sally_in_wales
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Whats your current silliest project?I managed to talk myself into offering to knit a miniature Tudor flat hat for a teddy bear last night, so I'm sitting here this morning with a large cup of tea and some 2.5mm needles and very fine wool trying to make sure that whilst its small its still perfectly formed and as historically accurate as possible 
Anyone else working on any thing slight daft right now?
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cab
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Silliest one... Errm... Silver plating dead insects hasn't gone well yet, but I have high hopes.
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sally_in_wales
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| cab wrote: | | Silliest one... Errm... Silver plating dead insects hasn't gone well yet, but I have high hopes. |
 I like it! What are you soaking them in first to make the silver stick?
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dottyspots
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I class anything aside from lace knitted on tiny needles as a bit daft (but simply because I don't like doing it).
I'm trying to use up some cotton (I'm on a use what I have drive) so am knitting a halter top for my dd. It's on 3mm and isn't up there with the most enjoyable of knitting projects, although the top is looking rather sweet. I'm making it up as I go along on circulars and have been knitting it in stripes, alternating with a wide band of hearts. When the main body is done I'll crochet an edging and the ties.
I think I'm rather too practical to do anything particularly frivolous (save for the corsages, but I enjoy doing them).
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cinders
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i'm making fascinettes, feathers glued onto hair grips with a diamante jewel, may give it up much too fiddly
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alison
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Next one for me will be the website.
Why silly?
Last time I attempted it I wiped all the photos off it for a week 
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wellington womble
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Eyeing up the dog groomings for spinning with. Silly dog sat in a paint pot yesterday, and as I was brushing it out, I was mentally comparing the fluff with fleece that I bought. It's not quite soft as bamboo, but much softer than wool - about the same as alpaca, I'd guess - and free in virtually limitless quantities (or so it seems I as hoover!) I had a go putting a twist in by hand, and it's a little bit fluffy (like mohair - because of the shorter staple, I suppose) but looked like a lovely dark grey yarn - very soft, and strong.
Himself saw me looking at the little bit of yarn I made on my lap, and now thinks it's me that's round the twist!
Also thinking about finding time to felt a mini pointy hat as a doorstop to my study.
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dottyspots
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I've seen dog hair spun up - there's quite a few sites knocking about on t'internet.
I do wonder what it would smell like when it got wet though (if our stinky setter is anything to go by  )
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Treacodactyl
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I don't think my next couple of projects are silly but others might. I've been collecting some resin to make a knife without having to use modern glues and I would also like to make my next wooden spoon into a pasta spoon.
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sean
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What do you mean by a pasta spoon? One of those ones with tines round the edge?
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Treacodactyl
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Yep, I'll make it with a deep bowl, then cut a hole in the bowl and then cut out prongs around the edge. It might take a while...
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wellington womble
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| dottyspots wrote: | I've seen dog hair spun up - there's quite a few sites knocking about on t'internet.
I do wonder what it would smell like when it got wet though (if our stinky setter is anything to go by ) |
Judging by the smell of wet sheep (which is much worse than wet dog!!) once you've washed it, it wouldn't be any different. Although there is decided whiff of drying dog coming up from under my desk from a hound that went swimming this morning. Ugh!
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dottyspots
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Of course - sheep aren't exactly the sweetest smelling animals on the planet (doh! I should know that, what with my mother living on a sheep farm...  )
I think smelly dog is more immediately in my mind though
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Frewen Feltmaker
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I mangled some cat fluff enough to do a test square once. I think I have a book on spinning and knitting pet fluff. If I can find it would you like it WW?
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cinders
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I have this funny image of you all shearing cats and dogs for they hair with lots of bold animals running around
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Frewen Feltmaker
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| Eco wrote: | | I have this funny image of you all shearing cats and dogs for they hair with lots of bold animals running around |
You just have to groom some cats - I had a couple of Norweigan forest cats and when they moulted - my goodness - fluff bunnies all around 
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wellington womble
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| Frewen wrote: | | I mangled some cat fluff enough to do a test square once. I think I have a bood on spinning and knitting pet fluff. If I can find it would you like it WW? |
If it's 'Knitting with Dog hair', I already have it! Someone else kindly picked it up for me (clearly, I just look like I'm silly enough to read it!)
My dogs' hair just falls out all over the place - they seem to have an awful lot of it, and I'm fed up of hoovering it up. I put it out for the birds in spring, who go mad for it, but I need a year round use! They do have coarse hair on the outside, but when you brush them, you get mountains of fluffy soft undercoat. I don't reckon anyone would know it was dog fur, if you didn't tell them!
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Frewen Feltmaker
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That's the one - "knitting with dog hair" - oh well, no problem, I'll hang onto it.
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cab
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| sally_in_wales wrote: |
I like it! What are you soaking them in first to make the silver stick? |
Nothing, I'm reducing the silver in place from silver nitrate, using the old fashioned 'mirror test'. I'm faffing around mirroring things to see what works well. And of course if the insect is all dried out first, the silver will stick just fine.
If I can get it to work with mini beasts, I thought I might move on to bigger insects like cockroaches. Or not, if it doesn't.
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sally_in_wales
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no no no no no, there is something very wrong about the idea of a silver plated cockroach. yeuch!
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cab
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I have managed to get lovely mirrored finishes on glass, but not on insects. The back of the mirror, if you look at it that way, doesn't look as good as the bit that you're looking at through the glass, which is why front surface mirrors are more expensive.
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wellington womble
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I've no idea what you're talking about, but I like the idea of silver plating things. Although I'd be tempted by nuts and leaves, rather than cockroaches. I like the idea of a silver plpated ladybird, but I couldn't bring myself to kill a ladybird just for the sake of a bit of jewellry!
So, How do you do it? And can you buy the right chemicals on ebay?
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Mr BlueSky
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Trying to grow cabbages in our current climate ?
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wellington womble
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Considering going outside would be blimmen daft at the moment here - it's tipping it down!
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cab
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| wellington womble wrote: | I've no idea what you're talking about, but I like the idea of silver plating things. Although I'd be tempted by nuts and leaves, rather than cockroaches. I like the idea of a silver plpated ladybird, but I couldn't bring myself to kill a ladybird just for the sake of a bit of jewellry!
So, How do you do it? And can you buy the right chemicals on ebay? |
Silver nitrate, sodium hydroxide, ammonia, glucose, distilled water. Based on a very old fashioned test for reducing sugars, the kind of thing people used to do in biochem labs at one time. But other than glass things, the results haven't been good yet. Inside of interesting shaped bottles is as good as I've managed so far. Other stuff is easy to silver coat, but by this method you don't get a good mirrored surface unless you start with a good smooth surface.
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Sarah D
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Making talcum powder - not really odd by my standards, but would be to some
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Jamanda
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| Sarah D wrote: | | Making talcum powder - not really odd by my standards, but would be to some |
How are you doing that? It's basically Magnesium silicate isn't it?
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mochyn
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I used to have a beautiful pair of earrings made from silver plated cloves. Wonder where they went?
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