September 2011

Guest blogger series | Felt puppet project

by contributor on September 12, 2011

in Guest blog series2 2011, Kids Crafts, Toys+Plush, Whip Up Tutorials

Delia is a wife and a mom to two boys. Most of her days are spent being a mommy, cleaning up messes, bandaging up scraped knees, and reading stories but she likes to round her days out with one of her many hobbies. She likes to dabble in crafting, sewing, crocheting, cooking, and photography and likes to blog about it all over at deliacreates. 

Hello Whipup.net readers! I am thrilled to be here.

When Kathreen asked me to guest post she said to post about what has been on my mind lately. My thoughts immediately turned to my kids and how I want to pass on the legacy of working with their hands and being creative. I had this puppet project idea in the back of my mind all summer and decided now was a great time to finally do it with them.

I split the project up over a few days and did things in stages so as to not overwhelm them {or me}. We started with a sewing lesson.


For my two, almost three, year old I made felt lacing cards. There are two felt rectangles that I punched holes in with a paper hole punch. I actually broke my hole punch, so punch at your own risk if you try this. :) I then had him whip stitch the holes with yarn. He did great for about 5 minutes and got halfway up one side then lost interest.

Luckily his older brother was very much into this project and finished his sewing for him. For my six year old, I also taught him how to whip stitch but with needle and thread. We cut the sleeves off some ruined wool sweaters at an angle and sewed up the angled ends. I got the from idea here. His stitches weren’t perfect, but he and I were so proud of his effort. It surprised me to see how much he really enjoyed sewing.



Later, I sat down and made some puppets of my own. 

Here’s a quick run down of how I made the felt rat:

  1. Cut two oblong felt semi-circles that are just larger than your hand with fingers close together.
  2. Take one of the pieces and cut out an eye shape. I used a cereal bowl to help me achieve a nice curve.
  3. Using that same curve cut some triangular mouth pieces. You need two curved pieces for the outside of the of mouth and two flat pieces for the inside of the mouth. You also want to make the bottom mouth pieces just a bit smaller than the top.
  4. Take the inside mouth pieces {with the flat ends} and make some mouth embellishments. Cut your ear pieces.

 

 

 

  1. And sew them together except for the tongue. That will be sewn in later.
  2. Now take your curved mouth pieces and sew them to the top and bottom pieces of the front of your puppet.
  3. Then add the inside mouth pieces and sew them to the top and bottom mouth pieces only.


  1. Line the top and bottom pieces together and sew. When you open it up…see the tongue. :)
  2. Line up the front and back pieces and pin the ears in. Sew all the way around.

  • The puppets were ready to be dolled up. So we pulled out all my scraps and embellished our puppets using a hot glue gun. It would have made for better quality puppets to sew everything on, but with kids they enjoy the project more if it comes together quickly.
  • My two year old’s felt lacing cards became a funky little robot.
  • My older son and I made our sleeve puppets into mice. I didn’t plan on having so many rodents, but it just worked out that way. I tried to make my orange one a cat but it just looked wrong. Hence why the ears look nice and messy.


We were pretty pleased at how they all turned out though.

We wanted to debut our new puppets with a puppet show. So I hung some raw red fabric across the end of their bunk beds. It only took us about 5 minutes to figure out that the curtain was a bit too complicated for a 2 year old and even my 6 year old. After we ditched it, the boys had a lot more fun with the puppets.

They ended up eating each other most of the the time. :) But I should have seen it coming when I made the snake and the bear.  All in all it was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to try another project with them that stretches their creative abilities. I think the only thing better than exploring my own creative outlets is sharing them with the next generation.

Thanks for having me over Kathreen. I hope you all have a wonderful day. :)

{ 4 comments }

For more kids craft, creative ideas and activities go to the Action Pack website

Guest blogger series | My first knitted lace project

by contributor on September 11, 2011

in Guest blog series2 2011, knitting+crochet+yarn

Alice Merlino writes a popular craft blog at futuregirl where she mainly talks about her crochet and knitting projects.  Her site features several free patterns and many detailed tutorials.

My First Knitted Lace Project
In the year since I’ve learned how to knit, I’ve been going through all the different techniques and doing little projects to practice them … stripes, cables, ribbing, intarsia, and, now, lace.  Whenever I decide to try something new, my heart tries to get me to think way too big.

When I decided to try out knitted lace, my heart whispered that I should make (and put into my ravelry queue) an intricately patterned cardigan made from lace-weight alpaca.  Thank goodness for my head because it knows that a first lace project of that magnitude would end up being more unraveling than knitting.My head is practical and knows a small project is best for practicing a new craft technique.  I spent about a week looking for a lace chart that looked good and could be used for a scarf, which is a manageable project.  I swatched every pattern until I found until I settled on one that looked good with the yarn I’d picked out.

Swatches are the ultimate small project.  Well, I guess you can’t call them a project unless you make them wash cloth size and you keep them to use.  I normally unravel them to use the yarn on the actual project.  Swatching taught me a lot about how the yarn thickness and needle size effects the look of a lace pattern.I settled on the Tiger Eyes lace pattern because it looks wonderful in the sport-weight Patons Grace I had in my stash.  The shiny yarn highlights the intricate patterned lace.  And, truth be told, I was totally dazzled by the photos of scarves made from this pattern.

I also liked the pattern because, although it is detailed and the repeat is 16 rows tall, it’s only 31 stitches to cast on.  And because of my liberal use of lifelines, I haven’t had to frog too many rows of lace as I’ve practiced making yo, k2tog, sl k2tog psso, k3tog, ssk and mistakes. I’ve become an expert at recognizing and picking up a dropped yo.

I’ve been reading Elizabeth Zimmerman’s book Knitting Without Tears.  That’s where I got the idea for using the stitch markers in the middle of my lace pattern.  The two red rings on the outside remind me to do the garter stitch edge.  The ones in the middle give me a place to make sure I’m following the pattern correctly and my stitches are lining up with the pattern below.  I started out with two more markers, but as I’ve become more comfortable with the pattern, I took them out.
The best balance for me, when I want to conquer something new in the crafty realm, is to pick a small project with a big wow-factor.  That way I get the practice I need to absorb the new technique or skill *and* I have a project that I enjoy making and want to keep afterwards.

{ 9 comments }

Guest blogger series | Creative chalkboards

by contributor on September 10, 2011

in Guest blog series2 2011, Kids Crafts, Whip Up Tutorials

Regina Lord currently lives in southern Arizona with the love of her life and her two beautiful boys. She is passionate about doing what she loves and incorporates art into her daily living whether though painting, drawing, photography, art journaling, sewing or blogging about her creative passions. You can see more of what she does on her website Creative Kismet.


Have you noticed the chalkboard paint craze? It’s everywhere! On walls, doors, jars, posts. Really you can put it on just about anything. I’ve already painted it on my pantry door, but thought it would be fun to do something more portable for my kids. Something they could carry around, take in their room or on a long road trip.


I thought a painted board book would be fun and perfect for this idea. So, I went on a trip to my local thrift shop and the hardware store to grab a few things in order to try this out. All you really need is a large board book, a can of chalkboard spray paint, sand paper and some gesso or white primer.

A board book is easy enough to paint, but needs a little prep so that the paint stays on and doesn’t peel off.

  1. Most books have a glossy finish, so with a bit of sandpaper lightly sand the surface of each page– just enough to take the gloss off.
  2. Paint or spray a light layer of either gesso or spray paint primer. Pages may start to curl, but will flatten out when they dry.
  3. Spray on chalkboard paint according to manufacturer’s directions. I did a couple of layers on each page allowing sufficient drying time between layers.
  4. Once the book is dry, you can keep it as is, or go a step further and make different activities for the kids to play. I used a permanent white marker for this so that it wouldn’t wipe away when cleaning up the chalk.


Other fun chalk board ideas for you to try:

{ 39 comments }

For more kids craft, creative ideas and activities go to the Action Pack website

Guest blogger series | Gnocci

by contributor on September 9, 2011

in Food, Guest blog series2 2011

Jennifer Casa is a mama + maker + homebody + rocker + dreamer. She knits, sews, cooks, crafts, designs, writes, makes music and snaps lots of pictures. JCasa handmade is her personal blog where she writes about all that good stuff.

GNOCCHI
Years ago, back when I was working as a foreign language teacher, I spent nearly every summer studying in and traveling throughout Europe. While refining my linguistic and pedagogical skills, I developed friendships with people from all over the world. Those experiences contributed a great deal to who I am today. And while my life has shifted gears over the past decade, I am delighted to reminisce each day about my travels from our home kitchen, cooking up the many recipes I learned over the years.

Friends from Denmark taught me how simple it is to brighten a salad with fresh corn kernels, and my roommate from Japan sparked an interest in bento boxes. A dear friend told me how her family picked mushrooms in the woods of Sweden growing up as she introduced me to chanterelles, cooking the precious golden trumpets with just the perfect amount of butter. And while traveling to Prague with friends from Italy, I learned that there needs to be a discussion about which pasta is to be made, and with which sauce. It’s all tradition. And I learned that good food can be so very simple, seemingly effortless, and never ever rushed.

There was (and probably still is) an Italian restaurant in Rothenburg ob der Tauber called Pizzeria Roma – it was there that I had my first taste of Gnocchi al Forno. Served in an oval-shaped casserole, those soft potato dumplings snuggled in bubbling sauce that had cooked all day and drenched in gooey cheese. It’s the kind of dish you share with a friend because it’s so rich and filling. So very good that you need a nap afterwards.

On a later visit to Italy, I learned how to make gnocchi – but believe me when I tell you, they are tricky to master. There needs to be just the right balance of wet + dry and not too much handling. Not enough flour means the dough will be too loose, and they’ll fall apart in the water. If you add too much, they become dense or chewy. And you need to get them out of the water and into the sauce within about a minute of when they start to float. But don’t be put off by those caveats – these delicate pillows will melt in your mouth and are worth every bit of effortlessness you can manage.

POTATO GNOCCHI (serves 8)

  • 2 lbs. of yukon gold or white potatoes, steamed* (with skins on), cooled and peeled
  • 3/4 cup of freshly grated Romano cheese
  • 1.5 – 2 cups of unbleached flour, sifted
  • 1 egg
  • a few pinches of salt
  • + your favorite sauce

*It’s my opinion that steaming the potatoes makes all the difference. They cook through without becoming water-logged, resulting in a silky, smooth dough.

Place the peeled potatoes in a large bowl and mash with the back of a fork until there are no lumps. Add the grated cheese, a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if desired. Crack one egg on top and stir to combine. Add 1.5 cups of sifted flour to the bowl and gently combine with your hands, being careful not to overwork it. Sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and scoop out the dough. GENTLY form the dough into a ball, barely kneading it and adding flour as needed until it comes together and is no longer sticky.

Divide the dough in four. Roll one quarter of the dough into a long log that is about the thickness of your thumb. Dip a knife into flour and cut the log into 1” pieces. Then take a clean fork and dip it into flour. Turn the fork over so the rounded back of the fork is facing up. Use your thumb to gently roll one of the 1” gnocchi pieces downward along the tines of the back of the fork. As you do this, your thumb will create a small indentation on one side of the gnocchi, and the fork tines will create ridges along the curved side – perfect little nooks and crannies for your sauce. Place the gnocchi on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and continue in this manner until you have used up all the dough.

Cook in boiling water in small batches and watch for them to float – once they do, give them about another minute and remove with a slotted spoon and pop them right into your simmering sauce for just a few minutes. Serve immediately and devour.

These gnocchi can be made in advance and kept on the baking tray in the refrigerator until ready to cook that day. You can also pop the baking sheet of uncooked gnocchi into the freezer and after a few hours, place the frozen gnocchi into a freezer bag for later use, like the next day for lunch when you want more gnocchi, maybe with brown butter. Oh my.

Enjoy!

 

{ 5 comments }

Guest blogger series | Everyday inspiration

by contributor on September 8, 2011

in Art+Design, Guest blog series2 2011

Alexandra Smith aka Lola, writes the blog Lola Nova – Whatever Lola Wants. She is a mother, wife, designer, musician, and maker of 100% pure handmade goodness.  She lives in a little green cottage in the Pacific Northwest United States with her family, some lovely lady hens, The Buddha Cat and an ever changing population of fish.

Everyday Inspiration

How lovely to be asked to guest post here at Whipup.net, a place so chock full of inspiration and wonderful folks, thank you Kathreen!

So I have been thinking about inspiration lately; where does it come from? In this modern life we live, we have access to so much through our technology; there are amazing blogs, fantastic music, images from all over the world at our fingertips. Many of us have access to museums, galleries and exhibits that fill our heads with new and exciting ideas. However, in this modern life we live, there is also an issue of time. We are all so busy; we have jobs, families, homes to manage, etc. and often it is a struggle to find time just to make something - let alone go to a museum, craft fair or to spend hours scouring the internet. I am no exception.

Recently, I was caught up in the whirlwind of everyday life, feeling un-inspired and a little sorry for myself if the truth be told. After a long afternoon of wearing my grumpy pants and punctuating my chores with heavy sighs, I looked around and realized that no one was going to take me by the hand and say, “There, there dear, why don’t you take the afternoon off and go to the museum and while you’re at it, get yourself some cake.”  No, I was going to have to buck up and find my inspiration in the everyday stuff.

Here are some of the ways in which I found inspiration in the small details of everyday living:

*I picked up a new notebook, made myself a little pouch to keep the essentials in… a small pair of scissors, tape, a glue stick, pens and pencils, as well as a wee sewing kit. Now armed with everything I needed, every outing became an opportunity to look for inspiration. I collect things; a feather, an interesting scrap of paper, a leaf to press between the pages, and I add them to my notebook. Some days it is just a single tidbit with a small note, other days it may fill up a few pages with drawings, observations and thoughts. Whatever the case may be, I find it opens up my eyes and my imagination.

*I engage my daughter in the exercise as well, she has her own notebook and we talk about what we find and why we chose those things. If we don’t have time to put everything in our books, we save things in our pouches until we have a moment to stick them in.

*I take my camera everywhere; going for walks, trips to the park, even to my back yard, and I take pictures of things that strike my fancy. No pebble, stick, fence post, storm drain or bit of dandelion fluff is safe from my lens. I discover patterns, colors, shapes and textures that fascinate and inspire me.

*My daughter and I play a game while riding in the car that is a little like “Eye Spy” only we call it “I Like.”  We call out, “I like the way that yellow sign looks against the blue sky!” or “I like that giant letter M on that brick building!” or “I like how that tree looks like an old man!” It’s all about opening our eyes to the little details we often miss.

*I remind myself to turn on music that makes me happy. It just works.

All of these things make an impression and they lead to inspiration that makes its way into my work. Not all of it turns into a dress, a quilt, a cushion, or a handbag but, I am often surprised how these little inspirations show up in something I have made, sometimes in ways I would never have imagined.

…and yes, I have even been inspired while doing the laundry.

{ 11 comments }

Guest blogger series | Introduction

by kath_red on September 7, 2011

in Guest blog series2 2011

Hey my lovely dudes and dudettes! My family and I are heading off on a vacation for weeks and weeks and weeks. We are going camping in the Australian outback. It’s going to be fabulous. We will be camping under the stars, eating by the camp fire, whittling and stitching our little campfire projects as well as lots of wildlife appreciation and local cultural activities. Best of all lots of quality family time and hardly any computer time at all – we’ll be reading books, sketching and playing board games – in between fishing, hiking and exploring.

Really we all can’t wait!

And luckily for you my dear dear readers, some wonderful fellow craft bloggers have agreed to step in and guest post for me while I am away. This guest blogger series will run for about 6 weeks and will include excellent essays on crafting and creativity, there will be sewing, printing and paper project tutorials, knitting and crochet projects, kids crafts, home decor, gardening and repurposing ideas and recipes too and and lots lots lots more. It’s going to be rad and fun and cool and very very inspiring. I hope you will check in each day and see what’s new and also make sure to click on over to each guest blogger’s blog and meet some new friends along the way.

When I get back there will be book blog tours to participate in and new Action Packs to launch and lots of other fun and lovely things to introduce you to. Thank you all for your support and hope you enjoy the next few weeks of the guest blogging series.

xx Kathreen

{ 5 comments }

Guest post | Why you should buy local wool

by contributor on September 6, 2011

in Community, Green Crafting, Guest Blogger

Kylie Gusset is a Melbourne based yarn and fibre nut who is a fully paid up member of the Solidarity League of Creative Women Distracted By Oooohh! Shiny! She has a background in studio textiles from RMIT, and has contributed to Yarn Magazine, Knitters Review, and Entangled. 

Today she is here to tell us about issue that affects most crafters, and almost certainly anyone involved in working with wool – whether you knit, crochet, felt, or do something else with the end product of our sheepy pals. TON OF WOOL is her initiative aiming for change, and enabling sheep to skein processing of rare wool within Australia. 

Let me tell you a story about wool.

Before I get started though, there’s a couple of other stories that I need to tell you about: garlic and strawberries. It will all make sense in the end, I promise.

Once upon a time, I bought those little cheap mesh baggies of white garlic cloves and added them to pretty much everything savory without a second thought. Then I found out that those cheap garlics come at a price. They’re imported from China, grown in sewage, covered in chemicals to stop them rotting, then onsold (in Australia and elsewhere), often a year after harvest.*

There’s an icecream company** in the USA who are currently under fire from the US health department because they use real food – that is, real strawberries and real dairy products. What does the US health department want them to use? Corn syrup, and a fake processed mix. The freaking health department.

It’s a similar story with wool…

Around 80% of the annual Australian wool clip is shipped to China for scouring. What happens to this wool over in China? I don’t know. Given what happens to garlic, and we ingest that, it scares me. Labelling regulations in Australia for wool don’t require us to know if something has left the country before it has been sold. Companies such as Australian Country Spinners, Bendigo Woollen Mills and Heirloom are then able to say that their wool is “Australian Grown & Spun” and can leave out the chinese scouring information.

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) – they have no interest in supporting local enterprise***. It’s white merino, or nothing. Reading their press releases is not unlike reading the Onion, and is able to give the same entertainment value. A major pat on the back to the Wool Carbon Alliance back in 2009, who pimped wool as the fibre of choice for attendees of the United Nations Climate Change Conference:  ”Wool suits, jackets and coats can all be seen at the conference… with the capacity to reduce our reliance on heating from fossil fuels.” Of course, what the press release declines to mention is the amount of fossil fuels needed to transport and process wool in order to create those suits, jackets and coats.

Over 60 million tonnes of lanolin, dirt, sheep dung, and all the other stuff that gets removed in the sheep fleece washing process (known as scouring) is shipped to China each year, using fossil fuels. Why? It’s cheaper to scour in China. Scouring in China also ensures that the guys at the top of the food chain in the wool industry are taken care of – it’s like if you’re in the business of selling handmade bags, if you have five to sell, your options of selling into various places might be limited. If you have five thousand, it’s a different story.

If you’re a small operator, or you have sheep that aren’t white merino, you, my friend, have a real problem. To cut a long story short, the only place that I know of in Australia who is currently able to knowledgeably scour wool can do a minimum of a ton (preferably after some talking down from their usual minimum of 2 tons). For a small scale farmer, coming up with around 300 fleeces, and the $30,000 (and upwards) to process that amount after breeding, feeding, and general care of sheep is a huge ask. While there’s some who do, such as Wendy Dennis and Bennett and Gregor, their options for processing shrink each year.

I’ve started an initiative online, and time is running out.

If only it were true that there was plenty of Australian wool. As an indie dyer, sourcing the best that I can find in terms of raw materials has always been a major part of what I do. In terms of purchasing merino yarn that hasn’t left the country, I wasn’t able to find anything that I’d be happy dyeing and selling. However there was the awesome choice of Woolganics, who have an amazing organic yarn that is spun in New Zealand because we don’t have organic manufacturing available in Australia. Thing is, as a dyer, I’m a tad hamstrung – due to rising wool prices, Woolganics is no longer offering wholesale.

I’m not encouraging a boycott of big companies, or suggesting that every single yarn that goes through china is the work of satan. Instead, I’m encouraging the wonders of a balanced diet with yarn, just like you would food. Overdone it on the junk food? Might be an idea to take a break from the donuts and up your intake of fruit and veg. Think farmers markets are way too expensive? Don’t feel that you have to spend your complete weekly food budget – just set a target of X amount of dollars, and buy the rest elsewhere.

Similarly, if you haven’t spent a cent in a local yarn store, yet rely on their stock to check how those online colors fare in real life, it might be time to give a little back. There’s no harm in letting them know that you’re prepared to pay more for something that hasn’t left the country, either. It’s time to support local initiatives while you still can.

Help out with Kylie’s TON OF WOOL initiative aiming for change, and enabling sheep to skein processing of rare wool within Australia. 
—

*Link to article on Chinese garlic

**the icecream company is nicecream. Read about their story here, and check out their kickstarter project.

***There’s a real problem with the current Australian wool industry, and the sooner it gets resolved, the better. Charles Massy has done an incredible job in outlining exactly where AWI (Australian Wool Innovation) have been pulling the wool over people’s eyes.

{ 7 comments }

Books | 2 books about printing

by kath_red on September 6, 2011

in Paper+Mixed Media, Reviews

Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin and published by Melanie Falick Books, is a practical handbook for beginner printmakers and those wanting to venture into different aspects of printing for practical purposes.

This useful spiral bound book with templates in a handy sleeve, takes you through the steps to get started with various printing methods – such as stamping, stencilling and screen printing. Each section includes several cute projects and there is a getting ready section too. There are some very stylish and simple projects useful for home decor and more personal projects – such as stamped traveller pouches, stenciled lamp shades and screen printed baby quilts. Quite an assortment of lovely projects. Plus each project has clear photo steps explaining how to do it. A super stylish design and how-to book.

Pulled: A Catalog of Screen Printing by Mike Perry is published by Princeton Architectural books – so you know from the get go its going to be great.

Mike Perry previously wrote Over and Over and Hand Job – both super gorgeous detailed books. Pulled is similar in style to his two previous books – it is a compendium of amazing illustrations and designs – all screen printed. This book is both a survey of styles and artists working in this medium and a bit of a how-to as well as a collection of just amazing work.

{ 1 comment }

Action Pack | Issue #6 {September-October 2011} Double Trouble ZAP+ZEST

by kath_red on September 5, 2011

in Action Pack, Kids Crafts

Issue 6 of Action Pack, is themed around the concept of ZAP+ZEST:
zap refers to electricity and battery experiments, poppers and fizzing reactions too, while zest is focussed on citrus fruits – mainly lemon! Lots of projects to keep you busy no matter what the season. Lots of science, cooking and some art and craft too!

This is a printable downloadable emagazine – with no advertising and only $6 for 60pages of science, creativity & cooking.

Available now

There are a couple of projects suitable to the little ones too – try some Lemon stamping, Static electricity experiments (yes the little ones will love these), how about some lemon boats and making a vinegar volcano too!

This issue we welcome back contributors: Lisa Tilsa from Australia who makes some lemon prints, and Pascale Mestdagh from France who makes a zesty citrus bunting. We also welcome new contributor Marcie Cuff from the USA with two projects, a recipe for a yummy citrus body scrub and instructions to make your own candied peel.

As well as those super projects, our own kids showed us how to make a volcano, lemon fizz and elephants toothpaste, and we in turn helped them make a lemon battery and an origami light plus lots more too!

This issue is a Double Trouble issue, with 60 pages full of science, recipes and craft activities as well as lots of fun facts to keep you busy through to the end of October (and longer). Only $6.

Enjoy

 

 

{ 2 comments }

For more kids craft, creative ideas and activities go to the Action Pack website

Book: Teeny Tiny Mochimochi

by KateG on September 4, 2011

in knitting+crochet+yarn, Reviews, Toys+Plush

Teeny Tiny Mochimochi; more than 40 itty-bitty minis to knit, wear and give. Anna Hrachovec. 2011, Potter Craft.

Do you like small things?  Do you like projects that take a few hours from cast on to finished?  Do you like teensy tinsey small things?  Do you like projects that use up scraps of sock yarn?  Do you love toys that can fit with half a dozen of their friends all together in the palm of your hand? Do you like well written and photographed instructions? But most of all, do you love teeny tiny things?

Of course you do, everyone does!

Anna Hrachovec started a designing and knitting challenge for herself, to design and make a Tiny Toy every weekday for a month.  Once she posted each Tiny Toy on her blog mochimochiland.com, it was clear that she wasn’t the only one who was in love with tiny knits.  She has continued to make a Tiny Toy at least every week since then, and her new book Teeny Tiny Mochimochi is a collection of her favourites.

This book contains more than 40 Tiny Toys to knit.  Some of them are humanoid, like the Tiny Mermaid, Tiny Gnome and Tiny Caveman.  Some are animals, food or from nature, such as the Tiny Lion, Tiny Chickens, Tiny Cupcakes, Tiny Cacti and Tiny Volcano.  And a few of them are inanimate objects, like a Tiny Computer and Tiny Record Player.  All of the projects in this book have little eyes that look back at you, and did I mention that all of them are Tiny?  Really, really Tiny.  Most projects are under 2” in size, which makes them seriously cute indeed.

As always, Anna Hrachovec’s techniques section and instructions for each pattern are very clear, very comprehensive, and very well photographed.  The projects in this book use double pointed needles and fingering weight yarn (4 ply), but don’t let that scare you.  Even if you haven’t used this kind of needle, or ever knitted in the round, the instructions will lead you step by step.

If you have a niggly little sensible voice in your head saying “those Tiny Toys are terribly cute, but what do I do with them?” rest assured that there is a whole chapter on how to adapt the Tinies to wear, carry, display and gift them.  Instead of casting on for Holiday gift knitting and worrying about the sizing on the hats or mittens you are wanting to make, or wondering how on earth you are going to get something made for all of your kids’ teachers, relations and workmates, a Tiny Toy for everyone to put on their key ring, in their cubicle, or on a pair of earrings might just solve all of your worries.

The two downsides to this book as far as I can see, is that you will have a hard time choosing which one to make first (then second, third, seventh and fifteenth), and that I have to wrestle the book back from my kids, as they are besotted with it.  I made a Tiny Caveman for my son to take with him on a school caving trip, and now we are all addicted to Tiny Toys in my house.  Which one should I cast on next?

Anna is guest posting during Kath’s Guest blogger series, and explains her design process and talks a little more about her year long challenge.  Watch this space on 2nd of October!

About the reviewer: Kate is a busy mother of four with many craft projects on the go, including, but not limited to, crochet, knitting, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She also has a very very patient and tolerant husband.

{ 3 comments }

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