May Charm Club Reveal

I'm excited to share the charm I created for the very first month of The Nome Knitter's charm of the month club. The Little Mermaid Cupcake!

This charm was inspired by a classic tale from Hans Christian Anderson. Written in 1836, it is a bittersweet tale of a mermaid longing to be human for just one day. 

Inspiration was also derived from the Disney character Ariel, from the 1989 film adaptation which portrayed a much happier ending for the sea princess than the original story. 

Here is a link to Anderson's original tale:

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson

Spots for June's club shipment will be open until May 15.

Just a few reminders about the club:

• Open only to ship within the United States at this time.
• Sign up during May 1 - May 15 to receive June's charm. You will be charged every month thereafter based on the date you signed up. 
• Cancel or suspend your subscription anytime from your PayPal account; I've also provided a button on this blog page for your convenience.
• You can also choose to skip shipments, just be sure to do so before your monthly payment has processed.
• Club price is $20 which includes shipping and handling.

 I am not using Etsy as a platform for this club for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted the ease of being able to sign up for recurring payments, and Etsy does not offer this option. I feel this works better for those who don't want to pay for 3-6 months worth of club shipments in one payment. It also takes away the frustration of being cart-jacked, etc. Also, because I'm not paying fees to Etsy, I'm able to offer the club at a lower price point. 

Please let me know if you have any questions! This system is new to me as well, so I admit I am also on a learning curve. If I don't know the answer to your question, I will be sure to figure it out.

 Did you receive a Little Mermaid Cupcake? Please let me know in the comments below if you did and what other fairy tales and characters you'd love to see in cupcake form. 

Fairy-Tale Cupcake Charm Club

Hello, Friends!

It's been quite some time since I've posted on here, but I have some exciting news. I've been planning this for a while now, and I'm super excited to take the plunge and make it happen. I'm offering my first-ever charm-of-the-month club!

Join me on a magical adventure filled with faraway castles, princesses, fairies, witches and magical creatures. Each month, you will receive a fairy-tale inspired cupcake charm sculpted out of polymer clay and finished with your choice of lobster clasp or stitch marker ring. The themes will vary, but I plan to start off with some well-loved princesses as inspiration. (If you are a Disney fan, you definitely won't want to miss out!)

Anything fairy-tale will be included as a possibility for inspiration, from Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, Charles Perrault, to, of course, the visual influence of the Walt Disney films.

This is a monthly subscription, which means you will automatically be charged and mailed the club for as long as you wish to remain subscribed. You can cancel your subscription at any time. The great thing about this is that you don't have to set an alarm or stalk the Etsy shop to make sure you get each month's sweet little limited edition charm.

If you'd like a reference of what type of detail you'll see on these charms, please take a look at my lucky charms marshmallow cupcakes below. These are just an example and will not be the charms you will receive, however, they reflect the detail and quality that I plan to invest in these fairy-tale cupcakes. They will be very special!

How this will work:

Sign up during the month of April to receive the May charm club. All new subscriptions during May will receive the June club, etc.

You will be charged monthly on the date you enroll in the subscription. The cost is $20 per month, which includes shipping. 

The club is currently open to ship within the United States only at this time. Please be aware that if your address is international, your subscription will be cancelled and payment refunded. 

Each month's club will ship out during the first week of the month. (Or sooner!)

Spots are limited, and I will create a waiting list if they sell out.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have.

I hope you are as excited about the club as I am!

~Joanna


Edited 4/26/19 : May shipments have been sent out as of earlier this week!

Sign-ups will re-open May 1 and close May 15 for June’s club. 

Polymer Clay Video Tutorial: Smeeps!

I hope you guys enjoy this one, I had a lot of fun making it!

Here's a link to my channel, until I can set up button for easy access:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSyVf3lKsO66qoG8Iwdkasw

New Video: Time Lapse

Here's a fun little video where I finish some DPN holders and pack them up in record time.

Enjoy!

Etsy Shop is Live!

I had so much fun sewing the DPN holders for my last tutorial, that I decided to whip up a whole bunch more and list them for sale in my Etsy shop, opened today!

If you don't feel like sewing your own, head on over and have a gander. All of these are fully interfaced on both the exterior and interior pieces, pre-washed, and I added a twill tape ribbon tab so you can hang it up for easy storage or use a clip to secure it to your project bag.

Stay tuned for future updates. Hopefully I will continue to add more DPN Holders in different patterns, as well as notions pouches, project bags (maybe), and possibly even a skein of handspun yarn from time to time.

Happy knitting, y'all!

Tutorial: Double-Pointed Needle Keeper

Have you seen these nifty needle holders or "cozies"? After seeing a few pop up on various Instagram feeds and knitting podcasts, I decided to try to make one. Here's what I came up with for my 6-inch double-pointed needles. If your needles are longer or shorter, just add or subtract an inch from the length (8.5 x 4.5 for 7-inch needles, 9.5 x 4.5 for 8-inch needles, etc.)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS: approximately 7 x 2 inches

MATERIALS:
2 pieces of fabric 7.5 x 4.5 inches: one lining and one exterior
2 sets of snaps (I use KAM snaps)
snap press
awl
optional: label & fabric interfacing of your choice
1/4 inch seam allowance

 First, I interfaced my exterior piece, then, with right sides of both pieces facing, sewed one long side of my rectangle. Press open your seam or press to one side.

If attaching a label, now is the time to do that. I put mine on the lining piece.

Now, sew down the other long side of the rectangle with right sides facing. Next, line up the two seams and press.

Sew across one short side the entire length, backstitching when you start and stop. On the opposite side, only stitch down your exterior fabric, stopping just past the middle seam as indicated in the picture below. Be sure to backstitch here.

Use your iron and press in the side with the turning hole 1/4 inch. This will make your life easier in a few minutes. 

Now, clip your corners and trim seams. Turn right side out through the opening and press.

Hand-stitch the side opening closed. You could use your machine here, but the hole is so small that it takes no time at all and looks much better this way.

It should look something like this when you're done:

Turn the lining inside  and press.

Use a pen to mark where the snaps will go. I used disappearing ink, but it really doesn't matter since it will be covered. I marked 1.25 inches in from the side, and 1/2 inch up from the bottom.

Use your awl to punch holes in the fabric where you marked.

Apply snaps with a snap press. I used size 20 KAM snaps with a KAM snap press. This is a pretty reputable brand, used by most cloth diaper makers. These are easy to find on Amazon and Etsy in all the colors of the rainbow. You can also find similar snaps at most big box craft stores, though the selection is much smaller.

Insert your work-in-progress and enjoy keeping your work nice and tidy!

If you use this tutorial, please tag me on Instagram (@thenomeknitter) or use the hashtag #thenomeknitter

 I'd love to see what you make!

Edited 4/13/16 to add:

Since I posted this tutorial, I have made literally hundreds of these little DPN holders. One tip I have is to cut the lining fabric 1/4 inch shorter than the exterior fabric. Your lining piece would be 7.5 x 4.25 for 6-inch needles. This helps the lining snug up inside a little better. I also recommend applying interfacing to both pieces, my favorite is Pellon SF101. Happy sewing and knitting!

Minor Sweater Surgery: Fledgling Featherweight

This year, I've decided my goal is to knit and spin through all the yarn in my stash before I buy anything new. First thing on my list is to finish any unfinished objects hiding out in my closet. Last May I started knitting the fledgling featherweight by Hannah Fettig of Knitbot. This little cardigan was top priority as little people grow rather quickly, and who knows how much longer Sadie will be able to wear it. I knit the size 2, and the pattern is sized from age 2 to 12 years.

I put it away months ago when I only had one sleeve cuff and the collar band left to knit. I was frustrated because I didn't like the way the cuffs were knitting up. It was so sloppy and uneven and I was dropping stitches all over the place. The gauge was so loose that it was difficult to easily fix mistakes, or see them for that matter. I knit the body of the garment with size 6 Addi Turbo Lace needles which seemed to work well with the looser gauge the pattern requires. The problem happened when I switched to my Clover bamboo DPNs (double-pointed needles) to knit the sleeves in the round. You can see from the picture above a distinct line on the sleeve where the stitches begin to look a lot sloppier than the rest of the garment, especially the cuff ribbing.  

After washing and blocking the cardigan, I realized there was only one solution: re-knit the cuffs. 

I picked up stitches in the row directly below the ribbing.

I cut off the bind-off row and carefully unraveled back to my needles. This was not easy as the yarn, Malabrigo Lace Merino, is extremely sticky, especially after washing it. I then reknit the cuff with size 3 DPNs from Knit Picks in their rainbow wood. I used fresh yarn to knit these as the yarn I unraveled was felted and fuzzy and no longer very pretty. Not a big deal as I had plenty of yarn left. 

Huge difference, and I'm much happier with the result. 

Both cuffs re-knit with the waste yarn I cut off.

Oh, what a difference 3 needle sizes makes. It also had a lot to do with the slickness (or lack thereof) of the different types of needles. I have to say that at this point in my knitting journey, I definitely prefer nickel-plated needles to wood. Knit Picks rainbow wood needles aren't bad as they are a lot slicker than some of the plain bamboo ones out there. 

Great fit on my 28-lb 2-year-old. 

Yarn is Malabrigo Lace Merino in Damask Rose.