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Saturday, January 19, 2013

A few of the crafty things the gals at creative savv were up to over the holidays

Over the holiday break, the girls in our house got a bit crafty. Here are three of the things we made.


This is a bracelet that I made for myself. My son had given me a gift card to Jo-Ann's Fabric and Crafts for my birthday last year. I finally used part of it to make something for myself.

The beads come on a string and are a selection that mix and match, but in no particular order. I strung them on stretchy cord, as I've done for other bracelets. (Easy how-to's for beading bracelets, here) I spent about 30 minutes deciding on the pattern I liked best, laying the beads out in a line to get a feel for how they would look. The actual stringing took about 10 minutes.

I receive coupons in the mail from Jo-Ann's several times per year. Well worth signing up to receive them. I used a 50% off coupon for my beads, dropping the price of my bracelet from the retail price of $5.99, to $3 and tax. Similar bracelets sell in the mall for about $12-15.

the bracelet that Julia beaded for me for Christmas

My daughter, Julia, also had the idea to bead me a bracelet. She was with me the day I selected the beads for the one that I made. While in the store, she and I oohed and ahhed over some Swavorski crystal embedded beads.

Unbeknownst to me, Julia got her brother, Chris, to drive her back down to Jo-Ann's, and she bought a couple of packets of these crystal-embedded beads, and some stretchy cord of her own. She beaded this bracelet for me as a Christmas gift. How sweet is that?!

the hat Grace knit for me for Christmas

My other daughter, Grace, (also a crafty one), was with me in Friday Harbor (up in the San Juan Islands) this fall. There was a yarn shop that looked very intriguing. So we popped in for a minute, while the rest of the gang was checking out a toy shop, filled with unusual toys.

my fleece hat
Grace knits very well (the knitting-well gene skipped a generation, my knitting is not so fine). So this is the sort of shop she enjoys. We looked at several examples of hats that the shop owner had knit. I mentioned that I could really use a knit hat. I have a fleece hat that I'd sewn for myself, but it doesn't fit snugly, as a knit hat would.

All this conversation about knit hats gave Grace the idea to do one up for me. She made it as a slouch hat, but I told her that I think it's perfect with the lower edge rolled up two layers, to cover my ears in such cold weather. She did a beautiful job. I can't do designs and patterns like she can.

My daughters also sewed items for each other as Christmas gifts. They are quite the crafty little young ladies. Gee, I wonder where they get their interest in crafting?  ; )

10 comments:

  1. Wow! Impressive! My sister is the seamstress/knitter in the family. I might be inspired after reading this post to rediscover knitting and try it out with my daughter! I bet we could manage a scarf--all the same stitch, of course.

    My daughter received a simple beading kit for Christmas. I was proud of her--there were enough beads to make 2 necklaces and she made one for her best friend. She was excited about how it turned out.

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    1. Hi Kris,
      That is so sweet of your daughter to make a necklaces from her kit and give to her friend! I can see why you'd be proud!

      I can knit rectangles and squares, and only plain stitches. Learning to knit well is on my list for some year. I'll then give it a really good try and see if I can't improve my skills.

      When my daughters were first learning to knit, I bought them "chunky" yarn, the really thick yarn, and super fat needles. Their first project, a scarf, went very quickly as a result, which I think was very encouraging. The other thing you and your daughter could try, for a very fast project, would be a scarf for one of her dolls. One of my daughters just doesn't care for knitting much, but she will/would knit items for stuffed "guys".

      To keep my own frustration levels down, I stick with something very simple. We're fortunate, now, as there are so many really beautiful yarns to choose from, that just because of the yarn itself, something can turn out really nicely, with a simple stitch.
      Good luck!

      Any sign of snow there yet? I saw photos of some beautiful snow in England. I sure would love some here, but the forecasts don't seem to indicate any soon.

      Delete
    2. Good ideas! And not just for my daughter! ;)

      Today was in the 40s but tonight the temperatures are going to bottom out. That should set us up for some lake effect snow (and a lot of wind). I'll keep you posted!

      Delete
    3. Looks like I'll be getting my snow fix vicariously this year. Not a flake to be seen in our neighborhood, although very cold this last week, complete with icy roads every morning.

      Delete
  2. Very nice job on all of the crafts. I enjoy both knitting and beading then and again. My favorite thing to do with the beads is to experiment with new patterns with random beads. It has really expanded my horizon with what I consider pretty.

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    1. Thank you, Live and learn. I'll pass your compliments on to my two girls.

      I would like to be one of those who enjoy knitting (and can make something that looks presentable). That is one of my goals for another winter, to learn to knit better.I am very impressed with people who can knit well.

      What an interesting idea you have with regards to expanding your views on beauty, with beading. I'll have to try that soon. I now have a very large assortment of unrelated-looking beads.

      Hope you're staying warm. I heard that later this week a good portion of the East coast turns very cold.

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  3. The knit hat is very nice. I can knit & purl but cable and other patterns just confuse me. I must say though that the fleece hat is my favorite. Did you make it up or use a pattern?

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    1. Hi frugal spinster,
      one of these years, I'll put effort into learning to knit better. I'd love to be able to do cables and patterns. One of these years. . . For the time being, I'll stick to what I can do.

      I used a pattern, either Butterick or Simplicity (I'm not sure at the moment). It was very quick and easy. I had seen a similar hat in a catalog, and although I really wanted to order it, $40 was much more than I was willing to pay. After the hat was done, I discovered that I had enough leftover fleece to sew a pair of mittens to go with it! I've hung onto the hat pattern, so that I can make a summer hat or two.

      Do you save your old patterns? I have a box of them that I should go through sometime.

      Delete
  4. Fantastic job on the knitting by your daughter. I love that your family gifts were given with so much thought.

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    1. Hi Lois,
      I'll pass the compliment on to her.
      Our family does enjoy homemade gifts, both to make and receive. We all think there's a lot of heart in a homemade gift. Thanks for your comments.

      I hope you're having a lovely weekend. Stay warm!

      Delete

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