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!

Diane Gilleland's gourd lantern project appears in MAKE, Volume 21, and is the subject of this week's Weekend Project video! You can also download the project PDF that accompanies the video.

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From MAKE magazine:

MAKE Volume 21 is the Desktop Manufacturing issue! If you're a subscriber, you may have your issue in hand already, and can access the Digital Edition. Otherwise, you can pick up MAKE 21 in the Maker Shed or look for it on newsstands near you!

Fixing mistakes in your knitting can be frustrating! Learn how to use a latch hook tool to pick up a dropped stitch that has run down several rows in this CRAFT Video. Got tips for fixing mistakes in your knitting? Post them up in the comments!

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, watch it on YouTube, Vimeo, Blip, or download the m4v video.

In January, many of the remote MAKE/CRAFT team members (myself included) convened at the Maker Media headquarters at O'Reilly Media in Sebastopol, California. Take a look behind the scenes of your favorite DIY publications as Goli Mohammadi gives us a tour!

View on YouTube, Vimeo, or Blip.tv, subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

Photo by Sam Murphy.

In case you missed it, watch Lisa Jacobs as she guides us through the process of making art papers. A member of Conspire Phoenix and an elementary school art teacher, Lisa's a fun and clear instructor.

We learned how to use recycled office paper as the base for art papers, to which we added colored napkins for pigment and dried flowers, glitter, conductive thread, and many others as "inclusions," the things that jazz up the paper inside and out. With some simple supplies, this is a really easy, fun, and kid friendly project.

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More:

How-To: Handmade Paper

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.

In this week's CRAFT Video, come with me to the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There I met with e-textiles pioneer Leah Buechley and students from her research group called "High-Low Tech," which Leah describes as "blends" of technology with traditional crafts to make new toolkits for creativity and learning. I had so much fun checking out the amazingly brilliant and fun projects by Hannah Perner-Wilson, Emily Lovell, David Mellis, and Bonifaz Kaufmann, I had a hard time leaving!

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, watch it on YouTube, Vimeo, Blip, or download the m4v video.

More:

• CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101
• CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Bike Patch
• Touch Sensitive LilyPad Arduino Hoodie
• Fab radio looks fabulous
• Interview with soft circuit maven Hannah Perner-Wilson

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.

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(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.

Last weekend was the 5th annual Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle, the city's biggest indie craft fair. With almost 9,000 attendees, it was the biggest UCU yet. Although the show's over you can still shop with the vendors from the show. Applications for vending at the second UCU summer show will open mid February.

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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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(Right click to save PDF to your computer.)

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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MAKE, Volume 20 is on newsstands today! Check out this preview video to get a tour of our best edition yet (we know, we say that every time)!

Want to know how to build a hydrogen rocket? How about a laser light show in a lunchbox? Or a simple remote-controlled videocam car? Or maybe you want to go old-school and build a wooden mini sailboat or toy car launcher? All this and tons more, plus revealing photos of Adam Savage's maker childhood, can all be found in MAKE, Volume 20, "For Kids of All Ages." Get your individual copy in the Maker Shed, or subscribe now to get access to our awesome Digital Edition.

Subscribe to the MAKE Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

Since it's our special Super Crafty Kidz month, sponsored by Klutz, lets join Rachel Hobson and her kids as they make the Klutz Capsters! They're fun bottle caps with pictures and charms inside. Rachel says this is a great project to have "in your back pocket" for when your kids say "Mom, I'm bored!" Everything you need comes with the book!

Subscribe to the CRAFT podcast in iTunes, download the m4v video, or check us out on YouTube!

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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If you're on the shorter side of average, like me, you'll notice that pants are always too long. Learn one method to hem them in this week's CRAFT Video! This tutorial is for the beginner; don't be afraid to make this simple alteration at home. Once you have the confidence to hem your own pants, a new world of style options becomes available to you when shopping for pants. Many brands don't make a dedicated "short" length, so you're left with rolled up cuffs, a trip to the tailor's, or 20 minutes of time in your sewing room! I know which one I'd prefer. This method works for casual pants and dark wash or solid-color jeans, not dress pants. If you have a different hemming method, share with us in the comments!

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

Materials and tools:

• straight pins
• tailor's chalk (I actually cheated and used a white conte crayon)
• scissors
• ironing board and iron
• thread to match your pants
• sewing machine (I used my Singer Confidence 7470)

This week I'll show you some more metalworking techniques including files, rotary abrasives, and how to make a ball-head rivet with a butane torch. You can get all kinds of jewelry supplies online (Rio Grande) is a good resource, or ask around for local shops. If you're interested in learning more about metalsmithing, ask at your local university or community college to see if they have classes; it's a very hands-on process and it helps to have in-person help! The tools I used in the video:

• slotted mandrel for emery paper
• wet/dry sandpaper
• detail abrasive brush (Dremel gave me some to try)
• abrasive wheels
• micro/needle files
• butane torch
• cross-locking tweezers

Don't forget to watch my previous metalworking video for more techniques!

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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Here's an introduction to a fun knitting technique that's often considered "too advanced" for hobby knitters: cables.

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Named after the Aran Islands in Ireland, cables are most often found in Aran designs. Made mainly by fishermen's wives for their husbands, the patterns reflect tropes of the lifestyle both in appearance and name, often taking inspiration from fishermen's ropes and local flora and fauna.

Cable designs are created by reordering knit stitches in a row, overlapping two or more adjacent columns of stitches. Carrying stitches gradually over the course of several rows can create more complex patterns. This overlap of stitches can add warmth and bulk to a garment without using a different yarn. I think of it as a step beyond ribbing.

To achieve this shuffling of stitches, we use a cable needle. Stitches are temporarily stored on the cable needle while stitches further down the row are knitted, and then the stitches are knit from the cable needle back into the row.

Now you're ready to go out there and tackle a project that uses cables! It's really satisfying to see the pattern emerge as you're working. If you make a cabled project, take a picture and upload it to the CRAFT Flickr pool! We'd love to see them.

The book pictured in the video is The Complete Book of Traditional Knitting by Rae Compton. The cabled toddler slippers I'm making are from a pattern by Rosemary Waits.Thanks to the Flickr users who so graciously licensed their photos under the Creative Commons. This video used photos from acoleman912, florriebassingbourn, DebbieC, Slave2TehTink, Sarah Oh, Marni-, sictransitgloria, litlnemo, and Jane Stockton.

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.

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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

Last Friday, Natalie and I got a tour of the NYC Lion Brand Yarn Studio on 15th Street in Manhattan. Zontee and Patty showed us around their rotating window display, their luscious yarn offerings, and told us all about the classes and events that take place in the studio.

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Natalie also took some awesome pics at the studio, check out her Flickr set! Pictured above is Becky, Natalie, and Zontee.

This week learn to make a digital image into a knitting pattern to make your very own skeleton cardigan. The first video shows the image processing needed to make the pattern, and the second video shows you the stranded knitting method for switching colors. Combine those with the pattern PDF, and you've got yourself a sweater! I brought the skeleton cardigan with me to Maker Faire Bay Area 2008, and it was unfortunately lost with my suitcase on the return trip, but thankfully it still lives on, in video form here on CRAFT!

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video of part 1 or part 2.

More:

• Skeleton Cardigan - CRAFT Pattern Podcast
• Skeleton Cardigan Part 1 - CRAFT Video Podcast
  
• Skeleton Cardigan Part 2 - CRAFT Video Podcast
  

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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Welcome to our first CRAFT Crochet-Along! This month, we hope you'll join the fun as we learn to make this Fuzzy Panda Amigurumi from our friend Tamie Snow of Roxycraft. As you know, Tamie is also the author of Tiny Yarn Animals and created this Fuzzy Panda pattern just for us.

The first lesson with Tamie starts in exactly 1 week, on Tuesday, Sept 7th at Noon PST. Find out how to get the pattern and the list of materials after the jump!

This week on the CRAFT Video learn some basics of fine metalworking. With a few simple tools, you can create neat shapes from copper (or silver or brass) sheet and add some fun texture. I made this copper and silver "triple bypass" get-well card for MAKE Senior Editor Gareth Branwyn, who's recovering from surgery.

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

Materials and tools:

• jeweler's saw frame with extra blades
• copper sheet
• jeweler's files
• wet-dry sandpaper, 400 grit (hardware store)
• design on standard printer paper
• rubber cement
• copper etchant (ferric chloride or sodium persulfate)
• various sized permanent markers
• acetone or denatured alcohol (hardware store)
• conti crayon and/or colored pencils
• silver wire
• Dremel or other handheld rotary tool
• drill bit
• ball-peen hammer
• scrap wood
• steel surface for hammering
• pliers and wire cutters

Most of these jewelry supplies can be ordered from Rio Grande. Check online to find a local jewelry supply shop, since they're usually really knowledgeable and helpful. If you live around Phoenix, AZ, try Lonnie's.

For more cool metalwork, check out our metalwork archive.

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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Making your own vinegar at home is simple, quick, and rewarding. Never buy red wine vinegar again once you make your first batch! You cultivate the vinegar mother and can even share it with friends. You can look for red wine vinegar mother at your local homebrewing shop, but mine was out, so I ordered it online. It's basically "live" red wine vinegar which contains the bacteria Acetobacter, which eats alcohol and turns it into acetic acid, the tangy flavor we know as vinegar. This project appears as an article in CRAFT, Vol. 9 by Alastair Bland, which you can preview in our Digital Edition.

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

This week's CRAFT Pattern Podcast is one we featured back here in 2007, the Maddy Top from BurdaStyle. It's a stylish top that you can sew up this weekend to wear right away. This top's signature look is centered on the diamond gathered in the front. Make sure you choose the right fabric because the lighter the fabric, the harder it will be to sew the diamond. One tip is to secure the gathering with a stitch line before you sew it to the other pieces of the top. For more how-to's related to this project, check out the Maddy page on BurdaStyle.

Also check out the mod version of Maddy in Stretch, with some tips for using the pattern with jersey fabric.

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We're celebrating pets her on Craftzine, so take a look at two easy cat toys you can make at home. One is a tassel type toy for the end of your stick/string toy, meant to be swappable with a piece of ball chain as an attachment, and the other is a crochet and needle felted catnip toy made from wool.

Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video.

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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It's summer and all I want to do these days is relax with a fizzy beverage, but I can't stand too-sweet soft drinks! In this CRAFT Video, I show you how easy it is to make your own soda at home, and it's inexpensive, too! I use brewer's yeast to produce carbon dioxide, and whatever flavors come to the imagination. In the video I used honey, green tea, strawberries, and grated ginger, but you can use any combination of fruits, juices, fresh herbs, and sweeteners that you like. Thanks to Matt Mets for the tea recipe inspiration.

Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video.

Ingredients and supplies:

• 2L or other plastic bottle with cap
• Funnel
• Cheesecloth (optional)
• Food thermometer
• Brewer's yeast Get online or from your local homebrew store; tell them you're making soda and they'll get you the right kind. Don't use bread yeast!
• Sweetener (for the yeast to eat, you can use honey, cane sugar, etc.)
• Water, tea, or juice
• Other flavors of your choice

Sanitation isn't as much of a concern when making your own soda as it is when making your own beer or wine, but if you can, start with boiled water (good for brewing tea anyway). Boiling fruit juice might change the flavor, so experiment, but don't worry too much about keeping your batch completely bacteria-free. Combine your flavorings and sweetener, then let the batch cool to 80–85°F before adding the yeast (hot water will kill the yeast).

Add about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of your brewers yeast, cap, and shake to dissolve. Place the mixture in a quiet place (between 65-85°F) for 24 hours. Yeast produces carbon dioxide as it processes sugar. It also produces alcohol, but since we'll only be leaving the mixture at active temperatures for about a day, the actual amount of alcohol is minuscule (homemade beers use way more yeast and are let to sit for about 10 days, to give you a reference point). Yes, it's OK for your kids to drink it, provided you don't have a religious restriction on fermented things. When produced in a capped container like a soda bottle, the CO2 becomes dissolved in the liquid as pressure builds up.

After a day, feel the bottle; it should be very firm now as the CO2 has pressurized the bottle. Chill it down before opening it; gasses stay dissolved in liquids better at colder temperatures just like solids stay dissolved better at hotter temperatures. If you open it too soon, most or all of the CO2 your yeast friends made will fly right out. Pour over ice and you've got an enjoyable, refreshing fizzy treat.

One more recipe idea (pictured above): combine the juice of 3 grapefruits and sugar/honey water to make just under 2L of liquid (boil the water before you mix in the sugars), then drop in a handful each of frozen strawberries and pineapple. Blend and let cool, then strain into the bottle and add the yeast. It's like a fizzy grapefruit smoothie!