What type are you...

One of the projects I have been working on this summer was sorting type to put into my printing cabinet.  May seem like a simple task but any one who knows what pi type will also know that mixing up 30 of 40 fonts into one box and then trying to sort them back out by hand is a nightmare

Hat sizing

People have asked how do you make hats for babes with out having a baby around to size. Well there are standard sizes is that answer and I have found old doll heads (creepy to some) and measured them and labeled them as to what size baby they would be.  That way I can have a mannequin around to try hats on. If you do not have such things here are some standard measurements. Remember not everyone is exactly the same size at the same times these are just estimates.

Newborn

Head Circumference 13" - 14 "
Hat Circumference = 11.5" - 13"
Hat height = 5.5 to 6"

Baby - 3 to 6 months

Head Circumference: 14" - 17 "
Hat height= 6.5 - 7"

Baby - 6 to 12 months

Head Circumference: 16" - 19 "
Hat height = 7.5"

Toddler -12 months - 3 years

Hat height = 8"
Head Circumference: 18" to 20 "

Child - 3 - 10 years

Hat height =8.5"
Head Circumference: 19" - 20 1/2"

Teens

Hat height 9-10"
Head Circumference: 20 1/2" - 22"

Adult Woman

Head Circumference: 21.5" - 22.5"

Adult Man

Head Circumference: 23" - 24"


I am 23" and my husband 24" I don't land in the woman's area and he is at the very top end of the mans area. Like I said not every one is the same.

button holes

This was just a cool technique for making a button band so I am posting here more for me than my readers as I want to try it in the future.  Thought other people might like to see and  use it as well.  So please try it and let me know what you think as you may get to it before me.

Give away: "My Friendship Bracelet Maker"

I and my daughters where asked if we would test out the new "My friendship bracelet maker"

http://www.myfbm.com/

All three of my daughters and myself have made bracelets on it.  Here are the results from youngest to oldest.

Just so you know the company is giving one of these away to one lucky reader of this blog.  Just leave your comment at the end of this post.  Leave me a way to get a hold of you so I can contact you at the end of the give away.  If I can't get a hold of the winner the prize will be given to another person in the list of comments.

You will not win the one we tested the girls get to keep that one.  You will get a new one sent straight from the manufacture to you.

For those who read this in other feeds such as facebook and bloglines and such you have to leave the comment on my blog for it to be eligible to win.  My oldest daughter will draw the name at the end of this so I will have no say in who the winner is.  The winner will be drawn on Wednesday of next week May 26, 2010.

Here are some basic statistics on this item
cost : $19.99
size :14 x 8 x 3
sliding drawer to store threads, instructions
comes with: instructions
comes with: 56 threads that are 60 inches long

My 8 year old 

who made her first bracelet on this

Pro's

1. You don't have to hold all the strings in your hands.
2. You don't have to pin it to your clothes and make holes in your clothes.
3. It helps to keep things straight.

Con's

1. Did not like that it (the thread) could pop out of the butterfly clip (10 times).

Youngest daughter has never made a friendship bracelets before.  She tends to pull harder than she has to thus her con probably isn't a con with a little practice as she won't pull so hard once she gets better at it.  She pulled real hard to hard in fact and broke a few of her threads.  So I don't think it was the tools fault.  I watched her to see how she would do as it was her first time.

My 10 year old 

who has made a few bracelets before

Pro's

1. Kept all the threads nice and neat on top.
2. I also liked that you could pull on it as hard as you wanted and the threads would not pop out of the butterfly clip.
3. These are the fastest bracelets I have ever made because I didn't have to stop and untangle.
4. I also like how it stores the threads nice and neat and the finished bracelet too inside in the drawer.

Con's
She said there was nothing she didn't like about it.

My 12 year old daughter 

who has made tons of bracelets before

Pro's

1.  It kept everything nice and neat.
2. I could tell which thread I had to pick up next with out having to try and find it.
3. The backs of my bracelets are now much neater.
4. It kept everything nice and flat and it didn't curl up on it self.

Con's

1.  It could use rubber pads on the bottom so it doesn't slid around as easy

Me 

I have made bracelets or about 25 years 

in lots of different styles

Pro's.

1. It makes a nice travel item for in the car as the supplies are all ready to go
2.  Comes with 56 already cut threads so depending on how many threads you use from 2 to 6 you can make from a minimum 10 to a maximum of 28 bracelets with out having to cut new thread. 
3. It can do up to 1-6 strands folded over so 2-12 threads in the bracelet area that is a nice range to work from( there is a mistake in the instructions that leads you to believe that it can only do up to 10 threads because there are 10 slots but once you get past the first row of knots you can have a thread hang off of each side and not get tangles because all the rest are kept secure.
4. It has an adjustment to move the butterfly away from you as the bracelet gets longer (which is nice as I use to pin theses to jeans and wear holes in my jeans or safety pin them to an ankle friendship bracelet which meant sitting funny to get it farther away from me)
5. Can store unfinished bracelet inside in the compartments
6. Has nice clear instruction on how to form the number 4 knot (forward knot as it is known to most people that make bracelets) that even little children can understand
7. Explains how to make your first bracelet (great beginner instructions)
8. Nice to be able to sit at a table instead of on the floor which is what you sort of have to do if it is tied to your ankle bracelet
9. Fits easily in a backpack to do during recess at school
10. Cutter than using a clip board I have seen some people use especially for  little girls
11. Don't have to carry scissors when you first get it as the threads are all ready cut.  But you will have to cut the thread when done.  So there is a compartment in the box big enough for a small pair of scissors.
12. You can go to their website for more patterns by joining their email list
13. Explains one other type of knot on their website

Con's

1. Only explains a "(number 4 knot) forward knot" and doesn't call it a forward knot there are also "backwards knot"s and "forward backwards knot" and a"backwards forward knot" which are needed for advanced  bracelets
2. Only explains how to do one type of bracelet with the inclosed instructions
3. It could use some rubber pads on the bottom so it doesn't slide so easy on a table  they are easy to find and buy and fix that any hardware store 
4. Should come in a boy version as I have seen boys make these too.  Very girlie. ( I have been told it will come in a boy version in the future so this con will go away soon)

In all, all four of us liked it very much and would buy it to give to friends as birthday gifts and things of that sort.


Don't forget to leave a comment , and a way for me to get back with you if you are the winner, for a chance to win one.

Going a little dotty

I have a new project I need to work on. Had to go shopping for the supplies today weird concept as I usually don't go out and just buy supplies for a project.  I usually start a project with what I already have and add to it with a little bit of new.  But not this time everything had to be new.  I think I have only every made two quilts this way before my first quilt, which my grandmother paid for the supplies,  and my wedding quilt that I gave to my husband as our wedding gift.   Since I knew what I needed it was a quick run in grab what I need and leave.  Not the way I usually want to be when I am at a quilt store but some times it is just that way.

Supplies on list

•  fabric (polka dots) red 6 at 1/2 yard 2 at 3/4 yard
• fabric (polka dots) green 6 at 1/2 yard 2 at 3/4 yard
• fabric (polka dots) yellow 1 fat quarter
• fabric (polka dots)  brown 1 fat quarter and 1@ 5 inches wide long and skinny quarter yard
• fabric (polka dots) white 2 1/2 yards
• 1 package milliners needles
• 2 new thimbles
• 3 hand quilting threads red, green, white

New Yoyo tool

Over Easter break we had a road trip.  My sister wanted to pick up making yoyos so I took a yoyo tool ( the jumbo blue one) and some other stuff so she could see how to do it by hand  with just a needle and thread and with the tool.  She liked by hand better as do I.

 

During which time I tried to entertain my children with having them work with the  jumbo blue clover yoyo tool.  It is always amazing to me how big the tool is and how the size of the yoyo compares to it.  I have wanted a tone on tone yoyo coverlet for a while so this just may be the start of that project.

Also yesterday while running errands I purchased the newest clover yoyo tool the one for making ovals.  I have yet to play with it but my 12 year old did and she said it was easy to work with.  Once again the size difference but it seemed much more obvious with the oval tool as opposed to the round tool.

 

These would work well with the round smaller size yoyos to make a sort of cathedral windows look.  I may have to make a sample of that to explain what I mean.  It wouldn't look exactly like a cathedral windows quilt but similar in feel with the shapes used arches in other words.

Oval yoyo maker

It looks like Clover is coming out with a new yoyo maker in an oval shape. I don't know when it will be available. But it looks like it will be another nice shape to add to projects.

Useful info Size gauges

In the process of sizing the vintage needles I have I discovered that not all my needles would work with the size gauge I had so I went on the look for other types of gauges these are the three I currently have. If you have one that is different let me know and how it differs from these three and send me a photo and I will add it to this post so other people can learn for your knowledge too. If you leave the information in the comments I will try to pull it up into the post so that people don't have to read through all the comments to glen information. I have decided that all three of these are needed to make one good gauge and I will give you the reasons below under each gauge with a close up of it so you can compare too. That being said it is still not complete as I have yet to find a gauge for 00 and smaller sizes or larger than size 17. All gauges are obviously missing sizes 12,14 (I do not even think these sizes even exist as no gauge has them did they use to be made what is the point of skipping numbers anyway).

Lets get started

As you see they all are different sizes and shapes to start with and differnt materials

Boye Knitting gauge

This was the first one I bought it because it was all the store had.
pro's

1. clear and easy to read
2. has a slider to figure out the gauge. You move the slider till you have 10 stitches showing in the window then look at the number the top pointer is pointing at and that gives your stitch count very little counting
3. has all the basic sizes of needles
   
4. has big numbers to read the sizes easy
5. thick plastic so it doesn't scratch needles
6. because it is thick easy to figure out if needle is a good fit
7. hand size
   

cons

1. no metric numbers
2. some of my needles fell between these sizes not sure what they where so I had to set them aside so as not to mix gauges
3. no ruler to figure out yarn gauge
4. lettering can rub off easy with time not engraved
   
5. looks like the slider edge will break easy ( not sure not going to try it out either)
6. no letters for sizing needles
7. instructions on separate sheet if you forgot ho w to use this or found it thrifting it could be confusing to use the slide gauge
8. have to move gauge to figure out both rows and columns not easily done in one shot
9. obviously missing size 16
   
10. slider pops out easy thus making the tool useless for stitch swatch count if that is lost
    

Susan Bates knit-check

This is the second gauge I bought
Pros

1. has standard sizes accounted for
2. works for crochet and knitting
3. metric measured sizes
4. alphabet sizes
5. American sizing
6. gives you instructions on the item as to how to use it can't loose the instructions
7. size big window to make it easy to count both rows and columns at the same time to get gauge
8. has inch and metric ruler to figure out the gauge of unknown yarns easier nice that they are opposite each other
9. metal feels sturdier than the plastic ones
10. hand size
    

Cons

1. lettering will wear off in time not engraved
2. some of my needles fell between these sizes not sure what they where so I had to set them aside so as not to mix gauges
3. doesn't go as high in needle sizes as Boye
4. thin metal scratches needles
5. because it is thin metal hard to tell if it is an good fit
   

Lion Brand Yarn

Pros

1. has standard sizes accounted for
2. works for crochet and knitting
3. metric measured sizes
4. number sizing
   
5. American sizing
6. travel size
   
7. has inch and metric ruler to figure out the gauge of unknown yarns easier nice that they are opposite each other
8. has sizes others do not have all my normal size needles are accounted for note 1 1/2 mark and two different size 3 markings and two sizes between size 10 1/2 and 11
9. lettering will not wear off in time it is engraved if the pigment comes out you can always rub a black crayon over the areas to fill it in again and then remove the excess crayon .
10. thick plastic so it doesn't scratch needles
11. because it is thick easy to figure out if needle is a good fit
12. hand size even pocket size
    

Cons

1. alphabet sizes missing
   
2. doesn't go as high as the other two 16 (bates) and 17 (boye) are missing
3. double sided but no more information is on the back in fact it is missing information that is on the front would have been nice if the alphabet system was here or all info from the front was here so that it didn't matter which side was up.
4. hard to count stitch swatches on as it can shift easily when working with it.
5. have to count rows and columns separate when doing stitch counts
   

other info info that is useful to people
there are all kinds of information on the craft yarn council site
such as

• hook and needle size
• yarn weight and symbols

there is other information there as well just take some time and look around

I am also re-posting the link from my last post as to keep all the information together to help me and my readers. Thus link is for figuring out yarn gauge on unknown yarn
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you know of one, a gauge, please let me know and I will do my best to post it here with the rest. In time I plan on having as many as possible here I already have plans for 5 more gauges on here so you can pick your favorite that works best for you.

All gauges after this point are ones I added to this post after the original post happened.

Nancy's knit knacks.

1. has standard sizes accounted for
2. works for crochet and knitting
3. metric measured sizes
4. number sizing
   
5. American sizing
6. travel size
   
7. has inch and metric ruler to figure out the gauge of unknown yarns easier nice that they are opposite each other
8. has sizes others do not have
9. thick plastic so it doesn't scratch needles
10. because it is thick easy to figure out if needle is a good fit
11. hand size even pocket size about the same size as the Susan bates which is the larger size of the gauges but that is to be expected with how many sizes it has on it
    

Cons

1. still missing 0000 size in small needles which is a size I use
   
2. 16, 18 missing
3. have to count rows and columns separate when doing stitch counts
4. words screened on will probably wear off in time

Turbo Needlegauge Skacel Collection

Pros

1. has standard sizes accounted for
2. number sizing
3. travel size
   
4. has smaller sizes that some others do not have
5. thick plastic so it doesn't scratch needles
6. 2 inch stitch count window at top
   
7. because it is thick easy to figure out if needle is a good fit
8. palm size even pocket size
9. quiet small for the number of needles it can measure
   

Cons

1. still missing 0000 size in small needles which is a size I use
   
2. 16, 18 missing
3. no ruler
4. numbers are awkward to read as it uses commas instead of decimals
5. paint will probably rub off in time
6. hard to count stitch swatches on as it can shift easily when working with it.
7. have to count rows and columns separate when doing stitch counts

Prym Knitting pin gauge

Pros

1. has standard sizes accounted for
2. number US sizing on back
3. metric sizes on front
4. travel size
   
5. thick plastic so it doesn't scratch needles
6. because it is thick easy to figure out if needle is a good fit
7. palm size even pocket size
8. quiet small for the number of needles it can measure
   

Cons

1. still missing everything below 0 size in small needles which are sizes I use
   
2. 16, 18 missing
3. no alphabet sizing
   
4. no ruler have to count rows and columns separate when doing stitch counts
5. numbers are awkward to read as it uses commas instead of decimals
6. paint will probably rub off in time

Balene II

1. has standard sizes accounted for
2. works for crochet and knitting
3. metric measured sizes
4. US sizing
5. imperial sizing British
   
6. number sizing
   
7. American sizing
8. travel size
   
9. has inch and metric ruler to figure out the gauge of unknown yarns easier nice that they are opposite each other
10. has sizes others do not have all my normal size needles are accounted for note 1 1/2 mark and two different size 3 markings and two sizes between size 10 1/2 and 11
11. thick plastic so it doesn't scratch needles
12. because it is thick easy to figure out if needle is a good fit
13. hand size even pocket size
    

Cons

1. alphabet sizes missing
   
2. doesn't go as high as the other two 16 (bates) and 17 (boye) are missing
3. hard to count stitch swatches on as it can shift easily when working with it.
4. have to count rows and columns separate when doing stitch counts
5. lettering will not wear off in time it is engraved if the pigment comes out you can always rub a black crayon over the areas to fill it in again and then remove the excess crayon .

New yoyo tools coming out

I was looking on Clover's sight and they have new yoyo makers coming out in November in the shape of butterflies and four leaf clovers. I will definitely have to get them especially the butterfly ones for my butterfly girl. The funny thing is when I buy these types of things I always have to buy more than one set as my kids always want to try them too. The image in this post I captured from the clover sight it is not my photo I just wanted to be able to show you what I saw there. If you like yoyos this should be a cool new tool. I have been making clovers already but I used hearts to make them. I have also already been making butterflys by just doing a few extra stitches in a normal round yoyo but this looks nicer than what I came up with. Doesn't look like it is able to be ordered yet hopefully soon.

Colors Galore Eye Candy

The above threads are all new as of yesterday to me. But they are all old silk button hole threads most are on wood spools but not all.

Above my storage boxes for normal threads.

I returned the afghan I repaired to its owner yesterday. She loved the repair job. I did show her that the repairs are still visible if you look for them. But in general repairs don't show if you are just glancing at a piece which is what most people tend to do. She asked if I would like some thread she had received and some silk fabrics and a hide (I believe she got all from her grandmother). The threads are silk button hole thread and others too. I didn't have my camera yesterday to take a picture and I had already stored them with my other threads by the time my husband got home with the camera. I just decided I would show the old and new threads together. You can just enjoy all the colors.

Below are my old threads mixed with the new (vintage) threads from yesterday. I guess I have a collection of threads. But it is always nice to just be able to grab the correct threads with out having to go to the store to find the right color. Some are cotton, poly, some a mixture of cotton and poly, mono-filaments, stretch threads, and nylons .... just a wide variety. Lots are on wood spools. I keep the wood spools in time I hope to carve on them.

This is the fabrics she gave me. She also got the Irish crochet tam I made a few weeks ago. I am glad as she likes hat and wears them a lot she said. So since it was something I debated on keeping or selling I am glad it went to a person who loves hats and will use it.

Blue oriental silk over 6 yards.

Cream acetate rayon blend looks like raw silks not sure how many yards but I think it is over 16 yards.

Jacquard cream and green 16 yards.

This is the calf hide she gave me too. In time I will use this for the cover of some hand made books.