Roses brighten my day!

These beautiful roses were sent to me at work by my beautiful daughter.

They are a birthday gift. I'm so lucky to have a sweet and thoughtful daughter!

Thank you, dear daughter, for thinking of me and surprising me in such a wonderful way that brightened up my birthday.

Knitted Spring Flower Tutorial, for Beginners too!

This knitted spring flower was inspired by SisterDiane's Stiffened Fabric Jewelry Tutorial on CraftyPod.com. I translated it into knitting, I just couldn't help myself. Of course I do plan on doing her tutorial with actual fabric eventually, but this just had to be made! Now I'm sharing it with you!


The materials you will need are:

• - worsted weight yarn
• - size US 7 knitting needles (notice I used double pointed ones with rubber point protectors on one end- because they are shorter than regular needles and I couldn't find any of my other size US 7 needles except the super long 14" and these were much easier to use!)
• - one button, whatever size you want - mine happens to be 5/8"
• - tapestry needle
• - pin back, or headband

To make the flower you will need to knit two squares, one in Garter Stitch (knit every row) and the other in Stockinette Stitch (knit one row, purl the next, repeat these two rows).
If you don't yet know how to knit anything but Garter Stitch, have no fear! Just knit the second square by casting on 11 stitches, and knitting until you have 10 ridges. The squares should be, well... square!
Garter Stitch square: Using the US 7 knitting needles and the worsted weight yarn, cast on 14 stitches, leaving a yarn tail of about 3 inches. I used the knitted cast on (I plan on having a tutorial soon to show how to work this cast on), but feel free to use the cast on that you are most comfortable working. Knit the Garter Stitch square until there are 14 ridges then bind off. Fasten off, but don't weave in the ends.

HINT: You can check to make sure you have enough rows to make it a square by folding it into a triangle by taking one of the cast on row corners diagonally across the piece up to the knitting needle. If it matches up to the opposite top corner stitch on the needle, then you're ready to bind off.
Stockinette Stitch square: Cast on 14 stitches. Purl the first row, knit the next, continue in Stockinette until there are 15 rows, ending with a purl row. Bind off on the knit side, fasten off but don't weave in the ends.

NOTE: In the photo above you see the Stockinette Stitch square on top of the Garter Stitch square. Notice how much bigger the Garter Stitch one is, even though both squares were worked with 14 stitches!


Next, we make the flower petals!
Decide which side of the Garter Stitch square you want to be the outside of your flower, and place the square with the inside facing up. Use the tapestry needle and one of the yarn tail ends. Insert the needle into the opposite corner from where the yarn is coming. Sew the two points together.



The square should then look like the one in the photo above.



Next, sew the other two corner points together in the center.


After all four corners are sewn together, it will look like the photo above.


Insert the needle down into the center of the flower until it comes out on the back, as above.


This will draw the petal corners down against the inside of the square, sew them down at the center points only. The folded outside part of the petals will be puffy- this is good!
Use the tapestry needle and sew the other yarn end through to the back as well.
Sew the other square in the same manner. See the next photo for info on the Stockinette Square.


The Stockinette Stitch Square above on the right, is sewn with the knit side to the inside. I just think it looks prettier this way, you may certainly make it either way you wish! The Garter Stitch square is on the left.


Place the smaller square on top of the Garter Stitch square. On my finished flower, I placed the smaller one at an angle so that the bottom petals showed more, and I used the open petal sides of both squares facing up. Actually, in the photo above, it shows the flat side of the bottom square facing up. Again, you are free to put your own twist on this project!



Sew the petal squares together through the center, and sew on the button on the outside top. Fasten off the yarn ends on the underside so they won't show. You can sew on a metal pin back to make a brooch, or as I did, sew your finished flower onto a headband. Secure all the yarn ends, and VOILA! Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did!

Amigurumi Skull

     

Skull-y Amigurumi PDF by Beth Todd

Just thought I would post my amigurumi design, Skull-y.

The pattern is NOW available! Just click on the photo or the links above to go to my Craftsy shop to purchase a Skull-y PDF crochet pattern to make one of these little guys for yourself! You can also buy my Skull-y PDF on Ravelry!

Creativity - Not just a job. It's an adventure. Or -It's not all about the destination, it's the journey that's important!

Yes, I know, cliches are so cheesy! But in this case they are both so true.

Creativity has to be a constant companion if you want to stay inspired. When you get an idea for some new project, whatever your media may be, write it down! Sketch it out! Keep a file or notebook of these ideas. If you are looking through a catalog and see a picture that causes you to think of using certain colors together or implement some new shapes or patterns, then cut out the picture or page and put it in your notebook (provided that it is your own catalog!). Be creative to capture these fleeting ideas of inspiration so that you can use them in the future!

I have a file folder, or two or three, that I keep ideas in. I also have a notebook that I put all the scraps of paper that I sketch and scribble on, in clear plastic sheet protectors. I like organizing all these bits of information so that I can find them when I need to. It's like getting inspired all over again every time I look through these notebooks and file folders.

Now, I have to be realistic and know that every idea that I have for a new design or project won't actually be 'born'. Some ideas that people have should have stayed in their notebook! I know you can remember one of those interesting knit sweater designs in a magazine or book that made you wonder what the designer was thinking!?

Well, being creative as a job can be difficult. It is hard to consistently come up with good, viable ideas without copying other ideas. There are not that many different ways to create a standard sweater, for instance. You can get creative with the texture or colors used, or how you combine the shapes of the sweater. Since we are talking about knitting here, what I use for inspiration for knitted garments, for example, are stitch pattern books like the Harmony guides and Nicky Epstein's books. For inspiration on using colors in designs, I sometimes use Deb Menz Color Works book, art books, and one book I recommend for combining colors as well as different textures of yarns is the Yarn Stash Workbook from Laura Bryant. I used this last book for a class I taught on working with colors in knitting and crochet.

There are many ways to get inspired to creativity. The important thing to remember is to stay open to new ideas, collect them, but don't just stop there. Next time, we'll look into how to go beyond the idea stage into the actual creative process.

Being inspired, getting creative, and making it happen!

Who needs inspiration? Everyone! Look around at every aspect of daily life. The clothing we wear, the items we use to decorate our homes, the foods we eat, even the computers and their programs we utilize. All of these were designed and created by someone who was inspired to do so.

In creative pursuits, like crafts and art, inspiration can produce a finished piece that further inspires others. These artistic pieces may have been a result of the creator's trying to express an emotion, or a thought that came to them while looking at nature, or an idea that came to them doing ordinary mundane activities. Inspiration can come from anywhere and anything if we are open and receptive.

In this photo I show how I was inspired by the pattern and colors in fabric. I love how the colors look together, so I just HAD to purchase beads in colors as close as I could get. I still need to sketch up the ideas in my head to see what this becomes, probably a cuff style bracelet using the circle shapes, or maybe squares...
I'll add pics of the sketches and progress soon, and go into more detail about how I get inspired to create.