Pumpkin Spice Welted Fingerless Mittens

These are definitely my favorite fingerless mittens of the season. The welting adds a layer of warmth and they are so adorable. I love the colors. I meant to make a few more pairs with various color combinations but someone in the knitting group was impatient for me to post the pattern so that she could make them so I did not get a chance to make multiple pairs like I so often do.

The pattern is available on Etsy and also on Ravelry. There are two versions of welting in the mitt. First is the alternating knit and purls and then farther up the mitt is the casing style welting. If you saw the earlier post with the sock puppets these fingerless mittens might look familiar. I actually started with the yarn combination in my head and played with the welting which resulted in the hand puppet.

I named these Pumpkin Spice because of the orange yarn being named Pumpkin and the other colors add a hint of spice. It’s such a lovely color combination and we are almost into December and I have not even switched over to regular mittens or gloves yet because these are still providing great coverage. I just adore them.

Owl Rite Bag/Coin Purse/Key Ring and the 1-2-3 Hat Standard

Say hello to Mr. Owl Rite Money Bags.

Since I tend to make most things I always try to plan and execute all crafted Christmas gifts way ahead of the game. There’s nothing worse than trying to wrap up a gift hours before it needs to be wrapped. Hence, I am happiest when all my Christmas crafted gifts are completed in October. November is doable but I’m feeling the pinch. When I’m still working on gifts in December I get a bit cranky and feeling like my head is going to explode.

I have a family member who is an owl fanatic. I have her main gift done but was looking for some little extras and saw a cute crocheted owl key chain/coin purse. I didn’t download the pattern but I read it. It’s quite basic. Starting with a base of 6 sc it uses the 1-2-3 hat standard start. I’ve made hundreds and hundreds of hats over the years. I’m not sure if I can say thousands and thousands but definitely hundreds and hundreds. So it starts out like a mini hat and then when you have it to the height you want you just continue only working half the stitches with steady decreases for the flap. Pretty basic.

I think what’s so cute about it is the stripes and those little tufts on the ears. I don’t remember if the original owl I saw had the tufts. All the little stuffed key chain holder owls I saw had the tufts and I’ve seen that often before. I also used the crab stitch around the eyes to give it that finished edge. The eyes are just basic 6 sc inside magic loop and 2 sc in each sc then the crab stitch and a button sewed in the center. I like the wobbly look so didn’t match them exactly in positioning the buttons. A few running stitches with orange creates the beak.

I attached a clasp and will add a key ring once I find them. I have a whole bag of those buggers and I just saw them a few weeks ago but can't remember where I stumbled across them. Things get put away in a nice secure location... you know how it is. Or I pull supplies out of a place I normally store them and instead of putting them back in that illogical but memorable place I store them somewhere nice and secure... Hopefully not to never be seen again though.

This is how we end up with too many supplies. Right? You can't find something you need and know you had so you go buy another super-sized bag of key rings and use one for a project and then find the other super-sized bag of key rings that was in the box of supplies for the soft-sculpted Christmas ornaments in progress five years ago instead of in the box of beading supplies. Now you've got two bags of key rings and you put them away in a nice secure location...

I just find these cuter than cute and quite adorable. I wouldn’t use them for a coin purse since the coins could easily slide out the corners. It's quite snug and secure but not for coins. If you wanted to add a zipper then it could function to hold coins. Some cash or lipstick or something would fit in there nicely. Don’t worry, the family member won’t see this and ruin her Christmas surprise. If she somehow does she will just be excited and impatient for Christmas to arrive.

Oh, the 1-2-3 hat standard is that when you start a hat it’s standard to work 2 st in every st in second row, then work a stitch and work 2 st in next stitch then work 2 st and work 2 st in next stitch across, then work 3 st and work 2 st in next stitch then start working 1 for 1 after the 3 st between double st row. So, for a hat that starts with 12 dc the next row would have 24 then the third row would have 36 and on and on. For a tight pattern or thin yarn you can work rows with 4 or 5 stitches between the doubled stitches before going to the straight rows but I seldom have to do that. I can do another post with more detail.

Hooded English Brioche Fingerless Mittens in Red Wool

I do a lot of things outside, such as photography, that make fingerless mittens an important tool in my outdoor gear. As the weather is getting colder so is the need to cover up those extremities. It's amazing how cold fingers can get when the mercury dips lower and lower. True, we've had an especially warm fall but at night the temps are still noticeably dropping to crispy cold level. It's been an especially exciting year for Northern Lights this year, more displays than I ever remember seeing in one year. Late nights outside, exposed to the elements, mean cold fingers when setting up the camera to capture the undulating ribbons of color in the night sky.

These English honeycomb brioche fingerless mittens with hood are the perfect solution. I've had this wool yarn for almost a year now, waiting for the perfect project. I love the hint of purple by the same company because these two colors go so well together.

English brioche is a handy stitch to learn. The beauty of brioche is that it's double layered which makes it cushy and warm for winter attire. The English brioche is worked in one step instead of having to do yarn overs and knitting the yarn overs together with the neighboring stitch on the second pass. They knit up as quickly as if it's stockinette stitch because all the extra steps are eliminated.

The stitch is worked in the stitch below the stitch on the needle. This step can be quite scary when doing it for the first time. I recommend a practice swatch. The first few times you knit into the stitch below it feels like you've just tossed aside a live stitch to run amok in your swatch but it's really okay, it hasn't gone rogue like it seems. But it is important to get a good feel for the stitch before starting your project. After a few rows you will see exactly where the needle needs to go and that the extra strands of yarn sliding down the new stitch are exactly what you want.

It's amazing how many varieties of brioche methods I have encountered. This English style is by far my favorite and once learning it can't help but wonder why all the other, complicated varieties even exist. There must be a reason.

I am all prepared for winter and autumn lingers. The same thing happened when I bought a four-wheel drive vehicle several years ago, no snow that year. I was so ready for winter that year with four-wheel drive and cashmere mittens, wool scarves, and cozy chenille hats. Yet winter never came in its normal force. Maybe if I keep knitting all these fantastically warm and delightful winter accessories we will keep having mild winters.

Making Custom Beaded Wire Stitch Markers

I’ve seen tutorials for making stitch markers in many ways. A few years ago I made stitch markers by wrapping the wire around a fat pencil, giving it a twist, and bending the ends to go through the sides of beads. With such thick wire it was a bit of a pain but after the first few I got the hang of it and wrapped several dozen. They were pretty and worked well but then I saw a simpler version and wanted that.

The instructions were to take a jump ring, slide on a bead, and glue the bead over the gap in the wire to cover the rough edges that could snag your yarn. Using a pre-made jump ring is fine, except that it limits you on size. There aren’t many jump rings big enough to fit on a size 15 or 17 or even 50 knitting needle. But you can make your own jump rings so easily.

I used colored wire that is 16 gauge. You could use a 20 gauge wire but I like the sturdier weight of the 16 gauge. Both sizes are easy to find in any craft store or even some department stores that carry jewelry making supplies. I chose black and copper colors but there's red, purple, and blue available as well. Many colored wires are available. You could use any wire but I felt the coated wires would not effect my knitting needles so that's why I chose those. Pure copper and sterling silver will acquire a patina and I worried about that transferring to my Addi needles.

I wrapped the wire around a dowel. I happened to have a set of dowels that I had bought at a department store and I picked the biggest one. I think the set cost $1-2. You could use a pencil also. The wire was about $2.50. I used tri beads that cost between $2.50-3.00 when I bought them a few years ago.

I cut off about 2 feet of wire from the coil and wrapped the wire around the dowel by hand. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, having a bit of space between the wire wraps made it easier to cut. 

Slide the wire off the dowel and use a flush cutter to snip the wire. I pressed the back of the flush cutter against the end of the wire to line it up evenly with the first loop.

Cut each jump ring from coil.

Slide bead onto newly created jump ring. Twist the jump ring closed. Just like in making jewelry, it’s important not to pull ends apart but use a twisting action to bring ends together. Hearing the ends click against each other is good. That means it’s a nice, tight fit.

Dab some jeweler’s glue onto the gap and slide bead up and over gap. Set aside and let dry completely. There you have it, a completed stitch marker.

The best part of learning this process is that you can custom fit any stitch marker. Just use a knitting needle a size up from what you want the final size of marker to be. You’ll see here a size 17 knitting needle which produces a stitch marker big enough to fit size 15 knitting needles.

I wrapped wire around a plastic size 50 knitting needle. For whatever reason, the plastic seemed to push away the wire, leaving a gap. That means that the stitch marker made on the plastic size 50 knitting needle can also be used for that needle.

I’ve been using the new stitch markers for about a week now and just love them. The beads have a translucent depth to them that make me feel good seeing them decorating the top of my knitting. They are light yet strong and so functional.  I often like simple items and these really work well for me both functionally and aesthetically.

I used Aleene’s Jewelry and Metal glue. Remember, you aren’t gluing the wires shut but gluing the bead over the gap. Pick a glue that will hold a bead to wire and all is good. You can make any size stitch marker that you want. Just be sure to check that the bead fits over the wire. It can get a little snug when the wire curves compared to being straight.

The topaz and amethyst beads are the same size as the aqua but the aqua did not want to fit on the wire once it was curved so only managed to get a few to work. It's the size of the bead's hole that matters. The bigger white beads in first picture are not glued. I just pinched the wire after inserting the ends into the beads. This will work also but will greatly reduce size of knitting needle that they will fit on.

Simple but elegant, custom stitch markers. Give it a try! You'll be surprised at how easy it is and you'll end up making dozens and dozens of these functional little rings of beauty. These would make great gifts for your favorite knitter.

Dress Form Mannequin Pin Cushion

It's amazing how many cute and clever pin cushions there are to be had and to be made. I did a quick search on making pin cushions and was blown away by the variety. Amazing. I'm always so impressed with all the clever people designing new projects.

I stumbled across these dress form pincushions last week and had to give it a try. The video explaining how to make them is done by identical twin crafters. They are so cute.

The process is very quick and easy if you can sew at all. With some down to earth pinning I think even a novice sewer would find these pretty easy to sew. It’s just a matter of sewing the shoulder seams then sewing on the 2 curvy sides. Normally curve sewing is a pain but with judicious pinning this went very well.

Cutting out the foam core board was the hardest thing about this project. Finding the candlesticks took the most time. Such a straightforward sewing project with such an awesome result. I just love the dress maker form pin cushion.

Forgot to take a picture as soon as I added the flowers and you’ll notice that one of the dress forms is missing. It was chosen already and has a new home. A flower definitely completes the look though.

These are the perfect gift for a sewer or even someone who just enjoys fashion though they don’t sew. Best of all, they’ll think you slaved for hours making this awesome dress form mannequin and it really took less than an hour.

With candlestick in hand and fabric decided, I think this took about half an hour from start to finish.

Here’s the link to the tutorial and pattern over at DIY Dish: Dress Form Mannequin Pin Cushion

I definitely have enough pin cushions now! Between the dress form pin cushions and tea cup pin cushions I will have plenty of places to hold pins and needles.

Teacup Pin Cushions, Up-Cycled and Uniquely Fun

I’ve made a lot of pincushions over the years. One thing they have in common is being light which causes them to bounce around just out of reach or slide away across the table.

I don’t remember where I saw the idea of up-cycling teacups for pincushion bases but it was on some show. They didn’t give any details, just the idea of using some fun cups as the base for a pin cushion. Cute idea that stayed with me even though it took a few weeks to get around to visiting the local thrift shops for appropriate cups.

The first two stores I went to didn’t have anything that would work to play with. Well, there was one cup that I got in the second store. They had some super pretty china cups for $6 each but they were too nice and a bit expensive for playing. The third store was just the right one. I found 9 little cups that ranged from fun to pretty. Total price for 9 cups was just under $5. Perfect range for playing with. I don't know about you, but when something is nice and/or expensive it tends to sit instead of being used. When I spend less than a dollar on something I am much more willing to risk total failure in figuring out a new process.

Next, I cut some 1” foam to put on bottom of cup.

I measured the cup diameter and cut out a square double that measurement. So, the first cup was 2” around so I cut out a 4” square. Then I rounded the corners to make a rough circle. No one is going to see the bottom so it doesn’t have to be perfect. Then I sewed big stitches about 1/4” from the edge, just like a yo-yo. Except I think you fold over a seam allowance for a yo-you and you don’t have to do that for this. Use doubled thread. You’re going to snug up the circle of fabric pretty tight and single thread often snaps in the process.

Draw up the circle, forming a pouch. Stuff very tightly with either wool scraps or poly-fill. I used poly. Cinch up that circle and take a few stitches opposite and knot.

Put some glue in the bottom of the cup and place piece of foam on glue. Put some glue on top of foam and around edges of cup, about ½” from the top. Place stuffed circle, sewn side down, into cup and press down. Let dry. It’s a pin cushion!

I used Aleen’s craft glue. To get a more poufy top, cut fabric twice cup diameter plus 1”. So a 3” diameter cup will have a fabric square of 7”.  (3” x 2 + 1”= 7”)

I've heard of using crushed walnut shells for filling but I haven't found that yet. The next time I get out to the farthest side of town from where I live I will check out the specialty pet stores to see if they carry it.

Go ahead and give this a try. I was looking for small cups but you could use any size at all that you want. I've made a few now and have a few more to go. The little blue flowered cup is 2" in diameter at the top and is just as cute as a button. The pretty cup to the right has its foam base ready to go.

Making Pom Poms

There are many ways of making pom poms. There are even tools in the market that you can buy. The ones that force you to thread the yarn through a hole should go out the door right now. That’s just crazy, taking the time to thread and wrap yarn through a hole over and over again a thousand times. Ugh. There are so many much easier methods of making a pom pom and the result is the same.

You can just wrap the yarn around your open hand 80-100 times. Ten times easier than threading through a hole. When we were kids we cut rectangles of cardboard, threaded a length of yarn through the middle and wrapped and wrapped around the cardboard. How big the rectangle is depends on how big a pom pom you want.

My favorite method is to cut 2 Cs out of cardboard. Yep, a C. String a length of yarn through the two pieces of cardboard for tying finished pom pom, then wrap and wrap. It’s the same as the crazy tool on the market that forces you to thread through the hole but you don’t have to thread through a hole because we cut a notch out of the hole, which means just wrap.

Wrap 70-100 times. Depends on yarn thickness and size of cardboard C. How big the two Cs are depends on how big a pom pom you want. You can always give it a haircut after it’s done. Well, it will need a trim for sure but sometimes it gets quite the haircut.

After you’ve wrapped enough yarn then tug length of yarn between two Cs towards inside C and snug it up nice and tight then tie off. Now insert scissors between two Cs on wider outside edge and cut and cut and cut. It’ll take some repeat snipping to get all the strands cut. Pull away cardboard Cs and give the pom pom a shake then a trim.

The pom pom above was made with the hand method. It's definitely going to remain in my arsenal of how to make pom poms. For big, chunky pom poms there isn't anything easier. The main drawback is that there's only one size and it's tough to define the specific size. Sure, you could give it a whopper of a haircut but that's not really the best route. That's where the C template comes in. The C template allows defined sizes.

To make the C template, cut 2 circles of the same size. For instance, 2 1" circles or 2 2" circles. Cut into the circles and cut a circle out of the centers. This gap where you cut into the circle to get to inside will be where you wrap the yarn. Save yourself a few hours of frustration and toss away any templates you have that require threading yarn through a hole.

The iClops Monster Hooded Cowl

This one-eyed monster will keep any child warm and cozy during the cold winter months plus is adorably fun to wear.

I have posted the pattern on Etsy and on Ravelry. With the chunky yarn the hooded cowl knits up fairly quickly, a one or two evening project.

Both boys and girls will love to wear this warm and cozy monster. I have even included adult size instructions for those adults who want a fun accessory this winter.

The cowl is worked in the round while the hood is worked flat but I have included instructions to work entire project flat if desired. There will be a seam if entire project is worked flat but mattress stitch can blend easily.

An over-sized button sewn onto cowl is optional.

The Simplest, Most Practical Knit Dish Cloth

I have been making my own dish clothes since I learned how to knit. My mom made all sorts of variations of crocheted dish clothes but in my opinion they stunk. It only took one use and a few hours later the thing was so stinky. Washing it never seemed to completely eliminate the smell and the older the cloth was the faster it hit cruddy dirty dish rocket stink mode. I would use the same exact cotton yarn and not have the same problem. Granted, there’s a point where all dish clothes start to stink. But my knit ones took longer to reach that time for the washing machine state.

It’s not a big secret but it might be something not commonly known. The spaces around the stitches need to breathe air to keep back the stink. All those fancy crocheted dish clothes were crunched up next to each other stitches. Rubbing shoulders scrunched. There was no room to breathe.

All you need is a set of size 10 knitting needles, cotton yarn, and to know how to cast on, knit, and bind off. That’s it. The needles need to be big to make big, airy, breathable stitches. The yarn must be cotton. I use the Peaches and Cream or whatever it’s called.

Cast on 30 stitches. It looks big but the cotton will shrink. Maybe it looks small to you. In that case, go ahead and cast on 40 stitches. I make mine with a starting 30 stitches and that works well for me. The beauty of making your own is that you can do whatever you want. If this is a first time project, go ahead and start with a 30 stitch cast on.

Now just knit. Every row, knit.

Bring side up to knitting needle to see if the knitted item creates a square. Knit until a perfect triangle forms when bringing right side up to knitting needle. Well, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It will never be perfect since it’s knitted yarn. Once you get your triangle, bind off.

I have been using these as my dish clothes for many years. They’re the best.

I wouldn’t spend too much time picking out favorite colors for these. The color fades long before the dish cloth needs to be retired. Well, you’ll get some use with pretty colors but normally not very long. They are dish cloths after all.

Gauge, The Importance of

Remember that second knitting project I ever did? First a scarf then diving straight into a sweater, a sweater that turned out to be a size 3x instead of the size small I needed. Gauge was a note at the top of the pattern, meaning nothing to me. Oh, but if we want an item to fit, gauge is everything. I think the suggested needle size for that sweater was 4 or 5 but I didn’t like using needles that size so I used size 10 or 11. Or maybe I didn’t have needles sized 4 or 5. I am certain I had a logical reason for completely disregarding the recommended size of knitting needles.

So how important is gauge, even if we use the recommended needle size? It only matters if we want to wear the finished project. Scarves, not such a big deal. Toys, does it really matter if it’s a 15” doll or 18” doll? Probably not. Gauge does matter for anything we want to wear, including hats. I saw a woman knitting a hat that looked like one of those hats meant to tuck dread locks under and she said that it was for her baby grandson. Oops. She didn’t understand gauge either.

I had a mental pause, you know, that cloudy, foggy, gray area where a thought will not step forward though you know it’s something simple and basic. For me it was double loading two socks on at the same time for magic loop. I just could not wrap my head around how to get them both on there. So I googled it. Within ten seconds of seeing the little video someone had put together I hit the duh moment (Cast on half of first one, full second one, then second half of first one. Duh.) but I kept watching the clip. That woman knit so tightly I was expecting the yarn to break every time she knit a stitch.

So, we are using the same size knitting needle as recommended but there is no denying that we all knit at different gauge. I see people knit right at the tip of the needles all the time. That impacts gauge. Some people’s knuckles turn white from the strength they use to wrap that yarn as tight as possible. That impacts gauge. Some people knit very loosely. Some knit a good inch back from the tip. Take a look at knitting needles. They slope down more and more narrow as they approach the tip. Someone knitting back at the straight section will have a different gauge than someone knitting right at the tip even if both people hold the yarn at the same tension.

Gauge is very important if you want to wear the finished item. Fortunately gauge is easy to figure out. You can do it one of two ways.

     One, knit a swatch in pattern about 20 stitches wide and 20 rows high. Then measure inside the swatch to get the stitches per inch. Ideally it’s a good idea to block the swatch. For a sweater or scarf it isn’t as necessary but for a sweater it is a good idea. I have found that if you hold up a ruler and count the stitches in 1” you can still be off. Count the stitches in 4” and then divide by 4 to get a more accurate gauge.

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       Two, start knitting project and after a few rows measure for gauge. The benefit for this method is that if gauge is accurate then you’ve saved yourself the time knitting the swatch and already are on your way into the project. Of course you can’t block it this way. But for a general gauge measurement it will work also.

The best way to adjust gauge when it doesn’t match the pattern’s gauge is to go up or down in needle size as needed. 

The most important thing about measuring gauge is so that you have a heads up on if you are matching the desired end size for fitted items before you complete a whole sweater, or hat, or cowl. For something like a scarf it isn't the end of the world to match gauge, though it can impact how much yarn you'll use compared to what you planned for. We'll talk more about gauge in the future. 

Beading on a Jewel Loom

I have made jewelry for years and years, from wire wrapping, silver work, setting cabochons, and working with seed beads. I finally bought a $6 plastic bead loom called a Jewel Loom. It sure makes bead loom work easy. This is my first project and I am excited to make more items.

The bracelet is made with size 8 seed beads, a light brown, an earthy green, and an ivory. I repeated the three squares 3 times. Making just two or three squares would make fun earrings also.

I started with some grid paper, aka graphing paper. I was a little too delicate with the first few rows and did not pull tight enough. As a result there are some little loops of beading thread on the side. But once I got going, it was a breeze. A very fun little project that looks more complicated than it was.

The Jewel Loom has a metal bar that holds the plastic form while you thread the warp threads. Once you have the warp threads in place you pop out the metal bar and the loom holds the threads taut.

It's a very nice little loom, especially for the price. But.. it's a little small.

There are two methods of taking the finished product off the loom. 1. Cut the threads and weave them into the work. 2. weave a band of thread and saturate it with glue and let sit until dry.

Method 2 works for a clasp that will cover the band of glued thread but not so handy when not using that style of clasp. But method 1 on this loom is sort of a pain to try to weave in those short ends that result from making a 6" strip.

The average bracelet size is 7" and allowing 1" for clasp, loomed piece needs to be 6" in length. That left only short threads to weave up into work at the end. I'm guessing that the developer uses the gluing method.

It's workable but tedious. Very happy with it and I plan to make many more projects with this little loom. I also plan to make a larger one.

Welted Hand Puppets

I play with new ideas and new stitches all the time. Sometimes I just make swatches but sometimes I keep going and complete a project. The puppets came about on a whim.

I was practicing welt stitching and continued up the tube to make a hand puppet. I named him Marli. The dog thinks Marli is pretty funny. Marlie is the brown and blue guy on the right. I haven't named the orange, green, and ivory guy yet.

I really enjoy making welts. I started with the garter stitch welts. That's where you knit a set amount of rounds then purl the same number of rounds then knit again that number of rounds and then purl again. Doing it in the round makes it really easy. I wanted different colored welts and I learned that it's better to knit a round of a new color before starting the purl rounds or you get a line of dashed color.

Mixed in with the knit/purl welts are rounds of casing style welts, where you knit several rows then go back and pick up three or four rows down. I had tried this before years ago and found it tedious and horribly confusing to keep straight when trying to find specific bumps on the backside. There is a method of doing it that makes it so easy and the row just flies by.

While looking at the front of the work, if you take a look at the stockinette stitch you will see a bar on the backside of the V. To do the casing style welting, insert knitting needle from the back into the stitch along the row you want to use and move needle up and away and you will grab that bar, which is the u bump on the backside of the work. What makes it so awesome is that you can see what you're doing. You grab that bar in the row you want and place that loop onto the needle and knit the two stitches together, grab the next bar, pull that loop up and knit two together. It works up so fast and you can see exactly where you are working on the rows below. You can work a complete row or just part of the row, which gives a wrinkled effect. Pretty neat.

To make the puppet, just knit a tube for about 6" then work half the stitches flat for a few inches then decrease until there's 6 or 8 stitches left and bind off. Work the other half of the stitches in the same manner. Knit flat a mouth by repeating the knitting done on the separate halves and sew that piece inside.

I tried getting a picture of them with my hand inside but it was sort of like rubbing your head and patting your belly at the same time and the pictures turned out pretty blurry. I'll recruit a hand model and try again to capture a picture. They fairly come to life with a hand inside.

Knit Off Purl Then Purl Off Knit

Grafting, aka Kitchener's stitch can be so intimidating. I know that I was intimidated by it when I first heard of it. But I was willing to give it a try. Give it a try I did, and thoroughly mucked it up. So, I did what I am sure a lot of us do, I avoided trying it again.

You can't make socks without Kitchener's stitch. Well, okay, you can make them but they will either be pointy as you decrease your way down to two stitches or they will have a big clump of gathered stitches right at the toe tips. Neither of those versions really do us much good.

I tried this grafting business once again. I started with matching number of stitches on both needles yet somewhere along the way I had two more stitches on the back needle than the front needle. Hmmm... let's adjust by working something twice but not really twice since we have to decrease so grab this stitch and not work that stitch but we needed that so back to working twice but now I have too many on the other needle. Yep.

Then it clicked. Sometimes that happens to me. Okay, that happens a lot. I just can't "see" what I'm supposed to be doing or I just can't keep track of what I'm doing and since I don't really know why I'm doing what I'm doing when following instructions I just blindly forge ahead. Sometimes I can go years without knowing what I'm doing but doing it anyway. And then it will suddenly click. It's kind of like when we go from black and white to color in The Wizard of Oz.

Kitchener's Stitch

Needle 1 will be front needle and Needle 2 will be back needle.

First, prepare for Kitchener’s stitch by sliding tapestry needle purlwise into first stitch on needle 1 then knitwise into first stitch on needle two.  Be careful to keep the working yarn from sneaking up over the needles as you work. Now we begin.

Insert tapestry needle knitwise into first stitch on Needle 1 and push it off Needle 1 then insert tapestry needle into second stitch purlwise.

Now insert tapestry needle into first stitch purlwise on Needle 2 and push it off Needle 2 then into second stitch purlwise.

Let’s go back to needle 1 and insert tapestry needle knitwise into stitch 2 and push it off needle 1 then purlwise into stitch 3. Now needle 2’s turn. Insert tapestry needle purlwise into stitch 2 and push it off needle 2 then knitwise into stitch 3.

See the pattern? For stockinette stitch there’s an easy mantra I recite, “knit off purl then purl off knit”. It’s technically knitwise and purlwise but saying “knit off purl then purl off knit” kept it straight for me. The closest needle, Needle 1 will always be knit off purl and the farthest needle, Needle 2, will always be purl off knit for stockinette stitch joins.

It's kind of like when we go from black and white to color in The Wizard of Oz. 

That's the mantra: knit off purl then purl off knit.

Repeat that and it will all go from black and white to color. This is only for stockinette but it's the best place to start. 

Winter Chunky Headbands

I designed these fun but functional chunky headbands. Living in Northern Minnesota means the winters get cold and the wind is blustery. Made with chunky yarn, these headbands keep the ears warm and block the wind. For climates not as cold as the Northland, a headband is a great alternative to winter hats, providing that extra coverage.

Ears make any accessory more fun. Boys would also like to wear the brown bear ears shown above or the wolf ears below the bear ears. Grrrr! There's a wide range of colors available in chunky yarns.

My model's blue eyes pop with the blue headband. Pink, brown, blue, or purple, any color choice is a winner!

If ears don't fit in with an older child's fashion sense, the headband can be made without the ears. Perfect for tweens, teens, or adults. I just love this stylish, cozy headband. I think a lot of adults would enjoy this headband with or without the ears. We like to have fun also. It will be sure to put a smile on people's faces.

The pattern includes instructions for baby to adult sizes, with or without ears. Pattern can be found here on Etsy and here on Ravelry.

I included instructions for Beginners with a few options for more advanced knitters. With the large yarn it works up very quickly.

Quilted Log Cabin Coasters

The scrap buster Quilted Log Cabin Coasters.

I have a box of scraps. You know what I'm talking about. That awesome fabric piece that you are convinced that you can find a way to use it because it's just too pretty to throw away. All those pieces find their way into The Box. This project is a way to use up all that fabric in The Box.

Talk about the best scrap project!

These make fantastic gifts but you’ll want a few sets yourself. Warning, making these gets a bit addictive because they are so fast, easy, and fun. Since they are a scrap buster, don’t worry about making six exactly identical coasters. In fact, I made a point to make them all slightly different by having 5 of the 6 pieces the same and at least 1 piece not match the rest. That keeps the cohesive feeling but also makes them unique.

This is the best scrap buster project!

Since they are a scrap buster, you can also sew smaller pieces together to form the bigger pieces. Example, you need fabric for a 3 ½” piece but only have 2 ½” in fabric so you can sew a 1 ½” piece to the 2 ½” to get 3 ½”.

To make a set of six coasters you will need:

12 2”x 2”

12 2”x 3 ½”

6 2”x 5”

6 5”x 5” flannel or batting

6 5”x 5” fashion fabric for backing

Sew two 2” squares together at A and B using a ¼” seam. Press seams as you go. 

Sew AB to C. 

Then sew AC to D. 

Finally sew E to DAB. 

Layer in this order, 5” square of batting, pieced 5” square right side up, and then 5” square backing fabric right side down.  Sew around stacked squares, leaving a 2”-3” opening on one side to use to turn fabric. Trim corners. 

Turn fabric. I like to reach into farthest corner from opening and pull that through then the rest comes through fairly smoothly.

Make sure all corners are poked out. You can use a chopstick or any dull pointer. Topstitch around finished square, being sure to catch opening in seam to close it. Or you can hand stitch it closed. 

To do the quilting you can get creative or just sew across the finished square a few times to hold everything in place.