snapdragon crafts: March 2011

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Spring cleaning! Finishing out a long, hard day of cleaning out everything. From garden beds to office files! Next up? Organizing all my knitting patterns and magazine clippings in these binders that are pretty enough to be proud to have on display.

dreamy minky

What started as this ...

Has turned into this! After drooling over the uber-softness of minky (or is it minkee?) fabric at Craft Warehouse last fall, my Mom surprised me with a minky baby blanket kit for Christmas. Happy dance! Fast forward to spring break, and I finally have made time to put it together. I pretty much followed the kit's instructions to a "t" and didn't get too creative here. I honestly didn't feel like cutting fabric, which for me is my least favorite part of any sewing project! I'm finishing up the binding as we speak ... finished project pictures soon!

instant gratification knitting

Whenever I want instant gratification knitting, my go-to pattern is the Circle Cloth by Hakucho (Ravelry link). I can make one in a couple of days of sporadic knitting here and there. I find myself going through a phase every three months or so when I want something easy and brainless to knit that doesn't require weeks of knitting to finish. This pattern fits the bill perfectly! The circles are created with slipped stitches, my favorite super-easy technique for making colorwork that looks waaay more complicated than it really is! This time, I used Lily'n Cream in a variegated colorway (In Motion) and hot pink or hot orange to contrast.

I like to reverse the colors, but this time the solid color on top just wasn't doing it for me. Shrug.

experiments in epoxy

I'm a little late to the epoxy/resin jewelry craze. I've had some books on it for over a year now, but hadn't taken the time to search out all the supplies needed to try it. I'll admit, I was a little intimidated since my books recommended the use of a respirator while dealing with the actual chemicals (yikes!). But despite the inhalation risk, all the instructions I'd read for projects using epoxy seemed so straightforward and easy. So when I spotted a box of "EasyCast Resin" at my local Hobby Lobby, that was just the push I needed to actually give it a try. The verdict? It really is that easy! Here are the steps I followed to make the pendant above:

Find a fun image and re-size it to fit your pendant. I printed my image on regular copy paper using my HP Inkjet printer. The pendant above is Hobby Lobby's Square Pendant Bezel. It has a diameter of 23mm (21mm inside the pendant).
Seal the image using Modge Podge on both sides, then secure the image to the pendant using Modge Podge. (this step is what protects your image ... without the Modge Podge your paper will turn clear after reacting to the epoxy)
Mix up your epoxy using the product's instructions.
Carefully pour the epoxy into your pendant.
Remove air bubbles! I used a hair dryer on low, per my epoxy's instructions, but I found that if I wasn't careful I would actually blow the epoxy out of the pendant by making it overflow over the sides ... so next time I'm going to try using a toothpick.
Let your project cure. It'll take at least 24 hours, minimum. A good tip I heard was to fill a bottle cap or something of similar size as your project with epoxy at the same time. That way you can test how cured your epoxy is with your "tester" cap and not risk ruining your actual project!

Based on this initial success, there will definitely be more experiments in epoxy in my future!

macgyver knitting

What do you do when you are at your in-laws, forgot your stitch holders, and want to start your second sock? (I leave the kitchener for my absolute last step, since I absolutely dread it) Q-tips to the rescue! I removed one of the fuzzy ends, and the remaining "tip" worked surprisingly well at keeping the stitches secure on these impromptu stitch holders.

homespun baby cardi

Some homespun baby cardigan love using Lion Brand's Homespun yarn. I've had my eye on this colorway (Ambrosia) for some time, since I'm a sucker for vibrant purples and pinks, and I love the look of rustic looking yarns. A baby shower was the perfect excuse to finally give it a try! This is Linda Bohrn's Easy Raglan Sleeve baby sweater, which has become my go-to when in need of a cute, but fast and simple baby cardigan pattern. Visit Ravelry for more of my project specs. The verdict on Homespun? I love the colors ... but knit up, the yarn is splitty and has a halo that bugs me. After comparing the stockinette and purl sides of this project, I've decided I like this yarn best purled. So future projects will be in garter or reverse stockinette!