Starburst Scrap Afghan Knit As You Go

I made this afghan for my niece for her wedding present. It is the same pattern I shared in January a year ago except the main color is blue instead of beige. You can find the instructions here. It took a few months to make, of course. I whipped up a few medallions each night and tossed them in a bin until I had a bunch then worked them together by working the final row. If I had had the time to sit down and crochet the whole afghan at once it wouldn't have taken so long but it was a squeeze it in during what free time I had kind of project.

The pop of color and hexagon shapes of the medallions just tickle my visual senses. Plus, it's warm and cozy and has a perfect weight to it.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest so a cozy afghan is a perfect gift. I lived in the Pacific Northwest for many years and cold is the main theme out there. Sure, it doesn't get nostril freezing shut, car tire thumping frozen cold. It's just always cold. A steady cold. Afghans and quilts are a normal sofa accessory there, summer or winter.

It turned out great. Just love it. The beige afghan is still the cat's favorite. When I bring it out he appears out of nowhere as if by magic and settles in on the afghan to snuggle with me. Since my niece has a cat, I am certain that at least someone in the household will fall in love with it.

I don't do a lot of knitting in the summer. I'm not big on A/C though I will use it when it gets muggy hot and the best way to avoid turning on central air is to not sit on the couch with a warm knitting project on my lap. Sometimes the urge to knit will be too strong to resist even with the hot summer weather but mostly I knit to make something I want to use and there isn't a big need for knitwear in the summer.

I have a lot of brands in the fire and I need to focus on some other projects for a while so I don't expect to get many crafting posts done in the next several weeks or even months. I will try to post any projects I do, whether knitting, crocheting, beadwork, wirework, or sewing but I won't be able to create projects just for the blog for a bit.

In addition to some other major projects going on I am planning a big move. That will be my big time sink for a few months. Between writing and preparing house to sell and a new job starting next month I will be lucky to get even a monthly post done on here. I will try though.

Sometimes you just have to focus on one thing at a time. I tend to have so many things going on at once that every once in a while I have to stop and focus on one thing or it gets a bit overwhelming.

Don't Be Afraid to Play with Any Crafting Process

When It Comes to Crafting, Experience Comes with Playing

I like to make things. I’ll bet you do also. That’s why you’re visiting my blog, right? Looking for some suggestions or patterns or inspiration to make something? Although we want our projects to “wow” our friends, relatives, or people passing on the sidewalk, it’s mostly about the process more than the finished project.

I mean, if all we cared about was the end result we could just go to some brick and mortar shop stuffed to the brim with unique, awesome products or some eye-catching online boutique, right? It’s about making it ourselves, having the control to create a version of something we saw somewhere but in the colors we want, the textiles we prefer, etc. Right? At least that drives me quite often.

I started on my journey of cross body purse making when I couldn’t find that exact right purse that I wanted. From cross body I went to hobos and totes and luggage then to full on any purse silhouette that I wanted to make. I inserted key tethers, the size pockets I wanted, external pockets, zippered pockets, hidden pockets, and the list goes on. With enough practice creating a bag with fine details and a professional look becomes second nature.

That’s the key, practice. I’m not afraid to cut up an old pair of jeans, an old flannel shirt, or fabric off the clearance rack to make mock up versions to practice. The key is to not be afraid of messing up. No matter how many times you’ve made something, mess ups happen. The thing is, learn from it and move on.

I’ve taught a lot of people how to knit. It’s amazing how many people want to learn and are just afraid to do it. Once I was at work and taught someone how to knit using two pencils. She made a whole scarf on those two pencils! That still makes me chuckle. I always tell new knitters to go get some cheap, smooth yarn at the local department store. It’s a $3 investment and those cheap skeins go a long way. A cheap set of straight knitting needles is just as cheap and a set of circular is a cheap investment. (We all advance to leaving the straight needles behind at some point.) Play and undo and play some more. A night at the movies cost more in popcorn and soda than a skein of cheap yarn and basic knitting needles.

The point that I’m trying to make is to play. Don’t be afraid to try something new. It’s about the process and with enough experience you will eventually create something that will wow your friends, family, or that person walking past on the sidewalk.

Number One Cat Toy #1

Cats have different personalities. Some like a toy mouse. Some love catnip. For my Max it's all about the string.

I was making a fabric stuffed flower and the first attempt I cut the fabric with the wrong dimensions and it created a barrel shape too narrow to flatten for the flower. I ran some yarn through the center and Max's favorite all-time cat toy was born.

It doesn't look like much does it? But the cat loves it. It's so great when mistakes turn into unexpected treasures.

Even hot and tired, he can't resist a few swats.

It took about half an hour total to make and was completely scrap items. I think it took less than half an hour but we'll say half an hour for the first one.

1. Cut a piece of fabric 3"x 4 1/2". Crease or iron 1/4" along the long edges. This keeps raw edges inside.
2. Sew into a tube. I used sewing machine but it's small enough that you could do it by hand.
3. With needle and thread, use a running stitch along the top edge. You can use doubled standard thread if you want a stronger thread. Make stitches fairly large. I inserted needle about every 1/4". You just don't want the stitches too tight because that actually hinders gathering. Pull up thread to gather together and secure with a knot or two. Turn inside out and do the same on other end; use running stitch around edge (in center of the folded fabric), tighten to gather, knot to secure. Stuff. I used poly fill but you can use scraps of wool, yarn, even add some catnip. My Max doesn't care about catnip so I don't bother with it.
4. String about a yard of yarn (or string or cord, whatever you have on hand) onto a tapestry needle, run needle through center of barrel. The gaps at top and bottom from gathering fabric together make the perfect spot to insert the thick needle. Tie yarn. If yarn gets too beat up with lots of play it's really easy to replace. Just cut off old yarn and string on new yarn.

With such a quick, frugal, and well received toy, you can make several to have on hand for play.

Organic Scrap Quilt Loaded with Color

I am tickled pink with how well this scrappy quilt turned out.

I had a box of fabric scraps that were really too small for anything but some of the fabrics were so great that I couldn't bear to throw them away and felt the need to find a way to use them up.

What I did was randomly sew pieces together. I did straighten most of the pieces, so no curves. But other than that it was completely random, often cutting off the excess after sewing strip after strip onto the growing scrap block.

I did square up the blocks. You can likely see that one of the large blocks resulted in leftover log cabin coaster blocks sewn together. There's a mini mountain square patch in the middle of a larger scrap patch.

I used up all those small pieces and then used larger pieces of scrap fabric to fill out the dimensions. I free motion quilted the blocks, cutting the backing squares at least an inch bigger on every side. Then I joined them together by sewing the backs together with a tight 1/4" seam and using 3" sashing strips folded in half for the front. Even the binding is created by joining 3" scrap pieces together. I joined the binding on the back and flipped it over to the front and sewed along the edge. No hand sewing the binding for this scrappy quilt. It was all about down and dirty, quick and easy (though the scrap blocks were started over a year ago), and impact more than perfection.

Dimensions, big enough to cover the love seat. We had a few days of cooler weather last week and it was a cozy little lap quilt to pull over my lap while reading or watching tv but not big enough to cover my toes if I wanted to lay down. I'm still tickled pink with it.

The vibrant colors really thrill my senses. And this quilt was made almost entirely of scraps of fabric that most sane people would have tossed when finishing the original project. So it's a freebie as well as free form. The batting was leftover from a wedding quilt I made two years ago. The backing fabric was the top sheet from a set whose fitted sheet tore. It's a true scrap quilt.

Because of its nature, I felt a great sense of freedom in whatever I did with it, as in processes. I played with the free form quilting, not worried about how it looked, just having fun with it. I experimented with the using the backing fabric to attach blocks together to see how that worked out. It worked out but I definitely learned some lessons for that.

Just take a look at the ladybug quilting I did. That's what it reminded me of, the path of a flying ladybug.

But it's all right. It made me happy to play. This is what a quilter sees but the bigger picture is what everyone else sees. I'm not entering it in any competitions. I am content to have it on my love seat for the next cool evening where it will make me feel good to cover up my legs and lap with a splash of bright colors.

Scrappy Crocheted Afghan Using Leftover Yarn

I love this afghan. It is dense and warm and a bright spot on a cold, gloomy day.

It is crocheted but I think a similar version could be done with knit.

It is a very simple pattern. Crochet a foundation chain of desired length. I think I used a G hook to match the yarn's weight. I don't remember how many stitches I started with. I went with the "this is slightly wider than the depth of the couch" method. It's just a casual throw to use up scrap yarn, after all. I did make a point to use an even number of stitches so that the alternating sc and dc was constant but it isn't necessary.

That's all there is to this afghan, foundation row, alternate sc and dc back, switch colors, sc into dc and dc into sc then repeat back. Pick up base color and work two rows, pick up scrap color and work two rows. I cut scrap colors but leave base color traveling up side.

Amount of yarn will vary. I used up 3 skeins of the beige and lots of miscellaneous partial skeins of other colors.

I intend to do the crab stitch around the entire afghan, which I expect to take minimal at least another full skein.

If I was to knit this, I would knit a base row then slip 1, knit across in the base, switch to scrap color and repeat slip 1, knit previous slip 1, repeating alternating slipping 1 and knitting 1 for the whole afghan to get the jagged effect.

Knit Stuffed Hearts

These knit hearts are a fun project that whip up in a short time. An ideal gift idea.

They are quite easy.
You can use whatever weight of yarn and size of needles you want to use.
For chunky yarn I used size 10 needles because I wanted a dense fabric. I used circular needles but it's just as easy to use straight needles. The orange one is lightweight yarn and size 6 needles and you can see the stuffing peeking through because it was not so dense.

First we make the first "hump"
Cast on 3 stitches,
knit the 3 stitches,
KFB, P1, KFB
Knit 5 st
KFB, P3, KFB
Knit 7, cut yarn

Now to make second hump,
Repeat steps for first hump by casting on 3 sts.
I push the first hump to the left side, wrong side facing me just until I have cast on for the second hump, to keep it oriented correctly.
Now repeat:

knit the 3 stitches,
KFB, P1, KFB
Knit 5 st
KFB, P3, KFB
Knit 7

Now purl across all 14 stitches.
Knit 14
Purl 14

K1, ssk, K8, K2tog, K1
Purl 12
K1, ssk, K6, K2tog, K1
Purl across

continue decreasing on knit side row, until 4 stitches,

ssk and K2tog, turn, slip 1, k1, psso

1 heart complete.

Make a second heart.

Place rights sides (knit sides) together and seam them together, leaving about a 2" opening to stuff with stuffing, turn right side out, stuff, and sew hole closed.

Pattern Weights in Action

In a recent post I discussed making pattern weights. Here they are in action:

The little sour cream packet looking weights took about ten minutes to make a pair. They are filled with dry rice.

The little owl weights took about an hour, I suppose. I did not time their construction.

There are only three pattern pieces that you can make yourself; a quarter circle, about a one sixteenth of a circle, and a 1 - 1/2"-2" circle. The variance is because I did the 2" cardboard with 2 1/2" fabric to cover the cardboard and I think going a bit smaller would be better. The 2" version does give a broad and steady base though.

I used a compass and drew half the 10" circle on a piece of copy paper then folded it in half and cut out the quarter circle. Then I took the second quarter and folded it in half two more times and cut out the 1/16th circle, tapering it out at the tip to allow for seam allowance. Then you sew the two pieces together along the sides. I used two different fabrics for contrast. The 1/16th circle is brown and the 1/4 circle is gray.

Cut out about a 1 1/2"-2" circle of cardboard for the base and then a round piece of fabric about 1/2" bigger than cardboard. Do a running stitch around edge of fabric circle and place cardboard circle in center and snug up thread to wrap fabric edges around cardboard circle. Fold tip of triangle shaped tip down and tack down. Hand sew a running stitch around edges of bottom of owl  to draw up bottom. Put a bit of batting or poly fill into owl, pushing down into head then fill up with dried rice and cinch the bottom closed. Hand stitch fabric covered cardboard circle to bottom of owl. Add buttons. Voila! An owl pattern weight. Works great.

Yes, the fabric in photo is too wrinkled to cut out like that. I just set it up to take a picture and ironed it before actually cutting piece out.

Summer Weather Means Sun Hat Time

Playing with Reversible Bucket Hats/Sun Hats

Summer is just around the corner. I love hats. I like making them. I like wearing them. I have a lot of straw cowboy style hats for the summer, working in the garden, out walking, or attending outdoor events. Hats make all the difference in outdoor activities remaining enjoyable. First, they keep your head cooler than no hat under the direct sun. And they protect the top of your head and your face from sunburn.

I decided to play with making sun hats, starting with designing. First I made a doughnut shape, the outer ring for the brim, keeping the inner circle for the top of the hat and cutting out rectangle sides (crown). Yes, pi is a real thing and it's your friend. The top of the crown and the inner circle matched perfectly. The key is to place the circle down on the machine to allow the feed dogs to do the work of easing the fabric. Despite the crown being straight, same length on top as bottom, the doughnut shaped fabric was tough to ease in and ended up with a crinkly brim. Which is actually really cute. For a little girl, especially.

Pulled out an old bucket hat pattern from my pattern stash. It was Simplicity, McCalls, or maybe Butterick. I always copy pattern pieces onto tissue paper so that I keep the original pristine and organized. Made that version. Cute but the brim did not work for what I wanted. I wanted a brim to shade my face and the only way to wear this and be able to actually see was to push the brim up. Cute. Not really functional as a sun hat.

Time to tweak. To keep the dimensions of the inner circle of the brim, I cut almost to the edge but not through then spread the wedges to give me a wider brim. Worked great!

Top pattern piece is the original. Middle pattern piece is cut to form wedges to spread outside farther out and taped in place. Bottom pattern piece is tissue placed over wedged piece and drawn to new specifications.

I did not use interfacing since this was a prototype to see if the new brim pattern piece was how I wanted it to be but it still works great. It's something that can be tossed in a bag, tote, or luggage and will retain its shape. It can be tossed in the washer then dryer. Very happy with it.

Oh, and the best part, they're completely reversible! You can choose an elegant side or a fun whimsical side. I've been wearing the batik side out. I really like it. The pink/yellow one is nice also and I would wear it when I don't care about needing a brim to block some sunshine from my face.

For a child's hat you could get away with two fat quarters. For an adult sized hat you will need a bit more, simply for placement of the pieces. Since I was experimenting and making prototypes I did a few pieces with whatever I had on hand. You could even create a patchwork look with smaller fabric scraps. You could do a leather one. Even one from oiled canvas for a rain hat. If you're into embroidery you could embroider the crown or the brim before sewing the pieces together. A giant fabric flower with a pin back would be cute as well. The child's version made me think of Alice in Wonderland for some reason and my fingers craved some wild embellishment but since it was destined to be a gift I resisted. Dun dun dun... for now.

Fun, Easy, Quick Charming Pattern Weights

I am not a fan of pinning except when absolutely necessary, like pinning the four quadrants around a round, like a neckline or brim to crown of a hat. And a few other curvy situations where ease is involved. This goes double for pinning pattern pieces to fabric. Forget trying to get a pin through leather without ruining the project. And there's thick fabrics like fleece or berber fleece or flocked pleather. That's where pattern weights come in and shine.

When I made my jacket out of a luxurious suede with a super soft fluffy side I grabbed what was at hand to use as pattern weights. For some standard shirt/jacket/vest I have a pattern copied onto poster board because it gets used and reused and used again. I punch a hole at the top of each pattern piece and hang it from a nail behind a book case in the craft room. Can't pin through poster board on top of extra thick fleece.

When I lost my favorite pattern weight (a rubber stamp of an owl mounted on a wood block) I decided to go ahead and make some pattern weights. My fellow innovative craft enthusiasts know that improvising is rule number 1 in crafting. It does get distracting and frustrating having to stop and find something with some weight but a low profile to use as a pattern weight though.

Voila! The easiest pattern weights to make! I made two and was startled at how fast they went so I made two more and timed how long it took to complete from start to finish. From the time I picked up a scissors to cut the fabric to sewing the last seam to close them up, it took 10 minutes to make 2.

The smallest one started with dimensions of 2.5"x4". I don't remember the dimensions of the other ones. Probably about 3.5 or 4" x6". I like the 2.5"x4" ones. The little tabs are 2"x4". The size can be anything you want as long as there's a ratio between long and short sides.

Just fold tab pieces in half lengthwise and sew up both sides of long sides. Fold in half with raw edged seam inside.

Fold piece of fabric in half, right sides facing. Insert tab inside one short end. You can position it in center or closer to edge if you want. I placed all of mine in center of short end. Sew across short end with tab and down one long side. Leave other short end open. Turn right side out. Fill with dry, raw rice or beans or poly beads or crushed walnut shells, etc. Anything with some weight to it.

Tuck seam allowance inside and fold open short end offset from other end. Sew shut with a topstitch close to edge. Easy Peasy.

Scrap Yarn Cat Bed Project

Last year I made a cat bed for the cat using up scrap bulky yarn. It was a great project to use up those odds n ends. The cat has a history of losing interest in special items for him. If you've ever seen those fun photo collections of cats sitting in the box instead of on the cat tree that came in the box, that's Max. I had seen some lovely cat caves at a craft show and been inspired to make one for the cat but my enthusiasm level was not as high was one would expect, tampered by the nagging notion that I would put all that time, effort, and money into something he would enjoy for a few days then never use again. He does that.

So, instead of a cat cave, I used up all the bits of bulky yarn leftover from previous projects. Mostly all those fox and wolf hoods I made the winter before for Christmas gifts for the kids. It worked up fast, I didn't have to buy new yarn, and if he was uninterested I could donate it to the local cat shelter. He liked it.

He really liked it. He went a few weeks without using it here and there but he kept going back to it, so it remained.

One day I was looking at that flat circle and decided it needed structured walls. I had made an ever expanding circle for the base and worked without increases for the walls, standard fare for making crocheted bowls, etc. But the walls just flopped down and laid there.

I had some leftover foam from making camera bag inserts so trimmed that to fit the height of the wall. I created a V by starting where the base and wall bet and crocheting either 4 or 5 rows around, whatever it took to reach the top with a little leeway. I inserted the foam in the pocket created and slipped stitched around to close up the pocket. I left a small opening in front. The opening is pretty standard but also happened to be the result of how much foam I had to use.

And Mr. Max is happy. He loves his cat bed with firm, structured walls even more than he liked it with floppy walls.

Provisional Cast On Tip for Floppy Ending Stitch

The first knitting book I bought was a book devoted to casting on and binding off methods. It's amazing how many ways there are to cast on and bind off but there are definite uses for some methods.

For example, the provisional cast on for tubular ribbing to provide a beautiful rolled edge for 1x1 ribbing for hats, cowls, mittens, and etc. That one took some practice to master knitting in the round. One of the biggest issues I ran into was that the first and/or last stitch cast on was loose, floppy, and on occasion got lost because it was just draped over the needle.

I tried the provisional method using the crochet hook and it just took too long for me. My favorite provisional method is when you make a slip knot (that doesn't count in stitch count) with a piece of scrap yarn and the main yarn then hold your hand like a long-tail cast on with the scrap yarn around your thumb. I don't know what this method is called. You reach under the scrap yarn with the right hand needle and grab main yarn, bring it under scrap yarn, then up, then wrap main yarn around right needle then reach down under scrap yarn and grab main yarn again.

Fast! So fast and easy.

The one and only problem is that the last stitch is just hanging on the needle. So, my solution is to do a long-tail cast on for that very last stitch. You have to pick it out when you are ready to remove the scrap yarn but it's easy to pick it out and then you just pull the scrap yarn and it slides right through the initial loops.

Just remember to reach through scrap yarn loop around thumb before grabbing main yarn and it will lock that last stitch in place.

I have tried many provisional cast on methods and for ribbing this is the simplest, fastest method.

Another tip, use a yarn thinner than main yarn when possible. If they are the same thickness it will work fine but using scrap yarn a bit thinner gives a noticeably tighter edge that looks really nice.

Oh, and just slide that bulky slip knot created with both scrap yarn and working yarn off the knitting needle then let it dangle there while setting up your first base rows. It holds that first stitch in place without being in the way.

If you want a good casting on and binding off reference book, I highly recommend this one:

Another Simple Shawl Made with Lightweight Yarn and Over-Sized Needles

Here's another shawl scarf made using a lightweight yarn and over-sized knitting needles

This is a Paton's Divine yarn that I held onto for several years while deciding the right project to use it for. It's a super soft mint green. I used the entire skein. Again, start by casting on 3 or 5 stitches and increasing at the beginning and end of every other row. I did this in stockinette and did a M1 (make one) after a 5 stitch garter edge and before a 5 stitch garter edge on the knit side then purled between the garter edges on the wrong side.

M1 is done by using the knitting needle to reach down and grab the piece of yarn between the two stitches between the two needles, bring the strand up to the left handed needle and knit through the back. It's a nearly invisible increase. The KFB increase works here as well because it's done right next to a garter section so the purl looking stitch of the KFB pretty much blends in with the garter stitch edge.

Using size 15 needles, I knit in stockinette with the 5 stitch garter edge until I was almost out of yarn, being sure to allow enough yarn to bind off. Bind off loosely. Doing a K2tog, put stitch on right needle back to left needle, then K2tog across makes for a nice, loose bind off. Doing the passing the right handed needle's stitch over the just knitted stitch makes for a too tight bind off for this.

The Patons Divine yarn skein had 129 m/142 yds 100 g/3 1/2 ozs. The color is called Frosted Green. And for some reason it shows it as a chunky yarn at (5). But it's not chunky. It's very thin foundation with halo type clumps. There's an actual date on the skein. 2007. Yeah, I held onto that yarn far too long. It's a lovely, super, super soft shawl.

Simple Yet Dramatic Shawl Scarf Is Easy to Make

Are you like me and just love the shawls worn in the front as a scarf? They are actually really easy to make and are suitable for a beginner. They are worked flat and only require knowing how to knit, purl, and make an increase.

Once you get your feet wet making a simple yet dramatic shawl you will be ready to face a more complicated pattern but for now, this is a great project to start.


This shawl is made with a lightweight yarn and over-sized needles (15). It's just a basic stockinette with a garter stitch border. Because of the large knitting needles it works up fairly quickly. I added the fringe and it was so light that it floated in every direction so I added a large seed bead at the end of every section of fringe to weight it down.

It's a simple pattern. Cast on 3 stitches and make an increase at both ends of every other row. For this one I did a yarn over after garter edge was established. First work in garter until you have the number of stitches necessary for garter border. So, if you want 5 stitches on each side, cast on 3 stitches, KFB (knit front and back of same stitch), K1, KFB, knit a row, Continue until you have 11 stitches then K5, YO, K1, YO, K5, turn knit 5, purl 3, knit 5, Turn. K5, YO, K3, YO, K5, turn. K5, P5, K5. turn K5, YO, K5, YO, K5 turn K5, P7, K5. It's just a matter of knitting the 5 st border, doing a YO, knitting the stitches up to the 5 st border on other end, doing a YO, knitting the 5 st border, turning, knitting the 5 stitch border, purling the stitches between borders, and knitting the 5 st border at the end of the row. Continue until it's the desired length.

I used almost 1 1/2 skeins of a lightweight alpaca blend for this shawl scarf. It's very warm and looks amazing.

I used Berroco Andean Mist. There's 164 yds (150m) in each skein. I expected to fully use both skeins but stopped a bit early so that I'd have enough for fringe. Next time I would cut off the strands I needed for fringe ahead of time and use up the second skein in the making of the shawl.

I should call this Angel Shawl or Cloud Shawl because the fringe floated everywhere before I added the beads. Winters get so dry. But I think the shawl scarf is even more a fall or spring accessory. Oh, I use them in the winter also, but they are just right to take the edge off on a brisk spring morning or crisp fall evening. And then they're visible instead of tucked inside a warm winter coat.

Classic Knit Cardigan From Purl Soho

Purl SoHo's Knit Classic Cardigan with Slight Revision

I made this classic cardigan, getting the pattern from Purl SoHo. First I made it with Wool Ease Moonlight. Because it was knit in stockinette it curled, even with the iCord edging. No picture here. Then I made it with this gorgeous purple Cozy Wool called Velvet. Both are my favorite yarns for the aesthetic, delightful colors. To attempt to avoid the stockinette curl I did a 7-stitch moss stitch edging while working the cardigan. It turned out great except that it needs buttons or snaps or something to keep the cardigan in place. It wants to slide down my shoulders. It worked up well though, taking a lot less time than I expected. It took 6 skeins of yarn with each color choice. The body took almost 4 complete skeins and the sleeves each took a skein of yarn.

Overall, very happy with this classic cardigan. It knit up so easily and quickly with the chunky yarn. I did not do the sleeves on the Moonlight version so I've been wearing it as a vest and it's very comfortable and lovely even as a vest. As you can see here, the Velvet version stays closed on the mannequin. It's not pinned or anything. I think it's the weight of the sleeves pulling it down when I wear it. A sew on snap or a shawl pin would be enough to control the creeping though.

I have six skeins of mustard yellow Wool Ease waiting for the next one. I will do a moss stitch or garter stitch edge again but not so wide. Maybe 3 or 4 stitches instead of 7 stitches.

Zippered Bag Made Using Flower Foot for Sewing Machine

When I bought the special edition Singer Sewing Machine it came with a flower foot. Also known as circle foot. It is simple to install, just remove shank and screw it into place, the same method as for attaching a darning foot, quilting foot.

It's fun to play around with different stitch styles to get different styles of circles. There are ways to tweak the foot's action to get circles that look even more specifically like flowers but using a variegated thread works well also.

It's just fun. The key is to use interfacing behind the fabric and then use a fun thread to make a pop of color. I made this bag just because I wanted to use the flower foot but it's perfect for carrying my circular knitting needles to Knitting Night at the local yarn shop. I use a tote, which is open at the top, so it feels more secure to have loose items safely contained within bags.

This bag would work well for a night out, just large enough for phone, card, and a few essentials. I have gotten into the habit of adding a tab with a D ring or O ring on every simple lined bag I make so that I can add a strap down the road if needed.


These bags are so handy. I use them to organize everything. Quite often the experiments I do find their way into use as cord holders, travel bags for jewelry, coin bags for foreign currency, to hold my camera filters, and on and on the list goes.

Almost Leather Display Head Form

A few months ago I was looking for a head form for displaying hats for photos and possibly for blocking. I have the standard white foam head display but though it does the deed, it's rather boring and if I use flash it reflects too much. I was really thinking a wood form would be nice but that was a bit beyond my skill level.

When I was in seventh grade I tried to carve a boxer dog head out of wood and that was a total disaster. The only help the shop teacher gave me was telling me to glue three pieces of wood together to form a giant block. Beyond that my dad helped with the band saw to cut out the general shape, ears, muzzle. No one told me what to do beyond that so for years I had a block of wood that was distinguishable as a dog's head from the side but nothing recognizable from the front or back. I digress. But that is why I fear carving wood or heaven forbid, turning wood on a lathe.

So, after many fruitless hours online, getting distracted with youtube videos that had nothing to do with head forms, I took to the sewing machine with some cheap, crappy fabric that I did not mind wasting with experimentation. First I went with the doll's head idea. Nope. That was not it. Tried a few other shapes and decided that a simple shape would do. That worked but the first one was too small, the second one was so big that no hat would fit over it so I had to adjust the size until it was just right. Had a pink head working model and a pattern was born.

Now here we are a few months later and I decided I better get back to the head form. I had some faux leather vinyl laying about and decided that would work to make one and see how it turned out. It turned out great! I am so happy with how it turned out and it looks like a luxurious leather. Very happy with it. So I made another, just a wider seam and trimmed off half an inch on the strip running down the middle. If I make another I would trim off an inch from the center strip and leave the seam allowance the same. I think. Well, I like both versions for different reasons.

The strip is long enough that after sewing the sides to the strip there is about a 2" flap, which makes attaching the foam core board base much easier. I also stuffed a baggy of rice in the form before closing it up to give it some weight. That worked really well.

Expect to see a lot of these head form displays as they will be my new hat displays going forward. If I end up doing more I might consider some bbs for the weight instead of rice. The rice works well but if they get wet, not good. So, for blocking, probably a wool or a canvas would work. Have to investigate a few options first, since I don't want to make anything that will hold onto the moisture until it mildews. Very happy with my faux leather head forms though. They give me the happy feels.

Simple Knit Cat in Chunky Yarn

I just love these simple but cuddly cats. They were made with the same knitting needles using the same number of stitches but the difference in the yarn, though both bulky, greatly influenced the end result.

This guy has embossed metal buttons for eyes. He's made with Wool-Ease yarn using size 15 circulars. I will make and attach a tail but not any arms or legs. He is tagged for a gift for a two-year old child, so cuddle factor is the desired impact.

This guy is used with leftover Rustic chunky yarn that I used to make a winter rolled brim hat last winter. He almost looks more like a dog, doesn't he? There isn't enough yarn to give him a tail so he will have to remain ambiguous.

They make me happy. They're so cute and sweet and cuddly. I started out with casting on 4 stitches and steadily increasing until the head was the size that I wanted and then worked around straight (no increases) for the length of the body. It's worked in stockinette until the length was reached and then I worked two rows of garter before starting the abrupt decreases for the bottom. The garter helps turn in the fabric and the abrupt decreases creates a flat bottom so the cats can sit. Fun and simple for a child's gift.

The ears are crocheted. I mix crochet and knitting quite often. It's quite simple, 5 dc, turn, a 5 dc decrease (start dc but don't pull through last two loops until the very end when you pull through all the partially worked dcs at the same time) to create a pointed top.

The muzzle is knit and worked flat. Started out with a cast on a few stitches and increased at first and last stitch of every other knit row, purling on rows without increases then worked a few rows without increases then decreased in the same way as the increases until I was back to the original number of stitches that were cast on. After binding off the the last row, cut a long tail and use tapestry needle to wind through edge, add some stuffing, and pull up tight. Wrap yarn around center of muzzle to create those fun puffy cheeks and whip stitch muzzle onto front of cat's face.

Exploring the Entrelac Stitch Pattern

Ever since the first time I saw entrelac I was captivated. I was a beginner knitter so when I looked at the instructions they were so intimidating that I recoiled in horror and never gave it a try.

Isn't it lovely though? That woven look is so delicious. Makes me shiver.

Years later and many layers of experience behind me, I decided to give it a try. With experience it was fairly straightforward to knit up a swatch. It's interesting, because my stitch dictionary has a purse project with entrelac sides and categorized it as for experienced knitters yet I have seen many patterns and videos online for entrelac basic instructions that categorize the stitch as advanced beginner. The reality is probably in-between. I certainly would not categorize it as a beginner project, even for advanced beginner. It's a medium process. As in everything in knitting, if you can knit and purl you can do anything. I just think that a beginner would be frustrated doing entrelac.

The results are awesome though! Beginner or experienced or in-between, if you are determined to learn entrelac it's so worth it. The backside is rather unattractive. Picking up stitches along the edges of the rectangles leaves a dotted line of color and the lovely bulging on the right side of the work that creates the woven effect is a concave of attractiveness on the backside. It lends well to projects where only the front side shows.

I made this cowl with one skein of yarn. I knitted it flat on circular needles and mattress stitched the sides together. If not for the different colors of the edge triangles the join would not even be easy to find. Using a variegated yarn with long strands of color changes is the ideal choice for entrelac. I enjoyed this choice much more than changing colors at the end of each tier. If you have to stop and change colors you have to cut the yarn at every end because the next row starts too far away to strand the yarn in the back. That leaves a lot of ends to weave in and a lot of shortened lengths of yarn if you decide to tear it out again for some reason.

This cowl is made with 5 st rectangles. You can make the rectangles 5 to 10 stitches long/wide. Just cast on a multiple of whatever number you decide to work and always pick up that number on the sides. For this cowl I cast on a multiple of 5 and picked up 5 stitches on each edge as I worked across. I don't have a picture here but I also made a cowl with 10 st rectangles. It worked up really quickly. Then I did a swatch of working in the round and purling backwards to avoid all the turning. That really works up faster, once you get the hang of knitting/purling backwards.

Now I am on the hunt for the perfect variegated yarn to make a scarf by knitting entrelac in the round (to hide that ugly back side) and seaming up tops and bottoms to make a thick, luscious entrelac scarf.