of my jobs throughout my career has been as a professional editor, so I think it’s really important to teach kids to critically read their own writing and know how to edit themselves.
This Reading Mama has a couple … Read More...
Who’s Ready for Christmas Cross Stitch?
I am not one of those people who likes to rush the holiday season (maybe because I’m a knitter and I like to believe there’s still a long time to knit some gifts for people), but I know a lot … Read More...
In Case You Want to Knit Some Lounge Pants
I’ve only ever knit pants for babies (there’s a pattern in my book Quick and Easy Baby Knits). But this time of year, when it’s just starting to get cold, I start to feel like I’m going to want … Read More...
Greater Than/Less Than Alligator Math
The concept of greater than and less than is not a hard one, but sometimes kids have trouble with which way the symbol should point.
It’s made a lot easier when you turn the symbol into a mouth that always … Read More...