I volunteer at a local botanical garden’s childrens program, and almost every week there’s some kind of water play for them. Both because water is fun and because it is hot outside. Whether you’re entertaining one kid or a bunch, … Read More...
How to Manage a Large Piece of Cross Stitch Fabric
I am known to be really paranoid when it comes to cutting cross stitch fabric for a project. I will math it out, count, recount, think about it, worry, decide it needs to be bigger than math plus my already … Read More...
Knit a Log Cabin Sweater for Your Little One
I don’t share patterns for kids clothes nearly often enough (probably because my teen long ago aged out of kid sizes) but I’m going to try to make more of an effort for those of you who are knitting for … Read More...
Republic of the Congo for Kids
The other day we learned about the Democratic Republic of the Congo and I said it was not the same country as the Republic of the Congo, so let’s talk about that one today.
It’s another nation in central Africa … Read More...
Pet Beds to Knit
I have two cats, and I have always wanted to make them some kind of cat bed. But I also feel like they would completely ignore it, so I would be better off spending my knitting time on someone who … Read More...
Designer Spotlight: Bad Stitched
I came across the Etsy shop Bad Stitched when I was looking for bookmark cross stitch patterns and found their adorable pride bat bookmark, which I didn’t share then because I was going for more of a back to … Read More...
Peach Themed Learning Activities
August is National Peach Month, and it’s the perfect time to learn about, learn with and eat peaches!
According the Utah State University’s Extension Service, peaches originated in China more than 8,000 years ago. There are more than 2,000 … Read More...
Designer Spotlight: Stitch with Coffee
Stitch with Coffee is an Etsy shop that is almost completely devoted to holiday designs, with the exception of a series of designs that feature the exploits of a tuxedo cat named Tuxey. It’s also almost completely devoted to cat … Read More...
Embellish Your Knit Dishcloth with Flowers
One great thing to knit when the weather is warm (or honestly any other time) is dishcloths and washcloths. They are fun and easy projects and a great way to play with new skills. Pretty washcloths make cleaning a tiny … Read More...
Back to School Cross Stitch Patterns
Back to school time is right around the corner where I live as I write this, and school-themed cross stitch patterns are super cute to make as a teacher gift or to personalize something like a pencil bag or backpack … Read More...
Krampus Sweater Knitting Pattern
Santa and Saint Nicholas generally get all the good press, but Central European kids know you don’t want to just be good so you get presents from St. Nicholas; you also want to avoid the ire of Krampus. (He’s depicted … Read More...
Back to School Craft Ideas
Back to school time is coming up fast, and doing school-related crafts with kids can be a way to talk about the coming school year and help them get ready for it.
If you’re trying to build excitement around the … Read More...
Cross Stitching on Wooden Blanks
One of the fun things about cross stitch is all the different surfaces you can stitch on. Of course regular cross stitch fabric is the most common, you can stitch on anything with holes (and even sometimes on things without … Read More...
Book Review: The Secret Life of the Forest
Trees are an essential part of nature, both for the oxygen they produce and the habitats they provide to animals. But if you don’t live near a forest you might not think about all that happens within them very much. … Read More...
Textured Baby Blanket Knitting Patterns
There are so many baby blanket knitting patterns out there I could probably do a post a month full of them and not run out for a very long time. This time I thought I’d look specifically at single color … Read More...
Book Review: Merry Stitchmas
It might seem a little early (if you’re reading this when I’m writing this) to be thinking abut the holiday season, but cross stitching takes time, and if you want to stitch a bunch of gifts or decor for the … Read More...
Learning about the Moon for Kids
The moon is always a fun topic for kids because it’s around all the time but always changing and there are lots of educational and crafting activities available to learn about the moon.
I’ve shared a few in the past, … Read More...
Bookmark Cross Stitch Patterns
It seems like there’s no end to the available options when it comes to cross stitch bookmarks, which is a good thing because they’re perennially popular to stitch as well. This time I thought I’d share some colorful cross stitch … Read More...
Knit a Linen Stitch Hot Pad
Linen stitch is one of my favorite knitting stitch patterns that, every time I use it in a project, I think about how I don’t use it often enough.
It’s an easy stitch to make, with slip stitches done with … Read More...
Democratic Republic of the Congo for Kids
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not the same as the Republic of the Congo. These are both nations in central Africa (and we’ll cover Republic of the Congo next time) and DRC is the second-largest country in Africa. … Read More...