The photo above shows my Bloomsbury Gloves knit from my Julia Yarn from my book Color By Kristin. I have now completed uploading the series of video tutorials on all the embroidery stitches you will need to decorate these gloves: French Knots, Fern Stitch, Lazy Daisy, and Spider Web. You can find them on a new link on my sidebar at left. I really do hope that some of you try to add embroidery to your handknits. It isn't hard - as you will see by watching the videos!
Here is the last one - Fern Stitch Video Tutorial......
After you watch it you should be also able to make the leaves on my Sunflower Pillow (pattern available as PDF download here) as shown on the close-up below:
Here is number two of three videos I've just finished editing to help you learn embroidery on handknits. This video shows how to make Lazy Daisies - a very easy embroidery stitch. After you watch it, you should be able to make petals and small leaves on your handknits.
Do you know what "Spider Web Embroidery" is? It is a technique that I add to many of my knits after they are complete. This embroidery technique isn't hard to do but it sure does look fancy. Here is a nice close-up of it. It is the dark green center of the flower.
You can see "Spider Webs" on the Bloomsbury Gloves from Color By Kristin. They are the center of the flowers. (The book is available on my website or at your LYS). Notice how they look raised - almost like sculpture... I love this look!
Bloomsbury Gloves from Color By Kristin Photo John Gruen courtesy of Sixth and Spring Books
They make the polka dots on this Felted Tea Cosy.....
Felted Tea Cosy from Knitty.com Spring 2006
And the large polka dots on these slipper socks...
Macarons Slipper Socks Available at Knitty.com Fall 2009
They are playful and fun to do and will give your knitting a new sense of adventure and style! And now I present to you a video tutorial on how to make a "spider web." I'm hoping that by having these videos available to you, you will be more adventuresome at adding embroidery to your knits. I teach these techniques at workshops. This stitch is usually the technique the students enjoy doing most! Give it a try! The video is also available on YouTube here.
The Felted Tea Cosy Pattern is available here on Knitty.com
The Macarons Slipper Sock Pattern is available here on Knitty.com
Boy - you guys are great! I had 390 people enter the November Giveaway Contest. I am still reading through all your hopes and dreams and wishes. It seems that the question really did strike a chord with many of you. I may write a little more about that next week.
The winner is Susan. Now here is the funny thing - when I read her entry, I said to myself "Boy, it would be really great if this woman won." But I don't cheat - I take my contests seriously and use a Random Number Generator.
Here's what she wrote: I can't even begin to explain how hard this is for me to answer. I'm 27 years old, and I take care of my disabled 66 year old mother alone. My boyfriend lives in California - we've been dating for 2 1/2 years. It's very hard for me to imagine forgetting about familial obligations. I'm from Appalachia, and it's very ingrained in me. I guess my dream would be to first know that my mom was somewhere safe and happy in order for me to feel like I could truly enjoy my own dream. I went to graduate school in the Midwest, and it was very hard for me. My dream would be to own a home near Snowshoe Resort in WV, spending time sleeping late and staying up late pursuing my favorite rejuvenating hobbies: knitting, yoga, and reading. In this dream, of course, the boyfriend will be able to be there, too. Who am I kidding, I would love for my mom to be there, too, but I would mostly just appreciate knowing that I have help and don't have to take care of her alone anymore.
So, Susan - Congratulations to you! I've already emailed you - I hope this makes your weekend.
By the way - My family and I will be selling our lamb meat at The Amherst Farmer's Market on the Common tomorrow from 7:30 to 2:00. Please stop by to say hi if you are in the area. We are really happy that they are letting us be "guest vendors" even if it is going to be freezing and windy! We will be bundled up.
Since it is getting close to the holidays, I thought I would remind you of one of my tutorials to make a "Holiday Birch Village." This is one of the most popular blog posts I have ever done and it gets linked by big sights a lot. Here's one of the houses Julia and I made last year. I already have a date with some good friends of mine - we have made these houses together the last couple of years and we're doing it again in a couple weeks. It's a great afternoon if you want to just relax with friends and do a little crafting.
Here is the link to the tutorial: Holiday Birch House Tutorial here. I've got to get trouncing around in the woods for supplies. I love that! Good weekend everyone!
It's been a while since I've uploaded a video for you all. In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day Celebration, I finally finished editing this little Chain Stitch Tutorial which shows a knitted heart being embroidered with Chain Stitch.
This little swatch was part of the prototype for the designing process that became The Many Hearts Baby Afghan from my book Color By Kristin. Here's the photo by John Gruen from the book. Our little kitten Annika Sue is asleep on the blanket on a doll bed.
Here's the blanket hanging on a fence outside our farmhouse. The blanket is made by knitting 9 separate hearts. They are then sewn together to form the center of the blanket. A circular needle is used to pick up all the stitches all the way around the four sides. The mitering at the corners causes the blanket to grow. I love this project and I've heard that many of you are making it. It's a great project for a knitting group to make together for a new mom and her baby. Each knitter can make a square. The blanket can be passed around and each member can make a few of the stripes.
The response to my first French Knot Tutorial was very positive. Thank you all. Today I introduce to you my next video tutorial attempt. This week I bring you my "Crochet Flower Tutorial." In it, I show you how to make a small crochet flower like those shown above. This is also the crochet flower used on the mittens in my new Winter Wonderland Pattern I revealed on Friday.
Look hard and you'll find French knots on the flowers in the top photo. You can find the French Knot Tutorial here.
And now for something totally different….. Last weekend I was at Webs teaching Creative Embroidery on Knits to a wonderful bunch of women. We had a nice afternoon, even if they did walk out a bit exhausted trying to take in all they learned. They left with beautiful little samplers of many stitches.
It seems that one of the most frustrating embroidery stitches to learn is the French Knot. There are always complaints – “I can’t do it.” “My knots always disappear.” “My knots look like a little speck.” I never let anyone leave my class without knowing how to do this really versatile stitch.
For you all, my loyal readers, I have made a little French Knot Video Tutorial since you weren’t at my class. Enjoy! And please spread the word to any of your friends who have experience French Knot Frustration……
Last year, the month before Christmas, I went slightly craft crazy and made a little birch village full of houses, barns and glittered animals. It was really fun to do – even if there was glitter for months to come all over the house. The best thing was it was an incredibly inexpensive project. I only had to buy crystal clear glitter and had everything else hanging around the house. The people I gave them to loved them with a capital "L."
My family and I have a Thanksgiving tradition. After we eat the turkey at our farmhouse on Thursday, we spend the Friday after Thanksgiving at my sister Nancy’s house in New Hampshire. Quite a while back, we started doing a craft or two on that day, besides eating the leftover turkey in sandwiches. This tradition has become really fun for all of us. Noone stresses over the meals – it’s all leftovers. My mom, sisters and I and all the cousins sit around Nancy’s dining room table and make something. It is probably one of the favorite days of the year for all of us.
This year I suggested my little birch houses. Everyone said it sounded good and so we all collected the supplies we needed and brought it to Nancy’s.The project was such a success – especially with the teenage girls – that I thought it would be a great tutorial to share with all of you.
So here you go – get busy and make up your own little winter wonderland holiday village.
Here’s what you will need: 1. Recycled cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes. Scour your closets and pantry for all different kinds – toothpaste, pasta, Kleenex, candy – anything goes but remember that the size of your box determines the finished size of your project. If you don’t have much storage space, I suggest a very small box like a toothpaste box. 2. Some recycled cardboard in flat sheets for the roof – soda and beer case boxes are good, as are back pages of notepads. 3. Birch bark – check the sides of the roads for fallen rotting birch logs. Peel the bark off and let it dry. If you don’t live where birch trees grow, you can order birch bark on the internet. (Does anyone have experience ordering with a specific company?) FYI - this is a great winter activity for everyone - Julia and I had a great time driving around looking in the woods for birch logs. She did a great job peeling the bark off the rotting trees. 4. Hot temp glue gun 5. Elmer’s glue and a paintbrush for application 6. Pine cones – big and little 7. Sturdy clippers for cutting the pine cones apart 8. Little bits of greenery such as white pine, princess pine. Try to find sturdy greenery – for instance, hemlock drops too quick so avoid that. Fake greenery would work too although I'm not a fan of it. 9. Scissors that you don’t mind messing up. 10. Crystal Clear Glitter
Step 1: Fold the boxes flat and cut to the desire size you want your house to be. For instance, I cut this butter box in half. I will make 2 houses out of it. After you cut the box, glue the bottom back together so it stands up sturdy again.
Remember that a big house will take longer and use up more supplies. The older cousins made some huge houses and sat there for hours gluing them all together. If you want to make a bunch of these for gifts, go for smallish boxes and houses.
2. Cut 2 triangular pieces of cardboard for the trusses that will hold up the roof. Hot glue them to opposite sides of the box.
3. Cut out your roof out of another piece of cardboard. For mine, I used the natural folds in the cracker box for the peak. I laid it on my house and eyeballed. You can trim it down in size later. Do not glue it to the box.
4. Gather your birch bark. It is very interesting material. The different layers of the bark split to reveal papery sublayers. The outside is the classic grey birch color. The inside layers are a lovely tannish shade with stripes. The innermost layers on rotted trees is a very dark brown. All these colors give you lots of possibilities.
5. Using hot glue, cover your box with birch bark. Trim to the box shape as it dries. I used the tan color for my houses.
Then cover the roof with the grey outer layers of bark. Here is it fun to use the natural rotted edges for texture and layer different pieces on top of each other.
6. Using hot glue, attach the roof to the bottom of the house by applying hot glue to the trusses. Hold it until it is dry.
7. Cut some of the inner bark which is dark brown into doors and windows. Hot glue them on the house.
8. Clean your workspace of all the brown, shaggy bits. It is time to glitter.
Use craft glue and a paintbrush. Paint the roof with the glue. Then paint the windows. Apply the glitter to the roof, windows, and doors. Shake off the excess. The fallen glitter will now be a bit dirty. Keep it in a separate container and you can use it again for more of the same project.
8. Using hot glue, attach the pine cones and bits of greenery to the sides of the house.
Using craft glue apply some glitter to the pinecones too to make them look loaded with snow.
9. Decorate the peak of the roof. Using strong clippers, cut apart a large pine cone. Use the single pine cone pieces for the peak. Hot glue them, overlapping as you go.
Here's what the roof will look like.
Glitter the roof trim.
You can use your imagination for other roof trims. Last year I used lichen, moss, and silvery pipecleaners to decorate the peak. It's up to you and what you find in the woods.
That's it - you are done. You can glue a piece of paper over the bottom of the box and write a message on it. Don't forget to sign and date the box so when you take it out in 20 years, you'll remember way back when.
What cute little homemade decorations, don't you think? Build your own little village. I'm adding to mine this year with some more little buildings. Wouldnt it be fun to make an exact replica of your own house?
A little FYI. Kids under 11 or so really need help with the project. The hot glue and all the trimming is tricky. My nieces Camille (almost 13), Celia (15) and Olivia (16) really went to town with this project. I called the day after and they were still building houses. What fun!
Last year, the month before Christmas, I went slightly craft crazy and made a little birch village full of houses, barns and glittered animals. It was really fun to do – even if there was glitter for months to come all over the house. The best thing was it was an incredibly inexpensive project. I only had to buy crystal clear glitter and had everything else hanging around the house. The people I gave them to loved them with a capital "L."
Step 1:
7. Cut some of the inner bark which is dark brown into doors and windows. Hot glue them on the house.
8. Clean your workspace of all the brown, shaggy bits. It is time to glitter.
Using craft glue apply some glitter to the pinecones too to make them look loaded with snow.
Glitter the roof trim.
