By Linda Permann

Whether you want to add a little breathing room to a too-small sweater or spruce up your clothing for another season, just add crochet! A simple cut with your scissors, some embroidery, and 2 crocheted button bands later, you'll be ready to wear your "new" cardigan. I used this technique to revamp one of my favorite striped sweaters, but it would also be a great way to make kids' clothing last longer, or personalize thrift store finds and hand me downs.

By Linda Permann

I've always hated buying refills for my Swiffer sweeper -- even though I use both sides of the cloth, it just seemed silly to throw them away. My sweeper had been languishing in my closet because I had no refills when I realized I could crochet my own reusable cover from some yarn I already had in my stash. I came up with this reversible version that's loopy on one side (to grab the dust) and flat on the other (for damp mopping). This "sock" is fun and quick to crochet, easy to complete with scraps, and a great use for acrylic yarns, since they create static, which makes dust and hair cling. Once you're done dusting, you can brush the excess dirt and dust into the trash bin (really, it's okay to touch dirt!) and then throw the sock in the washer and dryer with your other laundry. This project is fast and satisfying -- you might want to make 2 so you can always have a clean sock handy.

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Read the full pattern after the jump!

By Nikol Lohr

Yes, you still have plenty of time to knit a heartfelt Valentine's Day gift! This bulky cabled gaiter is toasty warm, subtly be-hearted (or knit the heartless version), and knits up in a few hours. Experienced cable knitters will be able to whip it out in just over 2 hours; beginning cablers will probably spend closer to 4. Because you can combine multiple strands to achieve the super-bulky gauge, this is a great stash-busting project.

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(Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. See directions on downloading PDFs.)

Read the full pattern after the jump!

This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is a special treat! It's a beautiful reversible cable-knit scarf by Becky Stern's mom, Bette. Doesn't Becky look adorable and cozy in her scarf that her mom made her for Christmas? Now you can cozy up yourself in this scarf that combines ribbing and cables to make it warm and looking good from both sides!

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(Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. See directions on downloading PDFs.)

About the Author:

Bette Day Stern has been working in community recreation for the past 23 years. Currently she works as the recreation supervisor for a small town in northeastern Connecticut, where she's lived for the past 24 years. The one constant for the past 40+ years has been her love for knitting, cross stitch, and quilting (and a few other needlearts along the way). She's been married to the same man for 33 years, and has three grown children and two grandchildren.

Recycle an old sweater into toasty wool long johns.
By Nikol Lohr

Cotton thermals and space age synthetic long underwear are all well and good, but nothing kills the winter chills like a pair of old fashioned, toasty wool long johns. Trouble is, despite improvements in softness well known to knitters, wool still has a bad rap among the general population for itchiness. So despite the prevalence of cottony-soft merino, wool long johns have fallen out of favor. Not only are they hard to find, but at around 50 bucks a pop, they're hard to justify. But fret not! Real wool long johns can be yours for the price of a thrift store wool sweater and about an hour at the sewing machine. If you get lucky and score a cashmere sweater, you're really in for a treat!

Recycled long johns are cheap, eco-friendly, community-conscious (supporting local thrift stores), and can be made in interesting colors or stitch patterns, depending on what you find on the sweater rack. You can make them thicker (read: warmer) than the typical off-the-shelf counterpart, and you can get a custom fit. While they're not as streamlined as their store-bought brethren, you're probably wearing them to bed or under layers, so what's a few extra seams between friends?

If you've got kids to dress, the recycled long johns are especially fun, because you're more likely to find Fair Isle options in the smaller sizes on the thrift store rack.

This week's pattern podcast is the Hook, Needle, Pencil Case by Diane Gilleland from CraftyPod. Using plastic canvas you'll be able to construct and stitch a cute circular case to keep your craft tools organized! The PDF includes step-by-step directions and photos.

From now until Jan 20th, visit CraftyPod and get $3 off all eBooks.

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About the Author

Diane Gilleland produces CraftyPod, a blog and bi-weekly podcast about making stuff. Her first book, Kanzashi In Bloom is currently out in bookstores.

Download the PDF Pattern
(Note: Right click to save this PDF to your computer.)

About the Author:


Nancy Minsky has recently published Denim Revolution: Dozens of Ways to Turn Denim Cast-Offs into Fashion Must-Haves, a craft book filled with fun projects to recycle cast off jeans into fashionable, "new" clothing and accessories. A graduate of Parson's School of Design, where she has also taught fashion sketching, Nancy loves handmade, sewing, recycling, sketching and fashion. You can read her craft and fashion blog at: 21centurydressmakers.blogspot.com.

Thrummed Bunny Slippers in 3 Adult Sizes
By Nikol Lohr

These slippers are soft as a bunny, thanks to their thrums -- unspun wool knit right in for a warm, cushy, fleecy lining. They're also quick as a bunny! Knit in bulky yarn, they have the same stitch count as your average worsted hat. Worked up quickly in economical ($5/100g ball) bulky wool, they're a recession-busting and adorable last-minute holiday gift. And you can always omit the "bunniness" if your subject isn't silly rabbit material.

Aside from the cush, these slippers have a great fit and actually stay on your feet, thanks to the heel shaping and wide button flap. They're entirely seamless, knit sole first, with stitches picked up all around, then shaped from the sole up. The fat button strap is picked up near the edge and knit in place, as are the floppy ears. The wide flap gives the style gender neutrality, but you can also substitute a narrow strap for a girlier Mary Jane.

All About Thrums

Thrums are little chunks of unspun fiber worked periodically into your knitting. Each thrum is a separate piece worked into just one stitch, along with the yarn, and its ends are left sticking out on the wrong side of the knitting. Imagine duplicate stitch if you used a separate piece of yarn for each stitch, except here the yarn is fleece and you work it in while you knit instead of afterwards. On the right side of your work, you get a little pattern of Vs or hearts, but on the wrong side, you get a crazy shag rug of super awesome fluffy-wuffy warmness! The thrums will compress a little and felt together over time, becoming less puffy but just as cozy.

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
(Right click to save PDF to your computer. More directions on downloading here.)

Update 12/24/09: Errata to pattern is updated in this post for Rows 11 & 12 and is not reflected in the PDF. We will update the PDF after the holidays.

Nikol has a brand new knitting project launching here on CRAFT so stay tuned! You can get a sneak peek on next week's project here.

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Catch up with Shannon on the Knitgrrl blog and check out some of her beautiful fiber, spinning tools, and patterns in the Knitgrrl shop.

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This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is the Jumping Paper Frog by Matt Hawkins, featured in CRAFT: 05. The PDF includes full instructions as well as the template for the paper frog. All you need to do is cut out the template and glue the tabs together. Then simply add a paper clip to create a spring so your paper frog can now JUMP!

Matt is the creator of Custom Paper Toys and you can find more downloadable paper toys and info on his site.

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Jenny Hart's newly released book, Embroidered Effects, takes the easy-to-follow stitching instructions Jenny's known for and pulls in new, more advanced stitches and design elements to help move stitchers to a new level.

Where Jenny's book Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To introduces basic stitches and provides dozens of very simple patterns, Embroidered Effects ups the ante by sharing more complicated stitches and ideas and inspiration for combining those stitches for a new, more stylized effect.

Jenny's fun and friendly voice is strong throughout Embroidered Effects, and the projects are reflective of her unique sense of style and ability to translate centuries-old stitching techniques into new, engaging designs.

Today's CRAFT Pattern Podcast holds special meaning for me on a few levels. I was lucky enough to be one of four women who helped stitch the sample projects that were photographed for Embroidered Effects. Last summer, Amy of Early Bird Special, Floresita of Things I've Made, Ginger of Ginger's Needlearts in Austin and I were each assigned three to four projects to stitch for Jenny's book.

I was over the moon excited to learn that one of my projects would be a Mah Jong tablecloth. My mom has played Mah Jong forever, and nine years ago, she finally convinced me to sit down and learn to play. (This is the traditional game of Mah Jong, not the computer matching game.*) My first game lasted five hours, and I had to be pulled away from the table -- I was hooked in a big way. Since then, my mom has gifted me with my own Mah Jong set, and I keep trying to find friends my age who know how to play or are willing to take a little time to learn.

It turns out that Jenny is also an avid Mah Jong player, and she designed this gorgeous tablecloth that I was able to stitch up for the book. The Mah Jong embroidery pattern offers a selection of tiles and gorgeous Asian-inspired ornaments, including Jenny's own stitch, the Lazy Lotus.

I had such a blast stitching the tablecloth, and I'm so excited that we get to share the Mah Jong pattern with you. If you aren't up for tackling an entire tablecloth, you could whip of a snazzy set of napkins, tea towels or even a Mah Jong case cover. Aside from stitching, I hope this also inspires you to check out the game of Mah Jong if you haven't played it before. Grab some friends and settle in for a fun, thoughtful and beautiful game! And be sure to check out Embroidered Effects for more gorgeous, fun and inspiring designs!

* Sadly, the photo stylist must have not been familiar with traditional Mah Jong, and set the table like a computer tile matching game.

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By Vickie Howell
If you're like me, you pretty much start celebrating Halloween by about September 15th. Skulls, witches, bats, and ghosts make me smile like a kid at Christmas (no disrespect). Instead of keeping the visions of pumpkins dancing in my head, though, I prefer to sew them onto cloth. Join me won'tcha, by downloading my doodles and partaking in a little stitch witchery of your own. Happy Halloween!

Too often we're left with mountains of little balls of sock yarn. Here's a nice and easy way to use up those leftovers bits.

You can use one of two methods:
1. If you have two colors you want to use up, use one color for the cuff, heel flap, and toe.
2. If you have 3 or more colors to use up, use one for the heel and toe and alternate the other
colors every few rows. Just makes sure you use the same striping pattern for both socks.

By Michelle Kempner
Fall is an exciting time. The leaves are changing, the kids are back to school, and football season is starting up. Since you are starting to pull your knitting needles and yarn back out of the closet, why not use them to knit a scarf to support your favorite sports team? The scarf could have an image of the school mascot or a professional sports team logo. You can design the pattern yourself using photo software and the existing sports team logo and have a very unique scarf to wear to games.

By Nikol Lohr
The balaclava, named after the town of Balaclava in Crimea (now Ukraine), was originally worn by Russian soldiers in the Crimean war. While the balaclava retains a military association, it's also well loved by skiers and climbers for its flexibility and warmth. A sort of sock for your head, the balaclava is wonderfully warm and efficient — doing double duty as both hat and scarf in a single garment, without the added bulk and fuss of a separate scarf. It has an opening in the front, which can be stretched to reveal just your eyes, your eyes and nose, or your whole face. The extra length can be folded over to make an extra-warm hat, or you can pop your whole head through the front opening and wear it as a cowl.

The balaclava is a marvelously practical garment that everyone in a cold climate should own. It eliminates the trouble of finding hat and scarf and bundling up like Ralphie if you're just running to the mailbox or walking the dog on a bitter cold day. Of course, the classic black or olive drab balaclava might give you a S.W.A.T./bank robber vibe that you're not really going for — and it might not be the wisest look when you're popping into the corner store for some beer. To shake off the alarm factor, I've made this one in a totally plush sugary pink cashmere blend, with lots of cushy cables for added warmth.

By Vickie Howell
When a professional knitter and a movie critic live in the same household, there's bound to be some crossover. In our house, that convergence takes form as "Movie Mondays" on my blog. Every week I post screenshots of the knitwear I spot in one of the many flicks we're watching — we've become veritable eagle eyes of Silver Screen yarn; my sons even commenting when a beanie or blanket flashes across the television. Recently, while researching Twilight for his movie news website, smellslikescreenspirit.com, my husband came across this photo still of Alice wearing fingerless mitts in the upcoming sequel, New Moon. Enter this project: simple wrist warmers for a complicated girl!

(Photo: Summit Entertainment)

Of course we need our mittens and gloves when taking walks, but there are many times we need are fingers, say when we are turning compost piles, taking pictures, or drawing little sketches of squirrels running around the warmed up soil.

These are really fun to work up because they are both simple, cute and really quick. How can you make a pair of fingerless mittens in just an evening? Well, you just let a little knit fall in love with a little crochet and then you have some great little fingerless mitten critters to keep your hands nice a toasty warm in a snap.

Today we're dipping into our pattern archives to feature one of my favorite hat patterns by the awesome Lee Meredith of leethal.net. (This was first featured back in April 2008.) Make your own short-rows wavy hat. A great way to mix up your favorite yarn colors and reate some great wavy stripes.

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes

Subscribe to the Leethal Quick Knits Club!
I just got my package for September's "Back to School Knit Set" and I love opening up and playing with all the goodies that Lee packs in each bag. Thank you Lee!

Three month subscriptions are now available starting with the October club, with the sign-up deadline next Thursday on Oct 1st. There's no club in December, so the 3 months will be Oct, Nov, and Jan, and you save $2 per month by subscribing! Find out more about leethal quick knits.

Each club package includes:

• a 15 yard mini-skein of recycled hand-dyed yarn
• a 10 yard mini-skein of spun recycled yarn
• quick knit patterns exclusive to the club*
• any crafty bits called for in the pattern (e.g. buttons)
• extra mystery leethal goodies and/or bits of crafty fun

Brimmed Beanie
By Juliene Ford and Jamie Chan

This brimmed beanie is a fun cap with stylish small brim, different from the hats we typically find ourselves knitting or crocheting each year. Dress it up by adding your own embellishment to it with special stitching or a crochet flower!

Download the PDF for the Brimmed Beanie
(Note: If you are having problems viewing the PDF, please right-click on the link to download the file to your desktop or read directions here.)

About the Authors:

Juliene Ford has been crocheting and designing patterns since 2002. She recently placed in the juried California Creative Arts exhibit at the 2009 California State Fair with a purse that she designed using crochet, knitting, and sewing. Details can be found on her blog, www.stitchify.com.

Jamie Marie Chan is a crafter, shop owner, and educator in San Francisco, Calif. She runs Urban Fauna Studio, San Francisco's only green-certified fiber arts workshop and Mary Jane's Attic an online hand dyed fiber web shop.

Robyn Devine of A Devine Life just launched the Three-Season Mitts E-Book for sale on Ravelry. The e-book is just $8 and features six unique patterns for hand/arm warmers, each one matching the personality of the friend she was making them for (or the level of warmth needed!). I love all the beautiful details in each pattern. From a subtle cable to a button accent, you'll be keeping your hands warm in style. You also have the option to purchase each pattern separately too. Make them for yourself or start working on your holiday gifts for friends.

As a special to CRAFT readers, Robyn is sharing with us her pattern for these awesome Sarah Mitts!

Download the PDF for the Sarah Mitts Pattern
(Note: If you are having problems viewing the PDF, please right-click on the link to download the file to your desktop.)

Easy House Slippers
Do as the Norwegians do and make these super-simple slippers.
By Liecel Tverli Scully

There's a saying where I am from: "Don't just sit there with your hands in your lap — knit something!" I grew up in the far north of Norway, above the Arctic Circle in Saltdal, a small town on the edge of a fjord. Knitting was the perfect way to pass the time during the dark, cold winters. At school, knitting class was a requirement; when I was in the 5th grade, we had to make a pair of socks using five needles. It was a complicated project and I remember having a really hard time with it. But my poor friend Roger was so frustrated he threw his half-done sock into the fireplace at home, needles and all. That's right — at my elementary school the boys had to learn to knit as well!

This is a pattern that is really popular in my valley right now. It's an easy project that makes a fun, cozy slipper. If you know basic knitting, you'll knit these in no time.

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This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is Nia's Babyset by Sylvie Damey from Chez Plum. This unique crochet set comprises of a cardigan (sized for a 3-6 month baby), a kitty rattle toy, and a baby book cover. This is a perfect gift to make for an expecting friend or baby shower gift. The crochet skills required for this pattern are: chain, slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet, double crochet in front loop. For more info on the pattern, visit the Nia's Babyset page on Chez Plum.

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Today's CRAFT Pattern Podcast features this cute as pie Stella Pixie hat from the book, Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren. This pattern is based on a 1944 version of the popular pointy hat for babies in the 40's and 50's and is a knitted rectangle folded in half and grafted together with a knitted strap to secure the hat in place. Choose a nice soft sock yarn for this adorable hat.

And if you are a fan of vintage knitting and patterns, don't miss this fantastic book. Author Kristen Rengren's work as a knitwear designer and author is inspired and informed by her vast collection of vintage knitting patterns. You'll get more than 40 heirloom patterns from the 1920's to the 1950's in this book. I love the you get these great vintage patterns updated with notes and sizings for knitting today. For more information on the book and a preview of the projects, visit the Vintage Baby Knits book site. Also visit Kirsten Rengren's site, Retroknit Design and her recent vintage knitting tutorial series.

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Today's CRAFT Pattern Podcast features this crochet headband with needlefelted butterfly by Sylive Damey of Chez Plum. This is a super quick project you can make in about 2 hours from start to finish (including the needlefelting)! You will need leftovers of Malabrigo Merino Worsted, and a 5 mm hook.

Check out the rest of Sylive's fantastic knitting and crochet patterns and follow her crafting adventures on her blog.

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Traveling Vine iCozy
By Vickie Howell

During these tough economic times the only traveling some of us get to do is across the world wide web. Thanks to cool gadgets like the iPhone, though, that internet trip can be taken anytime and anywhere! Every travel buddy clearly deserves proper attire — so if you've ever thought about journeying into the land of knitted lace, then this Traveling Vine iCozy's the project for you!

Today is a big milestone with our CRAFT Pattern Podcast's 100th pattern! Do-do-do-dooooo! (That's a horn toot, by the way.) To celebrate, Anna of Mochimochi Land has created for us a new pattern called "Weeeds". This little knit duo popped up in the backyard garden and look how adorable they are!

If you like these patterns, you can check out the adorable ones she has in her shop. Also, bookmark the Mochimochi Land blog where Anna shares news on patterns, tips, and lots more!

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Most of you also know how Derek and Lauren are such a super crafty duo! Each Wednesday they have a new DIY project on design*sponge and they are also co-owners of the fabulous Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco's Mission district. Wallpaper Projects is filled with the stylish projects you've come to expect and enjoy from Derek and Lauren. Some of my favorite projects in the book are the glass-covered side table, wallpaper patchwork, and adorable wallet and checkbook cover. I found myself drooling over all beautifully patterned wallpaper featured in each project. A definite source of inspiration as well as crafting entertainment!

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Note: The PDF includes a tiled version as well as a full page pattern.

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes

Book Launch Party Event
If you are in the SF/Bay Area, join Lotta Jansdotter at her book party at the Museum of Craft & Folk Art (51 Yerba Buena Lane in San Francisco) this Saturday, May 16th from 1pm-4pm.