I found this quote recently, and between Joey's passing last weekend, and the anniversary of Dad's this weekend, I wanted to share.
The two hardest things to say in life
are hello for the first time
and goodbye for the last.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Motivation-induced Insanity, I swear
Knitting Marathon!
Inspired partially by Eat.Sleep.Knit's frequent customer program (a Yarn Marathon) and by a knitting meter I saw on a friend's Ravelry profile, I have decided to track my yardage knit this year. Rather than track yarn purchased (since I am now totally limiting myself to stash yarn until I make a sizable dent in my current hoard), I will be tracking yarn knit. So, yes, another stash-busting method. I'm a a big numbers person, so it's another motivational tool to get my knitting up to speed, instead of just sitting and looking at the pretty yarn and imagining the project when it's all finished... not that I'd ever do that!
As a runner and a swimmer too, I like the distance equivalent, putting my yarn knit into a measure that I can easily conceptualize. 420 yards might not mean much to me, other than a skein of sock yarn, but it's also nearly a quarter mile. And, since I've a few bigger projects planned this year, sweaters and whatnot, and no silly workdays to interfere, I think I can get this done! Maybe not full Marathon, but at least a half. Though, am trying to be optimistic and not discourage myself right away and will still aim for the Full ;)
As a runner and a swimmer too, I like the distance equivalent, putting my yarn knit into a measure that I can easily conceptualize. 420 yards might not mean much to me, other than a skein of sock yarn, but it's also nearly a quarter mile. And, since I've a few bigger projects planned this year, sweaters and whatnot, and no silly workdays to interfere, I think I can get this done! Maybe not full Marathon, but at least a half. Though, am trying to be optimistic and not discourage myself right away and will still aim for the Full ;)
The total will be displayed on the side of my blog, under the status of my current WIPs, and on my Ravelry user page. I have decided to only enter in yardages when I finish a project. Saves me the hassle of trying to figure out how much yardage is in a row of a given project. And since Ravelry lists the yardage used in each project, it makes it simple to then enter it into my Knit Meter and update!
And I'm off!
And I'm off!
Adventures in DIY Knitting Toys, Pt 2!
Beaded stitch markers! I'm not into beading so much for it's own sake (probably not gonna start making my own jewelry or anything - just don't wear enough) but there are a lot of cute little beads out there, and beaded markers are certainly SO much cuter than the plain little plastic rings. But rather than pay bunches of money for a set of 6, I'd rather learn how to do it myself and have plenty for gifts and swaps instead :)
3 styles:
For all 3 styles, I am giving you the website where I found the original instructions, and all my photos and comments. I claim no credit for any of these patterns, just my own notes, pictures and other clarification. I've included a lot of other blogs and websites which had instructions too, if you're looking for more clarification or more pictures for ideas. These folk all did wonderful jobs providing the original instructions, and deserve all the credit. I know there are more instructions out there (a quick Google search will turn up bunches), but these are the ones I used for reference and inspiration.
Ring
About as basic as you get :) Found instructions at Okay Knits blog, and a few more pictures at Knitting-Warehouse.
Open jump ring. Slide on bead. Close jump ring. Position bead over opening to jump ring and superglue in place. Ta da! About as simple as it gets :)
Practice on non-shiny or iridescent beads at first, because you don't see the superglue smears on the bead. Once you get more accurate with your superglue application (took me a couple times to not superglue the bead to my finger) the shiny beads are fine too.
Make sure the bead isn't too big or awkward for the size jump ring you're using. That's one I learned the hard way! This bead works alright, but if it had been this length but long and thin instead of round (for example), then it would have been harder positioning the bead.
Hanging
For these, I got most of my instruction and inspiration from Wormspit.com (a blogger who, as you might imagine, loves silk). Most of the instructions online use regular jump rings or split rings (like small key chain rings) but if you work with lots of snag-able yarns and want your rings snag-free, you can use soldered jump rings (available for sale - I found mine at Oriental Trading Comany, size 8mm, so they fit up to US 9 needles) or solder your jump rings closed when you are finished beading them. There are other patterns online for snag-free stitch markers, most using thread or beading wire and no jump ring at all, but my personal preference, just didn't like the look of those as much.
Yes, I made lots of carrot markers (there are 8 of each color, if you count) because I already have cute bunny markers which they coordinate well with (see the other picture?), and I have a Clapotis planned this year, which needs about 18 stitch markers to mark the dropped stitches. And let's be honest, I like things to match :) And since the carrot beads were about 25 for $1 on a post-Easter sale, I think I could splurge to make lots of little carrots for my bunnies. And an extra bonus, my Clapotis will be in a tonal shaded purple yarn, so the orange carrots will look lovely with the purple yarn!
Other examples:
Removable
Knitting for Charity's website was the first one I saw which suggested using leverback earrings instead of a jump ring in order to have removable stitch markers. This makes a nice stitch marker for crochet or knitting, if you want to attach the marker to the stitch instead of the needles. As a bonus, though, these earrings are big enough for my smaller needles to slide through, so they can be used either way, really :) The beading part of this one is the same as above, just attaching to the earring piece, not to a jump ring. The downside to this style of marker is that the loop on the earring piece can be weaker, so if you apply too much force as you are wrapping the wire, you can pop that ring. On these, it can be pressed back into place and then secured with a bit of soldering, if you are a crafty house like ours and have a soldering iron of your own.
Other examples:
3 styles:
For all 3 styles, I am giving you the website where I found the original instructions, and all my photos and comments. I claim no credit for any of these patterns, just my own notes, pictures and other clarification. I've included a lot of other blogs and websites which had instructions too, if you're looking for more clarification or more pictures for ideas. These folk all did wonderful jobs providing the original instructions, and deserve all the credit. I know there are more instructions out there (a quick Google search will turn up bunches), but these are the ones I used for reference and inspiration.
Ring
About as basic as you get :) Found instructions at Okay Knits blog, and a few more pictures at Knitting-Warehouse.
Open jump ring. Slide on bead. Close jump ring. Position bead over opening to jump ring and superglue in place. Ta da! About as simple as it gets :)
Practice on non-shiny or iridescent beads at first, because you don't see the superglue smears on the bead. Once you get more accurate with your superglue application (took me a couple times to not superglue the bead to my finger) the shiny beads are fine too.
Make sure the bead isn't too big or awkward for the size jump ring you're using. That's one I learned the hard way! This bead works alright, but if it had been this length but long and thin instead of round (for example), then it would have been harder positioning the bead.
Hanging
For these, I got most of my instruction and inspiration from Wormspit.com (a blogger who, as you might imagine, loves silk). Most of the instructions online use regular jump rings or split rings (like small key chain rings) but if you work with lots of snag-able yarns and want your rings snag-free, you can use soldered jump rings (available for sale - I found mine at Oriental Trading Comany, size 8mm, so they fit up to US 9 needles) or solder your jump rings closed when you are finished beading them. There are other patterns online for snag-free stitch markers, most using thread or beading wire and no jump ring at all, but my personal preference, just didn't like the look of those as much.
I was finding that it was easiest to wrap the wire by holding the marker with the needle-nose pliers close the jump ring and wrapping the wire with my finger. A thimble helped sometimes. Then switch hands and hold the jump ring and top of marker in my hand and press the end of the wire into place with the pliers. Trying to wrap the wire with the pliers like was shown in some of the directions online is probably easier on your fingers, but was a bit too fiddly for my level of expertise. Using a thimble and my finger was easier for me.
Yes, I made lots of carrot markers (there are 8 of each color, if you count) because I already have cute bunny markers which they coordinate well with (see the other picture?), and I have a Clapotis planned this year, which needs about 18 stitch markers to mark the dropped stitches. And let's be honest, I like things to match :) And since the carrot beads were about 25 for $1 on a post-Easter sale, I think I could splurge to make lots of little carrots for my bunnies. And an extra bonus, my Clapotis will be in a tonal shaded purple yarn, so the orange carrots will look lovely with the purple yarn!
Other examples:
- Shiny Knits at her blog
- YarnGarn at hers
- CJ's Knitting Basket also has lots of good pictures.
- About.com's knitting page.
- Lee Meredith at Threadbanger uses paperclips instead of jump rings and pins, if you're looking for a cheap alternative to jewelry findings.
- Loxosceles has a different way of attaching the beaded bit of wire to the jump ring, if you're looking for something different
- Susan Beal at Craftstylish even provided a video in her instructions.
- Another video (dealing with jump rings especially) is over at KnitSpirit, the blog of Raveler IvyR.
- The blog over at Spindle and Wheel has fancier ones than mine, if you're feeling motivated, or have lots of beads lying around.
- Stuff Knitters Want and Gotta Have (very appropriately named) has instructions on little beaded angels, and for making your own clay beads as well.
- For more inspiration, I also like the flowers shown here in Peggy Hazelwood's eHow article.
Removable
Knitting for Charity's website was the first one I saw which suggested using leverback earrings instead of a jump ring in order to have removable stitch markers. This makes a nice stitch marker for crochet or knitting, if you want to attach the marker to the stitch instead of the needles. As a bonus, though, these earrings are big enough for my smaller needles to slide through, so they can be used either way, really :) The beading part of this one is the same as above, just attaching to the earring piece, not to a jump ring. The downside to this style of marker is that the loop on the earring piece can be weaker, so if you apply too much force as you are wrapping the wire, you can pop that ring. On these, it can be pressed back into place and then secured with a bit of soldering, if you are a crafty house like ours and have a soldering iron of your own.
Other examples:
- HookandNeedles has very clear pictures of the finished stitch markers.
- CrochetMe does as well, but uses lobster claw clasps instead of the earring backs. Same idea, still nice and removable, I just liked the earrings instead - not quite as heavy :)
- Another removable option, shown here on Instructables, shows a different type of attachment (I think they called them S-hooks?)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Movie Night review
This past weekend, before my heart broke, we had a Movie Night on Saturday with several friends. It was like having a real life again, between Knit Night on Friday and the movies on Saturday. However, with everything else that happened this weekend, I was not up to writing much on Monday other than grief, so Movie Monday got moved to later in the week. Here you go, thoughts and ramblings on Shutter Island.
Plot: Set in 1954, a pair of U.S. Marshals are called to isolated Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane. Of course, all is not as it appears.
It was refreshing, honestly - a suspense movie, a mystery without lots of blood splatter (i.e. a horror flick), or supernatural elements to explain everything, or similar blockbuster type movies. Just an honest-to-goodness suspense film. As Zach described it, though, "I hate mind f*** movies They f*** with my mind!" (Yes, fussing about those twists so common in suspense movies). Personally, I enjoy this type of movie, so sorry Zach, you'll end up getting dragged to a lot of these. :)
Personally, I liked the suspense in this one. I saw some of the twists coming, (probably because I watch a lot of these movies and was honestly looking for them) but I didn't catch all of them. So it was still an enjoyable ride. And it's definitely the type of movie that even after you know the big twist, it's worth a rewatch or three to see the clues that were hidden and that you missed on the first viewing.
Direction: Scorsese. 'Nuff said. The man knows how to make an entertaining movie. I was relived to see nice clean camera work again (Green Zone honestly left a really bad taste in my mouth for that). There was really only one scene that bothered me (and the rest of the group I went to see the movie with). There is a night-time scene with an open fire, which is flickering, as fires do. The issue? The camera needed to be about 6 inches higher, to catch flickering light on faces without being flickering light on the screen itself. As it was, the flame was filmed and ended up creating kinda a strobe effect for the majority of that particular scene. Very tiring on the eyes.
Acting: very strong cast. DiCaprio has grown into an actor I enjoy. That's saying a lot, because I was in high school when Titanic and Romeo and Juliet came out, so I was solidly in the age group going nuts over him, as teenage fan-girls are wont to do. To be able to say that he's an actor I enjoy, instead of being turned off by friends squealing non-stop over him... well, 10 years matures everyone, right? For him, really, the Boston accent was the only thing that was a little obnoxious. I think it was simply the repetitive "Federal Mah-shals" that annoyed me - the rest of his conversation didn't jar as badly. And the supporting cast was great too. Michelle Williams (another one who has outgrown teenage stardom well), Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Mark Ruffalo, Ted Levine... lots of good solid talent.
Really, the only really negative comment I have it that it might have been a bit shorter. The ending in particular seemed to drag on a bit. In the right mood, I suppose, you can consider that it was building suspense. If you're in a more of a "c'mon get to the point" humor, then it might irritate you a bit as they build to the finale. One of those take-it-or-leave-it comments, I suppose.
And as a side note, completely unrelated to the film itself but related to the movie-going experience, when going to a movie on a Saturday night, you have to deal with teenagers going too. Dang, I felt old!! I feel very much the crotchety patron shushing the "young folk," but TURN OFF YOUR FRICKIN' CELL PHONES IN THE THEATER!! That includes texting! We had some little dingbat a few rows ahead of us in the theater that wanted to hold his/her cell phone at eye level so that they could keep texting through most of the movie. But because said dingbat wanted to hold their phone up instead of in their lap, the back third of the theater had a lovely bright light distracting them. There's a reason cell phone screens are used as flashlights - they are bright!! If your conversation is that important, leave the theater. Otherwise, put your phone away and enjoy the movie that you paid for!
And beyond the texting, teens are much more chatty in movies. I say this knowing full well that I will talk in movies too, but I try to be considerate about it, because I know not everyone does. These guys were not so considerate. Snickering at the naked patients in the insane asylum, or flat out laughing during one of the more dramatic scenes in the climax... highly obnoxious. It was the ones about 3 rows behind us during the first part of the movie and then up ahead and to the right during the climax (incidentally, the group sitting with the texter). Like I said, I will definitely talk in a movie, but please folk, be considerate to other movie-goers. Not everyone wants to hear your oh-so-witty 16-year-old humor.
*steps off soapbox*
Overall: 5 of 5. Minor irritations with the accents, that one scene with the fire, and it might have been a little shorter, but overall an enjoyable thinking movie (don't let yourself be deceived by the trailers).
So, without giving too much away, do you think he relapsed at the end or not? Does his last question to Chuck indicate that he is choosing his fate because he cannot face reality, or is it a fate that he needs because he cannot even enter reality?
Discuss!
It was refreshing, honestly - a suspense movie, a mystery without lots of blood splatter (i.e. a horror flick), or supernatural elements to explain everything, or similar blockbuster type movies. Just an honest-to-goodness suspense film. As Zach described it, though, "I hate mind f*** movies They f*** with my mind!" (Yes, fussing about those twists so common in suspense movies). Personally, I enjoy this type of movie, so sorry Zach, you'll end up getting dragged to a lot of these. :)
Personally, I liked the suspense in this one. I saw some of the twists coming, (probably because I watch a lot of these movies and was honestly looking for them) but I didn't catch all of them. So it was still an enjoyable ride. And it's definitely the type of movie that even after you know the big twist, it's worth a rewatch or three to see the clues that were hidden and that you missed on the first viewing.
Direction: Scorsese. 'Nuff said. The man knows how to make an entertaining movie. I was relived to see nice clean camera work again (Green Zone honestly left a really bad taste in my mouth for that). There was really only one scene that bothered me (and the rest of the group I went to see the movie with). There is a night-time scene with an open fire, which is flickering, as fires do. The issue? The camera needed to be about 6 inches higher, to catch flickering light on faces without being flickering light on the screen itself. As it was, the flame was filmed and ended up creating kinda a strobe effect for the majority of that particular scene. Very tiring on the eyes.
Acting: very strong cast. DiCaprio has grown into an actor I enjoy. That's saying a lot, because I was in high school when Titanic and Romeo and Juliet came out, so I was solidly in the age group going nuts over him, as teenage fan-girls are wont to do. To be able to say that he's an actor I enjoy, instead of being turned off by friends squealing non-stop over him... well, 10 years matures everyone, right? For him, really, the Boston accent was the only thing that was a little obnoxious. I think it was simply the repetitive "Federal Mah-shals" that annoyed me - the rest of his conversation didn't jar as badly. And the supporting cast was great too. Michelle Williams (another one who has outgrown teenage stardom well), Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Mark Ruffalo, Ted Levine... lots of good solid talent.
Really, the only really negative comment I have it that it might have been a bit shorter. The ending in particular seemed to drag on a bit. In the right mood, I suppose, you can consider that it was building suspense. If you're in a more of a "c'mon get to the point" humor, then it might irritate you a bit as they build to the finale. One of those take-it-or-leave-it comments, I suppose.
And as a side note, completely unrelated to the film itself but related to the movie-going experience, when going to a movie on a Saturday night, you have to deal with teenagers going too. Dang, I felt old!! I feel very much the crotchety patron shushing the "young folk," but TURN OFF YOUR FRICKIN' CELL PHONES IN THE THEATER!! That includes texting! We had some little dingbat a few rows ahead of us in the theater that wanted to hold his/her cell phone at eye level so that they could keep texting through most of the movie. But because said dingbat wanted to hold their phone up instead of in their lap, the back third of the theater had a lovely bright light distracting them. There's a reason cell phone screens are used as flashlights - they are bright!! If your conversation is that important, leave the theater. Otherwise, put your phone away and enjoy the movie that you paid for!
And beyond the texting, teens are much more chatty in movies. I say this knowing full well that I will talk in movies too, but I try to be considerate about it, because I know not everyone does. These guys were not so considerate. Snickering at the naked patients in the insane asylum, or flat out laughing during one of the more dramatic scenes in the climax... highly obnoxious. It was the ones about 3 rows behind us during the first part of the movie and then up ahead and to the right during the climax (incidentally, the group sitting with the texter). Like I said, I will definitely talk in a movie, but please folk, be considerate to other movie-goers. Not everyone wants to hear your oh-so-witty 16-year-old humor.
*steps off soapbox*
Overall: 5 of 5. Minor irritations with the accents, that one scene with the fire, and it might have been a little shorter, but overall an enjoyable thinking movie (don't let yourself be deceived by the trailers).
HERE BE SPOILERS (I love that line from IMDB!)
So, without giving too much away, do you think he relapsed at the end or not? Does his last question to Chuck indicate that he is choosing his fate because he cannot face reality, or is it a fate that he needs because he cannot even enter reality?
Discuss!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Farewell, my baby buns
This is absolutely heartbreaking for me to write, but last night I lost my little Joey buns.
He had been hiding a tumor on his stomach, a health problem that bunnies are unfortunately subject to. We hadn't caught it; he still binkied and grumped and explored and begged for treats and was much his usual self until this past weekend when he started going downhill. We took him into the emergency vet yesterday afternoon (nearly a 3 hr drive from the remote place we are stuck at now). I think it was worth the drive, because I could see the x-ray and see what was wrong and we were able to get some pain medicine in him, so his last few hours did not hurt.
I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye to him at the vets', so we brought him home, and he passed away while we were driving back (like I said, nearly a 3 hour drive). He died in my arms, so I know he was warm and loved until the end, and I hope that he could tell that too. He gave me a few kisses on the car ride home, a rarity (he never was a kissy bunny) and though he was fading noticeably over the drives down and back, he didn't leave me until I could honestly tell him that he didn't need to be brave any more, that if he had to go, he could go. It was shortly after that that he left me. I am not one of those people who reads TONS of meaning into my pets' activities, but this is one of those cases where I do think that he was looking out for me.
Joey was one of those special pets that comes along. I had him for nearly 5 years (would have been 5 in July) so I think he was about 6, as I adopted him from someone else. He was the first pet in my life that was "mine" not "the family's". And he was definitely "Mama's buns." My husband was... well, tolerated but Joey never really warmed to Zach the way he did to me. But then, for nearly 2 1/2 years, it was just Joey and me. Joey was with me through a very trying time in my life - being alone in that place at that time, I needed him badly. While I was in South Carolina dealing with the wonderful coworkers and clients at Horrible Job, Joey was the one constant bright spot in my days. Zach was elsewhere in the country for different trainings, and Mom and Anne were still back in VA, but Joey was there for me. I could come home and have him to play with and share my salad fixins with, and relax a bit. I honestly still feel that if I hadn't had him then, I wouldn't have made it through that point in my life nearly as well as I did.
I took Joey into Town today to have him cremated. My mother-in-law has already said that we can spread his ashes at their garden back home (her "garden" is almost an acre - they live on a farm). It is on a hill, so my little climber will have a good view up on a hill and plenty of veggies surrounding him. I think it will be a good place for him. I talked to him the whole way into Town today, telling him all about the garden and how much he would like it there, and about the Rainbow Bridge and the other sweet pets we know who will be his welcoming committee there.
I think this is extra heartbreaking for me because Joey will be my first and last bunny. Zach is very allergic to hay, but knew that Joey was important enough to me to not fight having him when we moved in together. Zach only came into my life about 2 months before Joey did, but Joey was actually with me the whole time, while Zach was stationed about. Zach knew that Joey was important, and it is something I have appreciated a lot these last few years . Zach did like him though - he went and picked some flowers for Joey this morning, a hard thing to do in the desert, even in spring. Even though Joey was a Mama's Buns, Zach will miss him too. He was a very special bunny.
I'm sorry if this post is incoherent or rambling; I am still crying a lot as I write this up. People may not understand how much personality and love you can have from "just a bunny" but most of our friends have had a special pet, and can understand the loss. When Harvey (Anne's cat) died recently, she found a quote by Leo Dworken. "No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch." That's such a good quote, and so true for many pets, not just cats.
Joey, you will always have a very special place in my heart. You will always be my baby bunny.
He had been hiding a tumor on his stomach, a health problem that bunnies are unfortunately subject to. We hadn't caught it; he still binkied and grumped and explored and begged for treats and was much his usual self until this past weekend when he started going downhill. We took him into the emergency vet yesterday afternoon (nearly a 3 hr drive from the remote place we are stuck at now). I think it was worth the drive, because I could see the x-ray and see what was wrong and we were able to get some pain medicine in him, so his last few hours did not hurt.
I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye to him at the vets', so we brought him home, and he passed away while we were driving back (like I said, nearly a 3 hour drive). He died in my arms, so I know he was warm and loved until the end, and I hope that he could tell that too. He gave me a few kisses on the car ride home, a rarity (he never was a kissy bunny) and though he was fading noticeably over the drives down and back, he didn't leave me until I could honestly tell him that he didn't need to be brave any more, that if he had to go, he could go. It was shortly after that that he left me. I am not one of those people who reads TONS of meaning into my pets' activities, but this is one of those cases where I do think that he was looking out for me.
Joey was one of those special pets that comes along. I had him for nearly 5 years (would have been 5 in July) so I think he was about 6, as I adopted him from someone else. He was the first pet in my life that was "mine" not "the family's". And he was definitely "Mama's buns." My husband was... well, tolerated but Joey never really warmed to Zach the way he did to me. But then, for nearly 2 1/2 years, it was just Joey and me. Joey was with me through a very trying time in my life - being alone in that place at that time, I needed him badly. While I was in South Carolina dealing with the wonderful coworkers and clients at Horrible Job, Joey was the one constant bright spot in my days. Zach was elsewhere in the country for different trainings, and Mom and Anne were still back in VA, but Joey was there for me. I could come home and have him to play with and share my salad fixins with, and relax a bit. I honestly still feel that if I hadn't had him then, I wouldn't have made it through that point in my life nearly as well as I did.
I took Joey into Town today to have him cremated. My mother-in-law has already said that we can spread his ashes at their garden back home (her "garden" is almost an acre - they live on a farm). It is on a hill, so my little climber will have a good view up on a hill and plenty of veggies surrounding him. I think it will be a good place for him. I talked to him the whole way into Town today, telling him all about the garden and how much he would like it there, and about the Rainbow Bridge and the other sweet pets we know who will be his welcoming committee there.
I think this is extra heartbreaking for me because Joey will be my first and last bunny. Zach is very allergic to hay, but knew that Joey was important enough to me to not fight having him when we moved in together. Zach only came into my life about 2 months before Joey did, but Joey was actually with me the whole time, while Zach was stationed about. Zach knew that Joey was important, and it is something I have appreciated a lot these last few years . Zach did like him though - he went and picked some flowers for Joey this morning, a hard thing to do in the desert, even in spring. Even though Joey was a Mama's Buns, Zach will miss him too. He was a very special bunny.
I'm sorry if this post is incoherent or rambling; I am still crying a lot as I write this up. People may not understand how much personality and love you can have from "just a bunny" but most of our friends have had a special pet, and can understand the loss. When Harvey (Anne's cat) died recently, she found a quote by Leo Dworken. "No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch." That's such a good quote, and so true for many pets, not just cats.
Joey, you will always have a very special place in my heart. You will always be my baby bunny.
Joseph B. Buns. Mr. Inquisi-nose. My little grumpus. King of the Mountain. My sweet little absurdity.
My Joey.
Friday, April 2, 2010
G is for...
Gaia!
(Mine is the blue-green-purple one, of course!)
The first in a series of projects I'm doing which I consider my "Finally Joining the Crowd" series of projects that I'm working on this spring. The other two are Clapotis and the February Lady Sweater. If you're at all familiar with popular knitting projects, you'll recognize these are REALLY popular right now. Currently Clapotis and February Lady Sweater are both in the top 10 popular patterns on Ravelry, and have been for ages. And yes, they've been on my queue for ages too, but now that I have knitting time, I'm trying to catch up on the queue and see some of these projects that people are so excited about.
Gaia isn't quite as common as the other two patterns yet, but it's a bit newer, too. We actually saw this one all over the place at Stitches, and that's what piqued our interest. It's designed to play with self-striping yarn (pattern calls for sock weight, but I did see one that worked with worsted - it's one of those nice flexible patterns). The pattern calls for Noro Kureyon Sock, but any self-striping yarn will work. Sarah and I are using Noro Silk Garden Sock (a little lighter, for us desert dwellers), and a lady in one of my Stitches classes had worked it in Mini Mochi, another gorgeously colored yarn. Those are the ones I've seen in person, but like I said, any self-striper will work. I'm working on US 5's and Sarah (who's a much looser knitter) is down a few sizes (I think on 3's). Being a shawl, though, gauge is less important - no fitting to worry about. Same reason I love scarves!
Seeing it on a bunch of people at Stitches, yet looking so different on each one because of the yarn, definitely got our attention. The eyelet rows are designed to come when the yarn starts changing color, so it leads to a really fun effect, and it makes it pretty mindless too. No counting rows or anything, just watch the yarn! I love how the front and back look a little different from the stockinette and reverse stockinette. The change in stitch is just enough to make different colors pop on each side. A reversible project, without being too mindless or two complicated. And for me, a non-sock knitter, it's a chance to use some of the fun self-striping sock yarns! Win!
So, since both of us were interested, we decided to work it as a KAL. Sarah's first KAL, actually. Even if it's only 2 people, we're still knitting the same project together at the same time, so still counts in my book! And we're hoping that if the other handful of folk in our knitting group see us having fun with a joint project, maybe we can talk them into doing one with us too. We're hoping something like Coco Vee for the next project. I was in Jane Slicer-Smith's Stitches Etc. class, and got to handle her Coco Vee sample, and it's a lot of fun! And miters, as complicated as they look, are really very simple. If you can do garter stitch and pick up stitches and decrease, you can do a mitered project, so we think it could be a good project for the less experienced folk in the group. Not too hard for them, but with impressive results. And if nothing else, it might be just us 2 again, but that's OK too :)
Oh, yeah, Gaia is a free Ravelry download, if you're interested.
The first in a series of projects I'm doing which I consider my "Finally Joining the Crowd" series of projects that I'm working on this spring. The other two are Clapotis and the February Lady Sweater. If you're at all familiar with popular knitting projects, you'll recognize these are REALLY popular right now. Currently Clapotis and February Lady Sweater are both in the top 10 popular patterns on Ravelry, and have been for ages. And yes, they've been on my queue for ages too, but now that I have knitting time, I'm trying to catch up on the queue and see some of these projects that people are so excited about.
Gaia isn't quite as common as the other two patterns yet, but it's a bit newer, too. We actually saw this one all over the place at Stitches, and that's what piqued our interest. It's designed to play with self-striping yarn (pattern calls for sock weight, but I did see one that worked with worsted - it's one of those nice flexible patterns). The pattern calls for Noro Kureyon Sock, but any self-striping yarn will work. Sarah and I are using Noro Silk Garden Sock (a little lighter, for us desert dwellers), and a lady in one of my Stitches classes had worked it in Mini Mochi, another gorgeously colored yarn. Those are the ones I've seen in person, but like I said, any self-striper will work. I'm working on US 5's and Sarah (who's a much looser knitter) is down a few sizes (I think on 3's). Being a shawl, though, gauge is less important - no fitting to worry about. Same reason I love scarves!
Seeing it on a bunch of people at Stitches, yet looking so different on each one because of the yarn, definitely got our attention. The eyelet rows are designed to come when the yarn starts changing color, so it leads to a really fun effect, and it makes it pretty mindless too. No counting rows or anything, just watch the yarn! I love how the front and back look a little different from the stockinette and reverse stockinette. The change in stitch is just enough to make different colors pop on each side. A reversible project, without being too mindless or two complicated. And for me, a non-sock knitter, it's a chance to use some of the fun self-striping sock yarns! Win!
So, since both of us were interested, we decided to work it as a KAL. Sarah's first KAL, actually. Even if it's only 2 people, we're still knitting the same project together at the same time, so still counts in my book! And we're hoping that if the other handful of folk in our knitting group see us having fun with a joint project, maybe we can talk them into doing one with us too. We're hoping something like Coco Vee for the next project. I was in Jane Slicer-Smith's Stitches Etc. class, and got to handle her Coco Vee sample, and it's a lot of fun! And miters, as complicated as they look, are really very simple. If you can do garter stitch and pick up stitches and decrease, you can do a mitered project, so we think it could be a good project for the less experienced folk in the group. Not too hard for them, but with impressive results. And if nothing else, it might be just us 2 again, but that's OK too :)
Oh, yeah, Gaia is a free Ravelry download, if you're interested.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Adventures in DIY Knitting Toys, Pt 1!
So, playing around online over the past few years, I have found several fun patterns and sets of instructions for making cute knitting accessories. Not knitted accessories, like hats and scarves, but knitting accessories, like needle cases, DPN holders, needles, etc. Now that I'm not working for a bit, I've actually got the time and energy to give some of these ideas a try! At this week's Knit Night, Sarah and I attempted the first of what (I hope!) will be a series of fun ways to make some cute knitting accessories without spending a fortune on them :)
We started with a relatively easy one, Double-Pointed Needle Holders. Not the cases, but the little holders that you use to cap the ends of DPNs holding a project. I found the original instructions here, at Sweet Little Domestic Life. We used these directions as our starting point, with some variation based on what worked best for our hands and our puppets. I have posted our own notes from our efforts. I claim no credit, since Robyn did a great job of writing up all her instructions - kudos and many thanks!
There are some more example pictures here. Really, you're only limited by what finger puppets or pencil toppers you can find!
Materials and Tools:
We experimented with 2 different weights of elastic cord. The chicks and bunnies were made in a little bit lighter plastic, so we used the lighter cord with them (1/32" cord - labeled as elastic beading cord). The frogs, in a heavier plastic, could use the heavier cord (1/16" cord). Each came in 5 yard sections. We found ours at Wal-Mart for under $1.25. Be sure to look in the Notions section, not just the Beading section as you're looking for cord. You want to make sure that whatever weight elastic cord you use, it won't pull too hard on the plastic. Some of the lighter plastic puppets can tear easily, once you cap your DPNs and put tension on the elastic.
Directions:
Using the smaller needle, make one hole in each side of both of the toppers or puppets. We used a regular sewing needle for this. The elastic thread doesn't fit well in these needles, but the tapestry needles don't poke through the plastic well, so you will end up using both needles.
Thread the elastic cording through the large tapestry needle and pull it through the hole on one side of the topper. You might find it easier to pull the needle through with the pliers. (We never needed to use the pliers - I think it depends on how stiff your finger puppets are and how easily the needles slides through).
We pulled the thread all the way through both holes in the puppet. Pull through enough cord so that each side of the cord has enough to reach to the second puppet at the other end of the DPN. To determine the length of your cord, place one of your dpns in the toppers and pull the elastic cord until it is tight enough to hold your needles in place yet loose enough to get them in and out of the protectors with ease. Make a little mark on the cording on each side.
We then caught the middle portion of the thread (what's inside the puppet) with a crochet hook and pulled out a loop. The portion that you pull out should have enough so that you can comfortably knot the cord on the inside of the puppet. Better to pull out a bit too much and trim it down, than not leave yourself enough space on the cord.
Cut this part of the cord, leaving enough on each side to knot. Knot the cord on the inside of the topper as shown and trim the ends if needed.
Repeat on the other side of the topper with the other piece of elastic cording. One end of your holder is now secure.
Poke holes in your second topper, and thread ends of each elastic section through these holes. Place your knots in the cording on the marks you made earlier. Since you are dealing with elastic, this doesn't have to be perfect - that stretch is very forgiving!
Trim your ends and for added security you can use a lighter to melt your knots, or a drop of superglue to secure them. We used superglue, as we didn't have a lighter handy - works just as well :)
Grab your needles and try them out!!
Besides the frog used in all my example pictures above, I also made bunny and chick holders too. The bunnies were part of an Easter set of finger puppets (the reason they are bight pink) so they came with chicks in the bag too.
We started with a relatively easy one, Double-Pointed Needle Holders. Not the cases, but the little holders that you use to cap the ends of DPNs holding a project. I found the original instructions here, at Sweet Little Domestic Life. We used these directions as our starting point, with some variation based on what worked best for our hands and our puppets. I have posted our own notes from our efforts. I claim no credit, since Robyn did a great job of writing up all her instructions - kudos and many thanks!
There are some more example pictures here. Really, you're only limited by what finger puppets or pencil toppers you can find!
Materials and Tools:
- 2 pencil toppers or finger puppets
- Approximately 1 ft elastic cord
- 1 small pointy needle
- 1 large tapestry needle
- 1 pair of pliers (optional)
- 1 crochet hook (optional)
- superglue or lighter (optional - for preferred method of securing knots)
We experimented with 2 different weights of elastic cord. The chicks and bunnies were made in a little bit lighter plastic, so we used the lighter cord with them (1/32" cord - labeled as elastic beading cord). The frogs, in a heavier plastic, could use the heavier cord (1/16" cord). Each came in 5 yard sections. We found ours at Wal-Mart for under $1.25. Be sure to look in the Notions section, not just the Beading section as you're looking for cord. You want to make sure that whatever weight elastic cord you use, it won't pull too hard on the plastic. Some of the lighter plastic puppets can tear easily, once you cap your DPNs and put tension on the elastic.
Directions:
Using the smaller needle, make one hole in each side of both of the toppers or puppets. We used a regular sewing needle for this. The elastic thread doesn't fit well in these needles, but the tapestry needles don't poke through the plastic well, so you will end up using both needles.
We pulled the thread all the way through both holes in the puppet. Pull through enough cord so that each side of the cord has enough to reach to the second puppet at the other end of the DPN. To determine the length of your cord, place one of your dpns in the toppers and pull the elastic cord until it is tight enough to hold your needles in place yet loose enough to get them in and out of the protectors with ease. Make a little mark on the cording on each side.
We then caught the middle portion of the thread (what's inside the puppet) with a crochet hook and pulled out a loop. The portion that you pull out should have enough so that you can comfortably knot the cord on the inside of the puppet. Better to pull out a bit too much and trim it down, than not leave yourself enough space on the cord.
Cut this part of the cord, leaving enough on each side to knot. Knot the cord on the inside of the topper as shown and trim the ends if needed.
Repeat on the other side of the topper with the other piece of elastic cording. One end of your holder is now secure.
Poke holes in your second topper, and thread ends of each elastic section through these holes. Place your knots in the cording on the marks you made earlier. Since you are dealing with elastic, this doesn't have to be perfect - that stretch is very forgiving!
Trim your ends and for added security you can use a lighter to melt your knots, or a drop of superglue to secure them. We used superglue, as we didn't have a lighter handy - works just as well :)
Grab your needles and try them out!!
Besides the frog used in all my example pictures above, I also made bunny and chick holders too. The bunnies were part of an Easter set of finger puppets (the reason they are bight pink) so they came with chicks in the bag too.
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