Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

Shrinky Dink Anyone?

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ribbon metalphotojojo Think back on the fun projects you might have done as a kid, before you felt the need for fancy materials and when the possibility of something shrinking in the oven was totally exciting.  I remember lots of Smurf Shrinky Dink projects.  Well now it doesn’t need to be just for kids.

Check out these instructions for inexpensive ribbon metals on instructables.com

Or these “Doodle Charms”  with instructions on homemade shrinky dink. They come out looking like stained glass

Or even plastic rings as posted here on PlanetJune

doodle charmsAnd last, though I am sure you can find tons more projects, check out Photojojo.com for a tutorial on photo necklaces, earrings etc using shrinking plastic.  I love this project!

Read These Next

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Knit a Blanket with the Texture of a Ceiling

Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal. 

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles. 

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges. 

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to. 

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho. 

[Photo: Purl Soho]