Some great finds of mine got neglected after my last shopping trip! It's all the yarn's fault - It distracted me. ;) Being in a bad mood and tired, I decided not to work on anything for a few days, and do a little cleaning and organizing instead. Isn't it amazing how you find things when that happens? The tiny packages that were left in the bag from my purchase were buried under another skein of yarn.
Well, of course finding them led to a little creativity, after all. I could have put my finds in the craft supplies, to probably be forgotten some more. After I searched for so long to find these things, there's no way I can let that happen. Why not sit down and get to work on it? Great idea. So, let's see what I've got!
I know I could easily have found the oblong buttons I've been looking for online, but I haven't wanted to make an online purchase for just a few buttons... So after I couldn't find them at Michaels or Walmart, I was disappointed as well as out of options. But, wait! Then Dad asked if I wanted to take an out-of-town trip to Joann's. I guess you can tell by the pictures that I found what I was looking for!
I need oblong shaped buttons to make more shawl toggles. These flat buttons are awesome! Blue on one side and black on the other, they'll go perfectly with my black and blue love knot shawl. It didn't take me long to make the first one I shared a few weeks back, so I knew I should get to it with these instead of forgetting them again.
My first attempt left me laughing, because I should have remembered this problem from the first time. All set and ready to go - Except for that needle that's too big to fit through the buttonholes! I searched for the needle I used last time, but the Troll must have taken it. Hmm... What to do?
One of my tiny steel hooks fit through the holes, so I stopped searching for a needle. This time, I decided to separate the plies of worsted-weight yarn into two strands instead of using the full bulk of the yarn. I was going to use a different color yarn to create the next toggle, but since I still had the other half of the strand I split, I went ahead and used it.
But... There's no buttonholes! I had a minor freak-out moment when I realized that the tutorial I used didn't mention using button with loops like these. However, it proved to be even easier. I dropped the hook, didn't even think about a needle, and just ran the yarn through the loops with my fingers. Yay, we love simple things!
I think I might redo that one someday, because I'm not sure how it will work out. I thought that only looping the yarn once would give it a nice delicate look, but it looks like it might come apart. We'll just have to wait and see!
My one other find is something I've been looking for forever! Shortly after I purchased my first rotary cutter, I learned that they make a skip-cut blade for making holes in fabric. Again, it's a small thing that I didn't want to purchase online. And once more, I searched the two local options for craft supplies, and found nothing.
I owe Joann Fabric and Crafts a big thank-you for being the only place I can find what I need. If only they could take over one of the countless empty storefronts in this town so I could go there more often! I guess they hooked a customer no matter how far away they are, because I signed up for emails to get sales and coupons. I find myself actually looking to see what's in the emails instead of automatically deleting them.
Since I plan on going back, I'm already thinking of the fabric I'll get to make use of that blade. WHAT? What in the world would no-sew me be doing with fabric? Easy, it's okay... Just some no-sew fleece blankets! My blade seems to be different than the one used in this tutorial, but I'm hoping it will work. I'm looking into jumping into the craft fair circus next year, and these blankets make quick, easy sales. I'm scared... Very scared, but it's time I get into something new. Maybe I can find a partner to talk to people while I just crochet in a corner.
Well, of course finding them led to a little creativity, after all. I could have put my finds in the craft supplies, to probably be forgotten some more. After I searched for so long to find these things, there's no way I can let that happen. Why not sit down and get to work on it? Great idea. So, let's see what I've got!
I know I could easily have found the oblong buttons I've been looking for online, but I haven't wanted to make an online purchase for just a few buttons... So after I couldn't find them at Michaels or Walmart, I was disappointed as well as out of options. But, wait! Then Dad asked if I wanted to take an out-of-town trip to Joann's. I guess you can tell by the pictures that I found what I was looking for!
I need oblong shaped buttons to make more shawl toggles. These flat buttons are awesome! Blue on one side and black on the other, they'll go perfectly with my black and blue love knot shawl. It didn't take me long to make the first one I shared a few weeks back, so I knew I should get to it with these instead of forgetting them again.
My first attempt left me laughing, because I should have remembered this problem from the first time. All set and ready to go - Except for that needle that's too big to fit through the buttonholes! I searched for the needle I used last time, but the Troll must have taken it. Hmm... What to do?
One of my tiny steel hooks fit through the holes, so I stopped searching for a needle. This time, I decided to separate the plies of worsted-weight yarn into two strands instead of using the full bulk of the yarn. I was going to use a different color yarn to create the next toggle, but since I still had the other half of the strand I split, I went ahead and used it.
But... There's no buttonholes! I had a minor freak-out moment when I realized that the tutorial I used didn't mention using button with loops like these. However, it proved to be even easier. I dropped the hook, didn't even think about a needle, and just ran the yarn through the loops with my fingers. Yay, we love simple things!
I think I might redo that one someday, because I'm not sure how it will work out. I thought that only looping the yarn once would give it a nice delicate look, but it looks like it might come apart. We'll just have to wait and see!
My one other find is something I've been looking for forever! Shortly after I purchased my first rotary cutter, I learned that they make a skip-cut blade for making holes in fabric. Again, it's a small thing that I didn't want to purchase online. And once more, I searched the two local options for craft supplies, and found nothing.
I owe Joann Fabric and Crafts a big thank-you for being the only place I can find what I need. If only they could take over one of the countless empty storefronts in this town so I could go there more often! I guess they hooked a customer no matter how far away they are, because I signed up for emails to get sales and coupons. I find myself actually looking to see what's in the emails instead of automatically deleting them.
Since I plan on going back, I'm already thinking of the fabric I'll get to make use of that blade. WHAT? What in the world would no-sew me be doing with fabric? Easy, it's okay... Just some no-sew fleece blankets! My blade seems to be different than the one used in this tutorial, but I'm hoping it will work. I'm looking into jumping into the craft fair circus next year, and these blankets make quick, easy sales. I'm scared... Very scared, but it's time I get into something new. Maybe I can find a partner to talk to people while I just crochet in a corner.
Happy Crocheting!
PS - I don't hold it against any of the other stores for not having supplies... You see that everywhere in this town, from parts stores to pet shops.
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