I wanted to share with you my newest creation – a simple baby hat that I made from an ultra cheat-worthy knitting loom. My cousin is having her first baby here in a few weeks and I thought it would be a sweet gesture to make a little hat for the new little girl in the family. I used the Knifty Knitter Loom
for children. I didn’t have the baby sized hat loom (the blue one), so this one I figured would work and if it’s a little bit big, she could just stash it away until it does fit.
I used two strands of yarn to make the hat extra warm, and added a cute little brim to the bottom. And since her middle name is going to be Rose, I added a very simple circle flower with a button in the center just for fun. I think the hat turned out just perfect.
As a side note, I figured I’d address the whole fake knitting thing. I can knit without a loom, but have found that my hands get really sore after only a few minutes (maybe I’m not doing something right??). When I discovered this loom kit, I thought I’d give it a try, and it’s definitely a lot easier on the hands, but looks a little less “handmade” than doing it strictly with needles. Nonetheless, I still really like how hats turn out on these looms and would recommend them to someone who also finds their hands hurting while knitting. I’ve made a number of these simple hats now and although the directions say you can use one strand of yarn to make a hat, I would recommend two, especially if you live in a colder climate like me.
Do you knit? Have you ever tried knitting on a loom? If so, I’d love to hear your take on if you think it’s a good alternative to needle knitting?
I’ve always been a good pen pal. When I was little, there was a program in school that if you signed up, could be assigned a pen pal in Japan. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So I did, and we wrote a few times, but it fizzled out fast, probably because the other little girl had to write in English and I never had to write in a language that wasn’t my first.
A few years later, my friends seemed to be dropping off the face of the planet. Each year from third grade through about seventh, one very close friend would move at the end of the year. I would get so upset and vowed each one to write them as long as they’d write me back. And for a few, we kept in touch a pretty long time. The girl who moved in third grade, we kept in touch until high school. The girl from fifth grade who had been my very best friend for the previous two years, after the third grade friend disappeared.. we kept in touch until we graduated from high school.
Then in college, my grandpa started writing me letters and sending them to my dorm room, so that I felt like I had a bit of home coming to me. It was very sweet, and he wrote to me all through college, sending me updates on the neighborhood, doctor appointments, my cat, and my favorite “Pickles” cartoons. He still writes once in a while, but not as much now that I’m married. I think he feels like he has nothing to say. But I still love getting those yellow lined letters in the mail and opening them up to read them aloud (I would always do this in the dorms.. my grandpa became a pretty loved guy among all my friends).
Come full circle, at dinner the other night my sister asked if I would be my niece’s pen pal. Of course I agreed, and started remembering all the letter writing I did as a kid. And how fun it would be to get the mail whenever something came for me. I also loved to see different and fun stationary, because it was always a surprise. So here is a little round-up of stationary for even your littlest of pen pals.
- Blank Mini Card Set of 10 – Bright Multi-color Birds, Crafty Creations by CraftySherry on Etsy, $5.
- Pinstripe Love Stationary Set (Ten Notes and Envelopes), NikkiCrossApplesauce on etsy, $21.
- Eco Friendly Personalized Note Cards for Kids – PEACOCK – English or Telugu, gnaana on etsy, $18.
- Blank Mini Card Set of 10 – Summer Assortment, Crafty Creations by CraftySherry on Etsy, $5.
Every time I visit Pinterest, I’m amazed at some of the ingenius things people have come up with. I don’t know why I’m surprised, there are some very crafty folks out there – but there are sometimes when I’m literally just floored with some of the things I find on there. I thought it would be fun to share 10 of my favorite “Oh man, why didn’t I think of that before??” finds from the last few weeks.
Outdoor twister
Making your own fabric or ribbon tape [click to continue…]
A few weeks ago, I found myself with two days of just about non-stop inspiration. I was talking a mile a minute to my husband for a good two hours about ideas I had and things that I wanted to try or to experiment with, but it was sort of the classic case of “when I get the time…” sort of things. My list of excuses (clearly not a complete list) included:
- Once we get moved…
- Once we get unpacked…
- Once we get done painting…
- Once I can find things in the kitchen again…
[click to continue…]
It’s been heating up around here. For Seattle, the warm weather always comes a little bit late. But when it does finally warm up, we Northwest folk tend to not know what to do withourselves. It’s actually pretty funny how things change around here when the sun comes out. Everyone seems to be in a good mood and people just relax, they even leave work early(!), and go on walks– it’s wonderful. One of the best ways to cool down on those scorching days is to create a little cooling spray to spray yourself down with. This spray is so refreshing and smells wonderful!
- 1 cup water
- 5 drops lavender oil
In a spritz bottle, add the water and oil. Shake to incorporate. Each time you wish to use the spray, shake the bottle first. Use one or two sprays for a refreshing pick-me-up!
How do you cool off when it gets super hot? Do you have a go to cool down spray? Or do you stick to cool beverages?
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