Knitters are just the coolest people. When I was at Vogue Knitting Live in Seattle, a toy knitter (and occasional) commenter here) named Deb stopped me at one point and told me that she had an ideal tool for getting stuffing into small spaces: hemostats! The word was vaguely familiar to me, and I made a mental note to check it out. But before I could do so, Deb surprised me a month or so later by sending me a pair.
They look like scissors, but the tips have little teeth that make them handy for grasping all sorts of small things with precision. They’re also made so that it’s easy to lock them in place as they pinch something—I haven’t used this feature yet, but I imagine it could be really helpful for some things (aside from surgical procedures). In any case, I tried them out, and they really are great for inserting a pinch of stuffing into a small object.
Probably the original designer didn’t have this in mind, but a quick internet search showed me that they’re pretty affordable and people are using them for all sorts of small projects where standard pliers are too big or clumsy.
This makes me curious about what other kinds of unconventional tools knitters are using for stuffing or other techniques. If you have a little invention, please share in the comments!
I use very fine pointed tweezers.
I also use the blunt end of a larger crochet hook to push it fully in after I have placed it.
I also like to use the rounded (stop) end of a straight bamboo needle to stuff things into longer knit object.
Also use crochet hook.
I see some hemostats in my future.
Neat! I usually just use sissors or the wooden stick that came with my last bag of stuffing…I’ll have to look those up!
My sister used hemostats in her career. At home, they used them all the time, calling them a “getter”
I also use chopsticks for stuffing. And a really long cooking one for turning sewn straps.
I just use wooden chopsticks I got from a Japanese fast food joint!
I use tweezers mostly then the end of a knitting needle for pushing the stuffing down if the piece I’m working on is long. I only use short straight needles when knitting toys so always have them handy anyway!
I make cloth art dolls, and the one tool I cannot live without are my hemostats! I have them in almost every size available, some with padded grips, some with the locking mechanism cut off–they really are essential to anyone making stuffed toys/dolls/sculptures of any kind. An important tip on stuffing in general: use the biggest piece possible. The more little bits you pack in, the more lumps you will have. I kind of tease out the stuffing like a spinner would roving, trying to stuff the item with as much of a continuous piece as I can.
I use a knitting needle, sometimes a crochet hook, or my scissors.
I’ve been using hemostats for years with my toy creations, specially nice for stuffing little items….I am a professional Dog groomer, and they are the same tool we use , to pluck the hair out of the dogs ears. Also my husband is a fisherman, and he uses this handy tool a lot, you can find them in the fishing departments in all sporting stores.
I use a knitting needle for stuffing thin objects, as well as using them to turn a fabric tube inside out!
i use the long tweezers that came with my serger– very similar!
ps: i can’t stop making monkeys… love the zaru pattern!
I took a class with Abby Glassenberg, and she uses hemostats to stuff her toys. I bought a set shortly afterwards and they are awesome!