Happy Friday!
School has been hectic for me. Lots of reading and writing, and it's only been two weeks! Since it's been so nuts for me, I haven't had much time to craft. This last project, my crochet hook handles, took way longer than it they should have because I had so little time to work on them. But in any case, I hope you enjoy it!
Apparently I'm very fragile. If I crochet for long periods of time, my hands and wrists end up hurting really bad for days. My hypothesis is that I hold on very tightly (but I can't seem to fix that) to such a tiny hook. I tried making my own handles using this tutorial, and it actually worked really well for me. However, I was unable to make them as pretty as those - my tape kept showing and the grips kept slipping.
See? Not so nice.
So I decided to poke around Pinterest (because that's where I find a lot of inspiration for what I do), and I kept seeing people making handles with fimo or polymer clay. I dug through my crafty bin and found some Sculpey clay, and it just snowballed from there.
Let's do this.
This is all you'll need for the first half of this tutorial. MAKE SURE THAT THE HOOKS YOU'RE USING ARE METAL. That's very important.
Knead the clay into a smooth handle around each hook. I put down some wax paper so as not to ruin my table. This part took me forever, because I'm a perfectionist. I made sure to keep the thumb rest clear of clay so that I could still see the hook's letter and number.
Once you make handled for all your hooks, place them on a baking sheet (I wrapped mine in aluminum foil because I'm paranoid about this stuff coming into contact with food, no matter how many times I wash it.
Bake them in the oven at 275F for 30 minutes (or whatever it says on the package of whatever clay you use). I don't have an egg timer or anything, so I have to use the timer on my microwave. :-)
After the handles have cooled completely (I let them sit overnight), wrap masking tape around the edge of the hook where it meets the handle. This will prevent paint from getting on the hook.
Pick out the paints you'll be using and grab your tools! I'm using a black sparkle base with pastel rainbow dots.
Paint away!!
I hung mine on knotted string to let them dry. I figured you could also stick them hook-first into Styrofoam or floral foam, as well. I just happened to have string lying around. I also put a paper towel underneath it, just in case.
Now, my paint dried really sticky. I have no idea why, but I fixed it at the end. You'll see....
I let mine dry over night, partially because it was sticky. If yours is sticky, it doesn't mean it's not dry.
I painted teeny polka dots onto my hooks by pushing a small pin into an eraser and dipping it into paint and onto the hooks. It actually created a fun texture, too! But you can paint anything you want - flowers, dogs, swirls, whatever!
When I took my tape off, I noticed that it had covered some of the clay, so it was still white. I fixed it by dipping a toothpick into black paint and touching it up.
Mod Podge the hooks in order to seal them - this is what makes them no longer sticky! Hooray!
Ta da!! So pretty! I love them! They're pretty comfortable, too. Not bad. :-)
Let me know how this tutorial goes for you!! I'd love to see pictures of your finished products! Until next time!!
