Sunday, July 13, 2008

Gadgets!!! Don't You Just Love Them!!

If you were reading my Yahoo 360 blog last year, you probably recognize this picture. I was threading beads onto the yarn to knit a shawl. I used nail polish on the end of the yarn to facillitate the threading. Scroll further to see the gadget I can now use instead.

The
"Ice Queen" pattern has been one that I have wanted to knit for quite some time. It is a cowl, a head scarf and more using the feather and fan pattern. However, the thought of stringing beads was not a welcoming thought. I have this beautiful apricot and beige lace weight yarn of alpaca and silk. Today I decided to prepare the yarn for my project using the following:

It's a bead spinner. A fish hook type needle designed especially to accommodate yarn threading (or other fiber) is suspended into this container as you spin it. The beads catch on the hook and voila!!...you can easily thread your yarn.
In this picture you can see some of the beads on the needle and a small piece of the yarn that is already threaded through the bead needle. The cost for this gadget was $20 but I only paid $11.99 with my 40% off coupon at Michael's. It's also a sales tax-free weekend in Vermont so $11.99 it was!

Happy Knitting!

12 comments:

  1. Well, you and I have another thing in common.....I'm a gadget collector, too! As well as a pen & pencil & knitting needle collector! Ha! This gadget is so neat! I can't wait to see the finished projects. What a bargain, too!

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  2. Very cool. I am anxious to see further work on the shawl. I love the yarn, and have yet to try beaded knitting.

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  3. I've seen those before but didn't know how well they worked. I think when we have our tax free week end next month (?) I might do the same thing. I heard that Michaels will take coupons from other stores, do you think they would take my Joann's 40% off? I wonder if Joann's has them?

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  4. wow looks so hard but I'm sure you can do it :) Make the first one....
    and I thought I had alot of toys-lol.....

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  5. First I have to say, "Wow! A tax free weekend!"

    Gadgets are great! I could easily get overwhelmed by things that do things! Can't wait to watch your progress on Ice Queen!

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  6. Wow, enjoy your cool gadget! I have falled down on the knitting front yet again as I feverishly try to make the most of my very brief membership at Ancestry.com I hope to be back knitting soon!

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  7. Wow! That's a neat little gadget, and it should make a tedious job much easier!

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  8. Awesome gadget!!! Now I want one. :D Can't wait to see cowl, the yarn is gorgeous.

    Kyred

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  9. Ice Queen is so lovely. Lovely you bead gadget - and I can't wait to see your project progress.

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  10. Wow! that would make knitting with beads almost worth while! and the yarns is just sooo pretty.

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  11. Sales free wkend? Wow, Ohio never ever has those. Once when visiting our daughter who was at the time in St. Louis we hit on that which saved us some money. NICE. Love the gadget. I've never knitted or crocheted with beads, but this does indeed look like it would simplity the procees.

    Neat find!
    Sandy

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  12. Meant to ask you...since you're a gadget person. Been looking for a good pompom maker. I hate cutting circles from cardboard and so have purchased 2 different makers...both are equally a pain. One is plastic circles, one is a plastic half circle that just doesn't work well.

    Have a good wkend
    Sandy

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