Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sparkle Wrist Warmers (pattern on craftsy.com)


It's hard to imagine that you would ever need anything knitted and warm in Phoenix, Arizona, but we do have our own version of winter here (stop laughing, Minnesota). And since you might as well look cute and sparkly no matter what the temperature reads, these Sparkle Wrist Warmers will keep your fingers free for texting, shopping, taking photos, walking the dog or even knitting.

My favorite yarn for these wrist warmers is Red Heart Shimmer, a worsted weight available in many rich colors and made of 97% acrylic / 3% metallic polyester (hence, the sparkle). And you can get 2 pair of wrist warmers from one skein.

This is a fairly easy pattern requiring knitting in the round, the purl stitch and increasing by knitting in front and back of a stitch. Finished size is 7-1/2" in length and they fit most women. Plus, they're pretty quick to knit up and make great gifts wherever you live.

The Sparkle Wrist Warmers pattern is available as a PDF download for $3.00 at Craftsy.com. Just think how many you could churn out before the holidays roll around again!

So many projects, never enough time ...

Friday, March 22, 2013

Cushy Cabled Headband (free knitting pattern)


A few weeks ago when I was posting on Facebook about knitting a shawl, my cousin's sweet daughter (Hi, Amanda T.!) messaged me to see if I could knit her a cabled headband like one she had seen on Etsy. A creative challenge is always exciting so I picked up yarn and needles and started playing. It took a few attempts to accomplish exactly what I wanted, but I love the result and from the comments I've received, I'm not the only one.

This is a fairly easy pattern requiring some knitting and basic crocheting skills, i.e., knit and purl stitch, cables, increasing and decreasing and single crochet for the finishing touch. I've been using several kinds of Patons Wool yarn and so far each skein has yielded three headbands, which is great for gift giving ... one for me, two for gifts.


My granddaughter, Ashley (left in black headband), and her bestie, Amanda R. (in charcoal gray headband), were kind enough to model for me (thanks, girls). Miles and Louie managed to sneak into the picture as well because you know if anyone sits down anywhere - even on a rock in the back yard - their lap is up for grabs.

My Cushy Cabled Headband pattern is a free download on Craftsy.com. So go, download, knit and make yourself a cute headband to wear!

So many projects, never enough time ...

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Hello from Handiworking


The definition of Handiwork: Something that someone has made or done; making things by hand.

What better time than National Craft Month to launch Handiworking and begin a celebration of all things handmade. I'm a lifelong crafter, descended from thrifty, talented women that have filled their homes with handmade beauty. Over the years, I've enjoyed adding to my crafting repertoire skills like sewing, knitting, embroidering, cross-stitching, quilting, scrapbooking, crocheting, tole painting, beading, cake decorating and tie-dying. Glitter, glue, yarn and fabric feather our nest and sometimes even some cooking gets done.

I hope that Handiworking will entertain, offer up some crafting fun and, occasionally, share some ideas that inspire. To quote Ray Bradbury, “Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.”

I'm off to the studio to crank up the imagination and spend some quality time Handiworking!

So many projects, never enough time ...