I’ve been thinking a lot lately about learning how to knit, and what would be helpful or what essential skills are needed to get from that first project to other projects with confidence.
I know a lot of people start … Read More...
Bear Ears Hat Knitting Pattern
I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to resist the cuteness of a hat with animal ears on it. Whether for little ones or even adults, adding ears to a hat just ramps up the cuteness factor, and it’s really not any … Read More...
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon
Chinese New Year (also sometimes called Lunar New Year) is February 10 this year, and to celebrate we’ve got a great collection of new year’s crafts. 2024 is the year of the dragon. Dragons are said to be charismatic, intelligent, … Read More...
Use Your Stash Faster by Holding Two Strands Together
One of my favorite ways to use up stash fast is working on projects where more than one strand of yarn is held together while you knit. This is an easy way to make a heavier weight yarn using what … Read More...
Designer Spotlight: Teeny Weeny XStitch
I have mentioned recently that I want to take on a large cross-stitch project this year, but the truth is most of the time I am drawn to projects on the other side of the size spectrum.
Tiny things are … Read More...
How to Get a Neater Edge on Your Knitting
If you’re looking to refine your knitting techniques in the new year, or you’re new to knitting and wondering why your edges look so weird, you might enjoy this deep dive into edge stitches, why they look that way and … Read More...
Book Review: African Icons
It’s a terrible thing that Black History Month so often focuses on the period of slavery onward, as if there was nothing of note happening in Africa during this time or indeed throughout the course of history before colonization.
I … Read More...
How to Work Quarter Stitches in Cross Stitch
I have done a fair bit of smaller cross stitch pieces in my time (and I definitely have working something bigger as a goal for 2024!) but for the most part I’ve only worked projects with full cross stitches, backstitch … Read More...
Bag Knitting Patterns Made with Sock Yarn
I’ve been writing posts for a while about things to do with sock yarn
that aren’t socks, and this month’s installment is bags. In keeping with the season and the idea that you might be wanting to use up some … Read More...
Polar Bear Learning Activites
After that post about penguin learning activities, I couldn’t resist sharing some polar bear activities, too. You can do a whole week of learning about cold-weather animals, or just throw in some polar bear activities to add to your … Read More...
Knit a Simple Looking Sweater Full of Fun Techniques
At first glance, the Doppio Sweater by Seunghee Hong looks like a pretty classic, straightforward, mostly stockinette stitch sweater. But as you div e into it, you’ll see there’s more going on that makes it more interesting to knit.
For … Read More...
Penguin Learning Activities for Kids
After talking about Antarctica the other day, it got me thinking about activities involving animals that live in cold climates. So today we’re taking a look at penguin learning activities.
To begin with the basics, Living Life and Learning has … Read More...
Make Your Mittens with Colorwork
Mittens are a utilitarian item if ever there was one. They just need to keep our hands warm reliably. They don’t have to be cute.
But since we’re knitters and we’re going to knit our own mittens anyway, they might … Read More...
Funny Valentine’s Day Cross Stitch Patterns
If your love isn’t super romantic and cheesy, maybe you’d rather stitch up a little something to make you both laugh for Valentine’s Day. These funny designs are still sweet but with a punny or funny twist.
If you met … Read More...
All About Antarctica for Kids
Antarctica is technically a continent, not a country, but I couldn’t resist throwing it in here (especially since it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere). On average it’s the coldest, driest and windiest continent, and of course the least inhabited, with … Read More...
Henley Sweater Knitting Patterns
The type of sweater I’ve knit most often is a standard raglan, but my favorite kind of sweater to wear is a henley. (I went on and on about how much I love henleys, and the Achoo sweater in particular, … Read More...
Use Your Stash to Make Loop Scarves
I’ve recently been playing more with my Sentro knitting machine, and my favorite thing to make right now is loop scarves. Because the easiest thing to make on one of these machines is a tube, you can just crank … Read More...
Designer Spotlight: Stitch and Poke Company
Get your salty cross stitch patterns right here, from Stitch and Poke Company on Etsy.
There’s literally one about staying salty, which is about 8 inches on 18 count fabric, and looks great on dark colored fabric.
I first … Read More...
Activities for The Snowy Day
There are a lot of great winter-themed books that lend themselves to activities in the classroom or at home, and it’s great to read and explore winter books after the holiday break because it makes getting back to school a … Read More...
Knitting Patterns to Use Your Yarn Odd Balls
If you’ve been around here for much time at all, you probably know that I’m all about stash busting and projects that allow you to use little bits of yarn left over from other projects (or that random skein you … Read More...