What am I going to do for the rest of my life?
Do I need a plan?
Should I keep track? Of what?
How will I know when (if) I get there?
Just thought I should ask. Off for Eastern Canada now. Haven't been there yet, so looking forward to it. Should be awesome.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
How to Play Kitty Golf
Kitty Golf is a game for children of all ages. It is helpful if they can walk.
Each player selects a toy cat or kitten. (Of course other toy animals can be used, but then it wouldn't be "KITTY" Golf, would it?) Proceed to your nearest disc (frisbee) golf course. Make sure no one else is playing on the course, as Kitty Golf involves a lot of running around and would interfere with other players.
Starting at the first tee, each player throws his cat as far as he can towards the "hole", basket, or goal, whatever you want to call it. The object of the game is to get your cat/kitty into the goal in the least number of throws, however, keeping score is sometimes a challenge for the youngest players. After every player has taken two or three turns, the adult can announce that the first player to get his cat/kitty into the goal is the winner of that hole. This MAY speed up the game somewhat. Or not.
Proceed around the course in this manner as for regular disc golf, for as many holes as you can handle. The winner is the player who has "won" the most holes. This game teaches throwing skills, taking turns, and patience (mostly for the adult!). If things get too slow or the adult finds he/she has had it, an ice cream break may be declared. This results in the game being called on account of ice cream.
Hints for better play: It is best if the cat/kitty is washable. The game involves a lot of running around, screaming and yelling, and some argument, but hardly any skinned knees.
Each player selects a toy cat or kitten. (Of course other toy animals can be used, but then it wouldn't be "KITTY" Golf, would it?) Proceed to your nearest disc (frisbee) golf course. Make sure no one else is playing on the course, as Kitty Golf involves a lot of running around and would interfere with other players.
Starting at the first tee, each player throws his cat as far as he can towards the "hole", basket, or goal, whatever you want to call it. The object of the game is to get your cat/kitty into the goal in the least number of throws, however, keeping score is sometimes a challenge for the youngest players. After every player has taken two or three turns, the adult can announce that the first player to get his cat/kitty into the goal is the winner of that hole. This MAY speed up the game somewhat. Or not.
Proceed around the course in this manner as for regular disc golf, for as many holes as you can handle. The winner is the player who has "won" the most holes. This game teaches throwing skills, taking turns, and patience (mostly for the adult!). If things get too slow or the adult finds he/she has had it, an ice cream break may be declared. This results in the game being called on account of ice cream.
Hints for better play: It is best if the cat/kitty is washable. The game involves a lot of running around, screaming and yelling, and some argument, but hardly any skinned knees.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
I am a Native American
I am a Native American.
Oh, no, my ancestors didn't live here before Columbus. As far as I can tell, most of my great-great-...-great grandparents came from farms and towns in Ireland, Scotland, Germany, the Netherlands, even Russia. But I was born here. My parents were born here.
All four of my grandparents were born in this country. My father and his parents were all born in the city of Detroit, Michigan. Dad was the fifth generation to be born and live in the Detroit area. My mother and her parents were from the Kentucky-Ohio region, living at times on one side or the other of the Ohio River. Her father, my grandfather Charlie, lived in his later years, until his death, in the house in which he had been born. That is native, meaning, of course, "born here".
I am becoming disturbed by the fact that the descendants of pre-Columbian North Americans in the United States have come to be known as Native Americans. In Canada, they are, I believe, known as "First People". This is indisputable. The "First People" immigrated here probably from Asia unknown centuries ago. The European explorers who discovered the two American continents found them populated already, although probably somewhat more sparcely than Europe was populated at that time.
My ancestors did not come over with the Spanish and Portugese who claimed vast tracks of land for their distant Kings, despite the fact that these lands already were inhabited by earlier immigrant groups. A few of my ancestors may have fought with the then-called Indians, especially as I am supposed to be related to both Samuel Houston and a relative or friend of Daniel Boone. Those ancestors are long dead, as are the victims of those wars.
We cannot take back the wars. We cannot take back the territories gained and lost. We cannot restore life to those who lost it in the fighting.
We cannot unbuild the houses, dams, roads, hospitals, and churches which have been build. Or, I suppose we could but the consequences would be unacceptable. We also cannot uninvent the electric light, automatic washing machine, or safety pin. We can choose to live without these conveniences, but few do. We can only go on from where we are now.
We know we made mistakes in the past. We can study the past and not repeat these mistakes. We know we are still making mistakes with our land, our air, our water. Scientists have been studying these issues, and the evidence is not at all clear. We have cleaned up some of our great waterways. We can do better with the land, with the air. We MUST do better, if we are to pass along a clean and safe world to our descendants.
I wasn't going here with this topic. I meant to focus on who I am as a Native American. But I cannot help admiring the aboriginal Australians, who care for their land and protect their landmarks and beg visitors to be equally respectful. I appreciate the First People in the United States who also wish to protect the land and leave a lasting legacy for their decsendents, and ours. As a Native American, I too wish to take care of the environment, preserve our freedoms and traditions, and pass along a legacy of caring to my descendants. Our land is rich with resources, recourceful people, beauty, adventure, industry. We need to start now, here, with who we are and what we have, and create a land and legacy worth inheriting.
I think I am entitled to call myself a "Native American". I am not German. I am not Irish, or Russian, or Dutch, or Scottish. I am American and
I WAS BORN HERE.
Oh, no, my ancestors didn't live here before Columbus. As far as I can tell, most of my great-great-...-great grandparents came from farms and towns in Ireland, Scotland, Germany, the Netherlands, even Russia. But I was born here. My parents were born here.
All four of my grandparents were born in this country. My father and his parents were all born in the city of Detroit, Michigan. Dad was the fifth generation to be born and live in the Detroit area. My mother and her parents were from the Kentucky-Ohio region, living at times on one side or the other of the Ohio River. Her father, my grandfather Charlie, lived in his later years, until his death, in the house in which he had been born. That is native, meaning, of course, "born here".
I am becoming disturbed by the fact that the descendants of pre-Columbian North Americans in the United States have come to be known as Native Americans. In Canada, they are, I believe, known as "First People". This is indisputable. The "First People" immigrated here probably from Asia unknown centuries ago. The European explorers who discovered the two American continents found them populated already, although probably somewhat more sparcely than Europe was populated at that time.
My ancestors did not come over with the Spanish and Portugese who claimed vast tracks of land for their distant Kings, despite the fact that these lands already were inhabited by earlier immigrant groups. A few of my ancestors may have fought with the then-called Indians, especially as I am supposed to be related to both Samuel Houston and a relative or friend of Daniel Boone. Those ancestors are long dead, as are the victims of those wars.
We cannot take back the wars. We cannot take back the territories gained and lost. We cannot restore life to those who lost it in the fighting.
We cannot unbuild the houses, dams, roads, hospitals, and churches which have been build. Or, I suppose we could but the consequences would be unacceptable. We also cannot uninvent the electric light, automatic washing machine, or safety pin. We can choose to live without these conveniences, but few do. We can only go on from where we are now.
We know we made mistakes in the past. We can study the past and not repeat these mistakes. We know we are still making mistakes with our land, our air, our water. Scientists have been studying these issues, and the evidence is not at all clear. We have cleaned up some of our great waterways. We can do better with the land, with the air. We MUST do better, if we are to pass along a clean and safe world to our descendants.
I wasn't going here with this topic. I meant to focus on who I am as a Native American. But I cannot help admiring the aboriginal Australians, who care for their land and protect their landmarks and beg visitors to be equally respectful. I appreciate the First People in the United States who also wish to protect the land and leave a lasting legacy for their decsendents, and ours. As a Native American, I too wish to take care of the environment, preserve our freedoms and traditions, and pass along a legacy of caring to my descendants. Our land is rich with resources, recourceful people, beauty, adventure, industry. We need to start now, here, with who we are and what we have, and create a land and legacy worth inheriting.
I think I am entitled to call myself a "Native American". I am not German. I am not Irish, or Russian, or Dutch, or Scottish. I am American and
I WAS BORN HERE.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Processing fiber
Romney fleece part 1
I purchased 2.73 pounds of Romney fleece at the Black Sheep Festival in Eugene Or, July 19, 2009.
Step one: Sorting
I sorted the fleece into basically three types (but I didn't see much difference between the second and third types). The locks were a muddy yellow in color with very dark tips.
First: The locks that were less than about 2.5 inches long. These I placed tip end up in two plastic oval bins that are each 9.8 inches long and 5.8 inches wide at the widest, and 2.5 inches tall. I was able to use the height of the bin to judge which locks belonged in the bins, and which were longer that that.
These locks eventually filled both pans to the point where I was firmly packing the wool sideways to allow room for the next set of locks. They were both packed fairly tightly, and I believe each one may have held about 4 ounces, although I did not weigh the wool at this point. Probably this was about one third of the entire fleece that I bought.
Second: The middle length locks, from 2.5 inches up to about 3.5 or 4 inches. These I placed in rows on a plastic bag and on a mesh bag. I ended up with several rows of these locks, which I put tip to tip across the floor of my kitchen.
Third: The longest locks. There were not very many of these. I ended up combining these with the second type. Because my book says that Romney is longer than this, and because of the small amount of fleece, I'm guessing that I received either a poor fleece or just the leftovers (perhaps legs and neck cuts?? Are there such things?) from a bigger fleece. Most of the locks were about three inches. I discarded the short bits I found, and some really dirty bits, but there wasn't much of that, perhaps two or three ounces, certainly no more than four ounces.
Step two: Washing
I started out by washing the shortest fibers. I covered the bins with tulle for one and a mesh bag for the other pulled as tightly as I could, and washed the pans in the hottest water from our tap. The bins have a solid bottom, but the sides are open so the water would circulate easily through the fiber.
I used some Dawn dish detergent. After an hour, the water was awful, and the fleece were completely white, except for the tips, which remained brown and matted together. I then washed the pans again, using more Dawn this time, and again, the water was gross, the fleece was white, except the tips, which remained brown. The I rinsed and rinsed. I left the first and maybe the second rinse water to soak, but then just rinsed over and over until the water was fairly clean.
Incidentally, once wet, the fiber condensed so that they filled only about two thirds of the pan, whereas I had had to really press them to the side to fit the final few locks in when they were dry. This did make it easier to rinse, and to check to make sure that the fibers were clean inside and not just on the edges of the fiber mass. I handled them very gently in order not to felt the fiber, but was able to separate the fibers in the middle of the pan and ascertain that these fibers were as shiny white as the edge fibers. I rinsed one of the pans in vinegar water, prior to step three.
Step three: Dying
The fiber was already wet, and I had a boatload of Koolaid at hand. So I placed the bin with the wet fiber in another container which was deeper than the bin, and dumped two packets of grape koolaid (disolved in water of course) on one end of one of the plastic bins, and two packets of yellow Koolaid in water at the other. The yellow end didn't look very yellow, so I added some yellow food coloring, which appeared red or orange from the bottle. Then I made sure that the water completely covered the fiber and microwaved it, two minutes on and two minutes rest for 12 minutes total cooking time (maybe less)(probably less). The water around the fiber was clear or slightly green (green, I didn't use green, just purple and yellow). I then let the whole thing rest and cool off slowly overnight.
Next morning, I rinsed the dyed fiber (all of the water had been absorbed and the rinse water was clear). I was amazed to find out that the dye had not penetrated to the bottom of the bin. Only the tops of the fiber had been dyed. I had been careful not to mix the dyes, so at one end the fiber was still clearly purple (on the tip ends) and the other end yellow on the tips ends. But the fiber in the bottoms of the bins did not get any dye and stayed white. Also, I was amazed to see that the purple Koolaid had evidently separated, as there were parts of the wool that were pale blue, parts green (where the blue had migrated to meet the yellow that had migrated), and some smallish parts even red. It is the most amazing stuff, as almost every fiber is multicolored. I can't wait to spin it up and find out what it will be like spun.
Step four: Drying
This is perhaps the hardest part, since it was necessary to separate the locks somewhat in order to let it dry. And it is almost impossible not to play with it at this stage. However, I tried really hard to just separate the locks, gently squeeze out as much water as possible, then towel dry the spread out locks with our super absorbent towel. The white bin of course, was drying while the other was dying, so I was able to see what awesome looking locks I had here. It seemed to dry fairly fast (one day). The dyed locks were squeezed and toweled the next morning, and also appeared dry in about one day. I have since stored them in the mesh bags (dried separately while the fiber dried on the toweling), in case they were not completely dry when I found it necessary to put them away (visiting grandchild who cannot leave the fiber alone especially when grandma is playing with fiber instead of said grandchild.)
I have started to spin with the colored parts. Stay tuned. I may even tell you about it.
I purchased 2.73 pounds of Romney fleece at the Black Sheep Festival in Eugene Or, July 19, 2009.
Step one: Sorting
I sorted the fleece into basically three types (but I didn't see much difference between the second and third types). The locks were a muddy yellow in color with very dark tips.
First: The locks that were less than about 2.5 inches long. These I placed tip end up in two plastic oval bins that are each 9.8 inches long and 5.8 inches wide at the widest, and 2.5 inches tall. I was able to use the height of the bin to judge which locks belonged in the bins, and which were longer that that.
These locks eventually filled both pans to the point where I was firmly packing the wool sideways to allow room for the next set of locks. They were both packed fairly tightly, and I believe each one may have held about 4 ounces, although I did not weigh the wool at this point. Probably this was about one third of the entire fleece that I bought.
Second: The middle length locks, from 2.5 inches up to about 3.5 or 4 inches. These I placed in rows on a plastic bag and on a mesh bag. I ended up with several rows of these locks, which I put tip to tip across the floor of my kitchen.
Third: The longest locks. There were not very many of these. I ended up combining these with the second type. Because my book says that Romney is longer than this, and because of the small amount of fleece, I'm guessing that I received either a poor fleece or just the leftovers (perhaps legs and neck cuts?? Are there such things?) from a bigger fleece. Most of the locks were about three inches. I discarded the short bits I found, and some really dirty bits, but there wasn't much of that, perhaps two or three ounces, certainly no more than four ounces.
Step two: Washing
I started out by washing the shortest fibers. I covered the bins with tulle for one and a mesh bag for the other pulled as tightly as I could, and washed the pans in the hottest water from our tap. The bins have a solid bottom, but the sides are open so the water would circulate easily through the fiber.
I used some Dawn dish detergent. After an hour, the water was awful, and the fleece were completely white, except for the tips, which remained brown and matted together. I then washed the pans again, using more Dawn this time, and again, the water was gross, the fleece was white, except the tips, which remained brown. The I rinsed and rinsed. I left the first and maybe the second rinse water to soak, but then just rinsed over and over until the water was fairly clean.
Incidentally, once wet, the fiber condensed so that they filled only about two thirds of the pan, whereas I had had to really press them to the side to fit the final few locks in when they were dry. This did make it easier to rinse, and to check to make sure that the fibers were clean inside and not just on the edges of the fiber mass. I handled them very gently in order not to felt the fiber, but was able to separate the fibers in the middle of the pan and ascertain that these fibers were as shiny white as the edge fibers. I rinsed one of the pans in vinegar water, prior to step three.
Step three: Dying
The fiber was already wet, and I had a boatload of Koolaid at hand. So I placed the bin with the wet fiber in another container which was deeper than the bin, and dumped two packets of grape koolaid (disolved in water of course) on one end of one of the plastic bins, and two packets of yellow Koolaid in water at the other. The yellow end didn't look very yellow, so I added some yellow food coloring, which appeared red or orange from the bottle. Then I made sure that the water completely covered the fiber and microwaved it, two minutes on and two minutes rest for 12 minutes total cooking time (maybe less)(probably less). The water around the fiber was clear or slightly green (green, I didn't use green, just purple and yellow). I then let the whole thing rest and cool off slowly overnight.
Next morning, I rinsed the dyed fiber (all of the water had been absorbed and the rinse water was clear). I was amazed to find out that the dye had not penetrated to the bottom of the bin. Only the tops of the fiber had been dyed. I had been careful not to mix the dyes, so at one end the fiber was still clearly purple (on the tip ends) and the other end yellow on the tips ends. But the fiber in the bottoms of the bins did not get any dye and stayed white. Also, I was amazed to see that the purple Koolaid had evidently separated, as there were parts of the wool that were pale blue, parts green (where the blue had migrated to meet the yellow that had migrated), and some smallish parts even red. It is the most amazing stuff, as almost every fiber is multicolored. I can't wait to spin it up and find out what it will be like spun.
Step four: Drying
This is perhaps the hardest part, since it was necessary to separate the locks somewhat in order to let it dry. And it is almost impossible not to play with it at this stage. However, I tried really hard to just separate the locks, gently squeeze out as much water as possible, then towel dry the spread out locks with our super absorbent towel. The white bin of course, was drying while the other was dying, so I was able to see what awesome looking locks I had here. It seemed to dry fairly fast (one day). The dyed locks were squeezed and toweled the next morning, and also appeared dry in about one day. I have since stored them in the mesh bags (dried separately while the fiber dried on the toweling), in case they were not completely dry when I found it necessary to put them away (visiting grandchild who cannot leave the fiber alone especially when grandma is playing with fiber instead of said grandchild.)
I have started to spin with the colored parts. Stay tuned. I may even tell you about it.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Knitting and Fiber Terminology
Heather Ordover on "CraftLit" was ranting - okay talking - about using expressions such as "begging the question" correctly. Well language does change, and sometimes in ways we don't always like. HOWEVER....
I really have difficulty with companies, vendors, and others in the INDUSTRY using technical terms incorrectly. I'm speaking of fiber here.
For instance, in some places, the word "wool" can be used as a synonym for "yarn" as in 'This "wool" 100% acrylic', or 'Does this "wool" contain some nylon?'. Wool is a fiber which comes from a sheep. Yarn is a product which is produced by "spinning" fiber of various sorts into long strings which can them be used for knitting/crocheting, crafts, and other things. When yarn shops and manufacturers blur this distinction, I think something is irretrivable lost.
Another example, the use of "ply" to indicate the thickness of yarn. Ten lashes with a wet two or three ply YARN for Australia and other places in the world where this is common. Ply should be IMHO reserved for the number of individually spun "singles" which are combined to form the finished product. There are other ways to indicate the thickness of a yarn, but I do not know of any other term for the number of individually spun "singles" combined to make the finished product.
Worsted as a weight of yarn also drives me crazy, especially now that I know that it is a specific fiber preparation. I was always bothered by the use of this term, and the use of DK (for doubleknit) as a yarn size.
We have "lace-weight", fingering, sport, bulky and chunky, which have specific meanings. We should exchange "sweater" or "jumper"* for worsted as a description of weight, and leave the term "worsted" to refer SOLELY to its use as a fiber preparation, not weight. DK doesn't bother me quite so much, as you most often hear the term DK, and don't think about what it means, but again, any weight, or thickness, of yarn and be used to "double-knit" so why use the term as a thickness of yarn as well as a specific type of knitting.
*I like the English/Australian/wherever term "jumper" better than "sweater", however, sweater is so common that I doubt we can really change it at this late date.
I am just getting into spinning, and I have been so confused about various fiber preparations. I'm just learning to tell the differnce between "roving" and "top", carded and combed. And my confusion was totally compounded by the incorrect use of these terms by salespeople or others who should know better. I ended up making a chart and I refer to it constantly, so when I do find it used incorrectly, I can mentally make the correction and realize what the person is talking about.
Fiber addicts: Use terms correctly, please. And maybe if we all protest and jump up and down and correct salespeople and complain and whine, we can eventually get rid of the improper use of these terms and keep their specific meanings. This will help our art/craft immensely, removing one source of confusion for newcomers and making what we are trying to do much clearer.
I really have difficulty with companies, vendors, and others in the INDUSTRY using technical terms incorrectly. I'm speaking of fiber here.
For instance, in some places, the word "wool" can be used as a synonym for "yarn" as in 'This "wool" 100% acrylic', or 'Does this "wool" contain some nylon?'. Wool is a fiber which comes from a sheep. Yarn is a product which is produced by "spinning" fiber of various sorts into long strings which can them be used for knitting/crocheting, crafts, and other things. When yarn shops and manufacturers blur this distinction, I think something is irretrivable lost.
Another example, the use of "ply" to indicate the thickness of yarn. Ten lashes with a wet two or three ply YARN for Australia and other places in the world where this is common. Ply should be IMHO reserved for the number of individually spun "singles" which are combined to form the finished product. There are other ways to indicate the thickness of a yarn, but I do not know of any other term for the number of individually spun "singles" combined to make the finished product.
Worsted as a weight of yarn also drives me crazy, especially now that I know that it is a specific fiber preparation. I was always bothered by the use of this term, and the use of DK (for doubleknit) as a yarn size.
We have "lace-weight", fingering, sport, bulky and chunky, which have specific meanings. We should exchange "sweater" or "jumper"* for worsted as a description of weight, and leave the term "worsted" to refer SOLELY to its use as a fiber preparation, not weight. DK doesn't bother me quite so much, as you most often hear the term DK, and don't think about what it means, but again, any weight, or thickness, of yarn and be used to "double-knit" so why use the term as a thickness of yarn as well as a specific type of knitting.
*I like the English/Australian/wherever term "jumper" better than "sweater", however, sweater is so common that I doubt we can really change it at this late date.
I am just getting into spinning, and I have been so confused about various fiber preparations. I'm just learning to tell the differnce between "roving" and "top", carded and combed. And my confusion was totally compounded by the incorrect use of these terms by salespeople or others who should know better. I ended up making a chart and I refer to it constantly, so when I do find it used incorrectly, I can mentally make the correction and realize what the person is talking about.
Fiber addicts: Use terms correctly, please. And maybe if we all protest and jump up and down and correct salespeople and complain and whine, we can eventually get rid of the improper use of these terms and keep their specific meanings. This will help our art/craft immensely, removing one source of confusion for newcomers and making what we are trying to do much clearer.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
When is a pattern not a pattern?
[Planning to knit "Malabrigo Loafers", pattern by Julie Weisenberger of Cocoknits. I got the pattern. I had some wool, although I really planned to buy Malabrigo for this project. But didn't. I got out the wool I had and the needles weren't being used for something else. So I started the project one evening about midnight when I couldn't sleep. It was quick and easy, but I just needed a bit more time. I wrote in my Ravelry account at that time:
Have wool. Have pattern. Have needles.
Please provide time.]
4/12/2009: Lots of car rides lately = time found to knit. Finished the Moccasin loafers.
When is a project not the project from the pattern but something else? I started out to knit these slippers as the pattern was written, I really did. I didn't have malabrigo, (and it was after midnight, so a trip to the LYS was out of question) so I substituted Soy Wool Stripes (Paton's) but after knitting one slipper/loafer, I decided they might felt, and I wanted to make felted clogs from the SWS anyway, and I didn't really like the slipper/loafer that much in the SWS since it was the wrong color, so I frogged that and started again with the Silky Flamme. Aaaah, better.
The Silky Flamme was the right color (gray for the sole, and green for the tops) and the right consistency (soft) and knit up beautifully. Except,....
I really did like your pattern, Julie from Cocoknits. But, I thought it would be better to start knitting from the toe, not the heel. I have a really wide foot, you see, and I wanted to add some width, and (while I was still using the SWS) I realized that if I started the sole at the toe, I would end up at the heel, thus allowing me to start with sides without breaking the yarn and starting another, which would be two less ends to weave in. When I switched to the Silky Flamme, I just kept starting at the toe anyway.
Then I couldn't get the front to look right, and I thought LOAFERS have a little ridge right around the top of the toe, so if I did a row of purls on the front half, that would look like the ridge on leather loafers. And it did.
So then I had to change the way the top of the slipper was knit. I tried four or five times and frogged and compared. I would knit one and then the other using a different method and compare and rip out the one I didn't like - usually the first way - and reknit and then do something differently, so I would have to frog the other one to make it match.
In the process of frogging and reknitting, I realized that I thought I would like to double knit just the little top of the slipper, the part that peeks out above the penny holder if this is a penny loafer which it isn't. I had to do that several times until it came out right.
I had decided way back in the SWS version, that I thought it might be cool to finish off the tops of the sides with I-cord, to simulate the part of loafers which is usually a piece of leather folded over. So when the two fronts were finally right, and matching, I finished off the back edges with I-cord, which looks really slick. And I continued the I-cord over the toe so I could sew it back down invisibly (sort of like kitchner, except the other end wasn't live stitches) and you can't easily tell where the ending is.
Finally, when I was doing the double-knit part, the flap, I realized that the soles should be thicker, and double knit might be good there too. I have enough yarn. I wonder if I can double knit garter stitch. Next time, I will try. I do still have two more balls of the Flamme. No, I cannot frog the slippers and double-knit the sole. But I might try adding a second layer of knitting to reinforce the sole. And for the next pair....
So have I created a new pattern - Non-malabrigo, non-penny loafers, or is it just Julie's pattern, with some modifications?
Maybe I should ask Julie.
Have wool. Have pattern. Have needles.
Please provide time.]
4/12/2009: Lots of car rides lately = time found to knit. Finished the Moccasin loafers.
When is a project not the project from the pattern but something else? I started out to knit these slippers as the pattern was written, I really did. I didn't have malabrigo, (and it was after midnight, so a trip to the LYS was out of question) so I substituted Soy Wool Stripes (Paton's) but after knitting one slipper/loafer, I decided they might felt, and I wanted to make felted clogs from the SWS anyway, and I didn't really like the slipper/loafer that much in the SWS since it was the wrong color, so I frogged that and started again with the Silky Flamme. Aaaah, better.
The Silky Flamme was the right color (gray for the sole, and green for the tops) and the right consistency (soft) and knit up beautifully. Except,....
I really did like your pattern, Julie from Cocoknits. But, I thought it would be better to start knitting from the toe, not the heel. I have a really wide foot, you see, and I wanted to add some width, and (while I was still using the SWS) I realized that if I started the sole at the toe, I would end up at the heel, thus allowing me to start with sides without breaking the yarn and starting another, which would be two less ends to weave in. When I switched to the Silky Flamme, I just kept starting at the toe anyway.
Then I couldn't get the front to look right, and I thought LOAFERS have a little ridge right around the top of the toe, so if I did a row of purls on the front half, that would look like the ridge on leather loafers. And it did.
So then I had to change the way the top of the slipper was knit. I tried four or five times and frogged and compared. I would knit one and then the other using a different method and compare and rip out the one I didn't like - usually the first way - and reknit and then do something differently, so I would have to frog the other one to make it match.
In the process of frogging and reknitting, I realized that I thought I would like to double knit just the little top of the slipper, the part that peeks out above the penny holder if this is a penny loafer which it isn't. I had to do that several times until it came out right.
I had decided way back in the SWS version, that I thought it might be cool to finish off the tops of the sides with I-cord, to simulate the part of loafers which is usually a piece of leather folded over. So when the two fronts were finally right, and matching, I finished off the back edges with I-cord, which looks really slick. And I continued the I-cord over the toe so I could sew it back down invisibly (sort of like kitchner, except the other end wasn't live stitches) and you can't easily tell where the ending is.
Finally, when I was doing the double-knit part, the flap, I realized that the soles should be thicker, and double knit might be good there too. I have enough yarn. I wonder if I can double knit garter stitch. Next time, I will try. I do still have two more balls of the Flamme. No, I cannot frog the slippers and double-knit the sole. But I might try adding a second layer of knitting to reinforce the sole. And for the next pair....
So have I created a new pattern - Non-malabrigo, non-penny loafers, or is it just Julie's pattern, with some modifications?
Maybe I should ask Julie.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Someday
SOMEDAY, my coffee table will hold two or three "coffee table" books, period. It will not contain two years worth of knitting and quilting magazines, a lost library book, a world atlas, assorted women's magazines, and part of last week's laundry waiting to be folded.
SOMEDAY, my grandchildren will be grown and get money from me for Christmas, not something handknitted by me (with stripes, and a kitty, per request). They will learn to eschew the gray sweatshirt with the embroidered cat mouse and heart motif. They will distain wearing the soft blue vest with matching leggings, or the cabled sweater.
SOMEDAY, I will go to the store to buy yarn for one project which I will complete BEFORE beginning another. My yarn stash box will be empty and the scraps left over from other projects will have been knitted up into hats, scarves, and other small projects. There will be no STASH.
SOMEDAY, The kitchen table in our house will be a place to eat, not a storage location for all the mail and flyers we've gotten in the past month, the single sock that didn't have a mate from last weeks laundry (or was that three weeks ago?). The laptop computer will live elsewhere, along with assorted notes, the receipts to enter into Quicken and, oh, that's where that check got to.
SOMEDAY, We will eat all of our meals at the above mentioned table. Our meals will consist of a nutritious variety of locally grown produce, lovingly handbaked bread, whole grains and fresh meat and seafood. Our recycling bin will no longer be stuffed with frozen food boxes, pasta boxes, empty cans, and plastic bottles.
SOMEDAY, My garage will sport a workbench and tool storage unit along the north side, gardening equipment tidily placed near the third garage door, a few boxes stacked neatly on shelves between these two, and acres of empty, swept space in the center where we can, and do, park our two cars, with the third bay cleverly and conveniently left vacant in case space is needed for a visitor's car, or to complete a project.
SOMEDAY, I'll be organized.
MEANWHILE, The socks I'm knitting are a horrid color. I can't imagine why I ever chose this ugly green. The scarf is nearly finished, only a few more rows to go and the yarn will be gone. I'll have to look up the directions for the top to this hat, then it will be completed. I'm really not in the mood for lace knitting. I guess I will cast on for the sweater I want to make next. I will have to run to the store to get the rest of the yarn I need. Knitting will pass the time nicely until someday arrives.
Oh, and SOMEDAY, there WILL be peace on earth.
SOMEDAY, my grandchildren will be grown and get money from me for Christmas, not something handknitted by me (with stripes, and a kitty, per request). They will learn to eschew the gray sweatshirt with the embroidered cat mouse and heart motif. They will distain wearing the soft blue vest with matching leggings, or the cabled sweater.
SOMEDAY, I will go to the store to buy yarn for one project which I will complete BEFORE beginning another. My yarn stash box will be empty and the scraps left over from other projects will have been knitted up into hats, scarves, and other small projects. There will be no STASH.
SOMEDAY, The kitchen table in our house will be a place to eat, not a storage location for all the mail and flyers we've gotten in the past month, the single sock that didn't have a mate from last weeks laundry (or was that three weeks ago?). The laptop computer will live elsewhere, along with assorted notes, the receipts to enter into Quicken and, oh, that's where that check got to.
SOMEDAY, We will eat all of our meals at the above mentioned table. Our meals will consist of a nutritious variety of locally grown produce, lovingly handbaked bread, whole grains and fresh meat and seafood. Our recycling bin will no longer be stuffed with frozen food boxes, pasta boxes, empty cans, and plastic bottles.
SOMEDAY, My garage will sport a workbench and tool storage unit along the north side, gardening equipment tidily placed near the third garage door, a few boxes stacked neatly on shelves between these two, and acres of empty, swept space in the center where we can, and do, park our two cars, with the third bay cleverly and conveniently left vacant in case space is needed for a visitor's car, or to complete a project.
SOMEDAY, I'll be organized.
MEANWHILE, The socks I'm knitting are a horrid color. I can't imagine why I ever chose this ugly green. The scarf is nearly finished, only a few more rows to go and the yarn will be gone. I'll have to look up the directions for the top to this hat, then it will be completed. I'm really not in the mood for lace knitting. I guess I will cast on for the sweater I want to make next. I will have to run to the store to get the rest of the yarn I need. Knitting will pass the time nicely until someday arrives.
Oh, and SOMEDAY, there WILL be peace on earth.
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