Surprise, Hiatus!

I’ve been away for a while because we just bought a house (!) and I’ve been a little busy! Last night I unpacked most of my new studio/office space. I’m still missing a few key pieces of furniture (like my sewing table) so its still a work in progress. I am happy to say that all of my yarn had been unearthed and I’ll be casting on for Multnomah soon.

Not much else happening on the craft front! I had a big push to finish all of my WIPs before the move and now I’m down to one knitting project that’s almost finished. Not since I started knitting have I had only one project going on at any given time!

I’ll leave you with this terrible webcam pic of me in my new office. Exhausted, yet elated, as ever.

There be yarn in those bins! I need a better storage solution for that…

Show & Tell Embroidery

I’ve been finishing up some embroidery this week… here’s what I have to show!

This is just one of my own weird designs. I love cupcakes… I see a long line of cupcake themed pieces in my future.

I finally finished up my peacocks design from Jenny Hart’s Embroidered Effects. I loved doing this one and it came out so cute. It’s hanging up in the office now, surrounded by all my other needlework!

I also mastered using some foil thread… Its actually really hard to work with.

Another design from Embroidered Effects, the fan dancer. I did this as a test swatch to make sure I liked the colors and the look… I’m going to put them on a set of curtains for the craft room/office. This one will end up in a purple frame (which is still drying!) and might get hung up elsewhere.

I’ve been knitting too but I’ll save some of that for another post!

Green Wednesday Wants

Clockwise from UL: 1. Feather Headband by LovMely; 2. Peapod Necklace by newhopebeading; 3. Steamy Ring by edmdesigns; 4. Green Hair Pins by thebitsybean

Wednesday Wants from Amy

I asked my friend Amy to kick off this new feature Wednesday Wants. Every week we’ll pick some handmade goodies that we covet and share them with you.

Hello there!! I’m Amy from the craft blog AisforAmy

Julie had a great idea for beginning a new series called ‘Wednesday Wants’ and I’m super excited to be writing the inaugural post!

There are SO many different things on my “I wish…” list! I am somewhat of a jewelry hound and my favorite thing is stumbling across a special piece on Etsy and falling head over heels for it.

I can imagine this necklace from luxedeluxe being worn with a lovely linen shift dress on a gorgeous spring day. I’m excited about the leather and crystals combo! (I might actually have to find an excuse to buy this one…)

This necklace from mykonos would be super pretty with a simple open necked t-shirt. I love the way the different beads are paired together.

I’ve got a navy colored v-neck shirt that this necklace from photoglassworks would go perfectly with! Isn’t this one so delicate and stunning?

These earrings from leavesofglass rock my world because they’re made with real cotton! Coming from the south (Texas!!) cotton is a big deal. These would be perfect with any outfit really.

I know this little owl from ERMoriginals doesn’t look like much, but it’s really a super sweet bracelet! Who wouldn’t love a wee owl perched on their wrist all day long? It would be like having a friend around at all times.

Last but not least, is this gorgeous orange ring from luvindamuzac. It is such a show stopper. I have one in green that consistently draws compliments from almost anyone who sees it. Who doesn’t love getting a compliment? (I adore kinetic jewelry, I’ll probably be buying something from this shop very soon!)

Are there any Etsy artists that make jewelry that you adore? Tell me! I’d love to know who I’m missing out on!

Thanks for joining me on this post! I hope you enjoyed it!

-Amy

Knit Picks Options vs Addi Turbo Rehash

I wrote this comparison back in 2008 but I thought it would be a nice preamble to my upcoming review of Knit Picks’ Zephyr needles now that I’ve knit various different fibers with them.

I bought all the varieties, DPNs, fixed circs and a set of interchangeables to see how they held up to some of my most loved and trusted brands. I have also bought more since I first purchased them.

I previously had Clover, Brittany and Boye DPNs. My circular collection consisted of Boye, Addi Turbo and a Denise interchangeable set. So those were the brands I had as a comparison overall but my main focus is on Addi Turbos since they are the most similar. I make a few mentions of the Denise set because Addi Clicks hadn’t come out at the time and I have yet to buy a pair.

When I first opened all the needles from Knit Picks they felt a little sticky. Not like they had glue or candy on them, just not as smooth as everyone raves them to be. However, after a few minutes of fondling they were smooth as ice. I’m guessing there was some residue from the nickel plating. So they won for being as smooth and glassy as Addi.

The nickel plating wasn’t an issue for my nickel allergy, however the nickel plating as worn off on some of my most used needles. An issue I’ve never seen in Addi Turbos. I can only assume Knit Picks uses less plating in their needles to keep the cost down. The good news is that they have excellent customer service and will probably replace them if you have this happen and complain. Its happened on a few of mine but I’m really not bothered by it.

The tips on the Knit Picks needles are great. Some people like the duller Addi points but I like sharp points that help me pick up lace (stitches that I’ve dropped.) But they aren’t so sharp that touching them will break skin!

The cables on the Knit Picks needles are alright. They’re better than the hollow plastic of the Denise cables but I still prefer the sturdiness of Addi’s cables. They’re made of a similar material to Boyne cables, but are thinner and therefore more flexible. They will get a coil shape to them if you coil them up for storage like I do. But I hear that a quick dunk in just boiled water will fix that. I’ve never done it though. You also get two (2) cables with Knit Picks Options cables, two sets of caps and one tightening pin. A steal when you consider the price of one pair of Addi Turbos.

The threading on the interchangables is really long and you would notice it was loose before half your knitting fell into your lap! They all come with a tightening pin and I recommend using it even if you think you can tighten them by hand. I would pick these over the Denise interchangables every time because Denise only clicks into place with half a turn and I’ve lost many stitches as a result of that.

The actual join on the needles (interchangable and fixed) is really smooth. I don’t have any issues with this part of the needle. I’ve had one come slightly away from the metal but it hasn’t fallen out in the years I’ve been using it. And again, their excellent customer service will probably replace it if it ever happens to you.

Overall I’m very satisfied with Knit Picks’ needles. They are very cost effective and ‘I’ve so far done a pretty decent job collecting my most used sizes. I’m not a fan of DPNs to begin with but they are far superior to any others that I own. And 90% of my circs are all Knit Picks. The price combined with the quality and customer service makes them a big winner in my book.

Simple Things

I finished Simple Things a few weeks ago! And… forgot to post about it. It was a really simple pattern from Mary-Heather on Ravelry. If I make another one I’d probably keep going until I ran out of yarn. It was a little monotonous but I really love how it turned out.

manual focus!

Tutorial Tuesday: Stitch Markers

I never liked the plastic stitch markers that most yarn shops carried when I started knitting. They were boring, flimsy and very easy to break. The only kind I use any more are the locking stitch markers… and I mainly use them to hold my DIY stitch markers. If you’ve also grown bored with plastic markers grab some supplies and get started!

Sewn Up Saturday: Constructing a Corset

As promised, the second half!

Constructing Your Corset

Part 1, Measuring and Drafting Your Pattern is located here!

What You Need

You will need the following for this half of the tutorial

• Your customized pattern
• Chalk or fabric pencil
• Scissors or rotary cutter
• Pins
• Needle and thread for hand sewing
• Something pointy
• Closures (rivets, buttons, buckles, etc.)
• Lacing (ribbon, leather cord, long boot laces, etc.)
• Boning (see below)

Boning

You can buy boning at most fabric stores or online. I use plastic store bought boning but a lot of people have been re-purposing plastic bottles and jugs as well. You can also use steel boning if you can find it! If you know of a vendor who sells this online, or any other helpful vendor links, please leave them in the comments. You will also need casing for the boning. I don’t use the store bought stuffs casing because it always falls apart on me. I make it out of bias tape or other thin pieces of fabric. Do whatever pleases you.

Onto the construction!

Tutorial Friday: Custom Fit Corset Pattern

Whoops! A little late…
For the next few weeks I’m going to be posting a couple of tutorials I have floating around my To Edit box. This one originally appeared on my main blog, ShinyShiny, but I thought it appropriate to post it here too.

Measuring and drafting your pattern

(Part 2, Constructing your corset, is available here!)

I can’t take full credit for this tutorial, I used Cathy Hay’s notes on fitting and Roethke from Craftsers tutorial on corsets together to form my own custom pattern for a corset. What you find below is the process I took to get my own custom fit corset.

Why did I make a new tutorial when such awesome ones exist? Because I have a long torso. It means nothing fits me. I have to be careful when picking out dresses and tops with fitted waists because they never seem to hit me in the right spot, making my hips look about 2 sizes wider than they are in reality. I also have wider hips than underbust (don’t we all?) So a straight rectangle, like in Roethke’s tute, wont work for me. I needed something more customized and the notes on fitting from Cathy Hay were a really good resource for this. If you’re going to make a corset, you might as well go all the way!

Handmade Monday: Hooker Next Door

Every Monday Shiny Crafts will feature a new handmade artisan or maker.

Meet Bridget from Hooker Next Door, who is a very talented crocheter. I’ve known Bridget for a while and she always has something different and beautiful in her shop. I’ve also got several of her wearables and let me tell you something about her quality… every stitch is exactly the same! I’ve tried my hand at crochet a number of times, but I never manage to get the consistency of Bridget’s tight, neat stitches. She also has a great eye for color, as you can see in this Birds Nest Neck Dangle she designed last year.

For more info about Bridget and the Hooker Next Door check out her site at HookerNextDoor.com and her Etsy shop! Get free shipping by letting her know Shiny Crafts sent you!

Want your stuff featured in Handmade Monday? Drop me a line in at shinycraftsblog (a) gmail (d) com with a link to your stuff and some info about yourself.