Make Every Moment Count {Michael’s Scrapbook Challenge}

My local Michael’s store is practically my second home, so I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the Make Every Moment Count Scrapbook Challenge sponsored by Michael’s Arts & Crafts! I received a gift card for the store and spent several enjoyable hours roaming the aisles and making my selections. I was tempted by so many products, but…

as soon as I spotted the new Heidi Swapp Color Shine collection, that was all she wrote! I loved the trendy colors and the endless possibilities of this sparkling iridescent spritz.

I couldn’t resist several other items in the collection, including specialty cardstock, pretty flowers, and a portfolio album.

On the way to the register I spotted this stunning sequin trim for just $1 per roll! Of course I had to toss it into my cart as well. All these artsy goodies are destined for a mixed-media travel journal that I will share with you in another post. In the meantime, be sure to check out these inspiring tutorials at Michaels.com and make every moment count for your memories this May!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

Have you read?