I can hear the rain coming down outside.
I have warm hand knitted socks.
I have a hot cup of tea.
Today was meant to stay inside
Warm, in a bed like this.
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Lazy Rainy Day
Today is a rainy Tuesday.
I can hear the rain coming down outside.
I have warm hand knitted socks.
I have a hot cup of tea.
Today was meant to stay inside
Warm, in a bed like this.
I can hear the rain coming down outside.
I have warm hand knitted socks.
I have a hot cup of tea.
Today was meant to stay inside
Warm, in a bed like this.
A Year of Pretty - December 08, 2014
.. . .perfect for the creative person. This would also be a great way to use left over yarn. What's also nice is that with a bit of adult super vision when attaching the yarn to the wreath, this is a fun project for kids to create. Imagine their concentration while winding the yarn into smaller balls....
I've given instructions for both a permanent and a temporary wreath. In the permanent version, the balls of yarn are glued together; both to the wreath form and to each other. In the temporary version, the balls of yarn are attached with thin wire. This is in case you may want to use the yarn again for another project and don't want it to be covered in hardened glue.
You can also use a foam wreath for your base and wrap it in yarn. I found that to be a bit time consuming, so I opted for a rustic twig / vine wreath I had on hand. Essentially, when we pruned back the grape vines in the garden, I twisted then into wreaths and let them dry that way. But you can pick one up pretty cheap at your local craft store.
Directions for Yarn Wreath:
Needed:
yarn in four or five complimentary shades
styrofoam balls in various sizes
large eyed needle
desired size wreath form; twig or grapevine
hot glue gun and glue sticks, or 20 gauge wire
wire cutters and eye protection
hanging ornament for center
clear fishing line
scissors
What to Do:
1. Wind various yarns around the different sizes of styrofoam balls, leaving a 12 inch tail. If you are using a smaller wreath, make smaller balls, larger for a larger wreath. Essentially, the size should be in proportion to the overall size of the wreath.
2. Thread the tail end of yarn onto the large eyed needle. Pull the needle through the ball of yarn repeatedly until the tail is secure.
3. Arrange balls of yarn on wreath form in the desired sequence in order to cover the front of the wreath as shown in the photo.
4. Apply hot glue to the back of each yarn ball and press in place along the wreath. Hold until ball feels secure. Repeat with all yarn balls; glue yarn balls together at sides where they touch.
OR
4. Attach each ball of yarn to the wreath with the 20 gauge wire by threading the wire through each ball and then twisting the ends of the wire onto the twig wreath until secure. Wearing eye protection, clip ends of wire with wire cutters. Twist and tuck exposed twisted pieces into the wreath for safety. Thread wire through yarn balls at sides where they touch and repeat twisting to secure, clipping ends as needed.
5. Attach hanging ornament to inside top of wreath with clear fishing line. Trim ends of fishing line with scissors.
Your wreath is now ready to hang or give away as a gift. I have found that round cake trays with domed lids from the grocery store's baking department are great way to store wreaths when not in use and are convenient for gift-giving. Just stick a pretty bow on the top of the dome and you're done.
Happy Christmas Crafting!
I've given instructions for both a permanent and a temporary wreath. In the permanent version, the balls of yarn are glued together; both to the wreath form and to each other. In the temporary version, the balls of yarn are attached with thin wire. This is in case you may want to use the yarn again for another project and don't want it to be covered in hardened glue.
You can also use a foam wreath for your base and wrap it in yarn. I found that to be a bit time consuming, so I opted for a rustic twig / vine wreath I had on hand. Essentially, when we pruned back the grape vines in the garden, I twisted then into wreaths and let them dry that way. But you can pick one up pretty cheap at your local craft store.
Directions for Yarn Wreath:
Needed:
yarn in four or five complimentary shades
styrofoam balls in various sizes
large eyed needle
desired size wreath form; twig or grapevine
hot glue gun and glue sticks, or 20 gauge wire
wire cutters and eye protection
hanging ornament for center
clear fishing line
scissors
What to Do:
1. Wind various yarns around the different sizes of styrofoam balls, leaving a 12 inch tail. If you are using a smaller wreath, make smaller balls, larger for a larger wreath. Essentially, the size should be in proportion to the overall size of the wreath.
2. Thread the tail end of yarn onto the large eyed needle. Pull the needle through the ball of yarn repeatedly until the tail is secure.
3. Arrange balls of yarn on wreath form in the desired sequence in order to cover the front of the wreath as shown in the photo.
4. Apply hot glue to the back of each yarn ball and press in place along the wreath. Hold until ball feels secure. Repeat with all yarn balls; glue yarn balls together at sides where they touch.
OR
4. Attach each ball of yarn to the wreath with the 20 gauge wire by threading the wire through each ball and then twisting the ends of the wire onto the twig wreath until secure. Wearing eye protection, clip ends of wire with wire cutters. Twist and tuck exposed twisted pieces into the wreath for safety. Thread wire through yarn balls at sides where they touch and repeat twisting to secure, clipping ends as needed.
5. Attach hanging ornament to inside top of wreath with clear fishing line. Trim ends of fishing line with scissors.
Your wreath is now ready to hang or give away as a gift. I have found that round cake trays with domed lids from the grocery store's baking department are great way to store wreaths when not in use and are convenient for gift-giving. Just stick a pretty bow on the top of the dome and you're done.
Happy Christmas Crafting!
Today on Etsy - January 23, 2013
One of the best things on the internet beside those LOL
cats? PDF patterns. Just look at this pretty bolero style shrug. The pattern
comes from BernioliesDesigns.
The nice thing about a PDF pattern is that it usually comes
to your email Inbox within 24 hours, there is no shipping cost, and you can
access it any time or re-print it as need be.
And of course with a pattern, you
can make your project any colour you choose. Add beads, sequins or buttons. Thread a ribbon through the lacework of the sleeves and neckline.
In other words, make it your own. Make it work.
warm up with . . . .
Gloves and Mittens. Got cold fingers? Chilly weather turning your hands to chapped leather? Here are a few of beautiful examples to restore warmth with style to your hands and keep the moisture in your skin from drying out. Shown left is a pair of smokey grey cable knit mittens by FairMaidenDesign. I like the chunky-ness of these mitts; they look so warm and perfect for walking in the snow.
I also like these colorful options from Whitton's Mittens. (pink argyle shown right and blue flowers shown below) Made from recycled wool and cashmere sweaters and lined with felt, they are eco-friendly and very whimsical. The button detailing is a nice added touch as well.
If you are needing to keep your hands warm but still want the flexibility and dexterity of being able to use your fingers, then perhaps these fingerless gloves are what you need. I also find that fingerless gloves tend to be more charming and elegant . . . not to mention I adore big chunky rings and often a full glove does not accommodate for this.
Have a gander at these beautiful Victorian inspired lace-up gloves from Zen and Coffee Designs (shown right). The corset-like detailing on these gives the gloves a hint of sex appeal as well.
Not-so-secret-tip: Apply a bit of rich hand cream to your skin before putting your mittens or gloves on. The warmth from your skin inside the mittens will help the moisturizer work more quickly and help it last longer.
So regardless of whether you choose fun and whimsical full mittens or elegant fingerless gloves, these winter warmth accessories are sure to garner you compliments while keeping you toasty.
Stay warm out there!
sweater weather
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the fresh days of spring and the lazy warm air of summer. But there is something about September and the approach of cooler weather that I enjoy. For me there are essentially three things that sum up Autumn in Vancouver: walking through one of our city’s many parks and hearing the crunch of brightly painted leaves underneath, the harvesting and cooking of apples to make applesauce, and pulling the sweaters off the top shelf in my closet.
Oh, how comforting a favorite sweater can be. Admit it, we have all experienced the small pleasure of pulling on a cherished sweater, stretching the cuffs of the sleeves over our fingers, and raising them to the neck in a gesture of welcoming the warmth.
Putting on a sweater is also very economically-environmentally friendly. While growing up, if someone in our house complained of being cold, the rhetorical answer was always, “Then go put a sweater on!”, which was usually in my case followed by “ . . and some socks while you’re at it!”
I’m not one for knitting. Crochet I can handle; there is only one needle and it has a hook on one end. But two (or even sometimes four) needles are just too much for me to get a grasp on (yes, pun intended). So I appreciate the skill and effort it takes to make a hand knitted sweater.
Below are a few examples of some great hand knitted sweaters to give you warmth.
If you’re feeling chilly now and can’t wait for a custom ordered sweater, Victoria Secret offers (among other things) a wide selection to choose from. Shown left and right are two that I find rather, ah-hem . . . inviting.
If you’re looking for a sweater that goes for the extra wow and don’t mind dropping a couple grand on one piece of seasonal wear, then be sure to take a look at these beauties below designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel featured during Paris Fashion week 2010 (I mean, really . . . who doesn’t like Chanel??), as well as a nicely detailed article by theclotheswhisperer. The iceberg set design I like, the Wookie boots I can do without.
So go ahead . . . bundle up . . .it’s getting cold out there.
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