Category Archives: Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy

March 29, 2026 · 12:36 pm

Links- How To Use Spool Knitted or Lucet Cord

Day 35 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Lots of Links for How To Use Spool Knitted or Lucet Cord

Spool knitting and using lucets to make lovely cord is relaxing, meditative, contemplative and just plain fun. But, people often ask me: What do you do with all those cords after you’ve made them?

Here’s a list of useful links to videos that I have made about ways of using spool knitted and luceted cord. (Lucets are flat 2 peg spool knitters))

Go to my Etsy shop to buy pdf patterns for fun spool knitted projects:

http://NCroneFindlay.etsy.com

Tutorials and links are nested here: https://tottietalkscrafts.com/

Video Tutorials:

How to add buttons, beads and charms to Lucet or 2 peg spool knitted Cord:

If you are going to use this technique to add embellishments to spool knitted cord, you will need to use the 2 peg spool knitting technique:

How to add buttons, beads, found objects and charms:

Button closures

Celtic knots and interlaces

Shoe laces

Celtic Interlace Hearts

Lucet cord or 2 peg spool knitted butterfly:

How to attach lucet or 2 peg spool knitted cord to garments:

I will be adding more tutorials to this list.

How to weave a ‘Flower of Life’ motif on the Lily Speed O Weave Loom using spool knitted cord:

How to adapt a 4 nail spool knitter so you can spool knit a 5 nail cord on it:

How to cast off spool knitting:

Spool knitting with 4 nails/pegs:

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Filed under eco crafts & green projects, free pattern, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, Lucet, Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting, the 100 day project

Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #howtouselucetcord, #howtousespoolknittedcord, #howtousespoolknitting, #lucetcord, #spoolknittedcord, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitters, #spoolknitting, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, #tottietalkscrafts #designprocess, #whattodowithspoolknittedcord, #yarn, #yarncrafts, @noreen.cronefindlay, Noreen Crone-Findlay

March 25, 2026 · 10:11 am

Day 32 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- So much inspiration-designing-designing

The ideas flood in, but it takes time to work my way through them all… and some of them are Happy Dancing Lttle Winged Beings that make my heart sing and some of them scuttle away like Nasty Elusive Nopetapusses scritching and scratching and scowling all the way to the dark nether regions.

Ah, yes, the creative process!

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, drawing, personal stuff, Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting, the 100 day project

Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #designprocess, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitter #spoolknitters #littlelooms #spoollknitting #woodworking #the100dayproject2026 #the100dayproject #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms @noreen.cronefindlay @distinctivewoodworking, #spoolknitting, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, #tottietalkscrafts #designprocess, #yarn, #yarncrafts, @noreen.cronefindlay

March 23, 2026 · 4:15 pm

Day 30 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- How to Spool Knit Irresistible Tiny Red Hats for Hope Love and Laughter

Would you like to make Irresistible tiny Red Hats to wear on your finger –

cheering yourself up in these challenging times, or for reminding yourself that Hope is an antidote to despair and cynicism

OR maybe just for a moment of fun in putting on very small finger puppet shows?

OR, perhaps to wear on your lapel or pin to your bag or backpack as a sign of community and connection, OR to give as little gifts to friends and family and fellow travellers?

Okay, here’s a video that I made showing how to spool knit an Irresistible Tiny Red Hat with yarn or fabric strips if you can’t find red yarn. Previously, I have made video tutorials on how to spool knit in the round, as well as flat panels and also how to spool knit with fabric strips. All the links to the tutorials and so much more are at my blog tottietalkscrafts dot com.

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Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #howtospoolknitatinyredhat, #littleredhat, #smallbutmightyspoolknitters, #smallspoolknitter, #spoolknittedredhat, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitters, #spoolknitting, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, @noreen.cronefindlay, doll clothes, doll hat, yarn craft

March 22, 2026 · 7:28 pm

Day 29 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Small is beautiful

I have been designing some spool knitting projects that are very small in scale and I am enjoying working with small spool knitters to make them.

So I have adapted some of the spool knitters that Jonathan @distinctivewoodworking and his son, Kieran, turned, to make Small But Mighty Spoolknitters that are ergonomically delightful for spool knitting small treasures.

I’ll be showing you more about Small But Mighty spool knitters and the oh so fun projects in the upcoming days.

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Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #smallbutmightyspoolknitters, #smallspoolknitter, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitters, #spoolknitting, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, @distinctivewoodworking, @noreen.cronefindlay

March 19, 2026 · 9:19 pm

Day 26 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Hope Punk

A couple of days ago, I experienced wonderful synchronicities of messages of HOPE appearing like little green shoots bravely unfurling through grotty old snow. Brad Montague, artist, writer and hope-meister extraordinaire (follow him on The Enthusiast and @bradmontague) wrote a wonderful post on his Substack page that introduced me to Alexandra Rowland’s statement: “The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk,” which felt like an explosion of delight and yes-ness. (Thank you!!!)

And, the other wonderful uplifting thing was my brilliant niece, @josephinecrone being interviewed by Anita Vandenbeld for her podcast: New episode of Democracy in Conversation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EtrWeqXAso&t=10s . Josephine is a powerful advocate for the power of hope to change lives. She has survived Stage 4 Lymphoma and is in remission. She is adamant that hope drives action forward and that cynical behaviour is deadly. She gives me so much hope…. and I am so gratefu!

For me, living with chronic illness and a bunch of other challenges, means that hope is an absolute life line and is essential to my very being. That’s why I focus on invoking hope and beauty and sweetness in my work as an artist and a designer.

I had such an ‘aha’ about ‘Hope Punk’… that’s what I am aiming at with my whole spool knitting project and that, oh yes! Is what my Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls are absolutely ALL about.

Please stay hopeful! We need our Hope to light up the darkness!

The pattern for the Spool Knitted Well Well Well Dolls is available in my etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4473549156/pdf-pattern-for-spool-knitted-well-well

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Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #dollmaker, #dollmaking, #handmadedoll, #handmadedolls, #hope, #hopepunk, #spoolknitteddolls, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitters, #spoolknittingdolls, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, #wellwellwellspoolknitteddolls, @josephinecrone, @noreen.cronefindlay

March 17, 2026 · 1:00 pm

Day 24 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls

I designed the Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls as a wish that everyone, everywhere, would feel well, and that our precious planet would feel well, and that anyone who makes these dolls will feel well, and happy, and safe and hopeful and live in peace, and equanimity.

As I made them, I asked myself: What does JOY look like today? What does peace and safety look like today? What does this doll want me to know? How can this doll feel like hope or sweetness today?

I invite the doll makers to play with drawing their own unique, one of a kind faces for their Well Well Well dolls and have made a video tutorial to help them do this.

I hope that these joyful, playful, happy dolls will bring all good things to the people who make them, and if the Well Well Well dolls are meant as a gift that they will bring love, light, laughter and hope to those who receive them.

The pattern includes links to 3 video tutorials for how to make your own larger spool knitters as well as videos on how to spool knit in the round, and how to spool knit flat panels as well as spool knitting 2 peg/nail cords.

The pattern has complete step by step instructions for making the Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls with yarn and with fabric strips too.

The pattern is available in my etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4473549156/pdf-pattern-for-spool-knitted-well-well

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Tagged as #dollmaker, #dollmaking, #handmadedoll, #handmadedolls, #spoolknitteddolls, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitter #spoolknitters #littlelooms #spoollknitting #woodworking #the100dayproject2026 #the100dayproject #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms @noreen.cronefindlay @distinctivewoodworking, #spoolknitters, #spoolknittingdolls, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, #wellwellwellspoolknitteddolls, @noreen.cronefindlay, Noreen Crone-Findlay, yarn, Yarn Crafts

March 16, 2026 · 5:28 pm

Day 23 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- A video tutorial for making a tiny upcycled sketchbook and easy ways of drawing simple faces in it

I made a video tutorial that shows how to make an upcycled tiny sketch book and then how to draw simple faces in it as an ongoing daily practice.

That’s because I am going to be releasing a new pattern tomorrow for wonderful spool knitted dolls and I want people to be able to draw unique, one of a kind faces for their dolls.

I have found that using tiny upcycled sketchbooks to practice drawing faces is a lot like practising a musical instrument.

Daily drawing is the way to build creative stepping stones.

A little bit at a time, all the time.

Large gorgeous sketchbooks with expensive paper can be really hard to work with, but tiny ones that fit in a pocket and are humble paper make for carefree drawing.

And that’s what you want for these new dolls.

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, drawing, eco crafts & green projects, free pattern, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy, the 100 day project

Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #drawingfaces, #spoolknitteddolls, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitters, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, #tinyupcycledsketchbook, @noreen.cronefindlay, Noreen Crone-Findlay

March 15, 2026 · 1:27 pm

Day 22 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- But what do you do with all the spool knitted cords?

About 30 years ago, I bought a small loom online and the seller tossed in an old spool knitter. Ooh! it had a face on it! My childhood spool knitters were spools with nails and NO faces. That little face on a faded old spool knitter inspired me. I thought: I could make dolls with spool knitting!

Ever since, I have been designing spool knitters and spool knitting. Hmm: Why only 4 nails? Can spool knitters be bigger? How can I use spool knitters in unexpected ways to make fun and useful things?

As a child, I loved spool knitting, and competed with my siblings to wheedle more yarn from our mother and grandmothers so we could furiously keep spool knitting. We would eye each other’s spool knitting to see who had the biggest ball of spool knitting and the longest cord. It never occurred to us that the spool knitting could actually become something useful!

Last summer, I wondered if my nephew, Kieran, (who is training in woodworking with his Dad) might be into turning spool knitters on the lathe. I suggested to my master woodworker brother Jonathan (@distinctivewoodworking), that we co-create some spool knitters. And, so we are working together (even though we live almost 4000 Km apart) to make wonderful, one of a kind spool knitters. (and small looms- but those are still in the ‘R&D’ stages).

I’ve made 3 tutorials showing to make papier mache spool knitters as well.

AND most important! I have been working on fun designs for things for people to MAKE with the spool knitted cords, because after all, you can infuriate your sibs by having a bigger, better, longer spool knitted cord than they do, but really- there’s a lot more fun to be had than just one upmanship in the realm of sibling rivalry. 🙂

And now, I’ll get back to work editing photos and finishing projects and writing instructions…. more will be unfolding as my 100 day project moves along.

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Filed under personal stuff, Simple Little Things That Make Me Happy, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting, the 100 day project

Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitters, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, @noreen.cronefindlay, Noreen Crone-Findlay, Yarn Crafts

March 14, 2026 · 1:05 pm

Day 21 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- How to make a spool knitter from upcycled cardboard and bamboo skewers

For Day 21 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- I made a video tutorial showing how to make a spool knitter from upcycled cardboard and bamboo skewers, finished with papier mache whimsy.

It’s a lovely and sturdy little spool knitter that is a delight to work with. For more information, please go to http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

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Tagged as #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms, #howtomakeaspoolknitter, #papiermache, #spoolknittechnique, #spoolknitted, #spoolknitter, #spoolknitters, #spoolknittingtechniques, #the100dayproject, #the100dayproject2026, #upcycle, #upcycling, @noreen.cronefindlay, Noreen Crone-Findlay, Yarn Crafts

March 13, 2026 · 8:00 pm

Day 20 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- What does joy look like even when things go splat?

Oh crikey, today was one of those incredibly frustrating days when the gremlins seem to get into all the technical stuff and one thing after another goes splat.

GAH! I found myself crumbling and I stopped and thought- Time to change the channels… So?

What would joy look like right now?

I immediately grabbed one of the spool knitters that my brother Jonathan (@distinctivewoodworking) and his son, Kieran turned for me, and I drew the sweetest little face that I could summon, and a flower, and for good luck, a Lady Bug, too.