Tutorial Thursday: Spring Cleaning Scrubby

Hello! Welcome to Tutorial Tuesday Thursday! The next few weeks are all about Spring Cleaning! Not so exciting perhaps, unless you consider cleaning out your yarn stash equally as necessary as scrubbing down the kitchen, which I do.

So to start with, you can clean out the stash AND clean the house with these lovely scrubbies! One in knit, the other in crochet, depending on your preference. Now you have an excuse to go for the yarn stash before scrubbing!

Tuetorial Tuesday: Simple Slouchy Beanie

It's been a while since I have posted a tutorial, and I had recently promised one on a seed-stitch cup cozy. Well, I used that cozy today and it was too big for a standard paper coffee cup. It fit around, but it would slide, and eventually stretched a bit and fell off when I set the cup down... So, I finished this post instead, which has been pending and unfinished for a while now...

Some of you may remember my post on Instagram several weeks ago with a beanie pattern I came up with. I was inspired by this video on making your joining stitches in double-crochet in the round nearly invisible - I was quite interested in this as I had just made a number of beanies for Christmas and was not really pleased with the gap at joining. So, here is the result of my experiment:

The Simple Slouchy Beanie uses double crochet, single crochet, and slip stitch, in the round. There are increases and decreases, but nothing fancy.

Tutorial Tuesday: a man hat

Hello! It's been ages since I posted anything...

Well, I survived finals, and now I am busy making hats for the (little) men in my life.

I scoured the internet for visor hat patterns for my nephews and this is the one that I decided to go with.

Photo from www.redheart.com

It is the Streetwise Hat pattern from Red Heart Yarn - it's a free pattern on their website. I sized it down a bit for my nephews, or I should say nephew, because I have only completed the hat portion of one so far. I wanted something that was a little more interesting than just single crochet hat, but also something that would be simple to make.

You can follow the hat-making process on Instagram if you like - @themadewithloveproject

I am starting another cap too, a knitted one, but that one is top secret until after Christmas...

Happy crafting!

Stephanie
MWLP

Tutorial Tuesday: Crochet Bow Headband / Ear Warmer

Searching through various blogs for cowl patterns a couple of weeks ago I stumbled on this cute headband. I decided to try my hand at one with the leftovers from the navy cowl I just made (you might have seen the pictures on Instagram). I think that this will be a great gift for one of my sisters - I won't say which (I have three).

I found the free pattern and tutorial on People Webs blog, right here.

Photo from peoplewebs.blogspot.com

She includes detailed instructions and step-by-step photos for you, which I think is great!

This is another great project for a beginner because it is all single crochet! This makes it a nice relaxing project too because it doesn't require a ton of concentration or counting... I have been making mine while I ride the bus.

This could also be done in a knit version using either garter or seed stitch...

I am going about mine a little bit differently - rather than working the length of the piece, I am working the width. When I make a second one I will work the length instead, and then let you know what I think of the two methods... My reason for working the opposite way is that I am not sure about the suggested length and want to make sure that it will be the right size. But, like I said, we will see how it turns out.

If you don't want to make your own, she does sell them on her Etsy shop!

Be sure to check out her blog and shop - she has a ton of great stuff!

Tutorial Tuesday: beanies for breast cancer

Hello!

I know that I promised an original knit hat pattern, but alas, I am in the process of moving and writing a ton of papers, so it will have to wait until November. But I do have a cute hat pattern from the blog Grow Creative for you (make sure to check out the rest of her blog)!

Photo from GrowCreative.blogspot.com

It is a lovely shell-pattern that is not too difficult to manage, even for a beginner. I wouldn't suggest this for a first project, but if you have done a project in the round and/or know how to do a double crochet stitch, you can manage this! I say this because I am a beginner and mine is coming along just fine! But, if you find that the shells are too challenging, you can go ahead and finish it off with double-crochet stitches.

You can find the pattern right here. I am sure she would love to know if you try it out, and I know I would love to hear about it too!

Here are a couple pictures of my progress, and some notes to help you through the shell stitches if this is your first try (I will apologize now for the varying color quality - these were all taken with my phone,  some at night with nasty CFL lighting, and some during the day with natural light...)

So, here is just the double crochet bit - this part is fairly easy, the only thing that might be confusing for a beginner is the joining of the stitches at the end of the round.

A note on the first round of shells: I ended up starting them in too close to my beginning chain, so if I were you, I would do what I did after I had to take all of my stitches out - count through your stitches the same way you will be putting the stitches in, i.e. one, two, five, one, two, one, one, two, five, etc... so that you can see where you will end. It will save you from possible frustration.

first round of shells

Here is a close-up of putting in the second row of shells.

beginning of second round of shells

At first I was concerned that it would be really difficult to put in the next round, but you are really just stacking the rows, with the short in-between stitches on top of a shell and the shells over the in-between stitches. You almost don't need to count...

two rows of shells

That is as far as I have made it through the pattern so far, but I will update the post once I am finished.

And finally, some notes on my materials:
I used a metal Boyle hook in the recommended size, 5mm (I prefer metal to plastic).
I used Vanna's Choice yarn in pink. This yarn tends to split a little, which can slow things down, but I do love the colors they offer...

Well, that is all that I have to say about this project/pattern.

Hope you enjoy this lovely pattern!

Stephanie
MWLP

Tutorial Tuesday: Beanies for Breast Cancer

Hello! So sorry I missed last week - it was a pretty hectic week between midterms and apartment hunting...

Anyway, this week I am bringing you a link for a video tutorial, as well as a link to the written pattern. This is for a basic beanie done in the half-double crochet, and it can be adjusted to any size head and any yarn (or, "wool," as Clare calls it). Clare offers nice clear instruction that is easy to follow.

Photo from claresaddictedtoyarn.blogspot.com

Here is the link for the video.

And here is the link for the written instructions.

If you are concerned about having the right size, you can go here for a sizing chart.


Now, for the beanie pattern that I am working on: I have not started just yet... I need to get some double pointed needles in the right size. The last time I went to the craft store they didn't have the size I needed in stock, so I need to go back or find a yarn shop. But, since next week is the final Tuesday in October, I will do my best to have it for you!

Happy crafting!

Knitting (and crochet) for Your Health

I know that for me, knitting and crochet are really helpful in reducing stress and anxiety, and going through the motion is often more important to me than the finished product. I guess that is why I have never really branched out too much and learned special techniques and stitches - I just like repetition of a simple stitch. Starting this blog, and my desire to share this fun skill with others, has increased my desire to learn new stitches and techniques, and so I am really trying for more than my typical knit & purl routine.

As I have been branching out, I have realized that sometimes I am in the mood to do something a little complicated or new, and other times I just need some yarn, needles, and a garter stitch. Regardless of the mood that I am in when I start, I always feel better when I am done, and I can see that my time was not wasted because I have something physical to show for it. And I am not the only one who feels this way.

I decided to do a quick Google search on "knitting for health" and I found a lot of articles and videos. It turns out that knitting and crochet are not just great for reducing stress, but they are also great for prevention of depression, pain, and memory loss. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that when you knit or crochet you are very focused on what is happening with the yarn and the tool(s) you are working with, your brain is telling your fingers how to create a series of loops, the motions are repetitive, and there is a product that comes from the work that you are doing.

For me, I become lost in the stitches; they take over my brain and I am not thinking of anything else but what my fingers will do next, what is happening with the fabric I am producing, and how I will move forward - will I switch stitches or keep going with what I have? - all of this, plus the chance to be creative, to decide what I want to make and what I want it to look like, and also the ability to keep expanding and growing in the skill. It is all very rewarding, materially, mentally, and creatively.

So, I encourage you to pick up your needles and hooks, whether for the first time or the thousandth time, and make something. Big or small, simple or complex, the doing is all that matters.

Happy Stitching!