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Yarn Review · Rico Design Creative Pom, Fashion Inuit & Creative Cocon
I may have mentioned a few dozen times that I used to live in Germany. We were lucky enough to spend a glorious year working in Hamburg and, apart from falling in love with the city and people in general, I fell hard for the wonderful yarn shops and creative atmosphere in the city. Let’s not forget the currywurst and Weissbier, as well. Yummers. I have to admit that half of my salary and most of my lunch break was spent mooching around the ginormous creative superstore ‘Idee’ that was located underneath Altona tube station. It was/is a truly dangerous…
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Softly Simple Stars · Crochet Tutorial
I must admit that I don’t crochet very often, and I’m always very critical of my ability to write crochet patterns. I’m not as confident a crocheter as I am a knitter which is probably why I’m a bit adverse to publishing anything cro-related! However, I’m going to fight against that fear right now and share with you my own pattern for crocheted stars. There are a gajillion different ways to crochet stars, and a kawillion tutorials out there so here I am throwing my own into the ring like we need just one more. Every little helps! If you’ve…
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Little Dot Lampshade · Craft Tutorial
Anyone who has moved house knows that choosing the right decor, furniture and accessores to make your new home complete takes a while. We moved house two years ago to our wonderful pad here in Asturias, and even though we have the bulk of everything we need, it’s still a labour of love to get it looking just right. Recently we changed up our bedroom, ditching some simple, white lampshades we had in our old flat (it was very clean, modern and cool) that totally didnt go with the rustic/modern style we have in or current home. I wasn’t too…
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Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda*… Or Things I Wish I’d Known During My First Year as a Mum.
*Yes I am a Sex and the City fan (and not a fan of Beverley Knight, but respect to that song that reminds me of Year 8) for those of you noticing the title. I’m not planning on having another child, but during a convo with my fella the other night whilst gobbling garlicky food and excellent wine (love you Spain) we got to thinking (another Sex and the City-ism there) about what we would do differently as parents if we ever have another. Never say never, but we are a typical one-and-done family and given that we have two…
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Squidlet Newborn Sweater · Free Knitting Pattern
Knitting garments is one of my favourite things to do, but I sometimes get a bit put off by the hard work invoved! Aside from the actual time-consuming knitting part, working out the sizing and paying special attention to stitch count, gauge and all that jazz can really make me stress out. I told you I was a lazy knitter! However, when my bestie told me she was pregnant, I just new that I had to make something extra-special and unique, and the pattern for the Squidlet Newborn Sweater was born! What I love most about this sweater – apart…
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Free Pattern · Chunky Cotton Face Wipes
Want to get back to basics? This simple knitting pattern for sustainable chunky cotton face wipes is a great way of using up scraps of chunky cotton yarn in a flash. Make a stack for yourself or as a gift for a beauty-product loving friend! This pattern is fun for both beginners and more advanced knitters who want a quick afternoon project. Staying inspired is hard when you’re a creative person. As a crafter, I have weeks where I can’t stop the ideas and inspiration from flooding into my head and sometimes get pretty overwhelmed, but the next week I…
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Tutorial · Origami Pouch
Last week, as part of a huge rebrand of my Etsy store and some big changes for 2019, I made the rather huge decision to go plastic-free with my packaging choices. It’s the right (albeit expensive) thing to do, and I am looking forward to the challenge. Should it be a challenge though? The fact remains that, although boxes are freely available to buy, they are a lot pricier than a simple bubble-wrap padded Jiffy bag or packing envelope, and finding ways of making sure items arrive to their desitination without getting the crap smashed out of them is definitely…
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Yarn Review · A Yarn and Colors Special
One thing the professions in teaching and the design industry (both my jobs as it happens) have in common is that planning ahead is essential. As a teacher, you are always thinking ahead regarding preparing exams, making sure that your students have the right knowledge to pass and that you haven’t missed anything out. As a designer, you simply have to plan ahead for the next season, check out what’s in and what colours will be hot, what celebrations are on the way… After all, nobody wants to be that girl hurredly knitting baubles on Christmas Eve, right? Now that…
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How to: Up your Photo Game on Instagram – for Crafters!
Photo editing has come a long way, hasn’t it? I’ve got vivid memories of my Dad knobbing about with some program called Paint Shop Pro as a kid and enjoying all the CDs bundled with crap software when we bought a new printer (which was like, every month). My other half is a huge MS Paint fan, and proudly created all his old band’s graphics on it in his musician days. I try and forget the fact that all the type was in ARIAL (my graphic designer soul just cried) and it was red text on black, but hey, it…
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The Other Parents
As we battle through this extended, special edition episode of The Krypton Factor that is parenting, you come across all kinds of people. People who, until now, you may have overlooked or not been aware of. Strangers who are all up in your bizniz in the street because you kid is barefoot in the pram, old bints in Tesco who comment on the gigantic size of your bump (yup, it even starts before the child has come out of your bod) and numerous other examples of humanity that you’d enjoy kicking in the head. Then we discover another breed of…
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Breastfeeding, hummus & self doubt.
I wasn’t sure what this post should be about initially. A ramble about every doubt I’ve had as a mother, a problem-solving, self-help guide for parents who are having a rough time, or just a list of some of the most challenging parts of parenting and my experiences and some advice… In the end I decided it should be a bit of all of those things with the main goal of this post being the message: This too shall pass, you’ll come out the other end enormously stronger and ready to carry on. I hope this post can be calming…
Hi! I’m Emma, the designer behind Emmaknitty.
I create modern knit and crochet patterns with
a cozy heart, and I love sharing free designs,
helpful tips, and inspiration for your next project.
Have fun and happy crafting!
emmaknitty.com 