chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 My 12 yr old is a keen crocheter and she's currently working on this project: The pattern calls for Sharpie pen in beige and brown to draw onto the brushed-finish crochet. We can't find Sharpies in those colours, but I have found BIC permanent markers. Both Sharpies and BIC are alcohol-based permanent markers. I'm wondering if we could substitute the BIC for the Sharpie? I wonder if it's essentially the same product, but with a different brand name? I can only find the necessary colours in an expensive BIC 24-pack though, so I don't want to jump right in and buy the BICs. I'm going to suggest to her to crochet a test swatch and practise the technique regardless of whether it's Sharpie or BIC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 I think that it’s the same thing but different brands. But I think your test swatch idea is a good one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 2, 2018 Author Share Posted October 2, 2018 If I could just go in and buy individual BICs in the right colours, for maybe $2 - $3 each, I wouldn't even hesitate. But they're only available as part of 24-packs. Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 I don't know about beige, but you can find brown Sharpies. I have one myself, and I see they are available from Amazon. Adorable craft, by the way!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 33 minutes ago, Storygirl said: I don't know about beige, but you can find brown Sharpies. I have one myself, and I see they are available from Amazon. Adorable craft, by the way!! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find single brown Sharpies without ordering in from overseas (we're in Australia). We don't have time for that, because this is a gift. I can get the brown Sharpie in a pack, but the pack has no beige, which is why I'm leaning towards the BIC, which at least has both colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 If she's crafty, she'll use them again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulySusan Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 It probably wouldn't matter for your project, but our experience with BIC permanent markers was that they aren't as permanent as Sharpies. Specifically, my dd and friends used them to autograph each others' tshirts, and the ink ran when washed. It doesn't look like your project would have that risk, since I'm guessing it isnt washable anyway. Very cute! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 38 minutes ago, Farrar said: If she's crafty, she'll use them again. Exactly true. And she'll look after them well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 What about an ink alternative, like paint? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 (edited) 15 hours ago, Fifiruth said: n/a (Sorry, I mistakenly posted a great craft pen, but then I realized that it had disappearing ink!) Now I'm curious. What sort of craft uses disappearing ink? Is it for marking cut lines on fabric perhaps? Actually, just yesterday my daughter was putting eyes and nose onto a crochet monkey she's making. She had to try a couple of times to get the positioning just right. Marking the spots first would be really helpful. How well does it actually disappear? Edited October 3, 2018 by chocolate-chip chooky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 1 hour ago, chocolate-chip chooky said: Now I'm curious. What sort of craft uses disappearing ink? Is it for marking cut lines on fabric perhaps? Actually, just yesterday my daughter was putting eyes and nose onto a crochet monkey she's making. She had to try a couple of times to get the positioning just right. Marking the spots first would be really helpful. How well does it actually disappear? Various brands disappear with water or just with exposure to air. The ones that disappear on their own may take a couple of days to disappear. They tend to be at fabric stores. People who sew are always looking for ways to make temporary marks that last through certain conditions and are easily removable under other conditions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 15 hours ago, chocolate-chip chooky said: Now I'm curious. What sort of craft uses disappearing ink? Is it for marking cut lines on fabric perhaps? Actually, just yesterday my daughter was putting eyes and nose onto a crochet monkey she's making. She had to try a couple of times to get the positioning just right. Marking the spots first would be really helpful. How well does it actually disappear? I use FriXion http://pilotpen.us/categories/frixion-erasable-ink-pens/ when I quilt to mark my lines. Compared to most of my quilting friends I am really brave because I do designs on white etc. Heat makes the ink disappear so ironing or blow drying cleans an area up quickly. I can’t see it and I am picky......white thread on white is just fine. So far I have only had to reapply heat to a couple of small spots that got way too much ink. The ink can come back in cold temps but easy to disappear again......experiments lead me to believe it will only come back about four times. Washing and drying seems to work too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 5, 2018 Author Share Posted October 5, 2018 Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your help. I've ordered the set of BIC pens. I'll look into a disappearing ink pen too, I think. That would be quite handy for my daughter. I didn't even know such a thing exists, so thanks heaps for mentioning it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Update: We went with the BICs, my daughter did a whole stack of test swatches in various colours and ended up deciding she liked the black/grey best ? Here's the final outcome: 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 And just for fun, I'll post the other gift she crocheted as well: 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 Big thank yous to everyone who helped out with this thread ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Those are so cute! What a great job she did. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted October 11, 2018 Author Share Posted October 11, 2018 21 minutes ago, kand said: So cute! And funny that she chose the black after all this lol. FWIW, I bought a huge multi pack of the permanent Bic markers that I found cheap at a consignment store probably almost 10 years ago. I have used them for lots of different things, and they are all still working. So, hopefully you will still get lots of use out of them. I have zero regrets buying the pack. The testing of colours was a process that needed to happen, and I know she'll look after these pens and use them for all kinds of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Oh my gosh! Those are the most adorable things ever!!!! I’m so impressed!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Super Cute and nice stiches! I don't know where all you looked for them, but in the future, try art supply stores for individual color pens. They are more likely to have individual colors than office stores. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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