I have a neat tutorial to share with you that can really be expounded upon in so many different ways, your creativity can go rampant. We all know about my urge to save glass bottles and jars and have gone as far as enlisting family members to do the same. So when inspiration strikes, bottles of all sorts are available.
Here’s a list of what I used for this project: Glass bottle, sheet music, glitter, Mod Podge, jute twine, snowflake ornament, jingle bells.
I was given several of these schnapps bottles, that have really taken me a while to come up with a use for. They are tall and flat and can’t really be used for my Waterless Snow globes…but finally inspiration hit in the form of ‘Altered Bottle’ which is fancy for saying decorating the bottle to serve some sort of purpose beyond it’s intended use. SO I washed up the bottle, removed the label with handy dandy Goo-Gone (thank goodness for that stuff!!) and a pretty bottle is what you have. It no long looks like a schnapps bottle…but in my mind looks like a ‘message in a bottle’ type of bottle…cue The Police Just a castaway An island lost at sea, oh.. I didn’t use the lids and used wire cutters to cut off the little ring left around the neck.
I have been lucky enough to find some old sheet music and believe me when I say this book is happy to be given a second chance at life in the form of art…the pages were so weakened with age and fragile….it just couldn’t be used anymore. In fact, when I tried to use my paper cutter, it just shredded the paper, so I ended up just scoring and tearing. The idea is to use the music paper to create a label of sorts around the bottle, so I tore the paper to fit the center of the bottle, leaving a little glass on the bottom and the neck of the bottle still exposed. Slather the back of the page with Mod Podge:
Eye-ball it on the center of the bottle:
Do the same for the back so you have something that looks like this:
Be sure to smooth it on well. Next, to soften the edges of the ‘label’ and for a little glitz, use Mod Podge and glitter around the edge ( I used a paint brush and spooned on the glitter). This a messier way to do it, if you want, you can use glitter glue or something similar. Once dry, use a soft dry brush to remove excess glitter.
Next, wrap twine around the center of the bottle, leaving two ends for tying. I used about three yards of jute twine. If twine isn’t your thing, ribbon would also look good.
I needed a focal point and found it by way of snowflakes. I found this package of small glittered snowflakes at Hobby Lobby…but you can use several different things….if you crochet, crochet a snowflake…stiffened doily….just something in proportion and creates a focal point.
Tie the twine through the snowflake:
String jingle bells on the twine (I just love the sound of jingle bells!)
Tie a shoestring bow, tightening the bells up and giving the snowflake a finished look. Like I said though, you can get really creative…see what you can come up with!
I think these would make great gifts, bud vases, candle holders….
…or how about writing a message rolling it up and putting in there for a loved one to read. Wouldn’t it be fun to write your yearly Family Letter and put it in there and share with your extended family. Write hope and dreams and put in there. Lots of different things can be done…..or really, it’s just pretty to look at.
Whatever you do, the bottle has been given a second life and been made into something beautiful.
What bottles do you have that can be altered?
***
It is almost Thanksgiving and I really cannot believe it! I know I haven’t been around much this past week, but I sure do appreciate you for being here. If I don’t talk to you before then I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving spending it with the people you love and cherish. Give your kids an extra hug and your husband an extra kiss, that is what I will be doing….and hopefully eating pumpkin pie! Love to all of you!
These fun Thanksgiving activities for kids include crafts for 2 year olds, preschoolers and elementary aged children, Thanksgiving sensory bins, crafts, coloring pages, turkey themed ideas and more.
Thanksgiving is a holiday that may not get as much attention from kids. It is getting together with family to eat but also much more. There is meaning behind the food filled holiday and can be a fantastic focus for activities. I have included some of my favorite activities that I have found that center around Thanksgiving, turkeys, the may flower and being thankful. These Thanksgiving activities include science, sensory, gross motor, math, crafts and literacy. All are activities that kids will enjoy doing this Thanksgiving season!
THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Whether you are looking for thanksgiving activities for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarten students or elementary kids.. this post has you covered!
Kids will love to watch corn dance. This is a simple science experiment that requires only a few supplies and won’t make too much of a mess!
Corn on the cob is from a plant and can do some magical things with time. This corn experiment looks so much fun to explore and observe!
The Mayflower is an important aspect of Thanksgiving that may easily get forgotten. This is a fantastic experiment and activity that can help you teach kids all about the Mayflower and it’s significance!
Cranberries are often served for Thanksgiving dinner and used as decorations during the Thanksgiving season. What is the big deal? Follow this experiment plan and explore all about cranberries!
If your kids love slime, this pumpkin slime is a perfect sensory activity for anytime during Fall. It’s ooey gooey feeling plus the addition of pumpkin seeds makes it look even more festive!
I love that this Thanksgiving Sensory Bin not only has corn, pumpkins, and gourds but a Thanksgiving scented candle (unlit obviously) to add to the sense of smell! How fun!
Playdough is a classic sensory activity and a perfect base for creating fun Thanksgiving books . It’s a perfect holiday inspired invitation to create!
Sensory bins are a fabulous way to encourage sensory exploration for kids. This Thanksgiving bin is so colorful and could be a fabulous invitation for kids!
I love this Thanksgiving craftivity for so many reasons. It includes crafting, recycled materials, can be given as a gift and helps kids think and write about what they are thankful for!
Another craftivity that I am obsessed with is this Sight Word Turkey. If your kids are working on sight words, this turkey activity is excellent. Kids will have practice writing the sight words as well as participating in a Thanksgiving craft.
Emergent readers get so excited when they can create something and actually read it. These printable Thanksgiving books are perfect for your emergent reader to create and read!
Holidays, like Thanksgiving, are the perfect time to do a themed alphabet activity. An alphabet puzzle like Thanksgiving books is fun for kids and the theme may encourage ones who don’t necessarily find super interest in learning the alphabet!
Ten Frame Counting Cards are perfect for little ones. These cards can help with number recognition and counting while still having a fun Thanksgiving theme.
Counting has never been so fun or incredibly easy as with this Feed The Turkey game. Little ones, and even big kids, will have so much fun with this activity that takes literally take minutes to make!
Math turned game with this fun Thanksgiving printables. These games will encourage children to practice simple subtraction and addition in a fun and engaging way.
A simple math activity that can be done literally anywhere. This math activity can help toddlers and preschoolers with simple counting.
I totally enjoy when crafts that my kids can make can be used over and over for years to come, just as these Turkey Leaf Luminaries. These would also make excellent gifts!
Wearable crafts are so much fun. Kids will love to make and wear this Thanksgiving books and how sweetly cute it is!
A super cute fantastic experiment using materials you may have around your house. Kids can customize their own turkey feathers to match their personality!
This fantastic experiment is one of the coolest because it is also edible. This would be fun to decorate, give to friends or neighbors or just make to eat!
I love these printable thank you cards!
These adorable place mats are perfect for Thanksgiving dinner prep or an activity that can be done while dinner is being prepared.
Using pattern blocks is not only an excellent math activity but perfect for strengthening fine motor skills. These Thanksgiving themed printable pattern block mats are so fun!
Tracing words is one of the first steps to help kids learn letter recognition, formation and handwriting. Print these Thanksgiving Word and Picture Tracing and help your kids with their prewriting skills!
Most kids love spending time with I Spy games. This Thanksgiving I Spy printable is perfect for Thanksgiving day!
Getting kids moving can sometimes be a challenge but not with games like this so fun Thanksgiving Charades game. Kids will have fun, get moving and it’s a free printable. Triple win!
Yoga is a fantastic exercise that can be done with kids and parents. Thanksgiving Yoga Poses can help kids give thanks to nature while getting their bodies active.
Why do kids love going on ‘hunts’ so much? I am not sure but I know a ton of kids who would jump at the chance to Thanksgiving books !
Twister is such a fun game and so helpful for strengthening muscles, balance and more. This Thanksgiving books is perfect for Thanksgiving and really all of Fall!
I hope you enjoyed this round up of Thanksgiving Activities for kids! What are your favorite activities?
Lately I’ve been pretty much staying home as much as possible, I’m sure many of you are too. I’m not complaining, but finding things to do is getting more difficult as the days and weeks go by. After all I’ve been home since March!
I’ve been cooking, baking, canning, sewing, painting, drawing, and doing just about everything I can think of just to stay busy and productive; after I get all my “real” work done because I have also been working from home. Anyway in the spring when the lock down began I made some crocheted turtles for my grandsons in Italy using some of the yarn in my “stash”. Since then I’ve been looking for other crochet projects.
Recently I came across this free pattern from Crochet 365 Knit too. The pattern is call Sunburst Granny Square, then she changed up the colors and made this cute Sunflower Granny Square, it’s amazing what a difference the color changes made!
The sunflower part of the pattern uses puff and bobble stitches worked in rounds. Once the flower is complete it’s framed in a square making it a granny square. The squares in the pattern were stitched together to make a really cute bag. But I though how cute it would to join squares to make a small lap blanket or throw.
I made 36 Sunflower Granny Squares which I joined together using the Zipper method. I joined 6 squares across and 6 down to use all 36 squares. Then I crocheted 5 rounds of boarder using a combination of single and double crochet rounds.
I used Red Heart Medium weight yarn in Coffee, Chamois, Goldrod, and White. The first 3 colors were from my scrap yarn stash (which was a good thing because yarn seems to be hard to find recently, at least in my state of Hawaii). The white used the most yarn, but I always have multiple skeins of white yarn. If you don’t have these colors or simple can’t find any at the store, no worries, use whatever yarn colors you have on hand. Keep in mind that sunflowers come in different shades of yellow!
The pattern I used for the Sunflower Granny Squares is by Crochet 365 Knit Too! It’s free! Click hear for the pattern.
As for the border I wanted to keep it simple so I used a dc in every stitch after joining the squares. In the corners I did 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc. The last DC was joined the to beginning DC. Then I made 4 rounds of SC using 3 sc, ch 2, 3 sc in the corners. If you prefer a different border you can use any style you want.
This cute lap blanket is perfect for those chilly autumn evenings!
My youngest grandson has a love for sea creatures. He particularly loves turtles. That’s why I recently made him 3 crocheted stuffed turtles. He loves them!
These turtles are pretty easy to make. The top shell is made with a hexagon shaped African flower in 4 colors. The bottom shell or the turtle’s tummy is the same flower done in 1 color. Then all you need is to make the head and the legs which are stitched on the bottom shell.
For my grandson’s turtles I used the same 4 color combination, I just changed up the arrangement to make each turtle unique. Each turtle’s tummy is the African flower done in the color used on the last rounds of the top shell. I coordinated the head and legs with the top shell round that is done in the same color, in this case the single round used to edge the flower petals.
I used 2 shades of green and beige as main colors and orange as the flower’s center as an accent color. The orange really brightens up the turtles. But you can you any color you want, I bet pink and purple would make a nice turtle too!
The turtles are pretty easy to make, it took me just a couple of hours to make each one. But the first step in making them is making the African flower hexagon pieces. Once you got those done the rest is just rounds of increasing and decreasing single crochets.
So I’ll give you the pattern for the African flower using 4 different colors you can adapt it to use however many colors you will be using. Then I’ll give you the patter for the head and the arms. Once you have those done you can stuff them, stitch them together, then embroider on the eyes and mouth. I used french knots for the eyes and back stitched the smiling mouth. You can sew on plastic googly eyes or button for the eye, I choose not to as my grandson is only 1 year old and buttons or google eyes are a choking hazard if they get pulled off the turtle.
I used a 5.5 mm crochet hook or “I” hook; #4 medium yarn, and a yarn needle. The head and legs are made in rounds so using stitch markers to mark the end/beginning of the rounds is helpful.
So here’s the pattern for these adorable stuffed turtles.
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Supplies:
5.5mm or “I” Gauge Crochet Hook
#4 Medium weight yarn in the colors of your choice
Polyfill for stuffing
Yarn Needle
African Flower Hexagon
First Flower Hexagon is made in Single Color for the turtle’s tummy
*CH 3 at the beginning of each round counts as the 1st DC of that round
Color 1 – CH 4; join last chain to 1 chain with a slip stitch to form a ring
Rd. 1 – All stitches in will be worked in the ring. CH 3 (counts as first DC), DC, CH 1; *2 DC, CH 1*, repeat * to * 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of 2DC with CH space between each group.
Rd. 2 – Work in the 1st. CH 1 Space in previous round CH 3, DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 1 Space work 2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1*, Repeat *to* 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of (2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC) with a CH space between each group. These groups are the bottom part of your flower petals.
Rd. 3 – Work in the first CH 2 space of the previous round CH 3, 6 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 2 Space work 7 DC, CH 1* Repeat *to* 4 times. Change to Color 3. You will have 6 clusters of 7 DC in each CH 2 space. These clusters are the tops of your flower petals.
Rd. 4 – This is the row that edges each petal made in Rd. 2 & 3. It is worked in SC with a long SC between each petal. Starting at the side of any petal work SC around the petal ( 7 SC) when you reach the CH 1 Space which from Rd. 2 & 3, insert the hook into the the CH 1 space in Rd. 2 and pull up a loop; yarn over and pull thru both loops to complete your long SC. Continue to work 7 SC in each petal cluster and long SC between petals. Sl St to SC at the beginning of the round.
Rd. 5 – CH 3, DC in next 2 St, in next St work (DC, CH 2, DC) (1st. corner of the hexagon), * DC in next 7 St, (DC, CH 2, DC) in next st * Repeat from * to * around ending with a DC in the last 4 st after the 6 corner is worked. Fasten off and set aside.
Now make the 2nd. Flower hexagon using 4 colors for the top shell.
*CH 3 at the beginning of each round counts as the 1st DC of that round
Color 1 – CH 4; join last chain to 1 chain with a slip stitch to form a ring
Rd. 1 – All stitches in will be worked in the ring. CH 3 (counts as first DC), DC, CH 1; *2 DC, CH 1*, repeat * to * 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of 2DC with CH space between each group. Change to Color 2
Rd. 2 – Work in the 1st. CH 1 Space in previous round CH 3, DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 1 Space work 2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC, CH 1*, Repeat *to* 4 times; Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. You will have 6 groups of (2 DC, CH 2, 2 DC) with a CH space between each group. These groups are the bottom part of your flower petals.
Rd. 3 – Work in the first CH 2 space of the previous round CH 3, 6 DC, CH 1; *in next CH 2 Space work 7 DC, CH 1* Repeat *to* 4 times. Change to Color 3. You will have 6 clusters of 7 DC in each CH 2 space. These clusters are the tops of your flower petals.
Rd. 4 – This is the row that edges each petal made in Rd. 2 & 3. It is worked in SC with a long SC between each petal. Starting at the side of any petal work SC around the petal ( 7 SC) when you reach the CH 1 Space which from Rd. 2 & 3, insert the hook into the the CH 1 space in Rd. 2 and pull up a loop; yarn over and pull thru both loops to complete your long SC. Continue to work 7 SC in each petal cluster and long SC between petals. Sl St to SC at the beginning of the round. Change to Color 4.
Rd. 5 – CH 3, DC in next 2 St, in next St work (DC, CH 2, DC) (1st. corner of the hexagon), * DC in next 7 St, (DC, CH 2, DC) in next st * Repeat from * to * around ending with a DC in the last 4 st after the 6 corner is worked.
Rd. 6 – CH 3, DC in each st until you reach the 1st. corner, make 1 DC in the CH 2 Space of Rd. 5; DC in each st to next corner, make 1 DC in CH 2 Space of Rd. 5; Continue around and Sl St to top of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. DO NOT Fasten off. (The hexagon should cup a bit giving it a bit of height)
Rd. 7 – Place Belly hexagon on top of the Top Shell Hexagon wrong sides together. Join top and bottom hexagons together by making a round of SC, hook should go thru Round 6 of top shell and Round 5 of belly hexagon. Stuff before ending Rd. 7. Join with Sl St to beginning SC of the round.
Ruffle Round – *(CH 3, DC) in first st of Rd. 7, Skip 1 st, sl st in next st*. Repeat this pattern all the way around. Sl St to bottom of CH 3 at the beginning of the round. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Head & Legs
The head and legs are made in rounds, do not join after each round. Using a stitch marker is helpful to keep track of rounds.
Head – Make 1
Make a magic circle – the first round is worked in the circle
Rd. 1 – 6 SC in the circle
Rd. 2 – 2 SC in each SC around (12 SC)
Rd. 3 – *2 SC in next SC, 1 SC in next * repeat around (18 SC)
Rd. 4 & 5 – SC in each SC around (18 SC per round)
Rd. 6 – 2 SC in next SC, 1 SC in the next 2 SC; repeat pattern around (24 SC)
Rd. 7 – SC in each SC around (24 SC)
Rd. 8 – dec SC over next 2 SC, 1 SC in the next 2 SC; repeat pattern around (18 SC)
Rd. 9 & 10 – SC in each SC around (18 SC per round)
Rd. 11 – dec SC over next 2 SC, 1 SC in next 2 SC; repeat pattern around (12 SC)
Rd. 12 to 14 – SC in each SC around (12 SC per round)
Stuff and close opening by pressing both sides together and making 5 SC across. Leave long tail for sewing head on to body.
Leg – Make 4
Make a magic circle
Rd. 1 – 6 SC in circle
Rd. 2 – 2 SC in each SC (12 SC)
Rd. 3 – 2 SC in next SC, SC in next: repeat pattern around (18 SC)
Rd. 4 to 6 – SC in each SC around (18 SC per round)
Rd. 7 – Dec SC over next 2 SC, SC in next SC; repeat pattern around (12 SC)
Rd. 8 & 9 – SC in each SC around (12 SC per round)
Stuff with polyfil
Rd. 10 – Dec over next 2 SC, SC in next SC; repeat pattern around (8 SC)
Rd. 11 – SC around (8 SC)
Close opening by pressing both sides together and making 3 SC across. Leave long tail for sewing legs on to body.
Assembling
Stitch head and legs on to body. Refer to the picture below for placement.
Rugs are a great addition to any room. I feel that they tie the room together. That’s one of the reasons I almost always throw some kind of rug into every room, including my newly redecorated craft room/office. For that room I made this Crocheted Rug using the colors that I have in the room. By the way rugs are also a great way to hid stains on your flooring!
I made this Crocheted Rug for my craft room mostly to hide spots on the carpet, but also to tie the room together. It’s super easy to make and is a great project for beginners. I used the colors that coordinated with the canvas bins I use to store supplies.
The whole Crocheted Rug is made with Half Double Crochet stitches and the first row is a foundation HDC. I love using the Foundation HDC on larger projects. I feel that it shortens the time and the work because instead of making a very long chain then HDC stitches across you do both the chain and HDC at the same time. If you’r not familiar with the Foundation HDC check out this Youtube video to learn how to make it.
Once you make the foundation stitches the rest of the rugs is done in HDC except the row with the spaces in between. That one is made with HDC with 2 chains in between to make up the spaces.
To keep count of the number of rows you’ve done I recommend using row markers. I find for projects like this Crocheted Rug the markers make it easier to know where you left off or if for whatever reason you need to redo a row.
When you’re done with the rug you must block it before adding the fringes. Of course you don’t really have to add the fringes but I think add the finishing touches to the Crocheted Rug.
The Pattern is below or if you want a printable version click here!
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Crocheted Rug
Medium weight 4 yarn in 4 colors of your choice
Crochet Hook Size I or 5.5 mm
Finished size is 39” x 21” without fringes
Row 1: 1st color (white) foundation HDC, the first 2 ch counts as first HDC , make 70 HDC total, turn
Row 2-3: ch 2 ( counts as first St), HDC across, 70 HDC, turn
Row 4: ch 2, HDC in next 14 st, change to 2nd color (Gray) and HDC in rest of st, 70 HDC – place marker if you want
Row 5- 14: repeat row 2
Row 15: ch 2, HDC in next 18 st, change to 3rd color (hot pink) and HDC in rest of st, 70 HDC – place marker if you want
Row 16 – 18: repeat row 2
Row 19: ch 5 ( counts as first st and first ch 1 space), sk 1 st, (for this first st it will look like you are skipping 2 because the ch 5 you just did is first st) *tr in next st, ch 1, sk next st*, repeat ** across, ending with tr, turn (35 tr and 34 ch 1 spaces)
Row 20: ch 2 counts as 1 HDC, HDC 1st tr, HDC in ch 1 sp, HDC in each tr and ch 1 sp across, ending with HDC on top of ch 5 on row 19, 70 HDC
Row 21: repeat row 2
Row 22: ch 2, HDC across until the last 6 st in row, change to 4th color (light pink), turn, 70 HDC
Row 23- 27: repeat row 2
Row 28: ch 2; HDC in next 24 st, change to 1 st color (white), HDC in remaining st, 70 HDC
Row 29 – 30: repeat row 2
Row 31: ch 2, HDC next 19 st, change to 2nd color (Gray), HDC in remaining st, turn, 70 HDC
ROW 32-37: repeat row 2
Row 38: ch 2, HDC in 57 st, change to 3rd color (hot pink), HDC in remaining st, turn 70 HDC
Row 39-41: repeat row 2
Row 42- 43: repeat row 19 and 20
Row 44-45: repeat row 2
Row 46: ch 2, HDC in next 40 st, change to 4th color (light pink), HDC in remaking st, turn, 70 HDC
Row 47 – 51: repeat row 2
Row 52: ch 2, HDC across until you reach last 12 st, change to 1st color (white), HDC to end, turn, 70 HDC
Row 53 – 54: repeat row 2
Row 55: ch 2, HDC in next 57 st, change to 2nd color (Gray), turn, 70 HDC
Row 56 – 62: repeat row 2
Row 63: ch 2, HDC in next 20 st, change to 3rd color (hot pink), HDC in remaining st, turn, 70 HDC
Row 64 – 65: repeat row 2
Row 66- 67: repeat row 19 and 20
Row 68 – 69: repeat row 2
Row 70: ch 2, HDC in next 49 st, change to 4th coLor (light pink), HDC in remaining st, turn, 70 HDC
Row 71 – 75: repeat row 2
Row 76: ch 2, HDC in next 30 st, change to 1st color (White), HDC in remaining st, turn, 70 HDC
Row 77 – 78: Repeat row 2
Row 79: ch 2, HDC in next 18 st, change to 2nd color (Gray), HDC in remaining st, turn, 70 HDC
Row 80 – 88: repeat row 2. Fasten off at the end of row 85
Block
Add fringes on both ends
If you love this Crocheted Rug like we do and made one for your room share a picture with us. We’d love to see your rug!
May the Fourth be with you! Today is, you guessed it, Star Wars Day! Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise back in 2012 pretty much ensured that there will be many more Star Wars films in our future. Along with installments of the final trilogy of the Star Wars saga we’ve been treated to a couple of stand alone movies such as Solo and Rogue One. Of course this has sparked a new generation’s interest in the franchise and is creating many new fans.
The new Star Wars movies have sparked lots of conversations and speculations in our family, such as “is Rey somehow how related to Luke and Leia?” or “who is Finn? Is he Landau’s son?”. I’m sure these conversations are occurring in many households, after all every household has at least one Star Wars fan, right?
As a rule Star Wars has always been popular pretty much since it first opened 40 years ago. But the new movies make the Star Wars franchise soar to even higher levels. Specially given that Disney now owns it and has been marketing each movie months before they premier.
This past Christmas we ran into many Star Wars toys, puzzles, shirts, and other merchandise. In fact we bought some for the boys. I thought with the renewed popularity of Star Wars it would be a great idea to round up a few crochet ideas for Star Wars themed projects. There are many out there!
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So if you’re a big Star Wars fan, or knows someone who is, these ideas will come in handy.
If you don’t want such a big project this cute Yoda Coffee Cup Cozy from Unwrapping Mommy is a quick project. All Star Wars fans will love it! Click here for pattern.
Here’s a cute Yoda baby blanket to go with the hat by Alu Ka on Ravelry. (They call it a blanket, I would call it a snuggly) Whatever you call it, it’s still super cute! Click here for pattern.
Weave in all loose ends. And you’re done!
