Tag Archives: quick

Apr 22 2014
tie onesie

Tie Onesie

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tie onesie

My friend is about to have a baby boy and I wanted to make him something special. I saw this DIY Necktie Onesie tutorial from HauteApplePie.com  and thought that would be the perfect gift. I ended up using the pattern from CrapIveMade.com. Both are great tutorials but I did a few things differently for my tie onesie.

What I used:

  • muslin scraps
  • cotton fabric scraps
  • water-soluble fabric glue stick
  • matching or coordinating thread

What I did:

First I cut out the pattern pieces, I angled the knot part to make it look more like a real tie.

I wanted the tie to be a bit sturdier and I didn’t have interfacing on hand so I used muslin. I cut one of each pattern piece. I then trimmed ¼” off of the muslin piece.

Next, glue the muslin pieces to the wrong side of the patterned fabric pieces, positioning them so there’s a ¼” edge around the muslin.

tie onesie

Iron the ¼” fabric over towards the muslin, being careful of the points. Use the glue to help keep the fabric down. I didn’t iron the top part of the tie because the know will be covering it.

tie onesie

Position the knot over the un-ironed part of the tie, sew a line across the bottom of the knot, connecting the two pieces.

tie onesietie onesie

I trimmed the thread and ironed again.

I then took out the universal needle and replaced it with a knit needle because the onesie is a nice stretchy knit cotton. I then positioned and pinned the tie onto the onesie. I did it in a way to where I didn’t have to move the needles as I sewed so I could concentrate on the lines of the tie.

I sewed along all edges of the tie and close to the edge of the fabric as possible, pivoting at the points. Be careful as you sew, go slow. It’s very easy to catch some of the onesie as you sew .

Iron and wash.

Enjoy!

tie onesietie onesie

Nov 28 2013
knit scarf

How to Knit a Neck Warmer or Scarf for a dog

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knit scarf

I have this extra yarn from the felted envelope I made last year and I just couldn’t decide what to do with it. So, I decided to make a knit scarf for Rusty. Or it can be called and neck warmer or ear warmer, it serves all of those purposes. This is a very wide scarf for a dog because Rusty has a giraffe neck. Adjust the amount of stitches in order to fit your dog. The yarns are Lion Brand Yarn Color Waves #353 Lava and Watercolors #352 Mist Grey.

  1. I used US size 11 needles and cast on 20 stitches.
  2. Knit stitch 15 rows with the first color
  3. Add new color,(LINK), knit 15 rows
  4. Repeat until desired length. I ended up doing it 3 times and then just completing each color. It’s a different look and I wanted it to begin and end with the same yarn.
  5. Bind off.
  6. Then I sewed on 3 buttons because I knew Rusty would try to shake it off. Since I used such large needles there is no need for button holes. They slip through the knitting. The key was finding the right size of buttons.

knit scarfknit scarf

The complete scarf is 28 inches long and 7 inches wide.

 

front knit scarfknit scarf

Nov 27 2013

How to Add New Yarn to a Knitting Project

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It is not difficult to add a new yarn ball to a knitting project.

add new yarn

Finish row, slip needle into first stitch like for a knit stitch.

add new yarn

Take the new yarn and wrap around the needle you want to knit stitch with, leaving enough of a tail to weave in later.

add new yarn

Hold the tail to make sure it doesn’t slip and finish the knit stitch.

add new yarn

Continue to knit stitch using the new color until row is completed.

add new yarn

After row is complete, cut the old color, leaving enough yarn to weave it in.

Weave in all tails and continue to knit with your new color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov 18 2013
knit headband

Easy Knit Headbands

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knit headbandI’ve seen girls around Boston wearing these fantastic knit headbands instead of stocking caps and decided I needed one too. I got searching online for patterns. I’m not an advanced knitter by any means so I needed a quick easy pattern. I found a great one on the cute blog Crafting College.

 

The first headband I knitted didn’t go exactly as planned. In fact the thing was kind of a hot mess. It was my first time using circular needles and I forgot to combine my first and last stitch to make it one continuous piece! Just plain silly on my part. I was knitting it straight and had to sew it together after it was completed.  I was using a bulky weight yarn, Plymouth Grande Glow Yarn. I was in a hurry and saw 10 on the needles but they were actually US size 15, I bought a set of circular needles awhile ago. Anyways as per instruction I cast on 60 stitches. It ended up being too big, but I’m going to go ahead and say that’s because of a couple of things. 1. I didn’t combine my stitches at the beginning and 2. More importantly, I have at tiny head. So I guess this will probably turn into a Christmas present. Also, because of the bulky yarn I didn’t do step 4 of the instructions, Repeat steps 2 and 3 three more times. This headband was plenty wide.

For this headband, I used US size 15 needles, bulky weight yarn. I cast on 60 stitches. Knit 4 rows, purl 2 rows, knit 3 rows purl 3 rows, and bind off. I didn’t follow the directions so it wasn’t the cute twisty one that she did on her blog but I do like the way it turned out.

knit headband

top view

knit headband

side view, crappy phone quality picture

So I tried again. This time with US size 10 circular needles. I also used Rowan bulky Biggy Print yarn. It only has 33 yards in the ball. If you’re considering using this you’ll need another ball.  I cast on 50 stitches, combined my first and last stitch! I then placed a stitch marker on that stitch so I would know when a row was completed. knit headband

Next, I did what I did for the green one, knit 4 rows, purl 2 rows, knit 3 rows, purl 3 rows and bind off. I did it! I successfully used circular needles for the first time and it had the cute twisty effect that the original one had. I’m thinking about making another one out a lighter weight yarn too, but I wanted a nice warm wool knit headband so I used the bulky yarn I had. I am very pleased with how this turned out and now my ears can be warm without having such bad hat hair this winter!

 

knit headband

side view

knit headband

top view

 

 

 

Nov 8 2013
knit headband

Knit Headband for Running

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knit headband

I wanted to a knit headband I could wear while running in the late fall early spring that would cover my ears. I decided on Lion Brand pattern #60760, which is available for free if you sign up for an account with them. I did not check my gauge in this like it says to do in all capital letters. But it turned out well in the end, it was supposed to be 3.5 inches wide and mine turned out to be 2.5 inches which was perfect because I only wanted my ears covered. I used an acrylic instead of wool because I want to be able to throw it in the wash after each run.

The pattern is super simple, US size 10 needles, cast on 10 stitches and stockinette stitch until desired length, bind off. Sew ends together, weave in tails.

To make the stockinette stitch you knit one row and purl the next, and repeat. I wrote down a K or P after I completed each row to help me keep track.

knit headband

It started to curl around row 20 but that’s ok, it just hugs my ears that way. I whip stitched the ends together with a fingerling weight yarn in a similar color. I did this because I wanted to be able to go over it twice for extra strength but not add a lot of bulk.

knit headband So different colors but I’m going running, I don’t really care that it’s not perfectly blended. But, if I make another one to wear just out and about I’ll be more careful with my yarn choices.

knit headbandNow I can’t use “my ears are cold” as an excuse to not run. I don’t know if I’m happy or sad about that.

Sep 19 2013
kiwi

How to Peel a Kiwi

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kiwi

I bought a couple kiwis at the store and I realized that I didn’t know how to peel them.  Usually I buy them pre-cut so I have never thought about how to do it.  My husband showed me a quick an easy way to peel a kiwi. It was so clever I thought I’d share.

First cut the fruit in half.

kiwi

Next, take a soup spoon and wedge it between the flesh and the skin and move it around the fruit to separate it

.kiwikiwi

Peel back the skin from the fruit.

kiwi

Slice.

kiwi

Enjoy!

Jun 14 2013
shredded chicken

Shredded Chicken Recipe

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shredded chicken

Shredded chicken is a very versatile food. You can cover it in barbecue sauce, taco seasoning or anything else you can think of; there are endless possibilities. This makes it a great meal starter and it’s super easy to make!

How I make shredded chicken:

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 chicken tenders or 1-2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

  1. Pour broth into a skillet that has a lid, bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce to a simmer and carefully place chicken into the skillet. Cover with the lid.
  3. After 4 minutes, carefully flip the chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes. *I found using tongs much easier than using a turner.
  4. Remove the chicken from skillet and place onto a cutting board. Discard the broth.
  5. With two forks, shred the chicken.
  6. Season as you wish.
  7. Enjoy!

shredded chicken

May 31 2013
jack and ginger

Jack and Ginger Drink Recipe

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jack and ginger

I love ginger ale so I often try to find ways to include it in my drinks.

Jack and Ginger:

  • 3 ice cubes
  • 4oz oz ginger ale
  • 1oz Jack Daniels
  • 1 lemon wedge or 1/2oz lemon juice
  1. Mix them all together and garnish with lime.
  2. Enjoy!

jack and ginger

May 19 2013
knit belt pattern

Slip Stitch Knit Belt Pattern for Kids

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knit belt pattern

I decided to make slip stitch knit belts for nieces because I loved mine so much! But the problem was the pattern is for an adult and too wide for 4 and 6-year-old girls. I needed to come up with a new knit belt pattern. You can find the adult version in Chick with Sticks. I decided to use the leftover yarn from when I knitted wash cloths. It’s 100% cotton and I think worsted weight? Actually, I’m making the weight of the yarn up because I no longer have the labels for them. I’ll have to remember to keep them from now on.

Using US size 4 needles (3.50mm), I cast on 6 stitches.

Knit stitch the first 4 stitches

Bring the yarn forward

Slip stitch the last 2 stitches

Repeat until desired length, I usually go about 4-6 inches longer than waist size

Cast off.

I hope my nieces love them!

knit belt pattern

knit belt pattern

May 11 2013
hem shorts

How to Hem Shorts and Pants

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My husband needed his shorts hemmed. They were about an inch too long and it’s almost summer, well it’s May we just aren’t having summer weather yet, his shorts needed to be completed. The measuring and pressing part of hemming them is the most important part of this process. It is with most but usually I don’t pay too close attention but with it I needed to be precise.

Step 1. I needed to figure out what the desired length was and then turn the shorts right side in.

hem shorts

Step 2. Seam rip the bottom of both legs

Step 3. Press the bottom of the shorts and measure and mark desired length.

Step 4. Measure about an inch and a half below your desired finished length and cut off excess fabric.

Step 5. Fold over about 1/4 of an inch and press

hem shorts

Step 6. Fold over about 1.5 inches and press

shorts, pants, hem, shorten

Step 7. Sew your new seam as close to the edge as possible, I moved my needle over to the left and used the foot edge as my guide.

Step 8. Press again, flip right side out and press again.

Step 9. Repeat for the other leg.

hem shorts

inside finished seam

hem shorts

ready to wear close up

hem shorts

ready to wear