Knit Bunny Placemat; Pattern: pg 68 April/May 2012 "Your Knitting Life"

I can’t believe that spring is here and Easter is just around the corner! (Does it seem earlier this year? I think I say that every year when it sneaks up on me like this so soon after the snow and frost has cleared).

Although the 26 degrees in New England this morning would have you fooled, the dozens of robins on my lawn confirm spring has indeed arrived. And although it feels like I’ve just stopped making holiday items, my mind suddenly jumps to what I can make for the upcoming Easter holiday to decorate the house.

This year, I found inspiration in the April/May issue of Your Knitting Life. As soon as the issue arrived in my mailbox, I fell in love with the bunny placemat on page 68. I had to make it right then, and it just so happened, I had two skeins of leftover pink yarn I’d been dying to find a small project for. So, I got busy. You can see the results at the right.

Although the pattern calls for two skeins of the same pink yarn, I used two pinks of slightly different shades, which gives the bunny a variegated look that I think adds a nice texture to the pattern. I think my whiskers could be longer, but I’m proud of the fact that as a relatively new knitter (5 years compared to my almost 40–gulp-years of crochet) I was able to make the bunny in only one day and with only one minor error (which I caught early on and corrected).

Maybe you can learn from my mistake. Tip #1 If you don’t knit all the time, it’s a good idea to review common increase methods such as M1 (or Make 1) because sometimes what you *think* is the correct way to do the stitch is only halfway correct and halfway correct is another way of saying “wrong.” You can’t really tell by looking at my bunny from this distance, but my first couple of M1′s were not done right. But, that’s how we learn. From our mistakes. Now I know not the “guess” next time.

In the end, my bunny came out great, and I can’t wait to put it on the center of my dining room table for Easter dinner. (I”m going to use it as a hotpad instead of a placemat).

So, what are your craft aspirations for spring?

If you need a little inspiration to get you motivated, here are 9 free Easter-themed patterns at Lion Brand Yarn to get you started (registration for the pattern site is free).

Last year I made the Lion Brand Wee Rabbit Egg Cozy. In fact I made a warren of them! (pictured below) My son wanted one in every color yarn I had, but I stopped at six. This project was also a great way to use up leftover yarn., especially little balls you have lying around. Each bunny takes only a small amount.

We made a center piece with the rabbit cozies by taking a glass bowl, filling it with plastic eggs, fake grass and then placing the bunnies over some of the plastic eggs. It worked out great and definitely became a conversation starter at dinner.

Crochet Bunny Egg Covers; Free Pattern - LionBrand.com

So give one of those free patterns a try and see what springtime creations you can make with your hook or needles. You may surprise yourself with what you can achieve.

Happy Crafting!

Cathy

Pattern: "Flippy the Fish" by Kj Hay, Crochet Today (J/A 2009)

Only have time for a little project? Try some amigurumi!

Long before amigurumi became the popular word it is today in knitting and crochet circles, I was making crocheted stuffed animals. Big, little, it didn’t matter. Just so long as they were cute.

In fact, after I mastered the granny square at age 9, my first crochet project was a stuffed owl, from a Workbasket magazine, followed quickly by a stuffed squirrel. I think what attracted me to these projects, aside from how cute they looked, was that they could be completed quickly.

Although each animal had several pieces to them (heads, bodies, arms, legs, etc), the pieces were generally small and only took a few minutes to construct. The most time consuming part was probably the construction, but by then I was so excited that all the crocheting was done, I could see the end in a sight and it spurred me on.

When Annie’s Attic came out with those pamphlets of life-like crocheted dogs in the 80′s (where you brushed the yarn to make it resemble fur), I was all over those patterns. I made so many dogs I could’ve had a pet show!

My stuffed animal phase faded away about the same time Annie came out with all those beautiful Barbie doll patterns (the Bed Doll collections) because that became my obsession for most of the 90′s. But after my son was born, I found myself draw back to the stuffed animal patterns, so I could make him a few. Although he’s older now and the Webkinz phase has passed, he still loves the animals I made him. These days he wants me to crochet him Minecraft creatures, but with the influx of so many adorable Amigurumi patterns to my home library, I find him asking for the odd octopus or zombie just because they “look cool.”

Give it a try yourself! Two great books are available to help get you started:

Amigurumi Toy Box: Cute Crocheted Friendsby Ana Paul Rimoli — So many adorable patterns to choose from, I don’t know where to start, but I’m leaning toward making the snake first. Maybe the unicorn after that.

Amigurumi Knits: Patterns for 20 Cute Mini Knitsby Hansi Singh — My son is asking me to make just about every animal in this book, but since I’m still gaining experience with knitting, I’ll probably start with a simple pattern like the sea star.

Happy creature crafting!

Katelyn

Fresh Sliced Whole Wheat Lemon Bread

The entrance of spring always sparks my taste for the fresh fruits.  I think it’s the vibrant colors of the first blooms and palette of dyes from Easter, that make me think of bright citrus fruits- lemons, in particular.  Which is what inspired me to get creative in the kitchen and come up with a tasty lemon treat.

My Whole Wheat Lemon Bread with Lemon Sugar Glaze is an adaptation of a traditional lemon poppy seed recipe.  I wanted a whole grain version with no poppy seeds.  The end result is a rich, earthier version, that’s very moist and perfect for breakfast, an afternoon tea, as dessert, or to simply enjoy with a good catfish supper.

Whole Wheat Lemon Bread with Lemon Sugar Glaze

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 lemon
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup of melted butter or cooking oil
For glaze- sugar and powdered sugar

Mix dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients in a seperate bowl.
Grate entire surface of lemon. Add grated lemon to wet ingredients.
Cut lemon in half. Add juice from 1/2 lemon to wet mix.
Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until moist. Mix will be slightly lumpy.
Pour into a greased bread pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. Crust will be a light brown- I test with a toothpick to make sure batter is set.
Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes.

Juice other half of lemon.
Add powdered sugar until the mix is slightly sweetened.
Brush a generous coat of mixture on top of cooling bread.
Reserve remainder of mix. Cool bread an additional.
Add about a 1/4 cup of sugar to lemon juice. Drizzle or brush on the top of the bread.
Chill bread in fridge overnight- enjoy a generous slice the next day!

MATERIALS:
• Scissors
• Hole Punch
• One brad
• Glue or tape

INSTRUCTIONS:  DOWNLOAD AND PRINT OUT THE TEMPLATE

1. Cut out strips along the solid black lines.
Punch holes where indicated by the on each strip.
2. Take one strip and insert a brad through the middle hole on the printed side.
Repeat with the remaining seven strips.
3. Fan out the strips so they are approximately the same distance from one another,
and the ends are not overlapping.
4. One at a time, curl each strip inward and insert brad through the hole. Secure brad
when finished.
5. Cut out your desired embellishment and glue or tape to the center of your boutonnière.

Offer a variety of items for sale across different price ranges. This gives people a selection to choose from and allows them to choose something that fits their budget. But it also allows them to see the breadth of your creativity.

Try to specialize in something no one else does. This can hard, especially when you’re working in a popular craft such as jewelry-making or crochet, but if you can make a unique product that no other artist has, you stand a better chance of attracting customers.

When setting prices, try to earn back the cost of your materials before you try to earn an hourly wage. Depending on how long an item takes to make, you may never get paid for the time put into it. So it’s important that the crafts you want to sell are something you love doing. Something you would do even if you never sold them. The general guideline for pricing handmade items is three times the costs of your materials, but some artists go with five times the cost (if materials aren’t expensive) or they might set a flat fee they want to earn from the item and add on material costs to that. Check how items similar to yours are priced to stay competitive, but be cautious about lowering prices so much that your earnings dwindle to zero.

If you offer free shipping, which can attract customers wary of price gouging in the area, be sure to figure in your shipping expenses (including packaging) when you price an item so you don’t end up losing money on the shipping costs. This is especially important if you plan to shipping internationally where the postage costs vary from country to country.

If your sales venue allows it, consider coupons or sales codes that give customers a discount. Shoppers love that feeling of getting something for less.

Get the word out about your store. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook can be very helpful in this area. Makes contacts and enlist the help of friends to “talk up” your products.

Most importantly, strive for a high standard of customer service. Friendly communications and prompt shipping go a long way to attracting return customers and happy customers often spread the word about your products to their friends.

Project Materials:

• Paper plates, $1
• Scissors, on hand
• Pencil & eraser if needed for extra confidence, on hand

Total: $1

A note about supplies: A “deep dish” non-crimped/non-fluted Chinet style plate worked well for me, because it is smooth and sturdy.

To Make:

1. Fold your paper plate in half “backwards” (with the bottom of the plate facing you, and the folded edges coming toward you).

2. Using small scissors trim away the outer edges of the plate in a sweeping arched “M” design on the top half and bottom half, which should leave it looking like the hinges on the jaw, and the “m” shaped bottom & top of the mouth. Look at pictures on Google of real shark jaws to get inspiration, if the craft-samples in the photos don’t help you visualize the outline.

3. Cut out a large oval from the middle, and then work from that center to cut out free-form teeth that follow the inside arc of the paper plate on the top and bottom. I just snipped away happily. Shark teeth are often quite irregular and jagged and not always parallel.

My kids would have loved these.

Plus, making soap gives us complete control over the ingredients, fragrance, color, shape, and other aspects, allowing creation of a product that’s perfect for our skin type and style.

Basic Soap Recipe:

Ingredients

* 12 cups lye crystals
* 5 cups softened water
* 6 pounds lard

Instructions

1. Put water in a glass or plastic bowl. Carefully pour lye into water, stirring constantly with a plastic or wooden spoon. This should be done outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, because it produces caustic fumes.
2. Mixing lye and water produces heat. When the lye is completely dissolved, set the mixture aside to cool.
3. Place lard in a stainless steel or enamel pan. Melt over low heat.
4. Allow both the lye solution and the lard to cool to room temperature.
5. Slowly pour the lye solution into the lard, stirring slowly and constantly with the plastic or wooden spoon.
6. Continue stirring after all of the lye solution has been added. Drizzle a small amount of the mixture into the pot periodically. When the soap keeps its shape for a moment before sinking into the mixture, you can add scent, color and herbs.
7. Pour the soap into a mold greased with Crisco. Wrap in a towel, and let set for about 18 hours or until completely cooled. Uncover and let set for 12 more hours.
8. The soap may now be unmolded and cut into bars. Let the bars cure for 3 to 4 weeks before using.

Customizing Your Soap

There are lots of different ways you can customize your soap. To make the best soap for your skin type, you may want to use different oils. Some that are commonly used include olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter and shea butter. The correct amount varies depending on which oil you use, so look for recipes online or in books until you get the hang of it.

Essential oils have therapeutic properties and add fragrance. Oatmeal, cornmeal and other grains can be added as exfoliants. And skin-safe colorants may be used to produce the desired color. These ingredients should be mixed together and added to a cup of the soap mixture, then stirred into the rest of the soap mixture immediately before pouring into the mold.

Making your own soap is easy, and it can be lots of fun. Coming up with the perfect concoction for your skin is rewarding, and sweetly scented homemade soaps make wonderful gifts for any occasion.

Origami Yoda

No matter how they come to appreciate crafts, it’s always a joy when your little ones are inspired to pick up craft techniques that you enjoy.  Which is how I discovered origami Yoda to add to my arsenal of paper craft ideas and spent an enjoyable time with my clever little guys researching Star Wars origami.

It began when my boys discovered the “Strange Case of Origami Yoda” book:

This clever read prompted us to discover a way to make our own origami yoda (pictured above.)  You’ll find the simple instructions here:

http://origamiyoda.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/yodainstructions.jpg

In addition to constructing the Yoda figure, we added a simple long rectangle to serve as a light saber.  You can certainly get more creative and draw on details.

Though this was initially a family craft, how cute would this little guy be on a birthday card or gift bag?

You can even take it a step further to create additional Star Wars characters and vehicles.  There are plenty of tutorials to be found on the web by running a simple Google search.

What you’ll need:
•Ruler
•Scissors
•Stretchy cord (I used .5mm Darice brand clear cord)
•Sticky tape
•Beads (with holes large enough for cord)
•Aluminum foil (small sheet)
•Water-proof Glue (I used Insta-Flex**, but jeweler’s glue should work as well)
•Toothpick

 *Use of glue requires adult supervision

1. Measure and cut 9 inches of stretchy cord from the spool.

2. Pre-stretch the cord by grabbing both ends and pulling away from the center—gently! (You aren’t trying to snap it, just condition it). Hold for a couple seconds, then release and allow the cord to bounce back into shape.

3. Place sticky tape one end of the cord to keep your beads from falling off as you string.

4. String your beads in any order you wish. Be creative. Mix and match different bead colors, textures and sizes for a unique bracelet that only you can create.

5. String beads until you have approximately 6 inches on the cord. Then, holding the open end of the cord securely, wrap the bracelet around your wrist to check for size. The bracelet should touch your wrist, but not be so tight that you feel like you’re wearing an elastic band. If any of the beads push uncomfortably into your skin or leave marks, it’s too tight. Likewise, if the bracelet slips down onto your hand, it’s too lose.

6. Adjust the amount of beads on the cord until the bracelet fits your wrist the way you want.

7. Grab both ends of the cord, hold them up even with one another (one end in each hand works best) and allow the beads to slip down into the center of the cord (think of it as a horseshoe).

8. Wrap one end of the cord over the other and secure with a Surgeon’s Knot close to the beads, but allow a little “wiggle room” between the beads so they don’t rub harshly against one another. Use either of these links here to view a tutorial if you aren’t familiar with this style of knot.

9. Try the bracelet on your hand again to verify it’s the correct size.

10. Pull the ends of the cord coming from the knot once more to tighten it securely.

11. Place the bracelet on a sheet of aluminum foil (serves as a spill mat) and apply a TINY drop of glue onto the surgeon’s knot. (Please see NOTE below about how to apply Insta-Flex or similar “runny” glues.).

**Note about glue: Insta-Flex is basically superglue. Instantly bonds skin in addition to all sorts of other things. Children should never use this product unsupervised. Also, the glue is VERY runny. It’s like water. Do not attempt to apply it directly from the bottle! Instead, place a small amount of glue on a piece of tin foil and use a toothpick to grab some and dab it on the knot. You may have to do this multiple times, but trust me, it’s a lot better than accidentally spilling the glue all over your beads. (Says the person who made this mistake ONCE )

12. Leave the bracelet alone for 12-24 hours to allow the glue to fully set. Resist the temptation to check your bracelet before at least 12 hours have passed. After glue is dry, trim the ends of the cord near the knot. Your bracelet is now ready to wear. Enjoy!

Happy Beading!

Katelyn

Parmesan Potato Soup

This is one of my all time favorite, lickety-split recipes you can use for gift giving (by putting the dry ingredients in a mug, mason jar, or soup bowl,) or simply enjoy for lunch on a brish winter day.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Potato Flakes
1/8 cup Plain White Biscuit Gravy (dry package)
1 Tbsp. Parmesean Herb Seasoning (like Mc Cormick Parmesan Herb Blend)
1/2 Tsp. Garlic
1/4 Tsp. Dried Onion Flakes
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Pepper

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed. This will yield aproximately 1 cup.
TIP: If you are making multiple gifts, you can mix all together. For example, if you are making two gifts, double the recipe, then extract 1 cup of mixed ingredients per gift.

Parmesan Potato Soup Mix

Place 1 cup of mix in a small zip bag and seal. Place sealed zip bag into bowl, soup mug, or pint mason jar.

Parmesan Potato Soup Packaged

FOR GIFTS: Create an instruction tag to include either inside the container or added on a tag for the gift. The instruction tag should read:

Parmesan Potato Soup – Pour soup mix from bag into bowl. Heat 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Pour boiling water over soup mix, stir until ingredients are dissolved. Cover for 5 minutes. Uncover, stir, and enjoy! For an extra treat, top with Cheddar cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, or all three!

FOR PERSONAL ENJOYMENT:  Simply follow the preparation steps above and enjoy!