Free Beginner Knitting Pattern: Hip Headband!

Happy Saturday! I hosted my first knitting group at the local library this week and it was a small but fun group. There is something about watching someone knit that makes you want to join in too. Especially if you are making something cute like this:

 

I designed this fun and fast headband to share with the group because it is easy (garter stitch) and it works up quickly. There is nothing worse than those first couple of inches of knitting for a beginner and since it is only 6 stitches across you can get the first few rows done in no time. As an added bonus one of my students kept finding extra stitches on her needle so she learned increasing and decreasing too LOL! BTW I am not a proper knitting teacher, I do not believe in ripping out a bad row, if you happen to have an extra stitch you can just decrease on the next row. The other good thing about this is that your first wobbly rows will be hidden in the back under your hair when you wear the headband so a few accidentally increased/decreased rows won’t even show 😀 Lazy knitters of the world UNITE!

 

Easy Headband Pattern by Lindsay Weirich (fell free to share!) I used Lion brand Boucille yarn in Popsicle for my headband, you can use any yarn you like but I would make sure it is soft! Smoother yarn (like Red Heart) is easier for beginners because you can see your stitches better.

Cast on 6 stitches (count the slip knot as your first stitch!)

Knit until 18″ long (this is sized for an adult, you can wrap it around your head as you go to make sure it is sized for your head. You want it to stretch around your head but not too tightly, if it is too loose it will fall off so you just want to have to stretch it a bit to fit it around)

Bind off your stitches. Sew the ends together being careful not to twist your knitting. Weave in yarn ends.

The Flower is done with a size G crochet hook and smooth worsted weight yarn such as Red Heart. HDC=Half-Double Crochet, DC=Double Crochet.  There is a free Learn to Crochet series of videos here if you are a beginner or need to brush up on your stitches.

Round 1. Color A. Chain 6 stitches and connect with a slip stitch to form a ring or use the Magic Ring method (I used the Magic Ring method.) Make 12 HDC in the ring, and slip stitch to complete the round.

Round 2. Switch to color B. In the next stitch crochet this series of stitches: 1 HDC, 3DC, 1HDC.  All stitches are in one stitch (hole) this makes one petal. Skip one stitch and repeat. You are creating a petal in every other stitch. You should have 6 petals, slip stitch to close round. Tie loose ends together but do not cut them. Use the loose yarn ends to sew the flower to the headband. Weave in loose ends and trim if needed.

 

If you are having a hard time getting the hang of making the flower I have a video I filmed last year that might help. It is not the flower I used on the headband but you can see a demo of the stitches. These are super cute on cards and scrapbook pages too, try using a small hook and embroidery floss for a dainty flower!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Frugal Fun With Easter Egg Dye!

Yesterday morning (as we were waiting for the school bus) my kids asked if we could dye eggs afterschool. “Sure!” I said. I boiled the eggs that morning so I wouldn’t forget and then and idea hit me as I was staring at the $1 store egg coloring kit I bought…hmmm, I thought, I wonder If I could used this to make some perfectly matching scrapbook paper and embellishments for my egg-dying photos? Well, I had to try it. How did I do?

 

I think it worked marvellously! And I’m gonna tell you what I did! First you need to gather your supplies: An egg dying kit (I bought this one with the 5 baskets for $1 at the Dollar Tree, I am saving the bowls for next year or until the next crafty dye project strikes!), White cardstock, paintbrushes, a ceramic plate (to mix colors on) and a colorless blender colored pencil (I use prismacolor but you can use a white crayon or white colored pencil of another brand if you don’t have a PC one) and a digital image printed on white cardstock (I used the eggs and chick from my Cute Easter digistamp set from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff)

 

To prevent the ink from smudging when I painted the digistamp image I traced over the lines with a clear colored pencil (yep, just like we used to use white crayons on our eggs before we dyed them-it’s called a resist.) To mix the dye place one tablet in each bowl and add 1/4 cup of water, it will be stronger than the solution you use to dye the eggs but you can add more water later.

 

Use a round brush to paint in your design. I made a swatch of colors on the corner of my image to test them…I really like these colors and I’m thinking SPRAY INK! But that will have to wait until after Easter and I grab some more of these on clearance LOL! You can mix the colors on the plate if you want a different color.

 

Now this will match your photos perfectly!

 

While we are at it let’s make some paper! Use a wide brush to paint a rainbow stripe on the paper then splatter on some color for good measure.

In case you are wondering I am working on my kitchen table. I cut a large world map to fit my table-top then went to Jo-Ann and bought some clear vinyl to go over it so clean up is a breeze! (And my kids will always know where Zimbabwe is LOL!)

 

After you are done painting you can prepare the dye for egg-dying by adding a tablespoon of vinegar and 1/4 cup of water to each bucket…now you can let the kids have some fun 😀

After the kids were done dying eggs I laid out large sheets of paper and let them paint with the leftover dye, they had a blast! And best of all no waste!

Happy Easter and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Painted Brads Video Tutorial!

How’d you like some fancy brads?

 

Neat huh? I got some brass brads from Staples Office Supply (they come in two sizes) and I painted them with colored nail polish, then stamped on with my new Salon Express fingernail stamping kit I bought at Rite-Aid this week (it’s with the “as seen on TV” stuff), it’s really fun and easy, check it out:

Here is the card I made in the video. I used the shaped card that came in my new SVG set Chevron Chic from Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff, BTW everything is 40% off through Friday so snag them while they are on sale!

 

And here the brads close up:

 

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget the 40% off sale at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff goes through Friday! Til next time happy crafting!

An Easter Freebie, a 40% Off Sale & WOYWW!

Boy, it seems like I have a lot going on today! I have a 40% off sale going on at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff now through Friday so stock up on your crafting goodies! Also I made this cute little Easter basket freebie and you can snag it free in my shop. It is a really fun project to do with the kids. It is just the right size to hold an Easter Egg:

The directions are included in the freebie kit. Also there is a smaller version that I used to make this basket with a class full of 2nd graders when they studied Native Americans. The smaller basket is about 1.5″-2″ wide. Perfect for Barbie or GI Joe to play with. 😀

Since it is Wednesday I had to snap a pic of my desk for What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday. I am starting a knitting group at my local library today (it’s the first meeting) and I am going to make a headband with a big honkin’ flower on it as a first project. They can pick that or a coin purse to make cuz it’s just to warm for scarves!

Be sure to check out all of the new stuff at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff today so you can save 40% and make sure to grab the freebie while you are there! Here is a look at some new and Easter kits:

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

They like me, they REALLY like me!

I’m having a Sally Field moment today! I won the video tip grand prize at My Craft Channel! They had a contest for viewers to send in a tip that was less than 1 minute and 30 seconds. That was a real toughie for me since I like to jibber-jabber:) I used up every last second! Here’s my quick tip:

Now, here is the awesome prize package I will get:

 6 Tickets to a Scrapbook Expo Event for you and your friends (you pick the location)

Year Subscription Scrapbook Trends, Cards or Cricut Magazine (you choose)

 

Xyron Creatopia Bundle (over $200 value)

 

Time to start stalking the postman LOL! So what magazine should I pick, I think I will go with Cards or Scrapbook Trends. 😀

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my happy news (it is an honor just to be nominated…) and til next time happy crafting!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chevron!

Oh, wow, I love chevron patterns! After spending a frustrating time making a chevron scrapbook page last week (with lots of time and paper wasted) I decided (after my friend Cindi suggested it) to create a chevron template set to make my life (and hopefully other crafters) easier. Here is a 10 minute scrapbook layout I made with one of the stencils in my Chevron Chic SVG & Printable template set:

 

I used my die cutter and SCAL software to cut out the stencil 1 design and simply spritzed it with ink, easy peasy! I was almost a shame to cover this pretty background up but I have to say the photos of my cutie-pie nephew definitely improves it.  🙂

 

Here is a look at my stencils made from plain cardstock (yes, cardstock works just fine but if you want to get fancy you can cut it from a transparency-be warned, it will dull your blade.)

 

The stenciled stars on the layout were also sprayed, I saved the leftover piece from some stars I die-cut out a while ago and it was perfect. You can watch this quick tip video if you are curious on making your own stencils (it only takes 2 minutes .) 🙂

Here is a look at the Chevron Chic set, I will have a bunch more projects for you with this because it is just so fun to work with and best of all no waste!

 

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

PS the basket freebie I mentioned in the video will be up shortly…I had to Easter-ify it:) Check back in a day or two!

Get Out Your Watercolors!

Let’s Paint! I love watercolors, the splashy vibrant color and the immediacy of creation is what hooks me every time. Unlike oils or acrylics they are always ready to go when I am! This painting is done in watercolor but I applied the paint in different ways: painting, spraying, stenciling and spattering. I love the texture and interest these different methods give the piece.

Cyclamen Watercolor Painting Copyright 2012 Lindsay Weirich

I really believe that anyone can paint, you just need to give it a go! If you don’t think you can draw well enough you can print out a digital stamp (there are lots of great ones that would be perfect for watercoloring in my Fancy Flowers set) and transfer it to your painting surface with graphite paper. I almost always draw it on a scrap first and then trace it so I know I have the drawing again if I mess up or if I want the pattern to use in a class. I mixed watercolor in a spray bottle with water to use with my stencils and I also sponged on some thicker watercolor. Normally I do not use white watercolor but in this case I did to mimic the velvety soft petals in the flowers and for the polka-dot stencil. As a final touch I added some stamping. No rules, just paint! Just remember, it’s only a piece of paper!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!