Crochet: Mary Jane Slippers


Knit: Nell, slouch hat


Crochet: Willow, doily blanket


Knit: Terzetto, hat


Crochet: Simple Statement Wreath


Knit: Colorwork Recipe


Crochet: Glory, doily blanket


Cross-stitch pendant garden

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I suppose I went a little nuts with cross-stitch, a few weeks ago. I’m not entirely sure anyone needs a cross-stitched flower pendant, much less three of them. I just really enjoyed making them. And I want to make more. Stitching on wood felt so much easier than having aida or linen on a hoop. It felt more precise and…natural? I don’t really know how to describe it, but after getting the drawing onto graph paper (some of the flowers in the book I mentioned last time were too big), I just got started and the next day I had a beautiful little flower to add to my collection.

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[Scalloped pendants were bought from the workroom & circle pendant was bought from modern needleworks]


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Wrap It for Mom

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Mother’s Day is this Sunday! I’m going to plant a rose bush (or 3) for my mom, but every year I also get the grandmas a photo book (standard 8″x11″ from Snapfish) filled with photos of their grandsons. Because who do moms love more than their own kids? Their GRANDKIDS. It’s true.

Anyway, I’ve had the books for a few days and I’ve been trying to think of how to wrap them. I’ve done wrapping paper, decorated kraft paper, and even scrap fabric in the past. This year, I went with vintage silk scarves. I had two sizes. One was a big 36″x36″ square and the other (this one!) was a bit smaller, at 21″x21″. Here’s how I wrapped it:

mom-steps

1. Place the book face down on the scarf with the edges of the book facing the corners of the scarf. Tie a knot with the 2 corners on the short side of the book.
2. Flip the whole thing over and a tie a knot with the adjacent corners. This is the “front.” Optionally, you can tuck in the little flaps on the back knot. If your scarf is little, like mine, you’ll be able to see some of the book poking through, like this. I rather like the texturing coming through from the linen book cover.

wrapped for mom

Finish it off with a pretty tag. I wrote out the word mom on a piece of cardstock, poked holes with my embroidery needle, then used two strands of floss to trace my letters. It took 10 minutes tops!

Are you doing anything special for your mom or mom-like figure in your life this weekend?


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Make it: Cork & Wool Coasters

01title

It’s been a while since my last DIY, so I thought I would remedy that with a quick cork coaster idea. It’s pretty simple and you can have a set made in under an hour, I bet. Below you will find instructions for both crochet or embroidered coasters.

02supplies

Supplies:
4″ x 4″ cork squares (I buy 12″ cork tiles and cut them with a rotary cutter)
standard hole punch
DK weight yarn– I used needlepoint wool, but any thin yarn will do
2.75mm (C) hook (increase the hook size if you use a thicker yarn, but make sure it fits through the holes)
yarn needle

template

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Use the template to punch holes evenly around the square.

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If you crochet, attach the yarn at the center of one of the sides. Single crochet (US) around the coaster, making 5 single crochet stitches in the corners. Slip-stitch to the first SC to end. Optionally, you can slip-stitch through all holes, if you want to fill them (see yellow coaster in title image).

If you haven’t yet picked up the craft of crochet, below is a simple embroidery stitch called the blanket stitch.

blanket-stitch

1. Insert needle from back to front through a hole. Bring through about 2 yards of yarn and leave about 10″ hanging at the back.
2. Insert needle from front to back through the next hole, making sure to bring your needle through the loop created.
3. Pull snug against the edge of the coaster.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you get to a corner.
5. At the corners, repeat steps 2 & 3 twice more in the same spot (3 stitches in each corner).
6. When you come to the end, pull the rest of the yarn through the first loop, as shown in last image.

Using the beginning & end yarn, tie a knot and weave in the ends through the loops on the back.

And that’s it! If hearts are more your thing, check out my last cork coaster: Embroidered Heart Coaster. These would make mighty cute Mother’s Day gift sets. ♥ ♥


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