My scarf is done...

My scarf is done...well, close enough anyway...for now. Okay, yes I have finished the scarf, but what I noticed when I went back to tie the loose ends, was even though the yarn was supposed to be the exact same and was when I added it, the fibers of the yarn changed textures giving it a slightly different look from the rest of the yarn. So I am not satisfied with my outcome and being the perfectionist I am, I will be going back and adding on later. Much later...because for some reason this project has been a difficult one for me. I'm not sure if it was the yarn I used or the knitting needles, but I have never had this much trouble with a project before, especially a basic scarf. Being that this is the project I chose to lead off my new blog, I find that fate very funny. Bottom line is, it is completed and I didn't give into my frustrations to unravel the whole darn thing, throw it away, or burn it. Yes I had visions of burning the sucker to ash if one more stitch was dropped. Maybe it was meant to be, to show me even through frustrations it is better to finish something I start. I have had problems with that in my life but it does give you a sense of pride to complete a project, no matter how small. To stick with it all the way to the end and not give up mid-way through. I hope any of you that decide to start knitting stick with it through the little mishaps and can feel the pride of a finished project. Hope you enjoy the pictures and as always people...stay crafty!

OH NO! I dropped a stitch!

I was almost done with my latest knitting project until I noticed I had dropped a stitch along the way. So frustrating! I have learned some tips and tricks and if I wasn't working with novelty yarn I could have used a crochet hook to work the dropped stitch back up to my needle (I will have a tip segment on the blog soon telling more of the crochet hook method). So I pulled the knitting needle out, loosing the stitches and went to work unraveling to about 2 rows under where the stitch was dropped (better safe than sorry). And here's what I had...

The stitches off the needle. I unraveled until about 2 rows under where I had the dropped stitch.

Now to put the stitches back on the needle...

Picking the stitches back up.

Don't worry about the stitches being straight when picking them back up because you can easily fix that once you get them all back on and start knitting. I will show you how.

All of the stitches back on the needle, although some of them are turned wrong.

I put my knitting needle over to the side while I wrap the unraveled yarn back onto the ball of yarn. (I'm gonna show you a little trick I use as well to keep my yarn ball clean while knitting)

Now here is my tip...I take a plastic grocery bag like this (you can use many different things for this as I will cover in the tips segment coming soon, but for this I am using a plastic bag).

I place my yarn ball inside the plastic bag...

and tie a knot tight enough the yarn ball will not fall out but leaving the strand of yarn free to flow through like this...

Now back to the needle with the picked up stitches...

See how the stitch is on the needle wrong...

(sorry this picture is not focused)

I take and insert the needle into the stitch as I would to knit...

I slip the stitch off the needle in my left hand onto the needle in my right hand like so...

Now I insert the needle into the front of the stitch like so...

and slip the stitch from the right needle back onto the left needle where it belongs.

Now the stitch is turned right and I'm ready to knit (I repeated as necessary across the row).

A row of correctly turned stitches.

I will now be completing the scarf, hopefully without anymore setbacks. I hope this was helpful for anyone needing it. Like I said above, I will soon be posting a tip segment of all the helpful ideas I have learned along the way and if you have any suggestions you may email me at craftycraftercrafts(at)gmail(dot)com and I will feature it on my blog and you will get full credit. I will be posting my finished work as well as soon as it is completed. Of course, my earlier post from yesterday stating that I would be finished by last night is no longer accurate. Just remember set backs are normal and mistakes can be corrected so if you are new to knitting please do not let it discourage you. As always people...stay crafty!

Almost done...

Here is a sneak peek of my almost finished product. It will be done tonight I just have to bind off and weave the end in and it will be finished but these picture I took yesterday and figured better late than never so here ya have it. Hope y'all enjoy and as always people...stay crafty!

The weave up close

Cereal Box Barn Stars

While down at my mom's house visiting for Thanksgiving, she showed me a couple craft ideas she had come across on the internet. As I was looking at them all, a picture of a barn star jumped out at me. These barn stars are made out of nothing more than a cereal box. I had to try this out and see if I could re-create what I was seeing. So I googled star images and came out with a basic star pattern to use as a template. I opened up the cereal box, laid my star template down, traced and cut out. After I had them cut out I took a ruler (so it would be straight) and with the edge of my scissors, scored five times each from point to point all the way around the star. This gave it the 3-D look of a barn star. I then painted them with an off-white acrylic based paint and brought them home. I tried edging one with a pen and didn't like the look so went over the creases with a simple No. 2 lead pencil and I prefer that look rather than the pen. However, I bet a charcoal pencil would give a really awesome effect. This was my first attempt at them and I will be doing more. I want to get hold of a big piece of cardboard and really take my time and do a big one for my living room wall. I must admit I did these rather quickly just to see how they would turn out, but I know these stars will be absolutely amazing given the time and right accents such as paint and what not. Nevertheless, it's always fun for me doing an awesome project using materials that would otherwise be thrown away. Hope you enjoy and until next time...stay crafty!

My knitting...

Scarves I knitted as Christmas gifts for some very dear friends :)

I taught myself to knit roughly six years ago, around the time my youngest child was one year old. I bought a beginners knitting kit at Wally World and literally sat for hours casting on and taking it back off, over and over again till I had it right. I was determined to learn to knit and once I mastered the fine art of casting on stitches to a knitting needle  the rest was pretty easy. I did however learn some tricks along the way, like casting on and binding off loosely. That was a big one for me, I never really had a problem with the casting on once I got the hang of it but I did have a problem with binding off to tightly and that can ruin a project causing it to pucker. That falls into the "live and learn" category of life and of course the more you do something the better you get. Hence, what my mom always told me "practice makes perfect". It really is true. I love love love knitting! I find holding and working the knitting needles in my hands very therapeutic. I don't use a loom, though my mother finds them much easier to use. I have, however, assisted my daughters in using one. I prefer the knitting needles myself, but to each their own. I wish I had pictures of the projects I did right after I learned to knit. I made chic hand bags, awesome ponchos, tons of funky scarves, a couple cute caps, a pair of adorable slipper socks and a fabulous pair of fingerless gloves (I was extremely proud of the gloves). Of course life took over and projects got put off but I have picked the knitting needles back up and am loving it again. I wanted to share some scarves I knitted as Christmas gifts for some very dear friends of mine and a peek of my new project I am working on. Hope y'all enjoy and until next time....stay crafty!

Project I am currently working on...more pics to come :)

A little about me...

Well I figure since this is my first blog entry I would tell everyone a little about myself and it's a huge secret...are you ready? I love to craft! Ha ha I know you wouldn't be able to figure that out on your own huh. I was raised with artistic people all around me, like my uncle whom when he was alive you would never guess of his artistic ability by looking at him (he was a burly biker and very tough) but he painted, sketched, airbrushed, tattooed, wood burned...he really did it all. My grandmother and mother are my biggest influences and they both contributed to my craftability. I honestly believe there wasn't anything my grandmother couldn't do. She painted the most beautiful oil paintings I have ever seen. My grandmother taught me how to take flowers, moss, and branches and turn them into beautiful arrangements and make a perfect Christmas bow from wired ribbon for wreaths and Christmas tree toppers. She taught me how to paint and both my grandmother and uncle taught me how to draw and sketch, she in particular how to draw a nose and mouth which I had a hard time with. My mother can paint beautifully as well. She doesn't think she's an artist but I've seen her paintings, drawings, crafts, and poetry and trust me she is. I remember when I started high school and my sister was just a toddler my mother started making all sorts of things with paper mache, from bowls to jewelry she made such unique and beautiful creations. It was so cool how she could create such beautiful things from nothing more than paper and glue. My sister is also one of the most creative people I know. She is a very talented artist and has an amazing eye for style and decorating. So as you can see I get my talent honestly and have been blessed with such creative people in my life. I believe life without art is no life at all. Until next time people...stay crafty!