What makes this unusual knit item so special isn’t just its handmade and vintage status. It’s a nice reminder about the value of handmade gifts – even ones as random as a chicken-shaped egg cozy!
Seasonal Projects
Make the World Better with a Sweater Party
You might be thinking, wait, what? Christmas stuff again?? I had something else planned for today, but when the photos from last month’s Make the World Better with a Sweater party/Save the Children fundraiser came in, a change of plans was in order. I think most of you are down for seeing epic yarn nerdery any time, even if it’s mostly red and green, right?
Red Hats for Preemies
A couple months ago I shared a very personal story about losing a relative to a congenital heart defect as a teen. In that post I shared a pattern called Baby Hearts Hat in two sizes, newborn and infant, and I let you guys know about the American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts drive. For those who missed it, the AHA is looking for red baby hat donations to be given to (hopefully!) every baby born in February in Chicago.
Yarn Tassel Gift Wrap 2 Ways
Check out two fresh ideas for how to incorporate tassels in your holiday gift-giving, and both take just minutes to DIY.
A Knitter’s Advent Calendar
When I was brainstorming knitting and crochet-related holiday ideas for Hands Occupied, my lingering advent calendar-related regrets from Christmases past and general obsession with knitting combined to inspire this yarn nerd-tastic advent calendar. Instead of the usual candy or small toy, each bag is filled with a different knitting notion. They’re filled with things like travel scissors, cable needles, stitch markers, scrap yarn bobbins, stitch gauge measuring tools, pom pom makers, etc. Kinda awesome, right?
How to DIY the Perfect Book Cover
Last week I shared how to make my new favorite accessory, a DIY pencil clutch. In that post, I outed myself as a huge school supply nerd, revealing how much time I spent as a kid preparing and decorating school supplies for the coming year. Today’s tutorial shares my go-to method for covering textbooks (or any book), ideas for custom cover designs, and how to reinforce the covers to survive a year in a bumpy backpack.
DIY Pencil Clutch
A couple years ago, I made a clutch using rulers and felt that I am still pretty excited about and use all the time. Since I can’t get enough of all things bookish, I recently got the notion in my head to take the school supply clutch concept to the next level with pencils and a slightly different structure, and I think I might love this one even more!
Crochet T-shirt Yarn Tote
I’m loving how this new pattern turned out, you guys! It’s an easy crochet tote pattern, perfect for summer. Roughly 16x16x8 inches, it holds a ton of stuff for the perfect summer day hitting up the farmer’s market, the library or the beach. This chunky bag is an awesome & fun way to use fabric yarn if you’ve never tried it, and the pattern is great for beginners!
Yarn Swatch Wall Art
Since I apparently can’t get yarn off my brain at any given time, today’s DIY wall art idea is inspired by the yarn swatches you’d knit to test the gauge of your yarn before casting on a new project. This would make a great gift for any knitting lover in your life – it’s back to school time, does your kid’s teacher have a yarn addiction? Or maybe their librarian… ;)