Welcome to PurlsAndPixels!
If you want your home to feel calmer, cozier, and more capable, you are in the right place. I’m Liz Chandler, and I teach practical skills that help you build comfort and confidence one handmade moment at a time. I’ve built a clear path through these skills so you do not have to guess what to learn next.
A cozy home is not about perfection. It is about knowing how to make small things with your own two hands, fix what you can, and build skills that stack over time. Everything here is intentional. I’ve chosen the tools, techniques, and order that work in real life, and I guide you through them step by step.
What You’ll Find Here
Everything on this site is built on practical skills that make everyday life calmer and more manageable. Each section is part of a larger system: learn one skill, gain confidence, and carry that confidence into the next.
Knitting
Knitting brings calm into your day. I teach knitting as a foundational skill, starting with clear beginner lessons and simple patterns that build confidence fast. This is the most complete path on the site, and it is the best place to begin if you want steady progress.
Crochet
Crochet is flexible, forgiving, and fast to learn. I teach crochet as a practical companion skill, with lessons and patterns designed to be useful, approachable, and satisfying to finish.
DIY
Cozy DIY is about caring for your home in small, meaningful ways. I focus on projects that make a visible difference without requiring special tools, a workshop, or prior experience.
- DIY Hub
- Cozy DIY Décor
- DIY Crafts
- DIY Gifts
Cooking
Food is comfort you can make with your own hands. I teach uncomplicated home cooking built around real ingredients, repeatable methods, and meals that fit into everyday life.
Lifestyle
This section is about practical self-reliance at home. I share real-world skills, from gardening and animal care to calming routines, that help you feel steadier, more capable, and less dependent on constant fixes.
- Lifestyle Hub
- Garden Guide: Grow What You Can
- Chickens & Animal Care
- Wildlife & Predators
- Cozy Self-Reliance
- Organizing & The Home Calm Method
- The At-Home Reset Series 🌿
➡️ Not sure where to begin? Start here to find your next cozy project.
Who This Site Helps
This space is for beginners, busy parents, overwhelmed creatives, curious kids, and anyone who wants a calmer home that still feels alive and handmade. You will fit in here if you want:
- easy wins
- real guidance
- slow skills that build confidence
- projects that feel doable, not draining
- a cozy home built from practical steps, not perfection
Everything I teach comes from lived experience and years of building, fixing, and making with my own hands. If you want real guidance instead of scattered advice, follow the path I’ve laid out here. We’ll take it step by step.
Start With the Essentials
If you want a clear starting point, begin here. These are the core paths I recommend, and each one leads naturally into the next.
- Learn to Knit: Beginner Lessons
- Kids’ Knitting Guide
- The Ingredient Kitchen
- DIY Home Projects
- Garden Basics 🌱
Featured Article:
Easy Knits for Everyone: Quick Projects You’ll Love to Make and Use!
Let’s all knit something fun.
Keep Exploring
- Browse Knitting Patterns
- Read Cozy Self-Reliance Essays
- Make a Quick DIY Gift
- Cook Something Simple Tonight
- See What’s New on the Blog
Small steps build real comfort. 💞
Read the Latest Cozy Lifestyle Articles
- Super-Bulky Placemat – Free Knitting Pattern
This super-bulky knit placemat is intentionally designed as a first knitting project and has been used successfully by kids and adult beginners learning to knit. The pattern limits techniques to one stitch (garter stitch), uses a flat rectangular shape, and works with thick yarn so stitches are easy to see and common beginner mistakes are …Continue reading “Super-Bulky Placemat – Free Knitting Pattern”
- Kids’ Knitting Tools
As a new knitter, you’ll discover an exciting world of yarn and knitting needles. To keep things simple, we are going to start with just one type of yarn and one pair of knitting needles. They will be the perfect set of kids’ knitting tools to learn the basics and make all five knitting projects. … - Kids’ Knitting Guide
Step-by-step knitting lessons for kids 🧶 Hi, friends! Do you want to make your own awesome stuff? Did you know that with just one knitting needle and some fluffy yarn, you can create all sorts of fantastic things? That’s knitting. And I know you’re going to love it! Knitting is a way to make fabric …
❤️ What Readers Say
Real people use these tutorials, patterns, and guides every day.
“I am in the midst of knitting my first hat ever and this pattern is making that happen! Well written instructions this beginner can follow.” — Off Thee Chart, Etsy customer
“Clear and concise pattern. Looks great completed. My toddler loves it!” — K., Etsy customer
“I’ve NEVER seen this way of knitting before, with the yarn in the left hand, and I’ve always felt and looked really uncoordinated because I can’t put the yarn over the needle without letting go of the right needle. Now… 🎉 I’m a PRO!!!! Thanks ❤” — Djanna, YouTube viewer
