Hook and Needles: Knitting and Crochet Blog (cool stuff, techniques, and things I find)

I’m not a sock knitter, but I though some of you may find the following link useful:

Inexpensive and Easy Sock Blockers

It shows how to make sock blockers with regular wire hangers.

I found a site with tons of knitting calculators (some would work for crochet as well). I have only tried the even decreases, and even decreases ones:

The Knitting Fiend’s Knitting Calculators

It includes handy tools like:

• Gauge converter
• Several Sock-u-lators
• Yardage estimator
• Dog sweater calculator

And many, many more. Enjoy, my math resistant friends!

I often get emails or hear from knitters that don’t know how to crochet, but would like to make amigurumis. I usually tell them to just learn to crochet, but being a realist, here’s a site with patterns (some free, some not) for knitted stuffed toys (very cute):

Mochimochi Land

The name says it all, but here’s its welcome blurb sans LOL pictures:

We at the Museum of Kitschy Stitches would like to welcome you to our hallowed halls. If you’re a long time visitor, welcome back. If you’ve just found us, come on it and take a look around. We’ve got a little something to horrify everyone. Whether you’re a passive-aggressive pet lover, appreciate fine swimwear, or just enjoy a little clown-on-clown violence, you’ve found the right place. Let your kitsch flag fly!

The link: Museum of Kitschy Stitches

It also comes in a book:

Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits (Hardcover)
By Stitchy McYarnpants
ISBN:
Price: —
(13 Customer Reviews)

I’ve heard of this kind of thing before, but never actually looked for a pattern. One of my friends in Ravelry queued a Grocery Bag Purse. Which is not a bag for groceries, but a bag made of grocery plastic bags. The pattern, in turn, pointed me to a page on how to make Plastic Bag “Yarn”. I’m not particularly “green”, but I may give this a try on a rainy day this summer.

I guess this is my belated “Earth Day” post.

I thought it was a joke too, but it isn’t. I fount and online store that sells yarn that glows in the dark. It’s $9.95 for a 50gm ball, and according to the description:

This 100% nylon fiber is infused with a substance that allows it to glow for up to 4 hours when charged under a light source for 1 hour. This yarn is completely machine washable and dryable, so it’s perfect for adding to children’s clothes.

I don’t know… I can see some practical uses for this (hats for runners), but the potential for misuse is enormous. I almost feel compelled to preemptively submit it to whatnottocrochet and whatnottoknit.

Here’s the link: Nightlights Glow in the Dark Yarn

Here’s a desktop wallpaper featuring some Birds of a feather. There’s the yellow and purple birds, plus you can choose whether you want the bird on the left or right (pc or mac).

Standard


800×600, 1024×768, 1280×1024 and 1600×1200

Widescreen


1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, and 1920×1200

For instructions on how to install or download, see this post.