Teaching kids to crochet and/or knit

Looking for a craft to teach your children? A craft which will teach them focus, goal setting and accomplishment as well as design planning and follow through? Sounds like a tall order, right? Nope, the answer is as simple as teaching them to crochet or knit.

It is not only a great way to bond with your children, you are teaching them a life long skill that they will use time and time again.

Crocheting

Crocheting is a great place to start, particularly for younger children, because it uses a single needle. Children as young as four can be taught to crochet.

Required crochet supplies include:

• Size J hook
• Favorite color worsted weight yarn
• Beginner pattern

Hooks come in a variety of materials from metal to plastic. Lighter weight hooks are often easier for small hands to use effectively. It’s easier to teach a child to crochet if you’re sitting side by side so a couch is ideal, just make sure the television is off or they won’t be paying attention. It is important to note whether your child is left handed or right handed as the pattern directions will vary.

Beginner patterns are usually blankets or placemats. Remember to start small, be prepared for frustration in the beginning and set a mental time limit or create a goal – for example, let’s start with a 4X4 square so they feel like they’ve accomplished something when they finish.

Before beginning any project it’s important to master a few knots, practice them, and make your yarn skein into a yarn ball.

Knitting

Like crochet, knitting is a great way to teach children focus, give them a sense of accomplishment, and is a great way for children to keep busy as an alternative to a television, computer or video game.

Knitting supplies:

• Size ten knitting needles
• Yarn, preferably wool
• A knitting pattern or project

Easy knitting patterns include a scarf, a potholder, or a hat. Begin like crocheting with your child sitting next to you somewhere comfortable. Sometimes it helps to have your child sitting in your lap so they can emulate your hand motions.

Like crochet needles it helps small hands if the needles are larger and if they are lightweight. Additionally, choose needles which have rounded tips rather than sharp pointed tips.

Patience is required when teaching knitting or crocheting. Knots can be difficult for small hands to master. If you become frustrated they will too. Knitting and crocheting are a fantastic way to bond with your child and to teach them the joy of crafting, the joy of creating something with their own two hands.

If your children are reluctant to learn, you could encourage them and let them know that it is not that hard AND they can make great gifts for friends and family…Grandma would LOVE it too I am sure!

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Butterfly Candle Holders

Butterfly candle holders are easy to make and a great gift idea. The materials are very inexpensive, and you can use your imagination for a variety of designs.

To get started, you will need:

Materials:

Small glass candle holders
Butterfly wrapping paper
Yellow tissue paper
Decoupage
Cuticle scissors
Small paintbrush
Damp paper towel

You can buy whatever glass candle holders you like (or use some you already have laying around). I bought mine at Walmart for about $0.59. You could also find them at thrift stores or yard sales.

I chose butterflies for my design, but you could choose whatever design you’d like–maybe keeping in mind the tastes of the person you’re making them for. You can cut out pictures from anywhere, including calendars, greeting cards, magazines. Thin paper decoupages best.

After you have some pictures in mind, use cuticle scissors (the kind you cut your fingernails with) to cut out the pictures. These scissors work best on small pictures and cut rounder corners than regular scissors. If you’re not going to use the pictures right away, store them in ziploc bags.

You can buy decoupage at any craft store. It is normally found with the glue. It allows you to permanently affix a picture to another object, giving the object an overall glossy effect. Make sure the glass you’re working with is clean. Tear a piece of tissue paper into small (approx. 1 inch) pieces. Using the paint brush, brush some decoupage on to the back of one of the pieces of tissue paper. Position the tissue paper on the glass and then brush some more decoupage on top of it. Continue gluing on pieces of tissue paper, overlapping at the edges, until the entire candle holder is covered (including the bottom–set the candle holder on its top to dry). Brush one last coat of decoupage over the entire candle holder. Use damp paper towel to wipe off any excess decoupage.

After the decoupage has dried for about an hour (or more), position the butterflies (or other pictures) on top of the tissue paper. First brush some decoupage on the backs of the pictures and place them on the glass. Brush another coat of decoupage over the entire glass and set the candle holder on its top to dry again. After the decoupage has dried, add 2 or 3 more coats of decoupage after each coat has dried.

That’s it! These candle holders are only limited by your imagination. Use different colors of tissue paper and a variety of pictures for different themes. You could make these with holiday themes, like for Christmas or Easter. They also make great birthday presents, hostess gifts, or party favors. They are very easy to make and you can make several of them at one time.

About the Author: Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit www.crafty-moms.com.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Summer Daisies Homemade Greeting Card

This daisy-themed homemade card is great for a quick birthday wish or thank you card.

During spring and summer months, it is fun to make homemade greeting cards with a daisy theme. These cards are great for all occasions, especially for birthday and thank you cards.

There are many possibilities to incorporating a daisy theme into your greeting card, but here is one idea I came up with. You will be able to complete this card in about 15 minutes.

Materials:

• Blank greeting card
• Solid colored scrapbook paper
• Coordinating piece of colored scrapbook paper
• Scrapbook paper with large daisies on it
• Three medium-sized brads
• Small hole punch
• Paper cutter
• Glue stick

A large daisy is going to be the central element of the card. Choose a flower from the daisy scrapbook paper and cut it out with your paper cutter.

Take a look at the accompanying photo to see how the card will be laid out. The large daisy will be just above the center of the card. The brads will be lined up near the bottom of the card.

One of the pieces of solid scrapbook paper will be your background of the card. I chose a daisy yellow and light brown for my solid colors. I chose the yellow paper for the background, and the brown paper for the mats.

Cut the background paper to fit the front of the blank greeting card. Don’t glue it on yet. You want to attach the brads first so they won’t be inserted all the way through the card.

Next cut a piece of the coordinating solid paper to be a mat for the large daisy. Glue the daisy to the mat and glue it just above the center of the background paper.

Using the same paper you used for the mat for the daisy, cut three small squares that you will use for “mats” for the brads. Line them up and glue them next to each other (with a little space in between) underneath the daisy on the background paper.

Now you will use the small hole punch (available at craft stores) to punch a hole in the center of each of the small squares. These holes will be used to insert the brads. Next insert the brads. You can find all sorts of interesting brads to use. I chose two brown (round) ones and one yellow one.

All you have left to do is glue the background paper to your blank greeting card, and you’re done! If you wish you can use rubber stamps to stamp a greeting inside.

About the Author: Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

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