Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 19 - Shop Infrastructure: Task Lighting
I’ve got 2 decently sized windows in my studio and some overhead lighting, but sometimes I need something a little more focused. And of course, I often craft when it’s dark. Adding task lighting, especially the one over my cutting mat, was one of the best studio upgrades I made in the last year.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 18 - Rework
Everyone hates rework. Having to undo a bunch of work to fix a stupid mistake can be so frustrating. There’s always the questions of “Will anyone notice?” “Will it bother me later?” “ How much of it do I have to redo?” Add to that the feeling that you have wasted time by doing it the wrong way, then taking it out, then doing it the right away again.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 17 - Cardboard
As Adam Savage has said, “cardboard is a gateway drug to making.” It’s generally free (buying online = near infinite cardboard boxes), easy to cut, and easy to adhere together. You can quickly prototype anything and learn how you might make adjustments for your next iteration.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 16 - Glues and Tapes
These are the glues and tapes I keep in my shop at all times. My #1 go-to is cyanoacrylate glue, also known as super glue, krazy glue, or just CA glue. It’s perfect for 3D printing and foam board and even small wood projects. I recommend getting a kicker so that it sets even faster.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 15 - Ravelry
Ravelry is the absolute go-to website for knitters and crochet-ers. It is mainly a database of downloadable patterns (both free and paid) and yarn brands, but it is also a great way to keep track of your projects and connect with other crafters.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 14 - No gatekeeping
Gatekeeping is when someone takes it upon themselves to decide who does or does not have access or rights to a community or identity. An example would be an exchange something like: “Oh, I like Pokémon too!” “Really??? Well, if you really like Pokémon, then what’s the third evolution of Sandile?” Gatekeeping can also be an attitude that if someone doesn’t use the “nice” tools or the “right” tools, then they’re not a “real” maker.
Here at Loops of Gray, I totally reject gatekeeping.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 13 - Marking charts
When I am following a chart for colorwork in knitting, I use a regular Crayola marker to cross off the row I just completed. They’re great because it’s easy to see which row I’m on and it’s still easy to see the stitches from the row below. This works a lot better for me than just putting a tick mark on the edge of the row and it’s much less fiddly than other kinds of chart helpers that use long magnets to indicate the row.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 12 - Buying tools
I recently helped get one of my friends into knitting. She's done some washcloths and hats and is ready to start her first baby blanket. She asked about what needles to get, and it got me thinking about how to purchase tools.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 11 - Learning to sew
My hair stylist asked me last night when/how I learned to sew, and I had to think about it for awhile. I’m actually not really sure.
My grandma had a sewing machine in her bedroom that she used a lot, mostly to make clothes. My mom also used it a lot to make doll clothes and Halloween costumes. I don’t recall specifically either of them teaching me how to sew, but I’m sure they did.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 10 - Sarah Ruiz
Today I want to give a shoutout to quilter Sarah Ruiz. She is an engineer at NASA and incorporates a lot of science and space elements into her quilts. My favorite quilt of hers is her tribute to the Mars rovers: “Mars is the only known planet inhabited solely by robots”!
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 9 - Rulers
As a quilter, I have a lot of rulers. Of the 14 I keep in my studio, 9 are specific to quilting and they all serve different purposes. I use exclusively Creative Grids quilting rulers because they are sturdy, have good grips on the back, and are easy to read and measure from.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 8 - Resizing Patterns
I saw a question in one of the sewing groups I am in that asked “If you reduce the size of a pattern should you also reduce the seam allowance?” The short answer is “no”, but I thought I’d share the longer answer as well.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 7 - Knitting vocab
Knitting uses a lot of specific words and phrases, so here’s a round up of some of the common ones you might see or hear.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 5 - Half Square Triangles
Half square triangles (or HSTs) are a common block element in quilting. It’s a pretty straightforward block where the seam runs diagonally across the block to cut the square into 2 different triangles. There are several ways to make them in bulk, such as 2-at-a-time, 4-at-a-time, 8-at-a-time, or I’ve even seen 12-at-a-time.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 3 - How to tell knitting from crochet
I do both knitting and crochet and a lot of people have a hard time telling the difference between the two, so here’s a brief overview
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 2 - Tool Tip: Kitchen Scale
A tool that I think should be in every maker/crafter space is a digital kitchen scale. The two things I use it for most is to 1) weigh yarn and 2) weigh my filament spools.
Shawl Every Day 2021 - Day 1 - Intro
This my 6th year participating in a project I call Shawl Every Day where I wear a different shawl or cowl every day until I run out. In previous years, I have posted along with a theme such as mental health or featuring local businesses. This year I will be sharing various tips, tricks and knowledge about all things crafting and making, along with sharing some of my favorite makers out there. If there’s anything you want to learn about, feel free to let me know!
Five For Friday 3/19/21
I currently call this blanket “the blob” because it sure doesn’t look like a star at the moment. I had a couple projects I bought yarn for that I didn’t like knitting, so I frogged them. I was able to combine the yarn from those projects plus a couple additional skeins to have enough for this blanket. I’m super enjoying knitting it so far, but we’ll see how it goes once I get further out towards the edge.
Five For Friday 3/5/21
Angela Walters from Quilting is my Therapy is running a cool block of the month club called Build a Quilt. I went with the colorway “Inked” and this is block #4. The way she did this club is really cool.
Five For Friday 2/19/21
This month I decided to label my precut pieces, and it has made a world of difference. No more figuring out if it is the 1 1/2” wide block or the 1 3/4” wide block. I just look for the block with the right letter on it! So obvious, but I can’t believe I didn’t do this on the first block.