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Santa came early! Free crochet pattern for you!

12/21/2014

 
With Christmas only a few days away and the darkness of the shortest day of the year surrounding us, I thought I would give you all something different from the usual blog post.

Hopefully you are an experienced crocheter, or maybe not, you just enjoy the pretty lights, especially during the holidays. Be as it may, this crochet pattern for a mason jar fairy light luminary is for you. 
I wish you all great holidays and a great 2015!

Fairy lights lantern tutorial: crochet a lace cover for your lantern. Merry Christmas from Harsh and Sweet!
Update, December 31st, 2014.
I hope you are having fun with this crochet pattern and I like to think that you are very close to having a new fairy lights lantern for your home!
To spread the fun, after appearing here this pattern has also been posted in Diana Moore's blog, Simple Crochet and Crafts. As you'll realize as soon as you follow the link, this is a wonderful blog with some great patterns and great ideas for a number of different crafts including patterns for robots, baby accessories, hats, and much more. I especially recommend you to take a look at Diana's blog if by any chance you are more at ease with a pattern than with a diagram since a pattern is now available on Diana's blog. 
Could this be the most fun of your New Year resolutions? It would be a very easy one to keep!
Have fun with it and get in touch if you need help!

Harmful chemicals, the environment, and jewelry making

12/17/2014

 
It is very unfortunate, but making jewelry can require several extremely polluting substances. Some of them are so toxic that you are not supposed to use them unless your workspace is well aerated, as the fumes can make you sick and even cause lung damage. But even an adequate workspace will not protect you from burns, in the event that these chemicals come in contact with your skin or your eyes. Protective gear is required, and paying attention is essential.

However, some of the processes used in jewelry making leave behind unseemly residues that simply must be cleaned up.  The dark heatscale that coats any silver that has been melted with a torch is a case in point. Not only will it leave a dark mark on anything it touches, but it just doesn't look good. 

The opposite process, oxidation, also comes with its own challenges. While adding a very nice dark coloring to silver, oxidation is often obtained with liver of sulphur, a highly toxic substance. 

 
Harmful chemicals, the environment, and jewelry making blog post by Harsh and Sweet
Courtesy of Tugxedo.com and Canva.com


The problem then becomes how to accomplish everything that these strong chemicals can do without actually using any of them, and how to protect both the person making jewelry and the environment, which can be negatively impacted by these substances. 

The good news is that heatscale can be removed from metal and silver can be oxidized without any strong chemicals
. Of course, both procedures entail a series of chemical reactions of one kind or another, but instead of harmful acids one can use very safe substances that we all have in the house. The process will take longer, but the advantages, in terms of safety and the environment, are worth the wait.

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