This is easier than it sounds.  Try a few rows to get the hang of it.  It requires a little maneuvering, but you’ll catch on quickly enough!  Just remember that the right side (RS) is always facing you!  Don’t turn at the end of rows!  (This is what makes the ridges.)

You will need cotton yarn and either an I or J hook.

Ch 32.  (Once again, I like my washcloths big, so if this is too big for you, just chain any number of stitches; make sure you add 2 for the starting row.)

Row 1: Skip 3 ch (counts as first dc.)  Dc in each ch to end.  DO NOT TURN!

Row 2: Ch 1.  Sc in front loop only of the last dc made.  *Sc in front loop only of next dc to right.  Repeat from * to last stitch.  End with slip stitch in top of turning ch at the beginning of the row.  Do not turn.

Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as first dc).  Skip first st.  Dc in back loop only of next and each st of the “last-but-one” row, to end.  Do not turn.

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until your washcloth measures square.  Ch 2 and sc a border around, making sure to do 3 sc at corners.

Happy scrubbing!

• Broomcorn (also called ornamental grass/sorghum)
• Material for dress, face, and hands
• Cotton
• Yarn
• Markers
• Raffia
• Needle and thread
• Glue

Before the invention of nylon brooms, broomcorn was (and often still is) used to make corn brooms. It is not actually a type of corn, but in fact a very large grass. The nickname of broomcorn was derived from the fact that the grass stems are so large they closely resemble cornstalks.

Begin by shucking the seeds from the broomcorn heads (if your broom will be merely decorative, the seeds can be left on for the colorful effect) Tie several of the shucked broomcorn stalks together with raffia just above the heads, and again about an inch from the broom’s top. Form a raffia loop, and attach this to the top tie.

Cut 2 identical dress shapes from material and sew them together. Make sure the neck hole is large enough to fit over the broom handle. Cut a head and a pair of hands from material. Stuff them with cotton. Sew the head to the front half of the dress. Sew the hands to the sleeves of the dress.

Slip the dress over the top of the broom handle, sliding it down until the skirt part of the dress covers the heads of the broomcorn. Leave about an inch and a half of the broomcorn peeking out beneath the dress. Using the markers, draw a face on the broom lady. Cut a few pieces of yarn and glue them to the top of the head as hair. Embellish the broom ladies with miniature baskets or tiny brooms of their own glued to their hands.

The CL (cluster stitch) in this pattern is as follows:
YO, insert hook, yo, draw loop through, yo, draw through 2 loops – over the number of stitches indicated.  Then YO and pull it through all the loops on your hook.  You should usually have 1 more loop on the hook than the number of stitches you used in the cluster- for example, if you did a cluster over 3 stitches, you should have 4 loops on your hook.

Ch 37.

Row 1 – Sc into 2nd ch from hook.  Sc in next ch.  *Skip 3 ch and dc 7 times in next ch.  Skip 3 ch and sc in each of the next 3 ch.  Repeat from * across until you come to the last 4 ch.  Skip 3 ch and dc 4 times into the last ch.

Row 2 – Ch 1.  Sc into first st and into next st.  *Ch 3.  CL over next 7 st.  Ch 3.  Sc into each of next 3 st.  Repeat from * to the last 4 st.  Ch 3.  CL over next 4 st.  Skip the turning ch.

Row 3 – Ch 3 (counts as first dc.)  3 dc in the first st.  *Skip 3 ch and sc in next 3 st.  Skip 3 ch and dc 7 times into the loop that closed the CL.  Repeat from * across.  End finishing with a “skip 3 ch”.  Sc into each of the last 2 st, skip the turning ch.

Row 4 – Ch 3 (counts as first dc.)  1 CL over next 3 st.  *Ch 3.  Sc into each of next 3 st.  Ch 3.  CL over next 7 st.  Repeat from * across.  You will finish with 3 ch; sc into next st, sc into top of turning ch.

Row 5 – Ch 1.  Sc into each of first 2 st.  *Skip 3 ch.  Dc 7 times into loop that closed the CL.  Skip 3 ch.  Sc into each of next 3 sc.  Repeat from * across.  You will end with a “skip 3 ch”; dc 4 times into top of turning ch.

Repeat rows 2, 3, 4, and 5 until the washcloth is the length that you want.  Ch 2 and sc around the edges; make sure you do 3 sc in corners.  This makes the washcloth look neat and gives it a good ending touch.

You will need:

10-12 long stalks of wheat, rye, barley, or oats with heads

White thread

(For those without access to grain stalks, these can be woven from plastic drinking straws as well.)

In days gone by, farmers used to take the last few stalks of the grain harvest and weave them into beautiful designs in hopes of capturing the spirit of the grain to ensure a bountiful harvest the following year. These weavings were kept inside all winter. In the spring the weavings were unraveled and the heads were the first seeds sown in the fields, as it was believed they would bring good luck for the growing season. Today most people wheat weave for aesthetic pleasure as opposed to good luck for harvest, but the designs are just as beautiful now as they were hundred of years ago.

To begin, soak the straws in warm water for 20 minutes. Tie four straws together just below the heads. With the heads at the bottom, gently pull down the stalks so they splay in four different directions. Leave one gap wider than the others.

Start weaving by holding the gap away from you. Bend the straw across from the gap (second from the right) into the open space. A new gap will form where that straw was. Turn the weaving so the new gap faces away from you. Bend the straw across from the new gap (now second from the right) into the open space. Continue “filling the gap” until the weaving is about 5 inches long.

Do the same with another set of four straws, making a weaving that is 5 inches long. If you break a straw, just insert one of the extras in its place and continue weaving as though nothing happened.

Tie the two weaving together at the heads. Bend the weavings up into a heart shape. Allow the unwoven ends to drape down into the center. Secure the ends to the heads with thread. To finish, tie the bottom of the heart with a festive ribbon. As grain dries naturally on its own, these will last for many years.

Invisible ink can be made from a great number of organic fluids (milk, lemon juice, white wine, onion juice etc). Here’s how to do it;

All you need is a small glass of whatever liquid you have chosen to use, something to write your message with and a sheet of paper. Dip your writing tool into the ‘ink’ and compose your message on the paper. It really is that simple. Once the liquid has dried into the paper it will be invisible to the naked eye.

Image via Wikipedia

If it is invisible, how can the recipient read it?

It is all about heat! Putting the paper into a heated oven, using a hot iron, or even holding the paper over a candle-flame will result in the ’secret’ message revealing itself. The reason it works is because the organic fluid has a lower ignition temperature than the paper and thus will start to burn first (revealing the message).

Keep in mind that using smooth or glossy paper is not the best thing to do as it doesn’t allow the liquid to soak into the paper too much. If you are going to write a ‘dummy’ message over the ’secret’ message to hide it further until the heating, use a ballpoint pen or a pencil; don’t use a fountain pen as the ink is thicker and may run too much through the paper, ruining the secret message.

• Hardcover book
• 1 yard of material
• Hot glue gun
• Bag handles
• Ribbon
• A large button
• Cardboard

Start by cutting the pages out of an old hardcover book. Cut a piece of cardboard, the width of the book’s spine, and hot glue it to the inside of the spine. Lay the book out flat, with the inside facing up. Measure and cut a piece of cloth that will cover the entire book. Set aside.

Cut four pieces of ribbon that are twice as long as the book’s front cover width. Loop these pieces of ribbon through the bag handles (for extra stability, you can sew the two sides of the halved ribbon together.) Hot glue the four ribbons to the front and back cover of the bag, allow enough ribbon so the handles do not quite touch the bag.

Cut a piece of ribbon a little larger than the circumference of your button. Form a loop and hot glue this the center of the edge of the back cover. Run a piece of ribbon through the holes in the button and hot glue the ribbon ends to the center of the edge of the front cover. This will form a button and loop closure for the bag.

Cut two pieces of triangular-shaped material. The tip of the triangle, should be as wide as the spine of the book, the bottom of the triangle should be several inches wider than the spine. Make the triangle half an inch taller than the book. Glue a triangular piece to each side of the bag, attaching the cloth to the spine, front and back covers of the book.

Take the piece of material that was cut to the size of the book. Glue the material to the book, covering all the ribbons. Make sure this is securely glued.

When the glue is dry, the bag is ready to be used. If you want to get really fancy, you can cut a few rectangles of the same material, and glue them to the inside of the bag to make pockets. Once you get the hang of these, they are really fun to make.

A garden of Christmas herbs is a charming way to share the season with a friend. Take the herbs from your own garden in the fall and set them into an indoor decorative arrangement for the winter; they provide the foundation for a new herb garden for your friend in the spring.

Herbs have long been valued for their flavor, aroma, or medicinal properties – but this only begins to explain our fascination with the individual herbs that have taken on a symbolism of their own. Herbs, through the centuries have acquired meanings specifically related to Christmas.

Rosemary is the principal herb of Christmas and a symbol of remembrance. According to legend, rosemary once had only white flowers. During the flight to Egypt, the Holy Family took shelter near the fragrant shrub. After washing Baby Jesus’ swaddling clothes and her own blue cloak in a running brook, Mary spread the garments on the fragrant branches of flowering rosemary to dry. When she removed the garments, they had taken on the fragrance of the herb, and the white flowers had changed to blue. During the Middle ages, sprigs of rosemary were placed in babies’ cradles to insure safe, peaceful sleep.

• Rue is a symbol of virtue. It has been reputed to banish evil spirits and to bestow second sight.
• Thyme is considered a manger herb and is a symbol of courage, activity, and bravery.
• Alpine strawberries are symbols of true worth, the blossom a symbol of foresight, and the whole plant a symbol of perfect excellence.
• Sage is symbolic of domestic virtue and immortality.
• Horehound, one of the bitter herbs of Passover, was thought also to have been mixed with the sweet herbs and grasses of the manager.

Materials you will need for your basket of Herbs:

• Several different cutting of fresh herbs
• Sphagnum moss
• Basket
• Plastic bowl to line the basket

About six weeks before the holidays, take cuttings of the herbs from outdoors. Soak the moss in some water. Place the plastic bowl in the basket. Fill the bowl with the wet moss. Set the cuttings 1 inch to 2 inches into the moss. Add a cutting of twining ivy or nasturtium, or perhaps a bow to the handle of the basket.

Attach a small tag of care instructions to the gift baskets, including the following information: the cuttings will do better in a cool, sunny location. Mist the garden daily. A light fertilizing with a water soluble fertilizer every six weeks is also helpful. The cuttings should take root by spring. The to start your own garden outside, pull the herbs gently from the moss and place in pots. When the plants are strong and healthy, usually in three to four weeks, they can be transplanted into the garden.

For this year’s holiday door decoration, try a thick bouquet of greenery instead of the traditional wreath. Arrangements can be a simple as a cluster of magnolia leaves tied with ribbon or as elaborate as several kinds of evergreen foliage intertwined with toys or ornaments.

When selecting greenery for a holiday cluster, keep in mind that most evergreens with thick leaved, waxy foliage will hold up well after cutting. Southern magnolia, Japan cleyera, rhododendron, Holly, Japanese pittosporum, sweet olive, and loquat will last for several days without water; so will a number of short needled evergreens, including hemlock, deodar cedar, and pines. The foliage of some evergreens, such as rhododendron and southern magnolia, will last for several weeks.

The cuttings of other evergreens such as gold-dust plant, boxwood, mahonia, and yew will last longer when their stems are inserted in a block of florist’s foam saturated with water. Just wire the foam into the base of the arrangement. For additional stem support, surround the florist’s foam with chicken wire.

When pruning your evergreens for holiday decorations, be selective about where you make your cuts so that you do not destroy the shape of the plant.

Additional materials you will need for your foliage cluster are narrow gauge florist’s wire, a roll of green florist’s tape, U-shaped florist’s pins, scissors, and a block of florist’s foam if the greenery needs to be kept in water. For more interesting arrangements you might collect various objects such as toys and ornaments to wire in with the foliage. Or, with the greenery, use natural materials such as fruit, pine cones, magnolia seed pods, and nuts. Dried foliage, such as eucalyptus, is also nice for creating contrast in color and texture.

For trim, you will need ribbons of various textures, widths, and patterns. If you want a background for the arrangement, consider using a flat basket, woven tray, or fan.

To assemble the foliage cluster (once you have decided on the shape), first choose several large branches to form the core of the arrangement. Use florist’s tape and wire to hold the branches together, or insert the stems in a block of florist’s foam and secure with tape and wire. Gradually add other pieces of greenery, wiring or pinning them in place as you develop the shape.

Wire in bows, toys ornaments, or other objects as desired. You can also combine several types of foliage to provide interesting contrasts in color and texture.

If you are using a background such as a basket or fan for the door decoration, attach the completed foliage cluster to the background with florist’s wire. When the arrangement is finished, use wire to hang it from a nail or from the door knocker.

• Toll paint (acrylic paint)
• Paintbrushes
• Scratch paper
• Glassware to be painted

When choosing your toll paint, be sure it is not the kind made specifically for glass, as this type of paint is permanent and will not wash off the glassware after the party. Avoid anything that says “Patio Paint” as it is usually permanent. The best paint to use for this project is just the generic acrylic paint available in craft stores.

To make autumn leaves, load a flat-tipped paintbrush with red on one half and orange on the other (you can also substitute yellow for one of the colors). Run a short stroke down the scratch paper, squiggling the brush from side to side to blend the colors a bit.

With the red half of the brush facing out, paint several small maple leaf shapes on the glassware. Use a quick stroke through the center of the leaves to fill in any open spaces. Pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, spiders and webs make equally appropriate glass decorations for autumn parties.

Once the glassware is painted, leave it to dry for several hours before using. After use, simply soak them in a sink full of hot, soapy water, and the paint will easily rub off with a dishtowel.

This project need not be saved only for autumn. It can easily be adjusted for any time of the year. Snowflakes, snowmen, and evergreen trees work well for Christmas. Shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day. Hearts for Valentines Day. Flowers for Midsummer’s Eve. Almost any time of year presents suitable symbols.

• Flour
• Water
• Sugar
• A saucepan
• Paintbrush
• White fabric
• Balloon or fish bowl
• Black marker
• Cheesecloth

To begin, you will have to make the paper mache paste. Adding 8 parts water to 1 part flour, boil the two ingredients together in a saucepan. When it reaches the boiling stage, remove the pan from the heat and stir in a tablespoon or 2 of sugar. Let mixture set until it is cool, it will thicken into a paste as it does. When it has completely cooled, it can either be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator. It will usually last about a week before it starts to mold.

Cut a square of white material; muslin or another similar material works well. Adjust the size according to what you want to use the ghost for. These are equally fun as tiny ghosts to decorate a wreath or as large ghosts to suspend from the ceiling. Paint the mache paste onto both side of the material. Prop the balloon or fishbowl up on a box and drape the mache covered fabric over it. (If making smaller ghosts, use an aspirin bottle to drape the fabric over.)

As the fabric is drying, cut a square of cheesecloth. Don’t worry if the ends fray, as it adds to the ghostly effect. Paint the cheesecloth with mache paste. Drape the cheesecloth over the white fabric, turning it so the ends fall in between those of the white fabric.

Let the ghost dry completely. The white fabric and the cheesecloth will stick together as they dry. Once the ghost has completely dried, remove it from the balloon it was draped over. It will hold its own shape now. Using the black marker, draw two eyes, and the ghosts are ready. The eyes can also be painted on. They can be reused year after year.