Spool knitted Bracelets

As you may have noticed from earlier posts, I like to spool knit.  It is relaxing and quick and you can make lots of things.  Lately I have been working on bracelets for the Relay for Life I am involved in and for a Kid’s Day a local group runs.

The fun thing with these bracelets is that they look great, the kids love them and they only use 2 pegs of my spool knitter.  Just because a spool knitter has 4 or more pegs doesn’t mean you have to use them all.  You can make knitted cords using just one or two pegs.

So here is how the spool knitter looks using all four pegs.  You end up with a nice fat cording.









But what if we used only three of the pegs?  To do that you skip one peg.  Just pretend like it is not even there. (but do be careful not to wrap the yarn around the unused peg or you will have a yarn loop coming out of the side of your bracelet.)  You end up with a slightly thinner cord than with the 4 peg cord.

I use just two pegs for most of my bracelets.  It is quicker to complete and you can get a lot of bracelets out of a little bit of yarn. I also think it is the perfect thickness for little hands.  The cord does have a slight more angular look to it than when using 3 or 4 pegs.

 

The one peg gives a completely different look.  For this one when you put the original look around the peg to start the knitting, immediately wrap the yarn around the same peg twice above the loop. I tried wrapping it only once and the loop just kept spinning around the peg and wouldn’t catch a knit stitch.  Then what I did was lift with my tool the loop yarn and one wrap yarn over the top wrapped yarn and knitted as I usually do. From then on you just have to wrap the yarn once around the peg and spool knit like you normally would but just remember to use one peg. I did find that I had to hold the yarn tight when knitting or I would have spaces between the stitches. 

 

I don’t use one peg much at all but some people might like the look of the knitting.  Try it yourself and see what you think. It might work better with a heaver yarn. It also has more of a flat look to the cording.

I make the length of the bracelets about 6 inches with tails on each end for tying also about 6 inches.  Since I don’t know how big the wrist will be this is a good size and the yarn for tying helps to extend the length if an adult is wearing the bracelet.  Some yarns are stretchy enough that you don’t need to even have long tail ends for tying.  Again try it and see what you like.

These bracelets are good for little girl wardrobes.  She can have a color for each outfit.   They can be used for party favors or even as a substitute for ribbon on a package.  I am using them for our local American Cancer Society Relay for Life event as fund raiser.  You can use them in the color of what ever charity awareness you would like (for example pink for breast cancer or red for AIDS awareness)

What ever you do with them, they are fun to make. 

© 2018  Cheryl E. Fillion

I Live in Clutter and I Love It

My house is cluttered.  Not really dirty (a bit dusty maybe.  We had a neighbor growing up whose philosophy was “If people are going to come in my house and look for dust, I am going to leave some.  I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”  I have adopted her philosophy.)  But my house is cluttered.  I have boxes and baskets and yes piles of projects and craft supplies.  I usually have multiple projects going on at once.  I never know when the mood will strike me to change what I am doing so I want everything close by (and I actually know where things are in my clutter.  I have found that if I “put it away”, I don’t remember where I put it.).

But it does drives my visitors and landlord crazy.  One friend stopped by recently and looked around at my living room frowning at my clutter and I said “Welcome to the Heartfully Cheryl Manufacturing Center”.  It was a way of letting her know there was a purpose to my “mess”. But I will admit after recent events, my clutter can be difficult.

A few weeks ago, my refrigerator decided to stop cooling.  It apparently decided on a career change.  And so we had to get a new one.  The best way to get anything out of my house is through the front door, which meant moving furniture, a sewing machine and much of my clutter.

It was challenging I had things in places I don’t normally have things like the bathroom and the front porch.  But it worked out and I now have cold and frozen food again.  But I wasn’t allowed to get everything back in place (which turned out to be good) when my washing machine decided to go to the big Laundromat in the sky.  Again everything needed to be moved (and even more things from the hallway between the kitchen and laundry room) to get the old machine out and the new one in.

This time I decided to clean out some things.  Two items I had to move were 2 drawer file cabinets I use to store teaching notes and exams and in them I found all kinds of things for classes I no longer teach.  So off to the recycling center those items went.  I cleaned out fabric and yarn to go to various friends and charities.  I found a new spot for my paid bills to go and also for my card stock.  And I hate to admit it I found some projects I had forgotten about but now will get finished.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with clutter.  I like having my projects around me to work on. My moods and energy level often decide what I am going to do at the moment.

But there is something to say about clearing out the old that you really don’t need anymore (and cleaning up the dust too.)  If you don’t mind the clutter, don’t change because others don’t like it.  But every once in a while, go through it and see what you still need and what you really don’t need.

 

©2018- Cheryl Fillion

Artistic Graduations

There are a couple of businesses in my town which offer artistic parties. You scheduled a day and go for a birthday or shower.  You create something while you are there and often times they decorate or provide a cake based on whatever theme you choose.  I would have loved this kind of birthday party growing up.

The other day I was thinking about the upcoming graduations of some of the students I teach which got me to thinking of my graduation.  Wouldn’t it be fun to have an artistic graduation?  Either go to one of these businesses and schedule something for everyone to make or create one of your own for the artist you love who is graduating high school or college.

Suggest that gifts could be art supplies or gift cards to art supply stores.  Or have some sort of project that everyone can make and take home as sort of a party favor from the graduation celebration.

A few years ago I was trying to sort out what I was going to do with the next part of my life by making collages.  How about a big collage (or lots of little ones) representing what everyone at the celebration wants for the graduate.  What type of career, or success, or adventure you wish for them.  And then of course present it to the graduate at the party’s end.  Maybe if there is time, explain to the graduate (and other guests) what your collage means. It would be a great way of sharing your best wishes for them.

Wouldn’t this be a great way to celebrate that graduating artist? And to any graduates out there reading this:  Congratulations and best wishes for your future.

©2018 Cheryl Fillion

Celebrations of Music – May Holidays

I found two fun celebration days for May and they occur on the same weekend and involve music.

The first is Tap Dance Day on May 25^th.  Tap dance is seen as an American form of dance and Tap Dance Day was started in 1989, although it is celebrated in other countries such as Japan, Australia, India and Iceland.

Whether you are a tap dancer yourself (I am not) or just an appreciator of tap (I am), enjoy the day with a little dance of your own.  You don’t have to be good.  Your dance doesn’t have to be public.  Just tap dance. Maybe even sign up for some lessons.  If you are lucky enough, check out a live performance of dance. Or if nothing else watch a movie with a little tap dancing in it.

The second celebration is May 26^th and that is International Jazz Day. This celebration was founded in 2011 by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.  It is intended to show the international aspect of jazz.  And like so many other forms of music, jazz seems to bring people together and that is a great thing.

So spend the day listening to jazz ( and maybe tap dancing to some).  If you are able to go to a live concert or even a local festival of jazz on that day, do so.  I am sure you won’t regret it.  If you are one who plays an instrument, play a little jazz that day if only for yourself (but sharing with others is also good).  You don’t have to be great at it; you just have to do it.

And if you are ending the weekend with a Memorial Day celebration, include a little tap and a little jazz in your backyard barbeque.  Celebrate the music.

©2018- Cheryl Fillion