Craft World

Valentine’s Day Locket Craft

It won’t be long before Valentine’s Day arrives, so my daughters and I are preparing with a few fun crafts. This week we are going to make a Valentine’s Day locket. The craft is very inexpensive, and a great way to recycle old bottle caps. As a parent or teacher, you may even want to work in a lesson on the importance of reusing items when possible.

Take two bottle caps for each child that will be creating their own Valentine’s Day locket, and place them on a sheet of newspaper. You should do this outside if possible. Give each bottle cap a coating of pink spray paint. Set them aside until they have dried completely.
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Make Your Own Household Items

When we have a need in our home, it is so easy to make a quick jaunt to the nearest big box store to get whatever it is on our list. This is certainly quick and convenient, but most of the time, mass-produced items just lack that character and unique appeal many of us are looking for in our homes. For that reason, sometimes it is better just to make your own household items. Making your own is also a great opportunity to give your kids craft projects too. Read more about Make Your Own Household Items

When The Knitting's Over: Weaving In Ends

Doing it right can make a huge difference in your finished item

I have heard of knitters out there who don't dread having to weave in ends, but I have never met one myself. Weaving in the ends is one of those final finishing tasks that seems incredibly arduous when you're facing it, even though it really isn't that big a deal in the grand scheme of things!

The problem is worse if you have a project with a lot of stripes or colorwork. Last year I knit a chullo hat and ended up with 172 ends to weave in and clip! (Yes, I counted.)

Option 1: Don't weave them in

In a situation like that chullo hat, a lot of people opt to simply… not weave in the ends! With some colorwork projects, particularly those involving steeks or seams, you can sometimes get away with just clipping all the ends short. Lucky knitters may be able to hide the fringe of ends under a placket or button band.

Valentine’s Day Mailboxes for the Classroom

I remember the days in grammar school when every student brought in a Valentine card for every other student. Handing them out created a bit of chaos in the classroom. Now that my daughter is grammar school age, the teachers utilize a nifty mailbox craft to keep everything organized.

There are several ways that the students can make their own mailbox, but I’m going to just focus on two of them-the shoebox method and the cereal box method.
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"Why Do I Need A Yarn Scale?"

A surprisingly handy tool for knitters!

My yarn scale recently died on me, and it has really brought home how useful this tool really is! I resisted buying one for years, but I finally had to pick one up for a specific project I got involved with, with a friend. Once I had it, I found all kinds of uses for it.

I bought a model which was small, pocket-sized, extremely precise in small measurements, and with a fold-away display. I'm pretty sure the scale is made for drug dealers. I would be a little nervous if I got caught with it by the cops, because I bet it would take some explaining if they dug it out of my purse.

Five-Minute Nursing Pads

I’ve said it before, but I simply cannot stand to buy something that will be used once and thrown away. It nags at my anti-waste sensibilities so much that I will obsess over it. So with a new baby on the way, I got to thinking about those boxes of disposable nursing pads and knew I had to do something to avoid using them. With a few minutes of research online, I undertook perhaps the easiest sewing project I have ever completed – making my own nursing pads. Read more about Five-Minute Nursing Pads

Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards for Your Classmates

My daughter doesn’t have a big class, so creating homemade cards for each of the other eight students on Valentine’s Day is doable. It not only saves us money from having to purchase store-bought Valentine’s Day cards, but it also ensures that my daughter’s cards will be unique.

Start off allowing your child to choose a sheet of construction paper in the color of her choice. For Valentine’s Day, however, you may want to stick to shades of red and pink. I have my daughter cut each sheet in half so that one piece of paper makes two cards. That means she needs four sheets total to create cards for her class.

Fold each of the half sheets to form a card. You can make the card open on the side, or from bottom to top just by the way you position the card in front of you. Now it’s time to decorate the outside of the card with the words “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Your child can also place the name of the student who will be receiving the card underneath of these words. The words can be painted on, colored on, or stuck on with letter stickers. Read more about Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards for Your Classmates

Make Your Own Menstrual Pads

Using your own reusable cloth pads may be a stretch for some women, but with questionable chemicals in commercial products, and the ever-increasing cost of buying them, it can begin to look like a pretty good idea to make your own. When you add in how comfortable cloth pads are and how much less garbage you will throw away, cloth pads are a really great idea. Read more about Make Your Own Menstrual Pads

My New Favorite Tubular Cast-On

It's not as complicated as it sounds

There are a ton - seriousluy, a ton - of different cast on methods. There are even a fat handful of different kinds of tubular cast-ons. But I recently found one which strikes me as both innovative and convenient. I don't know where it originally hails from, or if it has its own technical name. I encountered it in the pattern for the Grace Lace Beret, so I call it the "Grace Lace cast-on." (If you know if it has a different name or source, leave me a note in the comments!)

The traditional tubular cast on gives you a nice, professional finished edge on something. Ideally you will use it to lead into 1x1 ribbing, since that is what it melds best with. In the traditional tubular cast on you cast on about 2/3rds the final number of stitches, knit three rounds in stockinette, increase to the right number of stitches, and knit together with the cast on edge. This creates the eponymous tube, which makes a lovely and flexible rounded edge.

Macaroni Necklace Craft for Kids

Boxes of pasta are fairly inexpensive to purchase, and can accommodate a number of children at once when used for craft purposes. Creating macaroni necklaces is one activity I am happy to allow my daughter and her friends to participate in when they get together, since I know it won’t hurt my pocketbook.

The first thing you should do is cover your table with sheets of newspaper. This will protect the surface from the paint the kids will be using. Next, you should issue some type of smock to each child. It would be a miracle if the kids got through the entire project without getting paint on themselves, so it is just best to be prepared. Read more about Macaroni Necklace Craft for Kids