Craft Corner: Close Cables Hat

This year, my go-to gift for Christmas is knitted gifts. For the Christmas party for running club, I was hoping I would get a girl so that I could make her some mittens and a cowl. Unfortunately, I had to get a boy for the gift exchanged, so I headed to Ravelry to find the perfect hat to make him. I knew I wanted a cabled hat to show off my awesome knitting skills, so I decided to go with the Close Cables Hat. I had no idea what kind of yarn I wanted to use, but when I saw this Sincerely by Pearl Essence yarn in JoAnns and felt how soft and thick it was, I decided to take a chance and see how it turned out. And you know what? It was perfect!

I spent about 10 hours working on this hat and I thought it would never end. Countless episodes of Supernatural later, though, it was finally done! The original pattern says to cast on 80 stitches, but many of the projects on Ravelry said that it turned out a little small, so I decided to cast on 120 stitches and add another set of the cable rows. I'm so happy I did because it ended up big enough to fit a guy's head comfortably. It did a gray, white, and red pom pom for our school's colors and it turned out great! Needless to say, I love how this hat turned out and I was kind of sad to have to give it away. The person I gave it to loved it and everyone was definitely impressed that I made the hat. Little do they know, cables are actually super easy and the hardest part is having the patience to spend so many hours getting it done. I'm definitely going to make one of these for myself now!

Craft Corner: Granny Square Baby Blanket

Last month, my cousin gave birth to two adorable twins named Scarlett and Grayson. The babies were born very premature, but as of now they are staying strong and doing well! I had planned on having these blankets done for her baby shower in mid-November, but school got in the way and I didn't have the chance to finish the blankets until a month later. But now they're finished and I absolutely love them!

I knew that I wanted to make the babies blankets for the twins, but I had the hardest time deciding what to make them. Granny Square? Striped? There were so many possibilities! But when I found the pattern for this Granny Stripe Baby Blanket, I knew that I had found the one!

The border definitely caught my eye when I decided to make this blanket. I love the scalloped edges and the stitch was so easy for such a cute finish. My cousin and her husband are huge Ohio State fans and both met while students at Ohio State, so they named their babies in honor of that. I decided to make identical blankets for the babies, but a gray bordered one for Grayson and a scarlet bordered one for Scarlett. I'm planning on giving these to my cousin when they visit for Christmas and I can't wait! I know they're going to love them! Scarlett and Grayson are the first babies in our family, so I am beyond excited to knit them as many gifts as I can! Maybe hats next? Oh, the possibilities! 

Craft Corner: Apfel Strudel Cowl

That's right, I crocheted something other than a blanket and it actually didn't turn out awful. I've always had a problem with crocheting and turning at the end of the chain. My row typically turns out all wonky and I never have the same amount of stitches in the end as I did in the beginning. I finally sat down on Youtube and watched a couple of tutorials on turning and it's actually not that hard! I struggled a bit for the first couple of rows of this cowl, but my friend helped me through it and I ended up flying through this project while catching up on the latest episodes of Outlander. 

Apfel Strudel Cowl 

From Raincloud & Sage

Found on Ravelry

Tools

1 skein yarn

size J (6.00 mm) hook

tapestry needle

Instructions

Chain 35

Chain four (counts as first triple crochet stitch)

Work triple crochet in each stitch until piece is at desire length

Fasten off, sew seems together, and weave in ends 

Enjoy!

This was probably one of the easiest cowls I've ever made once I got the hang of crocheting in a line. The original pattern from Raincloud & Sage says to use treble crochet, which I hadn't used before. When I googled it, some sources said it was a US double crochet while others said it was a US triple crochet. Based off of what her picture looked like, I decided to do a US triple crochet and think it was the right choice. Also, she used a larger hook (size 7mm), but I only had a 6mm, so that's the one I used. Feel free to use a bigger hook if you want a bigger stitch! 

I can't wait to wear my new scarf as the temperature starts to drop into the Fall weather. It's my first scarf of the Fall season, but it definitely won't be my last! 

Craft Corner: Chevron Afghan

FINALLY. Oh my gosh, I have been working on this afghan for almost a year and I finally finished it last week. This baby has sat through countless episodes of Gossip Girl, Game of Thrones, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I had made my black and white chevron afghan last year and fell in love with the pattern, which I found from Love, Elycia. I was looking through Elycia's blog and thought that her multi-colored afghan was adorable and wanted to make one of my own. I picked out pink, blue, black, and white to match my bedroom and think it turned out spectacular!

Now that this afghan is finished, I have so many ideas for new afghans. I am making a summer garden afghan for my sister, which I made for myself two years ago, and this granny square blanket for myself. I already have all of the yarn I need for those two projects, so those should keep me busy for awhile. After finishing this afghan, I have officially become obsessed with crocheting them! I can't wait to explore all of the afghans that are out there. Hopefully they all don't take as long, though, or else I'll be crocheting for years and years into the future!

Craft Corner: Zoo Animal Painted Canvas

For my sister's birthday present, I decided to make her a purple elephant canvas to put up in her apartment at school. She loves elephants and her favorite color is purple, so I thought that it would be perfect for her! Of course I couldn't just make one for her and not me, so I decided to make a pink giraffe canvas for myself and love how it turned out! 

Zoo Animal Painted Canvas

Materials

-Blank canvas

-printed animal silhouette (I used the image from here)

-Acrylic Paint

-Paint Brush

Directions 

1. Print out the silhouettes in a size that will fit your canvas and cut out the silhouette
2. Put tape on the back of the silhouette and place on the canvas in desired space

3. Paint the canvas and on top of the image in your choice of acrylic paint. I recommend painting around the edges of the paper image right away because my began to curl due to the paint. If you paint it right away instead of pieces at a time, your edges will be a lot cleaner.
4. Take off the image and let the paint dry. You may need to do two coats if the color is lighter. I did one coat of paint for the purple one, but the pink needed two coats.
5. Display your new painted canvas!

Craft Corner: Infinity Scarf

I got this incredibly beautiful purple and gray yarn on clearance from Knitting Temptations, which just so happens to be my favorite yarn shop. Whenever I buy yarn from the shop instead of JoAnn's or Michael's, I'm always very particular about what I want to make with it. I don't often splurge on yarn, so I make sure I find the perfect project to make with any yarn I end up buying from an actual yarn shop.

After a couple of hours of searching on Ravelry, I finally settled on the Infinity Scarf by Grace Alexander. I loved the basket-like texture and I thought the color of my yarn would look beautiful with the pattern. While it took me about three months of on and off knitting throughout the end of the school year to finally complete this project, I absolutely love my new, beautiful infinity scarf.

The best part of this pattern? It's absolutely free! You can download the pattern right here from Red Heart's website. The second best part about this pattern was definitely how simple it was! If you're a beginner knitter and want to try out a fun infinity pattern, then this would be the perfect pattern to start with. The pattern includes simply switching between knit and purl stitches and it's easy to follow as long as you keep track of what row you're on. I put this project down and picked it back up a lot throughout the three months I was slowly working on it, but I had no problem starting from where I had left off the week before.

I absolutely love how the color turned out as well. While it's not as big as long as I would have liked it (I ran out of yarn), I think it turned out pretty darn good! I can't wait until summer turns into fall and I can finally where my newly knitted scarves!

Craft Corner: No Fray Hair Ties

My sister and I love these elastic hair ties, but they are so expensive! Sure, it's nice that they don't leave lines in your hair and come in fun colors, but are they really worth paying $1 or $2 a piece? When I saw a tutorial for them from Hey Wanderer, I new I had to try them out!

Supplies
Fold over elastic
Scissors
Ruler
Lighter

Directions
1. Cut the elastic to 9" for a ponytail or 1/2 yard for a headband. If you want a looser headband, add about 1" more to the 1/2 yard.

2. Fold the elastic over and tie the end into a knot. Tighten the knot, but be sure to pull it towards the end.

3. Cut the end at a slant.

4. Take the lighter and run it along the edge of the slant you just cut. Do not get too close to the flame, but close enough so that the heat can melt the edge and seal it.

Ta da! You have brand new headbands and hair ties made in any color you want! I bought my elastic from JoAnn's, but you can definitely buy some cheaper from here and here (thanks Hey Wanderer for the links!). My favorite is by far my black sparkly headband and I can't wait to wear it with my purple pony tales. I'm going to have to buy some more colors so I can mix and match!

Craft Corner: Painted Mason Jar

Every summer, I become obsessed with crafting and my Arts & Crafts board gets tons of new pins. This year, I found the painted glass jars post from Pop Sugar and knew I had to try it out! I followed her directions and came out with these lovely, colorful painted jars!

Painted Mason Jars
Adapted from Pop Sugar

Materials
-Mason jar with lid
-Acrylic paint
-Paint brush
-Parchment Paper
-Cookie Sheet

Directions
1. Select the color you would like to paint your jar. Squirt about 2 tablespoons of paint into the bottom of the jar.

2. Screw the lid onto the jar and shake the jar until paint covers the entire inside surface. Your arms may get tired, but don't give up! The paint will cover the entire inside eventually! Use a paintbrush to touch up any parts that were missed during the shaking.
3. Remove lid, flip the jar upside down, and place on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Leave the jar drying for about 20 minutes before moving the jar to a new place on the parchment paper to avoid it adhering to the parchment paper. Leave for another 20 minutes.

4.Flip the jar over and wipe any excess paint from the rim. Once completely dry, place the jar on a parchment covered cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Display your beautiful new jar!

Craft Corner: Cupcake Coffee Cozy

As a cupcake addict, I love it when I find fun new cupcake accessories. I saw a cupcake coffee cozy on Etsy, and did not want to spend $5 to $10 on something that I could make for free from scraps I had lying around in my yarn stash. So, I went onto good old Ravelry and found a free pattern!

While I'm not the best crocheter around, I didn't have a problem making this cozy. The directions are super easy to follow and I had my cupcake cozy done within an hour! I added sprinkles in some fun yarn to make the cupcake design more prominent.

I absolutely love how the cozy turned out and I can't wait to use it for when I have a Starbucks craving. As of today, I'm only ONE STAR AWAY from a Gold Card! So when that happens, this coffee collar is definitely going to be put to good use.

If you want an adorable and fun cupcake coffee collar like the one I made, then head over to Ravelry and download the free pattern right now! With scrap yarn and a free pattern, you couldn't get a cheaper, or more adorable, craft to make.

Craft Corner: Colormatic Cowl

I am a huge fan of Michelle Hunter from Knit Purl Hunter! and love participating in her monthly knit-alongs. I actually got to meet Michelle in January when she had a book signing at the yarn shop she teaches at, which is only about 20 minutes from my house. Anyways, she has a blog where she hosts knit-alongs that last a month, with a step to the pattern revealed each week over the course of four weeks. The last one I did was the Colormatic Cowl from October (which I didn't finish until November) and it has by far been my favorite project yet!

I'm not all that great at color knitting, so I was very excited to practice that skill with this scarf. Knitting in the round in order to form a tube, I used four skeins of yarn to knit the four different sections that make up this cowl. While it was very time consuming and I thought it would never end, I absolutely love how it turned out! All I had to do was pull up some Disney movies from Netflix, and I was good to go!

The directions are pretty long, so I won't post them on here. But, you can head over to Ravelry and download the directions or go to Knit Purl Hunter to check out the pattern and make a scarf for yourself! I made mine at a medium length, but the directions include a short version and a long version.

The best part about knitting in a tube is that it's basically double the thickness, so it is super warm to wear during the winter. I absolutely love the colors I chose, but I'm sure there are other combinations that would be so much fun! I can see making this in pastel colors for spring or fun, vibrant colors to brighten up a dreary winter day. Oh, the possibilities!

Once I have the time and no projects to work on (as if…), I would love to make this again! I definitely got the hang of color knitting and the pattern is just impossible not to love. I can't wait to try out more color knitting and see what other fun patterns I can create!

Craft Corner: Basic Baby Hat

I told you I'd make another baby hat, so that's what I did! I decided to try out the Basic Baby Hat pattern I found on ravelry and it was probably one of the easiest projects I've ever done. I finished it up in one day while watching some episodes of Friday Night Lights and a British movie called An Education. It was definitely a great way of relaxing during the stress of finals week. 

Again, I can't get over how adorable baby hats are. They are so tiny and I can just imagine a cute little baby wearing it. Oh I hope whoever gets it has their baby wear it all the time because they'll just be the cutest baby ever. Haha, well, at least when it's cold enough to wear it! 

I can't wait to make another baby hat! I'm glad I found this pattern because I have a really easy, basic pattern to use when I want to make a baby hat. Next time, though, I think I'm going to find a cuter one, maybe with cables. We'll see what I can find!

Craft Corner: Katherine Hat

I was really itching to make a hat, but since hats look absolutely awful on me, I wanted to make one to donate to the hospital through my knitting club. I found this really pretty pattern for the Katherine Hat and knew that was what I was going to make next. I love how cabled patterns look on anything, so I was really excited to see how this hat turned out. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this one looks. It took a bit longer than I thought, but all I did was watch a bunch of movies and it was done in no time. I especially love the shot from the top of the hat because the cables look so pretty! And, of course, the pink makes it look super adorable. I'd say this one was a success and I really hope whoever gets it likes it as well. 

What to make next? I've already made some socks, which was another project I was dying to make. Hmmm maybe I'll make another baby hat. I always love holding the little knitted hat in my hand and thinking about how that's going to fit on a little person. Well, that's decided! Now I'm off to find a cute baby hat pattern to start on next :)

Craft Corner: Starboard Socks

I've been wanting to make a pair of thick, cozy socks for awhile now, but I never get around to making any. When I found the pattern for these starboard socks on Ravelry, I was just itching to make them. They just looked so cozy and fun! The technique of holding two strands of yarn together creates such a cool effect and I knew the pink and blue would be absolutely perfect together. Mmmmm, now I want to eat some cotton candy :)

I was a little scared going in because it's a sock and I've only made one pair of socks with size 1 needles. These used size 10 and I wasn't sure how the size would turn out with the Red Heart Super Saver Yarn. Well, I had nothing at all to worry about! These were so much fun to make and I love how they turned out. Too bad it's almost summer now, though! I guess I'll wear them around the house for now. But I know come winter next year, I'm wearing these adorable socks every chance I can! I can't wait to experiment with other colors and see how many other pairs I can make.

Craft Corner: Cabled Baby Hat

I love making new items to donate to the hospital for my knitting club, but I had realized that I haven't made any baby hats! Isn't that the most common thing people make for hospitals? So I went on good old Ravelry and found this adorable cabled baby hat pattern and knew that was going to be my next project. 

For this project, I wanted to make sure I used fun yarn too because, let's face it, what's cuter than a baby in bright, fun colors? And it's so tiny and adorable! I can't believe that it's actually going to fit on a little person. 

After my first successful attempt at making a baby hat, I can't wait to make so many more! It went by pretty quickly and I'm in love with how it turned out. Have you guys ever made baby hats? Do you have a favorite pattern to use? 

Craft Corner: Chunky Striped Cowl

I am so excited to share my latest knitting project with you all! My friend from knitting club was making this a couple of weeks ago and I loved how the pattern looked. So, of course, I went straight to Ravelry and was super excited to find the free pattern. Not to mention the title contained the word "easy," so I knew I could whip this one up no problem. 

I had some Beige Homespun Lion Brand Yarn sitting around in my yarn basket for about a month and I had absolutely no idea what to use it for. I loved the color and how soft the yarn was, so I was really hesitant to start a new project because I wanted to make sure it was perfect. Luckily, I found this pattern because it turned out to be the perfect pattern for this lovely yarn. 

In the end, I'm really happy with this cowl. All I had to do was alternate knitting 4 rows and purling 4 rows, so it was really easy to do while watching some more episodes of Friday Night Lights. I ended up finishing this one in only one day and I can't wait to wear it! I don't care if it's going to be in the 70s this week. My new cowl will make a new appearance so that I can show it off to everyone I know :)

Craft Corner: Bow Headband

I made this same headband for the first time last year for knitting club and I fell in love with the pattern. I was looking for a cute, easy headband to make for the hospital and knew this was absolutely perfect when I first saw it. I had some pink yarn left over from a hat I had just finished making, so I decided to make another bow headband. The only problem was, though, that I didn't have enough yarn for the bow! Luckily, like every other knitter, I have A TON of yarn, and when I saw this bright blue yarn, I knew it would be the perfect bow for the pink headband. 

This bow headband is so fun and colorful, which is absolutely perfect for this spring weather. I hope some girl will see this at the hospital and fall in love with the colors and style. I love being able to make fun items to donate because I always image they are making someone's day. 

Now I can't wait to make some more items with the bright blue yarn. There are so many possibilities! It's off to Ravelry for me to find the next perfect pattern....