Evening Jellybeans.

After spending most of my evening feeling unwell and trying to concentrate on uni work I decided I would make myself feel a little bit better by doing some blogging. And better I am! After finding out that my views have gone up from 18 to 23!! Not a big achievement to some but I am chuffed. Regardless of whether you are 23 different people or just one big fan, this post is dedicated to you!

Anyhoo, this post marks the beginning of glove palooza! Where I am the cold does not seem to be going anywhere, so to keep warm you can stay inside and make gloves :D

First we'll start with a nice and easy knitted wrist warmer, perfect for beginner knitters. I knocked these up in a about a day, so a fun and easy way to spend a few free hours.

This is what you'll need. Yarn, thickness and colour of your choice, I'm using a soft lavender acrylic, easy to wash and durable which is great for gloves. I got this yarn for a present last Christmas, and I couldn't think of a project for it, so I'm really excited to be able to use it because its such a nice colour and really soft!  Anyways! (Don't get me started on wools and yarns). You'll need a pair of needles, I suggest using larger ones, I'm using 4 1/2 mm, because they give the gloves a chunky look, which I really like. You will also need something to stitch the work together and weave in the loose ends, I like to use a crochet hook, but you can also using a darning needle if you find that simpler. Oh and a diddy pair of scissors. Ok, lets rock and roll!

Cast on 34 sts 

Row 1: k 4, p 2 all the way to the end.

Row two: p 4, k 2 to end. 

Continue in this fashion until the work reaches the desired length. This envolves a lot of stopping and holding it against your hand. But the actual knitting part of it is pretty much as simple as that! 

This is what it will look like once it is at the length you want. The pattern creates a rib like paneled effect. Weave in all of the lose ends. 

Turn the work the wrong way, (it actually looks pretty nice on this side too!) fold it in half and position your hand on it, then along the edge mark with pins where your thumb is

Like so. 

Then, either crochet or darn the edges together either side of your thumb markers. Turn it inside out once again so its the right way. 

This is what it should look like.

And this is what it looks like on. Cute right? 

So cute in fact that I could not resist embellishing them a little bit. 

I originally planned to make just one of these for the purpose of demonstration, but I have fallen in love a little so the next one is on the needles as we speak. 

 I hope you found this helpful, my beautiful 23! The next glove post will be the next step up from these simple wrist warmers, so stay tuned. 

So I'll start with an announcement; guess who's started using Instagram! Probably not as exciting as you had expected haha. And I know, I know, I am a wee bit behind the times. I did not like the idea of people I did not know  looking at my pictures, but the filters and quality are perfect for this here blog so I thought, why not give it a go? Plus people have posted some really beautiful images on there.

So from now on the images on here will look a little different, hopefully for the better!

Anyway, on to this weeks project. Grab your crochet hooks and yarn because its snood time!

A little bit of background first. Like me, my mum loves all things vintage, particularly the 20's to 40's, so from Art Deco glam to making fab dresses out of old curtains. So I wanted  to make her another snood  (rather she brought the wool home one afternoon and said 'Emmyyy, pleeeease' *insert puppy dog eyes*, how could I say no?). The snood was a staple look for this era. Actually it dates back all the way to medieval period and has been used practically as well as fashionably ever since. Because by snood, I'm basically talking about a hairnet (not the never ending scarfs, though they are also lovely). But through time they became so much more than just a way to keep your hair up, as you can see from the images below.


These designs and one I had made for her previously (which I unfortunately don't have any pictures of), that I attached a tailored bow and glass beads too, are a bit loud. So this time round I wanted to make her something a bit plainer and everyday.

 I used a fine black cotton and a small hook, size 3. And worked a mesh style pattern.

As I had previously mentioned, this is not my first time making a snood, however I could not quite remember the pattern I used first time around or the website I found it on. After a quick web search I found it on this blog peacewing.wordpress.com. However during my search I stumbled across this blog annabooshouse.blogspot.co.uk, which unfortunately did not have the pattern but did have lots of really great crochet tutorials and I urge any one interested in crochet to have a look. I have made a few dolls similar to that on the page so I was draw to its cuteness immediately!

my lovely mum modeling :)

Anyway, this is what the finished piece will look like. Sorry for the giant hair pins! We couldn't find any others. What is great about this pattern is that is it so simple, you an add and change as you go along. I certainly made changes the second time I made this snood. Also, because it is so simple it can be done in a variety of different colours and types of yarn. I'm toying with the idea of using a fine mohair... You can also add lots of little adornments to jazz it up a bit, like bows, beads and sequins. Have a play around :)

Snood and mum on their first outing. 

Casting on

Learn through doing

So once you get the hang of it knitting is quite easy, and at the moment it is all the rage! So there are lots of great video tutorials and patterns out there for free. As I previously mentioned in my first post, my nan taught me but if you have not got a nan handy and would like to take up the craft here are a few tips :)

First off, I am unable to upload a basic how to vid, this is partly because I do not have a good webcam and partly because I have a cold at the moment and my voice sounds like a Dalek... a snotty one. So if you arent sure on the basic steps look to this video. I did when I forgot how to make a certain stitch and nan was not about.

Although, I can give an alternative cast on method, that I find oodles easier. This is a family heirloom as it was invented by my great nan... apparently. I like to believe so.

I am using number 8 needles, 4mm. These are perfect for beginners as they are not small and fiddly but are not so chunky that you have trouble holding on to them.

Make a slip knot with a tail long enough to allow for the desired number of stitches. This usually involves a bit a guess work! But I'm sure there is a tried and tested method out there somewhere, when I find it I'll let you know. But at any rate, leave more then you think you should, just to make sure.

Thread your needle through the knot, and gently pull to tighten.

 Now, before I start this next step, do not laugh at the thumbs! They are very small and chubby, I know. In fact one is smaller than the other. Now that's out of the way... wrap the wool anti-clockwise around your thumb.





Insert the needle under the loop of wool around your thumb.Nice and easy. Don't get used to that! It starts to get a little bit tricky after this point.

 Make sure the long end of the wool is at the back (behind your thumb) and bring it forward, so it is in between your thumb and the needle.

 Using the needle, push the wool underneath the loop that is wrapped around your thumb. It will start to look as if you have a loop on your needle. This is not as complicated as it sounds. With a little bit of practices it'll be easy peasy.

 Now slip your thumb out, and you will be left with a lose looking knot underneath your loop and needle.

Simply pull both strands of wool, to tighten. And bing, bang, bosh! You have made your first stitch!







It does sound tricky, and there are lots of casting on methods out there that you can try. But, out of all of them I found this the easiest.

Happy stitching Jelly Beans!

Curtains

Its not curtains for make do and mend!

Sorry about the pun...  What I mean is, my mum has embraced the DIY vibe and has made a pair of curtains for a daughter of a friend.

 She took a plain, dust sheet like backing and covered it in a pale green shimmering fabric.

Unfortunately it does not show up too clearly in this picture, but the colour is really lovely, especially when it catches the light.

She firstly measured the and cut the fabric to the right size, and pinned it to the backing. This was more difficult than it sounds, and where I came in to help! To ensure the fabric did not balloon when the curtains were hung, the top fabric had to be held taught when pinning. Then stitch.

Really you should use a sewing machine, but ours is not currently working so mum did it by hand.

Look at how neat her hand stitching is!! I bow down to her amazing invisible stitching.



Although some times she forgets to take out the pins! (She made me a rabbit costume for Halloween once but forgot to take the pins out of the tail...ouch!)

And the off cuts can be used to make attractive hair bows! As modeled by mum and I.

Buttons

Attaching a Button

So the first tutorial post, exciting. I thought I should start with simple and useful. How many times have you found yourself searching around the floor for a missing button? Well I cant help you find it! But I can help you reattach it.





 Firstly thread the needle. I am using a bright coloured cotton so it can be seen clearly but obviously you needs to try and match your cotton as close to the colour of the garment as possible.









Now starting at the back of the garment, in this case a blouse, pull the needle and cotton through to the front. Thread on the button

Then bring the needle down into the hole next to the one the need was brought through. Repeat this two more times to make sure it is secure.

Repeat the aforementioned process  on the second set of holes. End with the needle at the back side of the blouse.











To ensure the button stays in place, put the needle into a stitch on the back side.

 Pull it through but stop before the stitch tightens, so it appears as a loop

Then pull the needle through the loop and pull to tighten. You can cut the thread there but I tend to repeat the process another time, just to make sure.







                                                                                   And there you have it! easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

First post!

First post!

Good Morning Jelly Beans! It is the first day of the new year, what better time to start a blog? As you have probably already seen my name is Emma and this blog will be dedicated to crafts. Over Christmas I had been staying with my nan, last year she taught me how to knit and this year she handed over to me her mothers knitting bag. Full of needles and other bits and bobs, most of which older than my nan herself but still in amazing condition! Although to many it would be considered a bag of old lady stuff, usually carted off to the charity shop, to me receiving them was not only helpful (as knitting equipment can be quite expensive) but was also a great honor, to be given something that has been handed down from generation to generation keeping a family tradition alive.

 By the time my great nan turned 19 (my age) she was pregnant with her third child, my nan. Throughout the war, rationing and being bombed out she had 7 children and made clothes for all. Make do and mend was not the gimmick it is today but a necessity. Which got me thinking, if she could do it, with all of the difficulties she faced, why cant we? We live in a throw away culture that we can not longer afford to maintain. As a student I have felt the pinch, as has everybody, so with that in mind I set up this blog, to try and sincerely bring back the make do and mend vibe!

Now I'm not saying we should abandon the high street and weave our own fabric (although if you do want to do that I say go for it!) but with a few handy hints, tips and tutorials I hope to save you all a bit of money, and hopefully you'll have a good time doing it.

If knitting sounds a little outdated for you, or you simply are not interested all things wooly, fear not, I'll also be sharing tips on sewing (such as hemming a skirt, fixing holes and sewing on buttons), crocheting (like making your own bed socks) and customizing old clothes. Also if anybody out there, if there is anybody, would like to share their own hints and tips or if you are passionate about another craft such as scrapbooking for example, then send me a message and I'd love to give you a forum.

Come one, come all to the DIY revolution!

lots of love, Em xxx