Indian Corn Cob

Instructions to make a cob of Indian Corn out of a toilet tissue roll. Materials Needed: * Toilet Tissue Roll * Yellow Paint * Green Tissue Paper * Multi-Colored Popcorn or Indian Corn * Glue Instructions: Paint the Toilet Tissue Roll yellow. Set it aside to dry. While it is drying, cut out 4 leaf shapes (shown below). You want your leaf to be about 2 inches wide and 6 inches long. Once the toilet tissue roll is dry, stand it up on onde end and glue the leaf shapes onto the toilet tissue roll so the flat side of the leaf lines up along the bottom edge of the toilet tissue roll. Glue the leaf half way up the toilet tissue roll so part of the leaf flops back and about half of the roll is showing above the leaves. The sides of the leaves will overlap a little. Once your leaves are in place, spread the section of the toilet tissue roll that is showing with glue and stick the popcorn all over it so it looks like an ear of corn! Craft Idea by: Sherri Osborn

21 Handy Craft Tips

From one “crafty” person to another, here are a bunch of ideas to try out while you’re crafting or sewing to make your life a bit easier, and to save a bit of money and time in the process. 1. Use inexpensive index cards to staple on fabric swatches or ribbon; very handy to take with you to your fabric or craft shop. 2. Old pillowcases make handy cover-ups for children! Cut out a large hole for the head and two smaller holes for the arms and just slip over their heads. They can even decorate them with tie-dye, fabric paint or iron-ons. 3. If you use rubber stamps for your projects, clean them with a mild detergent after each use, making sure you keep the wood parts dry. Use a paper towel to dry the stamp and then store them with the stamp side down, away from direct sunlight. 4. Large bottle caps make handy disposable containers for paints or glue. 5. Use a toothpick to apply glue to a small part; less “glue-y” fingers! 6. A damp Q-tip can pick up small items such as seed beads or rhinestones. 7. Keep a magnet handy in case you drop needles or pins on the floor. 8. A coffee can is great for storing balls of yarn when crocheting or knitting. Simply punch a hole in the coffee can lid and poke the yarn up through and out; then close the lid. 9. Use cardboard emery boards as sandpaper for small parts or areas where regular sanders or files will not reach. 10. Shred your leftover wrapping paper to make pretty “stuffing” for gift baskets and bags. 11. Use your lint roller around your sewing table to pick up bits of thread. 12. Don’t toss out that old plastic tablecloth when you buy a new one. Use the old one as a table protector when crafting. 13. For larger projects, use an old plastic shower curtain as a drop cloth or cut it into smaller table protectors. 14. Tweezers make great holders for those small parts you’re trying to glue or paint. Less glue and paint on fingers. 15. Lubricate the tip of your needle before sewing by pushing it into a sliver of soap. 16. Keep a roll of paper towels on your worktable to clean up spills, wipe your hands and even to use for creating texture in your paintings. 17. Use an old coffee can sitting in a pot or pan of hot water on the burner to melt leftover pieces of candles. Make sure you handle the hot coffee can with oven mitts. Add an old candle, the long, tapered kind, to a cardboard milk carton. Add ice and then the melted wax. After the candle is set, tear away the carton over your sink to drain the water and you’ll have a unique “Swiss cheese” candle to use. You can toss out the coffee can after its use. No worrying about cleaning a pot with wax residue. 18. Use an old (or new!) fishing case, with all its many compartments, for your small craft parts. 19. Hate throwing away the last sliver of soap? Break it up into pieces and place in a rubber baking mold. Melt more soap, either left over or purchased inexpensive soap, cool slightly so it won’t melt your soap bits and pour into mold, let harden and pop your new soap out of the mold! 20. Tape a small plastic grocery bag or a small paper bag to your sewing table so it hangs over the side. Handy for tossing out bits of cut thread and fabric scraps. 21. A small metal parts cabinet (the kind for bolts, nails and screws, etc.) is great for storing small crafts parts and sewing items. I even have two of them housing all my earrings and necklaces – one or more drawers for each color! By Heather Diodati

8 Great Reasons to Paint with Watercolor

There are many mediums to paint with, so why is watercolor one of the best? Besides being one of the most beautiful ways to express any subject matter, watercolor painting has many advantages over other kinds of painting. 1. Fast... Watercolor painting techniques allow for spontaneous strokes and quick washes. That is part of its beauty. Some of the best paintings taking an hour or less. What other art form can provide such satisfying results in so little time? 2. Easier than you think... Even a beginner can get great results in relatively short time. 3. Great for travel... Watercolor kits come in compact, lightweight boxes that you can easily carry with you. Paper comes in blocks that take up little space and don't require preparation. 4. Dries quickly... unlike oil paints that can take days or weeks to dry, watercolor dries in minutes. 5. Won't smudge... like pastel or charcoal. 6. Fluid in nature... so you can fill large areas with few strokes. 7 "Happy accidents" help you be creative... Some great starts are made by pouring on the paint and seeing what magically develops. 8. Versatile in style and look ...watercolor can range from tightly controlled illustrational works to experimental and abstract art. Although watercolor is thought to be one of the harder mediums to control, what other medium actually helps you in the process? Through the magic of its fluid nature, all you have to do is get out of the way, and let it work its own magic. Allow for endless explorations and a lifetime of creativity. By Charlene Thomforde

Modelling Clay

Here is a recipe to make modelling clay. You can make anything you wish with this dough, let your imagination go wild. Try making buttons, candle holders, napkin rings, beads or anything else you can think of. What you need: Mixing bowl 3/4 cups water Jar of water 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Toothpicks 1 1/4 cup flour Baking sheet 1 1/4 cup salt Cooling rack Poster paint Knife Varnish Paint brushes Optional: key rings, glitter, ribbons etc. What you do: 1. Because this craft involves using the oven please ask a grownup to supervise you. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Measure the ingredients and mix the flour, water, vegetable oil and salt together. Mix until you have a soft ball of dough. If your mixture is too dry, add water. 3. Sprinkle some flour on the counter and knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and stretchy. 4. Model the dough into the shapes you want. You can stick pieces of dough together by using a little water. Use a toothpick to make any holes. 5. When you are finished creating, put all your shapes on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until dough is hard. Place your creations on a wire cooling rack and let cool. 6. Once cool, your creations are ready to be painted. When the paint is dry coat them with clear varnish. Craft idea from: Squigly's Arts & Crafts

Sand Candle Craft

Materials Needed: * A lot of sand (1 gal.) * Water * Wax * Shells * Wick material * Plate big enough to hold the candle Instructions: Candlemaking can be can be both fun and dangerous. You should never try any projects that use heat and fire without an adults help, and always follow candle safety rules. 1. Put the sand in a LARGE bowl. 2. Pour water over the sand to make it wet. 3. Make a hole in the wet sand as big as you want your candle to be. 4. Place shells around the sides if desired. 5. Take the smallest shell you can find and tie it to the wick and put it in the center bottom. 6. Melt the wax in a tin can. 7. Pour the wax in the sand mold while holding the wick up enough to keep it straight. 8. Hold the wick there for about a minute or until the wax has hardened enough for the wick to not fall in it. 9. When it's hard and cold, dig about an inch away from the candle a trench about 6-10 inches deep, depending on how big your candle is, and then GENTLY pull the candle out. 10. Put the candle on the plate. Craft ideas by: Sherri Osborn

Colouring

It is colouring day today! Please print out the dolphins and let your kids have fun! Art by: The Keiki Page

Protect Your Collectibles - How to Take Care of Your Investment

So you've decided to purchase a few Marvel statues and busts of your favorite characters. Now, how do you protect and display your new collectibles while keeping their value intact? Review the following guidelines on protecting your collectibles. Choose your environment wisely. When deciding where to display your new collectibles, consider the effects your environment will have on their longevity. Keep your collectibles in a consistent, climate controlled room. Don't keep them near a heater or air conditioner as extreme temperature changes could potentially effect the strength of resin/polystone. Keep your collectibles away from windows: sunlight tends to degrade your collectibles' paint jobs and/or fabrics. Surround your collectibles. If possible, keep your collectibles in an enclosure, such as a display case or cabinet. This will protect your statues and busts from collecting dust, which over time will build up and become more difficult to clean if they are not maintained regularly. Many collectors use glass display cabinets to showcase their busts and statues. Ikea makes a wonderful glass display case called the "Detolf". It is available at most Ikea stores for about $60. If you decide to use a Detolf cabinet, be aware that the maximum suggested weight load is around 13 pounds. Some Marvel Premium Format statues weigh more than that, so be careful. If you don't live near an Ikea store, you might find a Detolf in your area via Craigslist. Another big benefit of using display cabinets is the option of using spotlights to help show off your collection. Many cabinets (such as the Detolf) offer the option of led lighting. Clean your collectibles weekly. If you keep your collectibles in the open air, it would be wise to clean your collection at least once a week. We recommend using a camera lens brush, due to it's softness. Gently brush dust and other particles off your statues and busts, being mindful of finely detailed features such as sculpted arms, legs, and accessories. Compressed air also works well for cleaning collectibles. If your collectible breaks... If one of your busts or statues happens to break, it can usually be fixed as long as the break is not too severe. You can fix it yourself using clear super glue, and soft brushes and paint for touching up the appearance. You can also usually find someone on many collector's message boards who may do it for a fee. If you follow the above suggestions, not only will your collection look great, it will be well protected for many years to come! Article by: Dave F. Lee

Paperback Bookmark

Materials Needed: * Pencil * Ruler * Scissors * Old or blurry photographs Instructions: Collect your old or blurry photographs, mark off 1/2" or 3/4" along the short sides on top and bottom, then draw the lines along the length of the photo. Cut the photo along the lines, and round off the corners. Wah Lah -- now you have a paperback bookmark. You don't even have to seal it, since it is already glossy. Happy reading! Craft ideas by: Sherri Osborn

A Digital Scrapbooking Layout: The Perfect Wedding Gift

What do you get for friends getting married for the second or third time? They already have all the household basics. My friends, Lorraine and John, are retired from very successful careers. There is really nothing that they need. So I decided to make a very personal scrapbook layout and have it framed for them as a wedding gift. Lorraine cried when she opened it; so I guess it hit the mark. Lorraine has a lot of artwork. One of her favorite pieces is Jack Vettriano’s “The Singing Butler”. It really reflects the way she lives her life to the fullest. I could have photographed the large print Lorraine has hanging in her dining room. But then it wouldn’t have been a surprise and, since the painting is copyrighted, I didn’t think that would be right. Instead I bought a small print of “The Singing Butler” that I could scan and use in this layout. The layout was created in Photoshop CS and uses the following Scrap Girls products: * TKA_AutumnGold_12x12_FallWords paper * KSC_Timeless_Paper * USC_ChelseaClaire_MicaPaper * EHI_FamilyTies_12x12_BrownMotif paper * KSC_VintageNursery_DigiFrame The phrase under the painting says, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass … It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” I used SlashHmkBold and Vivaldi fonts except for the capital “D” in “dance”. I typed segments on separate layers so that I could position them just so. The capital D is in SignetRoundhand. I rasterized the D; and then drew a flourishing tail to tie it into the design. I photographed a live red rose; opened it in Photoshop; and used the Magic Wand tool to select and erase all of the background (after duplicating the locked background layer). Then I deleted the locked background layer so that all that was left was the red rose on a transparent background. Having a transparent background allowed me to save the file as a .png and use it as a scrapbooking embellishment in this layout. And of course that means I have it available for future layouts as well. The little tag hanging from the rose says, “Lorraine & Johnny “12-28-07”. The wedding was beautiful. May they have lots of dancing and not too much rain! Here's a tutorial on how to make the Digital Tag. Article by: The Artful Crafter

Cross Stitch

Cross stitch is fun and you can beautiful cross stitch craft as a gift, home decor and lighten up your space. It can be made into fashionable sling bag too. I have here a few of the patterns that might inspire you to take up cross stitch. Design by: Artecy Cross Stitch

Mobile Phone Pouch

Material: 8ply Wool 4mm Needles 6mm Needles Feather wool Instruction: Top band Use 8 ply wool and 4 mm needles for the top band. Cast on 30 sts Garter stitch 1 inch (Approx 6 rows) Pouch Change to Feather wool and 6mm needles. K1, k2 tog to end (20 sts) Garter stitch desired length Approx 5-6 inch (12cm -15cm) then cast off. Turn so that the plain 8 ply edge is at the top. Sew the sides together then place the seam down the back. Sew the bottom closed. Thread a piece of wool through the top stitches to make a draw string pouch. The second photo shows you the same bag (slightly smaller) that has a knitted strap which you sew over a bangle. Cast on 8 sts and stocking stitch till desired length Approx 5-6 inch (12cm -15cm). Guide by: Craftbits

Sand Art

Doll Making Tips

I don't claim to be an expert dollmaker, but I have learned a few tricks along the way. I hope these tips will make your doll-making experience a pleasant one. 1. To make curly yarn hair, knit up a ball of yarn in stockinette stitch. Place the knitted piece in boiling water for an hour. Allow to dry; unravel yarn. 2. Before painting a doll face on cloth, lightly starch the material first. 3. Marketing tip - Baby dolls wearing bunny suits attract a lot of attention. People tend to associate baby bunnies with springtime - the season of renewal - maybe this is why. 4. When sculpting with clay, learn the properties of the porcelain clay you are using. This knowledge will determine the cones to use for greenware firings. Read the label on the slip container and abide by the directions. 5. When making composition dolls, bake the doll parts in the oven at 225 degrees for 2 hours. After the seams are removed and the openings cut, and before attempting to detail the fingers and other small parts or before using water putty, plaster, etc, the doll parts can be softened again by soaking them briefly in water or wetting with a sponge. Only the top surface will be affected. 6. When creating tight fitting doll clothes, make a paper towel or muslin test pattern to fit the doll you choose first. 7. Turn a doll into an angel for Christmas by using removable wires attached to the wings that are slipped through a very small buttonhole made in the doll coat's back seam line. 8. When modeling or sculpting a baby's head, remember that a baby has a very large skull when compared to the placement of its nose, mouth or chin. Babies' eyes appear to be quite large, with the irises and pupils being visible and only a tiny area of white showing. On an adult, there is normally one eye width between the eyes. With a baby, the distance is 1 and 1/2 eyes between the inner corners of the eyes. 9. To make crocheted socks for small dolls, cut of the fingertips of a crocheted glove on a slant from base of thumb up to base of little finger. Discard finger parts. Seam the edge of the remaining 4 sides figure to make one sock. 10. To replicate French buttons, cut off the very tip of the crocheted glove finger, slip in a button and sew to shank at the bottom. 11. Coffee filters are absolutely lint-free, inexpensive and absorbent for use when painting dolls.

Green Tea & Lemongrass Soap Recipe

As I was browsing the Sunday paper this past weekend, there were a number of "spa" baskets featuring specially scented soaps and candles. One of the most popular scents featured was "Green Tea & Lemongrass." It brought back fond memories of my commerical soap making days, when one of my most popular scents was a green tea and lemongrass blend. I used eucalyptus essential oil to balance the heavy citrus sweetness of the lemongrass, and used green tea instead of water. I went back into my soap making files and dug out my old recipe for you. You can use my combination of oils below, or make it with any basic soap recipe. INGREDIENTS: * 8.3 oz. palm oil * 5.5 oz. palm kernel oil * 6.4 oz. coconut oil * 2.3 oz. cocoa butter * 11 oz. olive oil * 2.8 oz. castor oil * 4.6 oz. soybean oil * 5 oz. sunflower oil * 6.4 oz. lye * 13 oz. water * 4-8 tsp. steeped green tea leaves * 1 oz. eucalyptus essential oil * 1 oz. lemongrass essential oil * yellow and green oxide swirl (if desired) PREPARATION: This recipe makes a little over 4 lbs. of soap. 1. Make up at least 13 oz. of double-strength green tea. Save the steeped leaves for later. 2. Let the tea cool completely! 3. Following the instructions in making soap with liquids other than water, make your lye solution. 4. Again, I can't stress enough that the tea be completely (refrigerated is an even better option) cooled off before you make your lye solution. 5. Measure out all of your oils, essential oils and colorants (if you're using colorants.) 6. Make your soap batch as you normally would, following basic soap making instructions. 7. At trace, add in the lemongrass and eucalyptus essential oils, and add about 1/2 - 1 tsp. of the steeped green tea leaves per pound of oils. In the above recipe, that's about 4-8 tsp. of leaves. 8. Stir well. Add your colorants/swirl, if desired. In the batch shown in the photo, I did a two-color swirl with yellow and green oxides. 9. Pour into the mold of your choice. Let it saponify over night. Slice it when it's firm enough to slice. 10.Let it cure for 3-4 weeks. Enjoy your Green Tea and Lemongrass soap! Soap recipe by: David Fisher

What You Need To Start Face Painting

If you are a newbie for face painting, you can get started with an ebook can be downloaded on the internet or watch a 'how to' video. You will learn step by step to start paint a face either kid or adult. Learning to paint a kid face is not complicated as you think. You need high patience in the pratice, you can become a master to making a special event become fantastic. You need a complete painting toolbox which require around $200. 1. Obtaining Ideas If you want to start face painting, do you run out of ideas for the painting? Or you are beginner for this? How do you can obtain new ideas for the painting? There are efforts to get the ideas: Are there special occasions coming up? Think of Happy New Year, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, holidays, birthday or other party kinds. To get more the ideas, you may go to a library or a bookstore. There is a lot of books that you can look for. Or you can go to a search engine then type some keywords that you will looking for. There are some themes you may to use as the face painting: - Animals - You can paint a face as lion face or eagle face. - Nature - Natural environment can be used as inspiration for the face. Painting a face as sun, star, flower, etc. - Comic characters - There is a lot of comic characters out there, so your options are endless. For example, Painting a bat like pattern on a kid face so you can make Batman's look. If you are a beginner for the painting, avoiding symmetrical painting theme. for example, butterfly until you have more experiences. 2. Equipment To make sure you only buy face painting items which specially produced for the face and body and United States FDA approved those. You need list of painting equipment: Watercolor tubes - Get some watercolor tubes that has black, white, red, blue and yellow. With these colors you can use to mix some of them to result color that you want. With the watercolors, you will have hundreds or even thousands of colors for the face painting. Water – It is needed to be mixed with some watercolors to obtain a new color. Brush - You need a dozen of brushes with small sized, medium sized and large sized. You can combinate these brushes to get the better painting. Pallete – It is used for putting the watercolors. Mirror – It is for the face who you paint. You can use the face painting as your home based business or just as your fun. For the business, you can strat on a small budget - under $500. You can begin to starting with your friends, kids, birthday parties or campus activities. If you are planning to provide a large number of adults or kids for a special event. Make sure to hire some assistants to help you accomplish the task in short time. And also need mass equipments. Submitted By: Ishak Iman

earn To Crochet - A Skill For A Lifetime

Crochet, like any form of art, is as much about skill as about innate ability. What comes from within – combined with the guidance and technical know-how of formal education – results in beautiful products. Those who learn to crochet will attest to the fact that not only do they now have the skills to make one-of-a-kind projects for themselves – as well as for gifts – but they have the knowledge that, no matter what, they’ll always have this creative outlet that’s all their own. Those who learn to crochet do so for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they have always had an interest in crochet and want to foster it. Or perhaps crochet is something that their mothers or grandmothers participated in and they want to continue the family tradition. Either way, the ability to crochet allows enthusiasts to practice it for their own enjoyment or even make a job out of it, selling their pieces in craft stores, at fairs, in specialty boutiques, or online. For those wanting to learn to crochet, there are several possibilities to go about it. First, visit your local craft store. You’ll often find that they have a schedule of classes for those who want to learn to crochet. Generally, just a few classes will be more than enough to get you on your way. The rest is really about practice. Purchase some yarn, hook, and a beginner’s book of basics and you’ll be well on your way to furthering your skills. You may even find that if you approach someone who knows how to crochet and tell them that you would like to learn to crochet, they’ll be happy to pass along some lessons. For those who love the art of crochet, they are often more than happy to assist others in getting started. Beyond the basics it’s up to you to practice, practice, practice. If you start with simple patterns – such as blankets or scarves – you will find the easiest path to learn to crochet. The repetition is something that your hands actually learn. Soon you’ll find that picking up a crochet hook is much like picking up a pencil – your hands know what to do. Learn to crochet and you’ll discover a passion that you’ll have for a lifetime. And the ability to make treasured items that can be passed on from generation to generation. For easy to understand, in depth information about crochet visit our ezGuide 2 Crochet. Article Source: Michelle Bery

Marketing your Craft Site Offline

If you are thinking of selling your crafts online. This is a must read article for you. Selling crafts online involves more than simply publishing a Web site. Successful online marketing requires time, dedication and a basic understanding of marketing in general. Your online craft shop is merely an extension of your real-world business and all forms of marketing should compliment each other to work efficiently and effectively. This article is not only intended to give craftspeople ideas on how to market an arts and crafts Web site, but also to help crafters become aware of the importance of real-world marketing of a cyber-world storefront. Printed Material Print your URL (Web site address) everywhere you print your business name. This includes business cards, fliers, signage, ads, product tags, labels, craft show directories (in shows you may be attending) and anywhere else your business name is printed. Under most circumstances, this will not increase the cost of your printing to include a one-line URL. Oh, be sure the printers get the spelling right! Existing Customer Base Tell all of your existing customers about your site. If you have collected a mailing list of customers, send out an announcement when your Web site goes live to let them know they can now browse your crafts at your site. Give an incentive to visit the site like a discount for initial purchases or perhaps hold a drawing for a giveaway of one of your products. Use your creativity on how to get them to visit, just make sure anyone who knows about your products knows that they are available online. In Mail-Order Advertising Do you have an ad in Country Sampler or other similar publications? If so, this is an excellent area to market your craft site! Publications like this typically have large circulations of craft buyers. By simply placing your address somewhere in the ad, customers will be given the ability to see your entire line of products that are available on your site. At Craft Shows, Fairs and Festivals Craft shows are very much an impulse-buying atmosphere, but they don't have to be! Take advantage of every lead that comes your way by giving access to your online craft shop. Include your Web site address in existing signage at your booth. People who may not be interested in buying your products at the time of the event may purchase from your site in the future. Keep business cards or small leaflets containing your business name, phone number and your Web address to give to people who enter your space to help them remember how to get to your site. Consignment Shops If you sell your crafts on consignment, place a small sign (many consignment shops will allow this, but be sure to ask!) in your display with a message about your online craft store. A stack of business cards can also be an effective way to help people remember where your site is when they get home. Article by: William T Lasley

Bath Cookies

Ingredients 2 cups of Sea salt or rock salt 1/2 cup Baking soda 1/2 cup Cornstarch 2 tbs of Almond oil 1 tsp Vitamin E oil 1-2 eggs 6 drops Essential oil Makes 10-12 cookies depending on size. These bath cookies make fantastic gifts any time of the year. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cut the cookies out with cookie cutters or flatten balls to form a cookie shape. Bake at 350'F (180'C)for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool. Use 1-2 per bath by adding them to running water. Wrap these in air tight packaging or seal them in an airtight container. These cookies will last several months maybe longer. The picture above is of chocolate chip bath cookie. Just sprinkle in 2 tbs of chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips.

And The Bead Goes On

Knitting and beading can make for a great marriage as long as a few rules of engagement are followed. Memories of the '60's - love beads, hippie beads, beads on a string around necks and wrists, homemade, handmade, swinging with long hair and flowered skirts. Beads were such a strong fashion element of that decade. The subject of beads is a vast one and the hippie incarnation was just a small part of beading history. It is thought that our early ancestors were stringing sea shells as early as 30,000 years ago and the first beads, that developed as a significant trading item, were likely made from seeds. The many materials and methods used in making beads have resulted in an infinite variety. When raw materials of stone, metal, glass, plastic or resin combine with assorted artistic and cultural influences, the bead is in very little danger of becoming boring. Even with the vast choice of beads available there are a few cautions that should be noted when it come to using beads in your knitting. Along with beads, anything that can have a hole drilled in it or have a shank attached can be successfully worked into your garment. This would include items such as buttons, small charms, mirrors, or even coins. The first consideration is weight. Adding bead ornamentation to your knitted garment will add extra weight whether attached with an embroidery method or knitting in the bead. The trick is to find the beads in the right weight and quantity without causing your garment to sag. So decisions must be made as to what size of bead to use, how many, and is it suitable to the yarn weight. The size of the bead hole must also be considered. A larger bead hole may cause the bead to hang loosely with a dangling effect, unless that is the intent. A bead hole that is too small will not allow for passage of the yarn thickness that you have chosen. Before you begin, it is always best to test your bead choice through whatever cleaning process the finished garment will have to undergo. Join a few of the chosen beads to a knitted swatch and wash or dry clean. Check the sample carefully for dye leakage or staining on your ground fabric. Beads or decorative objects should be threaded onto the yarn before you begin knitting. If you are working from a chart which will require specific placement and a certain color order, remember that first is last. The first bead to be strung onto the yarn is the last bead to be placed in the knitting. Joining a marker on the yarn to indicate row changes is also helpful. It is advisable to practice the threading and knitting in of the bead to know how the bead will ?sit? on the knitting. The proper placement can vary with size, shape, the way the bead is threaded, and direction of the bead hole. Beads can be knit on a variety of stitches but to start, practice on knit stitches, working as follows: Knit to where you wish to place the bead, bring yarn and the bead to front of work, slip the next stitch purlwise, take yarn to back of work, leaving the bead at front, knit the next stitch. If this experiment gets you hooked on beads, there a number of books which outline the fascinating history of beads as well as tempting projects. A classic standby, both encyclopedic and inspirational, that will give you wonderful lessons in the history and classification of beads is "The Book Of Beads" by Janet Cole and Robert Budwig (Simon and Schuster). A more recent offering from Lily Chin, "Knit and Crochet With Beads" (Interweave Press) will walk you through specific beading and knitting projects. Placing beads on your knitting can add additional layers of color and texture to your knit and purls, not to mention triggering all those flower child memories. ? 2007 Maddy Cranley Maddy Cranley is a professional knitwear designer, who has created exclusive designs for knitting and craft magazines, authored and published three books on the subject of creating felt garments and projects from handknitting, and produces an ever-expanding line of maddy laine handknitting patterns. For additional information, see http://www.maddycraft.com Article by: Maddy Cranley