Crafts | Bead Happily Ever After

The Last Scarf of Winter . . .

Posted on February 11, 2009 by crystal

I’m sure you’ve heard of the “Last Rose of Summer” . . .

so I thought I’d twist the phrase here to introduce:

the “Last Scarf of Winter”! 😉

Enough with the cold and snow! I’m dreaming of a delightful spring and I’d like to concentrate on making some fun spring-time projects pretty soon – so this will probably be my last “wintry” item for a while.

I really do like how it turned out, though. This was another one of my TV Projects. The yarn is a fluffy angora in denim blue, to which I added a short eyelash in coordinating shades of blue and a delicious lilac purple.

I made it extra long, so it can easily wrap around a few times, or even be used as a hood/scarf combo!

It was 58 degrees here today – definitely a sign that spring is near – so I might just carefully pack this scarf away without wearing it.

Next year it will either be a nice new addition to my wardrobe, or possibly a pretty gift for someone else! 🙂

TV Time

Posted on February 4, 2009 by crystal

Because I’m a baby boomer, I literally grew up watching TV! What laptops, ipods, and cell phones are to today’s kids, is what televison was to my generation. We were “glued to it”, as my mother would say. I don’t know about you, but these days it seems harder to find shows that I’d want to be glued to! Oh, I know there definititely are a few, but they’re the exception and the endless commercials have taken some of the fun out of an evening in front of the TV

My solution has been to multi-task! Now I don’t mean that I dust the furniture or balance the checkbook while watching television, but I do like to have a creative project to work on – especially during all those commercials!!! I try to choose a fairly uncomplicated item so that I can relax and actually watch the show – without having to continually look away to check a difficult pattern. It’s really fun to have a little “something” to show for the time I’ve spent watching TV, too!

Sometimes I knit or crochet. I’ve also done cross-stitch, paper crafts, embroidery, and hand-sewing. The projects change, but that wonderful feeling of accomplishment is always the same!

I have a few things that I’ve recently finished, and I thought you might like to see one of them today.

May I present Exhibit A? 😉

This is a scarf that I worked on for an hour or two, every so often, over a few weeks.

It looks like confetti – in shades of pink, rose, lavender, violet, green, aqua and cranberry! I used a solid pink angora yarn along with a multi-color short eyelash.

The fluffy angora yarn gives the scarf a richer, more unique look/feel than the typical eyelash style.

It’s not extra-long but more of a medium length that drapes nicely to fill in the v-neckline of my winter coat.

What are you working on lately? Send in a photo! I’d love to post it here on the blog! 🙂

Gingerbread Girl Pattern

Posted on February 4, 2009 by crystal

Valentine’s Day will be here in about ten days!

Do you need a small gift for a sweet person in your world? Maybe one of the kids has an extra-special teacher, or you have a wonderful neighbor who gathers your mail when you’re away on vacation?

How about making this little lady and attaching her to a small box of chocolates for a Valentine’s Day surprise?

She’s a gingerbread girl who loves to dance! 🙂

This project is quick and easy! It’s made of felt and scraps of trims/lace/ribbon that you probably have around the house already, if you are a sewer. But if you’re someone who hates to sew – no problem – the directions cover “gluing” the doll, instead! Trina makes a perfect tree ornament too. Maybe you’ll decide to make a few extras for next Christmas!

Gingerbread Girl
©2009 BHEA

Please Note:
This is a decoration only and is not suitable for small children!

Supplies Needed:

9″ by 6″ piece of brown felt
2″ by 2″ piece of red felt
2 small black beads
12″ red embroidery floss
10″ ribbon – 1/8″ wide
10″ ribbon – 1/4″ wide
20″ flat lace – 1-1/4″ wide
15″ decorative trim or braid
small amount of polyfil stuffing
12″ thin gold cord for a hanging loop

For full-size pattern pieces and complete instructions, click the following link:

gingerbread-girl-pattern

Have fun experimenting! Dress “Trina” in a different style if you wish. Add a little hat, a feather boa or even some jewelry/bling. You could also make a gingerbread “boy” with a felt vest and bow tie! I’d love to see a picture of your version. 🙂

Knitting a rainbow . . .

Posted on January 28, 2009 by crystal

Do you love to shop? I do 🙂
I’m sure that I must have inherited a shopping gene – or several!

Like most people, I love a bargain so when I saw some pretty yarn on sale a while back, I stocked up.

I chose a few different kinds, but all of them are the type of yarn that looks best in a simple item, like a shawl or a scarf, so that the color and texture of the yarn can take center stage.

I’d seen ribbon yarn previously, but hadn’t used it. When I found this gorgeous “rainbow” of pink, coral, yellow, lime, teal, indigo, purple, and magenta, I knew it was time to try it.

I decided to make a belt, but of course it would also be great as a drapey scarf.

The photo doesn’t capture the beauty of the colors. This is not your ordinary rainbow – it’s absolutely striking! I’ve discovered that ribbon yarn makes an especially wonderful fringe, too!

I love the fact that this can be worn almost year-round. The yarn is silky and light-weight enough for all but the hottest summer days.

Measurements for the scarf/belt are: 85” long (including the fringe), and 3” wide.

It’s made with: Lion “Incredible” Ribbon Yarn.

Perfect name – the colors are “incredible”!

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Bears Can Knit, Too!

Posted on January 21, 2009 by crystal

On your gift-giving list, is there a bear collector, or a knitter, or maybe someone who just loves tiny treasures?

Well, this mini teddy bear might be perfect for all three! Whether he decorates a birthday package or is a “gift” all by himself, he’s pretty hard to resist!

You can finish this project quick as a wink by using a 3″
pre-made bear. The knitting is done on full size knitting needles (size 1) and then transferred to tiny “bear-sized” knitting needles – made from toothpicks!

“Knitting Bear” Tutorial:

Supplies needed:

3” Bear – from your local craft supply store (I found mine at Michael’s)
A scrap of 1/8” ribbon for a bow at teddy’s neck
Assorted remnants of sport weight yarns
Size 1 Knitting Needles
2 round wooden toothpicks
2 size-5/0 beads (or any bead that fits the toothpick)
Tacky Glue

Directions:

Tie a bow at Teddy’s neck and then set him aside.

Using size 1 knitting needles, cast on 15 stitches in your choice of color.

Knit in stockinette stitch for 3 rows, then change colors for 3 more rows. If the knitted piece seems long enough, (depending on your yarn and tension) cut the yarn – leaving a one-yard piece, which will be rolled into a little ball of yarn.

Carefully put half of the stitches on one toothpick, and then the rest of the stitches on the other – moving them slowly to avoid losing stitches in the transfer!

Once you have transferred the stitches, the toothpicks may need a little trimming if they seem too long or are too fat for the beads to slip onto easily. I trimmed mine a bit with the tip of my wire cutters. The wood is soft and trims easily.

Next, glue the beads onto the toothpick ends.
Bring the hanging piece of yarn over the needles to the front, and roll it into a ball – starting at the end of the yarn. Use a little glue here and there to hold the round shape.

Any loose strands on the back of the knitting can either be woven in, or snipped close to the work and secured with a dab of glue.

Finally, place the piece of knitting in the bear’s paws and glue it to his chest area with a generous little dollop of tacky glue. Let dry.

Finished!!! Aww . . . isn’t he sweet?