simple Analogy

{PRESENT}ing Day 19: Yarn on the Loom

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Another one for those who knit/crochet - or those who just want to go buy a couple of skeins to do this with.  This idea reminds me of my childhood weaving days.  I used to make potholders on a little loom.  (Who didn't!)  Do you remember the under/over rhythm?

Even if you never had the woven potholders experience, you could weave this beautiful wrapping in very little time.  This project comes from Lion Brand Yarn.  Directions here! 

***Upload your gift wrap creations to the {PRESENT}ing flickr group.  

{PRESENT}ing Day 8: Yarn Wrapping

via Poppytalk

A few ideas for all you knitting/crochet addicts out there.  There's always leftover yarn, right?  Even if you buy just the right amount, Murphy's Law will kick into gear and send you to the store for another skein of yarn to finish up the project.  Murphy must be employed by the yarn companies!  So, here's a great way to wrap presents and use up all that leftover yarn.

This idea comes from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.  The book is organized in sections based on how much time the projects take (less than two hours to more than eight hours).  My knitting skills are limited, but thankfully it also has a section on wrapping handknit crafts.  Bingo!

Use various colors of yarn, stick with a color family, go light to dark, do it up ombre style, use yarns with different thickness or texture... lots of ways to customize this one!

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And because kid's can't have all the fun, try some of these yarn fonts instead of traditional name tags.  They are really fun to make!  I did this one for my niece's birthday.  Lots of wrapping and a little bit of hot glue in a few strategic spots to attach it to the package, and you're good to go.

Time to go dig through my mom's stash of leftover skeins!

***Upload pictures to the {PRESENT}ing flickr group to share some gift wrap inspiration.

October Kid's Craft Along: Yarn Font

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This project totally captured my imagination when I saw it on Bloesem Kid's!  And since these are super cheap to make, there's endless fun to be had.  Got your wrapping fingers ready?

Supplies:  pipe cleaners, yarn scraps

Approximate cost:  Just a few dollars!

Directions:  Yarn font directions can be found here.

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Just imagine all the cool things you could do with the letters/words you make!  Hang them on the wall, mount them in a frame, give as a gift, use on the front door instead of a wreath, use as tags for presents, make the whole alphabet to play with.  The sky's the limit! 

Remember to add pictures of your fonts to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!

Just a Few Bracelet Tips

 
Ok, so I've made a ton of these bracelets and used several different types of knit, and now I'm ready to share a couple of tips...

1.  Use a very stretchy knit!

You know all those t-shirts that your kid's accumulate from Vacation Bible School, Reading Club, etc?  Well, we had quite a pile of them in the goodwill bag.  I cut them into strips to make bracelets out of.  The problem was that the material was too stiff.  I had to keep the fabric up close to the tips of my fingers in order to be able to yank it over my fingers, but then it kept falling off my fingers.  Obnoxious!  And my fingers were very sore after.  I kept going, but I'll never use that kind of fabric again. 

As a good alternate bracelet tutorial for using up those stiff t-shirts, see Megan's on Make It Snappy!  I'm pretty sure this would work like a charm with that type of fabric, and I'm only sorry I didn't catch her post BEFORE I had my round with these.

2.  Make them multicolored.

I had lots of boy colored t-shirts:  orange, gray, green.  At first I made solid colored bracelets, but when I got toward the end of my stash of strips, there wasn't enough length of any individual color to make a whole bracelet.  So I pieced two colors together.  I rather like the way it looks and wished I'd have done more multicolored ones.

Back to more finger knitting!

Finger Knitting Necklace

 
The scraps from the skirt... they went toward another worthy cause - my newest necklace!  I used every single piece of that fabric.  No waste!  Nada!

 
Follow the directions from V and Co. for knitting with two fingers (video tutorial here), but leave a little bit longer of a tail to begin with - say 7-8 inches.

 
Knit until your chain is about 10-11 inches long (or however long you want it).  I like shorter necklaces, so 11 inches worked for me.

 
End your chain following the directions in the tutorial making sure to leave a long tail.  Mine was about 17 inches long.

 
Put the longest tail around your neck and adjust the necklace to the length you like.

 
 
 
Tie both tails in a bow right next to the end of your chain.  (I added an extra length of fabric to the bow part to fluff it up a bit.)  Cut the tails to the desired length.

The knit I used was a really soft cotton/spandex mix which gave me a really floppy bow.  If you want the bow more defined, use a thicker/stiffer knit.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

 
Whew!  That was a busy couple 'a weeks!  What have I been doing BESIDES crafting with kids?  Making bracelets!  Fun, fun fun!  These finger knit bracelets are my new favorite.

Not that you need reasons to make these, but here are six...

1.  They are super cute.

2.  They are super comfortable.  Lightweight and soft!

3.  They are super stash-busters.  In other words, cheap enough to make a gillion without feeling guilty about the cost. 

4.  They are super quick to make.  (under 2 minutes each) 

5.  They are superbly versatile.  Wear 'em with jeans and a t-shirt.  Wear em with your Sunday best.

6.  They are green.  Great way to use up all those cheap t-shirts that you bought, wore a couple times, and now have holes where the button part of the jeans rubs the tummy part of the shirt.  Ahem.

There is also a video tutorial if the written one doesn't do it for ya.  You should read the post before you watch the video.  So funny!  Happy finger knitting!

Couch Potato

I spent almost the entire weekend on the couch.  It was very productive time.  I finished two scarves for Craft Hope.  I haven't knitted in quite a while, so it was fun to get back into it. 

Both scarves had to be red, 5-8 inches wide, 60 inches long, and unisex.  The option of fringe was given, but I left it off.  Just don't know how much a guy would go for fringe - I know my guys wouldn't be too enthused.  I used my big needles because I love that look.  One of them is heavier and very chunky; the other is lighter and more airy.  I really need to learn another stitch other than knit, but hey, it works and I don't have to think about what I'm doing.

Shivering

You should have seen my dog, Dorrie, last night when I opened the door for her to go out.  She's little (Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound) and according to my grandma "naked".  She looked outside at the freezing cold wind, shivered, and gave me a look like "You GOTTA be kidding me!"  Poor thing.  Poor me too because she wouldn't go unless I went out there with her.  I guess she needed company in her misery.  At least the cold weather sped up her normal hunt for the right spot process.

So how are you all spending your time during this Arctic blast?  We did school this morning and the rest of our day is being spent in the living room.  Fire, loads of blankets, good books, hot cocoa, popcorn, movies from the library, a new knitting project...  Dorrie is even in on all the fun.  She's either under the blanket with me or curled up in her own blanket in her bed by the fire.  She loves it there.  Sometime I'll have to get a video of her whole cocoon yourself in the blanket routine.  It's quite ingenious and a necessity for a "naked" dog. 

Happy Friday and stay warm!

My First Give-Away

Drawing is closed, winner to be announced soon!

Today's the day!  I'll be giving away this dreamy creamy deconstructed scarf. 

  

   

This scarf has a deconstructed, modern look. Loosely knit "patches" of cream provide the right amount of warmth for the season. The approximate 4 ft. length is plenty to play with the newest styles in scarfdom.  Machine wash cold. Lay flat to dry.

For a chance to win, please leave a comment.  At the end of the day, all the comments will be place in a hat and a winner chosen.  Noah's really into game shows and prizes and is so willing to help with this.  The winner will be announced on Thursday and contacted by email for shipping info.  I will ship internationally! 

To join in even more of the fun, check out the full list of participants in Give-Away Day and comment on their blogs!  The complete list will be posted on Dec. 3rd.

Playing With Scarves

I am a scarf making machine these days.  They are fun, quick, and stylish.  I am loving all the variation of ways to wear them.  I did a search for "how to tie a scarf" - way too many to view!  Martha has a few of the basics.

 

Modeled using my new loosely knit deconstructed scarf.  I love the result of using the big needles (35's).  It gives so much texture.  And, a plus for us Houstonians, it's not quite as hot as the tighter knit.  Although I must say that this morning is quite cold and windy.  I've been wanting to wear it, but it's been in the 80's for so long that I had almost given up hope.  So while the weather is in the 50's, I'll be sporting my new scarf.  Gotta take these chances as they come! 

This one is mine, but I will be adding one to the shop on Monday!