Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

Product Review – Blast From The Past – Shrink Dinks

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Isn’t funny how old things are new again.  My daughter wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween last year. We searched the internet for costume ideas (we don’t buy costumes, we make them…another long lost tradition). I showed her an example of the “new” Strawberry Shortcake with the jeans and big pink straw hat and the “old” Strawberry Shortcake with the green striped leggings and the puffy hat. I asked her which she wanted to be…her reply as she pointed to the “new” gal…”Mom, I want to be the REAL Strawberry Shortcake!” I guess in the mind of a 4 year old real and original are two different things.

Anyway, “old” toys aren’t the only things making a comeback! Do you remember Shrinky Dinks? They are still around and better than ever. There are kits for boys and girls. Remember pressing your face against the oven door, watching them curl up and shrink? It was magic! Now you can share that same experience with your child.

How many potholders did you make with those looms and long hooks? The crazy colors that didn’t match anything, but Mom was still proud of them. This will keep your weaver busy for hours. They are now making the loops specially for the looms. I had no idea, but the loops that we used were from sock companies…that’s why they didn’t always fit!
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Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]