Using the Knitting Helper

One of our best sellers is the Knitting Helper which is imported from Europe by Mercurius for Spiral Garden.

It's a very simple design made from raw timber with a stick for looping the wool over each hook. Instructions are included, but we also found this tutorial online and wanted to share the link with you.

We have many knitting helpers in stock right now, at only $7.50 each, they're a great gift idea!

Related Products:
Hand-dyed Yarn
Knitting Kit (yarn only)
Crochet Hooks

Autumn Craft

There has been great interest in our Autumn Products and a customer wrote today to ask about ideas for crafts to use the Autumn Craft Pack. We're working on some fact sheets to go with the craft packs for those customers who need some help choosing what to make. I do really like the idea of keeping it open-ended and more organic though, and the results customers have shared amaze me!


We stock some books with craft ideas, as well as the wonderful Living Crafts magazine subscriptions (back issues coming in 2010).

There are also endless ideas shared by generous like-minded folk online. Here are a few (try searching for waldorf, steiner, craft, autumn, fall and see what you can discover too!)

Mama Roots' Tomten Pattern (in preparation for the coming winter)

Walnut Cradle at Make-Stuff (another one for the nature table)

Craft Ideas' Autumn Leaves (for the window, a mobile, a wreath, or...?)

Gnome Tutorial at Wee Folk Art (there's also a cute sleeping bag pattern here - adapt to any season)


Items you can make from our craft pack include, but are not limited to -
* cards, wall hangings, mobiles or single decorations (a leaf on a piece of yarn, for example)
* bags, purses, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, crowns
* fairies, gnomes, dolls, animals and other little figures for play or the nature table
* beds, pillows, blankets, rugs, clothes - capes and hats, flowers, leaves, tress and other accessories for above characters
* finger puppets and dolly peg puppets
* photo frames, pin cushions, pouches, garlands, yarn dolls, felt food...

Wet Felting

We were blessed to be introduced to wet felting at a recent homeschool gathering. We began with some merino-cross wool tops, or a LOT of fleece!

The fleece from Day One of Dyeing

Another mother and I proceeded to dye the fleece a rainbow of colours. This seemed like a fun idea, and a way to make the workshop more economical for participants. By the end of the second day it seemed like work. Hot, smelly, wet work! You can find the description of how we went about dyeing with food dyes here.



The felting was great fun, though - relaxed and easy enough for all ages to enjoy. We brought home some leftover fleece and have enjoyed making more felt balls, and now felted soaps like these (using Shady Grove soaps).

Colour Circle Paints

Sometimes we're asked why we only stock three colours of Stockmar paints.

They are sold as a set of three 20ml bottles and are ideal for transparent painting. They are produced from gum arabic and the finest light-resistant colour pigments, have a very high yield-value and remain completely water-soluble when dry. The colour tones have been chosen so that they can be mixed to yield all intermediate shades without losing their brilliance and intensity. Mixed with white, the watercolours can be used for non-transparent painting.

The selection of Stockmar watercolours is based on the natural graduation of the twelve-part colour-circle, in accordance with Goethe’s theory of colours. They include the primary colours red, blue and yellow and possess high spectral purity and transparency. With these three colour-circle colours, the complete colour-circle can be created. They can be used in all usual ways and are suitable for all known watercolouring techniques.

For activities using Stockmar products, see their website.

Here are some pdf Tip Sheets on using the Colour Circle Paints:
Introduction and Initial Techniques
Working Materials
Mixing Colours

Related Products:
Colour Circle Watercolour Paints - set of 3

Using the Craft Packs

I often hear of projects families have made together using the Seasonal Craft Packs Rainbow Made and Spiral Garden put together...

This week Savannah shared this photo and said, "Here is a tic-tac-toe game we made with the felt, velour and thread from the Summer and Christmas Seasonal craft packs."

Related Products:
White Craft Pack
Spring Craft Pack
Summer Craft Pack
Autumn Craft Pack
Winter Craft Pack
Christmas Craft Pack

Playdough

Good fun, therapeutic, cheap and easy, a great gift idea... Here's a recipe from the Projects page of the Spiral Garden website.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup salt
• food coloring

Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in an airtight container when cooled.

Related Products:

Child Sized Aprons

Wooden Spoons

Wooden Rolling Pins

Geometrical Drawings

This is a kaleidoscopic presentation of geometrical drawings by Waldorf school sixth graders. Eugene Schwartz provides commentary on a vast array of student work. Its beauty and mathematical precision testify to the rigorous curriculum of the Waldorf middle school experience.

Related Products
Stockmar Stick Crayons
Lyra Colour Pencils
Wooden Pencil Box and Lyra Sharpener to suit

Stockmar Products

Do you like Stockmar art supplies? Have you tried them? We love them here, and have had the same ones for years. The block crayons in particular just last and last! They have been well-loved from toddlers to adults, including visitors as they're often in the basket on our table.

I choose to sell Stockmar products because they're created by a well-respected German company of over 80 years who consistently stand for aesthetics, safety and fun. To read more about Stockmar, go here.

Here are the Stockmar products we sell at Spiral Garden. If you'd like us to order any other Stockmar products for you, don't hestiate to contact Bel.

Stockmar Block Crayons
$15.50

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Stockmar Stick Crayons
$16.00

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Stockmar Modelling Wax
$15.00

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Stockmar Colour Circle Watercolours
$24.00 for three

You can go to this page on the Stockmar site and download PDF instructions on different ways to use Stockmar's products. Enjoy!