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New crafting rabbit hole – Resin casting

Waterdrop resin keychains

I’ve always been a multi-crafter and that hasn’t changed, even though knitting and crochet have stayed a constant as far as crafting is concerned. The most recent rabbit hole I fell down is resin – both epoxy resin and UV resin – to create jewellery, keychains and more. Youtube has provided me with so many ideas, tutorials and general information, my mind is full of ideas and I want to buy all the supplies and make all the things. Does that happen to anyone else with new crafts?

Can you combine fibre arts and resin?

Resin necklace with black yarn and pink beads

It all started with the idea to add yarn to resin and represent my main crafts in the new one… but yarn is difficult, as there is lots of air in it and that creates tons of bubbles. A few pendants came out nice as you can see above, but fluffy acrylic yarn definitely wasn’t the best choice for my first experiments. I’m currently looking into ways to seal the yarn before adding it to the resin, to get past the problem with too many bubbles in the finished item. I’ll keep you informed if I find a solution.

The end goal is to include micro crochet flowers, mandalas and more in resin jewellery, but that’s not the only thing I plan to do. There will be more tie ins to fibre crafts, maybe handmade resin beads and charms for stitch markers, or crochet hooks with customised resin handles. Again, all those things are still in the planning, I’m more experimenting with colours and techniques at the moment to make small things to sell at my upcoming markets and here in the shop.

All the techniques, all the things

To help with my experiments, I have bought so many molds, tons of glitter, mica powders, chameleon flakes and other inlays for my pendants. I started by adding some glow in the dark pigment (Lit from Culture Hustle, not affiliated, I just love the product) and some yellow holographic flakes and made two adorable dino charms. One was turned into a magnet and sits next to my partner’s desk and crafting area. Isn’t the glow phenomenal?

And of course there are flowers and beads and sprinkles and many things I still have to use, as well as transparent and opaque dyes for my resin. I’ll show you some more things soon, I currently have a batch of items curing that I can photograph soon. There’s still way too many days with barely any daylight, so getting good photos isn’t always that easy. But some items have already been finished and even listed in the shop, like this mother’s day keychain with letter beads and dried flowers. Since it is mostly for my market in Germany, it says “Mama”, but of course I can customise something like this with any short word (max 5-6 letters) and different flower colours.

Customisable keychain with letters and flowers

 

If you want to know which products I have used so far, here are some links to Amazon UK

As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
All links will go to products I have used and can wholeheartedly recommend.

Resins

Let’s Resin UV Resin https://amzn.to/4gZjXBy
I first tried a cheap UV resin, but this hardens so much faster and better

Let’s Resin Epoxy resin https://amzn.to/4kBA5fN

Inlays and additions

Dried flowers https://amzn.to/3EYzMLo

Letter beads https://amzn.to/4i0Ogce

Gold and silver foil flakes https://amzn.to/41mG6UL

Aurora candy paper flakes https://amzn.to/3F0SJNH

Chameleon powder https://amzn.to/4inOCcK

Moulds

Dinosaur resin mould https://amzn.to/4i2cnr7

Pendant resin mould https://amzn.to/3XqBwnc

Set of keychain resin moulds https://amzn.to/3XpJrRP

 

 

 

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What’s going on?

What’s that? Yes, yes, my blog will actually be used this year!

There is so much happening at the moment, both in my life and the world in general, community became even more important to me. So I’ve decided to start blogging about things that are important to me. I know, that’s a vague statement, so I’d better clarify it a bit.

First and foremost, this will be about knitting, crochet and any other crafts I might be doing. But again, this category can be split up some more:

Fibre Arts 101

In my online community I came across a lot of the same questions over the years, so instead of answering them again and again, I will make some posts about for example fibres and their properties, which fibre is suitable for which craft/item and why, comparision between knitting and crochet and other topics. I’ve been using yarn for over 20 years now, trained to sell clothes where I was taught a lot about fibres and fabrics, and since I am allergic to most animal fibres, I have a lot of experience with substituting yarns.

If you have any topics you would like to see covered, let me know and I’ll add them to my list.

My Designs

I’m still designing patterns for knitting and crochet and will keep you updated about the progress, test calls and pattern releases here, as well as sales or events I might be participating in. And let’s not forget about the free patterns, because there will be some more of those as well. Besides the blog, you can stay up to date about those things by signing up to my newsletter.

Things I make for sale

Last year, I started selling handmade items at markets, and will keep doing that this year. On top of that, most of the things are available for sale in my shop, and I am occasionally taking commissions if time allows. All those things and reports about markets will make an appearance from time to time. Currently that includes knit and crochet accessories and clothes, resin creations and stitch markers with beads and charms. However, if a new craft obsession takes hold of me, I might expand on those.

Personal projects

Everything I make for myself, friends or family. That’s going to include paper crafts and other not yarn related things, because I’m a multi-crafter, always have been. Every once in a while I try a new craft that I obsess over for a while. And then I put it on the backburner to only dig it out on occasion.

General

Important life events, random ramblings and whatever else I feel like sharing on here. Basically everything that doesn’t fit into any of the above categories.

I’m really looking forward to this and am excited about where this year will take me – both on this blog and as a business. I hope to see you around!

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Commission me to knit or crochet for you

A collage of hand knit or crochet items

A collage of hand knit or crochet items

Want to commission me for a hand knit hat or a crochet set of coasters? Or something else? Now you can!

Currently I am working on two pairs of socks for an online friend, and I have made many other items on request in the past.

Availability of commission spots will vary depending on how much time I have available, I will decide on a case by case basis.

What can you make? 
Basically any of my patterns, or things that I have made in the past are available for commission. If in doubt, ask.

How do I contact you?
Use the contact form on this site or send me an email to redandthewolf@gmx.com

How much does a commission cost?
That depends on the item, the size and cost of materials and will be discussed with you before you commit to a purchase. All details like size, colours, fibre sensitivities for your commission will be checked and I will make you an offer.

How do the purchase and payments work?
For small items, payment needs to be done in advance, for large and therefore more expensive items, you can make a downpayment before I start work and pay the remainder once everything is finished. As said before, this will be discussed beforehand. The sale will happen through my shop, so you have the security of a known platform as a buyer.

How long does it take?
Again, that depends on the size of the item and how long it takes me to get the yarn in, but I will give you an estimate when you contact me. If you need your item by a certain deadline, just let me know and I’ll try to make it possible.

For more details, have a look at my commissions page.

If you have any more questions, please let me know.

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Dragon Scale Dice bag – now on Ko-fi

Two crochet dragon-scale dice bags in multi-coloured yarn sit on a table.

Two crochet dragon-scale dice bags in multi-coloured yarn sit on a table.

Ever since I found the Mother of Dragons dice bag pattern, I have been addicted to making them – and they have been taken off my hands faster than I can crochet new ones. So I decided to add them to the items I currently sell on ko-fi. Right now I only have the two you see here, but I’m furiously working on adding more colour options. They are the perfect size to take with you and carry easily 4-5 sets of dice.

Currently I have three more yarn options, one dice bag in pink and purple is currently on my hook. Then there is a light blue and pink yarn and one in aqua and sand colours. I might find some more in a stash dive, but for now I’m busy enough and am not vanishing down that rabbit hole. After all, I need my time for crochet.

I also can custom make them in a colour of your choice or make a bigger version – just let me know.

The pattern comes from Rachy Newin Designs and is available for free on her Patreon for those who want to crochet their own. And make sure to check out her other patterns, she is a wonderful designer and friend.

Now I’ll go back to create more stock in every colour I have, then I’ll probably have to get some new yarn. I know, what a hardship 😉

Help me plan my next yarn purchase: Which colour would you like to see for a dice bag like this?

 

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ATCs are my new addiction

ATC with a heart of red buttons, outlined by black embroidery. The background is irregularly filled with French knots in red and black

ATC with a rainbow of heart on zebra striped fabric. A thick strand of rainbow yarn frames the piece and the word LOVE is written in three places

Ever since I have been asked to be a part of the 100 artists event, I have been addicted to make one ATC after another… Wait, what am I talking about?

An ATC is an Artist Trading Card, with the set size of 2.5″x3.5″ and it can be made in any medium – painting, drawing, paper crafts, knitting, crochet, embroidery, leatherwork, whatever you can think of. Besides the size there are not really any rules – just you can NEVER sell them, they can only be traded. It’s a great way to trade art with someone, even international shipping won’t cost much.

So, now that you know what an ATC is, let’s talk about what I like so much about them:

Well, I’m still pretty new to embroidery, but on the small scale of an ATC, I can experiment with techniques, styles and different stitches. Much less daunting than working on a large project and they are done fairly quickly.

So far I’ve made one including tiny buttons (featured image for this post), one on zebra printed fabric with rainbow hearts (above), one with soft, romantic colours and lace on coffee stained fabric (below) and one that’s colourful, punk and a mix of fabrics (bottom of this post).

ATC on coffee stained fabric in pale pink, green and brown, with a bit of cream coloured lace. Bottom left has a pink heart with a brown one behind, frame is done in green. Top right corner has a multi-coloured pink rose

I have many more ideas I want to try, but I think that’s more than enough loved themed ones for the moment. But there’s so many other themes, I’m sure those won’t be the last ones you’ll see from me.

Well, I actually know I will make at last one more, in a co-stream next Friday, Feb 18 on Twitch. We haven’t decided on a theme yet, but we’ll each make an ATC and trade them once they are finished.

Have you ever made ATCs? Or thinking of starting with them? Let me know in the comments.

Punk looking ATC. From bottom left to top right corner, it has zebra fabric, black fabric, a piece of bright green and one of bright yellow. LOVE is written in white on the black part, the O is a heart cut from leopard faux fur fabric

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Subscriber hearts for Twitch

Two handknit hearts, one in red, one in purple and green stripes

6 handknit hearts in various colours are arranged in front of a white wall

I love to look at all the subscriber hearts I knit since I started on Twitch.

If you don’t follow my streams on Twitch yet: I knit a heart for every first time subscriber and they can pick a colour for me to use. And because even as a designer, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, I use a pattern by Hunter Hammersen called Palpitation for them. It’s a lot of fun to knit them, and I love the visual reminder of all the love and support I receive. So, as long as I can keep up with making them, I will keep doing so.

By now, I have a big vase full of them and have decided to send them to the subscribers after a total of 12 months subscription. But I’ll still have to get a second container to keep them in, but shopping currently isn’t high on my list of things to do with the high Covid numbers and my asthma. So it will have to wait for a while.

If you want to check out what I do on Twitch, or maybe get a heart of your own, join me for one of my upcoming streams. My current schedule is:

  • Tuesday, 3 pm CET – crafting on a current project and chatter
  • Friday, 6:30 pm CET – crafting on a current project and chatter
  • Sunday, 4 pm CET – subscriber hearts, I read a fairy tale and chatter

Currently I’m working on an embroidered dragon portrait during the week, which I’m making for an art exchange, next project will be a crochet doll of someone’s original character. I’m sure I’m not going to run out of ideas any time soon.

But now I need to hurry and make the most of the current sunshine – I urgently need to take a new photo of available yarns for the subscriber hearts, because some have been used up and I have new leftovers to add to the selection.

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Red and the Wolf Designs – all in one place!

A half-circle shawl in a gradient from orange to dark red is spread out behind a white woman to show off the full shawl. The shawl features a dragon lace pattern and garter sections.

A half-circle shawl in a gradient from orange to dark red is spread out behind a white woman to show off the full shawl. The shawl features a dragon lace pattern and garter sections.

Why a Red and the Wolf Designs website you ask? Previously, it was quite difficult to find all the important information about me and my designs – now it’s going to be all in one place. 

All my free patterns have been added as downloads already, there is a link to my shop and I plan to update you on everything right here in the blog.

Stream times on Twitch? I’ve go you:

Stream schedule, times and dates listed in text below

I will stream every Tuesday starting at 3 pm CET, every Friday at 6:30 pm CET and every Sunday at 4 pm CET. For the current week, the schedule looks like this:

Tuesday, Jan 11 – sock knitting at 3 pm CET
Friday, Jan 14 – dragon embroidery at 6:30 pm CET
Sunday, Jan 16 – sub heart and story time at 4 pm CET

The crafts will vary every week with a few set things:

Every Sunday, I read a story – right I’m making my way through Grimm’s fairy tales. And Sundays are for stream related projects, so I’ll either work on hearts for subscribers or my stream blanket.

If you want to know more, just join me on Twitch for one of the upcoming streams. I look forward to seeing you there.


All my new designs, test knits, sales and events will be posted here as well. Or you can of course sign up for my newsletter to make sure you never miss an update. I might add post that feature other designers or artists, and other items of interest. But mostly, it will be all about what happens with Red and the Wolf Designs wherever I am present.

And did you know I have started a youtube channel? So far it mostly has the videos from my Twitch streams and some funny clips from them, but I plan to add tutorials very soon.

So, keep an eye on this page and never miss anything about Red and the Wolf Designs ever again!