Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sheep Knitting Needles

So I saw bamboo knitting needles online that had polymer clay sheep on the end. Totally sweet. I have polymer clay. I have bamboo needles. I'm reasonably crafty. so I went online to find out how to bake bamboo needles safely. there was no info to be found, so i decided just to give it a shot. The needles are pretty cheap and so if they caught on fire, i figured i'd just get a new pair. well, they DIDN'T catch on fire, or do anything else weird. you can totally bake Clover brand bamboo needles with polymer clay. and when you do, you get this:


crazy good. here they are in their natural environment:

like that glass? it was $1 at CVS.

i'm sure there will be improvements as i make more, but here's how i made polymer clay bamboo needles. metal would probably be fine too...maybe even acrylic or plastic due to the low temp. let us know if you try any of those. sorry for the lack of pix, but i really wasn't expecting this to work out. i'll take some when i make another pair.

1. condition the clay (mush it around until it's soft)
2. cover the top of the needle in a thin layer of clay. be sure to fold the clay under the tip so it won't fall off after it's baked.
3. decorate the tops as desired. i obviously went with sheep.
4. lay needles across a baking pan like this:


5. bake according to the manufacturers instructions for the clay. mine was to bake at 275 degrees for 15 min per quarter inch of thickness. i have no idea how thick they ended up, so i started with 20. they seemed bit soft, so back in for 10 min they went.
6. knit something awesome.

one more pic because they're so sweet

awesome.

-Leigh

4 comments:

Eddy G. said...

oh wow super-cute. I just love them.

Unknown said...

Can you make parrot knitting needles? I could exchange a project for it although I may not up to your skill level.I don't know what the rules are for this group. I have the clay and the needles but not the artistic ability.

Unknown said...

If this group actually allows someone to pay you for the needles,that would be ok as well.another option is to send you the money for supplies.I think you should market these animal needles.Knitting lovers would really like them.

Nana's Knitters said...

i have no artistic ability either! i'm certain it was divine intervention that made these look like sheep! if you search for "polymer sheep needles", there are several sites that sell them, but i really think you should give it a try...it wasn't as difficult as i thought it would be. and if you find a clay picture of a clay parrot online, you could try to copy it. send a picture if you make some!!!

Leigh