Make summer bunting with the kids

Everyone can join in this fun project, which incorporates knitting, threading beads and buttons and sticking stuff down!

The Knitting…
Requires only basic skills – great for beginners or those whose knitting skills are feeling a bit rusty! You’ll need some aran weight yarn and some 6mm needles. Use up odd ends of wool you have around the house, or treat yourself to a couple of new balls in colours you love.

To knit the squares:
Cast on 10 stitches, knit 15 rows and cast off.

To knit the triangles:
Cast on 15 stitches
Rows 1 – 2: knit
Rows 3 & 4: slip one (pass the first stitch onto the other needle without knitting it), knit two together, knit to the end of the row.
Rows 5 & 6: slip one, knit to the end of the row
Repeat rows 3-6 until you have 3 stitches left
Knit 2 rows
Knit 3 together
Cut the wool leaving a 10cm tail and thread it through the last remaining stitch, pulling it up tight.
Thread loose ends into the back of the bunting so they can’t be seen from the front.

The Sticking…
To make paper and fabric flags, first make a triangular template from card.
Then fold the fabric or paper in half and place the template in line with the fold. Draw around the template and cut out. You should have a diamond shape.
Then get decorating! Sequins, feathers, felt tips, stickers, paint… use your imagination!

The Threading…
Arrange your bunting on the table so you can see what it’s going to look like when it’s all strung together. If you like, you can place beads, buttons and ribbons in between the flags. Experiment with the order until you’re happy with it and then take a piece of string and thread everything on one by one. The paper and fabric flags can be folded in half over the string and glued into position once everything else has been threaded on.