I’m not sure that I’ve ever knit a raglan cardigan, though I do love raglan pullovers. Designer Jessica McDonald knit a couple of them and then was distressed to discover that they quickly became misshapen while wearing, to the point … Read More...
Book Review: Free Spirit Stitching
It’s so fun to combine different kinds of stitching in the same project. Free Spirit Stitching: 8 Vibrant and Colorful Stitching Adventures by Debra Valencia allows you to do just that.
These projects include cross stitch and embroidery techniques together … Read More...
What Teachers Really Want for Teacher Appreciation
I’ve recently been looking at teacher appreciation ideas, and the consensus when you ask teachers what they really want as a teacher appreciation gift, they say gift cards.
It makes sense, because any teacher who has been teaching for very … Read More...
Book Review: Knitstrips Comic Book
Knitting patterns are generally presented more with words than pictures. Yes, there are photos and video tutorials that often accompany knitting patterns, but for the most part the techniques, and the patterns themselves, are described with words.
Knitstrips
still has … Read More...
Make Your Own Knit Cardigan, Block by Block
I love knitting patterns that give you a lot of options. It’s almost a step between following a pattern and designing something yourself, where you get to make some of the decisions but you don’t have to do the math … Read More...
Cross Stitch Hearts for Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is a great time to show mom you care, and what better way to do that than by making her something? I still love all the weird little things my daughter has made me for Mother’s Day and … Read More...
Teacher Appreciation Themes for Your School
Teacher appreciation week is typically celebrated in the first full week of May, but any time is a good time to tell and show teachers how much we care. Whether you’re a parent looking for teacher appreciation ideas or an … Read More...
How to Railroad Your Cross Stitch
“Railroad” doesn’t really sound like a term that should have anything to do with cross stitch, but it is a useful technique if you want to give your work a really crisp, uniform look.
Railroading, a stitching technique that aligns … Read More...
Easy Mother’s Day Gifts for Kids to Make
Of course it’s impossible to generalize what moms want for Mother’s Day (I have always said I wanted a nap), but I think it’s fair to say most moms would like getting a gift that their kid had a hand … Read More...
Stitch Spring Flowers on This Pretty Cowl
The storytelling that often accompanies recipe blog posts has become a bit of a joke on the Internet, with people who just want the recipe already complaining about the fact that the author tells the whole back story of the … Read More...
How to Make Perfect Pom Poms
Pom poms add the perfect little something extra to a lot of projects. It’s a no-brainer to put a pom pom on the top of a hat, but you can also use them to decorate scarves, bags, the bottom of … Read More...
Funny Cross Stitch Patterns for Mother’s Day
Just because we become moms doesn’t mean we lose our sense of humor. If your mom (or another mom you love) has a snarky side, one of these funny cross stitch patterns for Mother’s Day might be just the thing … Read More...
Mother’s Day Printables for Kids to Fill Out
I always love seeing posts on social media from moms with little kids who fill out Mother’s Day questionnaires with hilarious answers. They almost read like Mad Libs sometimes, and I think that’s an ever better keepsake when the answers … Read More...
Knit Yourself a Pair of Slippers
Slippers might seem like a cold-weather project (and if you’re in the colder part of the world, now’s a great time to make some!), but I think slippers are even more important in the summer.
I don’t wear shoes in … Read More...
Book Review: 20 to Make Flowers to Knit
Adding a knit flower to a project is a fun way to give it a little more color and style, and they are also great stash busting projects because they typically don’t use a lot of yarn.
Designer Sachiyo Ishii … Read More...
Book Review: 50 Cross Stitch Quickies Animals and Friends
Animals are some of the most popular cross stitch motifs out there, and the Leisure Arts book 50 Cross Stitch Quickies: Animals and Friends by Plaid Bucilla features a bunch of cute and small scale animal patterns perfect of all … Read More...
Handprint and Fingerprint Crafts for Mother’s Day
I guess it’s because Mother’s Day falls during the school year and Father’s Day does not (in America, anyway) that there seem to be so many more crafts and activities for Mother’s Day than there are for Father’s Day. Of … Read More...
Stitch a Cardigan with Mini Colorwork
I love a pattern with a good back story. Maxine the Mini is inspired by the designer, Jimenez Joseph’s Mini Cooper car, whose name happens to be Maxine. You can see her in the background of this picture, because I … Read More...
Mouse Ears Pixie Bonnet
This sweet mouse pixie bonnet winter hat knitting pattern is perfect for making handmade gifts for your loved ones. It comes in sizes for newborns, babies and children. Perfect to wear year round and especially cute added to your little … Read More...
Your Guide to Discontinued and Hard to Find Cross Stitch Thread
I am not so much of a cross stitcher that I have ever come across the problem of needing a particular color of cross stitch floss that wasn’t readily available.
But if you are working from older patterns, or a … Read More...