freezer paper stencils, homemade mac & cheese, whoopie pies, oh my!

The knitting triangle got together last night to work on pumpkin t-shirts for this weekend's pumpkin beer pub crawl. Last year, we made felt pumpkin pins, so I can only imagine what we'll have to make next year to one-up ourselves...

After a VERY delicious dinner of crockpot mac & cheese and this salad with apples and toasted pumpkin seeds, we started working on our freezer paper pumpkin shirts.

It's a pretty quick, easy, rewarding craft. Here's what we did:

1. find a template online, print out the desired size
2. trace onto freezer paper & cut out the pieces (focusing on which are supposed to be cut out and which aren't...that part is hard for me.) shrek headband is optional for this craft.

3. iron onto t-shirt
4. paint with a sponge brush or kitchen sponge

5. let dry for a while/overnight (this part's important) and peel off the freezer paper!

Oh, and did I forget to mention that (thanks to a special request from one of our faithful readers) I did in fact come through in the end and make the pumpkin whoopie pies? They were as good as they look.

Project Completed

I'd like to start off by saying that there is nothing better than wearing a pair of handmade socks on a cold day.

With that being said, I started a pair of socks in late March that were still unfinished as of a few days ago. I went to my local yarn store looking for something that stood out and I stumbled on Noro Sock yarn. The colors are bright and the combinations are lovely. The yarn was a big pricey but I decided to treat myself.

I searched around the internet looking for a pattern and came across a few reviews of the yarn. Most people were unhappy that the yarn became chunky in areas but I must say it didn't bother me. I think it adds a bit of character and I'm far from a perfectionist (as evidenced by the sock colorway not matching). What I was disappointed in was, getting down to the last few inches of my second sock, I found the yarn was knotted. I had to cut the knots out in a few parts and tie the yarn back together. My least favorite thing is finding your yarn is all tangled, especially when you dropped $15 on a skein.

Otherwise I'm very happy with how the socks came and am even more happier to have finished the long outstanding project. I will admit that I am not rushing to make another pair anytime soon, although the technique of knitting two socks on one needle could be enough to get me back on the sock making horse.

carefree crafting with kids

crafting away
Originally uploaded by two at a time

There is something so incredibly freeing about crafting with kids. This week I joined forces with the toddlers on making Halloween cards. I set the table with blank orange cards, ghost stamps and ink, sparkly glitter glue, and plenty of stickers. The kids went wild stamping, glittering and sticking all over the place. After they went to sleep I collected the cards and added my own finishing touches - stamping Happy Halloween across the front and adding some glitter of my own. (You really never can have enough glitter)

In this collaborative process I found myself truly enjoying what I was doing, just the pure craft of it. Since the cards were already pretty crazy and messy, I wasn't worried about design or perfection, it was more about the act of making. I found myself adopting the same abandon that the kids seem to have - creating for the sake of creating, piling on the decorations, and just having fun. These cards were created not with skill or fancy materials, but really just with love for the people we are sending them to, and pure creative fun.

If you find yourself in a crafting rut where you are afraid to take on any new projects because nothing you make ever seems quite right, I highly suggest engaging in a creative project with a young child. You'll be reminded of why you ever started making things by hand in the first place.

what we're eating

We don't have our next knitting triangle gathering planned yet, but I have to admit that I might already thinking about what delicious thing we might be eating...that probably says something about me. Anyway, whatever we end up having for dinner, I DO know what dessert I'm bringing.

New Project Vote

I finished a pair of socks last night (finally!!) and am ready to start a new project. Moebius scarves are really in for the season so I thought I'd whip on up. It's come down to two patterns:

http://turvid.blogspot.com/2009/03/moebius-lace-cowl.html

or

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/10/how_to_knitted_cowl.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954

I have some pink Patons Classic wool to make the first one and some Chunky black Rowan yarn for the second.

Anyone out there have a preference?

You know You're Addicted to Crafts When...

I was doing some cleaning at my parent's house and stumbled upon a list our friend Kira had put together years ago. Kristen and I have been crafting together since the conception of our friendship but Kira has only very recently open her mind up to crafting. So needless to say our insane need to be constantly creating wore on some people's nerves. Kristen's mother used to give us 10 dollars and send us off to Ames (we loved the Ames craft department) so we'd get out of her hair.

When I found this I was stunned at how it still rings true for me and Kris and how totally hilarious it is...