Quickie Question: What Can’t You Pass Up?
By Twistie
Ah, the siren song of the cash register! It calls most of us for one thing or another. For one, it’s beads. For another, paint. For yet another, bits of detritus that will one day be turned into amazing pieces of found object craftiness.
So I’m going to come clean: (clears throat) My name is Twistie, and I’m a bobbinaholic. If I see a lace bobbin, I must have it if at all possible. I will ignore the fact that I am spending the grocery money if I find an antique bobbin with a cool bit of decoration, or a modern bobbin made of an unusual material. I have come mighty close to maxing out a credit card because I had one day in a lacemaker’s supply and they had fabulous bobbins and I couldn’t make up my mind which to buy… so I went a little nuts. I have wandered eBay for hours looking at all the pretty bobbins, and sending in bids on the ones I liked best. Yes, I have won quite a few of those auctions.
I don’t go to eBay much anymore. It was too expensive for me. I do need to remember to feed Mr. Twistie, too. But if he buys one more guitar this year, he’d better be prepared for me to go on the hunt for another hanging bobbin. I’m just saying.
What about you? What crafting tool or supply can’t you pass up, no matter what? Is it thread or tile? Beads or drill bits? Are you constantly searching for the Most Awesome Glue Gun of All Time? Tell me all about it!
November 15th, 2011 at 7:41 am
Fabric. Especially batiks or indigos. Some people would be content with a fat quarter, but if a quarter is good, a yard would be better. And as long as you’re getting a yard, might as well get two. You never know what you’re going to want it for and you sure don’t want to run out…
November 16th, 2011 at 10:18 am
There’s this one kind of double pointed knitting needles that I buy whenever I see them. They’re kind of hard to find and I kind of repeat they’ve stopped making them. They are available in the small sizes- 0, 1 and 2 mostly. They’re a thin wire covered in plastic. This makes them perfect pretty much. They have the flexibility of a wood or bamboo but not the fragility. They have the strength of a metal needle but not the harshness of one. They don’t bite into your fingers like the metal needles do. They are the absolute best sock knitting needles.
November 17th, 2011 at 3:30 am
Yarn. And I don’t even knit, crochet or weave that much. Not enough to go through a significant part of my yarn stash, anyway. But a nice yarn in a pretty color? Yum!
November 18th, 2011 at 4:36 am
Stitch markers. I can never have too many, because I’m constantly losing them or loaning them out to students and customers and because they’re just SO FREAKING COOL!
The other thing I can’t pass up? Tatting shuttles. I just adore tatting shuttles. Cheap plastic, bone, bakelite, steel, sterling silver, porcelain… I love ‘em all!