Knit a doll hat! Yes you really CAN!

Knit a doll hat! Yes you really CAN!

by | Mar 5, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

Does knitting a hat sound daunting?  Normally it would have to us too… but not anymore!  I don’t really know how to knit, but I have tried to teach myself at times and to teach my children.  We have never gotten too far and have a number of half-knit projects in our knitting supply bin.

I was so delighted, though, this past month when my 7 year old daughter picked up a round knitting loom that we had in our bin and said she wanted to knit something.  I happened to have the time to sit down with her and start knitting.  She caught on really fast!  It is so much easier than a pair of knitting needles!   

The knitting looms (24 peg or 12 peg) we used came with directions.  However, we found this tutorial from The Sweetest Journey to be very helpful to get started.  We found chunky yarn worked well for this project and makes a nice cozy hat.

american girl doll knit hat

In this post we have measurement suggestions for you to make a baby doll hat and a hat for an American Girl size doll (or a larger baby doll).  We have found that for younger children, or children with limited patience, starting with the smaller 12 peg loom project is better (it takes quite a bit less time, and children can quickly have the joy of completing a project!).  We used a 12 peg loom for the hat that this sweet little baby doll is wearing.

baby doll with knit hat

To determine which loom size to use, you can measure the circumference of your doll’s head.

measurement for american girl doll hat

For an American Girl doll size (13 inch head circumference), we found a 24 peg round loom works well.

baby doll head measurement

For a baby doll with a small head (10 inch circumference), we found a 12 peg loom works well.

24 peg loom 12 peg loom doll hat

This photo shows a 24 peg loom for American Girl doll size hat, and a 12 peg loom for small baby doll size hat.

hat finish measure

After knitting a number of rows, you can periodically check the length of your knitting. Before taking the knitting off the loom, it should be 5 to 6 inches in length for American Girl doll size (or about 4 to 5 inches in length for small baby doll size). If you want to be able to roll the hat up at the bottom, choose the longer measurements (we chose the shorter measurements for the hats pictured here). Be sure to follow the directions in the tutorial suggested above on how to remove the knitting from the loom and secure the top of the hat.

diy yarn pom poms

You can add a pom pom to your hat once the hat is removed from the loom. You can find our easy DIY pom pom tutorial by clicking on the pom pom image above.

We suggest the following loom options (these also come with a knitting tool for taking the yarn over the pegs and a large yarn needle for finishing the hat):

We think chunky yarn is nice for these hats.  We used Bernat Softee Chunky for the hats pictured here.  It comes in a nice variety of colors.

We found the tutorial at The Sweetest Journey to clearly show how to make a hat.  You can find that tutorial by clicking here.

You will also need a pair of scissors to complete this project.

We’ve become big fans of Lita Judge books ever since taking a writers workshop class she led through Read Aloud Revival.  We love how she described that writing and reading did not come easily to her as a child, but that did not stop her from becoming a great author and illustrator!  When we read Red Hat the other day, we could not resist adding it to our doll hat knitting post.  

Red Hat is probably even more meaningful and fun to read if read after reading Red Sled.  It seems to take place in the spring, following the winter of Red Sled.
Both of these books are great for young children and/or children who may struggle to read.  There are very few words, and a lot of room for imagination!  Our 7 year old daughter even found a sweet lesson in the book:  Don’t get discouraged if something upsetting happens, you can probably fix the problem and make things better.

Wishing you and your children a peaceful knitting time together!  Enjoy!

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Saint Patrick’s Prayer Shamrock Garland or Wreath

Saint Patrick’s Prayer Shamrock Garland or Wreath

by | Feb 25, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

I love the Saint Patrick’s prayer.  It is such a beautiful reminder of how God’s love surrounds us!

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

To make this shamrock garland or wreath, you can cut out shamrock shapes and copy lines of the prayer onto each one.  If you would like a printable version, please visit our Etsy shop.   (Your purchase helps us to cover blogging expenses so that we can continue to bring you more fun craft and baking ideas.  Thank you!)

shamrock cutouts

Cut out shamrock shapes with a verse from the Saint Patrick’s Prayer on each one.  (Our printable on Etsy has lines from the prayer on each shamrock, plus a page of blank shamrocks if you want to include some blank shamrocks or write your own words.  The shamrocks are a pdf of a hand watercolored shamrock.)

string of shamrocks

We find chunky yarn or 1/4 inch wide ribbon works well for the garland.  It fits well through a standard hole punch hole, and allows the shamrock pieces to stay in place in the way you would like them to be spread.  

shamrock wreath

You can create a circle out of pieces of cardstock or cardboard or a paper plate, then glue on shamrock shapes for a pretty indoor wreath.

window shamrock garland

Garlands can be a nice way to decorate a window, a mantel or any wall space in your home.  This garlands brings a bit of greenery to our windows, where the trees are still bare at this time of year.

diy shamrock garland

Of course, our favorite part is making it our very own, with decorations done by the children.  We find this can be a fun time to talk about the beauty of the prayer.  We hope you and your family can enjoy making a Saint Patrick’s Prayer Shamrock Garland or Wreath to decorate your home this season!  Enjoy!

Are you looking for more Saint Patrick’s Day fun?  I love the way the CCC cartoon version of Saint Patrick’s life imagines how Saint Patrick first composed this prayer.  It shows him as a newly captured slave tending the sheep.  Imagine how lonely and scary that would feel!  He shows his trust in God, etches a cross in a tree, and calmly says this prayer.

If you are looking for a fun activity for your family this Saint Patrick’s Day, you may want to check out this beautiful movie.

P.S.  If you have a formed.org account, this movie is available for free.  Many churches have an account for everyone in their parish to access Formed for free, but you can also get an individual subscription (the last we checked, there was a free trial option too).

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY!

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

DIY Pom poms (plus Youtube tutorial)

DIY Pom poms (plus Youtube tutorial)

by | Feb 21, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

It’s so easy to make a pom pom!  Just grab a fork, a ball of yarn, and some scissors and come watch our Youtube tutorial.

large and small fork pom pom

We find that a regular dinner fork is good for making pom poms from thin yarn, while a serving fork works well for chunky yarn.

yarn and fork pom pom

They can also be fun to play with for little children – throwing them in the air or rolling them (or blowing them with a straw) on the ground.  Paper towel tubes (or tubes made out of rolled up paper) can be taped in different ways to the wall and pom poms can be dropped through them.  It can be harder than you think to get them to land in the bowls!

doll hat pom pom

Pom poms can be used to top off a knit hat (click here to learn how to make an adorable doll hat!).  We used the 24 peg loom in the Boye Loom Set to make this doll hat.

pom pom critter

Our girls like to make little pom pom critters too.

Check out our Youtube tutorial to learn how to make these easy pom poms, using just a fork and some yarn.

Looking for more ways to use your pom poms?  Check out The Creative Hour blog with so many fun pom poms ideas!

What are some ways you might use pom poms?  We would love to hear from you! 

You can submit a comment in the comment form at the bottom of this page. 

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Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Good measure…

Good measure…

by | Feb 20, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

We made some measuring cup and spoon printables we were planning to post sometime, and the Gospel reading this Sunday made us think this would be a great week to give them to you!

Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you. 

Luke 6:38

measuring cups and spoons

Click on the image to get our free measuring cup equivalents practice pages.

good measure writing practice

Click on the image to get our free Scripture writing practice pages for both cursive and printing practice.

 
We did some hands-on measuring equivalents this week too by pouring lentils from one measuring cup to another.  It is a relatively low mess way to talk about how two quarters make a half, and two halves make a whole, etc.  Our girls really enjoyed it and quickly brought out play kitchen cups and bowls to keep on playing with the lentils.  And our sweet toddler made sure that a good measure was poured into our laps… and even onto the floor! 
 
Hope this week you have time to reflect on God’s abundant gifts in your life!
writing practice
measuring lentils
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Special Time Planner Craft

Special Time Planner Craft

by | Feb 19, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

In our family, we love to do special one-on-one times where one child gets to spend time just with Mommy or just with Daddy.

When we first heard about special time, we were advised that we should put it on the calendar.  This way not only the time itself would be a happy one, but also joy could be added to our children’s days in being able to look forward to the special times.

le petit prince
In the classic book, The Little Prince, as the fox and the little prince are becoming friends, the fox explains to the little prince that it makes him happy to know when the little prince will be able to come back to spend time with him: “…if you come at four in the afternoon, I’ll begin to be happy by three.  The closer it gets to four, the happier I’ll feel.”

Since looking forward to special time adds to the joy in our lives, we have some ideas for you to plan special times.

Our printable monthly or yearly planner (subscribe for the pdf link) also includes some images to help you to brainstorm special time ideas.  Of course you can draw your own pictures or just write words as well.

yearly special time planner

If the idea of “planning” stresses you out (like it does for me!), we also have a more free flowing special time “planner” with a printable and craft version.  For the free flowing flower petal and wooded path “planners,” you just brainstorm ideas that you would like to do, but don’t necessarily add a date, time or order to them.  The next time there is room in your schedule for special time, it will be easy to pick something to do from your planner.

To make your own special time planner craft, simply cut out something with a simple design (we made a flower for one and wooded path scene for another) and write the special things you are looking forward to on the cutout shapes.  You can write “Mommy and me” or “Daddy and me” and the child’s name somewhere on the planner too.  (These planners could also be used for children to plan special times with grandparents or aunts and uncles.)  Then glue on the cutout shapes and put your planner craft in a place where it can remind you and your child of your upcoming special times.  Making this craft can be a great special time in itself.

flower planner
tree planner
tree planner

Please subscribe to get a link for these free pdf printables:

special time yearly planner
flower planner printable
tree planner printable

We would love to share our free printables with you to help you plan your special times!  Please fill out the subscribe form to immediately receive a link for the free pdf downloads of all of our printable special time planners. 

Note: when you print the flower petal page or the wooded path page, please select the “landscape” orientation.

Snowflake Crayon Resist Watercolor

Snowflake Crayon Resist Watercolor

by | Feb 13, 2022 | Craft Tutorials

snowflake art

Last week I looked at the weather and saw there was snow in the forecast for the weekend, so I decided to get some non-washable crayons.  Why?  I was thinking it would be fun to make watercolor resist snow scenes this weekend, and we don’t keep the non-washable crayons needed for this project in our house.  Years ago, a very wise friend of ours said that she only allows washable markers and crayons in her house.  We thought this was a great idea, and we have done the same… it has probably saved us from a lot of impossible cleaning jobs over the years.

As our 3 year old is a budding mural artist and furniture decorator, I hid the crayons when I got them.  When the snow was falling today, I thought it would be a perfect time to do this project… but I had forgotten where I hid the crayons.  Fortunately, I eventually found the crayons, and we had a wonderful time drawing snowflakes and painting together.

With art projects, it’s great to have inspiration.  Today, we were able to be inspired by looking at the falling snow.  Another way we love to find inspiration is through looking at illustrations in children’s picture books.

We’ve been guided in letting books inspire us through Five in a Row (a lovely picture book-based curriculum for preschool and early elementary) and the Read Aloud Revival (they invite wonderful published authors to give really inspiring online classes to kids, and they also have amazing book lists).  Whether you are a homeschooling family or not, I highly recommend Read Aloud Revival for their book ideas!

Ella Bella Ballerina Nutcracker

Here are a few of our favorite books with great snow illustrations:

Ella Bella Ballerina and the Nutcracker

Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas

Ezra Jack Keats, The Snowy Day

Books by Lita Judge: Red Sled and Hoot and Peep:  a song for snow

 

 

We hope during the next snow fall where you live, or the next time you are dreaming of snow, you can have fun making crayon resist watercolor snowflake scenes too!  Let’s get started…

Gather your supplies:

Water color paper

Crayons (the non-washable kind)

Watercolors

Paint brushes (wide brushes are probably best for this project)

Cup of water (a cup that is not tippy is best)

Paper towels (to clean up spills and dry the paint brushes if needed)

supplies snow

Let’s create!

crayon resist

Draw snowflakes (and other pictures) with your crayons - be sure to press hard

watercolor wash

When you are done with your crayon drawings, brush with watercolors and watch the snowflakes appear.

ella bella book inspiration

You can use the snow you see outside or a picture book to inspire your painting.

snow image

Sometimes little ones like to create a painting together with an adult or older sibling.

snowflake crayon resist

Happy Snow Day!

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Note:  The book links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.