Soft warm alpaca hat

Knit a hat in an evening! This matches the scarf I made a couple of weeks ago 😊
They are both remarkably soft, and will keep you nice and warm in cold weather.

What you need:
1 pair of knitting pins size 15 - 3 different colours alpaca yarn, apx 25 grams of each - 1 wool needle to secure the ends.
I used this yarn: AdLibris alpakkagarn which is 125 m per 50 gr bundle.
These colours: Dusty blue - Dusty pink - Off white

Step 1. Use one thread from each colour throughout your work. Cast on 46 stitches.

Step 2. Work rib = K 1/P 1 for 20 cm.

Step 3. K1, K2tog  1 row

Step 4. P2tog 1 row, K2tog 1 row and repeat this until you have 7 stitches left.

Step 5. Cut the thread, and pull it through the remaining stitches.

Step 6. Sew  along the side. Don't make the seam too tight. Secure the ends.

KEEP WARM! 😊

Easy made sea glass pendants

It's always nice to see what treasures you can find along the seashore. I have collected some sea glass that I thought I'd turn into jewelry. These are my first attempts. It was quite fun, so I think I may make some more later on 😉

You will need pliers and wire cutters for this work!

The white one is really simple. Just some ordinary steel wire that I wrapped around the glass. I then made a little ring for the chain in some of the wire on the backside.

The green one took a little more time, but was not at all difficult. You will need copper wire in 2 gauges.

Bend the thickest one around a tine of a fork or something similar. In the beginning I left the fork in the bend to better keep the correct distance between the wires. Weave the thin wire around the thicker one. Some small pliers are useful! Keep them parallel for a while, and after some cm you can tighten the thin wire more and more to make a pointy end.

Use your sea glass to measure how long you want it to be. The last couple of rounds, I wrapped the thin wire around the outside of the thick one. Cut the ends, and bend it around your glass.
Make a small ring, and secure it to the wire on the backside, for the string or chain you want to hang it on. Try to put all ends in, so they won't scratch. You can use a tiny bit of hot glue on the ends, if you don't manage to hide them 😊

Last minute Valentine's gift - Crochet a heart bookmark

These bookmarks are very easy made. I love crocheting these cute hearts, and they are done in no time.

What you need: Crochet hook number 4 and some cotton yarn (50 gr=160m).
These hearts are crocheted with double yarn.

How you do it:


Step1.
Crochet 8 chain stitches, turn, do 1 sc in the 2nd st from the hook, and continue with 6 more sc.
 *turn, 1 ch, 7 sc* Repeat from *to* 6 times.You now have a 7x7 square.

Step2.
Turn the square 45 degrees, and in the middle st on the side: crochet 7 tr
1 sl st in the corner. Then in the middle st on the next side, do another 7 tr
sl st along the side until you reach the corner. You now have the big heart.
Step3.
40 ch
Step 4.
  Make 1 sc in the 2nd st from the hook, and continue with 4 more sc.
 *turn, 1 ch, 5 sc* Repeat from *to* 4 times.You now have a 5x5 square.
Step 5.
Turn the square 45 degrees, and in the middle st on the side: crochet 5 dc
1 sl st in the corner. Then in the middle st on the next side, do another 5 dc
sl st along the side until you reach the corner.
Secure the ends, and Voila! Your bookmark is done!

Super easy Valentine's cards

Still haven't got a card for your Valentine tomorrow? Here are some ideas for really easy and quick to make cards.

All you need is some coloured carton, decorative paper and some fine liners. It's always nice to receive home made cards. Even though they are as simple as these.

Upcycle old frames and coat racks

I had these old frames and coat racks, and a basket for bits and bobs, lying around. I was going to throw them away, but then I came up with the idea of painting them. They were all different colours and didn't match at all. Now they have gotten a new trendy look and match each other , and also the shoe rack I made last week. Our hallway will be totally renewed.. Hehe 😁

Before

After

What you need: Some old things you want to renew, masking tape for sensitive surfaces, stencil glue, paper, scissors, paint, sanding paper, household ammonia (or other suitable product for cleaning the surface), paintbrushes.
I used these colours: S1510-Y70R Deco pink - S4010-G70Y Green harmony - 2415-Y71R Delightful pink - S5010-R90B Kveldshimmel (Blue), and  S0510-Y10R Smörboll
 I cut out the hearts from ordinary printing paper, and used stencil glue on them to be able to take them easily off after the paint had dried. Since I used so many different colours, it took a couple of days to let each colour dry sufficiently before the next one. Therefore it is important to use a masking tape of good quality, otherwise you won't get the glue residues off 😊

Easy made colourful hat with hearts

Hi 😊
Maybe this will be a good gift for Valentine's Day? It was fun to make with all the happy colours, and with these big knitting pins, it takes only one evening!

What you need: Circular needle (50cm or smaller) and double pointed needles size 7 mm, a wool needle to secure the ends, yarn that fits the pins. Approx 60 grams of yellow and some leftovers from 6 other colours. I used this yarn Cortina Soft, which is 55m per 50 grams, and 100% wool.

How to make it :
(This will fit grown ups, head size 54-58 cm)
Cast on 72 stitches on the circular needle, and work around. Knit rib K2/P2 5 rounds. Continue with the pattern, which you repeat all the way around, and do it twice in height.

There's supposed to be a round of yellow on top of the pattern, that does not show very good on the picture.
After the 6th row of hearts, K 1 round, AT THE SAME TIME dec 2 sts evenly by knitting 2 together.
Change to the double pointed needles, and
*K9 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K8 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K7 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K6 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K5 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K4 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K3 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K2 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.
*K1 sts, k2tog * Repeat from *to* the whole round.

Cut the thread and pull it through the last 7 sts. Use the wool needle to weave in all ends on the wrong side 😊

Cute black crocheted shoulder bag with kittens

Hello again 😊
This is something my daughter asked me to make. Her old shoulder bag was very ragged and totally worn out. And she  wanted a new one with cute kittens on, so here it is.

The measurements when it's lying flat are 32x32 cm, and the base is 8x24 cm.

What you need: Crochet needles nr 5 and 6, approx 300 grams of black cotton yarn (50 gr=160m), some leftover cotton yarn for the kittens, a sewing needle,  3 pairs of googly eyes, and hot glue.

How you do it:
The bag is crocheted with triple yarn, so use 3 bundles at the time.
Crochet 31 chain stitches, turn, do 1 sc in the 2nd st from the hook, and continue with 29 more sc.
*turn, 1 ch, 30 sc* Repeat from *to* 9 times.
Then start crocheting around the base, doing 1 sc in all sts. Continue around until the height of the bag is 24 cm.
3ch, 1dc, *2ch,2dc* repeat from *to* until you have completed the round.
Do 1 sc in each st, and continue for 5 rounds.Cut the thread, pull it through the loop, and secure both ends on the inside of the bag.

Shoulder strap:
Crochet 7 chain stitches, turn, do 1 sc in the 2nd st from the hook, and continue with 5 more sc.
 *turn, 1 ch, 6 sc* Repeat from *to* until required length. Mine is 111 cm. Cut the thread, pull it through the loop. use a needle to sew the strap onto the bag. I put it 9 cm down from the edge and sew along three sides of the strap up to the row of holes.

Kittens:
These are made with double yarn, and crochet hook nr 5.
Step 1. Make a magic ring. If you don't know how, there's a good tutorial here.

Step 2. Make 6 sc in the ring, and tighten it.

Step 3. Make 2 sc in each stitch = 12 stitches.

Step 4. Make 1 sc in the first st, then 2 in the second, and so on around the ring = 18 stitches.

Step 5. Make 1 sc in the first 2 st, then 2 sc in the third st. Repeat all the way around = 24 stitches

Step 6. Make 1 sc in the first 3 st, then 2 sc in the forth st. Repeat all the way around = 32 stitches

Step 7. Make 3 dc in the next st, 1ch, 3 more dc in the same st.

Step 8. 6 sl st

Step 9.  Make 3 dc in the next st, 1ch, 3 more dc in the same st, 1 sl st, cut the thread and pull it through the loop.

Make all 3 kittens in different colours. Embroider on the noses, and sew the kittens onto the bag.
If you like, you can put on googly eyes with hot glue. According to my daughter, everything gets better with googly eyes 😉

How to make the rope:
I used 5 strings of black, and one string of each colour I had used for the kittens.
Make the strings twice the length you want the rope to be, and twine each end in opposite directions. If it's a long rope, you will need a helping hand with this. When it's sufficiently twined, fold in the middle, and make a knot in the open end.

Knitted Valentine's candle jars

These are easy and quick to make. You may choose any colours you like. I wanted to make red and pink hearts, but didn't have pink yarn, at the moment, therefore it turned out one red and one purple.

What you need: Double pointed needles size 3,5 mm, some leftover yarn that fits the needles. (I used wool for these, but any yarn will do.) 2 glass jars approx. 8 cm diameter, a wool needle to weave the ends.
How you do it:
Red hearts jar:
Cast on 60 sts on double pointed needles size 3.5 mm with white yarn. Knit rib K2/P2., - three rounds. Then knit pattern:

The pattern should be repeated 3 times around, and it ends with K1 white round on top.
Knit rib K2/P2., - three rounds. Cast off, and weave the ends on the wrong side.
Purple heart jar:
Cast on 60 sts on double pointed needles size 3.5 mm with white yarn. K 3 rounds and continue with the pattern, which should end with 1 white round at the top. K 3 rounds and cast off. Weave the ends in on the wrong side.
Then just put your knitted cuffs around the jars. wrap some yarn around the top, and tie a bow 😊

Awesome hilarious house sign

Hi!
I'm sure you agree. Nothing says welcome like a sign that makes you laugh, right? I'm sharing this to show that you don't need to be a skilled artist to be able to make something fun and personal.

This sign will most likely only fit the people living in our home, which is me, my boyfriend, and my grown up son, who is eager to move out. But all you need is an idea. Maybe you've seen a fun picture on Tumbl. or maybe you saw a comic strip that was perfectly you? Transfer it into stick men, and make your own very personal door sign. All you need is paint, brushes, a pencil, 2 screws, 2 eye screws, clear varnish and some planed wood.
I painted all sides of the sign with white outdoor paint first to make it withstand the rough weather here. I then painted the background with a very thin layer of blue and green. When it's dry, use a pencil to sketch  your idea, and then paint it. If there are pencil marks that shows, remove them with an eraser when the paint has dried. Put 2-3 layers of varnish on top of it, if it's going to be outdoors. Then screw the eye screws on top, and hang it up. Enjoy all your smiling visitors! 😁

Super easy polymer clay jewelry

Hi again😊
It's February, and Valentines is coming up. Time to make some hearts.
These polymer clay jewelry are so easy to make, that even small children can manage.

The heart pendant is made simply by adding some pink coloured clay to the white clay, and kneed it in a bit. Then roll it thin, and use a heart mould to cut it. Make a little hole with a toothpick before baking, and use some wire to make a ring in the hole after it has hardened.
The bracelet to match it is made with the same clay, and just rolled in the hand. Make a hole through it before baking. I used ordinary thin cotton yard to thread it on, and then made some chain stitches on each side until preferred length. Tie a loop in one end, and thread a bead on the other. The loop should be as wide as the bead, and you have a lock 😉

This heart pendant is made of white clay and a pink freshwater pearl. I made a hole in it with a tooth pick before baking, and used wire to make a ring in the hole after it had hardened.

This one is not a heart, but laces says love as well, right? 😉 Simply use a rolling pin to make the clay really flat and thin. Then roll the upper part around a knitting pin. Use some old lace to press gently into the clay (while the knitting pin is still in there), and you will get a beautiful pattern. I baked it with the knitting pin in it, and gently removed it when the clay got cold.
Tip: If your sides are not all smooth after baking, you can use a metal nail file to improve them.