rigid 0.5 mm knitting needles: If you want rigid steel 0.5 mm for knitting needles, ask any surgeon for a piece of 0.5 mm K wire. (Kirshner wire). I used it to "pin" and hold cut bones together. The K wire comes in a variety of thickness'. They are not expensive and can be purchased in packets of 5 or 6.( Its been a while; and I can't recall )They come round pointed or "trochar" which has a three sided point. They are about 10" long and are cut easily with a wire cutter.

Drbob

New Knitting Pattern: I have created a new knitting pattern on the http://CastingForPurls.com/ web site. It is a baby's undershirt, which is very simple to knit, but the results are quite sweet. Select the Patterns link, then select Baby Eric's Undershirt. I hope you get around to knitting it sometime!

Joy in Pointe Claire

DIY needlepoint design: I am sure there are professional needlepoint design packages available for your computer, but if you only operate in a small way like me, there is an alternative. For this you need to have Microsoft Excel on your system - other spreadsheet packages may offer the same facility, I don't know.

FOR THE GRAPH PAPER
Open Microsoft Excel. To the left of the A and above the 1 there is a box. Click on the box. The whole spreadsheet will go black. eek! But don't worry - all this means is 'globalisation' i.e. anything you do to one cell will happen to all cells. Move the cursor to the ABC etc. line, and move it along until suddenly on the vertical line between A and B it will turn into a cross. Click on the left hand side of the mouse and drag the cross to the left - you will see every cell become narrower. Now do the same thing between the 1 and the 2, and every horizontal cell will become narrower. Play around until you have the size graph paper you like. Click on FILE in the upper left hand corner, go to PAGE SET UP, go to SHEET - under PRINT will be listed GRIDLINES - click on that box. That will give you hard lines on your printed out sheet.

Now for the fun part, the coloring in.

HOW TO COLOR IN
So you have your empty graph paper. Move towards the center ie go down and to the right, as your design will take up space. Say you want to design a bunny cross stitch or needlepoint design. You will want brown for the bunny. To the right of the screen is a tilted paint pot. Click on the square you want to use so it is highlighted. Go to the little arrow beside the paint pot and click on that - a whole spectrum of colors is revealed. Move the cursor around until the name of the color you want is revealed. Click on the color using left hand side of mouse.

Your cell will go brown if you have chosen brown. The color stripe under the paint pot will also have turned to brown which means all you have to do now is highlight a cell, then click on the paint pot itself and the cell will go brown. When you need to change colors simply go back to the spectrum.

WHAT IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE??
One of the most boring things about doing all this manually on graph paper is if you make a mistake because it makes a mess making it right. Here it is simple. If you make a mistake, go back to the paint pot spectrum - at the top is an elongated box 'No Fill'. So click on the square you wish to 'rub out', go to the spectrum, and click on 'No Fill'. Your wrong color will disappear.

WARNING
I assume you will want to print out and use the colored graph you have made. Make the colors more extreme in your computer coloring in - if you make them charming and subtle your printer, who is an uncultured yob, will not perceive the subtle gradations and nuances of hue, and make all the blue family say, two blues, when you have used 5 blues. This is not what you want.

Helen from York, England

Source for trims, wigging, bunka: Etcetera, Etc carries many tiny trims, wigging and bunka. Her catalog has examples of many of the trims. Well worth the $3.00. Her shipping cost are more reasonable then you normally find.

Pam's address is Etcetera Etc, 13 Isla Court, Roswell, NM 88201.

Vickie
Aug. 6 2004

Fabric shops in NYC: The garment district has such a wealth of merchandise of every description you can surely get lost there for days if you let yourself. Most of the shops specialize, unlike in the suburbs where there are places like Joann's Fabrics, which are sort of supermarkets for yard good, trims and crafts. Here you will find shops that just specialize in beaded and bridal fabrics, upholstery fabrics, only trimmings, only beads, millinery, sewing supplies only, etc. Most places will sell small amounts and many sell both wholesale and retail. A few of my favorite haunts are:

For fabrics - including silks and cottons at half price at the Annex (Minimum yardage for 1/2 price is 1 yd)
Paron West / Paron Annex
206 West 40th Street, (7th Ave)
New York, New York 10018
Phone 212 768 3266
Fax 212.768.3260
Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:00AM-5:45PM
Thursday: 9.00AM-7PM
Sunday: Closed
http://www.paronfabrics.com/index.html

-M & J Trimming has trimmings of every description: cords, laces, fringes 1000 Sixth Ave. ((Between 37th & 38th Sts.). Tel: 212-391-8731
They also have a fairly complete website: http://www.mjtrim.com/

-Tinsel Trading Company: Large variety of decorative trims, ribbons, buttons and beads
47W.38thSt. Tel: 212-730-1030 They have lots of vintage and antique stuff.

-Hyman Hendler & Sons
67 W. 38th St. (5th/6th avs)
All kind of ribbons - old, new, narrow to maybe 2 feet wide (Some of the larger ones might work as fabrics for minis) European tassels and tiebacks in silk and cotton; Tel: 212-840-8393

-Toho Shoji 990 Sixth Ave.(betw. 36th/37th Streets). bead, rhinestones, findings. Tel: 212-868-7465; http://www.tohoshojiny.com

-Metalliferous Inc - jewelry supplies, beads, crystal 34 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036
http://www.metalliferous.com

Near each of the above there are many other stores of the same types. These are just some of the ones that I like and keep going back to.

Rachelle in N.Y.
Aug. 6 2004

Source for skiver leather: try ladies leather gloves. I found some at a flea market, you might also find some at garage sales or thrift stores. The leather is very thin, and pliable (if they are in good condition). I have made an English saddle with a black glove, and it shaped beautifully over my Fimo base. It will even stretch around the curves.

Lynette Barker,
Aug 11 2004

Leather source: Al Chandronnait sells leather for miniature projects. His address is:
Al Chandronnait
19 Winnhaven Drive
Hudson NH 03051

Joan Wheatley
Boiling Springs, SC
Aug. 11 2004

Aug 11 2004

Source for leather: We carry Al Chandronnait's leather on our web site: http://smallerthanlife.com site.

We carry the leather in 3 x 6 inch sheets but don't normally sell it on line because the thickness varies a little and we don't want anyone to be disappointed.

Pam & Pete Boorum, Smaller Than Life
On Sebbins Pond, Bedford, NH

Source for bunka: Michelle Mahler's Web site http://www.minidolls.com has lots of bunca and a color chart.

JoAnn in Gardnerville, NV
Aug 7 2004

I use either bleached or unbleached muslin for rug
fringe.

Cut a strip as long as you need for both ends. Pull threads to cut it straight. I then pull threads to make the fringe as long as I want it.


Leaving about 1/4" to 1/2" unfringed to glue to the underside of your rug. This fringe is so thin and so flat and so "in scale". I usually rub across the fringe with a damp finger to "muss" it a bit so it's not so absolutely perfectly smooth.

Fannye in TX
http://www.picturetrail.com/fannye
Wed, 27 Oct 2004