In the last post I added some links to online yarn stores. Do you find yarn expensive? I guess if your hobby provides you with something functional afterwards, then you’re getting double value for your dollar. However, I found these step by step instructions on reclaiming yarn from thrift store sweaters at Chaotic Crafter which would massively reduce the cost of knitting.

Potholder @ Chra Chen	Cable knit potholder @ Katy Elliott	Nifty knit potholder @ Permission to unwind
Birdseed scarf @ Purl Bee	Snowdrop lace Scarf @ Permission to unwind	Reversible cable scarf @ Craftzine
Simple hat @ Slip Slip Knit	Cloche Friend Hat @ Yarn Tasting	Beret @ Purl Bee
Tutorial on knitting socks @ Come to Silver	Cubist socks @ Knitting Daily	Sundance  socks @ Simply Sock Yarn
Fetching fingerless gloves @ Knitty	Tipless gloves @ Rain Drops	Coraline Gloves @ Largely Unrepeatable
Garter rib baby blanket @ Orange Flower	Easy baby blanket @ Purl Bee	Baby blanket with hood @ Thrifty Knitter

Have you read these articles?:

1. winter wool projects part two – crochet roundup
2. winter wool projects part three – learning to knit
3. winter wool projects part one – learning to crochet

Knitting isn’t really a craft I do often, though. At the moment I am knitting up some new dishcloths and in the past I have made the usual scarf and even the odd jumper. Recently I decided to teach myself the continental method of knitting, essentially the yarn is held in the left hand rather than the right. As I am a lefty, I find it easier to switch between knit and purl this way.

A few years ago, there was a knitting revolution. All of a sudden it was hip to be seen with a pair of needles and apparently all the celebs were clicking away. As a result, a plethora of books on modern knit patterns were published and yarns in every colour and texture appeared on the market.

Knitting is the other meditative yarn craft. Knitting your own stuff will probably not save you much money, but it’s another possible skill to learn and another source of industry and pride. If you’re wanting to learn how to knit, there are a lot of videos on the net but I find cyberseams videos easy to follow even though they are silent.

The online place to be for knitters and crocheters is Ravely, a forum dedicated to wool crafts. For free patterns, knitting pattern central is a good place to start.

Some knitting blogs

• Never not knitting
• Knit and tonic
• Exercise before knitting
• Men who knit

Australian Online Yarn Stores

• Bendigo Woollen Mills (probably the most famous; good quality and value for money)
• Wool Baa
• Yarn Barn
• Needle Nook
• Knitting Yarns
• Knitting Yarn Shop
• The Wool Shack
• Yay For Yarn

Have you read these articles?:

1. winter wool projects part one – learning to crochet
2. winter wool projects part four – knitting roundup
3. winter wool projects part two – crochet roundup

Below are a few random crochet projects that will (I hope) inspire and excite. I really didn’t believe a granny square rug could look so good until I saw the picture of the Stockholm Afghan by Stitch Nation.

Aside from the sites from which the patterns below come from, All Free Crochet is also a good source of crochet patterns.

Modern Vintage Potholder @ Bag ‘n’ Trash	One piece potholders @ Crochet Site	Simple potholder @ Meet me at Mike’s
Ribbed Scarf @ Mel P Designs	Hood Scarf @ Deb’s Crochet	Lacy Scarf @ The Art of Zen Crochet
Tropical Shawl with Fringe @ Crochet and other stuff	Civil War ear shawl @ Dishcloth diaries	Guinevere Shawl @ Caroline Creates
Slouchy Beanie @ Mis Fyd Krafts	Crochet Socks @ Crochet Me	Crochet Hankies @ Hookin’ Ain’t Easy
Bouncy Ball Baby Blanket @ Deb’s Crafts	Neapolitan ripple baby blanket @ Greeting Arts	Wavy Blanket @ Crochet me
Weekend in Stockholm Afghan @ Stitch Nation	Wind Chime Afghan @ Lion Brand	Geometric Tweed Afghan @ Fave Crafts
Easy Doily @ Crochet Treasures	Doily 7272 @ Free Vintage Crochet	Mantilla Doily @ Coats and Clark

Have you read these articles?:

1. winter wool projects part one – learning to crochet
2. winter wool projects part four – knitting roundup
3. winter wool projects part three – learning to knit

I love having a hand project on the go. On one hand the repetitive nature of crocheting or knitting or hand sewing is relaxing and meditative. On the other, it make TV time seem more productive. I hate sitting idle in front of the telly.

Part of being frugal is living more independently, relying less on others to meet every single need. Being able to make some of your own clothes and household goods means that you are to some extent at least less reliant on big business (most of us still have to buy the wool, after all). Not that you have to learn to crochet in order to live frugally.

If you haven’t tried knitting or crocheting but want to learn, I’m going to be unconventional and say: try crocheting first. When you crochet, you are only working with one stitch at a time so you don’t have the problem of dropping stitches or trying to work backwards to fix mistakes, like you do with knitting.

My grandmother taught me to knit when I was about seven and crochet when I was about twelve years old. I had a hard time convincing her to teach me because I am left-handed and she said it would be too hard. She ended up teaching me to crochet right-handed instead.

I though I would share with you some of the crocheting projects I have made in the past. When I was around fifteen years old I crocheted the bed spread pictured above. The pattern, log cabin, is still my favourite. With the scraps I made this granny square cushion that I still use today and that our cat particularly likes.

I spent the winter when I was sixteen in the rocking chair above, crocheting the table cloth below (ok, I wasn’t exactly a conventional teenager). This table cloth won first prize in our local show, which would be more exciting if I hadn’t been the only entrant.

And where use would crocheting be without the ubiquitous doily. This one I made last year for my mother in law. 

If you’re interested in learning to crocket, there is quite a good video series on 5min.com. While you can learn from a book, it makes it easier to actually watch someone do it. The series covers:

• An intro
• How to hold the hook and yarn (although I prefer the wrap around finger method)
• How to start your work
• Basic stitches
• How to make crochet fabric
• Increasing and decreasing; and
• Stitch variations

YouTube also has a whole heap of videos on crocheting.

It is important to note that like many things, Americans have different terminology to the rest of the world, so if you learn the American way and want to make an English or Australian pattern, or vice versa, you will need to convert the stiches. Crochet Australia has an easy conversion table.

If you’re looking for inspiration, I found some really good blogs dedicated to crochet:

• Crochet Mania
• For the love of crochet along
• Crochet Spot
• For the love of crocheting

While I like to crochet, I think that a little can go a long way. And I see I’m not the only one. I came across the blog What not to crochet. Some of the examples are pretty funny.

For now, there is a pot of stock on the stove, filling the house with it’s aroma and promising a good soup for dinner tonight, the baby is asleep and I have half and hour to sit in the sun with a pot of tea, a hook and some wool. For the Love of Crochet has a lovely Japanese flower afghan that I would like to try. Life can’t get any better than that.

Have you read these articles?:

1. winter wool projects part three – learning to knit
2. winter wool projects part two – crochet roundup
3. winter wool projects part four – knitting roundup

While there are hundreds of tutorials on the interwebs for kids pants, I found it difficult to find adult pants tutorials. Some of the kids ones can be translated into adults ones though, I’m sure.

The Katherine Hepburn pants tutorial is unfortunately incomplete, but it does show how to take your measurements and how to draft your own pants pattern. Couple this info with the links on how to alter pants patterns below and you can make endless pants designs.&

Flat Front Pants @ The Train to Crazy	Yoga Pants from old T-Shirt @ Kira’s Sewing Project	Make and wear wrap pants @ Crafty Tutorials
Pyjama pants @ Sew Funky	Cuffed Pants @ Sewing in my sleep	Elastic wasted wrap pants @ indietutes
Quick Change Trousers @ Sew Liberated	Lounge Pants @ Pixie Purls	Katherine Hepburn Pants @ Sewing for Life
Leggings @ Morbid Crafts	Pants from T-Shirt @ Livejournal	Boy’s Pants @ ikatbag

Some useful links on sewing pants:

How to sew Trousers @ Hubpages

How to alter pant’s patterns @ Sew Mama Sew and The Sewing Divas

Zipper fly tutorial @ Sew-What’s Up

Sewing the crotch seam @ Sew Seamless

Sewing Pants @ Independent Living

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Have you read these articles?:

1. Tutorial: Making Hand Embroidered Placemats
2. 45 Awesome Free Bag Making Tutorials
3. 48 + Free Skirt Tutorials

Here is a collection of top refashions. Some of these websites have several refashions (it was hard to choose) so don’t forget to look around when you get there.

Ruffle Me Up T-Shirt @ Brassy Apple	Lace Appliqué Tank Top @ Ali Foster Patterns	Easy T-Shirt Halter @ Craftzine
Shirt without ruffles @ Craftopia online	Crazy Braded T-Shirt @ Adventures in Dressmaking	Lace Trimmed T-Shirt @ Vintage Dutch Girl
Ruffled Shirt @ Threadbanger	Turtle Neck to Ruffle Neck @ Maya Made	Red Dress Refashion @ The How To Girl
Cardigan with a twist @ Oh So Happy Together	White Shirt Refashion @ All The Wyld Things	Refashioned Men’s Shirt @ Viola Pearl
Peasant Blouse Refashion @ My Mamma Made It	Maternity Shirt Refashion @ Homemade By Jill	Shirt Refashion @ Sew Saucy
Bouquet T-Shirt @ Ruffles and Stuff	Blouse Refashion @ My Mamma Made It	Men’s Shirts to Baby Doll Dress @ Chic Steals

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Dreamed of sewing like a pro but have no sewing experience what so ever? Then Sewing 101 is for you. Learn: how to choose the right needle, thread and fabric for your sewing project; how to sew everything from straight stitch to installing zippers, and much more. At over 90 years of age, Mavis ‘the doll lady’ from Mudgee, Australia has had over 80 years of sewing experience. Click here to have a look at her sewing course.

Have you read these articles?:

1. winter wool projects part four – knitting roundup
2. 39 free apron tutorials
3. Roundup: knitted dishcloth patterns

I never expected that I would be bottle feeding so to the list of essentials we added a breast pump (I was trying for a few weeks to bring my milk in), bottles, formula and steriliser (as I expected to breast feed, we started out boiling our bottles on the stove top. A steriliser was an expensive but oh so wonderful convenience purchase). We also ended up with a pram (for nanna really), a bath and a bouncer, both of which get a pretty good work out.

Apart from the essentials, I also did some less essential crafting before the new arrival, that I wanted to share with you. Despite being non essential, we use the items below on a daily basis. As a quilter, I have quite a stash of fabric from my cashed up days, so everything except the fabric and notions for the bag was made from what I already had on hand (no extra money spent).

I made a baby or nappy bag from this tutorial at A Mingled Yarn. I used cotton instead of vinyl for the inside and as commenters on the blog post suggested, reinforced the back pocket. The only modification I would make is to make the side pockets a little deeper so that they close over larger bottles. Oh, and DH would prefer it in less ‘girly’ material so that he can carry it.

To go with the nappy bag, I made a matching change mat out of scraps of material and recycled vinyl from old packaging. The back is made up of patches of scrap fabric so that nothing was wasted.

It’s amazing how much strong plastic packaging we get as packaging. Below is an example of where I got the plastic to make the change mat. The zipper on the packaging was salvaged and stashed away for another project.

I also made a nappy stacker that hangs off the cot. The stacker is tied to the cot. When full of nappies, it weighs an absolute tonne and a coat hanger would neither hold the stacker without bending or go over a door handle. The stacker is a variation of this tutorial at Sew Dang Cute. I got rid of the ruffle and added some pockets to each side for liners and wipes what not.

The dinosaur embroidery is just some clip art from the web that I altered in Inkscape. I have learnt that satin stitch isn’t a good stitch for large areas, Romanian couching would be better for next time.

And again, I made a matching change mat with vinyl between the cotton fabric and a terry flat nappy.

These change mats may seem a bit frivolous when you can just use a nappy or a towel, but they certainly saved a lot of surfaces (like the in-laws’ back car seat) when we travelled down to NSW for dad’s funeral.

Finally, I made some burp cloths from another nappy and cotton backing. The only regret with these is that I haven’t made more, because we use them all the time and they get pretty icky quickly.

I did also make some bum wipes out of scraps of nappy from the change mat and burp cloths. These just go in the wash with the nappies and get reused. The joys of EC is that wiping baby’s bum is a lot easier if he goes over a potty.

There were many other projects on the list, but they will probably have to wait for baby no. 2.

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Sewing 101. A Step by Step Guide to Sewing Basics

Dreamed of sewing like a pro but have no sewing experience what so ever? Then Sewing 101 is for you. Learn: how to choose the right needle, thread and fabric for your sewing project; how to sew everything from straight stitch to installing zippers, and much more. At over 90 years of age, Mavis ‘the doll lady’ from Mudgee, Australia has had over 80 years of sewing experience. Click here to have a look at her sewing course.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Preparation For A Frugal Baby
2. Tutorial: Making Hand Embroidered Placemats
3. The Ultimate Guide To Making Your Own Diapers/Nappies

Who would have thought that there were so many different patterns for the humble knitted dishcloth? The ones below only touch on the variety that can be found on the internet.

Knitted dishcloths make a great project for the beginner knitter, or a way of trying out and exploring new patterns for the more experienced knitter. Or they could serve as an outlet for creating your own knitting designs and patterns. If you’re wanting to make some of your own dishcloths (they are excellent to use by the way), below are some patterns to get you inspired.

As well as knitting patterns, there are also some crocheted dishcloths if you prefer, as well as some scrubby patterns and a Tawashi pattern.

Crocheted Feather and Fan @ Golden Bird Knits	Diagonal Ripple @ To Knit is Devine	Waffle Weave @ Homespun Living
Basket Rib @ Traci Knits	Garter Slip Stitch @ Monika Free Patterns	Learn to Purl @ Knitterly Things
Textured Stripes @ Cocoa Cream’s Craft Closet	Little Twisted Rib @ Lotza Stitches	Bumpy Crochet @ Banku, Pho and Fried Spiders
Basket Weave @ Little House in the Suburbs	Recycled T-shirt dishcloth @ Dollar Store Craft	Garter Ridge Rib @ Tangled Up
Ballband Dishcloth @ Canadian Living	Intertwined Dishcloth @ Smariek Knits	Twisted Purl @ I Live on a Farm
Granny Dishcloth @ Dreadlock Girl	Circle and Chinese Wave @ Mom Advice	Textured Crochet Cloth @ Crochet Me
Bobble Band @ Michaels	Heart Dishcloth @ Dishcloth Diaries	Diagonal Pattern @ Maries Home Hobbies
Double Bump Pattern @ My Jewel Thief Knits	Garterlac @ Criminy Jickets	Squidgy Cloth @ Knit Nutt
Spiral Scrubbies @ Annie Bebop’s Coloring Book	Dishcloth Scrubby @ Crafty Gardener	Tawashi @ Craftzine

For some absolutely beautiful dishcloth designs that are a little bit different, check out Kris Knits. These patterns aren’t free (except a couple), but they are lovely.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Knitted Dishcloths
2. winter wool projects part two – crochet roundup
3. winter wool projects part four – knitting roundup

Apart from a little blanket stitch and a bit of practice, this is the first time I’ve done any embroidery, so this is very much a beginner project. It used satin stitch, and if you can ply a needle, you can do satin stitch.

I created the embroidery design using GIMP, but you can download any embroidery design off the net, create one by hand or copy one out of a book.

You can download the leaf design here.

(instructions for 6 mats)

Materials

• approximately 1 1/2 metres (1.6 yards) cotton fabric – prewashed and ironed (I used a linen blend meant for suits because I thought it was nice material)
• approximately 1 metre interfacing (1.1 yards) (I used a fairly stiff interfacing, it wasn’t iron on)
• a roll of ribbon (or 2m / 80’’)
• embroidery floss to match the ribbon
• matching sewing threads

Cutting

• Cut 12 pieces of the cotton fabric 30 x 35cm (12’’ x 14’’)
• Cut 6 pieces of interfacing 30 x 35 cm (12’’ x 14’’)
• Cut 6 pieces of ribbon 33 cm (13’’) long

Instructions

1. Pin the ribbon approximately 6.5 cm (2 1/2’’) from the right edge. Using the zipper foot attachment on the sewing machine and matching thread, stitch the ribbon along each edge.

2. Using a light box, trace the embroidery design onto each of the six pieces of fabric with the ribbon. I ended up drawing a line down the middle of each leaf for the ‘vein’. Use a fabric pen if you have one, I just used an ordinary lead pencil to trace the design – it gets covered up anyway.

3. This is the part I enjoy the most – hand embroidering them. I used satin stitch for the leaves and the base of the stem and just plain backstitch for the finer part of the stem. This part takes the longest, I usually do a little at a time during my favourite TV shows.

4. Iron if necessary. If you’re using iron on interfacing, iron it on now. Then pin the top, interfacing and bottom in the order pictured.

5. Sew a 1/4 inch seam around all four sides, leaving a gap at the bottom to turn out. Trim the corners.

6. Turn the placemat right side out and use an awl or chop stick to push out the corners, being careful not to poke a hole through the fabric.

7. Give the mat a good press, and hand stitch the opening closed.

8. Top stitch around the mat 1/2 inch from the edge. Press.

And that’s it. Six stunning placemats that don’t cost $12 each!

I hope you liked the tutorial and the placemats. If there are any instructions that don’t make sense, please drop me a line.

Have you read these articles?:

1. crafting for baby – a few non-essential items
2. make your own pants tutorial round up
3. 45 Awesome Free Bag Making Tutorials

The easiest way to create your own satin stitch embroidery patterns using GIMP is to download and install some free brush sets. GIMP recognises brush sets designed for Photoshop, so there are hundreds to choose from. In the spirit of free and open source, please don’t use these free brushes for commercial purposes.

You can download GIMP here.

Please click to enlarge any of the diagrams.

1. Start a new document in GIMP and set the size of the new file to reflect the size of the fabric piece you intend to embroider. For this exercise, I used a napkin size of 18’’ or 46cm square.

2. Create a new layer. A dialogue box will ask for the size you want, ignore this and just click ok. The layer will be the same size as the new file above.

If you’re new to graphics programmes then layers will be new. Basically every new design element is created on a new layer. That way if you want to manipulate only one element of your design, you just select that layer and all other elements will be unchanged. So before adding each new element to your design, create a new layer.

3. Now we need to download some brushes. Google free GIMP brushes and you will find hundreds of websites and brush sets to choose from. For this tutorial I’ve used the graphics pack found at QBrushes.

Download the zip file to your desktop and unzip the brush file to your GIMP brushes folder which is found at C:\program files\GIMP-2.0\share\GIMP\2.0\brushes.

Once you’ve downloaded the file, you will need to refresh your brushes in order for them to be available in GIMP (see diagram below).

4. Now for the fun part. Select your favourite brush and use the scale bar to resize it and the colour palate to change the colour and design away.

Don’t forget, every time you add a new design element to add a new layer first so that every element is on its own new layer. You can look at your layers using the layer dialogue box.

5. Use the move, scale, rotate and perspective tools to manipulate your design. This is where working with layers is important. You can move, rotate or scale an individual design element and all other elements will stay the same.

For elements that you want to create a mirror image, right click on the layer in the layer dialogue box, and select duplicated layer. Then use the layer menu option to flip the image and then move it into position using the move tool.

My design isn’t very good here, but you get the idea. I had another attempt which is a little better:

6. Once you’re happy with your design, you need to print it.

You have several options here. If the design is smaller than A4, then print it directly from GIMP.

If it is larger, you will need to select individual design elements (using the rectangle select tool), copy and paste into: a new image. Save each separate element individually (I like JPEG file format at 100%) and print each image. Alternatively, once each image has been saved, you can insert them into a Word Document and rotate them so that all design elements can be printed on a single A4 sheet (just ensure that the scale is kept the same as the original).

7. Use a light box to trace your design onto your fabric and you are ready to sew!

Design update:

I ended up with this design which I used to make tea mats for Christmas hampers:

And this was the finished product:

What do you think?

Have you read these articles?:

1. Roundup: knitted dishcloth patterns
2. 40 Free Software Alternatives To Big Ticket Applications
3. 45 Awesome Free Bag Making Tutorials