Ruby in the Rough

My UFO in the Attic........

2012-02-06T18:01:00.001-06:00

My DS1 recently read my UFO blog page (rubyintheroughufo.blogspot.com), and got a kick out of the "lurking in the attic fair" reference. Actually, said DS1 has been living in the attic since we finished insulating part of it last year.
Which brings up the whole discussion: is HE an Unfinished Object? One of my many uncompleted projects?
Or is it one of those "God isn't finished with me yet" situations?
DS1 is, by the way, one of my best knitting victims and is willing to wear several of my hats out in public. Just saying that so you knitters will know the kind of offspring I'm talking about here.

What are the statistics on adult children living with their parents? Not the adult children that are caregivers for their frail parents, but the returning to the nest children (in the 18 to 30 age range) that are moving back in with Mom & Dad.

DS1 says that the reason young adults are willing to live at home, when those of my generation weren't, is that today's 20-somethings get along with their parents much better than the Baby Boomers did. Looking back on the issues that encouraged children to move away from home as soon after High School graduation as possible, I do really see the difference in the generations. And, I take it as a compliment that my children are willing to move home. But, it isn't a condemnation of what my parents did. The times changed, and parenting had to change too. That Said.......
While there is something to that, I'm sure there are other factors at work here too.

Examples: Minimum Wage buying power, expected standard of living, expenses of education, technology required for communication, housing/building market crash, loan unavailability, insurance rates, transportation costs, the list goes on….

And I will too, as soon as I can get enough bandwidth to upload the file……

New Obsession : Spinning Wheels

2011-08-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, at last report, DH & I were trying to shear the 2 little sheep we have. Well, admittedly, it was actually DH, DS#1, & DS#2. And then I got in on a little of the fun after work on the second day.
Notes on shearing sheep:
It's a dirty job!
If your sheep haven't been sheared in 2 years and have been just roaming around out in the field, It's a dirtier job.
If the field has thistles, and stick-tights, and cockle-burrs, It's a Dirtier & Thornier Job!

Sheep that are not handled by people don't like being sheared.
Jacob sheep are stronger than they look.
A Jacob sheep can drag a 6 foot tall teenager through the orchard quite a ways before he lets go.

This wool is worth it's weight in Gold, Blood, Sweat, and Tears. And It Shall Be Spun AND USED.

Rick Reeves 1977 17" Solid Cherry "Slanty" or Saxon?

2011-07-12T13:38:00.001-05:00

reeves 1977, a photo by rubyintheroughknits on Flickr.

This is how the spinning wheel looks today. Still trying to get it all fixed.

Knitting Graph paper calculator & printer

2011-02-11T23:57:00.000-06:00

The same person as mentioned in the last post, Lucia Liljegren, has a program that will create proportionate knitters graph paper. This is a very tallented person here. I'll be doing more research on this.

Wolly Wormhead has good hat patterns - some are free

2011-02-11T19:08:00.006-06:00

Wolly Wormhead has patterns for hats, caps, and other kinds of "Toppers". They're even available in digital form for download - some free, some at a price. Don't let the British Pounds Sterling worry you on the prices. As of this writing, $1 = about .6 pound. Or inversely, 1pound = about $1.65. So, I shop online like this I kindof figure the final cost will be 2x what is shown. Then at the end, I'm sure to have stayed in budget. When you go to PayPal, the calculators will figure it out for you in USA Dollars if that's what you usually work with.
This is one of the free patterns I'm going to try this weekend.

2011-02-08T21:12:00.001-06:00

I found a wonderful web page that has Typical Head Sizes in a very nice table format.
Since I'm on a hat knitting binge, I need to have this available and thought you might like it too.

Nationwide Knitting Craze Hits Four State Area

2011-02-04T18:09:00.000-06:00

Nationwide Knitting Craze Hits Four State Area
Really? Are we having a Nationwide Knitting Craze? Again? I love a good craft craze!

It'll be great if we do. Wal-mart's sure missed the boat though. As far as I can tell, they've cut back all their craft department offerings in the stores that I've been to lately.

Wal-mart's loss will be the LYS's gains though, won't it? Maybe the big W has lost it's strangle-hold on the pulse of mid-america. That would be sooooo good. I could really look forward to the return of LYSs on Main Street and at the Strip Mall. Actually, wherever and whenever I can find more yarn and fiber, I'm good with it.

Psalms 139:13

2010-09-02T17:39:00.001-05:00

So, even the Creator is a knitter?
If you look at all of Creation as a knitting project......
That just gets really deep.

Just looking at the smallest thing, say a leaf......
The interconnectedness of everything.
How one part depends on another.
If a piece is missing, sure the world can go on,
but it might leave a hole in the fabric.
Is the soul, the spirit of a person perhaps "joined" to a body,
much like a new fiber is joined at the spinning wheel,
or the next ball of yarn is joined when the first is used up,
or maybe like a Kitchner Stitched seam?
So invisible that only the maker can see the join?

One thing leads to another:
Then there's the history questions:
When was this translation of Psalms recorded? When did people start knitting?
Was anyone actually knitting when the Psalms were originally written in their original language?

Ravelry Stash update

2010-08-24T16:55:00.000-05:00

Update on the stash I have listed on Ravelry:
195 different kinds of yarn - includes different colors and different packaging (ie: a Ball of Lily Sugar'n Cream is not the same as a Cone of Lily Sugar'n Cream)
379.49 skeins of yarn - Yes, I'm entering partial skeins
76,076.2 yards of yarn = 43.225 MILES

Calculations: if one square inch of knitted fabric uses up one yard of yarn, on average,
This is ONLY 528.3 square feet of knitting.
Now, really, that doesn't sound so bad does it?
I know, it's only the tip of the iceberg.
Hmmm, will have to add the photos later, not seeming to let me do it here and now.

Ravelry is so cool.

2010-08-13T19:25:00.000-05:00

My goal is to list all the yarn in my stash on Ravelry

Get it all into one place for safe storage and organization.
Throw away any yarn that is even slightly damaged.
Life is too short to knit with bad yarn!

Has it really been that long since I last posted?

2010-08-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, this is all changed since last time I posted. I'm sure I'll get used to it though. Bear with me while I get everything set back up though.

Cap & Booties from Akron Children's

2010-02-23T21:13:00.002-06:00

The first is a pattern from the Akron Children's Hospital for booties and hat.

https://www.akronchildrens.org/cms/tipsActions/8fa643d8d0498261/cap_bootie_knit_pattern.pdf

It calls for Baby yarn - plain, pastel only - and has no fuzzy yarns in bold and underlined. Well, I've got Bernat Baby Jacquards that is begging to be used. So, that's what I'm going with. I've done several hats with a ruffle and lots of pink. So, this is Blues and Greens called "I'm a Big Boy". Since I actually have some big boys, including one teenager, I'm thinking it still needs to be a pretty little big boy to wear this color.
In the past, a lot of my hats have gone without being worn because the intended "victim" wasn't pleased with the color choice.

So, here goes.

Preemie Pattern site

2010-02-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

I found a preemie pattern list at:

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/preemies.html

It's a place to start.

Preemie Knits

2010-02-22T21:10:00.000-06:00

Maybe this is my "calling". I'm going to make preemie baby knits.
I've made several from the pattern on Bernat Baby Jacquards titled "Ruffle Hat". It's a top down pattern and so to make smaller sizes, I just increased on fewer rows. Photos when I can get to them. Several were made from one skein of pink and blue stripe with pink, blue, yellow and white patterning. I was using US size 3 double points, instead of the US 6 that the ball band calls for. I think they came out wonderful and soft.

More Later

Knitting on through Adversity

2009-10-21T23:18:00.002-05:00

What is the Elizabeth Zimmerman quote? Knit on through all adversity. ? Maybe. I'll have to verify that.
Personally, I've been experiencing adversity. A lot of the people around me have been experiencing adversity. The knitting does help.

March Madness

2009-03-14T14:46:00.003-05:00

Oh, no! Is it March already! My goodness, I’ve got to get a move on quick. Hustle, Hustle!!! What should it be this year? I love the socks that I made last year “Jayhawk Jaywalkers”. Every time I had a bad day, or was sick, I wore those socks. I even wore them to work a couple of times on Jayhawk days when other people were wearing KU shirts, etc. Soo, I’m goin’ huntin’ Rubyintherough.blogspot.com

Having a change of focus

2008-12-06T15:08:00.000-06:00

Have you ever realized that your project has had a major change of focus?
That you had started out on a journey, and the destination has somehow changed?

I've been here before, you know?
I didn't even realize that it was happening, but here it is:
I don't want to be snarky about other people's knitting mistakes anymore.

There you go. It's the truth.
I just realized that I haven't really seen any knit objects that I cannot resist making fun of.
How did that happen? you might ask.

Well, I think I'm going to blame it on Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Yarn Harlot, the witty writer about knitters, not knitting. I've been reading her books a lot lately. Mostly when I can't sleep and my hands hurt too much to knit. She really is quite inspiring. And she seems to be such a good hearted soul. The point is, I just can't condemn another's efforts in knitting anymore. No matter how wonky the project, someone poured a lot of effort into it. No matter what the fiber choice, or the color, or texture, it is a rendition of someone's creativity and that should be celebrated. Who am I to say "What Were You Thinking?" when you knit that?

Now, that's not to say that I won't at some point in the future point out some questionable design choices on the part of say, a Yarn Company. Or a Magazine Editor. Or some high fashion designer that forces hard working runway models into outrageous garb that no mere human being should try to wear.

Let's just recognize that there's a Kinder, Gentler, Ruby out there now.
Thank You Yarn Harlot

Well, lots of stuff is talking to me, but not the yarn

2008-10-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

Did you ever have one of those weeks where the "Muse" is not with you?
The highlight of my week was when DD1 introduced me to a D&D cartoon on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UqFPujRZWo
Did I do that right? Anyway, we've had a love/hate relationship with the kids playing D&D for several years now. It just struck me as increadibly funny when she was reciting parts of the video for her little brother. And, now I just can't get it out of my head.
Anyway, that's the kind of week it's been.
The DH's Work Socks With a Twist from Unique Sheep's Ram Club are showing progress ! Yeah !

When is a pattern modification really a new pattern?

2008-10-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

At what point does a pattern modification become a whole new pattern?
The case in point for me right now is the February Ladies Sweater that has taken Ravelry by storm. What I have read about it so far gives a lot of credit for inspiration to the EZ SBJ.
But, it is obviously a new pattern, not just a derivation. Where does that line get crossed?
When did it become New and not Copy? Where is the line between the New FLS and something equally different that can stand on it's own merit?
The February Ladies Sweater is absolutely wonderful. When I saw it today for the first time, I knew that I would be casting on asap. The yarn has just been waiting for it since it jumped into my arms at the RenFest. A Black Baby Alpaca that is so luscious, I could not put it down. Of all the yarns there, this was far and away the softest. I would have picked it no matter what color it was.

There are literally hundreds of FLS photos posted on Ravelry. Many, many of these are being made as fast as needles can fly. Very few of them are in dark shades. Maybe because of the season of the year. Maybe because black doesn't photograph well. And, I agree that the FLS does look lovely in all of the infinite varieties of colors and fibers out there. But, I have this black that is begging to be made into something that I will want to wear every day.

Modifications:
1) The baby Alpaca is far finer than what is specified, worsted, I'll check exactly how fine.
2) The square neck isn't the best for my narrow, slopey shoulders. I'll be checking into a smaller, rounder neckline.
3) The widening look at the shoulders is good, and I'll be emphasizing that as much as possible.
4) Maybe not so much garter stitch. The Baby Alpaca wants to be smoother than all garter.
5) The lengthening look of the vertical lace pattern is good, but I'm not sold on the pointy shape of the lace. Due to the yarn's RenFest background, it wants to be a celtic knotwork of some kind. Aran or Gansey or some such mystery.
6) Not so sure about the 3/4 sleeves. Not sure why, I always push my sleeves up to that level anyway, so why not start out there? Hmmmmm
7) Must have a pocket somewhere. Yeah, I'm weird.
8) Not so sure about the baby doll, show off the baby bump effect on someone of my age. Might be kind of scarry.
9) Will be as long as I have yarn to make. It could end up quite a lot longer than in the design. I knit until the yarn is gone. Yeah, I'm weird.

So, more planning, more sketching, more thinking. Maybe if I just hold the yarn for a few minutes it will tell me what it wants to be.

I Missed the Yarn Harlot !

2008-10-17T17:00:00.001-05:00

No one that I know (outside of You All) can possibly understand how disappointed I am. The Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee came within driving range, and the job sent me the other way! I even Excel calculated it out and MapQuested and everything. There was nothing short of a Hiro timeshift that was going to get me to the Yarnies before they left the building, and probably the airport. (Which makes me think, maybe if I had been a little more creative, I could have found out what flight she was on, raced to the tarmac, and .... what then? Would I have Kinneared her unobtrusively? Would I have collapsed, laughing, at her feet?)

There I was, all set to go to a wonderful night of knitting, ROFL, the awesome Yarn Harlot ! I mean who cares about the Debates, the New TV season, all that stuff. What is really important here, people? I mean, where are your priorities? All the Heroes, LOST, BSG, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, ER, CSI, EM-HE, and Gray's Anatomy in the world don't measure up to one evening with the "One Who Understands". (Don't get me wrong, I know there are more important events: my faith overall, staying married to my DH, the birth of a child....)

Well, obviously, my priorities are with my job. Eventhough the non-knitters had no idea what they were doing by sending me to a different office miles and miles in the wrong direction. But. Seeing as how the paycheck leads to Stash Enhancement.
And, this paycheck will pay for the book that is waiting for me at the wonderful local book shop.
And they called today to let me know that Ms. Pearl-McPhee signed it for me even though I wasn't even there. If I wasn't in the office full of non-knitters, I would have cried. She is So Wonderful ! So Human, so Humane, so Knitterly!

Counting down the minutes until I can leave for the book shop to pick up the new book! Free Range Knitter! It's gotta be good.

Excel My Knitting

2008-10-16T17:15:00.001-05:00

Excel is my friend, it helps me think to see everything all lined up in neat rows. Sortable, alphabetizable, numbers that can be manipulated: added, subtracted, averaged, factored. Lists that I can print off and boxes that I can use to check off. Excel doesn’t care about my grammar, or punctuation unless it’s in a formula.

I’ve been wanting to come up with a way to chart knit stitches in Excel. In the past, I tried using the regular fonts that come with Office and just typing in the stitches. But, it really only works for the simplest of patterns. So, off to search the internet. Maybe people have put new stuff out there since the last time I looked.

If I was going to spend money, there’s a program - Stitch and Motif Maker:
http://www.software4knitting.com/pstitchmotif/stmkr.htm

For free: you can download fonts with knitting symbols that you can plug into an Excel spreadsheet or a Word document I would assume.

Almost every link on the internet that showed up in my search eventually pointed to one of these two. So that’s where I’m starting.

http://www.knittinguniverse.com/xrx/DownloadsList.php?CategoryID=32
(scroll down to "Symbol Font")
or
http://home.earthlink.net/~ardesign/knitfont.htm

Update at 11

Greg Kinnear and the Yarn Harlot

2008-10-11T01:55:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I have been out of the loop. Greg Kinnear was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and actually talked about the Yarn Harlot; called her the Michael Jordan of Knitting!
It's about 20 minutes into this show:
http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O%27Brien/video/episodes/#vid=726521

So, this knitting wild woman that writes about knitters (not knitting) posts a story about the airport on her blog in August 2007. Then, a word she has coined, minted herself, is listed in the Urban Dictionary within days. See it here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=kinnear Way to go Ms. Pearl-McPhee!

Yet, it takes over a year for it to hit TV. Makes you think, doesn't it?
Maybe Television is going to loose it's status as the trend-setter of our times.
Does that mean that within my lifetime, Television rose to the pinnacle of influence and then was usurped by the microchip on broadband?
Man, and my grandma thought that she had seen great changes in her lifetime.
What will tomorrow bring? What wondrous leap of progress is flying off someone's needles right at this very moment?
You know how the Geek/Nerd crowd is always talking in languages that mere mortals cannot comprehend? Clingon, for example. Metric, Binary, Emoticons, txtng, OMG, ...
What if the knitters spoke their own language? Would it be Yarnish? Harlotton? Knitish?
Fiberlingo?

An international language of fiber, where fiber lovers all over the universe live together in peace and harmony. Think of the influence that knitters, and fiber artists overall, would have on the world.

Wait a minute, I think we might actually have that started already.

I am so proud to be a knitter right now! sniff, sniff....

Buttons on Baby knits

2008-10-10T17:00:00.001-05:00

The S'nB calendar pattern for Friday, October 10 was a Baby Swing Sweater. Absolutely adorable. On my list to cast on ASAP
Designed by Leslie Barbazette. The credits on the calendar page list at www.craftnation.net but that goes nowhere. So, I'll be tracking her down. (found her here: http://www.vivaponcho.com/about_us.html )
But, the point of this post is Buttons on Knits for Wee People.

Good, bad, rules, guidelines? What is the ongoing debate saying these days?
At what point does a button become big enough that it isn't a choking hazard? When are they small enough to not be a problem? When they're small enough to not be a choking hazard, don't they become a nose stuffer hazard? Please don't tell me that you don't know that little kids sometimes stick things up their nose that should not be there, or in their ears: cereal, corn, beans, peas, tape, string, beads, rubber bands, the key to Big Sister's diary.
Holes or not: Would the holes in a button work like the hole in a lifesaver and help out a little in choking situations? Would they air whistle, alerting adults to the crisis?
Teething: Buttons make great teething chewies from one point of view - they really help the teeth make it through. Grandma used to make strings of buttons on a cord for the babies to play with. On the other hand, how often does a baby chew right through the cord, string or other attachment to get that button off? How often would you have to keep checking on the attachment to make sure it's still secure? If it's a Gift Knit, how do you know that the responsible adult will know to keep checking?
Brain Development: Buttons are colorful, textural interest. Playing with buttons and figuring out how they work has got to be good for fine motor skill development. I know that my nursing babies were very clever about unbuttoning my top at the least opportune moment (think about Church, the grocery store, yep...). And everyone of them has grown up to be so brilliant now.

Strings are out on hoodies for children - because they get caught on so many things and choke the little ones. Blankets and Bumper pads are in question right now, or they were last time I checked. Car seats keep getting better, but keeping a little one comfortably warm on the way to and from the car without cooking them in the car is getting more difficult. Then there's the sleeping thing: Back to Sleep, Wedge to not roll over, Tummy Curling, propped up, sling, swing, bottle, water bottle, no bottle. Pacifier, thumb, ortho development device?

That's one of the problems with having kids; the experts keep changing all the rules. I refuse to give birth ever again until they quit changing the rules.

The Yarn Harlot Commeth !

2008-10-10T10:37:00.003-05:00

O M G !
I just found out that the Yarn Harlot (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee) is coming within range of where I can be. Not like she's coming to my Home Town or anything. But, she's going to be at a location where I could conceivably be there too! Yeah!

Keep in mind that I didn't bother to go see any of the Political Candidates when I had the many, many chances. No on T. Boone Pickens. Same thing with Hannah Montana and several other celebrities. It just doesn't seem that important to me to see those people in person. I even once turned down the chance to see the Pope parade - it would have been a long distance view. But still - He's the Pope. That one, I probably should have gone to see.

But, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee ! That's a whole nother story, now. She's a person I would drive far and wide to see. And there's a couple others on my list of people to revere enough to go out of my way to be close to: Dave Ramsey, ... Can't think of anyone else right now. Maybe I'll add more later.

Hey, you know it's gotta be good if I'm willing to Drive Down Town to get there!

There are so many great new patterns out there

2008-10-07T13:18:00.004-05:00

This is such a difficult time of year for a fiberholic.
All the magazines are coming out with great new patterns. The websites have great stuff, Knitty and Ravelry, and all those other ones too.
The shops are stocking up on great new yarns.
And the Sales!
The Gift List is clamoring for promises to be made. (Don't remind me that about half of the projects that I started last fall didn't ever get finished.)
There even seems to be a conspiracy with the babies ! Yes, the babies. There are new ones and babies in the making everywhere. And each new little downy head begs to be swaddled in cushy hand knit goodies. The patterns for babies and little ones are getting better too.
And then there's the new TV season. Finally. There's good stuff on TV to knit to, calling me to the big comfy chair. It's cool enough outside (and inside too) that it isn't torture to snuggle into a big pile of fluff.
But, there's so much other stuff that needs to be done.
What's a fiberholic to do?

Adding the CDC Widget to this page

2008-07-18T10:28:00.002-05:00

Today, there's a new addition over there in the links side.
It's a CDC Widget that will have new information on health statistics from
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
They have lots of good information.
Especially for some of us that tend to be in denial about our health risks.
Personally, I have been using knitting as a "medication" for about 6 years now.
With my knitting, I'm lowering my blood pressure and stress levels. I hope that I'm also making more brain connections to help reduce the effects of strokes or Alzheimer's (not that I'm experiencing any of that)
My family history runs deep with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, allergies, asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure, strokes, kidney problems, .... Yeah, this is depressing.
So, I'm working on reducing the risk factors that I DO have control over.
Please feel free to join in, and I'll try not to bore you with it too much.
Now you know how this applies to Knitting - which is the most important. Right?

UFO pledge

2008-07-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Seventh and last in the Why UFOs series:

7) Might it be possible to take a No More UFOs Pledge?
A set of Vows?

Wouldn't that just be more unnecessary pressure?

Setting oneself up for failure?
Unreasonable expectations?
Pipe Dreams?
Pie In the Sky?

I am not seeing this one happen.

'Nuff said.

UFO amnesia

2008-07-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sixth in the series

Sometimes a UFO happens because the knitter just forgot.

Why so many knitting UFOs?

2008-07-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

Fifth in the series on Knitting UFOs:

5) Why are there so many UFOs in the knitting universe?
a) Conspiracy theory: the yarn manufacturers, publishers, and the LYS are in league to get us to over consume their products.
i) They will stop at nothing until they have the entire world knitting 24/7.
ii) They will change fashion so quickly, no one will be able to keep up and finish a project while it's still fashionable. Therefore, UFOs multiply like tribbles in the bin.
iii) They are secretly blending in a tactile addictive substance to the yarns, the coatings of the needles, the surface of the paper of the patterns.
iv) Secret, Hidden, Subliminal messages are encoded into the patterns, the pixelations of the web pages, the photos in the publications.
v) The Paparazzi have discovered that if a magazine publishes a photo of a celeb knitting, the circulation skyrockets.
vi) The Movie Moguls have discovered that if there's good knitwear design in a movie, knitters will flock to see it and buy the DVD asap to replicate the designs, thereby boosting the boxoffice.

b) Short Attention Span, ADHD, what is the catch phrase of the week?

c) What 'r we talkin' bout? Moving on....

d) It's a nutritional deficiency. Lack of fiber in our diets. But that explains OCD Hoarding issues, not UFOism. That's gotta be a potty training issue.
e) The knitted UFO is indicative of our fear of commitment as a society.
f) Baby Boomers and those who have come after have never been required to finish anything. We've become a nation of quitters or at least changers; Is that a bad thing? or a good thing?
i) It's OK to not clean your plate.
ii) when we couldn't take the pressure, we quit the team, or the class, ....
was that because the pressure was too much? too soon? too intense?
iii) we changed our college majors 5 times, sometimes to get jobs that didn't exist when we were born.
iv) we job hop, often because the job left us.
v) we can't drive one car long enough to not be upside-down in the loan, (see notes on job above)
vi) we can't stay in one place long enough to pay off the mortgage, or say that we have a "Home Town", or give our kids a place to say they're "From" (see notes on job above).
vii) If we don't like the rules, or the laws, we change them
viii) We don't stay married when it isn't working
g) We demand instantaneous gratification. But with perfection and style. We want to finish a sweater in a day, but make it look like it took a lifetime.
h) We've become too busy with all the things that fill up our calendars. We fill every moment with something important, or maybe just urgent.
i) We've forgotten what is really important.
ii) We are flooded and bombarded with information and images.
iii) Even from infancy, we are driven to "live up to our potential".
Even our youngest children are learning more facts than our ancestors ever dreamed of.
There is so much more information in the world, and so much fantasy and imagination.

A distracting thought here: As an example, when she was a child, my grandmother had
8 grades to finish (no kindergarten or pre-school), now there's at least 15 to 20
26 presidents to memorize, soon to be 44
45 states and capitols
When she got a phone, there were only 4 digits in her number
Her house needed no key
Her one car had one key
The only passwords were for fun, or on a show on one of the 3 TV channels in Black and White, not 3 million colors HDTV via satellite.

Gotta go, There's a new Lost Heroes Star Expose' Mystery Reality Show on in a minute. My TV automatically tuned in to it (from among America's Top 200) so I wouldn't miss it again.

Wherefore art thou, dear lost UFO?

2008-07-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

4) I don't even know how many UFOs I have, or where they all are.
a) Should I spend some Saturday, or a sleepless night, sorting UFOs to find which ones have all their parts?
b) As I am sorting out and straightening out my Stash, should I come up with a way to store the UFOs? And maybe an easier way to access them in the attic?
c) Ravelry. Could this be my salvation? Or just another obsessive / compulsive distraction?
i) Could I make a fortune by selling the rare vintage yarns I have to Ravelers and eBayers that really need them?
ii) If my stuff was on Ravelry, and accessible from my smart(alec) phone, Would I be inclined to buy less?
d) If I had all my Stash - and all my UFOs in one place at one time, would negative things happen:
i) The world as we know it be at an end?
ii) The attic would explode from the pressure? (Insurance does not cover that)
iii) Would the men in white coats come to take me away because my significant support people decide I was a danger to myself or others?
iv) Would my DH ever understand?
e) If ...., Then ... Would positive things happen?
i) The attic would be fully insulated and we would save a fortune in energy costs.
ii) The rest of the house would seem spacious and airy.
iii) Really never need to buy anything again, retire debt-free to knit full time
iv) Become totally inspired to finish all the UFOs
v) No Christmas shopping required - everyone gets a FO that was a UFO.
vi) All the people I've ever promised anything to see that I am good for my word and love me even more than ever before.
vii) Lucky Seven - That guilty feeling would go away.
viii) Peace Reigns around the Earth!

Knitting UFO excuses

2008-07-10T07:00:00.002-05:00

3) What about those projects where I did come across a UFO later, only to cannibalize the needles and stitch markers for another project? Not too long ago, I used to do that.
Why would I do that? What makes one project more worthy of finishing than another?
a) Lost the pattern
b) Lost a needle or other required tool
c) Lost the yarn and might find it again
d) Ran out of yarn and need to buy more
e) Ran out of patience with the pattern because it was:
i) Boring
ii) Too Difficult
iii) Poorly written directions
iv) Not turning out as expected
f) The intended victim outgrew the UFO, or made a disparaging remark about knitting, fiber, color, style........
g) The yarn wasn't right
i) didn't survive the swatch & wash test: faded, bled, shrank, felted or fell apart
ii) didn't survive the knitability test: itched, scratched, or was otherwise not worthy of knitting.
iii) not right for the pattern: couldn't get gauge, didn't showoff stitch properly, too many colors for the stitch.
h) Got side-tracked onto another project
i) a new magazine / book / Knitty / pattern came in the mail / email / bookstore
ii) a new yarn seduced and distracted
iii) a gift giving opportunity was looming, and the victim really "needed" something besides what was on the needles
iv) Oh, let's be honest, I'm just too easily distracted by anything.
g) The project, or it's component parts, got "lost" when:
i) We cleaned house
ii) We moved
iii) We cleaned out the car
iv) We went on a trip
v) Reorganized storage
vi) Someone was sick, hospitalized, Born, in crisis
h) Priorities Change
i) Stuff Happens

More UFO theory ....

2008-07-09T07:02:00.000-05:00

To continue:
More on theories for UFO Rescue inspired by SnB Pageaday calendar 2008

2) Items like needles, markers and counters are usually assumed to be AWOL when the associated project becomes a UFO. If I didn't plan on loosing it, how could I plan on how to rescue it?

a) As a compulsive shopper and obsessive collector, I tend to buy more than I need of everything. So, I have plenty of duplicates of my favorite tools. I know, I'm working on getting over it.
b) Thinking about it just now, it probably would be a good thing to plan out the rescue of the UFO while I'm planning out the project in the first place. It's not like this is a rare occurrence for me, is it? It isn't an accident when a WIP becomes a UFO in my life. Unfortunately, it is very predictable and happens with great regularity.
i) Besides, the planning is the best part. For me anyway. So, getting the disaster drill ready would be a fun mental exercise while knitting.
ii) Note to self: Try not to scare significant support persons with statements like:
"I'm going to put a marker here just in case something happens to me tonight and I don't see this project again for 5 years."
"I'm putting this pattern in the bag with the yarn, just in case I get hit by a bus on the way to work, so someone else will know how to finish this project some day."
It really creeps them out to think that I think such things that they think are morbid things to think. One in particular tells me that it's very negative thinking.
iii) So, what's the positive way to state it?
"If I can't remember what I was doing next time I work on this, maybe this will jog my memory."
"When I pick this up next time, a little piece of waste yarn will mark where I last decreased." Annunciate very clearly so no one hears "deceased".

See ya later, gator.......

UFO Rescue - SnB calendar page for today

2008-07-08T11:25:00.002-05:00

I love my SnB page a day calendar. Today's page is on UFO Rescue.
Something about putting in waste yarn as reminders.
Well, that's a great suggestion. Because sometimes from one day to the next I don't know where I left off, when I did the last inc/decrease, especially in something that says to "decrease every third row", or even better "decrease at rows 57, 92, and 111."

As self-declared Regional Queen of the UFOs, I have come up with a few strategies of my own.

1) Always keep a copy of the pattern with the WIP (which may become a UFO at any moment). I don't carry my prized books and magazines with me. I photocopy, or print, the page to carry in my knitting bag. I learned this the hard way; lost the pattern for my DD1's "wedding afghan" and it took me 3 years to get another. I still haven't been brave enough to try to figure out where I was.

a) I never know when a WIP will spontaneously become a UFO. It's not like I see it coming or it's a conscious decision. It's a default setting: I lost the bag, started another project, got sidetracked, ran out of materials, lost a tool, Who Knows?! But I do not ever remember saying "I think I'll pack this away until some later time and finish it then".
b) If I carried the whole book with me for every WIP in my bag today, I would have 2 magazines, 2 full sized books, and a computer in there. The point is, it would weigh a ton and have all my significant support people thinking I'm crazier than I really am.
i) OK, I admit, I do have one of those USB drive things with some of the pattens stored on it. And about 10 sheets of paper in various states of crumple.

More next time.........

Knitting in the Movies

2008-06-30T14:52:00.008-05:00

OK, I know, I didn't originally want to see Golden Compass. Just to
prove that I'm not a flock-following sheep, I did read the first book of the trilogy. And, I may even slog my way through the next two in the series. I am very proud that I did Not Buy the book (or financially support the writer in any way). The gigantic tome was left at a friend's workplace break-room by a disappointed reader. And, because of our earlier discussions, he gave it to me ! Woo hoo! I think it was a compliment on him realizing that I am a discerning person that likes to know what I disagree with and why. And, yep, I did not like it.

And I don't mean in the way that I "didn't like" Harry Potter,
but then I read it, and bought copies for all the people I know,
and got on the advanced order list every time a new one came out,
and helped my kids (that were of the right age)
go to the Midnight Opening Day showing of all the Movies,
and knit a bunch
of the stuff from the Charmed Knits
book by Alison Hansel.

So, my point is, I don't like the Golden Compass book. I do not believe that it was written to entertain children or encourage a desire to read or educate or anything positive.

So, when one of my young-ish friends brought over
the DVD one evening, gushing
"You have got to see the Knitting In This Movie !".
Well, I had to watch, and it turned out to be The Golden Compass.
And, I was totally enthralled with the KNITTING !
Not that you ever see anyone actually doing Knitting (that I remember). But, Knit articles of clothing are everywhere in this movie! And they are so "Interesting". I haven't gotten any of my usual victims to commit to wearing any of the FO's that I have sketched out or pointed to in the film.

Anyway, my point is, The Real Story from the
Book is awful as a children's story.
The movie isn't too bad.
The knitting in the movie is awesome.
But, just like the Brats Dolls, I'm not going to support the writers by buying into their commercialism.

I'm sure not too Good to knit from an online photo, though.

Kids in Animal Hats

2008-06-19T15:06:00.005-05:00

OK, it finally got here. The kids are sooooo cute! The knits are soooooo cute!
Of Course, I'm talking about Knitted Critters for Kids to Wear. Arf, Arf. Meow, Meow.
But I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed. It's basically just hats and mittens knit in colors to mimic animals. I think that many of us could have come up with these.
Use a little graph paper, it's even available online in knitter's dimensions. Find some Fun Fur. Make a hat to match the family pet. Or use the pictures out of any number of kids coloring books for inspiration.
Ears, and Eyes. Yepp, that's about the most inventive new thing in this book. So, if you can figure out how to make droopy ears vs. round teddy ears vs stand up bunny ears, you probably don't need this book.
I'm keeping it for a while to see if it grows on me, other wise, it's going back on the Amazon List and someone will get a great bargain.

Free Vintage Knitting Patterns

2008-06-04T14:09:00.003-05:00

Were they Foretelling the future of the Teletubbies?

Found this on Ravelry today. The creator has quite a collection of patterns available. Some of the more interesting ones are for sale as "Digitally restored e-book". Interesting idea? Novel home business? Be sure to check your copyright laws before you try this at home.

Free Knitting Patterns
And, Yes, I know that some of these are Crochet Patterns.

New Book: Knitted Critters for Kids to Wear

2008-06-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

To Be published 6/3/2008:

Knitted Critters for Kids to Wear: More Than 40 Animal-Themed Accessories (Paperback)
by Jean Adel (Author)

List Price: $19.95

Price: $13.57
At Amazon.com

This just looks too cute!
Gotta have it. I wonder how long it really takes to get stuff from Amazon? Would I get it faster if I wait to buy it at one of the book stores? Do LYSs get copies first?

Tuesday Tips: Photocopies of Patterns

2008-06-03T01:00:00.000-05:00

Keep in mind that there are copyright laws, and they apply to all of us.
But, one of my best tips ever is to photocopy the pattern from the book or magazine, and then carry the photocopy around instead of the whole book. You can write on the pattern, highlighting parts, coloring in patternwork, marking off where you've finished, all kinds of stuff.
As far as I can find out, it is perfectly legal to make a copy of a work that you own as long as it is for your own personal use. It seems that you cannot make a copy, then sell the book and continue to use the copy. Then there are the hazy areas of scanning to a disk, and "archiving". Well, those areas are not hazy at all to the writers, publishers, and copyright holders. So, watch yerself! Don't even try to post a scanned copy of a pattern on the internet. It will come back to bite 'cha in the butt.

Now, my Aunt Mary liked to make tiny little pencil notes in her books to remind her of what patterns she had made for whom, changes she made, sizes for people, etc. But, surely it is better to have not lost the book entirely than to have all your notes scattered around in all those books. I would give anything to have some of her books with all those little notes in them. But, after her funeral, a nutty brother of hers trashed them all. They were "worthless" to him.

But, I digress. If having a record of the projects made, etc. is important, maybe you could put those copied pages into a notebook to track the notes? I know that at some point in time my DH is going to "have enough" and go on a cleaning bender, probably throwing away magazines in the process. If a copy of the pattern has been stored with the UFO, is is possible, in theory, to finish it at some later date. So, in the interest of someday conquering my OCD-hoarding disorder, the notebook and copies make it possible for me to let go of some of the mounds of periodicals that surround me.

Library Books: Who in their right mind even imagines that a person, even a super knitter, would be able to finish an entire knitting project before the library book is due?

Magazines: Why do some magazines spread the pattern out over pages scattered somewhat randomly around the magazine? Photo on one page, yarn choice advise on a second, directions on a third, charts on a forth. Oh, and don't forget that the finish up directions might be somewhere else.

Online Shoe Shopping

2008-06-02T14:40:00.006-05:00

Ok, We've had quite a hiatus from being Snarky about Fuggly Fashion.
So, We're Baa ... ack!
I know, these aren't KNIT, they're SHOES, kinda.

Actually, they're 6" heels.
Real-ly.

This is the kind of thing that happens when I search the internet. "Honestly, Mom, I was just looking for some shoes that would show off my hand knit socks!"
Ri ig gh ht!

Please do not go horseback riding or even into the barn in those boots.
And, on behalf of the emergency personnel that will inevitably become involved if you wear these: Don't forget to wear clean panties. And, Keep them On! (Quoting Crazy Aunt Purl's Mom)

Well, when I can get back up off the floor: We'll have a few posts featuring good shoes to wear with Hand Knit Socks.

News from the Sock Wars iii Front

2008-05-31T10:19:00.002-05:00

To those who have missed me:
I've been observing the Sock Wars iii phenomena.
This is amazing, absolutely amazing.
Only half of the warriors are still standing.
The creativity is rampant.

If you joined up, you could go to this link and follow what's going on:
http://sockwarsiii.memberlodge.org

If you're part of Ravelry, you could join the Sock Wars group:
http://www.ravelry.com/groups/sock-wars-3---2008

www.rubyintheroughsocks.blogspot.com

The origins of Schwag / Shwag / Swag?

2008-04-22T11:57:00.005-05:00

Knitting connection to what sidetracked ramblings follow:
Knitty.com (http://knitty.com/blog/2008/04/biggest-contest-knitty-has-ever-had.html)
is have a contest in honor of their 50 Millionth Site Visit.

"So we sat down and thought about how we could thank you guys for reading, linking to, talking about and knitting from Knitty magazine. And one thing came to mind: really great shwag."

There's that word again. Where did it come from?

Have you ever had one of those days where you hear the same term over and over again? And you realize that it isn't a word you remember being in the dictionary or on the spelling list at school? Well Schwag or Swag is one of those words for me. I was trying to figure out if it was an acronym for something. "Something Worthy As Gift" "Some With A Gift" "Stuff Can Happen With a Gift" "Special Happiness Wins A Grin" I don't know. I wanted it to mean something. So, I looked it up:

There was an article int Wired 9.01 (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.01/schwag.html)

"As schwag has evolved into a status symbol, even the word itself is gaining respectability. Once it was slang for stupid, or for low-quality reefer, or, in the classical, dictionary sense - spelled swag - it meant ill-gotten gains or booty. Today schwag has morphed its way into the American lexicon, sans criminal undertones. And so, there's now The Schwag, a Grateful Dead tribute band, and "schwag hags" who covet "schwag bags" hawked at extreme sports events. And there are the industry professionals, who wish the word would just go back where it came from."

There's also the Urban Dictionary: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=schwag
"The term is also used by many pot heads to describe anything that is low grade.
noun. low grade marijuana"

Yep, there once again, is a word that my Aunt Mary would have ROFL over. A word that not so many years ago might have gotten you detention. Out there in the mainstream with everyone, even knitting grannies, saying it without a clue as to what it means! Aunt Mary, believe it or not, convinced me that Reading The Dictionary Is FUN. I know, she brain washed me when I was young and vulnerable. They didn't used to prosecute people for those kinds of child abuse (kidding).

I keep a list of the words that my kids can say without even blinking, except when in my presence they give me "that look" because they know I'm obsessed about it. It's the list of things that I just cannot say in front of my MIL. I was going to list them here, but I want to keep the G-family rating. Even you would be amazed at the words on my list. Words that you use everyday that your great-grandmother would be scandalized by. Really.
Then there's the words that my MIL uses that have changed meaning: thong, hickey, shag, ...

Aunt Mary didn't ever want to rest in peace. She's up there; texting to me "LMAO" !

Choo Choo Knits goes the way of MacGyver

2008-04-17T15:32:00.004-05:00

I was reading Choo Choo Knits retelling of her devastating Harmony needles accident. (You've got to go there and read it yourself: http://choochooknits.blogspot.com/2008/04/dont-make-me-go-all-macgyver-on-your-as.html

And, my reaction was: Good for You !
Nothing should get in the way of Knitting. Kind of like mailmen used to be "Neither rain, nor snow..." before they became Postal Workers.
MacGyver is one of my heroes. I even got the DVD collection and watched back to back with my DS2, he's 12, on a snowy weekend.
I watch Survivor with DD2, a lot, and we used to talk about how I would take knitting stuff as my luxury item. But now the Survivors don't get to pick what they take with them. The producers have taken to dropping them off at their destination during what is supposed to be a "photo-shoot" and things like that. Very "three hour tour"ish. Any way, we sit there watching, and knitting, and figuring out how we could make knitting tools and come up with fiber to knit. Even more extreme than MacGyver.
When an unnamed airline took away my knitting, I practiced knitting (on the plane) with airline supplied tooth-picks and dental floss from my carry on. If they hadn't supplied tooth-picks, I might have been trying those little pre-flossed tooth cleaner gizmos my dentist keeps giving me in my "good patient" baggie.
My seat-mates thought I had really lost my mind. But, I figured I'll never see them again.
I had a very nice Christmas Snowflake decoration by the time I got home.

We shall overcome!

PS: I had a Stamped self addressed bubblewrap and cardboard envelope to send home my precious Addi turbos. And, not thinking Survivorish at the time, I put my UFO in my checked luggage. Had I been thinking more clearly, I might have realized that it would have been better to put the Addi's in the luggage with the UFO Still ON Them ! But, in the end it was a wise decision because the Snail Mail envelope got to my home before my lost luggage did!

PSS: everytime I try to add Addi as a Label for this Post, it tries to insert Addicted ! Coincidence? I think Not !

Not doing so well on the 12 step Fibe-holics Anon program

2008-04-11T14:20:00.003-05:00

Well, after the dust of March Madness has settled, I've had a chance to evaluate the fluctuations in my stash over the last few weeks. My search for Jayhawk Crimson and Blue yarn for my Jayhawk Jaywalker Socks did NOT help to whittle down the stash. I seem to have totally lost control, again. It seems that every March, I totally loose control. Really, it's the only sports that I ever really follow. I start watching about the time they post the stuff to pick your brackets, and by the time they're at the Final Four I can't leave the TV for a moment. And in between games, I go foraging for yarn! Why is that? What was I thinking? If I was a drinker, I would probably be having horrible hangovers for the whole Championships. In a weird way, it is a lot like drinking in that I don't seem to realize what I'm doing while I'm doing it.

You know, a rational adult (notice I'm not counting college students) does not go out and say "I'm going to spend all the money I can get my hands on to get so totally drunk that I cannot even remember what I was doing, where I was, or who I was with". Right? Do they?

But here I am, "coming to" the week after the Championships with a "Yarn-Over". I have holes in my memory as to why I bought yarn that I'm finding that I obviously obliviously stashed around during a 3 week spree of LYS SEX. I have bags in my car that I have no Idea How to smuggle into the house.

I could blame it on the extra traveling that I was doing. Yeah, that's it, I'm only in some of those cities Once A Year. I HAD to go to the Best LYS in Town while I was there. Right? You can't go to New York and not go to Times Square, Chicago and miss Marshal's, Minnesota and skip the Mall of America? No, that would be Un-American. So, when you're in a town with a great Yarn Shop, you MUST GO there. That's just all there is to it.

So, this weekend, I can either do the TAXES or I can list all my stash on Ravelry and eBay so I can pay my taxes.
What a Decision.
I really am going to have to count on the Ravelry groups to help me Bust this Stash. Maybe I can knit Basketball stuff? Those nets surely use up some yarn.

Overdying the Regia

2008-04-03T13:06:00.003-05:00

In case I didn't give enough details on how I was dying the yarn;
I unwound the two skeins of yarn. Each color section was carefully looped and tied into a bundle. So, it resembled a long garland of knotted wads of yarn. I stuffed the sections that didn't need to be dyed into a pint sized canning jar and closed it with a wide mouthed canning lid and ring as tight as I could. Realistically, I knew that I really couldn't keep color from wicking into it, but it was worth a try and worked out pretty well.
Next, I set two quart jars into a large kettle and wedged the pint jar of yarn so it's lid was on about the same level as the tops of the empty quarts. I put the parts that needed red into the left jar, and the parts that needed more blue into the right jar. I filled the quart jars with water and 3/4 cup of vinegar each. Next, filled the kettle almost up with room temp water. Then, heated the whole shebang to a simmer and left it to cool on the burner overnight. (It was a very short night).
Early the Next morning, started the kettle heating up while I mixed the Wilton Cake Dye with water. I heated two batches of about 2 cups of water and added a blob of dye with a toothpick to each: One Read and One Blue. I tried to mix the dye into the water. It seems to be easier when the water is hotter. Overnight, the two quarts of yarn soaking in vinegar water had soaked up, evaporated and steamed away about half of their water. So, there was room in each quart of most of the 2 cups of dye water. I used a butter knife to carefully swish the yarn knots, vinegar water and dye to mix. The heat was turned up and the water in the kettle brought to a simmer, but not a full boil. We kept it hot for most of 2 basketball games, topping off the quarts with the last of the dye water as the level went down and replenishing the kettle bath water as needed.
I would have never believed it, but the water did clear as the yarn soaked up the dye. Very bizarre. The kettle was taken off the burner and left to cool while we cooked dinner, cleaned up, etc. All while watching the Basketball games, of course! So, I'm not really clear on the times. Eventually the kettle was room temp to the touch. I kept worrying about "shocking" the mostly wool yarn with a temperature change. I don't know if that's a problem with Regia or not. I was not about to take a chance though.
When it finally cooled, the yarn that had dye was rinsed with clear room temp water (one color at a time). It didn't really have much color left to rinse out. Then I 'unsealed' the colors that were supposed to be protected in the empty pint jar. Well, there was some dye mix in there that had worked it's way up the yarns. So, rinsing it until clear was a little more challenging.
I rolled the whole bundle (massive mess) in a bath towel until it quit dripping. The whole thing and a pile of kitchen towels went in to the rocking chair with me. It took half a basketball game to hang it in some sense of order on the Christmas Stocking hooks on the fireplace. At the beginning of the next round of Basketball, we untied each little bundle and wound each ball of the yarn onto the kniddyknoddy. It was still fairly damp, but this time of year at my house with the fireplace going it's about zero humidity so things dry really fast.
Since I had started the toes of both socks, and hadn't frogged back all the way out, there was a little quasi toe at the beginning of each ball of yarn so I wouldn't get them wrong end first. The loosely tied hanks went to hang back on the fireplace hooks for the night.
Next morning (Easter), while everyone was ecstatic over Easter Baskets, and showing off their outfits, and practicing their song and getting their hair just right. And then the drive into Church and all that goes with that; I was patiently listening, and smiling, complementing, and winding the yarn into two little balls to take with me in my little Easter purse.
My own little special project. I had turned the wrong yarn into the perfect yarn for about 25 cents of vinegar and food coloring using the stove to keep the kitchen warm anyway.
Wow - skip on over to the sock page to see how they're going.
Rock Chalk Jay Hawk!

Yarn to dye for

2008-03-28T22:32:00.001-05:00

The Regia yarn just turned out to be the wrong colors. Those patches of MUish were just too much. So, I dyed it. I used the Wilton cake colors and dyed the sections that were going to be grey/white/black and yellow/ white / black with the bright blue. The sections that were too much orange got a dose of red. It is ssooo cool, I don't know why I didn't do this sooner.
Anyway, I used vinegar and cooked the whole thing in canning jars and the smallish canner. I hadn't understood how dye could be "exhausted" before. I get it now. This is so cool.
Photos in the AM dy

Regia Yarn - Cool and Mysterious, Magical

2008-03-20T22:06:00.002-05:00

Inca 5499 Each of these photos is from the internet today. Supposed to be of the same thing.
That's my Regia Color. Why on earth did it take an hour of web sluething to find that out?
And, not one of the online photos looks anything like the balls of yarn I have here.
But, I love it anyway. Why do I want to work with yarn that is hard to find, hard to match, hard to figure out?
Because it is soooo cool to get the fun little pattens and stripes without having to strand or weave in a million ends. It's worth it.
Now, I'm toe swatching while the game's on, so gotta go.....

Knitting Cables with out a Cable - Thanks Grumperina

2008-03-17T13:09:00.003-05:00

Today, in honor of St Patrick's Day, I cast on a headband / ear warmer. It's Bernat Softee Chunky in Med Sea Green. It's what crawled to the top of the stash when I opened the door. Or, I should say it's the first Green that caught my eye. So, I cast on 13 stitches by chain stitch through the back loop. I'm using a 16" size 8 circular needle, probably too small as the ball band recommends a size 10. But, I like to live dangerously ! The plan is to do a k1, p1 at each edge and then do a 9 stitch braided cable in the middle. So, I started surfing and found the Grumperina Cabling with out a Cable Needle page. This is absolutely the best way to practice this and see if I like it. So far, it's going great. Thanks Grumperina.

Headbands: Is there an age limit? Fashion Police?

2008-03-13T12:28:00.003-05:00

Is there an age limit on headbands?
I would love to wear a headband.
I would like to knit a headband.
When, and why, did I stop wearing headbands?
There seem to be a lot of them in the magazines, on TV, out and about. The patterns are everywhere, if a pattern is really needed to knit a headband. Headbands seem to come in every fiber, texture and color. Wide, skinny, slick, chunky........ The store's got a whole row of them in the haircare section, as well as endcaps full of them in each department for female clothes. They've even got them in the dog food aisle for the little doggy darling.
Are they really that popular in real life? A few weeks ago, in the coldest part of winter, I saw an older (than myself) woman wearing a scarf-like headband about 4 inches wide. It was beautiful. But, I couldn't help wondering if she was wearing it to cover up a hair issue: hair loss, needing a dye touch-up, covering the wig line, who knows?
One of my lifelong issues with headbands has been the slide off factor. I don't seem to have enough hair, or maybe the right texture hair for a headband to stay on my head. It has to be pretty elastic, and not too slick, or it'll just slide right off. Maybe it's the shape of my head. Or the size.
Pet peeve alert: Not everyone is the same. Imagine that. Anything that is "one size fits all" will probably not fit most people very well.
And why is it that a headband that is tight enough to stay put will invariably cause a headache? You know; much like that headache from the brand new glasses that squeeze your head 'till the dents behind your ears are permanent. I have always suspected that the reason the glasses stop hurting after a while is because they've killed the nerves. But, I have always had problems with the dime-store plastic headbands because they really hurt to wear.

Then there's the fashion issues. Is it really fashionable? Am I too old for this? Does this headband make my butt look big? Does it make my head look funny?
I have to admit that although I love to knit hats, I have yet to knit one that I like how it looks on me. That hasn't always stopped me from wearing them. Even when my family says "Ohhh, maybe you ought to check the mirror". If Gilda Radner could admit to basing her fashion sense on what doesn't itch, I can base mine on keeping warm and/or cool. And now, my kids tell me that hats aren't allowed a lot of places they go because of "security issues" and "gang overtones". What is that about? And, at where is the line where a headband becomes a hat?

I went through a (non)fashion phase a few years ago where I didn't cut my hair for a long time and wore a headband almost every day. The Goody company made one that I loved, for about 2 years. Now I can't find them anymore. The ones that I had have all broken - the risk of wearing cheap plastic. And - my DD1 got a hairdresser friend to threaten me, cut my hair, and make me swear to quit wearing any "device" on my head that cost less than 99 cents each. They were trying to tell me it wasn't good for my "professional image".
So, what's the Fashion Police say? Can a professional grown up woman wear a headband? And what would it look like if she could? Could it be a hand knit? Well coordinated with the outfit?
Keep in mind that my idea of "doing my hair" is limited to dandruff shampoo no more than 5 times a week. My "hair tools" are limited to A Comb and A Hairbrush. Sometimes, I actually look in a mirror while brushing through the wet hair. While I do own a curling iron and a blow dryer, both have been used by DD2 on her puppy more this winter than ever on my hair. Not counting the shower time, the average daily time spent on my hair probably averages out to less than 3 minutes per day (but only if you add in the time I spend with my "Colorist" (DD2). She likes to "paint in the blank spots where all the color's missing" for me. That's about as good as I can do for girl's night.
So, what's the Fashion Jury verdict? Skinny or Wide? Over the ears, or behind the ears?

Wherefore art thou, Socktopia?

2008-03-07T10:54:00.003-06:00

Does't yea know what happened to Socktopia?
I'm getting a "this might be for sale" message when I go there.
I was searching for scale-ish knit stitches, and happened to find a lot of references on other blogs to Socktopia.
I totally missed the Harry Potter series, and am searching high and low for "dragon scale" like knitting patterns. The photos I'm seeing online are absolutely awesome!
How did I miss this? I had a pretty serious LACE phase last year. Maybe it was during all that. I got caught up in Peacock Feather lace, and totally lost track of time and space.
There is just sooooo much cool stuff out there, how is one to keep up with it all?
Let me know if you know where I can catch up to the patterns or Socktopia.
TIA everybody...........
Ruby

Is Bamboo an Earth Friendly or "Green" Yarn?

2008-03-04T15:49:00.003-06:00

I'm looking forward to spring. I am really ready for this winter to be over!
Every once in a while, we have a somewhat nice day and I venture outside.
Several years ago, we planted bamboo, and it's getting to the stage where it could be harvested without damaging the planting.
And, I've been reading a lot about Bamboo Yarn. So, I decided to look up what it takes to make bamboo into yarn. Might come in handy if I'm ever on Survivor, right?
Anyway, I found some pretty scary stuff out there when they try to describe the process. And, it seems to be a pretty industrially intensive process. Something requiring some pretty exotic sounding chemicals and some expensive sounding machines. I'll keep looking though.
Let me know if you know how this really happens.

Cast On - a podcast for knitters

2008-02-20T10:54:00.004-06:00

How long has this been going on that I missed out on it?

Probably because I was boycotting anything with the word POD in it.
iPod, Podcasting, storage PODS, Pain Of Death, Payable On Death,
P.O.D. is a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum, Nu metal band from San Diego, California.
And then there's the infamous 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie:
Pods = scary (Sutherland, Goldblum, & Nimoy are forever linked in the fear zone of my memory)
I never wanted to work in a Pod - a cubicle, a cube farm, a huge office with little spaces and no windows and no view outside, ... Yeah, well, get over it, sometimes a knitter's gotta do what a knitter's gotta do to finance the habits (addictions, obsessions).

Anyway, with the help of my technorati / geekology progeny, I am now seriously addicted to podcasts. This Cast-On podcast is definitely the gateway podcast for knitters. The kids turning me on to this pod cast thing ranks right up there with when my DH emailed me a link to a game site with the Subject: "Check this out, it's addictive".
What was he thinking, and then how dare he complain that I spent too much time playing computer games! If you have an addictive personality, or know someone who has issues with this; do us all a favor: Do Not give them this link.

But, nonetheless, I'm thankful that they did. Bless those little enablers' hearts.

The Knitting Guild Association Forums

2008-02-19T15:18:00.002-06:00

I was just over at the TKGA forums. Very nice place, actually. A poster was writing about finding offensive patterns online. How do you feel about that?

When I first started this blog, I was seeking out those kind of things. I was taking the line "You Knit What?" to the limit. And, I was going to be Snarky and critique stuff that people put online. It was going to be fun. I was looking for the funny, "Fuggly", and odd.
There's some bizarre stuff out there. There were people selling knit stuff on eBay that had never even occurred to me. Some of it was funny, but I couldn't put it on a blog that I knew my DD might read. Then, I started finding the sick and twisted. Some of these knitters really need some Dr. Phil. Maybe it's a therapy for them to knit what they can't otherwise talk about. If the examples you listed make you truly sad and disappointed, the other stuff would really get a reaction out of you. Without undue description; in one week, I found pattens to knit: anatomy one doesn't usually see, items you would have to be over 18 to buy legally (or view), alternative definitions of "fantasy items", "toys", "tools", and marital aids, the list goes on. Even with the safe searching features on, I found all kinds of stuff that had deviant meanings for common words. I know that a lot of it is there for the shock value. When I started this, I thought I was a worldly, culturally savvy, tough, grown-up woman. I thought that I wanted to know all about everything out there. How bad could it be?

I was quite overwhelmed in a very short time. And then, I didn't blog at all for a while. I've come to realize that I don't want to know everything that's out there. Sometimes, I want to put my head in the Sand; I want the filtered and sanitized version. Like the newscasters and talk radio people that won't say the Shooter's names when reporting on the recent Killing Sprees; I have decided to not give them publicity. By showing my horror and reacting, aren't I reinforcing their problem behavior?
Not knowing the whole story, but only seeing the photos and reading the blogs, how can a person know when they're egging someone on in their self-destructive spiral? How can we help give others the positive reinforcement they need? But, the actresses that are acting out really don't need the publicity. The Buzz they're getting should be enough.
With everything in the media, is is possible that we are so Jaded by the bizarre? Constantly needing more excitement, more shocking, more unbelievable? Does everything really need to be the MOST ? Biggest, Baddest, Ultimate, Horrific, ? What's next after that?

Ravelry ?

2008-02-19T13:01:00.004-06:00

https://www.ravelry.com/account/login
Has anyone out there been using the Ravelry site? I don't even know what it is really, but I signed up for an invitation. About 5 minutes later, I typed in to "check my place in line".

You signed up on Today
You are #111471 on the list.
5680 people are ahead of you in line.
4 people are behind you in line.
93% of the list has been invited so far

Then I notice that the title line on the page that gives you this information is "antsy".
Good humored Snarkiness? Right back atcha:
How good must this be? Wow! Is this what one would call a phenomenon?

organize. Organize your projects, stash, needles, and more.

Is this an answer to my prayers? Or what? Man, this is worse than waiting for - what? I don't even know what I'm waiting for.

And then, I notice It's In BETA. So this isn't even the final product yet, and we're all lining up to get it? Man, that's serious HYPE! Or not......... We shall see what the future holds.

Buying Patterns online

2008-02-18T11:39:00.003-06:00

Have you ever bought a pattern online? How was it?
Except for one, the only patterns I have downloaded are the free ones from the yarn companies, and Knitty, and other websites that I'll remember later. The one that I paid for, I was never able to successfully download because I didn't have enough bandwidth or a fast enough connection (at the time). The vendor "cheerfully" refunded to my PayPal account.
Anyway, I've been searching for years for a true "wedding ring shawl" pattern. I once found a book listing it on Amazon, for $45. At that time, I wasn't willing to pay that much.
I just don't know if I'm willing to pay from $4 to $25 for one single pattern.
Downloading instantly from the internet would be great though. I might get started sooner and not get sidetracked onto another project if I didn't have to wait for the pattern in the mail. Or, would it just incite me into starting even more UFOs that would go lurking in the attic to haunt me?
I did order a pattern from someone on eBay that was wonderful. They sent it all printed on nice paper with a "real" photograph attached. And it didn't take that long to get it. The first one came out fabulously. Since then, I lost it halfway through knitting it the second time. I think it was Curlicue, or Cirlicue maybe? Oat Coature doesn't seem to sell online anymore, none of my LYSs carry it. One of the many tribulations of being chronically disorganized. Someday.........

Back to Looking for Dragonscale stitch - without holes

2008-02-18T09:40:00.003-06:00

So, if the DS wants mitts, he'll get mitts, by Golly! Vibrant Lime Grasshopper Green : that's a Dragon Color isn't it?
Which puts me back to the search for a Dragonscale pattern that isn't lace, and doesn't have vertical lines making stripes. I'll be taking the suggestion of a poster at the TKGA forums (http://tkgamessageboard.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8291079361/m/1491070303) to use a lace pattern, but use a mk1 instead of a YO. This may lead to SWATCHING! Ohhh Noooo!

It's off to the hunt......... How dangerous can Dragon Scale Hunting be anyway?

But, he doesn't want socks. He wants Mitts

2008-02-18T08:29:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I'm all excited about the Cat Bordhi Sock book. I'm seeing some stuff in here thats Manly (in a very RenFest way). Remembering the DS that has not received anything knitted in a long time, the one that started all this knitting obsession with his Harry Potter Scarf. And I've found the best hot green yarn in the stash: Cascade Fixation Cotton - bright lime green. I coral the 12 yo DS to have him pick out one of these cool patterns for Socks. I even knit up the first pair of the practice socks; so some baby in the future will receive a very distinctive pair of camo color socks. DS patiently hmms, and well's his way through the Sock Book and then declares that what he really NEEDS is a pair of MITTS ! This yarn is "begging" him to be mitts. So, now what? I've probably started 10 pairs of mitts in the last 3 years. I do fine with the kind that has NO fingers whatsoever, but this time he wants to have the fingers except the tips. He reminded me about the cheap $1 store gloves that we chopped the fingertips off and flame sealed the frayed ends for Halloween. And then he proceeded to wear them for the rest of the winter. He even reminds me that his hands are only going to get bigger, so now would be the easier time to make them. While his hands are still almost as small as mine. Way to make a Mom feel Old.
Yep, no time like the present. Green Mitts it is.

Why would I think that starting reading a new book...

2008-02-15T13:38:00.004-06:00

Why would I think that starting reading a new book would be the right thing to do right now?
Why do I start new things when I'm stressed out?
Why am I even really feeling stressed?

I've had the book for a while, and I was saving it as a reward for ____? For what?
Good Grades? Cleaning my Room? Why do I continue to treat myself as if I'm a child?

Anyway, Cat Bordhi is awesome. Do you think she teaches the way she writes?
If more teachers did, so many more kids would get math.
I always loved math, and geometry, and all that stuff that girls were NOT supposed to be good at.
Oh, well.
But, back to Cat ... Some of her stuff is really goofy, and I just can't see anyone wearing some of it except at the Renaissance Festival. But, man would it be COOL for the RenFest! Lots of her stuff will be very appreciated by my LOTR and D&D crowd. And everything has such Great Names. Quirky just barely begins to describe this.

Got a new book - Cat Bordhi New Pathways for Sock Knitters

2008-02-14T15:05:00.005-06:00

Got a new book today! Yeah!
Where to start? What to do first?
Wow! love it, love it.
I'm beginning to think I have a problem though.
I seem to like to read about knitting more than I want to actually knit.
Maybe.
Surely not! It cannot be so! Banish the thought!

Lion Yarn - Felting experiment

2008-02-03T20:34:00.001-06:00

Puppy Coats:
To knit a coat for a puppy seems pretty sensible. But, DH and DD want it to not be yarn. We had a scare with this puppy early on with yarn. DD was playing with him, teaching him to "chase" a ball of yarn, holding onto a piece of yarn pulled out of center. Pup got a strand of the yarn wrapped around a tooth, bleeding (and screaming and crying) ensued. So, DH forbids yarn as a toy or clothing for the pup.
DH has always been anti-knit-toy for babies too. On the theory that they could chew loose a piece of the yarn, get a long ravel going, and choke or get hung up in the yarn.
So, wouldn't felting work for that problem too?

Lionbrand Yarn has a Charity Search

2008-02-01T16:44:00.001-06:00

Do you use Lion Brand yarn? I've got a ton of it in my stash. Yes, lots of the "real knitters" aka "yarn snobs" will tell you that it's inappropriate for serious knitting. But, let's be real; it's affordable, available, trendy or classic, reliable. Lion has textures and colors that everyone can relate to. They have the traditional basic afghan yarn to the trendy hot colors that come and go faster than a teen changes moods.
Anyway, I never noticed it before, but their website has a whole Charity Search area. You can look up charities several ways. Just type in your location, and how far you're willing to go to send or deliver your craft, and they'll fix you up with a list of what group in your area needs what. Or, you can type in your interest: say "hats", "chemo", "Veterans", "Prison", or "transplant" and it'll search for those words in the name of the organziation and their description and requests lists. In just a couple of minutes, I found seveal nearby ministries that need finished crafts as well as some that are asking for YARN ! So, if you bought tons of Lion yarn when you were first starting out and now you've moved beyond that phase: You could Donate the Yarn. Stash Clearing! What could this do for my OCD-hoarding thing? And now that I'm doing my taxes, I bet it could be a deduction IF I can Document it Properly (Get A Receipt).
Something to think about.
And, while you're there, they have lots of free patterns and even a stitch finder.
Peace - Out........

Warming Families Charity organization

2008-02-01T13:10:00.000-06:00

This charity has a really good utube video. Very nice idea for giving tribute to their contributors. This would be a great idea that other volunteer organizations (like my own church) could use to "thank" their donors. The Video Has music (by the Osmonds whom endorse this charity) and everything. Has lots of links to patterns and resources. http://www.warmingfamilies.org/donations_scrapbook.aspx Is a "scrapbook" of photos of the items and sometimes the donors. There's a drop down list "Pattern Menu" with what must be hundreds of links to pattern pages all neatly sorted into categories.
The focus seems to be on helping the homeless and those living in shelters of one sort or another. So, there's links to directories of shelters all across the US. Check it out to see what's in your area.
There seem to be Area Volunteers that you can contact about where to take your donated crafts in your own area.
Which works on one of my conundrums: shipping stuff round and round the world.
It really seems to help out the shipping companies: USPS, UPS, FedEx - but doesn't it dilute the actual aid that the end recipient receives? So, if I don't have to pay so much to ship it to the end user, maybe I can give more, give more frequently, give easier? Right?
What ever happened to the saying "Think globally, act locally"? Maybe I had it wrong. That should be my next investigation, shouldn't it?

Buffalo Down at Buffalo Gold

2008-01-31T10:56:00.000-06:00

Buffalo Gold produces Buffalo Down fibers. The statistics on this stuff are awesome. The micron count is supposed to be between 11 and 13 (cashmere is 15 - 16) so it should be even softer!
There's wonderful information on the website about how they started the business, and all kinds of Buffalo (American Bison) facts. Great Photo! If you're squeamish, don't go to the part about how they get the fiber. But, really, they're doing a good thing here; if they weren't there to harvest this fiber it would be wasted. So, get over it. I am still, as always, perplexed by the economics of sending this around the world to have it processed. They list where it's "grown", harvested, skirted, scoured, dehaired, and then spun. Man, how much of the cost of this is just in transportation?
Yarn, roving, kits, batts, etc. Leather, other stuff....
Well, it's not really available directly from them .........
They don't sell online. There is a lengthy list of LYS, and most people should have a shop reasonably nearby. I'm just a little deflated. I was really looking forward to ordering a little fluff online to spin on the (still unnamed) Rick Reeves wheel that I'm learning to use. So, I emailed the "closest" LYS after finding that their website only list two small knitting kits. I'm still not even sure what kind of price range I'm looking at for fiber? The known prices that I have are from a different LYS that is far too far to drive to: $45 for 25 g of Lace Weight or $69 for 50 g of Fingering Weight Yarn with patterns for scarves.
So, in my own little ADHD, OCD, way, I'm waiting to hear back from them and then might figure out how to work in a 4 hour round trip excursion into my evening. Then there's the $12 to $15 in gas that it'll take to get there and back. There's a really good restaurant near the LYS. Maybe I can talk the DH into driving me, and I can knit all the way there and back. So, that'll be another $20 minimum in meal cost. So, we're up to an estimated $80 for a net gain of enough yarn to make one scarf. Hmmmm, going to look at the budget before I get too excited about this.

Knitting Daily Poetry Magnets

2008-01-30T13:13:00.000-06:00

What do Knitting, Poetry, and Magnets have in common?

Knitting Daily is a very positive and enlightening email subscription newsletter. I love their patterns and information. Although it does concern me that they've "suddenly" started selling some of the patterns. Pretty smart business move, but I didn't think of it. If I remember right, they're the popular ones out of the magazine that is sold out of back issues. So, I guess having to pay for it is better than not being able to get it at all. (Where have I heard that before? Hmmmm......)

Today's had this link to a really cute idea: They're selling those little magnets with words on them. It seems that they might be a lead in to a poetry contest? Maybe? All the words are knitting (or at least crafts) related. So..... you can write cute little sayings on your Refrigerator or file cabinet at work.

I have to admit though I have some issues with this. I know, these phobias are not reasonable, but here they are anyway:
1) I'm always leary of magnets in the mail. I know, people don't mail floppy disks anymore. But, once my sister's brother-in-law's boss' nephew lost a bunch of important gaming information that way.
2) Don't stick magnets to the computer case / box / thingy. I know they're not very powerful. But, I still freak anytime I see magnets on a CPU. It just can't be good.
3) Can't we make these ourselves? Not that I would, but couldn't we just take a sheet of paper and print words on it, cut them up and use tape? Heaven forbid, maybe even write the words on paper with a pen or pencil. By Hand! Yeah, I know, "How Unprofessional !" But, hey How Cheap!

Yeah, I know, I need to get over it.

In Turkey, a Step to Allow Head Scarves

2008-01-29T16:14:00.000-06:00

This headline from the New York Times Europe edition online caught my eye.

The photo is by Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

Captioned: Turkish women demonstrated for the right to wear head scarves in government buildings, including public offices and universities.

Accompanies an article by Sabrina Tavernise - http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/sabrina_tavernise/index.html?inline=nyt-per

It had never occurred to me that scarves would be Forbidden. There are so many shades of Covered. The women in this photo certainly don't seem to be unhappy in their scarves. It's a long way from the Burqa or Purdah. Look those up in Wikipedia - awesome descriptions.
I mean, I know I don't really understand the covered women concept. But, there are truely American and Christian versions of the Covered Woman ideal.

In many places in the USA, there are groups of Christian women that practice a form of the Covered Women thing. They wear caps of a type and never go anywhere with their hair down or uncovered. Their age, or their group, seems to determine whether their cap is black, brown, white or otherwise. Some of the younger women have a kind of white net cap that is somewhat translucent. So, through those caps you can see, kind of, what color their hair is, and a hint of what style bun they've got it up in. I have great respect for these women and their faith. But, honestly, some of the older women are still wearing a style that is very Covering. There isn't any veil component, but the cap is a very deep bonnet style that conceals their faces from view in every angle except straight on. I cannot imagine our government telling these women that they are Forbidden to wear their caps.

So, why does it surprise me that there are other women out there in this great world of diversity that want to be modest in their dress? On the one hand, I understand the security issues. There are schools that don't allow hats to be worn inside by the boys to discourage Gang Behavior and who knows what else. I wonder if they have exceptions for Chemo Caps for kids, or teachers, or employees that are fighting cancer? On the other hand, who are we to judge what women choose to do? Isn't the Choice the important factor?

When you are knitting a scarf or hat, or shawl for that matter, do you ever think of these things?
What does your love incarnate in wool "mean" to another culture? What is that string in another context?

Warm Up America

2008-01-28T15:49:00.000-06:00

Earlier in this Blog, I had promoted the Caps to the Capitol campaign. They have posted on the Warm Up America site that they have received caps: 281,000 for the Caps to the Capital Campaign. It was an overwhelming success thanks to your generosity. The caps are being distributed to Save the Children's health facilities in Bangladesh and Malawi. For detailed updates at every step in the journey, go to www.warmupamerica.org site. They still have patterns available: Newborn Cap Patterns and Links to Technique Information and encourage you to knit caps for your own local neonatal unit of your local hospital.

If you want to keep on helping through the Warm Up America and be sure that your efforts are going to a good cause: visit their site for "directions" on making 7" x 9" rectangles that you can either put together yourself and send in, or send in the rectangles for their volunteers to put together into afghans.

The Warm Up America group does encourage crafters to donate their work locally. They seem to have lots of resources available so you can find a place near you to give. This seems to make a lot of sense in that it would be better to not spend the resources on shipping knit items around the country any more than necessary. Locally / Globally .....

Which brings me to one of my more persistent conundrums: Shipping: Why can I walk into any local store, and buy an item that comes from half a world away so cheap? How can it make sense to ship fruit here from, say, New Zealand? If energy is so costly (on so many levels), how do we keep this up? The raw materials come from one place, ship to the manufacturer of the base materials, ship to the fabricator, ship to the finisher, ship to the packager, ship to the importer, ship to the warehouse, ship to the distribution center, ship to the distributor, ship to the retailer, then maybe ship to me at home? It's just amazing to me. How many people (or conveyors or robots) handled that little bag of grapes that I bought at the store? Grown in Chile'. Why? How does that make any sense?
OK, I know. Enough already.

Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

2008-01-28T11:59:00.000-06:00

Wow, You Rule Stephanie!
I've had this book for quite a while, and had looked up some specific, and very helpful, tips in it.
But, until this weekend, I had not actually tried to read it cover to cover.
I couldn't put it down. Well, except to knit.
My bedmate got pretty peeved over my laughing in bed (at the book). And I'm sure that having to move the knitting needles to get into the bed hadn't exactly set the mood.
I just couldn't help it.
Now I know that I'm not alone.
I'm not the only one that is this obsessed with knitting.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee know what's in my heart and soul. She writes what I wish I could express to those people that look at me "that way". I wish my significant other would read this and understand. But, Stephanie's right, non-knitters just don't get it.
According to her statistics though, about 15% of the population is a knitter to some degree - so they should "get it". I think a lot of them are just afraid to admit that they wish they were brave enough ( or ADHD enough ) to knit everywhere they go too.

Something to Investigate

2008-01-28T11:36:00.000-06:00

I need to investigate this more. Looks pretty interesting. And, I'm posting it here so I don't loose the "code" and I can edit the HTML later. Thank you for your patience.

Musk Ox down - Qiviut from Native Alaskan Co-operative

2008-01-27T19:31:00.000-06:00

A cause to support:
"Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' Co-operative
The Alaskan co-operative that has brought exquisite Qiviut items to you as a unique northern gift since 1969. Qiviut (pronounced "kiv-ee-ute"), the downy-soft underwool from the Arctic musk ox, is shed naturally each year during the spring months. Eight times warmer than wool and extraordinarily lightweight, Qiviut is one of the finest natural fibers known to man. The Co-Operative is owned by approximately 250 Native Alaskan women from remote coastal villages of Alaska who knit each item by hand. Each village has a signature pattern derived from traditional aspects of village life and the Eskimo culture; they may come from an ancient artifact or a beadwork design. "

http://www.muskoxfarm.org/ Has really cute photos and lots of information about the Musk Ox, that aren't Musky, and they aren't related to Oxen. I was so relieved to find out that they don't actually try to shear these critters. It's a great cause.

That said: what's the down side? Outrageously expensive!

You can get a DIY Hat kit with 2 ounces of yarn for $80. They don't sell fiber to spin or bulk yarn, because there's such a limited supply. And, the "value added" part is their real income, if I understand this right. They'll knit their yarn into a scarf or shawl that will sell for hundreds of dollars. And, in very specific designs by their village. Very cool, but very expensive. If I ever make it to Alaska, this is very high on my list of gotta go to places.

I'm sure it's worth it though.

"Companion Cashmere"

2008-01-25T13:57:00.000-06:00

The most interesting site I visited today is VIPFibers
Very Interesting. I think we definitely need to do more research on people that wear their pet's fiber.
Of course, that's coming from me, that wants to have an alpaca. Wasn't Mary's Little Lamb a pet? No one would have given her a hard time about wearing a wool sweater. Right?
I've visited alpacas. They're pretty friendly little guys.
And, Angora Rabbits - now that's a cuddly little fiber factory right there, let me tell you.
So, why do we have a problem with Dog Yarn, or Cat Yarn? Haven't I been seeing adds for Yac fiber and even Buffalo?
We will definitely be exploring this more and soon...................

355 Woodview Drive, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Toll-Free: 1-866-PET-YARN
Specializing in Mail Order Custom Handspun Yarn from Your Very Important Pets!

Why not? Our clever ancestors didn't have a problem with it. As a matter of fact, centuries ago, it was considered that good luck was brought to anyone wearing a garment spun from dog hair. And we all could use a little of that!

Home spinners like to refer to their handspun dog yarn as "Chiengora" (pronounced she-an-gora). Chien is French for dog and gora is derived from angora, the soft fur of a rabbit. We, here at VIP Fibers, like to refer our handspun yarn as "Canine Cashmere" or Feline Cashmere" and to cover all basis "Companion Cashmere"

I AM Impressionism

2008-01-18T21:10:00.000-06:00

And, it would be interesting to knit in an Impressionistic way. Don't you think?

You Are Impressionism

You think the world is quite beautiful, especially if you look at it in new and interesting ways.

You tend to focus on color and movement in art.

For you, seeing the big picture is much more important than recording every little detail.

You can find inspiration anywhere... especially from nature.

What Art Movement Are You?

Blogthings web personality quizzes

2008-01-11T20:54:00.000-06:00

Well, you've really gotta love these online personality quizzes. I couldn't pass this one up...... What Drug is your Personality Like?
I remember the '60's : therefore, I must not have really been there.
So... Where was I then? The mysteries of the universe are compelling.

Your Personality Is Like Acid

A bit wacky, you're very difficult to predict.One moment you're in your own little happy universe...And the next, you're on a bad trip to your own personal hell!
At your best: You understand the world completely, and every ordinary experience is sublime.
What people like about being around you: You say and do the craziest things. You're very entertaining.
What people dislike about being around you: You're unpredictable. Your mood swings are quite intense.
How addicted people get to you: They pretty much don't get addicted to you.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatdrugisyourpersonalitylikequiz/">What Drug Is Your Personality Like?

But, you see, I've been told that I have an Addictive Personality. Really, I didn't imagine that. Did I?

Patterns that make you go OOOOhhhhh

2008-01-04T22:37:00.000-06:00

One Of A Kind:

Well, it is colorful.

And Interesting.

I'm sure it was a challenge to knit.

Do you think they looked at a picture, or graph, or something first?

Is it like one of those Georgia O'Keeffe anatomy as art things?

Or a Rorschach test?

If I see things in this, do I need counseling?

Tired of Holiday Sweaters? Try a Cruise Sweater....

2007-12-28T21:48:00.000-06:00

This Cruise Sweater is available right now on eBay.
Direct to you from Florida. Cruise capital of the world, so they should know cruise fashion. Right?

Black probably wouldn't have been my first choice for Cruise Wear, but what do I know. Maybe it's to take advantage of the slimming effect of black. But, no there's that huge white, and red, horizontal stripe accross the belly.
Maybe the black is because it's a
night-time scene? Then, what's with
all the sunglasses and tanning?
And it comes complete with sexy lounging sunbather knit right into the back ( or should I say butt) of this size Large sweater. Just what I would want on my size L butt, a skinny, almost naked intarsia woman!

Just what you need for that cruise with your "Fat Fighters" weigh in group.
Hey, my Mom would have worn this!
She was that cool kind of little old lady,
after she lost 100 # with her Fat Fighters
(her pet name for her gang, not mine).

And it's 100% Cotton - that'll look good wet. Right?

Proudly knitted, by hand, With TWO Needles, in Uruguay. Wow!

Did the designers give women what they wanted this fall?

2007-12-28T20:33:00.000-06:00

Let's look back to the Fall 2007 Fashion week reports: "Designers are still making the case that fall is about chunky knit sweaters, but they have slimmed down the overall silhouette after a few seasons of over-the-top volume."

Do you think that's what we got?

It really sounds great when you read it though, doesn't it?

Carolina Herrera had some great stuff out there.

The Worst Direction

2007-12-28T00:15:00.000-06:00

It is time to admit, to my chagrin, that I wasted time reading a book.
Contrary to my nature, I know. Usually, I consider any book that I have read to be a gainful experience on some level. But not this one. I wasted several otherwise lovely evenings reading "The Golden Compass". I don't even know where to start a diatribe against this book, it's writer, and his publisher!
I was really trying to give it the same chance I did with Harry Potter, and a lot of others. But this one goes in the same category with Ayn Rand. What a waste! With all the hazardous toys being recalled, I think this is a hazardous book that should be recalled.
First: It's not even a Compass; it's a glorified Magic 8 Ball.
Second: This is not a book written for children. And I resent that it has been made into a children's movie even more than I resented Gremlins in 1984. I would have been really ticked if I had shelled out the cash to see this in a theater.
Third: I guess the movie is reasonably successful, more's the pity. I thought with Nicole Kidmann, it might be a good movie. I always liked her. But, then I used to like Tom Cruise too, before he took a ride on the hopping couch. So, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that She's turning out to be spiritually flaky also.
Fourth: Any writer that was bashing any other race, creed, or belief would have been censored and politically corrected out of a job, or contract as the case may be, long before this. What were they thinking to publish such rubbish?
My recommendation: spend your money on something more enjoyable, like a root canal. This Gold could lead to Lead Poisoning. My children know that I won't spend my money on Bratz Cr_p, and now they know I won't be spending it on Golden Compass BS either.

Gave away Stash Yarn!

2007-12-27T23:59:00.000-06:00

I think I may have started my New Year's Resolutions early!
I sent home a whole bag of yarn with a SIL after Christmas!
If you don't understand what a breakthrough this is, you just don't understand.
And, in the meantime, I have found Clutterer's Anonymous. Or at least their website.
Hi, my name is Ruby and I have a Clutter Problem.
Anyway, I'm not sure how, but giving away a bag of yarn for a church ladies' group that makes prayer shawls has got to get me some kind of points, doesn't it?
And, in the process, I got rid of a box of yarn that was trashed by mice and who knows what else. It was pretty icky. There was a part of me that really wanted to find a way to salvage even that yarn. Dusty, dirty, mouse goop, mouse skeleton, and all. I guess that's one of the ways that I should know that I have a problem. No one in their right mind would have any doubt, and would have torched the whole shebang at first discovery. But no, I'm still agonizing about what I should have been able to save.
But, I did it, with some help and encouragement. And hopefully, I will continue on into the New Year.........

Finished a Hat for a Nephew

2007-12-27T23:54:00.000-06:00

I made a hat similar to the hat in a Spin Off magazine for the youngest nephew. He happens to love hats at the age he is right now. I'm sure he will outgrow it though. Right now, he's the only person that will wear my knit hats. I wonder why that is? People used to wear hats. They wear hats on TV. I see other people wearing hats in my geographic area. Just not my family, and no one I know. Hmmmmmm........

The Christmas Gift

2007-12-26T22:34:00.000-06:00

Ok, we opened gifts with the MIL. And she seemed to be very pleased with the hand spun hot pad, pot holder, place mat thingy. I have to admit, I was nervous about felting (or fulling) it, and put that off till the last minute. I tossed it in the washer on hot with a bunch of socks. It seemed to shrink up more in the center than on the edges or ends. That will take more research. Anyway, it was fun.

The Harry Potter Scarf that started it all

2007-12-21T12:19:00.000-06:00

This is the first Harry Potter scarf that I knit for John, obviously. I think it was in 2004, or may be 2003, or sometime in the haze of time before now but after 2002. It was from the first generation movie. The pattern was a free one from the Wal-mart yarn section. And, yes, it's good old reliable Red Heart yarn. It really has held up pretty well for the use it has had. I know it's been washed (and dried) in the machine several times.
Flaws: The duplicate stitch is atrocious. The color change has a dramatic jog each time.
Highlights: Done on circular needle, it was fast and easy. It was my first circular project.

Spinning Wheel Update

2007-12-16T23:22:00.000-06:00

I got the new bobbins for my Reeves spinning wheel! I finally got to ply two together. It was sooooooo cool! The DH has not finished fixing the treadle for me, so it was kindof interesting. He did spend most of a football game sitting with me and spinning the wheel (by hand) for me. It was so cute! It was so much fun.
So now I'm making a hotpad for my MIL out of the first yarn. It's plain unbleached, undyed wool. The plan is that it will felt just enough to be thick, but not so much that the stitch pattern is lost. We'll see. What if I accidently used the "super wash" roving instead of the plain?
Life is an adventure!

The DH Cleans UP!

2007-12-14T14:02:00.000-06:00

Wow! My house is looking sooooo gooooood! My DH has been hauling off so much junk.
Take into consideration that it's mostly My junk.
And, with the help of my 12 step program, I can admit it:
I am a Clutter Junkie.
I have had too much stuff for too long.
For years, any time he would start cleaning, and trying to help, I would absolutely have a panic attack.
In this last week, I've only had a couple of melt down moments.
That urge to rescue the bags of stuff from the trash was nearly overwhelming.
But, I didn't do it.
I let it go.
I am letting it go.
There was a point where I near panicked, and spoke some hasty words that I regret.
But, on the whole, it's not going too bad.
The poor DH thinks I'm a real nut job though. He just doesn't get it. Not that anyone else does though either. Why did I ever start this? What part snapped and broke?

Yarn Thickness Chart at Ohio Valley Natural Fiber

2007-12-11T23:04:00.000-06:00

I've been to the website for Ohio Valley Natural Fiber.
There's a great Yarn Thickness Chart in downloadable PDF form that I think will be really handy. I'm trying to put together a comprehensive chart or excel file or something that will let me figure out what to do with the yarns that I have. Part of my own 12 step program for OCD Clutterer.
In summary: The yarn weights come from how many Wraps Per Inch or WPI a yarn is. You wrap the yarn in question around something (can be anything from a ruler to a pop sicle stick to a very expensive specialty tool.) You make sure the yarn is not stretched, but not too slack; not over lapping anywhere, but no gaps. Then you count the times it wraps around in one inch of length.

#0 LACE Weight is 20 to 18 WPI
#1 FINGERING Weight is 16 to 14 WPI
#2 SPORT Weight is 12 to 10 WPI
#3 CHUNKY Weight is 9 to 8 WPI
#4 BULKY Weight is 5 to 6 WPI

Which obviously brings up the questions: What is 7 WPI? What about my lumpy handspun that starts out as 4 WPI and the eventually ends up at 24 WPI over the course of about 25 yards? All those questions, and more, will be answered as time goes by.

In search of a solution, or maybe just a definition.

2007-12-05T15:41:00.000-06:00

Well, maybe I do need a 12 step program. So i searched online and found Clutterers Anonymous. No meetings anywhere within range of the middle of nowhere where I am. So, I'll be reading their website this evening. Do any of you have any experience with a CA group?
Do any of you think it's possible to do this on my own? Well, I mean I think I will have the support of family and several friends. But, I really don't think any of them really get it. I've tried to explain it to a few very supportive and well meaning friends. Sometimes it just seems so hopeless.
I'm not even sure what my real problem is. I collect things. Stuff that I don't even know why I collect it. Stuff that I should be able to throw away or give away without getting all crazy about it. I buy things I don't need. I keep things I can't use. Why?
So, if I admit it, and if I work on it hard enough, can I get control of it? Can I get past it?

Handmade Pledge: Buy Handmade.org

2007-12-05T14:20:00.000-06:00

Wow, I just stumbled on this one today.
And I want to post it before I loose it.
I've been hit extra hard with the "be reasonable this Christmas" philosophy.
In other years, my OCD Hoarding / Shopping problem has gotten me into a LOT of trouble. Last year, I was able to admit that I had a major problem. But not before I had maxed out every financial resource I had. This year, I want to do so much better. I'm already starting with one foot in the hole though. The financial resources are already pretty drained. Why do I still have the urge to open new accounts so I can buy stuff people don't really want? I know that I don't really need anything. I know my kids only want "stuff" because other people and TV tell them they "want" it.

Friday night, I was watching "Numbers" when the guy made a bet that he could last longer without buying anything "unnecessary".
Sunday - wow, that pastor is really hitting home with me every Sunday! It's getting really eerie.
Then Today, I find this "buy hand made" site.
Alright already! I have stash, I know I should use it! I'll get back to work now.

http://www.buyhandmade.org/why-buy-handmade

http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=heartshandmade&w=507018%40N25&m=pool

What part of these projects is hard to make fit?

2007-12-04T15:12:00.000-06:00

The Twisted Sisters Knit Sweaters: A Knit-to-Fit Workshop

I've looked through my copy several times now, and I'm just not seeing how hard it is to make these kind of things fit.

The Dolman, batwing sleeve thing kind of fits a pretty broad range of sizes doesn't it?

As far as I can tell, all of the designs in this book are pretty forgiving in fit. I was hoping for hints on how to make things really fit. Not that my figure is worth showing off at this point in time. But, I knit for people that have it and should flaunt it.

Naming the spinning wheel

2007-11-30T11:00:00.000-06:00

I have to come up with a name for my spinning wheel.
I inherited it from my DH's Interesting Uncle Joel. He lived in Minnesota. A town with Lake in the name (imagine that!). They were of German descent, not Swedish or Norwegian. He taught History for years. He is sorely missed by all. I don't think he was a spinner, the spinning wheel was a "prop" for his historic lessons.
It's a Cherry Wood Rick Reeves 1977. Seems to be very unique. I'll have to post photos, as soon as I find the camera again. It's beautiful, but had a rough life lying on it's side on top of a pile of other priceless antiques for years after he retired. It's a lot smaller than the wheels that I see for sale now. I've been wondering why. Is it maybe to spin a finer yarn than the newer wheels? This was, after all, made before the 80's BIG WOOL era.
Any suggestions?

Finished the Star of David Baby Afghan

2007-11-29T12:31:00.000-06:00

I finished the Star of David baby afghan. After ripping back and rekinitting the center section about 3 times. I think it came out pretty good, in the end. And I really love the yarn: soft and washable. It's a good thing, I went kinda knuts when I thought I might run out before I was finished. Now, I've got a bunch leftover. But, the consensus among all the people that have seen me knitting is that it is "Big Enough Already. You can't always knit 'till you run out of yarn". Especially if you're a yarn-a-holic.

More from 1970

2007-11-23T21:25:00.000-06:00

Who outthere remembers when we didn't wear PANTS! But we might wear a Pant Suit if we were very daring. How modern they were. And McCalls was right there on the cutting edge of fashion. Or, you could use those zigzag skills to create a wearable afghan, complete with fringe.

Looking back at 1970

2007-11-16T21:16:00.000-06:00

From McCalls 1970

I really think that I've seen the orange poncho in a pattern magazine recently.

Without the skirt, scarf, hat and minus the heavy fringe.

Fur Yarn by Paula Lishman

2007-11-09T15:06:00.000-06:00

Now, this is absolute luxury.
Fur That has been made into Yarn yep You read that right.

Fur + Thread = Yarn

They don't make a lot of guarantees about weight or gauge.
It sure looks pretty, comes in a lot of colors, and natural critter colors.
Be forwarned, this is one of those intrest vs committment things. The Chicken has an interest in breakfast and the Pig has a committment in a ham & egg breakfast. Therefore, in this case the sheep or alpaca has an interest in your yarn, whereas the fox or rabbit (in this case) is committed. Other forms of yarn probably require less of the donor animal.

Photo from the FurYarn.com website.

The prices seem to run about $60, Canadian, for a kit to make a Rex Rabbit Collar
$100 for a hat kit.

Maybe not bad, I don't know. It seems like a lot of extra work.
But, isn't that what Luxury is about? Most of us probably don't knit because it's the easiest or cheapest way to clothe our families. Those Canadians sure do know how to stay warm.
You Betcha'.

I'm thinking that anything made out of a $100 ball of yarn is going to make someone feel pretty pampered.

Time to use that fancy scarf technique in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's book on how to have two matching ends with no waste.

Wow, long time, no post

2007-10-29T16:38:00.000-05:00

Wow, I've been out of it for a long time.
I've really been knitting up a storm though.
And, I took the spinning class.
I finished one whole bobbin of a natural wool that I think I'm going to make into something for my MIL for Christmas.

Knitting Murder Mystery

2007-08-11T21:00:00.002-05:00

I just finished a Knitting Mystery. Very disappointing. As a heavy reader, and a long term mystery fan, I just think it missed the mark. It had a little bit of a knitting interest, but not that great. It had just as much information about coffee as it had about knitting.

I can't bear to tell you what the book or writer was. Maybe they'll get better. Maybe this was just a bad example of the work...... Yep, I always give people the benefit of the doubt, the second chance, Is that a flaw or an assett?

Now, keep in mind that I was weaned on Agatha Christie. Murder, She Wrote. Sherlock Holmes.

But, the cover art was intriguing. And the title was catchy. So, I bought it, and that's what gets the people paid. Right?

Anyway, as an addicted knitter, and reader, I will be continuing on to search out the best of all worlds.

Who Knew theanticraft would come up with this?

2007-08-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

Well, just when you thought you knew what you think about a blog or a site, they come up with something that really changes your opinion:

http://www.theanticraft.com/archive/beltane07/vinnland.htm
I will admit freely
That I have slammed "the AntiCraft!"ers before, and I'm sure I will again. But, I love these socks.

At the same time, I don't understand the "Fetus Coin Purse". Are they for or against? What is the larger issue? I know there's a message, but what is it? Would we all be better off not knowing? Do we already know, but we don't know that we know?

Beautiful Kia vs. FUGGLY Target

2007-08-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

So, beauty being in the eye of the beholder, is this FUGGLY or NOT?

It's in "BOHO" yarn, which I need to investigate more before I pass judgment. I think color choice and wearing environment would be two of the many issues here.

Is it too much of a Target? Maybe that's not as much of a problem as I imagine. Depending on the wearing environment, this could be a major health hazard, couldn't it? I'm thinking that in one of my past school's colors: RED and White, this would have been a sticky spit-balled mess at the end of the day. On the other hand, the ex centric aunt in me wants to start one as soon as possible for that pre-teen that I have a b-day coming up for. She really loves the trendy Pink Camo look. I just don't want to be the one responsible for the "Christmas Story - bunny jammies" or the "Home Alone Ducky Sweater = (a kid could get beat up wearing something like that)". I so much want to be the Cool Relative! Have you seen the cell-phone commercials where the parent and teen are mock fighting over that the Kid IS getting this cell phone, and You SO Get It!
How about the vibrant Hunter Orange with a Sand Camo? I personally like the spiral motif. Especially for the hormonal teen years. You know, the whirl-wind, spiraling whirlpool, tornado, hurricane, TAZ type images. I'm probably the only one that gets the joke though, so it's probably humor lost on the masses.

So, what do you think?

Well, on to the next adventure:

2007-08-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

What's next?

I've inherited a Reeves 1977 spinning wheel. In Solid Cherry Wood, the bottom of the treadle is signed.
So, never having used a spinning wheel before, I'm off on a new learning adventure.
I've done a little surfing and researching to find out that it's a "Saxony" wheel, I think.

I'm not even sure that we got the thing put back together right.
Does the string/belt thingy go around once, or twice?
Is there any chance that this string that's with it is actually the right length?
I think the wheel might be on backwards.
And the treadle has one end of the "axel" broken off and missing.
I did glue the "flyer" back together and I think it'll hold until I know more about what I'm doing.

Updates later..........

Posting style for photos of Finished Objects

2007-06-03T17:56:00.000-05:00

I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing!

I would like your input on photo style for posting on blogs.

Pros and Cons. Compare and Contrast. Plus and Minus.
Risk vs Gain. Problem or Positive?

Is it OK to post photos of children on blogs? Do you want to see their gleaming little eyes and sparkly smiles?

Is it better to obscure the facial features: as shown? Or use a photo that doesn't quite show the face as identifiable? What age people is it OK to show? What age isn't OK? Should only adults be on Blogs in photos? Do you all expect bloggers to use real names? For the blogger, for the stories, for their models?

Is it a security hazard? Does it make people a target for mean people? Is there a risk?

Is your photo on a blog a good thing? does it add to your Popularity Quotient? Will it make you famous, or infamous?

Tell me what you think: I know you're out there! I've gotta know! This could be a national security issue, at least for Link and Zelda.

Stitchin' at the Ball Game

2007-05-22T18:55:00.000-05:00

What a great idea! Take your knitting to the ball game. Officially. Encouraged. Wow. I know I for one have knitted my way through many a highschool, middle school, and little league game. As well as movies, dance recitals, band concerts, choir concerts, cantatas, who knows what else?

I honestly don't remember the last time I went anywhere without my knitting. (Well, except to a paying job.)

And I don't plan to ever again. (again, except to the job thing).

The Return of the Can Hat

2007-05-22T16:20:00.000-05:00

Joy, oh! Joy!
The Post Carrier Cometh, and I have my new copy of knit.1. And I’m having flash backs again. Remember, if you can remember the ‘60’s, you weren’t really there……….

Retro Alert: Who can tell me what year this must have been?

One of my hyper-crafty aunts used to sing a song about “Everything Old is New Again”. She also showed me how to make “can hats” from Beer Cans. One of my other crafty aunts was absolutely appalled that we were making hats from Used Alcohol Containers! And then she found out where we got most of our cans! And the Women and the Children were wearing them! What a family Discussion that was!
I remember scouring the local dump (yes, it was a Dump, not a Land Fill, or a Transfer Station, or a Recycling Center) for cans. What a memory, the cans had to be “de-gunked” because no-one separated their trash. Yummmmy. We especially liked the “new” aluminum cans. Most of the Beer Cans were Steel, and I don’t remember if pop came in cans at all back then. Coors was THE beer with aluminum cans, but it was rare. Coors had a limited shipping zone from Colorado, and we did most of our camping East of their territory. Believe it or not, there were actually people that would “smuggle” Coors, for a price. The Dads and Uncles were required to help if we were using the steel cans, as they were much more difficult to cut up and punch holes in. They were willing to do it though, for a Can Hat in their favorite brand, and very few Real Men drank Coors.
There was a very much more macho men’s version of the Can Hat, while the ladies and children’s hats had wider brims than this new one shows. The top was a circle of can also. It threw a much larger shadow, and protected more space from the sun’s heat and burns. Remember, this was before Sun Screen really came into play also. We had Sun Tan Lotion that helped you tan faster, not to block the UVs.
But, I digress, again, ….. We crocheted our hats together with spiffy yarn that matched the logo colors on the cans, and I don’t think it occurred to us to mix brands within one hat. All the panels matched each other! We bought our all acrylic yarn from TG&Y, or K-Mart, or maybe one of those New Wal-Marts! (Yep, I shopped at the first WalMart as a kid on vacation in Arkansas!)
One of the best things about these hats was that they could be folded up without ruining them. And, it was easy to wash the fishing bait and goo out of them if they got icked while fishing. The steel ones did sink awfully fast if dropped into the lake though.
I wonder if any have survived in the atic? Dad's was blue Hamm's and mine was brown Schlitz or Fallstaff? I think?

Who comes up with these names? Shivaree?

2007-05-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

Do they have any idea what a Shivaree is? I really like this Berroco pattern, but why that name?

shiv·a·ree (shv-r, shv-r) n. Midwestern & Western U.S.
A noisy mock serenade for newlyweds. Also called regionally charivari, belling, horning, serenade.

Hmmm, usually knitting is a fairly quiet sport, isn't it?
Regional Note: Shivaree is the most common American regional form of charivari, a French word meaning "a noisy mock serenade for newlyweds" and probably deriving in turn from a Late Latin word meaning "headache."

Well, it just keeps getting better, doesn't it? How often do we find French words that combine the concepts of "Newlyweds" and "Headaches"? And then: Why would someone want to name a Sweater, a Scarf, and a THROW by that name? Yep, I've been to a real Ozark Shivaree. But the wedding was in June, so this wouldn't even be appropriate for the Shivaree-ers to wear. Maybe if the wedding, or honeymoon was in, say, what? October? Yeah, that's the ticket: When there's a fall wedding, you can wear this special Shivaree outfit to go down to the holler to THROW them A SHIVAREE and make up some racket to really make sure your best friends can really have a good headache for their honeymoon.

Yeah, Git' er done!
And now we know why those elopements are so darn popular.

A Sniff and a Reverant Tear

2007-04-25T13:12:00.000-05:00

Today's SNB calendar page is for You Knit What?
www.youknitwhat.blogspot.com

What is there to say? How can you break the news to others that a dear, dear friend has passed on when they never even met them?

From their last posting:

Thursday, August 03, 2006

So long, little fuglings.
As many of you may have guessed, PRK and I have decided to hang up our snark and go back to the outside world.

At least their blog still lives on in their memory. Somewhere, Out there, in that big cruel world, there's a server faithfully preserving their leagacy for future generations of fuglings. Giving us guidance. Leading us away from the murky abys that awaits unwary knitters without such a guide. Encouraging us to open our video blinded eyes to the beauty that can be ours if we only avoid the entrapment of fuggliness. Showing us the way to identify a pattern without hope. Revealing to us the truth of "drastically reduced Sale" fibers that the mega box stores foist on the hapless masses. Weaning us away from the lure of Stash for Stash's sake. Nursing us through the withdrawl symptoms of breaking the addicition of obsession.

Well, they tried at least. I was doing great with the program. Then they left us to persue their "real" lives. And their efforts were not in vain. For a while. Then the Siren Song of the Hobby Lobby broke through the protective fog that I had been veiled in. And ... I .... gave ... in.

The remnants of PRK and KK's teachings still lurk in the back of my mind. I have been consistently finishing UFO's before starting too many new ones. I do look at my Stash with a slightly more critical eye.

It's been a long year, and now

It's time to cast off the dank shadow of mourning and step into the light. Remember the YKW?! teachings. Get back on track.

See ya sooner, rather than later.