Have a product you'd like me to check out? Send me an e-mail, and maybe we'll chat about it.
Cordless hot glue is now a crafty reality.
What: ColdHeat Freestyle Cordless Glue Gun
How it works: This glue gun is great because you can use it anywhere without worrying about your proximity to an electric outlet. Powered by a rechargeable battery, it heats up and cools down quickly so you can work fast with a minimized risk of burning yourself between glue applications. There’s also a light on the tip of the gun that allows you to see where you’re gluing. At first I thought this feature was a bit much, but I was grateful to have the extra light when the sun went down and I was still on deadline gluing silk flowers onto a baby cap for my daughter's 6-month photo shoot. (The cap was a prop for an Anne Geddes-inspired shot.)
The only drawback to using this glue gun is the limited battery power. There’s enough juice to keep you gluing for about 45 minutes of continous gluing or 1.5 hours of intermittent gluing. I had to stop my intense gluing fest to recharge the battery, which slowed my creative momentum. However, this situation could have been avoided if I had an extra battery charged up and at the ready. I contacted the company and learned the Cold Heat folks do not sell batteries separately, but plan to eventually. In the meantime, I'm going to have to pace myself.
Cost: $29.95
Where to get it: Available online only. Visit the ColdHeat site for more info.
Have a product you'd like me to check out? Send me an e-mail, and maybe we'll chat about it.
Want to sample new yarns without buying the whole
skien?
Here's something that can build your stash at a
manageable pace.
What:
The
Yarn of the Month Club
is
a subscription-based yarn sampling program.
How
it works: Each
month four new yarn samples are mailed to your door a
long with a pattern. You won't get enough yarn to
make the pattern, but you'll receive enough to yarn
to make a 4 by 4 swatch or some other mini project
you dream up.
Cost: $7.75
per month
Owned
by: Sara
Lucas, co-author of "Holiday Knits: 25 Great Gifts
From Stockings to Sweaters"
I recently had the delightful experience of sampling
the Yarn of the Month Club
and
got a kick out of being able to test out fun new
yarns. The nice thing about this program is that
you can try out new yarns without having to buy a
whole skein of each variety. This is great for
those who like to swatch, design and make small
projects. Subscribers get access to online
patterns and can participate in online forum
discussions with fellow club members.
If you want to know more, listen in on my brief conversation with Yarn of the Month Club owner and knit pattern designer, Sara Lucas. I plan to interview Sara for the podcast when her next book comes out, so stay tuned for that.
