Crocheted Flowers

Initially I wanted to learn to crochet so that I could create some fun embellishments for knitted hats. After a few failed attempts I think I found a couple of patterns/tutorials that are easy to follow and have a lovely end result.

Made using 50 chains initially with Hometown USA super bulky yarn, this flower is BIG! I haven't decided where to use it yet. I have visions of it on a child's hat, but weight might be an issue. Stay tuned!

The flower above and below were both made using the same pattern as the big purple flower, but used a single strand of worsted weight yarn and a chain of 50 to start. This creates a big enough flower to make a statement on any size hat without becoming heavy or overbearing. These flowers are so easy to make and are so cute on hats, headbands, bags, scarves, pins, hair clips, etc...

Here is the tutorial, easy to follow and can be adjusted for smaller or larger flowers depending on the number of chains you start with. The bulkier the yarn, the bulkier the flower. You can get a lot of different looks just by switching up the yarn. 

Non-curling Loomed Hat

Ever since I began loom knitting I have had problems with the issue of curling edges. While I am still trying to address this issue when knitting scarves and flat panels, I found a pattern that I love for making a hat brim that doesn't curl or roll and doesn't need to be folded up (but looks very cute folded as well!). It creates a lovely finished edge and adds interest to a basic knit stitch hat.

Of course when I took pictures of this hat, I neglected to leave the brim unfolded. But you can see in the picture below that the brim uses a different stitch pattern that allows for a neat finished edge. No rolling. Here is a photo of another hat that uses the same method and isn't folded:

I used the red Knifty Knitter round loom for the purple hat, this pattern isn't size specific and can be used with any size or brand loom.

Use the Long tail cast-on method. A great site for cast-on and bind-off tutorials can be found here.

Purl one row. Knit one row. Purl one row.

E-wrap and knit over until your hat is the desired length.

I love using the flat draw-string bind-off method over the traditional gathered bind-off. It creates a more smooth top with fewer gathers. A bit more complex, but once you get the hang of it and compare it with a gathered bind-off you will see that it is worth it. Directions can be found at the link above.

Add your favorite pom pom, flower, or leave it as is! This is definitely my go to hat pattern because it is quick, well made, and very cute. Enjoy!

Loom Love

To my husband's dismay, I have taken up another crafting hobby. Loom knitting. I purchased the round set of Knifty Knitter looms on amazon and got to work experimenting right away. Here are a few of the projects I have completed.

A purple pom pom hat

An Ewok inspired hat with ears

 A loomed hat with a crocheted flower

This snowman was such a great model, not a diva at all!

I have found Pinterest and Youtube to be invaluable in helping me figure things out. Follow my Needle Crafts board on Pinterest to find things that have inspired me or taught me new skills.

Stationery card

Holly Jolly Wishes Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards this season at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

I absolutely love our Christmas card for 2012! It perfectly captured the vintage feel I was going for. The lesson I learned, this being our first card sent out as a couple, was to figure out how many cards you think you will need and then add 20! I ended up paying an arm and a leg for an additional order of these cards and will not be making the same mistake next year!

Halloween

This Halloween was fun. Thanks to the wonder that is Pinterest I found several spook-tacular crafts to complete the look I wanted outside our home.

The first project was very simple. The original idea came from Country Living. This is their rendition:

http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/craft-ideas-for-halloween-1009#slide-9

My version is more simple, but it actually looks pretty cool. The bats were easy to cut out free hand. Country Living does provide a pattern (click the link above). My overall goal was to create some dimension with different layers and the color orange. It all leads to the front door and that sugary Halloween candy!

I used some small logs that were leftover from our wedding as pedestals and a tin planter bucket from Ikea to add a little height. The large pumpkin was the perfect shape for a monogram and since it's my first Halloween as a Paulson, I decided to do a simple polkadot "P". Ryan got out the drill and we went to work. It turned out to be a very easy process and made for quick carving. It also looked great lit up. 

This is a simple wreath I made using a tutorial I found on Pinterest as well. The felt flowers came together very quickly. No need for perfectly formed circles of the same size here. A stack of felt in whatever color(s) you like, a little hot glue, and a wreath (I actually ripped the burlap flowers off another wreath I was tired of looking at) and you can have yourself something quite lovely.

Here is a closer look. And here is the link to the tutorial I used to make the flowers.

http://www.littlethingsbringsmiles.com/2010/12/felt-fun.html

Add a few gourds to a vase, an antique chair...and some more gourds, and you're done! Just because it's Halloween doesn't mean the decor needs to be scary. This is a classic look that can easily carry over into November with a few minor changes. Hope you liked it!

Artisan Bread From My Oven!

I recently had the pleasure of marrying a wonderful man named Ryan. I received a multitude of fabulous gifts as a result. One of my favorite gifts was a pizza peel, a pizza stone, and the book "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". The first chance I had I cracked open that book and read. The theory behind the book is that you make a large batch of "wet" dough (no kneading required!), let it rest on the counter, and then stick it in the fridge for use at a later date (up to 2 weeks later depending on the recipe you choose). Once you get the jest of the process, it is pretty simple and requires little effort. Here are my results:

Here is the dough after a 2 hour rise on the counter top. This is a super large Tupperware bowl. You really only need a 6 quart container with a loose fitting lid. 

You simple form a portion of the dough into a ball (no kneading!) and place it onto the floured peel for an hour and 40 minutes.

Here is a pic I took of Ryan and Rhubarb while waiting for the dough to rest on the peel.

Here is the dough ball.

Once rested, I floured the ball and slashed a shell pattern on the top. 

Here is the beautiful baked loaf fresh out of the oven! Amazing. 

Here is a sideways picture of the book. Definitely worth picking up. It's easy to follow and for people who are starting out in the bread baking world, this is perfect. There are tons of blog posts about this book so I am not going to post detailed directions or the recipe, but I am telling you to give this a try. You won't be disappointed. I have a batch of dough for pizzas waiting for me in the fridge and this week I intend to attempt a grilled pizza on our new infrared charbroil grill. Can't wait! 

Free-Hand Embroidered Deer

For Mothers Day this year, I wanted to make something really unique for my wonderful mom. I decided to embroider something that could be hung up in my parents room at their cabin. My maiden name is Buck, so I thought it would be nice to do something with the animal of the corresponding name. I found the picture below and had an idea of what I wanted to do, a sort of stained glass mosaic pattern on canvas.

I traced the deer onto the canvas and began embroidering triangles. I did these mostly free hand and did not feel the need to take the time to draw the lines on. I did draw lines for the legs at first until I got the hang of what I was doing. 

Close Up!

Extreme Close Up!

           I added a little outline of Minnesota to personalize it a bit. Oh Minnesota, my home sweet home.

The antlers were the most difficult, but I think they turned out well in the end.

I alternated colors and did a simple satin stitch for the insides of the triangles.

I left the Minnesota patch empty so that it would stand out and I liked the end result. 

Here is a close up of the filled in triangles. I forgot to take the final picture before giving it to my mom, but will try to get one soon! I framed it in a modern frame and it now hangs in their cabin bedroom. It was a challenging, time-consuming, but rewarding project. Plus I love the way it turned out. Making something like this for my mom made me appreciate her all the more. She definitely deserves more than a store bought gift and I think the hours I poured into this embroidery were well worth it. Love you mom!