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6 Tools That Make a Knitter’s Life Easier!
You already love it: choosing your favorite fiber in colors that speak to you; deciding on a project that expresses your vision; casting on a string of possibilities; working individual stitches which ultimately become something beautiful. If you read this blog, then chances are that knitting is your passion. That doesn’t mean, however that it’s not work. It is, and arguably the best kind. Even so, though we knitter’s can occasionally use a helping hand (or two) in the form of tools which make the intricacies of our craft a little less, fussy — handy…
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Love at First Press and a Giveaway by Joan Hawley of Lazy Girl Designs
Have you ever had a tool or notion that was so essential you couldn’t imagine going without it? I can think of plenty in my tool box that fit that bill. Today I want to tell you about the 2×4 Mighty Mini Board and a giveaway! Small Size, Big Features The 2×4 Mighty Mini Board is chock full of features and design considerations. Want to know what I told Clover when we talked about creating a small board? I said I want it all. After having owned a number of…
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Kids Camp: Crocheted T-shirt Pot Holder
It’s official: school’s out for Summer. For those of us with kids, that means a loooong few months of taxiing, playdating, and otherwise looking for something, anything to keep our offspring occupied. Well, my parental friends, there’s no time like the present to get them crafting — and what says, “Summer Camp crafts” more than making a pot holder? Well, perhaps a lanyard, but humor me. This week I thought I’d post a project that had a little something for most ages of children. Thrifting for t-shirts can be done…
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Tool School: Iron Shine Cleaning Pen
What is it? – By a show of hands how many of you really like to iron? Exactly, not many hands. We usually iron what we have to iron and not until we have to. The unfortunate fallout is that because of this our irons often become the most neglected tools in our sewing arsenal. Through the process of creating our masterpieces our irons pick up deposits from the materials we use. Sizing, fusibles, spray adhesives and sticky back stabilizers are some of the villains. It’s unavoidable. Take a look…
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Father’s Day Gift Personalized Nancy Zieman E-Tablet Keeper
This Father’s Day make it personal!! Try our Nancy Zieman Trace ‘n Create E-Tablet Keeper. Materials needed: Nancy Zieman E-Tablet Template Nancy Zieman Fuse ‘n Bind Nancy Zieman Create-a-Strap in both 5/8″ and 1.25″ Nancy Zieman Pre-Cut Tablet Keeper Shapers Ultra Firm Interfacing D-Ring (optional) Elastic Velcro Fabric (Fat Quarter Bundles work great for this project) *Please note you have the options of making an E-Tablet Keeper in small, medium, or large. The instructions included in the package will give you the necessary measurements for each size. Instructions may also…
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Summer Frost Mini Beading Loom Project by Carol Porter
Supplies: Mini Beading Loom Art No. 9924 Beads 11/0 cylinder Thread Gray Beading Needle & Threader Darning Needle Scissors Earring Supplies: 10 Clam Shell Crimps 2 5-strand multi connectors 2 Jump Rings 2 Earring Findings Earrings Bead Design 10/Warps 11 1. Warp the loom with one continuous thread to form 11 warps. 2. Start weaving the design at the 5th warp and follow the Bead Placement Chart working from the bottom, left to right. 3. Follow the increase directions found in the package instructions. 4. Hide the Warp and Weft…
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A Few of My Favorite Clover Tools for EPP by Diane Gilleland
A Few of My Favorite Clover Tools for English Paper Piecing By Diane Gilleland My new book, All Points Patchwork, is all about English paper piecing (otherwise known as EPP) – a lovely hand-sewn patchwork technique. I’m a big fan of hand-sewing in general, and my toolbox is brimming with Clover! So I thought I’d share some of my favorites, and how they make my EPP easier. (If you’d like to see some EPP in action, by the way, check out these videos.) Applique Pins, Fabric Glue Stick The first…
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Tool School: Mini Flower Loom
What is it? – “Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.” That’s what Henry Beecher thought anyway. So how important are flowers? Claude Monet once wrote that he may very well have become a painter because of flowers. Art, literature, music, culture . . . all are replete with references to flowers. Can you imagine a Spring morning in the Colorado Rockies without fields of wild flowers? Or Japan without cherry blossoms? A prom without orchids. Perhaps Valentine’s Day without red roses?…
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How to Fix a Dropped Stitch!
We’ve all done it: dropped a stitch while knitting. Depending on how many rows down that slippery, little sucker fell we may or may not feel the dread of the inevitable: unknitting (aka “tinking”) several rows of precious stitching. One row down is simple: just use the right-hand needle to pick up the loop of the stitch in the row below; place it on the left-hand needle; pull the “rung” or strand of yarn from the current row through the stitch on the needle, letting the other strand drop down…
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Hair Pin Lace Tool Review and Giveaway with the Underground Crafter
Welcome to my themed blog series, Crochet Specialty of the Month! Each month in 2015, I’ll feature a specialized crochet technique, stitch pattern, or project type through several posts. As part of this month’s focus on hairpin lace, I’m sharing a review of my favorite hairpin lace loom along with a giveaway sponsored by Clover USA! Read on for your chance to win one of two Clover Hair Pin Lace Tools! I reached out to the nice folks at Clover because I really love their Hair Pin Lace Tool (also known…