and, the day before, I posted a tutorial for how to make a fine and fancy little Elfin  jacket :Link

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Today,

I am posting

the ‘how to’s’

for the rest of

the Elf Clothes:

The little woven hat

and spiffy little

wooden glide shoes.

The Elves would

probably appreciate

some socks and a tee,

but I’ll leave that up to

your imagination….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Let’s start with

the hat.

With a 2 inch square

Weave it loom,

(or pins pushed into

graph paper)

and red embroidery floss

Weave one square.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Turn the square

so one point is

at the top.

Bring 2 adjacent

sides together

and sew them,

forming a cone

shape.

Weave in

all ends.

Turn the

hat around…

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and fold up

the lower point

to shape the

brim of

the Elf’s hat.

If you have a

very tiny bell,

or a teensy pom pom,

you might want to

stitch it to the tip

of the cap.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

To make the

shoes, carefully

cut 1/2 inch from

each end of a

wooden craft stick.

Sand the cut edges.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Cut 2 pieces

of narrow ribbon

(1/4 inch wide)

that are each about

3/4 inch long.

The next bit is

fiddly…

a small hot glue

gun works best to

glue the ends of the

ribbons

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

to the edges of

the wooden

soles.

It helps to use

a toothpick to

push the ribbon

ends into place.

If you are going to

hang the shoes on

the Christmas tree,

glue strings to the

heels of the shoes.

And, there you have it….. a complete set of fine and fancy clothes for The Christmas Elves!

And a very Merry Christmas to the Elves, and to you and yours!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Today, I’m going

to show  how

I made a tiny

pair of trousers

for the elf.

With a 2 inch

square Weave It

loom, and blue

embroidery floss

(lightweight yarn

like sock yarn would

work, too) weave 2 squares.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Stitch the squares

together from

the upper edge

half way down

the squares.

This forms

the center

back

of the trousers.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Fold one square

to the front and

stitch the

inseam of the first

pant leg.

Fold the second

square to the front,

and stitch the

center front seam

and then the other

inseam of the second leg

by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Weave in all the

ends – leaving them

inside the trousers.

Cut a length of

embroidery floss

for the drawstring.

Starting at the

center front,

stitch in and out all

around the waistband.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Pull up the

drawstring

and tie a bow.

Trim the ends.

And, there you

have it!

A fine and fancy

pair of trousers

for any little

helpful elves

who happen to

be dancing around your Christmas tree!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Here’s the link for

how to make the

tiny perfect jacket

for the Elves. Link

and here’s the link

for how to make

the hat and shoes: Link

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I thought that it

would be fun

to make some

Elf clothes

to hang on

the Christmas tree-

just in case there are

some worthy elves

who needed new clothes.

A few weeks back,

I posted a tute

on how to make

a mini Bog Coat.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

That’s where I started with

the Elf coat-

BUT… made a

modification to

adjust the basic

shape of the Elf

coat.  Get out

your graph paper

and draw a 3 inch square.

Then, draw the lines on

it like those in the diagram.

Dotted lines for folds,

red lines for snipping.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Pin the pattern

to a piece of felt.

I upcycled an old

melton coat, and

a scrap of it works

great for this project.

Check this link

for a labeled diagram

of the pattern.

Cut the square out

first, then

snip the under arm cuts

and the neck opening.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Fold the fronts

at the side edges.

Pin the fronts in place.

Work blanket stitch

along one cuff edge,

using one strand of

embroidery floss.

Having the fronts

folded and pinned in place

helps make sense of what

you’re doing.

Next, fold the sleeve

down, and

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

work blanket stitch

along the under arm

seam.

Then, work

baseball stitch

(tutorial link) to

join the lower

section of the jacket

front to the upper

section.

Then, work

elf-clothes-coat-photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

blanket stitch

along the lower

center front edge,

and across the hem

edge and up the

other side of the

center .

Then, work

baseball stitch

to join the second

front sections.

Stitch the under arm

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and the hem of the

second cuff, using blanket

stitch.

I carried the thread

along the inside of the

sleeve and along

the inside of the stitching

at the front, then

worked blanket stitch

around the center front,

neck edge and

the other center front seam.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I bought a doll skirt at

a garage sale last summer

for the 6 miniature

buttons.

If you don’t have

tiny buttons,

punch cardstock

or plastic to make

wee buttons and then sew them

to the front of the coat.

And… Voila!

a tiny jacket, just perfect to

hang on the Christmas tree

for the Shoemaker’s Elves….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Here’s the link for

how to make

tiny perfect trousers

for the Elves. Link

and here’s the link

for how to make

the hat and shoes: Link

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Have you ever MADE a snowflake?  I have!   I am willing to bet that you have, too!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I was thinking about making snowflakes,

and it struck me that I could use

copper wire to make snowflakes.

So, of course, I had to give it a try.

What do you need to make

a wire snowflake?

Copper wire , a piece of foam,

straight pins

needle nose plyers with a cutting notch

graph paper,

a compass

a ruler,

and a pen or a pencil.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Draw a circle with

a 1 inch (2.5 cm) radius.

Work your way

around the

circumference

of the circle,

with the compass,

intersecting

the circle 6 times.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Draw a line from point to

point across the circle 3 times.

Draw a 1/2 inch line 1/4 inch from

the end of each line.

Stick a pin

at each point

on the circumference,

and

1 at the center.

Twist a loop

in the wire

for a hanger.

Stick  a pin

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

in at the end

of each of the ‘T’s

and wrap loops

of wire  around

each of  them.

Work your way

around

the arms of

the snowflake.

Go back to

the center

before moving on

to the next arm.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

When you have got

all 6 branches

of the snowflake

wrapped with

a little cloverleaf,

then pull the pins

out.

Wrap the tails

of wire

around the branches

of the snowflake

to secure them.

Pinch and squeeze

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

the wire

to shape the

snowflake

any way

that appeals.

After you have

finished wrapping

it, you can pound it

with a hammer if you’d like.

You could make

your snowflake

larger or smaller-

feel free to experiment!

Happy Snowflake making!

I thought that it would be fun to find some links for making snowflakes and came up with these ones: (Have fun!)

Clip art: snowflake-clipart

Paper: How-to-Make-6-Pointed-Paper-Snowflakes/

Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake

Crocheted:  tons of crocheted snowflakes

Knitted: knitted snowflake motif

http://tiajudy.com/SnowStar.htm

bead weaving: http://www.sandradhalpenny.com/9451.html

Felt: http://www.purlbee.com/felt-christmas-stocking/2008/12/13/super-easy-snowflake-stocking.html

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Yesterday,

I cut the body length

tube of knitting

from the original

mile or so of knitted tube.

I gathered the ends and

stuffed it,

tied off the neck,

stitched the ears

and legs, and

made the arms.

Sew on the arms,

stitching them really securely to the body.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

And, now to

embroider the features:

I did 2 versions of the face-

one with an ‘x’ mouth/nose,

and one with a ‘u’ or ‘v’

smile.

Start by bringing

the needle with

black yarn

through the head,

and out  at the

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

first eye. (half way down the face).

Stitch over one

horizontal bar

of the face

4 or 5 times,

leaving the

yarn end

inside the head.

Then,

take the needle back

inside the head.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

To make the ‘v’ mouth:

Bring it out at the corner of

the mouth.

Then, take it back inside the

head,  at the

other corner of the

mouth.

Bring it  out

at the center of the

mouth and take a couple of tiny

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

stitches to anchor it.

To make the ‘x’

nose/mouth,

bring the needle

out at the upper

right hand side

of the ‘x’.

Go back in at

the lower left.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Bring it out at the

upper left and

go back in at the lower

right hand side

of the ‘x’.

Take the needle

out at the

left eye,

and stitch in place

5 times, then

take the needle

inside the head.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Take the needle back

through the head,

and come out

at the back of the neck.

Trim the end close

to the body.

This photo shows

both versions of the

‘v’ and the ‘x’ mouth.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

To finish:

Thread any loose

yarn ends into the

teddy’s body.

Tug hard on the

arms to make sure

that they are sewn

on really sturdily.

And, there you

have it-  a terribly sweet

little amigurumi teddy

designed by me for the love of children everywhere.

Please feel free to make them for your favorite charities and to give as gifts, but please don’t sell them.

That is not what they are intended for.

And, may you feel joy in the making and in the giving- I hope that they will bring delight those that craft them and comfort and feelings of being loved to those who receive them!

(Please remember that this tutorial was a HUGE amount of work to create, so please DO NOT copy or post it to another blog or website, but please do feel free to share the link far and wide! Thanks so much!

Original design by Noreen Crone-Findlay, copyright)

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

This year,

I decided

to have fun

with my

vintage Mattel knitter.

I love this funky

old gadget!

It’s a little finicky,

but still, oh, so much fun!

I wanted to design an

amigurumi pocket teddy bear

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

that  I could make

using the knitted tube made

with sport weight yarn

and the Mattel knitter.

(Note: It has 16 pegs, and

makes a tube that’s a couple of

inches wide, so any spool knitter

that has 15 to 20 pegs would work,

if you don’t have a Mattel knitter.)

If you have a Mattel Knitter, or

a similar round crank style knitter,

knit up a few feet of  cord with it,

to be able to make a bunch of bears.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

BODY AND HEAD:

You will need to separate a section of

knitted tube that is 5 inches/12.5 cm long.

To cut off a length from the

cord, snip a stitch from a row or 2

above the desired length.

If you want a taller bear,

cut a longer piece.

Pull up hard on one end of the cut yarn.

Keep pulling until the yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

tightens up, and it gathers in.

Now,  look closely at the

pulled in stitches, and snip

the horizontal yarn,

close to the original

snipped stitch.

When you tug on it,

a length of yarn will be

released,

by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and the 2 pieces of knitting

will come apart.

Thread the end

of the cut off piece

of yarn into a

craft needle,

and take it through all the

stitches on one end of the

Body/Head piece of knitting.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Pull up to gather the end,

and tie the ends in a tight knot.

Stuff with polyester stuffing &

gather the other end.

Tie it off and knot tightly.

Wrap yarn around the neck 2 times.

Tie and knot tightly.

Pinch an ear at each side of the head

and stitch across the base of

each ear, stitching in place

to anchor.

To shape the legs,

stitch vertically

half way up the body.

Mattel-knitter-teddy- photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Stitch the leg line several times

to make it really secure.

For the first few bears that

I made, I spool knitted

cords to use as the arms

and legs and ears.

I wasn’t happy with this,

as I wanted the entire bear

to be made from the tube.

So, I twigged to pinching the ears,

and doing the stitched legs.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The arms were more of a challenge.

I solved this dilemma by

cutting short lengths of tube (approx. 5 rows)

for the  arms.

I picked up the stitches on the top

of the short length of

tube, and gathered them.

Then, I picked up the stitches on

the other end of the tube,

and gathered them, too.

This makes a poofy little piece,

which I then folded in half

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and stitched lengthwise.

Because it is now 4 layers

of knitting,

the arm does not

need to be stuffed.

And, because this tutorial is

getting to be so long,

I am going to

finish it up tomorrow,

so come back tomorrow

for the rest of the tutorial…..

(Please remember that this tutorial was a HUGE amount of work to create, so please DO NOT copy or post it to another blog or website, but please do feel free to share the link far and wide! Thanks so much! Original design by Noreen Crone-Findlay, copyright)

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

“What?”

“That star…..”

“um, it’s a star….”

‘Where did it come from?”

“I have no idea!”

“Well! It’s perfect!”

“For what?”

“The Christmas Ornament!”

“Hey…. you’re right… that’s a really nice shape!”

“I wonder where it came from…”

“I have nooooooooooo idea…”

“It’s a nice shape, isn’t it?”

“Yep”.

My sweetie pie and I have been together forever, well, okay, more than 30 years.  And, for each Christmas of that 3+ decades, we have designed and  made a special Christmas ornament with the year on it.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

We don’t just make one…. oh no, that would be too easy!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Nope… we make a whole bunch of them for family and friends.

The little Angel of Gratitude on the left in the photo,

was last year’s

ornament,  and this year’s ornament is going to

be a star.

Actually,

Because this year,

we are going to be

celebrating a VERY important

addition to the family:

A New baby!  wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

So,

the star will actually be a ‘Star Baby’.

I’m cutting this year’s ornament from 1/4″ plywood,

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

with the year and  faces burned on, and then varnished

with a few coats of varethane,

and hung from a piece of yarn, ribbon or wire.

Here are a few of the

I wanted it to be sweet,

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

To finish them up

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

it’s going to be in good company!

It’s joining more than 30 other ornaments

from all out other Christmases.

What a funway to remember each of those special days…..

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I ‘ve been thinking

that you could make

great little bog coats

from Origami Paper,

to use as Christmas ornaments.

Fold a square

of origami or

other decorative paper

in half.

(Note that you

can use a square

of any size that you want).

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Now,

open the

square of paper up

and fold it

in half

again,

top to bottom.

bog-coat-origami photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Open the

paper up

and fold

the top edge

to the center

line.

The top section

is going to

become the sleeves.

bog-coat-origami photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Open it up again

and fold the side

edges to the

center.

This will

create the

center front opening

of the bog coat, as

well as the side edges

of the coat or jacket.

I drew  lines on

the paper

so you could

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

see  which

fold lines

you’ll need

to cut to complete

the bog jacket.

Black dotted lines

are folds,

and the red lines

are the cutting lines.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

You can see now

that the lines are

snipped, how

the folds

form the shape

of the jacket or coat.

Isn’t that clever?

People have done

this for thousands of years.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

If it was made in

cloth, you would

stitch the

underarm seams,

and across the fronts

of the jacket to join

the upper sections.

But, since this is paper,

all you need

by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

is a couple of

snippets of paper

and some glue,

and Voila!

You have made

a very cute

little bog coat

to hang on the

Christmas tree,

or glue to a card,

or  to embellish

in lots of fun ways…. I’ll post some of them soon, so stay tuned!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

When our kids

were little,

I would draw

a special Christmas

card every year, and

get them printed.

Now that they are

grown up, I don’t

find making cards

to be as interesting.

Instead, I prefer to

design and make

ornaments that

fit into an envelope.

We mail off our little treasures , or give them to friends in person. It makes me happy to know that they will have a small memento of love and friendship on their tree.

Friends tell us that  they pull their ornaments out, year after year, and they love having little treasures from our workshop and studio.

Just thinking about that fills me with delight.

There are a million patterns for handmade ornaments on the internet, and I am going to round up some links for you over the next couple of weeks.

Today, it’s tatted snowflakes. Our tree has all kinds of tatted snowflakes and other ornaments  that I have tatted over the years.

They are still packed up at this point, but I’ll take some pics once we get the tree up.

There has been a lot of snowflake action on the Tatta Tat Tatters group that I moderate on Ravelry, and people have been posting some awesome links. Here are a few of them:

http://www.thisntat.com/medallions/snowflake1.html

http://www.geocities.com/birgit_ph/smallstar.html

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Well, okay,

for me,

the gift making

has already started.

I’ve been having

a lovely time

working on

Sunbonnet Sue Needlebooks.

I just love making them, and I hope that the friends and family that are receiving them will love them, too!

Here’s the link: Sunbonnet Sue

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

If  needle books

aren’t your cup of tea,

maybe making

a bracelet or two

might appeal?

Here’s a tutorial

for how to spool

knit with wire.

Spool knitted wire bracelet

Spool knitting wire

is a great way to

showcase a favorite bead,

button, stone or found object and turn it into a one of a kind bracelet.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

One of my favorite

tiny gifts to make

and to receive

is a bookmark.

This bookmark

combines  little

squares woven on

a vintage Weave it

loom, trimmed with

tatting.

Here’s the link for the how to:

Bookmark

Hope you’ll enjoy making some small, but precious gifts for the people that you love… I’ll be posting more tutorials and lots of links for great ideas for yarncentric gifts!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn