Life’s too short to knit with ugly needles! Okay, maybe they’re not ugly, but nothing is safe around here from dyeing, coloring or decorating!
I would not recommend doing this with expensive tools, but hey, why not pretty up those cheapy hooks and needles? I used plain, plastic crochet hooks and super cheap bamboo knitting needles. The bamboo was actually very nice but I like how they now look stained, rather than colored.
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Supplies:
– Cheap Plastic Crochet Hooks
and Bamboo Knitting Needles
– Permanent Markers (various colors – I used BIC markers)
– Clear Acrylic Spray (hint: it’s cheaper in the hardware dept)
– Rubbing Alcohol (for the Knitting Needles)
– Cotton balls or paper towels
Crochet Hooks
Just start coloring! I got so carried away, I finished coloring all of the hooks before I could get a photo, lol. So, just dive in and color the hooks any way you want. There’s no right or wrong here. Using the side of the markers worked better than the tip. Also, overlap the edges of different color patches to blend them a bit. When using yellow, make sure to do the blending after filling in the desired space as the yellow marker picks up the darker colors and makes them a bit muddy.
Before & After:
I originally planned to drip rubbing alcohol on the colored hooks to get that watercolor effect, but it didn’t really work. Probably because the needles are round. And, I actually really like the way they turned out, just colored.
Let everything dry for a while and then spray the hooks with the Clear Acrylic Spray. I used “High Gloss” spray to make the colors pop.
You will have to spray first one side, let it dry, and then spray the other side.
Knitting Needles
Color the bamboo knitting needles the same way as the crochet hooks. Let them dry for a bit and then wipe them with a cotton ball or paper towel dipped in rubbing alcohol. This removes the excess color, leaving behind the stained bamboo. Cool, huh??
Once again, let everything dry and then spray the needles with the Acrylic Spray to make them nice and shiny.
I’m not sure how the colors will hold up under use but I suspect the acrylic coating will make them last a long time.
What do you think? Do you like them better before or after?
Peace,
Annette
FiberArtsy
