Trend and Product Review: Digital Stamping

image by Heather Holbrook

A big buzz word in the stamping world right now is Digital Stamping.

What is digital stamping you might ask? Well, it’s simply buying a digital image that you download to your computer and then print out and use like a regular stamped image. There are several advantages to using digital stamp images such as: storage, no need to store so many bulky stamps; cost, they are much cheaper than buying an actual stamp; helps the environment, no trees were cut down for wood blocks.

I recently gave digital stamping a try for myself and got some super cute images from Angel’s Landing. For each group of images I received an Adobe file with all the images and then each image separately in a PNG file. Their website has an easy to follow tutorial and helpful FAQ on how to download your images.

I really like the idea of being able to easily print them out on not only regular cardstock but other surfaces as well like printable canvas or vellum. I made the sweet card featured above by printing out the images of the birds on vellum and coloring them from behind with markers. I also liked how the images worked well with stamps I already owned, the music notes and words are from the April Word Puzzle stamp set from Close To My Heart. For my first try at digital stamping I found it really fun and easy to do.

The wonderful card shown below is from the Gallery at Angel’s Landing.

-Heather

image by Angel's Landing

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I’ve always wanted to knit a mohair sweater. It just seems to me like the ultimate in comfort and a bit of luxury, and I would probably live in such a sweater all winter long if I had one.

Now might be the time to finally make my mohair sweater dreams a reality, thanks to the Summer Lotus Blouse, a free knitting pattern from Hobbii.

Don’t take the “summer” in the title too literally, because it’s worked with two strands of mohair held together, so while it will be super light weight it will also be plenty cozy to wear throughout the year.

The sweater is worked from the top down in stockinette stitch with I-cord edgings for a super clean look. It uses a larger than expected needle to keep it airy and light, which also speeds up the process.

One thing that’s cool about holding two strands of yarn together is that they don’t have to be the same color. These sweaters end up looking like they use a solid color but they’re actually worked with two different colors, which gives you so many more options. Pick two harmonious colors or shades of the same color, or go wild and pick two colors that are quite different and see what happens. You could also, of course, hold two strands of the same color if you like, but part of the fun of knitting with mohair is seeing how the colors play with each other.

This pattern is available in six sizes, ranging from an actual chest measurement of 30.3 to 44.1 inches, or 77 to 112 cm. It’s meant to be worn with about 2 inches/5 cm of negative ease, but you can choose a different size if you don’t want such a snug fit.

You can grab the pattern for free and check out all the yarn options at Hobbii.

[Photo: Hobbii]

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