So I've made a few hoops now and I do a basic candy cane type pattern, with colors going opposite directions..but what are some other ways you all decorate your hoops? Anyone care to share pics? I've seen some crazy braided type patterns on websites that looks fantastic but I have no clue how that is done. I want to try something different! Thanks in advance for any suggestions/ideas :)
I just do whatever comes to me. I have done the complex weaving (I do it with two rolls going at once in different directions so I can go over/under) but it's very time consuming and costs extra. These hoops are all custom orders that I have made in the past two days. I don't really have time (or storage space) for anything besides custom. I tried building up an inventory but the new hoops just end up getting used and I can't sell them.
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And this is the one I just made for myself since the one I have recovered four times since I made it last may just got stolen. :-( Wish it was a better pic, but I don't know how to work the white balance and the flash makes it super bright (especially with that holographic tape)
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Oh WOW! Such pretty hoops!! I love how you put the stripes of color going around the inside and outside of the hoop in that second one. Beautiful! Thanks for posting pics.. they are great inspiration :) I have to re-tape my hoop soon and I want to do something pretty like that.
wow alex you hoops look great.
There is one thing that has always pulzzeld me about the hoops i see and it is, how/where do you get the really skinny tape? it looks really classy.
Jane
www.identi-tape.com has a great variety of tape and they have the 1/2" skinny kind. That's where I bought mine. Scroll down to Hula Hoop tape :)
I FINALLY bought the handy dandy slitting tool for tapes with backing. that's how I get the sparkly tapes thin. They're really hard to work with if you leave them 1 inch, and I used to cut them with scissors but that sucks. I'll make a short video clip of the slitter when I get off work and post it for you guys.
Also, when you use identi-tape, make sure you click on all the tapes and read the descriptions of them. I found some on this last order that are about 1/8 inch wide and I think they're used for graphs/charts or something like that. I LOVE them! Only in a couple diff shades of green and purple, then found some other colors in the *plastic* vinyl tape section. A nicer purple than just the violet. Really look around the entire site rather than just what they say is "hula hoop " tape
BetsyRose does some amazing creative hoop designs. Was hoping she would chime in but know she is busy planning a move to Seattle (you Seattle people are VERY lucky to get her :().
Here is one she made for Sarah, hope she sees this and has more of hers imaged:
people.tribe.net/estrellas...1db4747d4a
That one's pretty cool. I wonder how well those flowers hold up and if they make it hard to do tricks that involve using your hands. I like the look of it though. Here's a video of that handy tape slitting tool I mentioned earlier
www.youtube.com/watch
I've played with some with things looped around them (mainly glow bracelets with blinkies attached to them) and it was not too bad..
Is that tape slicer thing able to be used as you go around the hoop?
Not really. What I do that I find super easy, is slit as much tape as I think I'm going to need for the hoop, then secure the end of it to an empty core from one of my 3/4 inch vinyl tapes, and wrap my freshly cut sparkle tape around that core, then its almost as easy to use as any other tape that comes in a roll
Look for "spike" tape. It's gaffer tape made for marking stage directions; comes in lots of colors, and is 1/2" wide.
You can tear gaffer tape pretty easily, but the spike tape gives a cleaner edge.
My friend Kim makes hoops with hot pink faux fur sewn around them. sometimes the full hoop or in segments. They look really fun under a blacklight.
I've seen some cool furry hoops too. I recently got a bunch of those different thick, lumpy, fuzzy yarn varieties and wrapped an entire hoop in yarn, just spraying craft adhesive on the tubing as I went. It looks super cool but moves exxageratedly slow for my tastes. I'll post a picture soon.
Yeah, my pink furry hoop looks fabulous, but moves rrreeeaaalllyyy sloooooooowww.
I keep cutting the fur down to make it better, but that's the price you pay for beauty.
How do hoops with velvet and other short pile fabrics move? And do they cut down on the bruising?
Velvet goes pretty slow too, though not as slow as fur. Probably similar to my yarn hoop. The bruising is due to the weight of the hoop and the body's not being acclimated to it so the feel of the outside of the hoop (I would imagine) will have little to do with the bruising factor, though I can't be sure cuz I don't really bruise anymore and I just started experimenting with different textured hoops recently.
I have some other friends in Chicago that line theirs with padding on the inside to help with the bruising. I've used them and they do feel really good esp. on the boney areas. They are nice because you don't lose the speed and you gain the comfort. Though fabric wrapped hoops are sooo cool looking. :)
There's this stuff that comes in maybe about 6ft lengths. I think it's called rubidex. I padded a couple of my earlier hoops when I was still bruising. They felt so much better and it didn't slow it down at all. It's actuall copper pipe insulation. It comes already slit down the length of it with adhesive that sticks itself together. The adhesive isn't very strong, so you need to do your deco tape over it right away and that's what keeps it on really. The only rubidex I could find was for 3/4 inch tubing though. Which is really perfect cuz after I was done padding it it was almost 2 inches.
And I should have kept reading before butting in up there...answered my own question.
Emily...my bad. I just looked back at the picture and it's not the gaffer's in teal. I don't remember the name of the green. I think it might be called kelly green. It's under the vinyl color coding tape section
I saw an amazing yarn covered hoop this past weekend, and while I attempt to track down the owner, I was wondering if you have covered a hoop with yarn and if so did you knot it or glue it? Any tips/suggestions would be appreciated!
Hoop Love, ~Alura
Try contacting Tamara, Sybil or Angie on the Vancouver Hoopers tribe - they all have yarn-covered hoops :)
X.
Tue, February 20, 2007 - 7:34 PM
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I just knitted a hoop cover. I knitted a long scarf, it was about 3 1/2 wide and 10 feet long, knit however long your hoop is. Then while I hand stitched the cover on I also taped it down w/ double stick tape. The double stick tape I used was sticky paws tape that I use for my furniture so the cats don't scratch the couch. The tape is a lot stronger and thick than the office supply stuff. You need to put a lot of tape on the hoop so the yarn won't slide around. I didn't put enough so it slides a little. Hope this helps.
