From Pinterest to Reality: Frosted Glass Edition

Knitting Needle Holder

This is a vase that I picked up at IKEA (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00017133/) for $1.99 last time we were in Texas, back in June. I originally bought it to go on some shelves we added to our bedroom, but it ended up being too tall. Since then, it has floated aimlessly around our house with a pathetic little clump of wooden roses in it. This weekend I was working in my craft room and I realized it would be perfect to hold my longer knitting needles. I also recently saw this post on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/55169164154894861/ and decided I wanted to try my hand at it. So I went to Walmart and picked up a can of Spray Frosted Glass and a bag of rubber bands.

This is after I placed the rubber bands. I had the hardest time getting any of the very thin bands to stay in place, they kept sliding down and twisting. If I were to do it over, I would not use the thin bands.

This is after the glass had been sprayed, waiting for it to dry. It goes on clear and then eventually frosts as it dries. We did about 3 thick coats, which I think was too much.

This is after it had dried completely and I took the rubber bands off. The reason I think 3 coats were too many is because you can see how it was so thick it left some residue from where it had been on the rubber bands. I think probably 1 or 2 would have been plenty.

This is after the vase had been washed and scrubbed, removing all of the residue. It looks much much better after that step.

Here are a few shots of the vase in action as a needle holder, it worked out pretty well.

This project ended up being very simple and inexpensive. If I were to do it again, I would not use the very thin rubber bands and I would put a thinner coat on the glass. Other than that, I think it turned out great! I am now seriously considering frosting the glass on all of my yarn cube doors!

Op Art Blanket

My Op-Art Blanket is coming right along. I am really enjoying working on it. A lot of the reviews of the pattern said they thought it got very tedious, especially the purl rows. I enjoy the simpleness of the blanket because I can work on it while doing other things- chatting with my hubby or watching TV. I think the purl rows go almost as fast for me as the knit rows do. I was thinking about that and I think part of the reason for that is because I knit "Continental" style rather than "English" style. Because of this, my purl rows go faster. I am relieved that I learned how to knit Continental because most people have to learn it to do color-work and I already know it.


The weirdest thing that I have noticed about this blanket is that it calls for 3 skeins of each of the two colors. I am probably 1/2 way through my first skein of pink and my first skein of brown, but I am really far into the blanket. Unless I am seriously underestimating the amount of yarn the largest rows will require then I feel like I am going to have a lot of leftover yarn. I guess we will see...

The Year of Fearless Knitting

October 2011 marked 2 years since I have learned how to knit. In that time, I have made about 50 bajillion scarfs (that is the scientific number), a few pairs of slippers, some hats,
some robots, and a few odds and ends. In that time, I have had my fair share of incidents as well. Sockgate 2010 comes to mind, but that is a separate post. There was also the Mohawk hat incident, but again, I think it deserves it's own post. These incidents have made me leery, cautious, and afraid to branch out to anything new. However, I
am changing all that. This is the year of fearless knitting! I am not going to be held back by worrying that I don't know how to do it. That is why they call it learning.

Here are some things I already have queued up for 2012:

The Op Art Blanket:

Technique I Didn't Know: Knitting With Two Circular Needles & Colorworking

The Audubon Shrug:

Technique I Didn't Know: Garment Construction

The Akeno Sweater:

Technique I Didn't Know: Garment Construction & Colorworking

(This particular sweater was promised to my husband in Spring of 2010)

A Sock:

Technique I Didn't Know: Sock Knitting

(More about this in the Sockgate 2010 post)

Finally, this year, I will conquer the Mohawk Hat:

Technique I Didn't Know: Felting

(More about this in the Mohawk Hat Post)