pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

So some of the girls at school have decided to pick up the needles, and I promised them I would post something that would work as a first project without taking them three years to finish. It’s as simple as a scarf, but way smaller: an alice band. For them and anyone else who might want a few basic how-to-knit links, try the UK handknitters, the US handknitters or Lion Brand just google, as there are plenty out there.

For this little project, pick your yarn and pick up a set of needles in the size recommended on the yarn label. All you need to know is how to cast on, knit and cast off (though you can clearly make all sorts of pretty patterns if you want to do fancy stitches, just like scarves).

Cast on the number of stitches it takes to get the width you want, then knit every row, taking time to measure it around your head, making silly faces and suggesting you just wear it with the needles attached as to avoid ever having to cast off.

When it’s long enough to go around your head and tie, cast off. Weave in your ends.

Tie it around your head or go all fancy and sew it together or add buttons, etc. Like a scarf, but teeny-tiny and keeps your hair in place. All important things, right?

Now I wonder how many of these I will see in Monday’s lessons!

xlovesx

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Okay, so normally I want to avoid cake mix like the plague. Not because it’s bad, but because I enjoy making the cake from scratch.

Wait. That just made the whole ‘like the plague’ thing not make sense. The plague IS bad. That’s the point of it being THE PLAGUE, right? You don’t want to avoid the plague because you enjoy something else. You want to avoid the plague because you don’t want to ruin-absolutely-everything. Okay. That’s sorted. I can never say ‘like the plague’ again. If I do, feel free to commit me being hit with stones in the public square or something else suitable.

I will admit that baking from scratch is not always the most practical of matters, and I also know that there are women out there who make AMAZING cakes who secretly swear by their favourite cake mixes. They’ll never tell you it’s not from scratch, and I can’t blame ‘em.

So if you’ve gotta come up with the cupcakes on the quick and you don’t want to get caught out with your cake mix, here are my favourite fix-em-ups:

Chocolate cake mix + 1/2 cup cherry or raspberry jam added to the mixing bowl.
Vanilla cake mix + 1/2 packet of any fruit flavoured gelatin (the powdered kind rather than the gelled kind—we have both in the UK)
Vanilla cake mix + 1/3 cup sprinkles mixed in right at the last minute before it goes in the oven = confetti cake
Vanilla or chocolate cake mix + chocolate chips. Because you can never go wrong adding more chocolate, right?
Carrot cake mix + 1/2 cup extra thick cream for a carrot cake with a softer, steamed-pudding type texture

Now…I do well with the dessert shortcuts. I am not so good with the dinner shortcuts. Care to share your best make it good-but make it quick tip today? Since we’re sharing the love and all.

xlovesx

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project a day hasn’t disappeared…i’ve just got some gremlins in the technical stuff! working on it…should be back to normal later tonight! :)

apologies if the site has looked odd today. :)

xlovesx

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(Originally uploaded by Natalie Zee)

So we’re back to Tuesday…and I’m working on something inspired by this, found on Flickr and from a Japanese crafting book. Something felt and handy for taking the basics on the go! Right now my camera battery is a-charging! So I can show it to you tomorrow. :)

AND I’ve got a winner for our felt! The boy picked a number and it came up to this comment:

Dawn Says:
2 May 2007, 15:44
I made one and it didn’t take long! I used fleece as I’m on a stash embargo no buying anything for me (except the blue flowers I needed for a LO)I will also use it on a LO/LOs to, may be a CJ I have to do.

He picks ‘em well—stash embargo doesn’t mean you can’t receive free goodies, right? So Dawn! Send me your postal address! :) I have lots of goodies to post out this week! :)

What are you making today?

xlovesx

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Oh, May. You give us this lovely three-day weekend. And SATs exams start tomorrow. Why am I always more nervous than the kids? I couldn’t sit still today, so here are some projects for days when you can’t commit to one thing:

*Making the perfect pancake.

*Watching the rain behind the flowers. For a little bit. And listening to it a bit longer.

*Adding some entries to this book, which could be very full after this month.

*Baking this bread, which is also good with cinnamon.

Because when you realise you really have that much paperwork that you could possibly never stop, it’s nice to have a few little crafty diversions, right?

Please Year 9, please have done your homework this weekend!

xlovesx

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After sleeping in on a grey Sunday morning, I am feeling much better. Sleep almost seems to be a theme of the week more than craftiness, but if that’s the cure, that’s fine. I managed to find some time tonight to make this as my little project for the day. My sewing machine was very happy to not be neglected as she has been for far too long! Think I’ll have to take a nicer picture in the daylight tomorrow, perhaps.

Must go back to that other theme and catch some zzzzs. Hope your weekend has been lovely.

xlovesx

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Well, clearly if it’s National Scrapbook Day, there should be scrapbooking. Even if I am constantly puzzled by the ‘national’ in the title, when it seems to have branched out a bit. Never mind! There are other worldwide events days today, but as I have no garden, I have not taken any part! (Go on. Ask Google. I will never own up to who told me!)

So I have done three scrapbooking related things, on this lovely NSD:

*replaced my black ink cartridge (i never have a spare. WHY? why do i never have a spare? i never learn. even today i only bought one.)

*made the layout above, from one of Ali’s everyday beauty challenges at her online NSD party (were there hats? and cupcakes? i think there should have been.)

*made the layout below as my little project a day.

But that also involved playing in photoshop, with Jessica’s nifty little montage tutorial. I need more practice. But I digitally altered something in some little way, which let’s face it, is a bit weird. For me, I mean. The last time I printed my journaling was in 2002. It’s a long story.

I will come clean now and admit: I have felt like the plague this week. You know, that totally modern plague called tonsillitis. Seriously, you can get this as a grown up? So not cool. BUT today marked a turning point involving standing up for more than five minutes AND leaving the house. I was so excited. Even if watching an entire series of Scrubs on DVD made me think being sick wasn’t so bad. So the one thing I have learned is that if you publically challenge yourself to do something every day, your body may very well have other plans. These two pages were my celebration. Simple, imperfect and just for fun. Which is okay sometimes too.

Okay, time to share the love. Make a layout with a heart somewhere in it—big and bold or small and hidden—and upload it somewhere this week. Post in the comments with a link to it. I have decks of heart shaped playing cards to send to six lucky scrapbookers somewhere in the world. Comment by 9pm London time on Friday the 11th.

xlovesx

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I drink way too much take-away coffee. And I can’t be the only one. And since it’s knitting Friday, I thought I’d play with something that could declare my coffee love while also keep a bit more cardboard out of a landfill.

Before you say it, yes, I have several refillable coffee cups. Well, two. So definitely in the plural. I try. But I fail. I don’t have a regularly scheduled coffee stop, so I don’t have my cup with me. Yes, I really, really need to fix this and stop all the madness of paper cups. But I guess this is a baby step.

Here’s a super cool pattern on double-pointed needles, but I decided to try a little something different and I needed to see it flat to see if it was working, so my pattern doesn’t look much like that one now.

My eyes have gotten too tired looking at the last two rows, so I’ll have to finish it in the morning, but I’ve done nearly all of it, so it’s still knitting Friday, right? :) ETA: finished!

I Heart Coffee Cup Cozy
Needles: 3.5mm
Yarn: 2 colours of baby weight—I used Jaeger Matchmaker 4ply and Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino, but there’s tons that would work easily. And you need significantly less than 1 ball of each. Like mere inches of the contrast colour, even.

With main colour, cast on 72 stitches.
The first four rows are 4×4 rib, so knit 4, purl 4 and repeat until the end of the row, for four rows.
Row 5: knit.
Row 6: purl.
Row 7: knit 18, join contrast colour and knit 1, return to main colour and knit to end.
Row 8: purl in main colour until one stitch before the contrast colour on the row before. This time you want three stitches in contrast, then return to main colour and purl to the end.
Row 9: knit in main colour until one stitch before the contrast. This time you want five stitches in contrast, then return to main colour and knit to end.
Row 10: purl in main colour until one stitch before the contrast. This row has seven stitches in contrast, then return to main colour and purl to end.
Row 11: knit in main colour until the contrast (not one before). Knit three stitches in contrast, one in main, three in contrast. Return to main colour and knit to the end.
Row 12: purl in main colour until the contrast. Purl two stitches in contrast, three in main, two in contrast. Return to main colour and purl to the end.
Row 13: knit in main colour until the contrast. Knit two stitches in contrast, three in main, two in contrast. Return to main colour and knit to the end.
Row 14: purl, all in main colour.
Row 15: knit.
Row 16 starts the 4×4 rib again, just like at the beginning. Repeat up to row 20, and cast off in the 4×4 pattern.

For the finishing, you’ll need a cup to wrap it around, plus a needle and thread or yarn. Wrap it around the cup and pin the top and bottom for a good fit, then stitch that edge. I have overlap in mine, so I don’t burn my hands! Stitch it up, and baste the loose edge in place and you’re done…though it could look extra cute with buttons and things, you know.

Don’t forget to comment on the felt post to be entered in the drawing for the giveaway. :)

xlovesx

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