Take a FREE Craftsy Class!

Obviously, I'm all about Craftsy. I write knitting, crochet, and sewing posts for their blog, plus I use Craftsy for my own personal craft obsession.

If you've never tried Craftsy's classes, now's the time! Craftsy offers free mini classes to give you a little taste of what it's like to learn via video. Here's the full list of Craftsy free mini classes to choose from, and here are a few of my favorites:

Note that the links in this post are affiliate links. If you enroll in any of the classes, I will receive compensation.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but even with 5+ years working at Martha Stewart under my belt, I still didn't know how to properly chop an onion. The Complete Knife Skills class shows you how, plus talks about different types of knives and how to use them. It's super handy, even if you're just cooking for yourself.

The best part about this class is when Deb takes you to the market to see all the adorable sheep. Of course, Know Your Wool is also awesome for helping you pick out wool for your next knitting project. You'll know ahead of time whether that pretty merino is going to pill or be itchy!

For me, one of the biggest sewing challenges is inserting a zipper. I like to refer back to this Mastering Zipper Techniques class whenever I run into an issue, so that I can ensure I won't have to break out that seam ripper again.

None of these classes tickle your fancy? See the full list of Craftsy free mini classes here, including classes in cooking, photography, and more. Have fun!

Super Quick DIY: How to Hide an Ugly Wall

Alex and I just moved into a house that was built in 1905. Though we love the house, there are a few quirks. Translation: we have some slanted floors, a few very odd closets, and some ugly walls.

There's one particular place where the stairs create a little slant in the wall. Alex thought it would be cool to put something there, but everything we had, including a few canvas paintings, were too heavy. Fortunately, fabric saved the day.

We dug through my fabric stash and found a piece of fabric we both loved. (It's an Anna Maria Horner fabric from her Innocent Crush collection.) I sewed a little 1/2" hem around the entire piece, and then we just tacked it to the wall. The whole thing took less than 15 minutes!

 

How do you hide ugly walls?

Get Your Knit On with My Latest Craftsy Knitting Posts

If you're ever wondering why I haven't posted here in a very long time and you miss my crafty yammering, you can find me on the Craftsy blog drooling over patterns and knitting techniques. Here are a few of my favorite recent posts, in case you missed 'em.

 

Avoid last-minute holiday knitting when you start on those handmade gifts now. There's a hand-knit holiday gift for everyone on your list!

 

Knit up a tech case for every gadget you own with these 7 tech case knitting patterns.

Mom Tattoo Embroidered Card

Back in January, I blogged about a crafternoon in Asheville with my friend Stephanie of Darned Ideas. Darned Ideas is now a monthly Meet Make Take craft night (yay!), and one of my favorite projects to come out of craft nights is this mom tattoo card embroidered by my very own Alex.

A Trio of Trees Embroidery Kit

Lately I've been trying to complete projects that have been hanging around my craft room for a long time now. This cute little tree embroidery kit from Egg Press was the latest project on my list.

 

How to Crochet a Lobster Stitch Bracelet

I'm finding less and less time to craft these days (where oh where does the time go?!), so quick projects are the only way to get my craft fix. In the spirit of quick crafting, check out my tutorial for crocheting lobster stitch this week on Craftsy.

Lobster stitch is a cool crochet stitch that doesn't require you to decide the number of chains before you start crocheting. The stitch actually builds right off the previous single crochet, meaning you can make that cord as long or short as you'd like without having to decide in advance. As you can see, it makes a pretty rad bracelet.

Pop over to Craftsy and get the lobster stitch tutorial! What kinds of quick craft projects are you working on? It's gonna be a busy summer!

Adventure Time Felt Applique How-To

I don't make handmade gifts for just anyone, but I knew Alex would appreciate anything I made him for his birthday this year. Making the gift Adventure Time-themed ensured its success, even if my craft skills failed me. Luckily, they did not!

This was my first-ever felt applique project, and I learned many lessons along the way. To save you from felt applique anxiety, I'm sharing those lessons here in an easy little tutorial. Adventure felt applique time!