MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Knit

Learn to Knit Series – Purl Stitch

Hey, isn’t knitting a flat stitch? Not the bumpy texture from rows of knitting! The secret is to alternate rows of knitting with rows of purling. So let’s learn to purl.

Congratulations you just learned two new stitches. That’s right 2 new stitches! And for the second lesson in a row. Alternating a row of the knit stitches with a row of purl stitches you also learned the stockinette stitch. Who’d a thought – another two-fer. Talk about double knit.

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MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Feature · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Knit

Learn to Knit Series – Knit Stitch

Now that you have cast your stitches onto your needles, it’s time to learn the knit stitch!



Tips


  • Over tightening stitches will make it difficult and frustrating to knit.
  • Aim for consistency. It will come with practice.

Congratulations you just learned two new stitches. That’s right 2 new stitches! The knit stitch of course and by repeating the knit stitch over and over, row after row you also learned the garter stitch. Who’d a thought – a two-fer.

The Garter Stitch creates a fun bumpy texture. We particularly like that bumpy texture for dish clothes as it makes cleaning dishes easier. Look for our video on dish clothes coming soon!


Affiliate disclosurePlease read before purchasing products from links


MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Knit

Learn to Knit Series – Casting On Knitting

In order to start your knitting project, you need to learn to add stitches to your needles otherwise known as casting on.

Now that you have completed the foundation row, you are ready to take the next step in your journey in learn to knit. MainelyDiY is delighted to be along you side as you learn to knit. The next step is is learning the knit stitch.

Gnomes · Christmas · Feature · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Holiday · MainelyDIY Full Disclosure

Legendary Tale of Jingles the Gnome

Come read all about the story of Jingles the Gnome, soon to become a Christmas legend or at least folklore.

You have heard of the Island of misfit toys, right? Well, Jingles the Gnome has been hiding deep in the darkest forest. You see just like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was ashamed of his shiny nose, Jingles the Gnome was ashamed of his shiny nose too! Not because it glowed but because it makes a lot of jingly jangly noise. Gnomes are supposed to be stealthy so they can sneaky up on you especially when you are being naughty.

Just like Rudolph, Jingles discovers that his special shiny nose can do something no other gnome can do. He can turn the naughty to nice. But how? He starts jingling and jangling and pretty soon everyone is enticed to sing along. And who a can be naughty when rocking along to Jingle’s hit version of Jingle Bells!

So simple Jingles the Gnome takes only minutes to make. No sewing, not even glue is required to make him. He does have a secret ingredient to make him stand up but you will need to watch the video to reveal Jingle’s secret.

More Gnomes



      Prices subject to change. As participants in affiliate programs, we may earn small commissions on products and services linked in our blog/website. There is NO additional cost to you however it gives us a boost and allows us to continue to provide you with easy link access to items we use. We are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the Cricut affiliate program. An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to products and service of affiliated sites.

Holiday · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Needle Felting · Other Crafts · Spring & Summer

Stressing Reducing Easter Egg

Hatch your creativity AND take out your frustration all at the same time with this fun needle felted Easter egg. It is quick and easy.

There is no sewing involved yet there is a needle. Felting needles do not have an eye but do have sharp barbs. All you need to do is moving the needle straight up and down. Stab it as hard as you like – a stress relieving motion.

After Easter you can give it to your kitty as it makes a fun cat toy!

Needle Felting Base       Gnome

Affiliate disclosurePlease read before purchasing products from links



      Prices subject to change. As participants in affiliate programs, we may earn small commissions on products and services linked in our blog/website. There is NO additional cost to you however it gives us a boost and allows us to continue to provide you with easy link access to items we use. We are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and the Cricut affiliate program. An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to products and service of affiliated sites.

You may also like these ideas:

  • Take a Stab at Needle Felting
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    You can give Dad the perfect shirt for Father’s Day.  What makes this the perfect shirt? This shirt houses a gift card so Dad can choose just what he truly wants.  Our gift card holder is made from a magazine page so it uses a FREE material. Maybe even a shirt lol.  Where else can… Continue reading Dad’s Favorite Shirt
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    Hatch your creativity AND take out your frustration all at the same time with this fun needle felted Easter egg. It is quick and easy. There is no sewing involved yet there is a needle. Felting needles do not have an eye but do have sharp barbs. All you need to do is moving the… Continue reading Stressing Reducing Easter Egg
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MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Christmas · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Gnomes · Holiday · Needle Felting · Other Crafts

Wood be Gnominee

Who will be your nominee? Since each one of these wood gnomes has his only personality is will definitely be hard to chose.

Theses needle felted gnomes are super easy to create. The gnomes are made by shaping wool roving and then melding the fibers into each other by poking it up and down with a felting needle. A felting needle does not have an eye so there is threading involved – yeah! Instead a felting needle has tiny barbs on the side near the needle point. I used medium sized needles or 86mm. You will find yourself addicted to making them. Click here to key into the gnome only video.

Affiliate disclosurePlease read before purchasing products from links

      Prices subject to change. As participants in affiliate programs, we may earn small commissions on products and services linked in our blog/website. There is NO additional cost to you however it gives us a boost and allows us to continue to provide you with easy link access to items we use. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Already have a base, then key in on this gnome only video.

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Whether You Call Him Tonttu, Tomte, or Gnome, Be Sure To Welcome This Adorable Elfish Creature into Your Home

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  • Wood be Gnominee
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  • Take a Stab at Needle Felting
        Have you seen those cute little felted animals and always wanted to give them a try? Let us show you how. To get started you will need an oval or egg shaped base. It all starts with some wool quilting batting that is cut in a particular yet simple non-precise way. Roll it up… Continue reading Take a Stab at Needle Felting
MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Needle Felting · Other Crafts

Take a Stab at Needle Felting

    Have you seen those cute little felted animals and always wanted to give them a try? Let us show you how. To get started you will need an oval or egg shaped base. It all starts with some wool quilting batting that is cut in a particular yet simple non-precise way. Roll it up and then do a little punching with a special barbed needle. Now you ready to create your project.
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   We used Quilter’s Dream brand wool batting as we love their products. You can use other brands of wool batting. If you are a quilter, this is the perfect way to use scrap batting. Wool roving will work fine. Wool is the key to every needle felting project.

   The other thing you need is a felting needle. We used a medium sized or 86mm needle These needles not only sharp points but also have tiny very sharp barbs. Make sure to use caution and know where your fingers are in relation to the needle and you avoid poking yourself. Needle can bend and even break if forced or not used in a straight up and down motion.

    We suggest a needle felt surface. However you use a thick foam. For this base, you can do with out a felting mat. It is just nice to have.

MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Crochet · Fall & Winter · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Holiday

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Ornament

Did you miss this? There is still time for you to create this Thanksgiving ornament. You could make them as place cards for your dining room table. What a treat for your guest to take home should you decide to gift them!
Crochet · Fall & Winter · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Holiday · MainelyDIY Full Disclosure

Thanksgiving Pumpkin

Why not give thanks with this cute little pumpkin ornament? Adorable pumpkin ornament is so versatile. Designed for Thanksgiving to hang on a mantel. The pumpkin is made in single crochet. The “Give Thanks” sentiment was done on a word processor. Change the words, font style and color to suit your own tastes. Do you have a favorite picture of a little one around Halloween? Well just use of copy of that picture instead of the sentiment and you’ve just covered another holiday.

Here’s a review of single crochet

Single Crochet

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  • Double Crochet along with the Crocheting Kitty
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  • Granny Square – Row 3 and Beyond
    Crochet Granny Square Lesson 3 This lesson in the series focuses on how to complete row 3 which the basis for subsequent rounds.
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    Excellent place to start learning crochet as it is easier to work in a hole space then a single stitch. Both the traditional and magic circle methods are included.  Even the Crocheting Kitty gets into the act.
  • Granny Square Round 2
    After completing the center of your Granny Square, you are ready for the next lesson in the series. Stay tuned for row 3 as it will be posted soon.
  • Single Crochet
    Learn how do single crochet stitch. With 3 minor stitch variations, you can get 3 different looks. Even our kitty gets into the action. This post has more than one video and this first one takes you through the entire process. Already know how to single crochet or want a quick video to see how… Continue reading Single Crochet
  • Spiral crochet with 2 colors and the magic butterfly
    Learn to crochet in the round with two colors giving it a spiral effect. Start with a magic butterfly – a variation of MainelyDiY.com ‘s super simple magic circle technique.
  • Thanksgiving Pumpkin
    Why not give thanks with this cute little pumpkin ornament? Adorable pumpkin ornament is so versatile. Designed for Thanksgiving to hang on a mantel. The pumpkin is made in single crochet. The “Give Thanks” sentiment was done on a word processor. Change the words, font style and color to suit your own tastes. Do you… Continue reading Thanksgiving Pumpkin
  • Thanksgiving Pumpkin Ornament
    Did you miss this? There is still time for you to create this Thanksgiving ornament. You could make them as place cards for your dining room table. What a treat for your guest to take home should you decide to gift them!
  • The magic circle demystified mini video
MainelyDIY Full Disclosure · Crochet · Fall & Winter · Fiber - Yarn & Needle Crafts · Holiday

Fall Pumpkin

Celebrate autumn with our pumpkin. Pumpkins are a great idea for both October’s Halloween and November’s Thanksgiving. It starts off with the magic butterfly variation of our magic circle.

Spiral crochet with 2 colors and the magic butterfly

  • Crochet Videos
  • Single Crochet
    Learn how do single crochet stitch. With 3 minor stitch variations, you can get 3 different looks. Even our kitty gets into the action. This post has more than one video and this first one takes you through the entire process. Already know how to single crochet or want a quick video to see how… Continue reading Single Crochet
  • Double Crochet along with the Crocheting Kitty
  • Double Crochet Review of 3 variation effects
    Already know how to double crochet or want a quick video to see how you can achieve 3 different row effects? Then this is the video for you.
  • Granny Square Center – 2 Ways
    Excellent place to start learning crochet as it is easier to work in a hole space then a single stitch. Both the traditional and magic circle methods are included.  Even the Crocheting Kitty gets into the act.
  • Crochet in the Round
    How to crochet a flat circle along with the Crocheting Kitty. We start with the traditional method. Be sure to watch to the end to see the Magic Circle for a tiny hole in the center.
  • Granny Square Round 2
    After completing the center of your Granny Square, you are ready for the next lesson in the series. Stay tuned for row 3 as it will be posted soon.
  • Demystify the Magic Circle in this super simple step by step video.
    In the process of demonstrating the magic circle on my previous crochet videos, I realized the magic circle was difficult to explain and show. I looked to see how others were making the circle and they seemed complicated. I thought there must be a better way! After a bit of brainstorming, I formulated a super… Continue reading Demystify the Magic Circle in this super simple step by step video.
  • The magic circle demystified mini video
  • Granny Square – Row 3 and Beyond
    Crochet Granny Square Lesson 3 This lesson in the series focuses on how to complete row 3 which the basis for subsequent rounds.
  • Continuous Granny Square
    Do want to continue your Granny Square row in the same color? Try this color keeper technique. In this lesson in the granny square series, you how to make more than one row in the same color yarn without tying off and then restarting.
  • Blocking ol’ Granny
    Make your own tool to get equal sized granny squares.
  • Granny and Joints
    Are you ready for all your granny squares to come together? The crochet kitty can’t wait.
  • Darn Yarn Needles
    Does it seem like picking out a yarn needle is like finding a needle in a haystack? Who knew there were so many choices? Take a look at the advantages and disadvantages in this product review. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a… Continue reading Darn Yarn Needles
  • Spiral crochet with 2 colors and the magic butterfly
    Learn to crochet in the round with two colors giving it a spiral effect. Start with a magic butterfly – a variation of MainelyDiY.com ‘s super simple magic circle technique.
  • Fall Pumpkin
    Celebrate autumn with our pumpkin. Pumpkins are a great idea for both October’s Halloween and November’s Thanksgiving. It starts off with the magic butterfly variation of our magic circle.
  • Thanksgiving Pumpkin
    Why not give thanks with this cute little pumpkin ornament? Adorable pumpkin ornament is so versatile. Designed for Thanksgiving to hang on a mantel. The pumpkin is made in single crochet. The “Give Thanks” sentiment was done on a word processor. Change the words, font style and color to suit your own tastes. Do you… Continue reading Thanksgiving Pumpkin
  • Thanksgiving Pumpkin Ornament
    Did you miss this? There is still time for you to create this Thanksgiving ornament. You could make them as place cards for your dining room table. What a treat for your guest to take home should you decide to gift them!