Talkin' Tools - Radmegan's Knitting Fork

Before Craftcation I went to the presenters sites to see what everyone was up to and what they looked like in case I had an opportunity to meet and talk with them. When I went to one of the presenters Radmegan's site I stumbled upon a project she did for St. Patty's Day where she used her knitting fork (also known as a lucet) to make a knitted shamrock. It was a really cool project idea and the cord made with the knitting fork totally intrigued me. Mad props to Megan for how she highlighted a project example made with her tool the "actual product for sale"- not the other way around. It hooked me instantly! I saw the project, saw what made it - which led me to purchase the tool in her Etsy shop immediately. From a business stand point it is so amazing how Megan had the product sell itself to me in that manner! 

I received my knitting fork and it was time to play with it and see how I liked it. She gave wonderful instructions that were very easy to use that followed alongside diagrams for each step. Also in with the tool and helpful instructions came a fun pattern to make a scarf project which I have not tried. 

When using this tool you basically achieve knitting an I-cord without having to use harder methods like double-pointed needles. The cord can vary slightly with the tension and yarn type you choose, but you are limited to a rough size dimension based on the width of the fork. She carries them in only one size so you are not going to get a tiny cord or a fat cord, but the possibilities are endless even within these limitations.

You can purchase the knitting fork here or for more details on Radmegan check her out here. 

 XOXO, KC

I get no benefit from these reviews other than the sheer enjoyment of using the products. I get no payment from affiliate links or off my reviews.

How-To's Day: Take Better Pictures w/ a Homemade Lightbox

While at Craftcation one of my favorite sessions was Crafting a Lightbox with Radmegan! 

Everyone who sells on Etsy knows how important photography is when selling your goods online- But knowing it's importance vs. actually achieving amazing pictures can be tricky.

 With that in mind when I saw there was a session that would help me learn to make a lightbox cheap and efficiently I had to take it!

Here is an example of pictures taken of the same address book:

(one with and one without the lightbox)

Address Book taken w/o lightbox (mid-day, bright sun)

Taken with lightbox (mid-day, bright sun)

Big difference right?!? One of the amazing attendees who was in my class Stefanie Japel (of Stephanie Japel Knits) posted this on the results of her light box- check it out here. 

Make Your Own:

For our lightbox we started with a 14"X 14" X 14" box, an exacto blade, a metal ruler, waxed paper and both transparent as well as masking tape.

Tape the box together using sturdy tape.

Cut out four of the sides (I used a metal ruler as the guide, but you can cut out the frame however you'd like) as shown:

You don't want to make the frame left behind too skinny.  At this size the waxed paper barely fits. If I had known this I would have either left a bit more cardboard or purchased the extra wide waxed paper so it would fit better.

Lay the waxed paper across the tops of the openings on the left side, top side, and right side of the box and tape it secure. as shown above.

This will make the inside super clean as show bellow:

This way if anything happens to the wax paper it is really easy to reattach a fresh piece.

If the wax paper doesn't quite make it to the edge, use masking tape to cover up the difference so that harsh light doesn't sneak in.

Then you need some backdrops! Find some nice heavy weight paper in white, black and grey to attach to the back of your lightbox and you will have the perfect place to stage pictures with all of your small items :)

You want to cut it small enough to fit inside with enough length to give it a soft curve in the back.  This way the background looks seamless in your photos. 

Now its time for you to try it out and see how easy it is to jazz up your pictures :) *Also, Radmegan says she is posting her lightbox info soon, so I will do an update and share her video when it becomes available.

Enjoy! XOXO, KC