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Bakelite or not?

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This is my second post in a series about Bakelite. I had planned to write first about Bakelite jewelry styles, but a lot of you asked me about recognizing Bakelite, so I'll write about that first. (You can read my introduction to Bakelite here .) Is it Bakelite or not? Visually: If you see seams in the plastic or mould markings it definitely is NOT Bakelite. In the finishing process these were removed. The surface is generally very smooth, even after wear. Even if a bangle has been treated unkindly (on flea markets I often find them in boxes thrown together with other stuff) it will usually have a smooth patina of tiny little scratches. In case of a bigger deeper scratch (ouch!) it will show the same solid underlying colour. White Bakelite tends to get more cream coloured over the years. So if you find a sparkly bright white vintage 'Bakelite' piece: beware, and make sure you test it by other methods. Holding it in you hands: Bakelite is heavier than most mode...
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Sewing project for knitters: an interchangeable needle case.

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I treasure my interchangeable circular needles. They are easy for adding needle length when knitting large shawls. And you always have all needle size/length combinations at hand. My circular needle set is from KnitPro , but there are other brands who carry them, like HiyaHiya. The only size that didn't work for me was 3mm. The wooden tips kept breaking. Steel points are better for me when thin needles are required. But for everything 3.5mm and up I am very content with Knit Pro. Keeping the needles loose in a basket was not an ideal storage solution. I needed to keep them out of reach from our cat Dita as she has been caught stealing wooden crochet hooks and sock needles before. But searching for a pair of the same size in the basket became a bit of a nuisance. Google brought me to the blog Life According to Missus Vonkysmeed . She posted a sewing pattern for a needle case. I read the whole pattern description twice to make sure I understood all the steps to take. For ...
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Sew Along - Worlds End Drape Shirt - part 1

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After coming across a post about Vivienne Westwood's Reading List I was browsing around on the WORLDS END SHOP blog and found an interesting free Do It Yourself pattern of the Drape Shirt . Enthusiastic I shared the link to Facebook friends. And now some friends are going to make it as well. Do you want to join in? Here's the link to the pattern: http://worldsendshop.co.uk/drape-shirt/ The pattern comes in 3 sizes (small/medium/large). The PDF has to be printed out on A4 papers. For size large it was 43 pages. Very important: do not mess up to order of the papers or you're screwed! Clear a floor space of 2x2 meter minimum. Start in the top left corner. Lay the first printed page down. Place the second under it. Continue till page 5. Then cut page 6. The lowest half of page 6 fits on the right side of page 1. See photo's: The arrows show where to connect the pages. Then crawl on all fours for half an hour with cellotape taping all the pieces tog...
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