I am at it again! Handmade knitting needles

I really need to stop adding projects to my list of to do's! I think I am driving my DH batty. Here are some of the handmade knitting needles that I am making. Most are made with dowels, some bamboo skewers and one set of chopsticks. I use beads, polimer clay (I varnish these so that they are shiny!), swarovski crystals and anything that I find for the ends. My favs are the circular needles! I am so proud of myself! The how to's for the circs are after the pics. Have fun and send me pictures of the ones that you make!



Circular needle how to:

These are simple, but be patient. First choose your dowel size and cut them to the legnth you desire. The sharpen only one end of each dowel. On the flat side, use a 1/16 drill bit and and drill a hole right in the center about 1/4" into the dowel. I then begin sanding down the dowel. It takes a few minutes of sanding, but getting it nice and smooth is vital. Be sure to round out and taper the end with the hole! Once it is smooth (finish with an extra fine grit), rub it with mineral oil and then rub in parafin wax and buff. The rest is a piece of cake. Cut a legnth of weedwacker line and apply a dab of E6000 to the end, insert into the hole firmly. Repeat for the other end of the line. Allow these to dry for a few hours before you use them!

If you are going to make tiny circs, just use a smaller drill bit and a plastic coated wire using the same instructions as above. The little ones require a very steady hand and I recommend using bamboo skewers instead of dowels.

What TOTALLY ROCKS about this project is that the weedwacker line comes in so many colors that you can use a different color to denote the needle size! Secondly, they only cost about 20 cents per pair! More money for the yarn stash!

FYI You can use metal stamps from Harbor Freight to impress the needle with the size if you like. (these are so cheap and I use them on all sorts of things!)

Eye Candy

I have been on a beading frenzie this week. I had the flu, so I spent two days in bed with my knitting and my bead box. The flu sucked, but finishing some projects made me feel a little bit better. As you might ascertain, I have the busy hands syndrome. I can't just sit in bed and watch the boob tube. Here are a few of the things that I made.

First is a sterling, crystal, and glass row counting bracelet. It is actually functional and cute. This one is a little BLING BLING, so I am going to make another out of pearls for a more demure look. You know it is bad when accesorize with knitting gadgets!

Next are more stitch markers. I made these to match my knitting bag! I love turquoise and black. These are slightly different than the others that I made. They are made using memory wire for the loop instead of splitrings. The benefit is that they can be placed and removed at anytime.

Here is a peak at the oilcloth knitting bag that I made a few weeks ago. Two great things about this bag.
1) It is oilcloth! DUH! I live at the beach and bring my knitting along while I watch the kiddos play in the surf. It doesn't get dirty and if it does, a handywipe is all I need!

2) Because sand and yarn don't mix, I put skein pockets on the outside that have grommet holes that lead to the inside. I never have to take my yarn out! I just pull my project out of the center of the bag, knit away and place it back when I am finished, or need to go chasing after a runaway skimboard. FYI this also prevents the yarn from getting tangled and keeps my colors separated nicely if I am doing fairisle. Well, I could go on and on, but that might be seen as boasting and I am not a boaster (right?- well, maybe a little!)

Last project I promise!

These are just some fun row counters! They are great for insetting sleeves or denoting decreases. They are light, easy to slip on and off, and a little sparkle never hurts! They make me feel like knitting a sweater...

Finished Fetching

I have finished the "fetching" gloves from Knitty! They were quick and so cute!! My 8 year old diva wants a pair in lavender so they must be cool too! These are a must try for a knitter who wants a fast, but fulfilling project.

The Ellusive Bag Clasp

I found it! This is the bag clasp that was shown on the Brown Lunch Bag in Knitty http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTbrownbag.html

http://www.tandyleather.com/products.asp?dept=221

Happy knitting!

To Frog or Not to Frog, that is the question...

To frog...

Ok, the gauntlets have been frogged and are now on the way to being some gorgeous socks. I decided that my hands wouldn't be warm enough, so I am going to try the gauntlets in worsted weight wool instead. I change my mind constantly, so this should come as no surprise!

My niece and nephew are coming to visit me this weekend and I am so excited! I hate to brag, but they are the cutest little guys ever! Here is a picture I took of my neice last month. This was after a long day of shopping and playing at the beach! She is still gorgeous, it is so not fair!!

As promised, here are some of my recently finished projects!

Felted Cloche with satin/chiffon peony, Felted purse with camelia accent, Felted do-dad bag, and Asian inspired felted slippers. As you can tell, I have been on a felting kick. Primarily because I wanted to practice my needle felting accents. I think that I have it down now. Time to move on!

This is probably enough for now! Can't wait for the next post!