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How-to: Neon Picnic Tablecloth Weights

July 10, 2012 3 Comments

When I sat down to do some crafting this weekend, I wanted to challenge myself, a la Craft Wars. Use supplies on hand to create something pretty as well as practical from stuff around the house, whether or not it’s a traditional crafting material. I also gave myself a time limit by putting on a one-hour TV show and got to work. Here’s what I came up with:

A set of four picnic tablecloth weights made with washers, clothespins and mason line. My grandparents had a store-bought version of these things that featured glazed metal frogs hanging from spring-loaded clips. They always looked kind of morbid, and they always got lost in the shuffle of cleaning up after a picnic with a zillion grandkids running around covered in sticky watermelon. These little dudes, with being neon to the point of hurting my eyes as I edited the photos for this post, are hard to loose track of in a picnic situation.

Supplies

mason line twine in two colors

4 clothespins with springs

8 washers

scissors

tapestry needle

super glue (optional)

Directions

Cut four 2-foot lengths of each color of mason line. String one piece of mason line through the spring of your clothespin. Then using a needle, sew a piece of mason line in your second color through the spring.

Line up your ends so that they’re the same length. Tie a knot next to each side of the clothespin, keeping the same length of string on each side.

Tie a knot at the top of where you’d like one of your weights to hang.

Weave one of your colors (in my case yellow) from the front of your washer and the other color (pink for me) from the back through the center of the washer, as shown.

Wrap your first color all the way around the washer. When you reach the end of the washer, all of the inside of the washer will be covered. The outside of the washer will reveal pieces of the metal inside for now.

Loosen the pink twine and thread the end of the yellow (first) string through the pink line to stay in place. Pull the pink line tight to secure the yellow.

Begin winding the pink (second color) of twine from the back through the front – the opposite way from how you wound the first color of twine – and hook it in the spaces between each wrap of the yellow (first color). The result will be a sort of peppermint design.

When you get all the way around with your second color, flip your wrapped washer over and tie the two pieces in a square knot to secure. You can add a drop of super glue onto the finished knot to 100% guarantee its security if you want. Trim excess length from your knot.

Repeat the whole wrapping and tying process on the other side of your clothespin to complete your first tablecloth weight.

When you take a full set of four of these out to a picnic, there are a couple ways to attach them to your tablecloth to keep it from blowing away. You can simply clip it to an end like this:

Or you can gather the corner of your table cloth into a bundle under each corner of your table and clip into place. As you can see from this photo I captured on a windy day in my building’s hideous yard, the corner-gathering method works really well for securing your tablecloth. It’s like creating a faux fitted sheet on the top of your table to make it stay despite kids pulling at it, wind, and other picnic factors.

A tip to keep in mind when you’re trying to cover a table in a breeze is to clip these weights to your shirt hem! It makes it really easy to keep track of them. All this picnic talk makes me want to go get some watermelon and have a picnic right now…

Filed Under: Home Decor, How-to Tagged With: clothespins, How-to, mason line, mason twine, neon, picnic, summer, super glue, washers

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Comments

  1. andi

    June 2, 2013 at 12:46 pm

    Fabulous idea!

    Reply
  2. BriAnna

    October 4, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    Was 8 washer enough to keep the tablecloth from blowing around and coming up? What size of washers did you use?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      October 9, 2016 at 12:18 pm

      Mine were 1.5 inches in diameter. If you’re looking at really high winds, you may want more/bigger clips, but it’s totally your call. Good luck! -Heidi

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

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Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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