| February 4th, 2010 | Learning Crochet Is Easier than You Think |
Take it from me, learning crochet is not difficult. I can’t complete a single stitch myself and know very little about crochet, however, I’ve seen people pick up this skill quite quickly. My wife is a bit of a crochet fanatic and that is how I know that it is something that is not quite as hard as it looks. She has offered to teach me on numerous occasions, but it’s just not my thing. While she’s very happy to sit and watch television while she crochets, I’m perfectly happy to simply sit and watch television! What I’m really getting at here is that you should not be afraid to try something new just because it looks difficult or seems intimidating. If it is something you have a genuine interest in, you should get in there and give it a try. I have seen my wife teach people to crochet in is little as twenty minutes. Naturally, they are not ready to start making doilies or working on other more advanced projects after such a short time, but they know the basic stitches that allow them to actually create a simple item such as an afghan or a wash cloth. Not everyone is intimidated by the idea of doing something like learning how to crochet, but for those that are, there are plenty of resources online to help get you started. Living in the age of the internet has placed an astounding and diverse collection at the fingertips of millions. I’m beginning to think you can learn to do just about anything online. They even have college degrees that you can earn online these days! Crochet has been around a long time and has traditionally been something that is passed from one generation to another. Although that’s really a nice way to learn, not everyone has someone available to teach them. Get on the internet and start reading, watching videos or even locate a crochet class in your local area that you can sign up for. If crochet is something you have always wanted to learn, now is a great time to get started and take advantage of all the help that’s as close as your computer. Posted in Artsy Stuff, Education Info | Comments Off
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| April 3rd, 2008 | Gingerbread Men Garlands |
The smell of ginger and cinnamon conjures up memories of helping my grandmother prepare for Christmas. Any age child will enjoy making gingerbread men. While my eldest daughter helped to string the garland, younger children will enjoy counting and sorting the gingerbread men. We hung these fragrant garlands as a nostalgic tribute to Christmases past. Ingredients 1/4 cup shortening Directions 1. Preheat the oven to 3500. 2. In a large mixing bowl, blend the shortening and the sugar. 3. Beat in the molasses and the water. 4. Add the flour, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix well. 5. Separate the dough into two balls and refrigerate for one hour. 6. On a floured board, roll each ball out to 1/4-inch thickness. With a small cookie cutter, press out the gingerbread men and place them on a greased cookie sheet. To make quarter-inch holes for stringing the garland, use the eraser end of a new pencil. These holes will later shrink during baking. Press two holes into the chest of each gingerbread man. 7. Bake at 3500 for eight to ten minutes. 8. Cut the satin ribbon into twelve pieces, each one-yard in length. Tie a knot two-inches from the end of each piece. Thread the other end through a child’s embroidery needle. 9. When the gingerbread men have cooled, let the children group them into piles of ten. Thread them, one at a time, onto the ribbon. The hands of the gingerbread men should almost touch. After stringing the tenth man, tie a knot in the ribbon. Do not be discouraged if a few gingerbread men break. Toss the broken pieces together with a few sprigs of pine for a Christmas potpourri. You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in print, free of charge, provided that each article is: About the Authors Janell Oakes and Rondi Davis are co-authors of the award winning book, Together: Creating Family Traditions. They want to give you the most important gift you can give your family. You can be a part of an irresistible offer available for one day only. They’ve asked several of their friends to join in making available hundreds of dollars of complimentary gifts as a special present to you. We don’t want you to miss out on this amazing 24 hour offer. Posted in Artsy Stuff | Comments Off
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