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How to make your own knitting needles

There are many DIY instructions for knitted tools online, but here is a very basic Do-it-yourself instruction sheet for making your own knitting needles. With all the rage of wooden needles, this seems like a great way to express your creativity - and never get your needles mixed up with anyone else's

DIY KNITTING NEEDLES

101 uses for knitting needles

Did you know that even if you don't knit there are LOTS of reasons for having knitting needles around?

Here are a few (not quite 101) uses for knitting needles that are NOT KNITTING. As a quick disclaimer - I've not used my own needles for all of these things. Do you have anything to add to the list?? Let me know!

1. back scratcher
2. ear scratcher
3. shawl pins
4. book marks
5. hair pins
6. self defense
   
7. pointers
8. unjamming printers and shredders
9. shaking at husband or child to emphasize point in a discussion
10. scratching down a cast
11. plant stakes
12. unlock the bathroom door from the outside when someone locks themselves inside

13. unclogging the vacuum cleaner
14. reaching things on high shelves
15. poking holes in packages to make opening them easier
16. fairy wands for dress up
17. King and queen scepters
18. poking baked potatoes so they don’t explode
19. fishing out cat toys and other small objects from underneath bookshelves and couches
20. causing self-inflicted injury
21. unclog bathroom drains
22. open and close air vents on the ceiling
23. fix minor car annoyances
24. percussion performance (drum sticks)
25. prodding animals
26. pushing broken stove buttons
27. pushing little reset buttons
28. stretch piercing
29. scrolling on ipod
30. typing on touch screen devices (blackberry, GPS, etc)
31. curling gift ribbon
32. dress up sword
33. turners for sewers - turns handles inside out, gets corners nice and square
34. hold cucumber slices in an aquarium for fish
35. shish kabobs
36. clean out the valves in sippy cups
37. cake testers
38. mandrels for making jump rings
39. pulling up drain plugs
40. bent for making jewelry - like bracelets
41. playing fetch with an animal
42. cleaning lint out of washing machines and dryers
43. open stuck CD and DVD trays
44. cat toy
45. turn abelskiver (Scandinavian spherical pancakes, lately marketed as “pancake puffs”)

46. trussing a chicken
47. chopsticks
48. making chain-mail rings
49. making antennae on a stuffed animal
50. clean under nails
51. clean between keys on computer keyboard
52. measuring stick
53. poking cables through a wall
54. poking air holes in the tops of containers to house little bugs or small animals
55. poking holes in tops of water bottle lids to make “squirt” bottles
56. keeping drivers awake on long trips (poke, poke)
57. juggling
58. de-tartering cats teeth
59. craft flag poles
60. make seed holes in the garden
61. hold seed packets for marking plant rows
62. poke through polymer clay beads
63. decorative markings on clay creations
64. toothpick
65. Javelin

Prayer Shawls

I really love the idea of prayer shawls. As one creates the shawl or wrap, they are to pray for the person they are stitching it for. Each stitch or cluster represents one prayer. Use the knitting (or crocheting) to FOCUS on the person you are praying for - it can help you keep them in your mind while you paticiently work through the shawl. Who couldn't use that kind of "blanketing" in prayer?

Shawls can be used for: those undergoing medical procedures; as a comfort after a loss or in times of stress; during bereavement; commitment or marriage ceremonies; birthing, nursing a baby; bridal shower or wedding gift; during an illness and recovery; ministering to others; graduation, birthday, anniversary, ordination, holiday gifts, charity, or just socializing...there are endless possibilities! Anyone who could use your prayers can benefit from the love and care (and PRAYER) that goes into making a prayer shawl!


There are many, many free patterns available for prayer shawls - and they come in all different shapes and sizes!

Lion Brand has 6 pages of free shawl pattern ideas

Crochet Central offers many free links for crocheted shawls

For those on Ravelry.com there are hundreds of free links, both crochet and knit


Is there someone in your life that needs to know that you care about them and pray for them regularly? Consider making them a prayer shawl - a "hug of prayers" so they can feel your love and encouragement around them any time they need it.

Close knit family!

Fun with Felting!

I love the science behind FELTING. A loosely knitted project becomes a well-woven dense fabric.

I took some lovely Patons SWS (soy wool stipes) and used two free patterns, the booga bag and fuzzy feet to create a unique gift for my mom - a pair of slippers and a matching bag to carry them in! I love how they turned out!

Ravelry links:
Booga Bag
Fuzzy Feet

Dying for an Experiment!

I've heard and read so much about dying one's on sock yarn, that my son and I decided to give it a try!

We started with a skein of undyed sock yarn

We rolled it into a center-pull ball

And knit from both ends (so the yarn was doubled) to make a flat rectangle (a "sock blank").

Using three colours of vibrant kool-aid

and three squirt bottles

my son drew a picture onto the sock blank - he decided to create a dinosaur, even though he knew full well that the original picture would not appear in the finished creation.

I think it looks pretty good!

We wrapped and microwaved the finished blank

then undid the sock blank and rolled the yarn into two identical balls - one for each sock.

I knit the socks, my son got excited

He was THRILLED with the results!

He calls them his "secret dinosaur socks" - no one knows why, unless he explains it.

All in all, I think they turned out very well, and what a fun experiment! My daughter is bugging to do a pair now - she wants pink, purple and yellow. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with!

Ravelry link HERE

Channel that knitting urge...

FO - Swing Top

Swing Top, take #2!
After a frustrating start to my swing top, featured in the Mother Daughter Knits book, it has turned out surprisingly well! I used the discontinued Katrina yarn (which is very elastic-stretchy) which I was concerned would stretch out terribly, but it hasn't at all!

I did make a few alterations, including changing the top pattern, since it disappeared into the ribs of the yarn.


Ravelry link HERE

seacell wool

Do you know what seacell is?

Seacell is made from seaweed fibers, and is thought to have antibacterial properties.
Seacell wool is made of seaweed fibers spun together with 100% merino wool for a lovely yarn!

I've taken a plunge into the exciting world of seacell fibers, beginning a a one-row long scarf with this delicious ball of "first flight" coloured yarn.

FO - Nova Scotia Scarf

I'm proud to show my finished Nova Scotia Scarf, using the Razor Shell Lace Scarf pattern from the One Skein Wonders book. I am so pleased - with the pattern, the feel of the yarn, everything - it's turned out beautifully!

I've never used angora before - and probably wouldn't have purchased it, but my wonderful husband took a trip up to Nova Scotia without me and he brought me home a treasure. He used knitmap.com to find a local yarn store, and he went up to pick out a special yarn for me.

This beautiful angora yarn is called "Peter Rabbit", by Fleece Artist. It's colour is "Marble Mountain" - perfect combination of pinks, purples and deep purple.

Now that I've used it once, I'd certainly be tempted to buy it again!

Ravelry link HERE

Some Assembly Required

SKIP and Stitch?

My son accompanied us to "Stitch and Pitch" a week or so ago, and is still talking about it! We were visiting my parents for dinner, and following the meal the parents sat around the table, playing a game of SKIP-BO, and I knit while waiting for my turn to come around. (hubby won, by the way) My son came up with the camera, and said "WOW, It's SKIP and Stitch!" He was quite impressed!

The Best Way to Travel!

The children have taken a keen interest in Mommy's main travelling past time - knitting!

They've each adopted their own version, suitable for their age, to make a fiber creation.


Sir J is using two short needles and yarn to make a scarf for one of his stuffed animals.



Lady R is using a french knitter (also known as a loom knitter or a knobby knitter) to make herself a necklace!


Sir C is using his hands to make... well, mostly just a mess! But he's having fun doing it, so we'll keep working at it!

It sure is a great way to travel - it is very quiet in the back seat as each concentrates on their own project!

Would you like to win??

Would you like to win some yarn and a pattern for the beautiful scarf, hat and mitts pictured? Just click HERE to enter to win - and a chance to look at some of the creators other beautiful patterns!

Would you like to win??

click HERE to submit an entry for a very cute knitting (or any kind of crafting, really) prize from a generous blogger! We can always use a freebie, can't we?? I don't know about you, but I love receiving special little trinkets in the mail!