Thriftism

May Day has many different claims on the origin of the holiday. Some say it sprouted from the Socialists' protests on working hours which occurred in 1886. Others point farther back to Roman times celebrating Flora, the goddess of flowers. No matter which origins you cling you (or none at all), this can be a joyful spring holiday. For a more complete history check out The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day (Spectre) By Peter Linebaugh. One tradition that has passed through the ages is the giving of May Baskets. May baskets can be made out of just about anything nowadays and contain a small gift whether it be flowers, trinkets, or candies. These baskets are to be left at a person's doorstep anonymously. The giver drops the basket off, rings the door bell, and runs away. If they are caught, tradition says they are supposed to kiss the receiver. I don't think many people follow the running/kissing part of this tradition anymore, ...

As promised, these are the mittens I made to match the baby hat I posted about previously. I actually made these the same week I finished the hat, but life has gotten busier and busier so this is just getting posted now. With these I followed the sizing and decreases from The MuckyMacBook , but changed the rest of the pattern to get the look I wanted. These were really easy and made the pair when I was sitting around one Saturday morning.  These mittens were sized to match the hat, meaning both are for the 0-3 month range.  Materials Used: Black Acrylic Yarn (A) White Acrylic Yarn (B) Tapestry Needle Size 6 Knitting Needles CO 28 with A 1-12) K1, P1 in Rib Stitch for 12 rows using color A. 13) K1, M1L, K26, M1L, K1 14) Switch to color B and purl entire row. 15) K1, M1L, K28, M1L, K1 16)Purl 17)K1, M1L, K30, M1L, K1 18) Switch to color A and purl 19) K1, M1L, K 32, M1L, K1 20) Purl 21)Knit 22)Switch to color B and purl 23) Knit 24) Purl 25) Knit...

It seems like lately everybody is pregnant, recently had a baby, or is looking at starting a family in the near future. While I am nowhere near catching the baby fever that seems to be going around, I have caught the love of knitting tiny things for those adorable babies. Besides the fact that I love to knit, making my own gifts for showers is a great money saver and adds that nice touch of personalization to your gift. Anyone can go out and buy toys or clothes or diapers, but how many people hand make their presents these days? Anyway yarn is one of the cheapest things you can buy. Granted your time counts for something, but if you're like me, it's a fun hobby anyway so you're not really giving up time that you'd be using elsewhere. Plus, knitting during movies/tv shows will keep you from snacking and I know this has really helped me reduce my calorie consumption. Back to my baby projects… I decided to start simple and work my way up to things like toys, cl...

My sister is moving into her first house later this month and I couldn't decide what I should get for a house warming gift. Usually if you buy something from a store, everyone knows how much you spent. Having said that, it reflects poorly if you spend say $5 when others might spend $20. So, I decided to make my presents. I recently taught myself to knit. It's pretty simple to learn and there are tons of how to guides with pictures and movies online. I didn't say I am great yet, but good enough to make something worth using. I searched for towels or dishcloths, anything that would be fairly simple, but still useful. After some searching I found this great pattern online and it is actually offered as a free pattern, making it even better! The pattern makes two hand towels and three dishcloths. It calls for three colors, but I bought my yarn on sale and only two matching colors were on sale, therefor, I am using only two. You can buy knitting needles fairly cheap on ebay or...