Oh, Jo Sharp Mohair came in yesterday, along with my pattern book for a lush crochet shawl...
yes, I said crochet... I *can* crochet. Kinda. I just don't. I think I'm going to need a lot of help with this one, but, by the end, I should be down with the hook.
So, in the realm of Christmas presents, there are 3 adult ones and multiple baby things, all for relatives...
Only 2 of the adult things need to be done for Christmas morning. I'd like to get all 3 adult things done by the time I leave my parent's house on Monday... hmmmm... we'll see...
See, this would be a much more interesting post if it weren't Christmas. Less than a week, then I'll stop pretending that anyone reads this.
Monday, December 20, 2004
So, I saw this in a banner ad today.
ARGH! It just pissed me off. It's just so utterly, entirely, completely FALSE!!!!
Lies! Lies! Lies!
Read your Starmore! Read your Rutt! All serious scholarly work has disproved this and now this stupid website is spreading falsehoods to sell their handknit goods. ARGH!
Ok, deep breath.
See, the website claims that Aran sweater patterns are specific to clans. That they were even used to identify bodies washed up at sea. NO!
Yes, stitches were passed mother to daugher. But not in a closely guarded family secret. More in the way that there weren't written patterns. Kinda like how recipies are passed down.
Rutt claims this stupid myth of sweaters being used to identify bodies comes from a turn-of-the-century reader given to English school children. In one story, a girl identifies her brother's(?) body because she recognizes her mistakes in his sweater. That's it.
Real Aran sweaters didn't really come into being until the 1850s. Even then it was mainly a tourist thing.
Also, it says that an Aran sweater " is water repellent, not allowing the rain to penetrate the sweater thus keeping the wearer dry. An Aran sweater can absorb 30% of its weight in water before feeling wet." Um, yes... kinda... most wool sweaters in general are water repellant, especially if the lanolin is left in. And, in the Aran Island community of fisherman, rain really wasn't what was getting this people wet. It was sea spray.
It's just irksome that they're using such a false hook to sell something. I feel that it demeans the craft, that they aren't willing to do any real research.
I'm really insterested in this Aran Sweater Museum, where the website claims to get its info. I'm wondering how scholarly it is? If the website is just twisting information?
This site has good info.
Sorry for the rant.
ARGH! It just pissed me off. It's just so utterly, entirely, completely FALSE!!!!
Lies! Lies! Lies!
Read your Starmore! Read your Rutt! All serious scholarly work has disproved this and now this stupid website is spreading falsehoods to sell their handknit goods. ARGH!
Ok, deep breath.
See, the website claims that Aran sweater patterns are specific to clans. That they were even used to identify bodies washed up at sea. NO!
Yes, stitches were passed mother to daugher. But not in a closely guarded family secret. More in the way that there weren't written patterns. Kinda like how recipies are passed down.
Rutt claims this stupid myth of sweaters being used to identify bodies comes from a turn-of-the-century reader given to English school children. In one story, a girl identifies her brother's(?) body because she recognizes her mistakes in his sweater. That's it.
Real Aran sweaters didn't really come into being until the 1850s. Even then it was mainly a tourist thing.
Also, it says that an Aran sweater " is water repellent, not allowing the rain to penetrate the sweater thus keeping the wearer dry. An Aran sweater can absorb 30% of its weight in water before feeling wet." Um, yes... kinda... most wool sweaters in general are water repellant, especially if the lanolin is left in. And, in the Aran Island community of fisherman, rain really wasn't what was getting this people wet. It was sea spray.
It's just irksome that they're using such a false hook to sell something. I feel that it demeans the craft, that they aren't willing to do any real research.
I'm really insterested in this Aran Sweater Museum, where the website claims to get its info. I'm wondering how scholarly it is? If the website is just twisting information?
This site has good info.
Sorry for the rant.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Yay for soft warm mittens! The pattern is here. If you make these, let me know how they turn out, OK?
They sure did come in handy when I was scraping the car this morning!!! They took about an evening to do. They're really quick.
They sure did come in handy when I was scraping the car this morning!!! They took about an evening to do. They're really quick.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Oh, I forgot--
One hardish part about knitting the uterus was putting the pipe cleaners into the fallopian tubes (they're posable!). What I ended up doing was threading the pipe cleaner onto a yarn needle and threading it through the tube so there was pipe cleaner sticking out of both ends. I then took it off the needle, bent the end as called for in the pattern, and pulled on the end sticking out of the cast on end until there wasn't any pipe cleaner left sticking out of the loopy end.
Did that make any sense?
One hardish part about knitting the uterus was putting the pipe cleaners into the fallopian tubes (they're posable!). What I ended up doing was threading the pipe cleaner onto a yarn needle and threading it through the tube so there was pipe cleaner sticking out of both ends. I then took it off the needle, bent the end as called for in the pattern, and pulled on the end sticking out of the cast on end until there wasn't any pipe cleaner left sticking out of the loopy end.
Did that make any sense?
Pictures of the uterus I knit for my friend Kate. Pattern is here. Instead of the yarn called for, I used Rowan Big Wool in color tricky. Which is nice and swirly-pink on a size 11 needle. This makes it a tight gauge (so the stuffing doesn't leak out) but I still got 3st/1inch, making it a bit bigger than called for. The thing is still really small (I pictured it with my 60in measuring tape so you could get a feel of the size).
The whole uterus took about 1/2 a ball. I had bought 2 balls, so now I'm making mittens. I have 1 and 1/2 done. I'll post the pictures/pattern when I'm done, which will hopefully be tonight, as I lost my mittens last year and now it's snowing and my hands are cold.
Also, new link in the references section to Knit A Round which is the store I work at. If you click on the newsletter link you can see classes for next semester, including the ones I'm teaching!
Also, UM students-- keep your eyes open for classes at Pierpont. It looks like I'll be teaching on Tuesdays? Maybe?
The whole uterus took about 1/2 a ball. I had bought 2 balls, so now I'm making mittens. I have 1 and 1/2 done. I'll post the pictures/pattern when I'm done, which will hopefully be tonight, as I lost my mittens last year and now it's snowing and my hands are cold.
Also, new link in the references section to Knit A Round which is the store I work at. If you click on the newsletter link you can see classes for next semester, including the ones I'm teaching!
Also, UM students-- keep your eyes open for classes at Pierpont. It looks like I'll be teaching on Tuesdays? Maybe?
Friday, December 10, 2004
Erp, Dan was right. I am a fiber snob. Oh, wait, I knew that.
You appear to be a Knitting Purist.
You are an accomplished knitter producing beautiful
pieces with a classic feel. You sometimes
lament losing half of your local yarn shop to
garish novelty yarns. Perhaps you consider fun
fur scarves the bane of knitting society and
prefer to steer new knitters towards the wool
and cotton blends. Some might call you a bit of
an elitist but you know that you've been doing
this craft long enough to respect the history
behind it and honor it with beautiful piece
that can last a lifetime.
http://marniemaclean.com
What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
You appear to be a Knitting Purist.
You are an accomplished knitter producing beautiful
pieces with a classic feel. You sometimes
lament losing half of your local yarn shop to
garish novelty yarns. Perhaps you consider fun
fur scarves the bane of knitting society and
prefer to steer new knitters towards the wool
and cotton blends. Some might call you a bit of
an elitist but you know that you've been doing
this craft long enough to respect the history
behind it and honor it with beautiful piece
that can last a lifetime.
http://marniemaclean.com
What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Here are my 2 new favorite online patterns. I'm not telling you what they are, though, because you need to see them to get the full effect.
I would like to change this one so it would be functional and there would be a baby inside. Hours of birthing enjoyment! Of course, the cervix would have to then be blue.
My friend Rachel recommends knitting this one for somone I hate who happens to have a small child. She didn't recomend anyone in specific, and of all the people I currently wish such horrendous things upon, none of them have small children. But I could do it out of a super-itchy yarn and then not only would their baby be ugly, but fussy as well. Bwha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I would like to change this one so it would be functional and there would be a baby inside. Hours of birthing enjoyment! Of course, the cervix would have to then be blue.
My friend Rachel recommends knitting this one for somone I hate who happens to have a small child. She didn't recomend anyone in specific, and of all the people I currently wish such horrendous things upon, none of them have small children. But I could do it out of a super-itchy yarn and then not only would their baby be ugly, but fussy as well. Bwha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
I bought so much Encore last night it's not even funny. All for baby items.
So, sorry about lack of meaningful updates, but you know, people read this. People who can't know what I'm knitting for them, cause that would take the fun out of Chritmas, no wouldn't it? December 26th will be the biggest most picture-rific update ever. Promise. But it might not happen until the 28th.
Last night someone came to drop in with crochet questions. She wanted to learn new stitches, but couldn't read crochet instructions. Yeah, Jennie don't crochet too good. But somehow I managed to blag my way through the evening well enough that she ended up with an Irish Crochet Double Rose that was super schweet. I felt really proud of myself.
The dress got made and was wearable and everything. Even if I did look like a nun who had lost her whimple. Kinda the point. Should I sew more??? I am debating.
So, sorry about lack of meaningful updates, but you know, people read this. People who can't know what I'm knitting for them, cause that would take the fun out of Chritmas, no wouldn't it? December 26th will be the biggest most picture-rific update ever. Promise. But it might not happen until the 28th.
Last night someone came to drop in with crochet questions. She wanted to learn new stitches, but couldn't read crochet instructions. Yeah, Jennie don't crochet too good. But somehow I managed to blag my way through the evening well enough that she ended up with an Irish Crochet Double Rose that was super schweet. I felt really proud of myself.
The dress got made and was wearable and everything. Even if I did look like a nun who had lost her whimple. Kinda the point. Should I sew more??? I am debating.
Friday, December 03, 2004
So, it turns out that I've been doing my yarn-overs incorrectly.
There are 2 versions of the yarn over:
1. You knit with the yarn in the wrong place (ie, the yarn is in front, as if you were going to purl, but you knit instead).
2. You actually wrap the yarn around the needle, as in an "e" cast-on, except it's not a backward loop.
You can't do the first one if you're purling! Well, at least not in slipped stich patterns. I don't know about other ones. I think that the second one is supposed to be the "correct" way and creates a bigger hole, but I really like the first way. My holes are the same size both ways and the first version is quicker to execute and creates a better rhythm.
Dress= mostly assembled. Things left to do: trim and press open and tack down the bodice and skirt seam (I think overlocking it would create something itchy on my tummy) put in zipper (slightly scary) cut out facing and then sew it in. Hem.
There are 2 versions of the yarn over:
1. You knit with the yarn in the wrong place (ie, the yarn is in front, as if you were going to purl, but you knit instead).
2. You actually wrap the yarn around the needle, as in an "e" cast-on, except it's not a backward loop.
You can't do the first one if you're purling! Well, at least not in slipped stich patterns. I don't know about other ones. I think that the second one is supposed to be the "correct" way and creates a bigger hole, but I really like the first way. My holes are the same size both ways and the first version is quicker to execute and creates a better rhythm.
Dress= mostly assembled. Things left to do: trim and press open and tack down the bodice and skirt seam (I think overlocking it would create something itchy on my tummy) put in zipper (slightly scary) cut out facing and then sew it in. Hem.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Hmmm... so lots of people have been giving me hints on Shaker Rib, but it's all stuff I know/am doing. The fact I can't do this is actually starting to piss me off more than it really should...
But, tonight is the Knit Around staff dinner, so hopefully they'll be able to figure out where I'm going wrong. There's 1 row that I'm messing up, but I'm not sure which one it is. ugh. I was going to post a picture, but I've been sewing.
Part of me really likes sewing and part of me is like, dude, this isn't knitting. But everytime I trim and then overlock my seams I think "man, I wish I had a serger. I'd sew more if I had a serger" but I can't justify owning a serger if I don't start sewing more. What to do?
But, tonight is the Knit Around staff dinner, so hopefully they'll be able to figure out where I'm going wrong. There's 1 row that I'm messing up, but I'm not sure which one it is. ugh. I was going to post a picture, but I've been sewing.
Part of me really likes sewing and part of me is like, dude, this isn't knitting. But everytime I trim and then overlock my seams I think "man, I wish I had a serger. I'd sew more if I had a serger" but I can't justify owning a serger if I don't start sewing more. What to do?
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