Thank you for visiting and I hope you find something useful. There may be tips on knitting, quilting, crocheting, cooking or where ever my mind meanders.
If you are interested in two color diagonal granny squares, this is an excellent video.
Click here to see the video.
Here is a picture of what the two color granny square looks like. It's small, but it's all I have right now.
If you are interested in learning basic Entrelac knitting, this is a great video. Enjoy.
Click here to enjoy the show. Be prepared to be interested.
Pressing Seams
When pressing the seams in your quilt block, always press the seam flat first, "the way it was sewn". This sinks the thread into the fabric and reduces the bulk of the seam. This habit can eliminate the "hanging-up" on the walking foot while machine quilting.
Sneaky Uses for Batting
1. How to Handle Nasty Quilting or Piecing Threads:
When you are machine piecing or quilting, do you have a problem getting the cut threads from the project to the waste basket? I do, and picking up thread is wild and nasty to your vacuum's rollers. So I was tickled pink when I came across this tip in an old Fons & Porter magazine that said to place a five inch piece of batting next to your sewing machine, and when you cut those threads, just drop them on the batting. It's a miracle. Love it. When it's full, just drop it in the basket and cut yourself another piece. No more picking threads up off the floor and or cleaning off the vac's rollers. Try it.
2. If you tape a narrow piece of batting along the top of the back of your machine, it will catch the threads when you cut them after sewing and have them ready for you to pick up when you start sewing again. I think this is a nifty trick.
Magic Loop Knitting Video
I am trying to make a pair of fingerless gloves using the Magic Loop technique which is using one long circular needle instead of dpns. Sound interesting? If so, check out this video. Just click on the web site and off you go to learning a new procedure. Love to learn something new. I have learned how to do these gloves on two straight needles, but the Magic Loop intrigues me. Let me know if you have any luck with it.
Click here to view the video. Enjoy.
How to keep your Meatloaf Moist when you reheat in the Micro:
It's so simple. Lay your meatloaf, sliced or unsliced on a microwavable plate and cover with a lettuce leaf. Yup, that's the secret. The moisture in the lettuce will keep the meatloaf nice and moist. I micro on 50% power two minutes at a time until it is warm enough to eat. 50% power helps in not over cooking the meat while microwaving.
Look for These in the Blog:
First off, like the softening of circular needles that I wrote about on 07/04/10. Great Tip !
On 7/11/10 I wrote about making a Fun Topper Hat and I ran into making fun whirl-a-gigs. They are a WOW project. Thought you might like to know how to make a couple of them if you don't know how already.
Making Small Paper Pieced Seams easier to deal with that I wrote on 07/18/10. Really Works!
How to Make a Spiral Fringe:
Using needles suitable to the yarn you are using, cast on 36 stitches.
Row 1: Knit in front, back and front again (Kfbf) in each stitch across the row.
Row 2: Bind off purl wise.
Minipulate into a corkscrew with your fingers.
How to Make an I Cord:
This I have never done before until I made this hat. You can make bows and edgings and all kind of things with this method.
Again using dpn suitable to the yarn you are using, cast on 3 stitches. Moving the stitches to the right side of the same needle and bringng the yarn to the front of your work, knit the three stitches. Pull on the tail end and the working yarn. This will form the cord. Turn and move the stitches again to the right side of your needle and knit the three stitches. Continue in this fashion until desired length of the I-cord.
Finished? Cut the thread and thread it in a needle. Fasten the stitch and then weave the end down through the cord and cut the thread.
Keeping DPN's Organized the Easy Way:
A friend from Ravelry, by name "whimsicalpixie", wrote this the other day and I was quite taken with it and asked her permission to include it in this section of the Blog. She gave her permission for which I say Thanks, whimsical !! This is a verbatim quote as I couldn't have said it any better myself.
"I have a little trick I just came up with to keep my dpns straight, and I thought maybe some of you might be interested. I have dpns size 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. All but the 4s and 6s are metal, and the color on the 0s and 1s are almost the same. Also the 2s I have are a close color to one of my sets of 3s. So today I got my silver Sharpie out and marked little bands at the ends to show what size the needles are. On the 1s I put one little band at one end, two bands on one end for the 2s, etc. For the 4s I’m putting two bands at each end, and three at each end for the 6s. The 0s I’m just leaving blank. I really like this because I don’t have to pull out the gauge board thing to check what size I’m using. I just have to look at the little bands, and I know what size it is. Hope this helps some of you. Happy knitting!"
