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Have you heard the one about the homeschooling family that lives on less than $22K a year in an area that costs above 100% (116%) of the National CoL Index?

I haven't quite figured out why so many people still persist in perpetuating the myth that living on a single income and homeschooling on a dime aren't possible. I can only suppose these are people who can't imagine life without a daily trip to Starbucks and dinner out several times a week. The people who actually shop at malls (*shudder*) and think "Brand Name = Best". The people who really live by the "Keeping up with the Joneses" mentality.

That? Would not be us!

Welcome to our world. We cook from scratch. Buy from thrift stores. Find 95% of our homeschool materials for free. This is my blog and this is how we do it.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Learn to Crochet & Knit.

Lion Brand Yarn has free instructions to learn to crochet and knit and includes some patterns for beginners.

CROCHETING
KNITTING

I shop for yarn at garage sales and when I find it, I bargain for 10 cents per skein. The seller almost always takes the deal. I do also sometimes find yarn in discount stores and dollar stores, but I only buy it there if it's the really nice "fuzzy" yarn and I use it for special projects and borders.

One thing I like to do is make baby blankets. When I give them to expectant mothers, I include a little card with this message:

Precious baby, though we haven't yet met, I made this gift just for you. My thoughts and prayers were carefully woven in to each chain and stitch and turn. And so each time this blanket is wrapped about you, know that it is more than simple warmth and comfort you are receiving. It is a loving hug from me.

That isn't from anything - I wrote it myself and you're welcome to use it, or any version you come up with. It grew out of what I told my own children about the blankets I made them when I was pregnant. I've always told them any time they needed, if I wasn't available for some reason, they could wrap up in their blankets and know this was a hug from me.

If you take the time to learn to knit or crochet, if you don't already know how, you will be able to create many lovely gifts. Free patterns abound on the 'net. I like to listen to audio books while I work, and often the kids and I will sit in the den and listen together. My daughter and I will work on some type of project and my son likes to just lie on the floor and listen. Just to note - crocheting (which I do enjoy more, sadly for me) does use more yarn than knitting. It also typically produces a "heavier" result.

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4 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing these links - I've been wanting to learn crocheting for a long time & thought I would have to take a class for it (which is not in the budget right now).

You've got me thinking ahead for the holidays! :)

I also just cleaned out my fridge which is giving me good incentive to plan & use what I have left for meals, etc. for the week.

June 24, 2007 at 3:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I came up with a new idea for yarn this year. I had oodles of old T-shirts that had holes or were stained. I cut them into 1/2 inch strips and knit a cool scarf out of them. I also have cut them in 1 inch wide strips and made rag rugs out of them. I also am in the process of making a hat. Rags are a great cheap way to knit or crochet. Abbi

June 27, 2007 at 11:29 PM  
Blogger Just Me, Jenni said...

Hi, Abbi! What a terrific idea! Thanks for posting. I've been collected some worn-out clothing with a vague idea of trying to make a rag rug myself, but I think I might try the knitting first! :)

June 28, 2007 at 12:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm new to knitting and am always on the lookout for websites to aid me. The links you had were great! I wanted to pass along a video site I found that has a few basic how to videos that give helpful tips on knitting. I'm not sure if you're interested in how to knit videos, but I found these useful when I was just starting out.

July 16, 2008 at 2:54 PM  

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