Hankering for Yarn » needles

Updating Vintage Sunbonnet Sue Needlebook

Noreen Crone-Findlay — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:26:19 +0000

A few weeks ago, I was enchanted by finding this adorable little vintage Sunbonnet Sue Needlebook in a second hand store:

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

Poor little thing… she’s very stained, and rather frayed around the edges.

Even so, she stole my heart, and I knew that I just had to see if I could rescue and re-create her.

If you are wondering what a needle book is, it’s a rather sweet bit of stitchery history.

Needlebooks are small ‘books’ with cloth pages that are alternatives to pin cushions.

Needles are stored in the inner pages of the needlebook.

Her front and back are way out of kilter with each other, and the middle section is oh so frazzled.

I sketched and worked on the pattern and made some adjustments and arrived at my version of the Sunbonnet Sue Needlebook:

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

I cut out 2 outside pages from cream colored felt, and one inner page of white felt. I cut the feet off the inner page:

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

Then, I crocheted 5 tiny flowers, using a .6 mm hook and size 50 crochet cotton, and my pattern from Crocheted Flowers:

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

I stitched tatted lace edging to her hat, and to the hem of the skirt in the inner pages.

I stitched the flowers to her muff, as well as tiny felt leaves. I stitched a bead to the center of each flower.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

I made a bow from a narrow strip of felt, and stitched that to her hat.

I also stitched leaves and a flower and beads to the inside of the front cover,

and covered the stitching along the hat with another strip of felt.

The original needlebook just left the inside cover with the raw stitching showing, but I prefer the way it looks when it’s ‘cleaned up’ :

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

Then, I sewed the 3 layers together at the 2 ‘X’s -

the original was only stitched at the nape of the neck, but I prefer the stability that the exra stitching gives.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

I just love her to pieces….

Here she is with her much older sister:

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright.

I think that she’d make a lovely gift…. I can see that I am going to have to make more Sunbonnet Sue Needlebooks!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Signature needles for a customized experience

Del — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:36:29 +0000

Have you ever wanted needles that were more pointy or less pointy than the ones in your hands? Now you can buy needles in the degree of pointiness that suits you from Signature Needles.

Choose from points labeled blunt, middy or stiletto. You also have your choice in needle size, length and even needle cap. You can customize your needle to almost your exact specifications. This is almost like the Cadillac of needles, when you think about it. I’ve never used them, but I’ve used Addi needles (another Cadillac)…pretty swank.

Image: Signature Needle Arts

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Needle review: KnitPicks nickel plated double pointed needles

Del — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:02:03 +0000

I’ve only used wooden DPNs so far, but I wanted to try some aluminum or nickel plated ones. Sometimes, the yarn drags and while I like the quiet of the wood, the clacking of needles doesn’t bother me at all.

I recently bought these KnitPicks DPNs. They’re nickel plated and very smooth.

I started some socks and wanted to give the needles’ good points:

Very pointy: While I’m doing a very vanilla pair of socks right now, if you have a pattern that requires a lot of decreases, knitting through back loops and those sort of gymnastics, you’ll have no problem guiding these needles through multiple stitches.
Very smooth: The yarn is just gliding along with no effort. Makes for fast work.
Not heavy: I’ve heard that some metal needles tend to be heavier than wooden needles, but so far, I see no difference. They feel light in my hands and easy to use.
On sale: One reason I wanted to buy these now is because they’re currently on sale for $3.49 for a set of five. I have the 6″ length, which I like for sock-making.

I’ve bought a lot from KnitPicks over the years and have never been disappointed. The price is right, the needles are great.

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Woodland Woolworks needle sale!

Del — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:12:54 +0000

You knit, you crochet — you need needles and hooks. Now is a great time to shop for any needle/hook sizes you need because Woodland Woolworks has them on sale. Get 15-20% off almost any needle or hook — straights, circulars, double pointeds. The sale lasts until January 11th.

Image: Woodland Woolworks

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Square needles easier on the hands?

Del — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:55:49 +0000

I haven’t yet tried working with square needles, but the word is that they’re easier on your hands than traditional round ones. If you can’t indulge in as much knitting or crocheting as you’d like due to pain, stiffness or arthritis, they may be worth looking into.

Kollage Yarns offers square knitting needles (DPNs and circulars as well as straights) and crochet hooks. The company claims that besides comfort, you also get more uniform stitches with their square offerings.

Have you tried square needles, from this or another company? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Were you able to work faster, easier, longer? How was your finished product?

Post from: Hankering for Yarn