A bunch of our friends are avid knitters (my cat loves Crafternoon- yarn is so much more interesting than little bits of clay). One friend got all excited when she saw that our book was mentioned on one of her favorite knitting blogs, Wendy Knits.Although both Susan and I knit (Susan much more capably than myself), my abilities are basically limited to really, really simple all-purl scarves and the like. (The background for the photos on this post? That's the all-stockinette baby blanket I've been trying to make for a while. The baby is now in first grade.) I'm pretty sure I'll never make it beyond one-stitch patterns, even though I drool over handknit socks and can spend hours stroking lovely yarns in the fancy local yarn shop.
I might never get fancy, but there are plenty of you amazing yarn artists out there who do use stitch markers. And what could be more fun than food-shaped stitch markers? It's very easy to transform any of the little food charms in our book into a stitch marker, and we show you how below. Thanks again to Wendy and all you happy commentators for the idea!
And it's absolutely real whipped cream on that pumpkin pie slice.
You'll need:* baked, finished charms, with the loops already wrapped closed
* open jump rings (not soldered closed)
For stitch markers that will fit easily onto a US size 10 needle, we used 10mm jump rings. Alternatively, you can use a large lobster claw or spring ring clasp, if you'd like to be able to clip the markers on and off of the stitches themselves. The metal you use is not too important for stitch markers, although steel will be very stiff to open and close, and sterling silver will be much softer (although it does have the potential to tarnish.)
Use your pliers to twist open the jump rings. Twist them to the side, and open them just enough to slide the charms on- this will make them much easier to close. Slide one charm onto each jump ring. It should slide freely.Alternatively, you can use split rings (they look like miniature key rings), and wrap the loops for your charms directly onto the split rings. This arrangement is extremely secure.
Twist the jump ring closed again. Ideally, you should feel a small click when the two ends of the jump ring meet. This click indicates that the jump ring is properly closed, and means that you're unlikely to lose your tiny foods from your stitch markers!Your stitch markers are ready to use!
Happy knitting or crocheting!
Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I'll have to look for your book. I got here from a Wendy Knits blog entry about your book. The tiny food is so adorable although it might make me hungry when I knit.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, and thank you in turn. The tiny food does sometimes make people a bit hungry. Although if you make the fruits, you'll end up craving healthy food!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial :)
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you ever have any issues with the join of the jump ring snagging on yarn? Do you have any tips for keeping that from happening?
@oraxia- great question! If you can't get that tiny join to close nice and tight, I'd recommend using a split ring instead. The way the wire comes together on a split ring is very smooth, and should not catch yarn.
ReplyDelete