In these trying times, there’s absolutely nothing better for the soul than having one or more beloved hobbies to lean on. When you have a creative passion to turn to, you reap a wealth of healthy benefits:
Working toward a goal that you’re passionate about gives you a sense of purpose, which makes you feel happy and content.
Working with your hands as you immerse yourself in a project of your choosing is beyond relaxing. It’s the next best thing to meditation!
When you complete a project, you feel new stirrings of excitement as you think about the next.
Seeking out and experimenting with fresh ideas and new challenges takes you on a learning journey that never ends—your mind is ever expanding onto new pathways to discovery.
Finishing a project gives you a deep feeling of accomplishment. It’s a confidence-builder.
You are never bored. Your hobby is always there, waiting for you to dive in.
You learn more about yourself. Hobbies help you to explore and discover new skills, as well as unearth hidden talents that you may never have realized you had.
It’s this simple: not only is it FUN to create new things, the act of doing so fills you with pure JOY!
With that said, here are some projects I’ve finished over the past few months. I still have to write out the patterns for some of them, which I’ll post for you at a later date.
Happy hobbying to you!
Toronto Blue Jays baseball cap and booties for a special new babyLittle drawstring bagEaster bunny headbandLemon meringue slouchy hatGrey & cream pocket scarfBlue jeans blue crocheted hippie skirtTeal tie topRose lace topPen & ink doodle drawing: The most priceless things are wild and freePen & ink doodle drawing: You already have what you’re looking for
Why fiddle around with a hat and a scarf when you can wrap up in an all-in-one hoodie cowl! This super-warm accessory is handy to have for outdoor winter walks. Best of all, it’s easy enough for a beginning crocheter to make.
Materials 2 balls Bernat Roving yarn (100 g/3.5 oz/109 m/120 yds), Colour: Lichen / 10 mm hook / 3 medium-sized buttons to blend with yarn colour / Finished piece is 38” L x 11” W before blocking or finishing.
Instructions Ch 48
Row 1: (sc, hdc, dc) in third ch from hook; *skip next 2 chs; (sc, hdc, dc) in next ch; repeat from * to last 3 chs; sk next 2 chs, hdc in last ch, turn.
Row 2: ch 2; *(sc, hdc, dc) in next dc; repeat from * to end; hdc in top of turning ch-2, turn.
Repeat Row 2 until piece is approx. 11” deep.Finishing: Block first, then fold in half lengthwise and seam approx. 10” down from fold. Sew on 3 buttons (spaced as shown) and use spaces between stitches to fasten over buttons.
This is an ideal project for using up scrap yarn! These Mug Hugs make great gifts for coffee/tea lovers, and they’re useful for protecting hands from a hot cup. So easy to make—they’re perfect for beginner crocheters.
Hook: 6 mm hook for ceramic coffee mug; 5 mm hook for disposable takeout coffee cup Yarn: Your yarn of choice (can use either worsted weight or Bernat handicrafter cotton) Other: Yarn needle, scissors
Larger Mug Hug for a ceramic mug: Ch 32.
Row 1: hdc in third ch from hook and in each across, turn.
Row 2: ch 1, hdc in same space and in each across, turn.
Repeat Row 2 until piece is approximately 3.5” deep.
Using your yarn needle, sew short sides together for about ½” from the top and bottom, leaving approximately a 2-1/2” opening for the mug handle. Can just leave this part open, or sew a small button at one edge of the handle opening, and use one of the spaces on the opposite side as the button hole (as shown in photo).
Smaller Mug Hug to fit disposable cup: Ch 25, slip stitch into first chain to make a ring, taking care not to twist.
Round 1: sc in each chain around, slip stitch into first sc to join.
Round 2-4: ch 3, dc in each sc around, slip stitch into top of ch-3 to join.
Round 5: sc in each dc around, slip stitch into first sc to join. Fasten off and weave in end.
Embellish using your favourite pattern of crocheted flowers, hearts or any other applique-type embellishment. Or use felt embellishments. Or use embroidery—the sky’s the limit!
You’ll find all of that and more with the fun craft of cross-stitch.
The art of cross-stitch was so popular when I was a young mother in my 20s. I remember getting hooked on it as a relaxing way of spending “me” time while my toddler napped in the afternoon.
This was a lot of fun to work on, with all the different colours.
It was easy to learn, simple to do, and always produced the most rewarding results. A finished cross-stitch looks a lot like a painting—but instead of paint, you use different colours of embroidery floss (thread) and follow the very clear pattern instructions by simply stitching X’s onto the little squares in the cloth.
For all the gardeners out there!
Over the years, my love affair with cross-stitch fell by the wayside as I experimented with other pursuits such as quilting and sewing, painting and drawing, and crochet. But every time I caught sight of one of my finished cross-stitch pieces, I felt a strong yearning to get back to it.
This comes out of storage every Christmas.
And didn’t it take a pandemic to reset my focus on cross-stitch again after all these years! I have some storage bins filled with cross-stitch supplies that I’d had been keeping in the cellar for the past 15+ years. As I sorted through them, I rediscovered a beautiful kit that I’d bought eons ago, that I’d put away to work on “someday.”
Still have to frame this one. Would look lovely in a child’s bedroom.
Well, “someday” had finally arrived.
Last summer every time we went out on our boat for the day, I took my cross-stitch project along. Talk about relaxing. Cross-stitching while lounging in the middle of a lake, listening to the gentle sounds of water lapping against the side of your boat is stress relief on steroids!
This takes centre stage on my fireplace mantel.
By September, I had completed the adorable “Beach Babies.” Every time I look at it, I’m reminded of being out on my boat during the summer of 2020—it’s proof that beautiful things can still come out of the bleakest of times.
I would love to see cross-stitch taught in elementary schools to both boys and girls—needlework skills offer so many benefits to kids: improved fine motor skills, patience, self-confidence, improved math skills, and stoking imagination and creativity, to name a few.
As a writer and editor by trade, I couldn’t pass this one up!
Think you might want to learn how to cross-stitch? You’ll find lots of instruction on the web, but here’s a good YouTube instructional video for beginners offered by Bucilla, a popular needlework supply manufacturer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kiuy4ZwIDI
I made this cross-stitch into a cushion for my dad for Father’s Day. He loved it.
It’s easy to find cross-stitch supplies online at your local craft store sites. Beginners can buy a kit that contains everything you need: the pattern, Aida cloth, floss, and cross-stitch needle.
Worked on this while sitting in the stands during my daughter’s baseball games.
Try it. I guarantee you’ll love it!
This is a tribute to my good buddy, Otis.
Here are some of my finished projects from the past. I have good memories of working on every one of them.
My eyes never close. My stance never changes. I am always aware.
I cannot speak, yet I can hear and see. I cannot touch, yet I can feel.
I yearn to scream, to reach out, to be heard.
I yearn in vain, for I will never be free of the binds that confine me to this fate.
I long to touch, to trail a fingertip along the surface of a leaf on the plant that sits beside me. So delicate in appearance, yet such strength, such tenacity in its growth. I have memorized the intricate web of veins etched into each leaf, the curling vines, the blend of jade and olive stippled with shadows and light.
I feel the powerful resonance of your music as it seeps its way into my being. I want to move, to sway, to leap with the vibrations.
I smell the enticing aromas of your kitchen; they drift and curl around me— such agonizing wisps of temptation. I watch you partake. My hunger is my anguish.
So weary am I of observing, of studying, of longing.
How eager I am to live as you do, to experience all that I watch you take for granted.
Yet, remain here I will, for as long as you will have me; standing still and silent until the day you grow tired of me, and throw me to my final death.
Can you see the tears in my eyes? Of course not, for I cannot cry.
I am just an ornament— a decorative figure to embellish your mantle.
As you pause to study me, to admire me, I invite you to look a little closer.
Try to see the invisible tears of one who lives dormant and lonely.
This is a good choice for beginners who have mastered the basic stitches and now want to expand their skills by trying their hand at making a shawl. The entire shawl is made with simple double crochet stitches, and the pattern is very easy to follow.
Get the free pattern at the Berroco website You can find the pattern at the Berroco yarn website (along with lots of other free crochet and knit patterns). Here’s the link: https://www.berroco.com/patterns/halstead
To make the shawl pictured, I used: – 2 balls Red Heart super saver Stripes (5 oz/141 g/236 yds/215 m) Colour: Sutherland Stripe – 1 ball denim blue yarn for edging (I just matched a blue yarn I already had on my shelves to the shade of blue that was in the Stripes yarn—feel free to use any colour of preference that will match one of the colours in the striping) – 6 mm hook
With the Red Heart yarn, my shawl is more of a chunky look, and I’ll use it as a warm shawl/scarf under my coat. I would definitely like to try the same pattern again with a fine, lace-weight yarn that would give it more of a slinky/drapey appearance—more of a dressy result. The type of yarn that you use makes a big difference to the look you’re trying to achieve.
I believe in trying to recycle rather than just trashing—especially when it comes to a lovingly worn and torn pair of blue jeans. After spending some time thinking about what to do with them, I came up with the idea to fashion them into a tribute to the late 60s/early 70s—transforming them into a replica of hippie style from back in the day.
As a child of the 60s and 70s, what better way to memorialize a simpler time—a time when we didn’t need social media to communicate with each other, when TV shows and movies were truly entertaining, when some of the hands-down best music in history was produced.
If you grew up during the 60s/70s, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Here’s a step-by-step pictorial of how I transformed an old pair of denims.
I saw this picture in a fabric applique book and thought it would be perfect for covering up the big hole just above the knee. From there, a leafy vine growing up toward the pocket would cover up a couple more tears.
I drew a rough sketch of what I wanted to achieve, then I chose the colours of fabric that I wanted to use. I also turned the pants to the wrong side, used some iron-on patching fabric to strengthen where I would be appliqueing over the holes, then turned them back out to the right side.
Using the templates in the book, I cut out the flower parts and leaves, and pinned them into position, starting with the flower that would cover up the largest hole on the right leg.
Then I began placement on the left leg. I used lace edging to make the vine. I also found a piece of fabric I had with a similar colour of floral print on it, so I cut those flowers out and incorporated them. When I work on a project, I might start out following a set pattern, but I rarely stick with it—I like to shake things up as the project moves along, so I can never really predict how something will turn out. I guess that’s my way of challenging myself. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it absolutely tanks. It’s all a learning experience.
I used one of the flower cutouts from the printed fabric to decorate a front pocket.
Once each piece was pinned down, I used white thread to temporarily baste everything into place.
Then I used thread that matched the flowers and leaves to hand sew each piece down permanently, using a blanket stitch. Talk about time-intensive! It wasn’t long before I got fed up with the hand sewing (I am a VERY impatient person), so I pulled apart the leg seam along the inside of each leg, and used the zigzag stitch on my sewing machine to sew the flowers and leaves down. A much quicker choice.
Once the main parts were secure, I began to embellish using hand-stitching, starting with the left leg. I used copper metallic thread (in an embroidery chain stitch) to embellish certain flowers and leaves. The flower on the pocket was one. It’s hard to really see it in the picture, but it adds a pretty glitter around each petal.
I also used some old broken jewelry as embellishments. I used one brooch as a flower center, hand-stitching it on securely. (I knew I’d kept that in my junk cupboard for a reason!)
I used another old brooch as a leaf on the vine, again, hand-stitching it onto the jeans securely. That brooch once belonged to somebody who was special to me, so I was glad I could incorporate it into the design.
Of course, I can’t have a vine without a ladybug!
Or a beautiful butterfly.
Next, I began on the right leg, using metallic thread to stitch around the berries. I added a sparkly button too—because, why not?
Another broken brooch used as a flower center (instead of landfill).
Once I’d finished both legs, I decided that the back pocket couldn’t remain bare. So I stitched on a ribbon rose, then decided to incorporate a saying in hand embroidery. First, I sketched out the saying on tissue paper, then I pinned the tissue paper into place on the pocket. (I wanted to transfer the saying onto the pocket using a transfer pen and an iron, but my transfer pen had run out of ink.) Instead, I just stitched over top of the paper, then picked the paper off afterward. More of a hassle, but works just as well. (Re the saying I chose: everything I make is perfectly imperfect… but, hey, it’s perfect enough for me!)
And it worked! Using a chain stitch and embroidery floss, I stitched over it a couple of times, and it turned out perfect enough for me.
Last, I went back to my sewing machine, turned the pants inside out, and re-stitched the inside seams together. Voila! Bring on the Pink Floyd… Deep Purple… Led Zeppelin…
It’s been a year of sheer insanity, but if I were to sit down right now with a pen and a piece of paper, I know I could still make quite a list of things to be thankful for.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone, and let’s hope that 2021 is filled with more sunny days than cloudy ones.
Before you buy your loved one a tech gift, have them take this quiz so you’ll know whether or not you’re about to waste your hard-earned money.
ARE you a Technology: 1. Crackerjack 2. Geek 3. Drama Queen or 4. Digi-Dunce?
Take this quiz and find out!
802.11a. A hard drive is:
The road in to my cottage. Too many potholes.
OMG! My last golf game!
Duhhhh—it’s the guts.
A high-capacity, self-contained data storage device inside a sealed unit.
802.11b. Where do you use your computer most?
I hammered four newel posts into my old laptop and now I have a handy little TV table to eat on while watching “Diff’rent Strokes” reruns.
Um…It was sitting on the stove and…OMG!I don’t know how it happened…but somehow…I turned on thewrong burner by mistake! So, now only three burners on my stove are functional!
While I chill inside the stainless-steel privacy pod I ordered from Amazon.
Anywhere I need it. It goes wherever I go.
802.11c. Do you know what cache is?
Naturally. It’s what I get out of the ATM.
I had a lot more of it before my laptop had a meltdown.
Dumb question. It’s where I store all my internet porn.
Basically, it’s storage. Cache stores recently used info where you can quickly access it.
802.11d. At the end of the day, do you shut it down or keep it running?
With gas prices the way they are today, I shut it off. Most definitely.
Another time…by mistake…I left it running under my bedcovers (whoops!) while I was away for the weekend! The firefighters managed to salvage my garage…where I am now living.
I’m on it 24/7. I can sleep and keyboard at the same time.
I shut it down and unplug to conserve energy.
802.11e. Your laptop is really, really warm. You…
Slip on my Speedo and go for a swim.
I make sure I haven’t turned on the wrong stove burner again!
Where there’s no smoke, there’s no fire. Clearly, I keep on keeping on.
Just run it on a cooling pad and you shouldn’t have that problem.
802.11f. If you’re using Safe Mode, it means…
Heh heh. Just take a look in my night-table drawer.
I’m picking up sushi tonight instead of going anywhere near my stove!
I don’t need Safe Mode. My computer is an extension of me. It is a superpower.
Your operating system is running in a diagnostic mode with minimal configuration and generic drivers, in order to attempt a correction of system errors.
802.11g. Where do you see the future of Artificial Intelligence?
Back at Mar-a-Lago, where it belongs.
You mean, like, aliens? OMG!Have you seen one?!
I could show NASA a thing or two. My entire house has been robotized since 2003.
I believe that technology will continue evolving even faster to make our lives easier.
802.11i. Your keyboard is filled with snack crumbs. What do you do?
I never eat while playing my piano.
Eat them! Especially if there’s chocolate in there! I LOVE chocolate!
Never happens. I designed and built a vacuum system into my keyboard.
Use a can of compressed air to blow them out and it will be good as new.
802.11k. Your friend gets a new notebook that’s much cooler than yours. Reaction?
So what? Maybe I prefer loose-leaf in a binder. Who really cares?
Which friend? Is it Marcia? Sheowes me money! Can I put a lien on her notebook?
Moot point. I have no friends.
I admire it…then I head over to my tech supplier and pick one up for myself.
ANSWERS:
MOSTLY A’s: You’re a Digi-Dunce You live for reruns of “That 70s Show” and “All In The Family.” Contrary to what you believe—people are not always laughing with you—they’re often laughing at you. The only belonging that you can’t live without is your ratty La-z-boy chair with potato chip crumbs between the cushions and a pocket organizer filled with TV remotes hanging over one armrest. Your biggest-ever tech purchase was a pair of wired headphones that you use to listen to Neil Sedaka. Helpful Tip: If you want to learn some basic tech instruction, try offering the second-grader next door a case of Mountain Dew and a family-size pack of Sour Patch Kids in return for his advice. If the kid gets frustrated and ditches you for the ice cream truck, just forget about it and go lose yourself in some more crossword puzzles.
MOSTLY B’s: You’re a Techno Drama Queen You have watched every reality show ever produced (OMG! Jersey Shore! Big Brother! Laguna Beach! Naked and Afraid!!) People no longer bother emailing you blonde jokes because you just don’t get the punch line. You’re harmless as long as you don’t go within ten feet of a kitchen. You love your many friends as much as they love you, but you will never understand why their eyes cloud with puzzlement every time you tell a story…and then they roar with laughter because they think you’re joking—You’re not. Helpful Tip: Meal-delivery services were designed with you in mind, so please sign up for one. Then have someone help you to disconnect your stove and drag it to the curb for garbage pickup. Last, fill the empty space between your…cupboards with a desk unit—don’t even bother attempting to search for one online…you’ll have to visit a local furniture store where a nice salesperson will set you up in a wink. They’re trained to be nice to everybody—even people who watch reality TV.
MOSTLY C’s: You’re a Techno Geek You own the original film reels for every Star Trek episode ever made; how they came to be in your possession is one of the great mysteries of the universe. You have dreams of arm-wrestling your idols: Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, but not one of them have responded to your relentless rounds of email requests. Your long-time live-in girlfriend was built using a Roomba and other electronic odds and ends. Helpful Tip: It’s time to donate your authentic Spock ears and Vulcan uniform to a Disney park, and go buy yourself a nice golf shirt and jeans. It’s also imperative that you cease and desist using your military-grade drone to spy through the neighbors’ bedroom windows; peeping toms are totally uncool. Most important: dude—get out there and make yourself some human friends!
MOSTLY D’s: You’re a Techno Crackerjack You are technically savvy and you’re also really cool and everybody likes you a lot. Although you have the ability to hack into any computer system on earth, your great sense of integrity prevents you from invading anyone’s privacy—unless of course Homeland or Mossad were to offer you a contract for gazillions of dollars. Aside from that, you techno-rock!
Always experimenting with my crochet hook, I decided to make myself a snowman. I didn’t follow a pattern—just winged it. I didn’t write down specifics, but I’ll describe the basics below.
First, using a 6 mm hook, white worsted weight yarn, and the single crochet stitch, I crocheted two “snowballs” for the body. Then I switched to a 5 mm hook to make a slightly smaller snowball for the head.
To make a standard ball shape, you’re crocheting in rounds: chain 4 and slip stitch closed to make a ring; 8 sc in ring; increase the first 3 rounds; do a few rounds with just one sc in each sc; decrease the last few rounds, stuffing with fiberfill before completely closed, then fasten off and leave a tail for sewing the three balls together.
Next, I made a hat using black yarn and the 5 mm hook, again crocheting in the rounds: just a few rounds of sc for the top of the hat, and increases to make the brim.
For the “carrot” nose, I used orange yarn and basically a few sc stitches over and over again to make a long shape, decreasing to a point near the end.
For the scarf, I made a rectangle shape with some red yarn, and added a bit of fringe at either end.
Last, I sewed the hat and carrot to the head, the scarf to the body, and used 2 black seed beads for the eyes and a snowflake button to decorate the scarf. Later, I decided to stick a couple of tiny tree branch arms on either side of the body.
