Month: April 2009

Online Cone Calculator

Links of entry

My entry ‘Constructing a Cone’ was much to wordy ;-), therefore I wrote an online cone calculator.

 

Note: Unfortunately the online cone calculator seemingly doesn’t work under all circumstances and I don’t have the time to struggle through. That’s why I write the formula by all means behind.

Well, you have disabled javascript, which means that the online cone calculator doesn’t work anyway.

You have 2 options now:

  • enable javascript
  • calculate the cone data yourself using the following formula.




Formula:

The black cone is what we want to get.
small diameter = smaller desired diameter
large diameter = larger desired diameter
height = desired height
QT = small diameter / 2
RS = large diameter / 2
PQ = QT * height / (RS – QT)
PR = PQ + height

PT = √((PQ * PQ) + (QT * QT));
PS = √((PR * PR) + (RS * RS));
(√ is sqrt is square root)

angle to cut away =
360 * (1 – ((2 * π * RS) / (2 * π * PS)))

inner circle diameter = 2 * PT;
outer circle diameter = 2 * PS;

unikatissima Example Cone


And now proceed:
Draw two centered circles with the inner and outer diameter, draw the calculated angle and cut it away.
The result should be a template for a cone with the specified measurements ;-)
If you don’t have a protractor you can print and cut the degrees disk from the entry ‘Constructing a Cone’.

If you want to know more exactly what you’re doing here, check the entry ‘Constructing a Cone’ after all ;-)


Links:
Here at unikatissima: ‘Constructing a Cone’

Crochet Cables

unikatissima Crochet Cable

Links of entry

Recently I ‘discovered’ crochet cables via the ravelry group ‘Crochet Celtic Cables’.
I knew them for long but up until now I never found them very nice.
This is different now ;-))
They seem to be as versatile as their knitted ‘siblings’ and I will surely get back to them once more.

 

unikatissima Crochet Cable
Links:
Crochet Cables – Fun and Effective
Crocheting Cables Photo How-To
Cabled Embroidered Purse
Crocheting Cables – 6 stitches
Adventuring Sage Cable Vest
Even an instruction for Tunisian crochet cables:
ARNie’s Method for Working Tunisian Crochet Cables

Google Suchergebnis für ‘crochet cable’
Google Bildsuchergebnis für ‘crochet cable’

 

Chainstitch Card

unikatissima Chainstitch Card

Links of entry

I just wanted to show once more how beautiful embroidery on paper and cardboard can be ;-)

Here I cut a beautiful blue patterned square from a magazine and glued on white cardboard.
Then I drew very faint curved lines with a pencil, pricked holes along the lines and stitched them with a chain stitch.
Looks fine, doesn’t it?

I find though that the chain stitch looks much better on straight lines or wide curves than on sharp turns (it ‘inclines’ somewhat), that’s something one could pay attention to when drawing the lines.


Links:
Instruction for chain stitch

Here at unikatissima: Embroidered Matisse Cushion

Beading Your Own Images

PerlerPal

Links of entry

Your work becomes really personal if you can use your own design.
The Palette Editor gives you the opportunity to upload your own picture and enter certain bead producers and not only to get a bead template back, but also to get the appropriate bead product numbers (or the similar).

 

unikatissima Kali tile Because I’m using mostly no name beads I can’t ‘savour’ it to the full, but the picture alone is already a great help.
For the picture at the top I simply used a tile that I had made with Kali.

 


Links:
PerlerPal Palette Editor

Here at unikatissima: Kali

Knitted/Crocheted Bangles

unikatissima Knitted Bangle
Recently I wanted to make some knitted napkin rings as a gift and looked for a way to 1. keep their shape and 2. make them washable.
And I really found a solution which is also great for making bangles ;-)): use a core of recycled plastic bottle and a knitted or crocheted all over cover.

 

That’s what you do:
unikatissima Knitted Bangle Cut rings in the desired width from a plastic bottle.
I cut here two rings because the circumference of the bottle was too small for a bangle for me.

 

unikatissima Knitted Bangle Where the rings are to be joined you need an overlap of about 2 cm.
I pricked 3 holes with a pointy needle and threaded the yarn I used later for knitting through them to fix both sides. The big advantage is that you don’t see anything of this later.

 

unikatissima Knitted Bangle Then knit the ‘cover’. I worked with quite thick acrylic yarn and began with a stocking stitch part for the inside whereas outside I used a moss stitch pattern.
Depending on the used yarn the inside diameter can get a good deal narrower, in this case make the plastic rings a little bit larger.
When the cover is finished sew the sides together.

 

unikatissima Knitted Bangle That’s how the finished bangle looks.
Originally I wanted to have the seam at the inside of the bangle but I ‘produced’ always a thick bulged seam. Therefore I knitted the ‘folding line’ between both patterns with purls and sew at the rim (which is much easier, too ;-)).
The bulged seam looks similar to the purled row and now I like it.

 

unikatissima Knitted Bangle The plastic ring core has more advantages (besides the fact that it is cost-saving): the bangle keeps its shape but is flexible so that it doesn’t interfere with writing (usually I don’t wear bangles for just this reason).

 

unikatissima Knitted Bangle What is more I can wash it: That’s how my bangle looks after I machine-washed it at 30°C together with dark(!) cloths.
No problem there ;-)
But this depends strongly from the used yarn.

 

I used thick acrylic yarn here and find that it looks like a winter bangle, but it can surely be crocheted as well with fine cotton thread or knitted in stocking stitch with variegated sock yarns or simply be wrapped with fun yarns, possibly even be wrapped with a sewn fabric cover…
If you try something like this I would appreciate if you’d link it in the comments!
Have much fun.
plastic bottle bracelet

Maze Pattern Generator


unikatissima Maze Generator

Links of entry

Yesterday I showed what can be done with filet crochet/cross stitch embroidery charts.
Today I want to present my maze pattern generator.

Some time ago I played a little around with mosaic (slip-stitch) knitting and found that mazes are as if made for that.
You can see this e.g. on the photo where I show a mosaic knitted wrist warmer.

Because I didn’t felt like always making the mazes myself, I looked in internet whether I can’t find anything and – ta-DAA! – I found the Maze Maker for which John Lauro kindly even published the algorithm (Thanks, John!).
There are more maze generators, but I found those of the Maze Maker most beautiful of all.

 

unikatissima Maze Generator unikatissima Maze Generator Therefore I sat down and wrote a program that generates mazes of a given size and where I can even specify the path lengths.
I let output an overview (little picture) and the pattern (template), because I find the overviews are easier to compare.

 

unikatissima Maze Generator Of course you can (as ‘mentioned’ yesterday ;-)) work filet crochet but also mosaic knitted wrist warmers like the one on the photo on top, …

 

unikatissima Maze Generator …embroidered cards (here I always pricked a little hole in the center of the little black squares which I embroidered with running stitches worked in both directions) …

 

unikatissima Maze Generator …and bead work (here beaded square stitch).
By the way this is a good example where the result looks different from the pattern: the beads are simply not square.

 


Links:
unikatissima’s Maze Pattern Generator

Maze Maker
Labyrinth Algorithmus

Instruction for running stitch

Google search result for ‘maze generator’

Here at unikatissima:
What Can You Do With Filet Crochet/Cross Stitch Embroidery Charts?
Mosaic (Slip-stitch) Knitting
Beaded Square Stitch Heart
crochet medaillon

Concerning unikatissima

love_ya_award

Links of entry

Love Ya Award
I find Kokopelli really nice, and that not only because she awarded me with the Love Ya Award ;-)
I thank you soo much!

My entry is amongst others so late, because I thought the whole time again about whom to award myself.
And again I arrived at the conclusion that I can’t give it further as expected:
I’m presenting here every day instructions, many are published on blogs.
And I think that everybody who bothers to write an entry with his or her own tutorial deserves the award already!
So I want to thank everybody again who just like this provides instructions, tips and tricks to all others!

Come to think of it…
Carry on!
;-)


Links:
Kokopelli

What Can You Do With Filet Crochet/Cross Stitch Embroidery Charts?

unikatissima Two-coloured Chart (click to enlarge)

Links of entry

Recently something took me and I thought that you can use those two-coloured charts which are usually associated with filet crochet or cross stitch for a loooot of other techniques, too.
I had this idea already before, in my entries about intarsia knitting, the cross stitch heart, the beaded square stitch heart and the polymer clay letter cane.

On the photo you see some letters worked in different techniques (I’m working on letter charts at the moment ;-)):
'u' - Knit-Purl Knitting, each X is a purl stitch
'n' - Fair Isle Knitting, each X is a white stitch
'i' - Sequins Embroidery, each X is a sequin
'k' - Tapestry Crochet, each X is a white stitch
'a' - Filet Crochet, each X is a filled filet crochet square
't' - Cross Stitch Embroidery on paper, each X is a black cross stitch
'i' - Loom Beading, each X is a black bead
's' - Stamping with square stamps, each X is a black square stamp
's' - Illusion Knitting, each X is a black stitch over two rows
'i' - Crochet Yoyo’s, each X is a white crochet circle from dc’s
'm' - Inverted Filet Crochet, each X is a empty filet crochet square
'a' - Macramée/Friendship Bracelet, each X is a white knot

But then I came up with more techniques and if you still have more ideas I’d be glad if you wrote a comment about.
I added for every technique what would be a square of the chart.
Please remember: Not all ‘units’ are square so that the result can look quite different from the chart!

Knitting

Crochet

  • Tapestry Crochet – 1 stitch
  • Filet Crochet – 1 filet square (cross = filled square)
  • Inverted Filet Crochet – 1 filet square (cross = empty square)
  • Crochet Yoyo’s – 1 Crochet Yoyo, viz. a crochet circle from dc’s

Beading

Embroidery

Knotting

Weaving

Sewing

  • Patchwork/Quilting – e.g. 1 patchwork square
  • Yoyo’s – 1 Yoyo
  • Fabric Origami – 1 fabric origami square

Other

By the way I found an blog entry of an embroiderer who thought about the same subject and has more ideas.


Links:
Double Knitting
Picture for sequin embroidery (scroll down to about the middle)
Description of French Knot
Heather’s Friendship Bracelets – Alphabet Patterns
Geometric stitching
Google image search result for ‘yoyo blanket’
Google image search result for ‘ministeck’

Here at unikatissima:
Celtic Cross Stitch Generator
Heart Template (at Beaded Square Stitch Heart)

Patchwork Knitting
Bead Knitting
Illusion knit

Tapestry Crochet
Beautiful Filet Crochet Patterns

Loom Woven Bead Bracelet
Beaded Square Stitch Heart
Bead Knitting
Freeform Bead Embroidery
Bead embroidered Paisleys

Friendship Bracelet
Crazy Daisies
Crazy Daisies II

Tablet or Card Weaving

YoYo Pin
Fabric Origami

Mosaic Table Light (Glass Paint)
Polymer Clay Letter Cane
Mosaic from Plaster
Eraser Stamps

Resin Knitting Needles

craftster Resin Knitting Needles

Links of entry

You must absolutely check this!
Up until now I knew resin only for making jewelry, but this tutorial on how to make resin knitting needles is ingenious and the needles are fantastic!
However I recommend strongly to check the (admittedly many) comments, because they’re discussing there their (also bad) experiences.

If you are a little scared by resin just as I am you can however try to make some self-made wooden knitting needles.
But the others are more beautiful ;-)


Links:
At craftster: Resin Knitting Needles

Here at unikatissima:
Resin Pendants
Self-made Crochet Hooks And Knitting Needles