Craft hints and tips

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- Trying to figure out if your leftover wool is really wool or synthetic is easy! The flame test works very well.  Cut a short piece of yarn, put it in a ashtray, and set it on fire!  If it burns to an ash its wool, if it leaves a hard residue its synthetic.

- When you are recycling wool or rewinding wool and you put it into hanks, use a toilet paper roll to roll the wool around and make a nice neat ball of wool.  Pull the toilet paper roll out and throw the wool into your basket!

- Making a special sweater for a newborn as a gift that hasn't arrived yet?  Here is a great tip make buttonholes on both sides of the sweater front.  When the baby is born, you or mom can sew the buttons on the correct side.

- Wrapping a piece of tape around the end of ribbon makes it easier to insert into your knitted or crocheted garment.

- When wrapping handmade crocheted or knitted items for gifts, include a bit of leftover yarn for mending and the label from the wool you used that shows the washing instructions.

- Plastic price labels from bread bags can be used as markers for your knitting.

- Make some cute little figures (pigs,cat,dog) with fimo , connect a key ring to it before baking and they make great knitting markers.

- On your knitting needle mark every inch with a black waterproof marker or fingernail polish - very handy!

- Keep threads untwisted so they will lay flat for cross stitch. Occasionally stop working (i know its hard!) and drop your needle and hold up your work and let the thread unravel.

- When your sewing braided rugs use fishing line.  It wears longer then carpet twine.

- Have leftover felt? Glue it onto the bottom of vases, or other ceramic pieces to save your tables and furniture.

- When i used to cross stitch, i found running my threads through beeswax held the threads together much better, especially the metallic threads.

- Whether you are knitting or sewing a woman's blouse or sweater try to make the buttonholes run horizontally and they won't pop open!

- Keeping a notebook of your projects sizes, colors, etc will save a load of time if you ever want to make the item again, or need to make repairs.

-Take a chance and enter some of your handiwork in a local exihibit you might be surprised at how many new friends you make!

- Hubby finally going to get rid of that old nasty shirt that you thought he loved more then you? Don't forget to snag the buttons, zippers, etc. You never know when you might need them!

Abbreviations for knitting

and crocheting

mm = millimetres

cm = centimetres

in(s) = inches

g = grams

beg = beginning

alt = alternate

st(s) = stitches

inc = increase

dec = decrease

dc = double crochet

0 = no sts, times or rows

K = knit

P = purl

tbl = through back of loop(st)

tog = together

cont = continue(ity)

rep = repeat

rnd = round

RS = right side

WS = wrong side

sl = slip

sp =space

pat =pattern

psso = pass slipped st over

yfwd = yarn forward

Sl1K = slip next st knitways

Sl1P = slip next st purlways

sc = single crochet

ch = chain

sl st = slip stitch

Ladies' Vintage Size Chart