Michelle's blog

Stitch Glossary: Here is a collection of detailed illustrations to help you with our most commonly used embroidery stitchces.

How Tos: Here is a collection of tutorials and tips that will help you with things like working with felt or reducing and enlarging patterns.

Desktop Wallpapers

Kids Games

Wee Folk Art Share Buttons

Gnome Stories

Coloring Pages

Fairy is taking my beginning knitting class and she has been diligently working on her projects. She wanted to share photos of her Baby Chick with strict instructions on the copyrights. "You can put it on Wee Folk Art on it but it needs to say Fairy next to the Wee Folk Art, because it's my project. And I want it in a blue color." So this is Fairy's project, the photos were taken by her and shared with her consent. LOL - the kid understand copyrights better than most adults on the web I believe.

Her comments on the project are, "It was a little tough to sew it up, but it was fun. If you can knit I think you should make one. It is a very cute birdie. Babies would like it."

Directions for the Little Birdie can be found HERE.

Project Three : Block-work Hat

I designed this hat project to help us review everything we have learned so far. This hat requires you to complete casting on, knitting, binding off and seaming multiple times. For this project you will need to make 4 rectangular blocks. Two will be completed in a solid color yarn, two in a multi-colored yarn. The picture shows the hat before it has been finished... we will complete it in a couple weeks when everyone has finished their 4 blocks.

Materials:
One skein Deborah Norville Collection Everyday Soft Worsted Prints Yarn and
one skein Deborah Norville Collection Everyday Soft Worsted Solid Yarn in a color to match
or 2 skeins of worsted weight yarn
size 8 needles
Yarn needle

Directions:
Cast On 40 stitches.
Knit 4 and 1/2 inches.
Bind Off. Leave yourself a 18-24" tail for seaming later.
(make 4 total, 2 solid color, 2 multi-color)

When you have completed all 4 blocks, sew them long sides together in a solid, multi, solid, multi pattern. Then sew the outside two seams together to form a complete a circle. We will discuss how to finish the top of the hat in a couple weeks. We will be making pom-poms using the Susan Bates easy wrapper pom-pom maker.

Just so you know, after we complete the Block-work Hat we will be learning the Purl Stitch.

Additional Projects
I know that a few of my students will finish their hats early, while others will need the full 4 weeks to complete them. So I search the web for some other patterns that can be completed with the knitting skills that I have taught so far. These patterns are all from the Lion Brand website. They are free but you may need to register on their site to view them.

Easy Berry Scarf

Learn to Knit Cuff

Soft Berry Hat

My Favorite Blankie

For one of our first projects in my Newbie Knitting class, I wanted something fairly simple, quick to finish and something the girls in my class could wear to show off their new skills. This Easy Headband fit the bill. Add the Easy Headband to your Ravelry Queue.

Materials
Size 8 needles
About 30 yards of worsted weight yarn.

Cast On 7 sts.
Work in garter stitch (which just means knit every row).
To determine the length needed, measure your head.
Subtract 2.5 inches to find the length you need (the garter stitch is very stretchy).
When you reach your length, bind off leaving a 12" tail.
Use a yarn needle and the tail of yarn to stitch the ends together.
Weave in ends.

Optional: You can add felt flowers, stars, etc and/or beads to add embellishments to your headband. Get creative.