Knitting Tales

 Some years ago I was at a thrift store...places I REALLY enjoy shopping.  In that thrift store I found a green thing with a spindle on it.  I thought it was be great for hold my yarn cakes.  Since it was only $2.00 I did not feel like I could go wrong. So I bought it.

Not long after that I was at another thrift store I found another spindle.  This one was white. I wondered if it would work with the green spindle stand, so I bought that, too.  At least that is how I remember the story.  If someone gave it to me, I hope you will forgive me for not remembering...

Here it is with the price tag still on it!  I think I have seen these knitting tools referred to as "yarn butlers".  Yesterday I got it out and started using it with the test knitting project I took on recently.  IT WORKS GREAT!!  I am so happy with it.

The yarn feeds off the outside of the yarn cake just as smooth as butter.

Just wasting time on Amazon I find they call this a Yarn Valet Dispenser.

I am so grateful for this knitting tool.

A Card Making Tool

Making cards to send to friends is a sweet past-time for me.  There are a very few tools that help things along.  One of them is a "score board"...a large square with numbered grooves in it to indicate where to make scores in paper and card stock.

In Vermont I have a Martha Steward score board.  Not to helpful in Oregon.

In Oregon I have an E K Tools score board which I have been taking back and forth from the apartment to the office when I knew I wanted to make a card.

Miracle of miracles, I found a Scor Buddy by the Scor Pal people.  It is small,  really just large enough for card making, and comes with a soft zippered pouch.  I took it to the office and now have it in my "art drawer".

This is really very convenient and works well.

Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils

The Frugal Crafter has mentioned, and demonstrated, the Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils multiple times.  Recently the Holiday catalog came from Dick Blick's Art Supplies.  There were deep discounts on these pencils.  I looked at them for quite some time.  Ordered the small set to try them out, BUT had the order declined because of a problem with my payment.  It turns out that I had not updated my online buying method the last time my info was stolen by someone in Texas...

After I fixed the purchasing info I started looking around to see if I could get these Inktense pencils at the same price elsewhere.  I could!  At a site which had no shipping charges!  SO  I went ahead and made the plunge, going for this much bigger box.

So far I have not done any real work with the pencils, but winter is coming on. I am hoping to give up many of  the other activities on my plate and hunker down with these pencils, a pot of water, and some wonderful Arches watercolor paper which was a gift from a friend.  Well, and maybe a basket of previously started knitting projects...knitting is always good winter work in a rocking chair beside the woodstove.

When Lindsay Weirich suggests any color supply set, she usually says to purchase the largest set you can afford rather than buying a small set then a larger one, since that way you always have duplicate implements.  I did not want to go the $100 set, which was the largest offered and which price was half price at Blick. Yikes!  One hundred dollars was half price!!!  I could not afford that set.  (Actually, I want to spend the next $100 I have to play with on DNA testing, for whatever that will be worth.)

When I have anything completed, I will show and tell my experience with these Inktense pencils.

Handy Tool: Grout Scrubber

Recently on Facebook I saw a grout-cleaning tool.  It looked simple enough so I searched for the components.

This is what it looks like:

Grout Cleaning Tool:  Homemade

You need a long threaded bolt about 1/4 inch thick, two washer, a nut, and a scrubber for dishwashing that you fill with soap.

You need to drill a hole through the bottom of the scrubber, insert the bolt, put a washer on each side, add the nut to tighten the washers and you are ready to insert the bolt end into your hand-held drill.

Dear One did a GREAT job cleaning the grout in our kitchen tiles.  The floor took several days to finish but he did it!  What an angel!!!