Squirrel Picnic

Handmade with Love and Stuff

Tag Archives: diy


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Hodge & Podge No. 5

World Wide Knit in Public Day 2013

Happy World Wide Knit in Public Day!

Get out your yarn and knitting needles or crochet hooks. Grab your friends, and head to your nearest park for a day of knitting, crocheting, and sharing your love of yarn with your neighbors. Or just pack your current project in your bag and work on it wherever the day takes you.

Knit in Public Day began in 2005 as a way to give knitters an opportunity to meet each other, because as any knitter can tell you, knitting can be a pretty solitary hobby. Since then, it has become the largest knitter run event in the world, with local events held in Australia, China, England, France, Ireland, Norway, South Africa, the United States and many more countries.

I’ll be knitting a sleeveless top out of that coral-colored KnitPicks yarn I showed you back in March. It’s about time I got this done, and I can’t wait to get out into the sun for a day of plein air knitting! What will you be working on?


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Crochet Picnic Basket Pattern

A picnic basket is the perfect summer accessory for your crocheted squirrel friends. 

Crochet Picnic Basket

Picnic Basket

Difficulty rating 1

Finished size is 2″ tall.

Materials:

Size 0 (3.25 mm) steel crochet hook
Small amount of Vanna’s Choice Worsted Weight in Honey
Pipe cleaner cut to about 2″

Instructions:

Ch 2

Round 1: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around (12)

Round 3: *1 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat from * 5 more times. (18) Join with slst.

Rounds 4-7: Sc in the BL of each sc around. Join with slst.  Do Not FO.

Bend the pipe cleaner into the shape of a handle and arrange in the basket. Sc around the pipe cleaner (about 15 sts) and slst in the sc of the top row on the opposite side of the basket. FO and weave in ends. Trim ends of pipe cleaner.

Fill the basket with yummy things and take your squirrel on a picnic!


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Tina’s Clean Dish Day Party

What’s the one thing you should do when you finally clean all your dishes for the first time in months? Throw a party to celebrate of course! After a day spent up to her elbows in suds, Tina invited all her friends over to make good use of her newly cleaned china with plenty of delicious food.

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Make It! Challenge #5: Crochet Bowser Sweater for a Turtle

Bowser Sweater for a TurtleFor Make It! Challenge #5, Lisa Egolf challenged me to crochet a sweater for her tortoise, Myrtle, so that he would be easy to spot when she lets him loose to play in the courtyard of the school where she teaches science. “I think bright yet manly colors would be best,” she said, because after all this Myrtle is male (don’t judge). So I set out to design the most masculine turtle sweater I could.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of a beefy, manly turtle, my first thought is of Bowser. If you’re familiar with the Super Mario Bros. video game franchise, you undoubtedly remember Bowser as the game’s super villain. The object of the ’80s Nintendo game is to get the main character Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom, survive Bowser′s attacks, and save Princess Toadstool. Running into Bowser, with his spiny shell, pug nose, and domineering height, is enough to make little Mario shiver.

Myrtle definitely looks like he could do some damage in his Bowser sweater. Go on, Myrtle! Go get your princess and take back your Mushroom Kingdom.

Click here to download a pdf of the pattern.


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Challenge Me to Make Something Awesome

There’s no doubt about it. Friends of Squirrel Picnic, or fellow picnickers if you will, are some of the most creative, innovative, and humorous people I’ve ever met. You have big imaginations, and you’re not afraid to try new things. Best of all, you agree that the world needs a lot more fun.

Through the Make It! Challenge over the past six months, some of you have inspired me and pushed me to my craftiest. You’ve challenged me to make a toddler’s hat in the shape of a roast turkey, a felted sloth, and a Batman mask. And I’ve had a blast exploring your ideas and creating each one. But I want more! I have a few more challenges lined up for the rest of the year, but I also have several open slots. Now’s your chance to be included in this one-of-a-kind project.

The concept is pretty simple. If you have an idea for an awesome item that can be created through knitting, sewing, or crochet, email a detailed description and any sketches, photos, or links to me at squirrelpicnic{at}gmail{dot}com. Keep in mind, the more information you include, the better the chance that I will accept your challenge. And if I do accept your challenge, I’ll publish the pattern here at squirrelpicnic.com so that others can make my original design too. Best of all, I’ll send you the sample, free of charge, as a thank-you for your idea.

For more information and to see the Make It! Challenge Hall of Fame visit the new Make It! Challenge page. I can’t wait to see what you think up next!