Category Archives: Arts, Crafts & DIY

Seamless Shawl Collar Cardigan With Faux Fair Isle (Duplicate Stitch)

Posted on by
2

Image

IN THIS ARTICLE:
grad school over (yay and boo), knitting instead of job searching,
duplicate stitch — the easiest knitting colorwork technique ever

After a long stretch of unbearable busy-ness with grad school, I’m relieved that it’s over (yay!) but now find myself with much more time on my hands (still yay!). However, I’m also in the midst of a stressful job search (boo) but truth be told, I’m hoping I don’t find one TOO soon as I’m really enjoying all of this newfound free time. And this seamless shawl collar cardigan is one of the fruits of my freedom.

Continue reading →

Advertisement

homebody buttoned mug cozy knitting pattern (plain and cabled)

Posted on by
29

Since I’ve gotten quite a few queries on how I made the Christmas gift mug cozies blogged about here, I’ve decided to post these quick patterns I threw together. Sorry in advance if you catch any errors as pattern writing isn’t really my forte. Any corrections are welcome. Enjoy!

Cabled mug cozy

BUTTONED MUG COZY (Cabled or Plain)

Any worsted weight yarn will do. US Size 8 needles.

Start with the buttonhole strap:

CO 4 and knit two rows.

3rd row: k 2, yo (to make buttonhole) k 2 (5 st total)

Knit about 4 more rows in garter stitch (i.e. all knit st) before increasing

Work an increase row:

K1fb in each stitch (10 stitches total)

Now, choose one of the following two options for the rest of your cozy — cabled or plain.

Body for a cabled cozy:

Add one more increase row: K1, (k1fb) 3 times, k2, (k1fb) 3 times, k1 (16 stitches total)

Start 6-stitch cable pattern: (right side) K3, p2, work cable twist pattern over next 6 stitches (slip 3 st onto cable needle and move to back of work, k3, knit stitches from cable needle. Twist the cable like this every 6 rows. When not on a twist row, knit the 6 stitches), p2, k3

Next row (and all wrong side rows): k5, p6, k5

Repeat these last 2 rows until your body is the desired length (ending on a twist row). Start on button strap.

Decrease for button strap:

Dec row 1: (k1, k2 tog) 5 times, k1 (11 st total)

Dec row 2: (k1, k2tog) 3 times, k2 (8 st total)

Dec row 3: k2tog all the way across (4 st total)

Knit 4 rows even.

Bind off.

Body for plain cozy:

Add one more increase row: K1, k1fb, k1, k1fb, k2, k1fb, k1, k1fb, k1 (14 stitches total)

All wrong sides: k3, p8, k3

Right sides: knit

Repeat these last 2 rows until your body is the desired length.

Decrease for button strap:

Dec row 1: (k1, k2tog) 4 times, k2 (10 st total)

Dec row 2: k2tog all the way across (5 st total)

Knit 5 rows even.

Bind off.

Add an embroidered design to your cozy, if so desired.

On my needles: the Sarah Lund Jumper

Posted on by
13

sarahlund

I’m finally home (hurrah!) after a year spent in Northern Ireland working on an M.A. at Queen’s University Belfast. I’m supposed to be fully immersed in researching/writing my dissertation (due in a few months), so I swore up and down that I would not start a new craft project until I was finished with it. Then I promptly ignored myself and picked up my knitting needles. Continue reading →

navajo-inspired cardigan

Posted on by
9

And here’s another project I finished a while ago but neglected to blog. Inspiration came from Free People’s Navajo Cardigan (currently unavailable). Alright, it was a bit more than inspiration, it was downright thievery as I closely copied the stunning design, even down to the colorway. Continue reading →

baby kimono

Posted on by
3

Here’s a little number I made for a friend’s baby shower a while back. There are a number of baby kimono patterns on the web, but I wanted something that allowed me to use a bulky yarn for a quick knit. Lion Brand supplied exactly the pattern I was looking for, and for yarn, I used my last skein of Tweedle Dee by Moda Dea. Her baby is now 5 months old, and the kimono fits the little lady perfectly.

Instead of a side tie, I used a couple of my homemade polyclay buttons, using the yarn-over increases as button holes.

Handmade Christmas Gifts & Some Big News

Posted on by
5

Little Bailey in her teddy bear hat, courtesy of Auntie Homebody.

The jury is in and I’m guilty of being the world’s laziest blogger. I’ve been happily unemployed and crafting…and not updating my blog. Without an excuse in the world. Anyway, I’ve got a few handmade Christmas gifts to report, which I shall do. Continue reading →

fabric appliques + old boots = new boots!

Posted on by
Reply

First, a Facebook friend posted this…and then I remembered seeing this…and so I did this…


…using some leftover outdoor fabric I used for bistro chair cushions a few months back. These old faux leather boots had been sitting in the back of my closet unworn for over a year, as I have too many brown pairs of boots  to keep track of. After today, no longer shall these be lost in the crowd! I simply cut out some pretty floral motifs from my fabric, coated the backs with Fabric Mod Podge (paying close attention to the edges), and applied them to the boots. I’m currently waiting for them to dry so I can seal the appliques with more Mod Podge. Before I actually wear them out, I plan to treat them with a couple more coats of Outdoor Modge Podge (once I buy some, that is). Now I’m off to see if I’ve got any more footwear needing a makeover!

the “winged-it” purse

Posted on by
4

Operation stash bust is in full swing, and this red/gray crocheted handbag is the result of my latest yarn closet raid. Ignoring the fact that I had a sizeable yarn stash of my own, my sister decided to gift me the entirety of her stash. (Could you say no?) So, little by little, I am chipping away at my towering mount everest of odd skeins. A couple days ago, I picked up a deep red skein of some sort of workhorse acrylic yarn (no label to be found) and began crocheting these pretty triangle motifs from my Reader’s Digest stitch encyclopedia. Two triangles turned into 4, then 6, then 8. I’ve got this strange habit of working first, then figuring out what I’m making later. Before the second hour was through, the yarn spoke — and it said it wanted to become a handbag. Fine, I said. So I stitched together my red triangle motifs into semi-circular shapes, picked up another unidentifiable skein of yarn (gray in color) and continued working the semi-circular body by adding rows of shell stitch and double crochet. When it came time for a handle, I braided together 9 crocheted chains and stitched them on. Lining? Used some gray woven material from my fabric stash and added a couple of inner pockets. Finally, I threw in a button loop and one of my freshly made polymer clay buttons to take care of fastening duties.

I dig how the purse’s body juts beyond the straps on either side — as if its wings are unfurled and ready for flight.  Perfect, given how I winged the design from start to finish. 😉

I’m considering writing this all out as a proper pattern and posting it here — but that requires far too much planning for the likes of me.

the curious craft of baking buttons

Posted on by
9

After quite a bit of online research regarding all things polymer clay, I’ve finally taken my first leap into the medium — crafting homemade buttons. I started out with some el-cheapo clay (Sculpey) which a lot of people apparently gripe about in terms of durability. But as I don’t plan on machine washing these buttons nor do I predict any delicate figurine sculpting in my future, I reckoned it was safe to take the thrifty route for my first attempt.

I thought that it would be a good idea to make molds out of some buttons from my stash, so I bought some of this molding compound which was super easy to use. I simply followed those abbreviated directions on the side of the box and it seemed to work fine. Thing is, though making the molds was easy, using them was another thing entirely. Too impatient to look up more online tutorials, I set my molds aside and proceeded to roll little balls of the clay and stamp them down into discs using some textured trinkets (pendants mostly) from my jewelry box. I made texture stamp molds of some decorative surfaces so the designs on my buttons would be in relief rather than in grooves (make sense?). I pricked buttonholes with a toothpick, baked them as directed, let them cool, and went to town with acrylic paint. Also decoupaged a few (like the green one pictured at bottom right below) with some ink-jet-printed tissue paper. I love the results! Really can’t believe how quick and easy these were to make. Now to practice my molding skills.

accidental oatmeal coconut lace cookies

Posted on by
3

These cookies are actually the result of a happy accident whilst I was attempting to bake another sort of snack entirely. To my surprise, these delicate, crunchy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth-y cookies actually turned out so amazingly tasty, I almost shed a tear. They’re quite similar to Trader Joe’s Chocolate Almond Laceys, minus the chocolate. Though, I must admit, I believe these are better. 🙂

Oatmeal Coconut Laceys

3/4 c softened unsalted butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c flour
1/4  tsp salt
1/4 c flaked coconut
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 c finely chopped almonds (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Combine flour and salt separately, then gradually add to the butter mixture. When the batter is well blended, mix in coconut, oats and almonds (if using). Spoon teaspoon-sized dollops onto ungreased baking sheet. The dough will spread very wide, so space cookies accordingly.

Bake in 350 oven for approximately 14 minutes, or until the edges are browned and crisp and the centers are golden. Cool and enjoy!