{M} i n d -Speaks.com . . . an art blog

So Valentine’s Day was yesterday, Mija and I decided to make some yummy sweets for our coworkers. And because I like posting about cute things such as this. XD

So I have been wanting to learn how to knit a 3D heart for the longest time…ever since I first learned to knit to be exact. So this year I finally knuckled down and decided to learn. But I am the type of learner that learns better after watching someone else do it. So having two years of searching the net I found many tutorials for crochet versions and a few knitted versions. All of which were impossible for me to handle. Then my favorite knitter just happened to post a knitted heart tutorial on her youtube channel. I proceeded to learn how to make the flat heart and then decided to make two flat hearts and sew them together to make it 3D. It came out alright for a first try but I was not as satisfied with it. Then the next day she posted this wonderful tutorial on how to knit a 3D heart. And I was determined to master the pattern,after many crooked and lopsided hearts I have now memorized the pattern. I am still perfected it but I think I now have a handle on it. I decided to knit a few for my editors, I tied some around baggies of chocolate covered pretzels.

And because I was in such a hurry I didn’t even take a picture of the finished baggies. >.< But this isn’t the last you’ll see of these hearts. I intend to use them for many occasions.So we made chocolate covered strawberries, pretzels and even marshmallows. The chocolate pretzels were sooooo good, we had some leftover but they didn’t last for very long. :9 I’m also craving cheesecake at the moment. I always tend to update about food when I’m most hungry.  So frustrating!!!

Well that was my Valentine’s Day. I hope yours was just as nice and I hope you spent it eating delicious food. Because that’s how it should be spent. XD

Not too sure why I haven’t updated about this project but better late than never.

So I’m always on the look out for easy knitting projects, still no luck on learning how to crochet, and awhile back I discovered this great tutorial on knitted bows. Easy to follow and the results are great. If you haven’t followed M-S on facebook you should because sometimes we post projects we are working on without posting about them. The great thing about this tutorial is that you can be a beginner knitter and still be able to create this. I use whatever size needles I have. The bigger the size the bigger the bow. I mostly use a size 8 or size 5.

These bows are great for anything really. I mostly use them for my hair, you can just slip them on a clip or a headband and that is that. No muss no fuss.  (odd phrase) I even made one for mys sister’s cat Tomo. As you can see from the picture he wasn’t very happy wearing it…but how cute does he look? Dogs might be a bit more accepting but I doubt it. You can also decorate a gift with these bows. I think it adds something special to the gift. And I’m crap when it comes to gift wrapping. So adding a bow usually helps me out during the holidays. But for some reason I never store those paper bows correctly and they always come out torn or squished. Now I can just slip this on a ribbon and call it a day.

You will get addicted after you make your first one. Fun and easy tutorial below.

It is FINALLY COLD!!! I love wearing warm jackets,stockings and….SCARVES. Recently I learned how to knit, but I only know how to make scarves and fingerless mittens. XD

Materials…

• Size 8 US knitting needles
• yarn
• knitting needle
• scissors
• row counter (optional)

I followed this video, but since I had different size needles I had to changed it to work with what I had. The video calls for 24 chains, but I had to cast on 32 for the finished glove to fit my hand. The more chains you cast on the bigger the glove will be. Just make sure it is an even number. After you cast on 32 chains you knit 15 rows of rib stitch, (knit 2 purl 2) then 12 rows alternating between knit and purl rows. Lastly, return to the rib stitch with 6 rows (remember you can adjust these numbers to the size of glove you want). It might take a few times to get it just right but when you figure out your numbers the finish product is great.

I first learned how to finger knit which was an easy alternative to actually knitting with needles. But I taught myself over the winter break, I’m so happy that I finally learned. My next step is to learn how to knit hats. Then from there its on to crocheting. I want to learn how to make the amigurumi dolls. But so far I am stuck, so until I can learn how to do that I will strengthen my knitting skills. ;D