Jenny's Tip for Jewelry Makers

Thanks to Jenny from Jetsy for the following tip!

I highly recommend that people wear their own jewelry. You will learn so much about your craft if you see what your customers are getting. Someone gave me a bracelet she had made, but she had no idea that the crystals on it scratched like crazy or that it was impossible to clasp without an extra pair of hands. I know another artist whose charms continuously fall off his jewelry because he only uses one jump ring to attach them. These are things the makers would realize if they gave their own pieces a spin.

How to Take Great Photographs of Your Jewelry: Crest Tutorial

Many thanks to Debby at EurekaEureka for the following tutorial on how to take great photos even if you don't have a great camera.

I don't have the best of digital cameras. In fact it's quite old ( Cool Pix 995) and doesn't have all those fancy settings on it or a special macro lens. It only has a 4x zoom and only about 1/3 the amount of the pixels of the new cameras. About a year ago I thought perhaps I'd bite the bullet and buy a fancier camera so I went looking with my husband at the Canon Rebel that everyone was recommending. Well if I had had about $600 for the camera and then about another $600 for the special macro lens I would have been in business.

My husband is a professional photographer ( of faceted gemstones like we sell in our shop of vintage bead supplies, faceted gemstones and now mineral specimens)and insisted that it wasn't necessary to spend all this money. He kept insisting if I 'improved my lighting' and then did some editing later on in my picture program( Picassa) that I'd be fine. So....... he got these huge pieces of shiny white paper and we taped them to my ceiling and then placed those old Torchiere standing lamps below them and turned them on. ( OBVIOUSLY you don't want to do this and forget and leave the room as these lamps get hot!).

The amount of light that this created was and is amazing! I'm not saying I'm getting the quality that I'd get if I had a fancier camera( although my husband disagrees ) but it made an ENORMOUS difference. I don't use a light box like I've read so many people use - but just this "system" with a lamp also on the table next to the item I'm photographing! Here a few examples of what this system can produce and 3 items I sell in my shops - the bracelet is from my ForeverInStyle Etsy shop and the other 2 items are in our Etsy supplies shop EurekaEureka.

Knitting Tutorial from one of our own!

Carol from Retrothreads is here to show us one of her Tutorial Tricks of the Trade! Below is a 6 step process for Knitting Backwards.

Why, you ask ? So you never have to turn your work again !!! Useful for working short rows or if you just don't like to purl (like me).

Step 1:
Finish knitting across row.

Note: Yarn is held in left hand (continental)



Step 2:
Insert left hand needle in last stitch worked behind right hand needle.

Note: Yarn is held in left hand (continental)



Step 3:
Wrap yarn around left hand needle front to back from the left side.

Note: Yarn is held in left hand (continental)


Step 4:
Push stitch on right needle up and over yarn previously wrapped around left needle.

Note: Yarn is held in left hand (continental)


Step 5:
Slip RIGHT needle out of loop (removing it to finish the stitch). THIS PART CAN BE CONFUSING, because it feels weird to leave the stitch on the left hand needle, but remember...you're working from LEFT to RIGHT !!!

Note: Yarn is held in left hand (continental)


Step 6:
Begin next stitch by inserting left hand needle into right hand stitch on the back side. Repeat steps 1-5.

Note: Yarn is held in left hand (continental)



Thanks Carol! Let us know if try this trick and how it worked out for you.