Christmas Decoration (Student Edition)

As a university student I rather not spend a lot of time on Christmas decorations.  I also don't have the money to invest in a lot of decorations.  The time leading up to Christmas is exams so I made this project as a way to procrastinate studying. Its all with items that you'll have around your house.  If you live in residence this craft might not be as possible, but for rez there's always paper snowflakes.

I made ornaments with salt dough.  For some people this might make sense, it seems to be a popular children activity.  Some of my friends made some growing up but I missed that memo.  I decided to try to make some tree decorations with it.

What you'll need:
-1 cup of flour
-1/4 cup of salt
-1/2 of water
-Food Coloring (Optional)
-Rolling Pin
-Shot glass or other glasses
-Knife
-Toothpick
-Parchment paper
-Ribbon or yarn


In a bowl add the flour and salt, in you measuring cup for the water mix in the food coloring.  I had a food coloring paste so I added 2 globs of it.  But you can use any type of food coloring that you have access too.  I thought blue looked kinda like ice which is winter themed.

Slowly mix in the colored water.  You want to get it to a cookie dough consistency, not to dry and not to wet. Lay out from parchment paper and plop your salt dough on to it. Roll it out till its about 1/4 of an inch thick.

I don't own any cookie cutters, so I had to improvise how to get the shapes for the ornaments.
With the shot glass covered with a bit of flour, press it in to the dough like a make shift cookie cutter.  Place them on a cookie sheet and you can turn your oven on to 150-200 degrees F (66-93 degrees C) at this point to let it preheat.

You can also use a knife to cut out shapes that you want. I made a few shapes but I didn't have the patience to cut out that many.  As a student with silly roommates some not safe work ornaments were made...

With your toothpick poke a hole so you can later thread your ribbon or yarn through it.

Place your tray in the oven for about half an hour.  You want to try out the ornaments but not burn them.  The bottom of mine where a little brown but over all they looked pretty good. I probably should have taken them out a few minutes earlier.

Going into the oven

Coming out of the oven

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Let them cool down, thread the ribbon through them and place them on your tree if you have one or place them around your home.   If you have any paints you can paint it as you want, and find ways to decorate it.   

If you try this or have done salt dough before let me know in the comments below. 

Zoe 

How to make a Pompom

Hey everyone,

You might not know this but I write monthly crafting columns for a newspaper at my school. I just wanted to share what I wrote for this month which is a how to make a pompom.

What you'll need:
-Yarn, I'm using a Mint Green Acrylic I had leftover from a hat
-Square Coaster
-Scissors

1. Take your coaster and yarn. Hold yarn in place at the top using your hand.

2. Start to wrap the yarn around the coaster, try to cover that first wrap so that you don’t have
to keep holding the yarn, but try to keep it taut but not tight, you’ll have to move it later and you don’t want it to be too hard.

3. Wrap until it looks close to a size appropriate for a pompom.

4.Cut the wrap and hold it

5. Cut a piece of yarn about a foot long and fold in half.

6. Slide off the warp yarn from the coaster into the piece of yarn you have. Try to get it
centered.

.

7.Tie the piece of yarn around loops as tight as possible.

8.With your scissors cut all the loops that were created by warping the yarn.

9.Cut the ends a little to give it a nicer shape, and a bit more even if there are pieces that are obviously longer.

10.Shake it and make it fluffy.


Now that you have a pom pom what the hell will you use it for? You can add it
to a hat that you have that is missing the awesomeness of a pompom. I made a purple on and pinned
it to my cork board and it looks pretty awesome there. You can throw it at
people. Either way, have fun and good luck!

A Very Long Scarf

Hello!



So early in the year, I was contemplating out loud what my next project I should be working on next and my roommate asked if I can make him a really long scarf for this coming winter.  He had been looking around in some stores and couldn't find any in colours that he liked. So it would make sense from him to get a custom one that would let him pick the colors and such.






I just finished the scarf, I've been working on it for the past three months.  The reason it took so long is because it's almost 7 feet long.  I also worked on some other projects while working on this one.  One of my other roommates has pointed out that I start too many projects that I don't follow through on.  Which has sort of happened during this summer.

Roommate with Scarf

The pattern for the scarf is pretty simple, but it would take about 15 mins to do a row because I was working the scarf vertically .  I ended up rippling back my first attempt because it was too short in my opinion to satisfy my roommate.  My second, and final attempt, I found was a little longer then I was expecting but overall was supper happy with the result.




 It's a crochet scarf using Caron Simply Soft.  I used this pattern but I mortified the amount of chains I did at the beginning instead of 240 I did 345-ish (I really don't think I counted it well so plus/more a few stiches).  I also made sure that I started and ended each row with a single crochet.  I did 11 rows of each blue section and the white in the middle was only 10 rows.  

Look at that happy face! 

  




My roommate is really happy with the scarf.  I think he's going to look awesome this winter. It was a fun project to work on. 

Talk to you soon,

Zoe 

Squirtle Crochet

I know I mentioned that I made a crochet Squirtle in a previous post.  I made him for a friend and I really like it so I thought I would write a little bit more about it.

Just a head 

I used a pattern from Wolfdreamer, their site is filled with patterns for crochet Pokemon which I was really impressed with.  I ended up already having most of the colors needed for the crochet in my stash which I was super happy about, since there isn't a lot of yarn required for each part of the Squirtle.

The pattern was pretty easy to follow, I only had troubles figuring out how to do the fingers and toes. In the end I'm pretty sure I did it correctly.

I really liked working on this guy and I love how cute he is!!

Cheers! 

Zoe 

Summer Time

The weather has finally gotten nice after what felt like a infinite winter.  Now that I'm done my year at university I am planning to write more blogs, as you can tell I tried to do Knitting and Crochet Blog week but I did not complete it, it was the same week as a long weekend so I went on a trip were I didn't have internet and I didn't have the foresight to prewrite my posts.

I don't have much else to write so here some pictures of photos of flowers that I've taken.

Taken at a tulip festival

Still at the festival

Some type of pink flower in my garden 

I've started writing a knitting pattern for a hat and I'm hoping to share it with you soon. I've never tried writing a pattern before so it might not go every well.  I'll keep you posted on how that is going.

That's pretty much all for now,

Zoe

5KCBWDAY4 Conversations Between Workers

So I missed yesterdays post because I went to a tulip festival instead writing a post... ooopsss


Todays post is a conversation between a tool that you use and yourself. I am picking my double pointed needles (DPN).  I used them a lot, I like knitting hats and mittens both require DPN's. I have this set that its bright purple that I really like using (mostly because its the only set I own because I'm poor and too lazy to buy a new one).  So this is my conversation with my DPN's, I don't have a fun name for them so I'll name them Bob.


Me: Hey Bob what's up?

Bob: Nothing much, just chilling in my plastic bag for the past couple weeks.  I totally can breath in here...

Me: I get it.  Long time, no use. I've been crocheting lately I thought you where okay with that.

Bob: Really? You thought I would be okay with me watching using all your crochet needles without using me...

Me: By all, you mean 2, that less then how many needles than you have.  Anyways, when I'm using in you in a project what you call our relationship?

Bob: Pretty good, why do you ask?

Me: Writing a blog post and I just feel like you run away from me a lot when we're together.

Bob: Oh that.  I thought I was being playful...

Me:  Needles rolling away from me when put you down isn't playful and I've almost stabbed my butt so many times from when I put you down on the sofa and you roll around.

Bob:  Ah man, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that bugged you.

Me: It's okay, we can work on that, and I'll make something with you soon.

Bob: Awesome!!

5KCBWDAY2 Dating Profile

Day two of the knitting and crochet week and this post is the dating profile for a finished object. So I picked a tuque that made earlier in the year.  



Dating Profile:

Shameless Selfie 

About me:

Hey, I'm an knitted tuque of about 2 months old.  Even though I am made in Canada I feel like my have some strong European roots due to my fair isle pattern. I'm made of acrylic yarn which does mean I have a hard time connecting with others.  I'm made of bright colors to show my fun, light hearted personality.

Interests:

I have a huge interest in Heritage, I was mostly created in a lecture about Heritage, so I have a strong connection to it.  I would not say that studying is an interest but as a student, it takes up all of my time.  I spent a lot on my time on campus working.

My favorite season is fall and late winter because I can go from long walks and spent a lot of time outside without getting to cold.

I love going on adventure to coffee shops, I'm completely infatuated with the smell and atmosphere of coffee shops.  


Dislikes: 

Over all I'm pretty laded back.  I do not like formal events because I don't feel like a fit in.  I also dislike big headed people, they bend me out of shape.


Plans for the Future:

I want to travel and see the world, sometimes I feel like I barely get out of my own neighborhood.  Apart from that I just want to spend times with my friends and live life to its fullest.      

Me and my best friend on a walk

 That's pretty much all about me.

My marker will be back tomorrow with an other post.


Much love

Tuque

5KCBWDAY1 - Day in the Life

I'm participating in the 5th Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, created by Eskimimi Makes.  It is my second year going it and I plan on releasing a new blog post everyday this week.  (Hopefully) 

Today was A Day in The Life...

This is be the day in the life of my currently project, that I casted on today actually.  

I am going to try to make a Squirtle Pokemon toy.  I made a crocheted one last week for a friend using the following this pattern.  I really liked it and another friend wants one so I'm starting one for them.  With this one, I'm going change some elements about and see how it goes.

Crocheted Squirtle, make by me

My day in the life started last night when I was trying to unknot the mess that is my blue yarn and turn it into a ball.  I was hanging out with some friends while I was working on this and our conversation lead to us looking up Drake and Lil Wayne videos on YouTube.  I am not completely sure how since we don't usually listen to rap music when we are hanging out together.  One of my friends looked at me and the ball I was making and said "Look you're warping too".  It was a PUNishing joke, but I was able to make a nice ball of yarn with which I can actually use.  

So pretty 

 

The rest of the day of my WIP was me starting to knit a ball in the blue to become the head.  

So far so good 

It is a quiet day for my project but a good start. 

Later days

Zoe