Craft Gossip

The largest independent craft review site since 2007

6 Creative Ways to Decorate Using Heirloom Plates

by

PicMonkey Collage1

Most of us have had the opportunity of inheriting some type of an heirloom from a past family member.  While we hold these pieces very special to us, it’s hard to let them just sit in an old cedar chest, only to be brought out on occasion.  However, we also don’t want them too terribly accessible to the tiny little hands of little ones.  Below are 6 links to help inspire you with some creative and beautiful ways to display some of those heirloom plates you have, all while keeping them safe to treasure.

decorating_with_plates_111

1- Decorating With Plates from The Lettered Cottage

framedplates

2- Framed Plates from The Enchanted Home

free_flowing_plate_collage

3- Free Flowing Plate Collage from View Along The Way

freeformplatewall

4- Free Form Plate Collage from Addicted 2 Decorating

plate-wall10_thumb

5- Heirloom Plate Wall from Over The Big Moon

simpleplates

6- Simple Plate Display from Casual Crafter

Read These Next

Comments

  1. I have B&G navy blue Mother’s Day plates Ina diamond shape design on my dining room wall!

Have you read?

A Whimsical Sock Pattern to Blow Your Mind

You probably know by now if you’re a regular reader (and if you’re not, welcome!) that I love a knitting pattern that’s a little silly or a little different from the usual. Classic patterns are great, too, but sometimes you just want to make something with a bit of whimsy. And when it’s super functional, too, that’s even better.

That’s the case with the Bananen-Socken pattern from Susanne Shahin. These banana socks are one of those patterns no one seems to be totally sure where it came from, and this free pattern on Ravelry explains how she makes them based on how she learned it.

It’s a sock that’s curved and when not on a foot it looks rather like a banana. There’s no heel, and you can use whatever number of stitches you need to make it fit your foot. If you’ve knit enough socks to know how many stitches you like you can just use that number, or the pattern notes include sizing charts to help. (It needs to be multiples of 2 for the ribbing.)

After working a traditional cuff, the body is made with ribbing on the back and welts (or what the pattern calls horizontal ribbing) on the front, which is what gives it the curved shape. There’s no heel, but there is toe shaping, but for the leg and the foot you just keep working the same pattern as long as you like.

I’m a little skeptical about how these socks will feel with ribbing on the bottom of the foot, but I’m definitely intrigued and will probably give them a try. 

The pattern notes are available on Ravelry in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish. If you head to the pattern page you can see a photo of what it looks like on a foot, and it just looks like a normal sock.

Have you ever knit banana socks or do you want to now? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: Susanne Shahin]