Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

Thumbs Down for Blendy Pens

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d_5491

I went to a Kids’ Crafts Workshop (see – I told you I see a lot of kids’ crafts 🙂 with my kids this weekend.  It was held at a craft store here, and it featured several different stations with a different product/activity at each station so the kids could get some hands-on experience.  One of the stations featured Blendy Pens, and I have to admit that I’m baffled by the entire product.  The basic premise is that you twist a double-tipped marker so that the two felt ends meet in the middle chamber, thus creating a marker that is now two colors instead of just one.  Supposedly, twirls and swirls of color ensue when the marker is used on the paper.

Wrong.

It was difficult for little hands (and even my much bigger hands) to twist the pens to the point where the tips actually touched and blended the colors.  Plus, what’s all the fuss about “blended” colors, anyway?  Couldn’t kids get a similar effect just by using two different markers on the page? When you were in school, did you not try specifically to avoid letting your marker tips touch one another so that the pristine tips wouldn’t be sullied by a different color ink? (or was that just me?  is that just one of my quirks?  say it isn’t so…)  I was completely unimpressed by the Blendy Pens.  I’m betting they’re one of those ideas that sounded good on paper, but once they passed from theory into reality, it just didn’t hold up. Most importantly, my kids were unimpressed as well, so they get thumbs down from both mom and her child testers, who were bored and just looking out for the next activity.

I remember my daughter wanting to buy a generic brand of these pens at a local fair,  we didn’t buy any but I did buy some online from ebay for 1/2 the price. She used them one or twice but then decided that blending pens didn’t actually do all those wonderful things, it was the lady who drew all those wonderful things.

Personally, I think these are better suited to older kids such as teens who need to work on creative titles for school projects etc.

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Combine Knit and Crochet with this Cute Checkers Set

I used to be a knitter exclusively, and it took me many, many years (and finally learning how to knit while holding the yarn in my left hand) before I could crochet at all. But once you get it, it’s not hard, and there are some things that are easier or faster to do in crochet when compared to knitting. 

It’s also fun to be able to combine knitting and crochet in one project, like this cozy checkers set from Lion Brand Yarn. The game board and the drawstring bag to hold the checkers are knit, while the checkers themselves are crocheted. These flat circles are done in just three rounds, so even if you’re not super confident in your crochet skills you should be able to do it. 

The game board is worked from the bottom up, starting with the border that is worked with a bit of fair isle/stranded knitting and intarsia to make the diamonds. The playing area is worked in a single color alternating squares of stockinette and reverse stockinette. Then the top border is knit, and you pick up stitches on each side to work the side borders. The colorwork is charted only.

The project calls for worsted weight yarn, specifically Vanna’s Choice, which is a great option because it’s acrylic so it’s machine washable, and it comes in a ton of colors. 

The bag is worked with the same colors in stripes from the top down and features a crochet chain drawstring. 

It sounds like a lot, and I’m a little dubious that this is skill level rated beginner +, but if you’ve worked stranded knitting and intarsia before and are comfortable working from charts, it’s not really that difficult. The hardest part might be picking up stitches evenly so that the side borders match the rest of the project. 

Still, this looks like it would be a lot of fun to knit and to have available for picnics, beach time, or just playing with in the backyard or on the living room floor. 

You can grab the free pattern (email registration required) from Lion Brand, or you can buy all the yarn and other supplies you’ll need while you are there. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]