Wednesday, July 30, 2008
polymer clay crochet hook
As promised a small insight in my work with polymer clay. First of all you need a pasta machine. There are people who say this is not necessary but since I'm a scientist I need repeatable results. A pasta machine has different sizes, you are very fast and you can condition the polymer clay faster. Furthermore you can make blends from one colour to another very easily. When you have your pasta machine make a cane. A cane is a roll of polymer clay from which you can cut slices which will all have almost the same pattern. The cane from yesterday's orifice hook is a brain cane and the cane from today's crochet hook is a bullseye cane. I put the canes in the freezer so that I'll be able to cut preferably round slices. Then I took some leftover polymer clay and built a handle around the crochet hook. I made it a tad smaller as I wanted the actual handle.
Die Oberfläche habe ich versucht so glatt wie möglich zu bekommen. Dann habe ich ein paar Scheiben von meinem Cane abgeschnitten.
I tried to keep the surface as smooth as possible. Then I cut a few slices off my cane.
Diese Scheiben kann man dann auf den Griff drücken. Hier versucht man am besten alle Löcher an den Übergängen weg zu kneten. Ich habe das nicht überall geschafft, aber ich über ja auch noch. Und um die spätere Arbeit beim Schleifen zu erleichtern auch hier wieder die Oberfläche so gleichmäßig wie möglich machen.
These sliced you can put onto your handle. Try to close all holes and spaces between the slices. I didn't make it at all spaces but I'm still a beginner. To make sanding more easier try to make a smooth surface again.
Jetzt noch die Häkelnadel in den Ofen und nach Anleitung auf der Verpackung backen. Danach muss man viel schleifen. Ich habe mich dabei von 180 (nur das Grobe - nicht zu lang) bis auf 1000 hochgearbeitet (feiner hatte ich leider nicht und hier habe ich sehr lang geschliffen). Außerdem habe ich nass geschliffen in unserem Waschbecken. Dazu braucht es natürlich Nasschleifpapier. Dann habe ich meinen Dremel geholt und an ihm zehn 2,5cm x 2,5cm große Jeansstücke befestigt. Damit lässt sich sowas super polieren sogar bis auf Hochglanz. Der Tropfen, den man zwichen Nadel und Fimo sehen kann ist übrigens Epoxy, damit auch alles hält.
Bake the crochet hook as stated in the instructions. After that you have to sand. I started with 180 (just rought - not too long) and used all sandpapers up to 1000 (I didn't had a finer one and I sanded very long with this one). In additon I wet-sanded in our sink. For this you need special wet-sanding paper of course. Then I took my Dremel and put ten 1" x 1" jeans pieced onto it and buffered the whole thing. You can make it super shiny with buffering. By the way the drop you can see between hook and polymer clay is Epoxy.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
polymer clay orifice hook
I didn't have an orifice hook with my spinning wheel that's why I used a piece of wire for weeks. This wire I fimorized (as BF and I always call it). It has now a really nice handle. A small insight in my work with it I'll give you tomorrow because I also gave a broken crochet hook a new handle.
Monday, July 28, 2008
thick and thin spinning
Spinning thick is my enemy. For this yarn I predrafted the fiber to the desired thickness and just run it trough the wheel.
Ich wusste nicht, dass ich einfach die ganze Zeit den Flausch falsch angefasst hatte. Zum Stricktreffen habe ich einfach mal ein bisschen Testflausch und meine Handspindel mitgenommen, um mir dick spinnen zeigen zu lassen. Dabei haben wir noch gleich die Richi angesteckt (ich bin gespannt, was da noch draus wird) Demnächst werde ich also versuchen gelerntes am Rad auszuprobieren und den Flausch nicht mehr so doll zu halten und am besten auch ganz weit hinten.
I didn't know that I hold the fluff wrong. So I took testfluff and a drop spinlde with me to my meet to knit to let me show how to spin thick. While we were at it we also fixed Richi (I'm curious what the result will be) Soon I will try to use the learned things on my wheel. I'll hold the fluff less strong and at the end of the fluff.
Gesponnen habe ich es aus meinem riesen Merino 21 Mikron stash und verzwirnt mit Viskose. Danach gefärbt in den Lieblingsfarben von BF. Fragt sich jetzt nur, was ich damit machen soll... Es sind ca 50g.
Spun from my big merino 21 micron stash and plied with rayon. Then dyed in the favourite colors of BF. I don'z know what to to with it... It has aprox. 50g.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
first bobbin is full
I have spun about a third of my fibres into a fairly thin single. Now I'll put on a new bobbin and spin the next third. I want to make a three ply yarn.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Etsy purchase
I bought two rovings from spaceromantic.etsy.com. I thought I would get my Ashford colours later but I will also buy fibres not dyed by me in the future. You can not do anything by yourself and there are too many nice things in the world.
Spinnrad, ich komme!
Spinning wheel, I come!
Friday, July 25, 2008
acacia
Hello Garnprinzessin! I have a acacia on my balcony. And of course BF had to steal it's place with his avocado stone.
BSJ
Today the baby which will get this jacket was born. This is what I have knitted yet. Bugger...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
It's my fiber and I'll dye if I want to...
Finally I can spin this. Actually I wanted to spin this yesterday but I couldn't because I didn't take a picture. I think it is so important to take pictures of all the phases because I'm a beginning spinner and don't know what will happen if I have this top and spin it that way. A good documentation will help.
Ich hab den Strang von beiden Seiten fotografiert. Es sind so ca. 100g und ich hoffe ich kann daraus eine Mütze aus dem Buch Going Straight stricken. Ich habe den Strang gestern mit zum Stricktreffen in Oldenburg genommen. Annkari meinte gleich: "Und machst du jetzt nen Shop auf?" Ich weiß ja nicht... Ich habe jetzt ein Mal gefärbt und ich wüsste auch nicht, ob ich so etwas aufrecht erhalten könnte. Genug Fasern hätte ich ja... Achso der Strang ist übrigens Merinowolle mit 21 Mikron.
I took pictures from both sides. This is aprox. 100g and I hope I can knit a hat with it from Going Straight. Yesterday I took it with me to the meet and knit in Oldenburg. Annkari asked me: "Are you goind to open a shop?" Well, I don't know... I dyed for the first time and don't know if I can run a shop. Anyway I would have enough fiber... By the way this is merino wool with 21micron.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Broadripple
I call a piece finished when I made photos of it and blogged it. These were finished for some time...
Anleitung: Broadripple Socks
Garn: Sockenwolle Comfort Color
Pattern: Broadripple Socks
Yarn: Sockenwolle Comfort Color
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Austin
Finally I took pictures. I really had issues with this hat. It's knitted with two strands of yarn and with tree trunks. This hurt sometimes since I knit quite tight.
Ich habe mal wieder gemerkt, dass ich viel linke Maschen stricken nicht so mag. Von vorne und von der Halbseite sieht es auch noch ganz OK aus, aber in Wirklichkeit ist mir die Mütze viel zu groß.
I realized that I don't like too much reverse stockinette. From the front and a 45° angle it look OK but in fact this hat is way too big.
Da helfen hoffentlich 90° C in der Waschmaschine, wenn 60° C schon nichts helfen.
Anleitung testgestrickt für stinkerbinker.
Gestrickt mit Gedifra Fashion Trend Surprise
Hopefully 90° C in the washing machine will help if 60° C don't.
Pattern test knitted for stinkerbinker.
Yarn: Gedifra Fashion Trend Surprise
Monday, July 14, 2008
crochet with silk
With one of my wheels came a big cone of silk. I crocheted a flower with it to try the yarn. Conclusion: not good to crochet ;) You always split the fibre (OK I used a very small hook size) and then they rip apart and the yarn gets all fuzzy. On the picture you can't see it but in real it looks awful. So I cut it off and fed it to the trash can.
Monday, July 7, 2008
broadripple

Gewünscht waren ja auch mal mehr WIP Bilder. Zur Zeit habe ich nur ein Projekt, das hoffentlich heute Abend beim Stricktreffen Bremen fertig gestellt wird. So sahen die Broadripple Socks noch Samstag im Zug aus (dies ist die zweite Socke). Mittlerweile habe ich die Fersenwand gestrickt. Ich dachte eigentlich ich würde nie wieder eine Ferse mit Fersenwand sondern nur noch Fersen mit verkürzten Reihen stricken, doch diese Ferse passt einfach zu den Socken.
You wanted more WIP pictures. At the moment I only knit one project which will hopefully be finished tonight. This is what the broadripple socks looked like on saturday in the train (it's the second sock). I'm at the heel and have to do the heel flap now. I thought I would never knit a heel with heel flap again and would only knit short row heels but this heel totally fits this sock somehow.





















