Side by Side Stripes

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Another four-inch, pin loom pattern by Sue Burton

Side by Side Stripes

Chain Squares

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Sue Burton shares a four inch, pin loom pattern:

Chain Squares

Using PDF Sewing Patterns

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Libby from Truly Myrtle shares tips on how to use and store PDF sewing patterns successfully.

Sewing Tutorials

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Looking for the best fast and easy sewing tutorials and inspiration? Rae Gun Ramblings provides projects that can be done in less than an hour and many of them are great for beginners.

Patterns for Mini Skeins

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Mini skeins kits are currently popular, but how can they be used?

Over the Rainbow complied patterns on Ravelry in a Favorites board called "Fade" that may provide just the inspiration you need.

Finding Patterns on Ravelry

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One of the best sites to find patterns online is on Ravelry, an online community of crafters. Knitters and crocheters can access free patterns as well as patterns to purchase on the site.

Don't know how to find a pattern in the extensive pattern library on Ravelry? Follow the steps provided on this Louet post.

Enlarging Patterns

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So you want to enlarge a sewing or craft pattern from a book, but you don't want to run to the library to use the copy machine? 

Use your cell phone and computer

SewCanShe offers tutorials on the process for both formats:

iPhones and MacBooks

Smartphones and Windows

Eleanor Roosevelt - a Knitter

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Knitty magazine (Winter 2009) featured a vintage mitten pattern reworked by Franklin Habit. The original pattern was in Eleanor Roosevelt's handwriting.

Mrs. Roosevelt was an avid knitter and carried her knitting with her everywhere. In her autobiography, Mrs. Roosevelt writes that when she was five or six, her nurse cut holes into the socks she had knit so that she would learn how to darn heels properly.

The article and pattern can be found here.

Other information about Mrs. Roosevelt's knitting can be found in this Interweave post.

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A full tutorial on how to make a Baby Changing Station Mat can be found here.

Using Leftover Triangles

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If you have some half-square triangles (HST) left from an old project and need some ideas on how to use them, Sharon Holland Designs can help. The post presents nearly 20 ideas on how to put your HSTs to use.

Upcycle Old Calendars

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Before you toss the 2016 calendar in the recycle or trash bin, check out these upcycle ideas.

HubPages shares 36 creative ways to use the glossy, calendar images.

Some of the ideas include:
Gift bags
Bookmarks
Mini gift boxes
Envelopes or gift card holders

Keep Your Place

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This handy tip from WEBS will help you keep your place on a chart or pattern.

All you need is a plastic page protector and a dry erase marker.

Converting Patterns

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Organizing Patterns

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Is your collection of patterns out of control?

WEBS yarn store gives some tips to organize patterns. Find the tips on this post - read the comments for even more tips.

October Meeting Fund-Raiser

Christy P. provided the Guild with a clever fund-raiser.

Those who attended the October meeting had an opportunity to enhance their yarn and pattern stash and help the Guild, too. Christy P. brought multiple boxes and bins of single skein yarns and hundreds of pattern books. After the meeting, members could "shop" and provide the Guild with a free-will donation for the items that they took.

Piles of yarn and books quickly appeared at each member's chair as they selected the yarn to take home.

A preliminary tally of the free-will donations was well over $250.

Christy P. was over-joyed that she was going home with only ONE box of yarn

Christy, the Guild is appreciative of your generosity and a creative fund-raiser. Thank you!

Sheep Cloth

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Knit2frog1 shared these charts for knitting an adorable sheep for a cloth, sweater, pillow, etc. 

Click on the "source" link under each image.

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Using Pinterest to Find Patterns

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At a recent Guild meeting, members learned how to use Ravelry to find knitting and crochet patterns, but another online source is also helpful in finding available patterns - Pinterest.

A photo tutorial - How to Use Pinterest to Find Knit and Crochet Patterns can be found here.

Lace Making

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Lace Making is nearly a lost art, but at least one of our Guild members (Laura B.) has created bobbin lace.

Lorelei Halley's website is for those who love to make lace, who want to learn lace making, or who love to collect lace.

Bobbin lace is her specialty, and the site is mostly dedicated to that craft.

However, Lorelei also creates needle lace, pulled thread work and Hardanger embroidery.

On her website you will find descriptions of the working methods of many forms of hand made lace, and lessons for bobbin lace, needle lace, pulled thread embroidery (also called drawn fabric embroidery) and Hardanger embroidery.  She has included information on books for needle lace, as well as links to a few tutorials.

The website has free patterns for:

Bobbin Lace

Needle Lace

Browse the website for other types of lace and patterns

Needle-felted Pincushions

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Looking for an idea of how to use some scrap roving? Deonn (Quiltscapes) has some darling pincushion designs and sells kits for many of her Lil' Woolies.

If you already have supplies, Deonn provides directions for the basic shape on this post. Make this shape for the body and then let your imagination take over to create unique pincushions.

Quilters, you might be interested in some of the small project tutorials on the Quiltscape website.

Dryer Balls

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Static cling is common in the dry, winter days, but it can be reduced by creating and using wool balls for the clothes dryer. The balls take a bit of effort to wind and to felt, but they can be used for years in the dryer.

Directions for winding and felting the balls can be found here.