I've enjoyed the Norwegian Baby Hat a lot (see previous post) and am at the point of making and attaching the i-cords now. Making is easy; attaching--well, I'd never done that. There are perfectly good explanations at Knittinghelp and Tech Knitting, but I have a lot of trouble understanding written instructions for knitting techniques--can't picture what's meant by the words, sometimes.
So I thought: well, if there were live stitches on the hat brim, I'd just graft those mofos. I can graft like a frickin' pro, because top-down socks are the one thing I can reliably make without either freaking out or f***ing up (should I bleep myself here? I am such a huge fan of profanity, people, you don't even know, but I hesitate to alienate the more gently-bred). So instead of picking up stitches on the hat brim with a knitting needle, I just did it with the darning needle as I went, and basically, it worked a treat. I am pretty pleased, and I think it looks good. A better knitter might notice something, or have a better way to do it--that's cool. But if you don't understand the usual instructions for attaching an i-cord to your knitting, you might wanna try this grafting thing, because it gets the job done with a minimum of anguished sobbing.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
In which I get back on that horse
So as we saw from the last post, I may not be the world's best knitter. But that's okay! There are more things I can knit. There are lots and lots of baby hat patterns in the world, and they work up quickly.
Baby heads grow quickly, too, so I got to steppin'. After trawling Ravelry's pattern database, I decided on this adorable Norwegian Baby Cap, which takes fingering weight yarn (I wound up with Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light, which is technically sport weight, but whatever). If you're a Ravelry member, you can see the original pattern page with lots of cute FO pics here (including a picture of what may be the cutest baby ever known to man), and find my project page with notes here.
I do have US 1.5 DPNs, but I loathe them--they're rosewood, and I'm always terrified they'll break, and the texture is literally a drag. Ugh. And of course the pattern requires one to use, effectively, a US 2.5 needle for the main portion of the hat; I don't have such a thing, nor can I find it quickly or cheaply. But I can find, in my needle hoard, US 2 DPNs (abominably long--too long for socks, but lucky I kept them!) and US 3s, which are only barely larger than the required needles. The yarn I am using is a little larger too, so that's fine; I would do the infant size in case of winding up with a far-too-large hat, but the 1 year is only a few stitches larger than the infant, and I knit tightly, so I'm not going to worry myself too much.
One thing I discovered while tracking down some clarifications on the pattern are these Knitting Scout Badges, which are probably old news to everyone on the internet but me. However, I thought they were delightful. I am choosing to interpret the anti-grandmother part of the "Proselytizing Knitting" badge requirements as meaning that you are disqualified if you've ever said "This isn't your Grandma's knitting" or some similar bunk. Readers of Laughing Rat Studio's blog know that I can't stand that nonsense. Hopefully, the creators didn't mean that saying something like "My grandma knitted, and she was badass" was off-limits.
(My grandma did knit, but doesn't now, but she is nevertheless pretty badass.)
So I should, in theory, qualify for the proselytizing badge:
and the "Knitting Has Forced Me to Seek Medical Attention” Badge (Level One)" badge (alas!):
and definitely the "I’ve Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application" badge:
.
I'll leave it to the gentle reader to decide if I qualify for the Divorce badge, since I cannot have been divorced, not having ever been married, but knitting has certainly gotten me through multiple (!) unpleasant breakups. And does it count at all that my pal (mother of the aforementioned babies, in fact) and I once started a handmade wraparound pants business to help us cope with our various terrible boyfriend problems? I think it does. So maybe that one too.
That's enough for one post.
Baby heads grow quickly, too, so I got to steppin'. After trawling Ravelry's pattern database, I decided on this adorable Norwegian Baby Cap, which takes fingering weight yarn (I wound up with Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light, which is technically sport weight, but whatever). If you're a Ravelry member, you can see the original pattern page with lots of cute FO pics here (including a picture of what may be the cutest baby ever known to man), and find my project page with notes here.
I do have US 1.5 DPNs, but I loathe them--they're rosewood, and I'm always terrified they'll break, and the texture is literally a drag. Ugh. And of course the pattern requires one to use, effectively, a US 2.5 needle for the main portion of the hat; I don't have such a thing, nor can I find it quickly or cheaply. But I can find, in my needle hoard, US 2 DPNs (abominably long--too long for socks, but lucky I kept them!) and US 3s, which are only barely larger than the required needles. The yarn I am using is a little larger too, so that's fine; I would do the infant size in case of winding up with a far-too-large hat, but the 1 year is only a few stitches larger than the infant, and I knit tightly, so I'm not going to worry myself too much.
One thing I discovered while tracking down some clarifications on the pattern are these Knitting Scout Badges, which are probably old news to everyone on the internet but me. However, I thought they were delightful. I am choosing to interpret the anti-grandmother part of the "Proselytizing Knitting" badge requirements as meaning that you are disqualified if you've ever said "This isn't your Grandma's knitting" or some similar bunk. Readers of Laughing Rat Studio's blog know that I can't stand that nonsense. Hopefully, the creators didn't mean that saying something like "My grandma knitted, and she was badass" was off-limits.
(My grandma did knit, but doesn't now, but she is nevertheless pretty badass.)
So I should, in theory, qualify for the proselytizing badge:
and the "Knitting Has Forced Me to Seek Medical Attention” Badge (Level One)" badge (alas!):
and definitely the "I’ve Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application" badge:
.I'll leave it to the gentle reader to decide if I qualify for the Divorce badge, since I cannot have been divorced, not having ever been married, but knitting has certainly gotten me through multiple (!) unpleasant breakups. And does it count at all that my pal (mother of the aforementioned babies, in fact) and I once started a handmade wraparound pants business to help us cope with our various terrible boyfriend problems? I think it does. So maybe that one too.
That's enough for one post.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
In which I am genuinely not the best knitter
Two hats. Both from the great "Gnomey" pattern by Hello Yarn. Both knit within a week of each other. Both made from the same yarn. So why's one a good inch+ bigger than the other one?
I think we both know the answer to that question. Perhaps my friend's twin babies can, um...swap hats? Maybe they can wear the smaller one now, and the bigger one later, and share them both? Yeah, I'm not thrilled with that idea either, but they're getting to be too big for Baby Surprise Jackets, so...
I probably should try again with the hats, huh.
Friday, February 18, 2011
A detour.
This is important enough that, yes, I'm even posting it here. It's not "polite," and in fact, it's got a component that's pretty embarrassing to me, but there's something at stake more important than my pride, so here it is.
The House of Representatives, you see, just voted to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving Federal funding.
There's a petition here, and I hope any US resident with a bit of conscience and empathy will sign it. Elected officials do actually pay attention to such things.
Here is a story. It is, in fact, my very own story.
Planned Parenthood is more than abortions. Most of their centers do not, in fact, offer that service. What they do offer is gynecological care for women who do not have medical insurance, do not have well-paying jobs (or any jobs), or are otherwise unsupported by spouses or family in making safe reproductive health decisions.
When I was unemployed and in graduate school, I found myself with no other real health alternative than Planned Parenthood. Through them, I was able to afford gynecological health screenings and birth control pills which I need for health reasons--and make no mistake, birth control is a health issue in itself, but in my case, an underlying health condition also requires me to use birth control to stop ovulation. This medical care kept me healthy and prevented emergency-room care that would have been necessary had one of my ovarian cysts exploded, which is exactly what I'm at-risk for when I don't have access to birth-control pills. Nice, eh?
Planned Parenthood did something else for me, too. My partner at the time had cheated on me, and declined to use a condom with his other partner(s). He acquired multiple STDs, which he then spread to me. This is not a matter of comfort or convenience; STDs are incredibly dangerous. If I had not been able to get low-cost gynecological exams from Planned Parenthood, I would not have been diagnosed with these STDs for some time, probably well after they'd done long-term damage to my reproductive health. Because of Planned Parenthood, I was able to get the medications required to eliminate these diseases at an incredibly low cost due to my nearly nonexistent income.
Planned Parenthood's funding--indeed, all social-services funding--is a barely-noticeable fraction of the Federal budget. It comes in last behind our various wars in the Middle East, the military overall, and the huge gap created by the multitude of tax cuts given to corporations and the rich. It is not being attacked because it's a serious drain on Federal coffers. It's being attacked because there are still a tremendous number of people, even in this enlightened year 2011, who think that sex is a sin and that women should have to suffer for engaging in it. These are the same people who have kept HPV vaccinations away from young women, because it's better to have an STD that makes you more prone to cancer than it is to possibly get the message that sex isn't dirty, shameful, and criminal. These are the same people who promote abstinence-only education, knowing it doesn't work, because they want young women to suffer for having sex. These are the same people who, in South Dakota, are trying to make it legally defensible to murder doctors who provide abortion services.
This is an attack on real human lives, with real consequences. It is not "manufactured outrage." Please contact your Senator and other elected officials to demand a stop to this legislation before it's too late.
The House of Representatives, you see, just voted to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving Federal funding.
There's a petition here, and I hope any US resident with a bit of conscience and empathy will sign it. Elected officials do actually pay attention to such things.
Here is a story. It is, in fact, my very own story.
Planned Parenthood is more than abortions. Most of their centers do not, in fact, offer that service. What they do offer is gynecological care for women who do not have medical insurance, do not have well-paying jobs (or any jobs), or are otherwise unsupported by spouses or family in making safe reproductive health decisions.
When I was unemployed and in graduate school, I found myself with no other real health alternative than Planned Parenthood. Through them, I was able to afford gynecological health screenings and birth control pills which I need for health reasons--and make no mistake, birth control is a health issue in itself, but in my case, an underlying health condition also requires me to use birth control to stop ovulation. This medical care kept me healthy and prevented emergency-room care that would have been necessary had one of my ovarian cysts exploded, which is exactly what I'm at-risk for when I don't have access to birth-control pills. Nice, eh?
Planned Parenthood did something else for me, too. My partner at the time had cheated on me, and declined to use a condom with his other partner(s). He acquired multiple STDs, which he then spread to me. This is not a matter of comfort or convenience; STDs are incredibly dangerous. If I had not been able to get low-cost gynecological exams from Planned Parenthood, I would not have been diagnosed with these STDs for some time, probably well after they'd done long-term damage to my reproductive health. Because of Planned Parenthood, I was able to get the medications required to eliminate these diseases at an incredibly low cost due to my nearly nonexistent income.
Planned Parenthood's funding--indeed, all social-services funding--is a barely-noticeable fraction of the Federal budget. It comes in last behind our various wars in the Middle East, the military overall, and the huge gap created by the multitude of tax cuts given to corporations and the rich. It is not being attacked because it's a serious drain on Federal coffers. It's being attacked because there are still a tremendous number of people, even in this enlightened year 2011, who think that sex is a sin and that women should have to suffer for engaging in it. These are the same people who have kept HPV vaccinations away from young women, because it's better to have an STD that makes you more prone to cancer than it is to possibly get the message that sex isn't dirty, shameful, and criminal. These are the same people who promote abstinence-only education, knowing it doesn't work, because they want young women to suffer for having sex. These are the same people who, in South Dakota, are trying to make it legally defensible to murder doctors who provide abortion services.
This is an attack on real human lives, with real consequences. It is not "manufactured outrage." Please contact your Senator and other elected officials to demand a stop to this legislation before it's too late.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Bargain-basement blecch
The nearest big-box bookstore issued a 50% off coupon today, so I went to shop and found...nothing. Just a big bag of nothing. I understand that having a lot of unsold inventory was not good for their business, but in reducing what they have to things that are new or bland, they've managed to work themselves down to the lowest common denominator. It's not that they never have anything good there at all, but they certainly have little of genuine interest for me anymore, and I no longer go there with the happy excitement that I used to have. Previously, I would sally forth in the knowledge that I'd wind up hard-pressed to come away with only one item; now, I know that if I do buy anything there, it'll probably be grudgingly and without enthusiasm.
Meh.
I even stooped so low as to see if I could apply my coupon to, say, a boxed set of all of Tove Jansson's Moomin books--a shameful thing, because there's an independent children's bookstore down the road from my apartment, and I have pledged to purchase children's books only from them--but no worries. In the BBB's frantic desire to make sure that only the mundane, the usual, and the unchallenging are on its shelves, they made sure to relegate Tove Jansson to Big-Box Bookstore.com. No, thank you.
Finally, I thought to check for Margaret Stove's new book. "IN-STORE!" proclaimed the store's computer...but because of poor organization, or poor inventory control, or lack of interest on the part of underpaid, overworked employees, or all three, it was not, in fact, on the shelf. By this time my dissatisfaction was complete, and I returned home to make some toast and read library books, instead.
Perhaps 2011 will see the resurgence of independent, small businesses, since the large ones are doing so poorly satisfying the needs of many customers. Then again, fewer and fewer people have spare money these days, and starting and running a small business is colossally expensive. Margaret Stove, at any rate, will still be available another day.
Meh.
I even stooped so low as to see if I could apply my coupon to, say, a boxed set of all of Tove Jansson's Moomin books--a shameful thing, because there's an independent children's bookstore down the road from my apartment, and I have pledged to purchase children's books only from them--but no worries. In the BBB's frantic desire to make sure that only the mundane, the usual, and the unchallenging are on its shelves, they made sure to relegate Tove Jansson to Big-Box Bookstore.com. No, thank you.
Finally, I thought to check for Margaret Stove's new book. "IN-STORE!" proclaimed the store's computer...but because of poor organization, or poor inventory control, or lack of interest on the part of underpaid, overworked employees, or all three, it was not, in fact, on the shelf. By this time my dissatisfaction was complete, and I returned home to make some toast and read library books, instead.
Perhaps 2011 will see the resurgence of independent, small businesses, since the large ones are doing so poorly satisfying the needs of many customers. Then again, fewer and fewer people have spare money these days, and starting and running a small business is colossally expensive. Margaret Stove, at any rate, will still be available another day.
Monday, December 06, 2010
And now, a raffle
Knitting and spinning continues apace, albeit slowly. I do not have carpal tunnel, but it's undeniable that something is wrong. Fortunately I have heavy braces to sleep in at night, which are helping considerably; I'm due to visit a hand clinic in January.
So no pics--things have been too complicated lately to entail finishing any one thing or taking pics of what I do wrap up--but there is an eventthe annual Huron Valley Rat Rescue raffle!
Huron Valley Rat Rescue is a non-profit animal rescue in Michigan. They've been around several years and have helped a lot of animals that would otherwise have been homeless, killed, or abused. Rats are civilized, engaging little animals, but they don't get quite the advocacy or respect that larger animals get. That's when folks like the HVRR step in and provide concrete help and rehoming for at-risk rats.
Raffle tickets are only $1, and although many of the prizes are rat-related, many are not--including a $25 gift cert to Laughing Rat Studio, my own yarn/fiber business. You can choose what prize you're entering for and everything, too! If you have a couple bucks to spare, I hope you'll consider purchasing a raffle ticket or two.
Incidentally, my own little engaging rat friend, Ira, passed away last week. Corny as it sounds, if you ever heard one of my rat stories and thought it was funny, or if you ever looked at the rat pics in my Flickr account and thought "Hey, they aren't such scary little dudes after all," then I especially hope you'll consider getting a raffle ticket. :)
So no pics--things have been too complicated lately to entail finishing any one thing or taking pics of what I do wrap up--but there is an eventthe annual Huron Valley Rat Rescue raffle!
Huron Valley Rat Rescue is a non-profit animal rescue in Michigan. They've been around several years and have helped a lot of animals that would otherwise have been homeless, killed, or abused. Rats are civilized, engaging little animals, but they don't get quite the advocacy or respect that larger animals get. That's when folks like the HVRR step in and provide concrete help and rehoming for at-risk rats.
Raffle tickets are only $1, and although many of the prizes are rat-related, many are not--including a $25 gift cert to Laughing Rat Studio, my own yarn/fiber business. You can choose what prize you're entering for and everything, too! If you have a couple bucks to spare, I hope you'll consider purchasing a raffle ticket or two.
Incidentally, my own little engaging rat friend, Ira, passed away last week. Corny as it sounds, if you ever heard one of my rat stories and thought it was funny, or if you ever looked at the rat pics in my Flickr account and thought "Hey, they aren't such scary little dudes after all," then I especially hope you'll consider getting a raffle ticket. :)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Fiber! Fiber! Fiber!
In my slow but steady (well, not always steady, but steadier lately) way, I'm putting a dent into my stash and doing some necessary fiber-related stuff. No pics right now, but a short list:
Whew.
*Talked to doctor about my hands. This had really been preying on my mind. Would she take me seriously? Would she just put me off and tell me to wear a brace for a while? Would I have to fight for proper care? As it turns out, she took me quite seriously and I have a diagnostic test for possible nerve issues (as in, carpal tunnel) next Monday. Wow! What a relief!
*Just finished a long-idle project: some woolen yarn spun from roving. It's not my best, and during plying, the yarn on the older bobbin was clearly too weak to ply. I opted for the low-hassle approach and scrapped it, making do with what I have left, which is a nice fingering weight. I have a lot to learn about spinning long-draw and am trying to be happy with what I produce with this method, since it's rarely even. This batch is at least usable, and is a nice 276+ yards of what will probably be fingering weight when all dry. I have more of the fiber left and plan to spin it all up this way, except for the whole throwing-out-half-a-bobbin-of-singles thing. That's not actually part of my spinning technique.
*In re: the above, finally tried out the new plying head on the Fricke. I am somewhat ambivalent; it's heavy, awkward, and the bobbin shaft is a little narrow and the finishing on the brake groove is very rough. Nevertheless, if you want to ply a lot of yarn, and you have a Fricke, it's a nice thing to have.
*Found a fleece I didn't know I had. Oh dear. It's got quite brittle tips, too, so I'm trying to gather advice on whether I should snap those tips now, before washing, or whether they'll comb off. I guess if I snap the tips off first I can change my mind and card them, which would be harder to do if I waited until after they were washed. But I think I want to comb them.
*A pretty Shetland fleece from Kev's Korner Shetlands was, I decided, too small to make a full sweater for me. Plus, some of the fiber was quite short, and I want to comb this; maybe I'll reserve the shorter, finer stuff for a different project. This required the addition of another Shetland fleece, naturally, which is on its way; I will wash it and comb locks of it along with locks of the first one, producing a heathered yarn. Since the new fleece is brown and the first fleece is a silvery gray, I might reserve some of the new fleece to spin all by itself, providing a border. Oh, and perhaps do the same with the silver, but overdye it, maybe with natural dyes, and do some kind of striping or other color-work type stuff on the cuffs and bottom edge.
Whew.
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