Cluck and Tweet

My Name is Kate. And I am addicted to Freezer Paper

Or freezer paper stenciling, anyway.  

I've been wanting to try this craft project ever since reading about it in Amanda Soule's book, The Creative Family.  I started hitting up the thrift stores and collected a few plain t-shirts, found freezer paper at the grocery store, and bought some decent fabric pant.  And then, it sat and sat, because for some reason, I actually thought this would be hard. Boy, was I wrong.  

The boys and I sat at the computer and picked out some images-- a jet plane for Max, a really cool owl in flight for Noah.  I saved them to my computer and then, using photo-editing software (I used Picnik-- free-- online), I blew the image up by 300-percent and printed it out. 

We taped the printed image onto our glass sliding door and then taped the freezer paper on top.  We traced the silhouette of the image onto the freezer paper (if you want to draw your own image, you can skip all the above and just draw directly onto the freezer paper).

I helped the boys by cutting out the traced image using an exact-o knife, and then ironed it onto the shirt (I also put another blank piece of freezer paper inside the shirts to avoid the paint seeping through).  

Once the freezer paper was ironed on-- I moved the iron across it for about half a minute-- you can tell when it is secure-- I turned the project back over to the boys. Using basic paint brushes and some fabric paint, they painted in the area that was cut out until it was well covered (beware-- after a first coat, specks of unpainted fabric appeared, especially along the freezer paper's edge).  We then let it dry overnight, and the next morning, simply peeled the freezer paper off...and it was done!  So cool. So easy. So just in time for the holiday season (because let's face it:: my knitting is not going to be gift worthy until, um, 2020)...

knitting nonsense

I have no good excuse for being a bad blogger. Except that I'm learning to knit.  And I am ob-sessed with it, even though I might possibly be the worst knitter in the history of the craft.  This is me, learning from my very patient teacher (who has to be patient because she is my Godmother). 

Notice the tongue-out style? Yup, that's how hard I have to concentrate so as to not mess up. And by the way, even then, I drop-- or add and add and add-- stitches.  Sigh.

But there is something so pioneer or Little House about knitting. It makes me want to take a deep breath and get cozy and rock by the fire.  I have that image of myself, glasses falling down my nose, warm fire crackling beside my wooden rocking chair, just knitting the winter away in the evening hours.  Yes, I am aware this sounds very grandmotherish for a 30 year old (especially a 30 year old with three small children). But still. Every girl has their happy place dreams, and for whatever reason, this happens to be mine. This week anyway.

It might be because of all the time I'm spending on Etsy-- because I have to check out other stuff after frequenting my favorite shop

-- that makes me so dedicated to learning this new thing to do. I mean, who wouldn't want to knit with yarn like this available?

And really, wouldn't you love to put on of these on your child's head?

  
Or tuck them in with this at night?

Plus selfishly, I have grad visions of making myself something like this

or this.

Even if I've only made a sweatband for a wrist (because what else could it be?) and only gotten this far on any project.

Ahem.

In addition to my patient teacher, I'm spending a lot of time looking on youtube for good reminder videos.  Alex toys

has a great video on casting on here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9qAhTwAAP0

never mind that it is for the eight and under set. It works.

I also like Threadbangers. Cause they kinda rock.

Youtube has its share of funny knitting too: like, um how Tampax and Knitting can go hand in hand.

okay, you're right. I'm losing it.