tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91721766334926834622024-02-07T01:25:16.352-05:00Saltwater PurlsJillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-51298757012169137302009-10-12T22:06:00.002-04:002009-10-12T22:09:04.888-04:00Neruda, on SocksSorry about the long hiatus. Working 60 hours a week will do that to you ;)<div><br /></div><div>Surface is finished. Pictures sometime when the light is good, it's been flooding for days now.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, "Ode to My Socks" by Pablo Neruda.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border-collapse: collapse; font-style: italic; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Mara Mori brought me </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><i>a pair <br />of socks <br />which she knitted herself <br />with her sheepherder’s hands, <br />two socks as soft <br />as rabbits. <br />I slipped my feet <br />into them <br />as though into <br />two <br />cases <br />knitted <br />with threads of <br />twilight <br />and goatskin. <br />Violent socks, <br />my feet were <br />two fish made <br />of wool, <br />two long sharks <br />sea blue, shot <br />through <br />by one golden thread, <br />two immense blackbirds, <br />two cannons: <br />my feet <br />were honored <br />in this way <br />by <br />these <br />heavenly <br />socks. <br />They were <br />so handsome <br />for the first time <br />my feet seemed to me <br />unacceptable <br />like two decrepit <br />firemen, firemen <br />unworthy <br />of that woven <br />fire, <br />of those glowing <br />socks.</i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><i>Nevertheless <br />I resisted <br />the sharp temptation <br />to save them somewhere <br />as schoolboys <br />keep <br />fireflies, <br />as learned men <br />collect <br />sacred texts, <br />I resisted <br />the mad impulse <br />to put them <br />in a golden <br />cage <br />and each day give them <br />birdseed <br />and pieces of pink melon. <br />Like explorers <br />in the jungle who hand <br />over the very rare <br />green deer <br />to the spit <br />and eat it <br />with remorse, <br />I stretched out <br />my feet <br />and pulled on <br />the magnificent <br />socks <br />and then my shoes.</i></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><i>The moral <br />of my ode is this: <br />beauty is twice <br />beauty <br />and what is good is doubly <br />good <br />when it is a matter of two socks <br />made of wool <br />in winter.</i></p></span></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-36116416459785337352009-08-17T00:22:00.005-04:002009-08-17T01:16:29.372-04:00Blogedanken: Urban Living<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqDyP1mhx3EbR7HqL-N2n44JeQMd120ilA76JLTN2z1Ggg7rl8tAR5RPudP4DSxLnyhzP31pboJBsNj8rmOgniW6c19wXpp2z2c1cF_mPLIuJi3TWDpwI_lrDb1pfFjNHnRqaiIxZeNs/s1600-h/DSC05751.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqDyP1mhx3EbR7HqL-N2n44JeQMd120ilA76JLTN2z1Ggg7rl8tAR5RPudP4DSxLnyhzP31pboJBsNj8rmOgniW6c19wXpp2z2c1cF_mPLIuJi3TWDpwI_lrDb1pfFjNHnRqaiIxZeNs/s320/DSC05751.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370797214640882418" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I've been living in Atlanta for slightly less than two months now. It is the largest city I've lived in, at about one and a half times the size of Tampa and eighteen times larger than the city where I grew up. It's very much a car-driven (no pun intended) city, despite the presence of a perfectly workable transit system, or, as a friend of mine called it, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Perfectly Usable Public Transit System that is Largely Dismissed by its City’s Traffic-Jam-Sitting Inhabitants.” </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">When you live somewhere for a long time, you tend to accept its faults as The Way Things Are. It's been like that for <i>years</i>, obviously if something could be done, it would have been done already, right? Moving somewhere new doesn't give you that illusion--if you don't know the parameters, they might as well be anything.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Today I found an old post on <a href="http://thewhereblog.blogspot.com/">Where</a> (which is a decent city blog with actual content and not just a "cool aggregator" with the same photos and 100-word blurbs as every other "urban design" blog) called <a href="http://thewhereblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/blogedanken-wishlist.html">Blogedanken</a>. It was intended as a thought experiment to get people interested in real solutions for our cities' problems. Obviously I am too late to enter the contest portion (ended in March last year), but I thought it would be interesting to play along anyway.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">My raw list of ideas is as follows:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><div><ul><li>Incentive to use public transit</li><li>Integration of economic/social classes</li><li>(Safe, inexpensive) recreation/fitness opportunities</li><li>Promotion of local arts and music</li><li>Affordable fresh food in the city center</li><li>Connection between city and suburbs</li><li>Bike lanes on major roadways</li><li>Connection between colleges/universities and community</li><li>Street food</li><li>Incentives for small local businesses, higher taxes for "Everywhere America" chains</li><li>City-wide wireless internet (tax-funded or subscription)</li><li>Railroad connection to other cities, integrated w. city transit</li><li>Housing developments connected to public spaces</li><li>Trees between sidewalks and streets</li><li>Everyday businesses (basic groceries, pharmacies, pubs, delis, general stores) in walking distance of homes</li><li>Public play fountains for kids in summer</li><li>Accessible libraries</li><li>Free local festivals and events</li><li>Roof gardens</li></ul><div>I'll be thinking it over and selecting my Top 15 over the next few days. Feel free to comment on mine, or come up with your own in the comments.</div></div></span></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-2617017375101456852009-07-08T19:22:00.000-04:002009-07-08T19:22:01.018-04:00WIP Wednesday: Surface<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYePzXIUNzyusR7YUA4tjA8mQX65D4San8Ro_4dlPFCXGWqPh6Oo11DeCMaamUEbChJ_RJ0pWIJD5S4JGdXIRt-8luGKv8ViOwPTT0VbhIL5diUD-X52lfY8qseXDSjZhs0xQs9ZrdVtE/s1600-h/3698814713_9d40d736e7_b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYePzXIUNzyusR7YUA4tjA8mQX65D4San8Ro_4dlPFCXGWqPh6Oo11DeCMaamUEbChJ_RJ0pWIJD5S4JGdXIRt-8luGKv8ViOwPTT0VbhIL5diUD-X52lfY8qseXDSjZhs0xQs9ZrdVtE/s320/3698814713_9d40d736e7_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355863189771258354" /></a><br />I'm finally getting this one to a point where it's nearly wearable. As in, might be done by winter.<div><br /></div><div>A few days ago I finished the button bands and wove in the ends. I decided to add more buttons because I didn't want it pulling at the chest, not a flattering look. Seven down the front, plus the one on the shoulder for a total of eight.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got lucky and a friend had exactly eight of these fabulous silver flowers in her button bin. I promise modeled photos when I sew them on.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-72372376265883138922009-06-26T01:01:00.000-04:002009-06-26T01:01:01.637-04:00Fiber Friday: Singles<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCflTtPsKOw5_6m_3HOuj_JfFHB3s3d9ydwzWTr-ATpqLSv4_6pNyTZnR2OA7VskfZ3xTGIKugS06fcikxzUmeeqrQKCNAR4c8l_1f5EdnFnXFzb2mokYC-n-w0tc8IjmEHw7ZZLCm8s/s1600-h/DSC05582.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6magkrjCviZ1d0wjk0ZNoA13XsSdhWA7qDBnR9J1631KlJcmwxnqxPGGlkU7FVUNmeyjNiquKfPsLX_GnAtb3R7FQ4h3lhxfNLiTs8sS7V7g4ruWmJqaEeqBsbBO7wSOJFfZvoAYFjic/s1600-h/DSC05580.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6magkrjCviZ1d0wjk0ZNoA13XsSdhWA7qDBnR9J1631KlJcmwxnqxPGGlkU7FVUNmeyjNiquKfPsLX_GnAtb3R7FQ4h3lhxfNLiTs8sS7V7g4ruWmJqaEeqBsbBO7wSOJFfZvoAYFjic/s320/DSC05580.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350013804735916434" /></a><br />I finally finished my first spindle full of Sheep Shed Studio roving. It's the stuff I Kool-Aid dyed forever ago and never got around to spinning because I broke the hook off my spindle. Only took a little Super Glue to fix, but sometimes I get stubborn. And lazy.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCflTtPsKOw5_6m_3HOuj_JfFHB3s3d9ydwzWTr-ATpqLSv4_6pNyTZnR2OA7VskfZ3xTGIKugS06fcikxzUmeeqrQKCNAR4c8l_1f5EdnFnXFzb2mokYC-n-w0tc8IjmEHw7ZZLCm8s/s320/DSC05582.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350013807756431026" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div>That only used up half the roving, and I'd planned to make it a two-ply, but it's pretty balanced as is and might work well as a single. I like that it's thick/thin and rustic and think plying would even it out too much.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have 238 yards so far, out of about 4 oz.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next up is this fabulous green/yellow/black stuff that I got in a RAK. I don't know what the fiber or brand is, but it's some kind of wool. It's combed, so the resulting yarn is super-smooth. It's also really dense and needs a LOT of pre-drafting to get it spinnable. It's not felted, the fibers just seem like they're packed really close together and need a little encouragement to seperate. Maybe it sat in a tight braid for too long.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvd3aIHCoBu0fMFegsk_eK14BEHFrXTQ8cS3xBsF5BjbcwJPgo522Z07uAtSku19z5_s8rKIUfC2HdKLa0RFGLYmMeZ_Qg6r8xYITdyhOkzWW-G5UolDFlaup-FNyeueYyprlSDfFeulc/s320/DSC05584.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350013812697886434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">My cousins are in town from South Florida, and were really impressed that I can actually MAKE YARN. Dan goes to antique shows all the time (he's a military history nut) and promised to be on the lookout for an affordable wheel for me.</div></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-12297964446442784712009-06-23T22:54:00.003-04:002009-06-23T23:00:15.734-04:00Packing<div style="text-align: left;">I'm moving to Georgia for a few months.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Here is my bag of clothing.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7iPrH2DSENll_Q36hXz4H07QO_SLwVNDiYQ1HX_O7qNHKifg3mofORsk312rwdzvoMFAqEDtz4G1xWVMK-HAmsulepw6nh17JCIKoqKOSytcXWXRKKfbQVhgFujSSBkP8mescyvwABc/s320/DSC05600.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350722900933118354" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is my bag of yarn.</div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JYKNGVRgv41GAWeQuRKy8TO9Ckp5EyigeerATx_FdiO3Iyd2Mq_16_g2GI1xtFGuusy_gPhV65fMVBvSSNQ8IRyo_Nrau3fXceaAhFH7J_IaGZoKo7pSjTysOu4SRJoBBGHcaUgXmRE/s320/DSC05606.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350722910442574770" /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Guess which is bigger?</div><div><br /></div><div>(It's the clothing, but just barely, and if I took the handknits out of the "clothing" bag it would be in trouble.)</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-21736253474011372962009-06-16T11:06:00.002-04:002009-06-16T11:06:01.062-04:00Technique Tuesday: On Creativity<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I've heard so many people say that they "aren't creative enough" to design things, or that they "don't have ideas".<div><br /></div><div>Bullshit.</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavslefIcVqpvBkx3BoEPeNQKxleJIbMgmiAxUOYYUorL2WiJ7FaESK651JNcjnuORHwVTuNo2j_wmChjOlRfUX9dKHgwJftWMJKnJZF46GzdZVQwIR6EZp-CIAsuKivsdXbMeQYuJMt0/s400/idea.PNG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 106px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347386603813618098" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">-<i>Dictionary.com</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you've ever had a thought, if you're aware of your surroundings, and if your brain <i>works even in the slightest </i>you have ideas. They might not be <i>good</i> ideas, but they're ideas.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">How do you come up with good ideas? You practice by coming up with bad ones! When I was a kid I read that we all have a million bad ideas inside of us, and the sooner we can get them all out the better. So even if something seems stupid, go for it. We learn by doing, and you'll soon find that working with one idea will cause you to come up with another.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">For some reason, knitters suffer from the delusion that you have to be a capital-D Designer to come up with an idea or make an original garment.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Again, bullshit.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Designers (even the famous ones) are human just like the rest of us. They sketch, they write, they knit, and I'm sure they occasionally forget to put in a lifeline and have to rip back a lot farther than they should have. What seperates a designer from a garden-variety knitter is a willingness to try new things, to experiment, and even to fail. A designer looks at a simple idea and sees <i>potential.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm going to help you learn to see potentail, starting with a simple concept.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is my sketch, just a series of rectangles I doodled. As they get bigger, the space between them gets smaller.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT9ZTDRn2bVswWMpmlThR5y1MZY5wr8fMcWIu4RKQlEaaQrErKDxoxlTvZ8wEF93_E7XcriYoaJZL13RKA6dE2DRLoHqlEyMNdpTJEjb_6FzvDc1L_fT_jV9Yo0bX438oNz8xNJD-28E/s320/concept.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347389234229877698" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 102px; " /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRgAKROBU_njclGktCOCj_f0DVyQ8eoxMTkrjUPCMFS427Pjf2UWunZV0UqvyIAH0UWuvAZ09c4VVQbTZclnZ9XHDc_8kQZJ1OIAhsasH7iiYt3944Xur-T3xdt5lH8TjEzGM4FChdPQ/s1600-h/architecture.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRgAKROBU_njclGktCOCj_f0DVyQ8eoxMTkrjUPCMFS427Pjf2UWunZV0UqvyIAH0UWuvAZ09c4VVQbTZclnZ9XHDc_8kQZJ1OIAhsasH7iiYt3944Xur-T3xdt5lH8TjEzGM4FChdPQ/s1600-h/architecture.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRgAKROBU_njclGktCOCj_f0DVyQ8eoxMTkrjUPCMFS427Pjf2UWunZV0UqvyIAH0UWuvAZ09c4VVQbTZclnZ9XHDc_8kQZJ1OIAhsasH7iiYt3944Xur-T3xdt5lH8TjEzGM4FChdPQ/s1600-h/architecture.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You could have come up with that, right? Exactly! Ideas are everywhere, and sometimes the simple ones are the most effective. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When you look at your concept, think about what it could be. I could take this as it is and make a Modernist painting. I could line up appropriately-sized objects and create a still life composition to draw, paint, or photograph.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left; ">I started out with a simple, literal interpretation: I made it into a three-dimensional form, it could be an entranceway into a building. The empty spaces gradually get smaller, transitioning a person from "outside" to "inside".</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRgAKROBU_njclGktCOCj_f0DVyQ8eoxMTkrjUPCMFS427Pjf2UWunZV0UqvyIAH0UWuvAZ09c4VVQbTZclnZ9XHDc_8kQZJ1OIAhsasH7iiYt3944Xur-T3xdt5lH8TjEzGM4FChdPQ/s320/architecture.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347389232322843810" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 286px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As I was drawing that, the angles made me wonder what it would look like if I took two of my concept sketch and rotated one 90 degrees. I sketched it out quickly and got a pattern that reminded me of tartan.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU5RfqLLvX4ctCFgIqgsa_1mH_sWFDWwHHbXVm5CTWWK42QdLMD5JQekeacb-jT3MvaSoffHeIX5m7mu3XobTho1Kqe0WNB9lou7_5xI5w2SsL1-6Khm1LPGsx4gSVxIABvOWmpnbmn8/s320/roughtartan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347389237498503474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 149px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">To refine it a little more, I made a more finalized drawing in Photoshop. I could print this out as digital art, paint it (which might be interesting with some really texturized paint), turn it into a woven or knitted fabric, or use it as a layout grid for a graphic design.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTa5Uj-pbag3RRwgFdOiM720ttIT8gpjzlqchlVkqwl-HPEbNDTSAMf3ZALmFvQ-8CPNSKvIjfAqc8M84lqEZZWx8B1xPL-44oHIw9_Am4YCcQ05eCLs_4eAaU_IERW4sw3NmcPsdGGI/s320/tartan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347389241903880098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">As I was thinking about how I could knit that (I know nothing near enough about colorwork to puzzle that one out, but maybe something reminiscent of the <a href="http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knit_a_ballband_dishcloth.php">Ball Band Dishcloth</a>), I had another brainstorm: Lace!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiqk8-cvppUzGvhWCAhTAfOfIE_HNDGL2IFvpdiAWQBFCHhBIan2lFpVMn7r-hPocfCNfwKB2iZ_TN9dBU96xWTU2Gctmka35M1Eyah1PLOyxWC3x7225LbXY7d28vkZcRlcnIkSkJ_g/s320/lacerough.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347389235325653106" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 107px; height: 320px; " /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is just a quick, sketched chart I drew that alternates solid stockinette rectangles with rectangles of yarn-overs, the simplest type of lace. The rectangles change in size and frequency, just like the original concept sketch. The next step here would be to swatch this and see if the proportions work out, and to alter it if they don't.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Ideas are everywhere. And design is just a methodical approach to "playing" with ideas, moving them around and changing the color and seeing what concrete things you can make of an abstract concept.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> A great way to get visual ideas into a workable format is to take a photo of something (a line of trees, spokes in a wheel, the shape of a building) and trace the important lines and forms. Then you can work with that and see what comes of it. It takes practice, but you'll find that the more you do, the easier things get.</div></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-73118342469624110432009-06-07T22:48:00.003-04:002009-06-07T22:54:05.628-04:00ZzzzzzzzzzI have been incredibly bad about blogging lately, and I know it. <div><br /></div><div>I worked multiple gigs every weekend in May (thank God that's over), had Y in town for a week, and graduated from college. Not much time left for knitting, and to top it off I'm in the middle of mostly long-term projects that haven't been good for photographing or writing about. I'm sure you don't care that I completed another inch on the damn sweater.</div><div><br /></div><div>Soon I'm going to have the button band placed on Surface, and there will be photos of that. I'm so glad I did the shaping because it fits <b>perfectly</b>. Now I just have to make sure I don't change sizes between now and winter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now back to my regularly scheduled not-posting-unless-there's-something-interesting-to-say.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-48800872876231308052009-05-15T11:30:00.000-04:002009-05-15T11:30:02.323-04:00Fiber Friday: The Stash<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvrp1srdCpiGWeamzl7Q1KweWSE5DDkFYW46lSH4YliPUBdZiSHhYs4MFshMulNAcF0WGw0pgFYxPPkyZS9-NTDSjBJHi1iQeS2HNK3zH9cuOTNWPOhDFjZfCa9OeCjcm8V_2sRaOEw0/s1600-h/DSC05163.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvrp1srdCpiGWeamzl7Q1KweWSE5DDkFYW46lSH4YliPUBdZiSHhYs4MFshMulNAcF0WGw0pgFYxPPkyZS9-NTDSjBJHi1iQeS2HNK3zH9cuOTNWPOhDFjZfCa9OeCjcm8V_2sRaOEw0/s320/DSC05163.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332363085782325442" /></a><br />That's all of it. Yup, all of it. Except the balls that are currently attached to projects.<div><br /></div><div>Technically "Flash Your Stash Day" is April 1, but have you ever seen me do anything like the rest of the world? I like to think of myself as 11 months early, not one month late.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-1459273646445983072009-05-11T21:27:00.001-04:002009-05-14T17:39:35.767-04:00My Day Job<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Just thought it seemed like a good time to talk a little bit about what it is I "do".</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I'm currently working as a portrait photographer. I won't name the company, but suffices to say that it's a national chain that specializes in school events. Basically, I go to graduation or award ceremonies and take 200-500 pictures 2 seconds apart with the constant knowledge that if I miss someone, the boss and the people who have to match photos to names will have my head. Sounds glamorous, huh?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">It's funny that when most people think of a photographer, they think of either National Geographic or fashion. And sure, there are people who get to travel to exotic places, meet African tribesmen, or do conceptual shoots with beautiful women and 50 pounds of fake hair and makeup. But for every Nigel Barker there's probably a thousand people like me who travel to the middle of Cow Country, Florida, meet biology teachers, and shoot 17-year-old boys in khaikis against an American flag backdrop.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">That may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm definitely not. I love my job, it's just not "as seen on TV". I love that my team changes every event, so I get to meet and work with new people all the time. And sometimes the happy is infectuous.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">I went to a ceremony today at a primarily-Black, Christian university. They had fantastic music. I'm a jazz lover, and was really impressed by the jazz combo. As they were playing, I happened to catch a glimpse of the monitor, and when I saw the saxophonist playing his heart out with a background of gospel singers dancing and waving their arms? I'm a complete sap, and I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">lost it</span>. I was grinning like a maniac and tearing up at the same time. Something about gospel music just does it to me (but that's a story for another time). You've heard of "making a joyful noise"? Well they <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">made</span> it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Things like that make it impossible for me to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> love my job. Although there are definitely things that try. Next time I'll tell you about being eight deep in the weeds.</span></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-34616175036077710772009-05-07T15:55:00.003-04:002009-05-07T16:10:06.237-04:00Don't be scared!Yes, you're in the right place. I just did a total redesign! <div><br /></div><div>Basically, I made it more organized (grid-based!) and easier to navigate. The navigation links at the top go to posts with that label, making it easy to filter and read only the posts you are interested in. The tag cloud in the right sidebar shows off what I talk about the most and gives you the opportunity to check out some of the post categories that aren't in the top menu.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the footer, you can check out my profile, add me as a friend on your favorite social site, or see my Flickr photostream.</div><div><br /></div><div>As always, Saltwater Purls is a WIP! If you have any suggestions or comments on the new layout, leave them in the comment section or blast me an e-mail.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hope you enjoy.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-42049224074476980192009-05-07T13:55:00.002-04:002009-05-07T13:55:00.907-04:00Review: HP Marketsplash<a href="http://www.marketsplash.com/res/home.html">HP Marketsplash</a> offers 100 free business cards, no shipping or processing fees! You can choose from one of their customizable templates or upload your own image.<div><br /></div><div>Being a dork, I wanted to create my own. I fired up Scribus, created a 9x9 grid, and punched out this:</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEc0r1Rt3YlZS0fnwl_hAJECQoQufVNtRskHn_VuSSWFj2MnqxfRdBfaZaE7kt1K1I-GKVD5jCL6G980D-yfse4ZHn9r-fjQjiBXSeC8j9J0y8zmO1SIQcph6NP5lTsbcYONm-BIIRvg/s320/card2horiz.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330174905670316226" /></div><div><br /></div><div>And a few weeks later, I had this in my hot little hand:</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEWUIStjFiJtCAOOuAE8zcJwzX7Zf3qDfapZaN0VEqtSWJzsH7tkcFUTp0iL5KA-vdVisE7kwe5Cn6PqBVShM8e4zay9IGoSlRgyDgplXjX3fhkBzPMHTvv2j7ltou95L1Y-M0hyphenhyphentcy28/s320/DSC04980.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330174903850268482" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Generally, good stuff. I'm very happy with the print quality. The paper's a tad flimsier than I would have liked, but you can pay a little extra for heavyweight cardstock if you want.</div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently the first batch of cards came out with some color issues, but they sent them to me anyway in addition to the corrected set. Not sure what I'll do with them yet, but I'll find something.</div><div><br /></div><div>The free cards are supposed to come with a little advertising line on the back, but mine came with the "premium" plain backs. Maybe it was a mistake in my favor, or maybe an apology for taking longer than promised?</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of the taking longer...</div><div><br /></div><div>The website says you should receive your order in 7 business days. On March 26, about a week after I placed mine, I got an email from one of their customer service reps saying that my image wasn't the correct size, which was confusing to me because the design page would only accept 1050x600px images. I emailed Ashlee with the original image, she was very nice and promised to fix it for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>On April 11, I hadn't heard from them lately so I emailed Ashlee again, she responded on the 15th and said my package had been shipped. Yay! I got the package on the 17th.</div><div><br /></div><div>The delay wasn't a big deal to me, I was in no hurry. If you need your cards by a certain date it may be a good idea to order a little bit ahead of time just in case.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, I'm satisfied and will probably buy some more when the free ones run out.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-90031988057498513112009-05-04T12:09:00.004-04:002009-05-05T11:29:28.255-04:00Mitress of Knitting: April ResultsI finished Month 1: April and got a Level 3.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The cast-ons I learned were:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7ia7EXejo0E4ApQZ1U4nI0xKgAPRejmEg34o0uKJkEViEI-80l6rIlfkExiV-6u1J2gvrv2PziUH9m9wWswfPV_HS_2KSVgEV692WCTDUBfAg24c_Mie8jRmFFrvPi44aiSKlV6vAf0/s320/DSC05160.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332005008957054866" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Tubular cast-on: very stretchy, makes a nice "hem" at the start of your piece. Looks great with ribbing. Doesn't look as weird as some other cast-ons if you're using oversized needles.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxVnbUkgETITUyO5_ZmMX8TXi7rs7UqgT1NMscS3x7_A-AlNCE_KMytS7_kmTYL3nlPOn7DtLEW4Ua4MhEdFf5iWdcaTQGAqLJaYfDvjfgPQOwDZ-VW2p-tddqrHq13MWeXbJ4u_iMKo/s320/DSC05158.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332005002476074354" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Garter stitch tab cast on: invisible if you're going to be working in garter stitch. You get to knit from three directions on the tab, so it's great for starting a shawl in the middle.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The bind-offs were:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GrO1zXbDdJcKKaPGkJbb3r8w60OYNURetcURtlQVYTanBkxnbvCezpnPcWJLfQJn-rWZoFNbontUmC7AzRgRowyvqh_UvQwOszun22Rpo3Br_Rwc-_53k5jMwq9iDoblLRJtncCzwCs/s320/DSC05159.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332005004115504946" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Tubular bind-off. Matches the tubular cast-on, has pretty much the same properties.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM7pW-6WY_4pcyZzCsIZ5ZQWAmMM-zZyKFc3jZzpqr_iUyejHJ5BdjlSO3EeMepO_tprXNNaKHIAqa62WruaiWCFpNKq7NGeMJ60eae9EUpm6Lc_TdMSb14KuxwZWxoGUwoDwDme-Ii4/s320/DSC05161.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332005014624453906" /></div><div>Elastic bind-off. As it says in the title, elastic. Duh. As stretchy as the sewn bind-off but doesn't use as much yarn. Good for lace or the top of socks.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Stay tuned for the May edition: Increasing and Decreasing!</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Want to be a Mistress of Knitting? Go to http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/lsg-mistress-of-knitting/</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-76033934993431742132009-05-02T23:25:00.002-04:002009-05-02T23:30:44.130-04:00Wordle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhI7BPpqI2aAwbxM_Fk2dgmIGHH3JdQ0lGETWmLhJq16fgWhf8yngdk80ddrYsBrPsQoUqMz-Ggm5bWrbdcG9vb9bScIa36VPfj3MM2BgBmQ03q-QCZGyoKBHBxOtxd39mQ6E0Xsg3XI/s1600-h/wordle.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhI7BPpqI2aAwbxM_Fk2dgmIGHH3JdQ0lGETWmLhJq16fgWhf8yngdk80ddrYsBrPsQoUqMz-Ggm5bWrbdcG9vb9bScIa36VPfj3MM2BgBmQ03q-QCZGyoKBHBxOtxd39mQ6E0Xsg3XI/s320/wordle.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331434966018635666" /></a><br />Wordle is a fun tool that lets you make your own word-art using any text (a story, a website, a letter, whatever you imagine).<div><br /></div><div>Go to http://www.wordle.com to make your own.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-55524852116314080122009-04-29T13:31:00.004-04:002009-04-29T13:42:17.109-04:00WIP Wednesday: Entrelac<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMHBBRFJuDBOAridGAdjkYaGYfbG3QhU2DUmVgNud6ehh16cMFzR3xSI5Rtjp0UAH-CIkhtqGAxYLZ3L0tzOtQOmdhPWS_644Mrf0IwaMC5H1aQibLLQt1kkaln_pVe5VzY2L1BbnJBA/s1600-h/DSC04978.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMHBBRFJuDBOAridGAdjkYaGYfbG3QhU2DUmVgNud6ehh16cMFzR3xSI5Rtjp0UAH-CIkhtqGAxYLZ3L0tzOtQOmdhPWS_644Mrf0IwaMC5H1aQibLLQt1kkaln_pVe5VzY2L1BbnJBA/s320/DSC04978.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330167718148288338" /></a><br />I finally got started working on Market Squares from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bags-Knitters-Dozen/dp/1893762203">Bags: A Knitter's Dozen</a>. I've had the pattern and yarn forever and just now got round to it.<div><br /></div><div>Observation 1: Entrelac is boring. You are really just makine endless small sections of stockinette.</div><div><br /></div><div>Observation 2: These colors do not go together nearly as well as I'd planned</div><div><br /></div><div>Observation 3: I am going to have to weave in a hell of a lot of ends on this one.</div><div><br /></div><div>Observation 4: It's going to require an awful amount of masochism to finish this by Mother's Day.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-34428514308374103692009-04-25T15:42:00.000-04:002009-04-25T15:42:00.759-04:00FO: Swallowtail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XD8elevrfxt_ZN7dLUfbJEC4M0ZwXLOrdf410kiqtwYx5W_25bQJ2Jh8sN7p0M5gx_CX_qUwuUH6XSccy1_tEKECBWDeV8YuCM7Fs9hkekUlpXd9TxAQdBrVnMln4_z7kKhUaPAUNCU/s1600-h/DSC04868.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XD8elevrfxt_ZN7dLUfbJEC4M0ZwXLOrdf410kiqtwYx5W_25bQJ2Jh8sN7p0M5gx_CX_qUwuUH6XSccy1_tEKECBWDeV8YuCM7Fs9hkekUlpXd9TxAQdBrVnMln4_z7kKhUaPAUNCU/s320/DSC04868.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328345978234461458" /></a><br /><br />This is my completed Swallowtail Shawl. Made of Malabrigo Lace in Purple Mystery. Pattern <a href="http://www.evelynclarkdesigns.com/pdf/Swallowtail.pdf">here </a>(opens as PDF) ,yarn <a href="http://www.malabrigoyarn.com/yarn/lace.html">here</a>.<div><br /></div><div>I am crazy about the Malabrigo. It is mad soft. I did have a slight issue with the colors; I worked from two different balls and even though they're from the same dye lot there is a noticeable difference between the two. The first skein is pretty much solid, and the second is lighter and has more variegation. The dark part is pretty solid and rests up against my neck when I wear it, so it's not hugely noticeable.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for the pattern, I wish it was just a hair wider along the top edge. It tends to slip off my shoulders when I wear it unless I put a pin in. Otherwise, the lace is pretty, and has enough variety to it that I don't feel like I'm doing the same thing over and over for ages.</div><div><br /></div><div>If I never knit another nupp again it'll be too soon. Little buggers completely throw off my groove on the purl side.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1tBkmrdpPscxKbULQLqtiJgDeQhMehyr0TYYTVtlWqenNaMSOXuw9ep8GwWAi8ESC63SaA4ISSYSol6XHm2_xQN81viIRCYxAu5smLfsvkpmkbmJG4s08YxP4rRUKIh2hbWlfDg21Jo/s320/DSC04867.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328345973500916338" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Overall, pretty, soft, warm, fun to wear.</div></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-11225499884254409032009-04-02T00:58:00.000-04:002009-04-02T00:58:00.973-04:00Mistress of Knitting Challenge 1Challenge 1 is Cast On/Cast Off.<div><br /></div><div>Here are the levels:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Level 1 - Learn any 2 new cast ons and 2 new cast offs</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Level 2 - Learn 2 new cast ons and 2 new cast offs, including binding off in pattern if you don’t already know it. Learn them well enough to do without referencing books/intarwebs/knitting peeps</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Level 3 - Learn 2 new cast ons and cast offs and write up a short description of the uses of each</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Level 4 - Create a small chart of at least 4 methods of casting on and 4 methods of casting off indicating when to use each one</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I think I'm going to go for Level 3. As it so happens, I'm starting a lacy stole that needs a loose, elastic cast-on. After doing some research I decided I want to try the Italian Tubular Cast-on, following </span><a href="http://www.fluffbuff.com/2006/07/tubular_caston_without_the_was_1.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">this tutorial</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">After about 45 tries, I think I've got it. It looked crazy and janky before I pulled out the tail, but I think that after a few rows it'll look better. Pulling the tail is kind of like magic! </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">One tip for those following along at home: it's best to practice with a frog-friendly yarn for your first few goes. Silk Garden is NOT a frog-friendly yarn.</span></p></span></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-66164310780046034222009-03-26T22:29:00.000-04:002009-03-26T22:29:02.182-04:00FO: Puff Daddy!<a href="http://www.supereggplant.com/archives/001057.html">Puff Daddy</a> is the cutest damn thing I have ever seen.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13362719@N08/3371862792/" title="DSC04734 by thenovelgeek, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3618/3371862792_2dc4335f69.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04734" /></a></span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13362719@N08/3371041071/" title="DSC04735 by thenovelgeek, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3449/3371041071_299d5c7ce7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04735" /></a><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am never taking it off, ever. Except maybe to wear my Noro scarf.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I made my puff huge-a-mungous by accident, but I love it that way.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: -webkit-monospace; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yarn is KP Wool of the Andes Bulky in Spumoni.</span></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-50452405853519089352009-03-23T10:20:00.000-04:002009-03-23T10:20:06.557-04:00Ravelry is, again, awesome.For those of you who don't know, there's a program out there called <a href="http://www.tkga.com/mastersprogram.shtm">Master Knitting</a>. It's supposed to teach you many different techniques, and your work is evaluated by a committee to see if you "pass" each level.<div><br /></div><div>I like the idea of the program, but have a few issues with it. </div><div><br /></div><div>One, it's expensive. There's a program fee ($285 for all three levels, and you must be a member of TKGA, which costs $29/year), you have to pay to mail in your sample swatches and homework notebook, and there are yarn requirements for the swatches, so you may not be able to use leftover yarn you have on hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two, the requirements are rigid. I know how to do stockinette stitch/ribbing/etc and don't really want to waste my time and money proving it. I also don't have much of a desire to design and make an Aran or Fair Isle sweater... it's HOT where I live and neither would be worn much.</div><div><br /></div><div>I put it out of my mind for a long time and decided I'd just play on my own. </div><div><br /></div><div>A lovely bitch by the name of Nellum came up with the idea for a "Mistress of Knitting" group. It's free to join (though you do have to buy your own yarn... not that any of you probably need an excuse to do that). You're allowed to demonstrate a technique in a project you're working on instead of making zillions of individual swatches. And since the challenges are more vague ("Knit a felted project" rather than "knit argyle socks"), you get more creative liberty to make things that you'll actually use.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/lsg-mistress-of-knitting/pages/Challenge-list">list of challenges</a>. There's a suggested timetable of one challenge per month, but the deadlines aren't absolute, it's OK to finish late. If you do 10 out of the 12 challenges, you'll get a certificate at the end.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-75056832484529569742009-03-23T03:09:00.004-04:002009-03-23T12:08:41.085-04:00Gridding my LifeDamn grid-based design is taking over.<div><br /><div>I love organizational systems. I could geek out about designing hierarchies, making labels, and sorting for hours. And I love that a well-designed system doesn't have to be maintained... once you set it up, just make sure things are going in the right places, and you don't have to "clean" ever again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Grids are a godsend. If you're designing a page (poster, book page, knitting pattern, whatever), you could spend hours fiddling with it and nudging things around to try to get something you like. With a grid, it's a lot more simple. Given some parameters, and placing elements becomes a lot more easy. Especially when looking at a lot of information, grids make it simpler to find what you want and "make sense" out of everything.</div><div><br /></div><div>And so, combining the two ideas, I quite like the idea of a gridded desktop. Most desktops you see are a mess, some photo or artwork that you can't make out for all the icons and bookmarks scattered across it. I've been a "desktop minimalist" for a long time, I'll put up a photo and a shortcut for my browswer/documents. That's it. Recently I expanded to having a couple of shortcuts to projects that I've currently got in the works, but only one or two.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was inspired by Sarah France's <a href="http://sarahfrance.blogspot.com/2008/12/huge-thank-you-to.html">Six Grid Desktop</a>. I like to have a photo to look at, I didn't really need a logo (duh, I know it's a grid desktop), and I wanted fewer categories. So I made my design with that in mind. Thirds-based, the left section for an image frame, the center third for shortcuts, and the right third for my files.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's mine currently. The yarn photo is just a crop of a high-res image I had saved from somewhere. I plan on changing it out periodically.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq-7bMGfXMezJg9loD2P23XReKnuuGASWFLLwTEF8QASsfIqQSmBm8DgV86SeM4lPvQ35pEeIFJKPrKaXTuBacJ9qisGRq_QEKkj1MJu4jKZSYIXXtyXzz4wgzNGXc2puxc41HH5tfks/s320/Untitled.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316285084916110834" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>And here's one with a blank frame. Use your favorite image editor to put in your own photo and change the category names. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CsgWfrE6KvnebtWPoUb30OT2mBTzvoMVLIpRDpiM18koCUlPKUXUibPt8UqBnsuo6nDKus-P-Yj9C9olyJsf-krEDGH4tFF3sGP37L-VZSogKWiL1xQE1IzBjzmEHZ3J8MdqR1DP4DM/s320/desktopinvert-page1.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 199px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316283712185227730" /></div>Full-size downloadable version <a href="http://www.geocities.com/thenovelgeek/desktopinvert-page1.png">here</a>.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-17603592303708462732009-03-20T22:07:00.003-04:002009-03-20T22:27:20.960-04:00Fiber Friday: Stashpile!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pYHudaRa4L_cs_UXD3rP4G-Erd3tbhpHkkllPUl2szWpij_kfmw6SBKVnUF0_kpm_xzrGCohxQRvr5oDhl50PBh3dDH5EzKVrYlorE6w1iPbGF1lpg7wcJAe_TVhWB_p9-YXWRU3xqg/s1600-h/DSC04736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pYHudaRa4L_cs_UXD3rP4G-Erd3tbhpHkkllPUl2szWpij_kfmw6SBKVnUF0_kpm_xzrGCohxQRvr5oDhl50PBh3dDH5EzKVrYlorE6w1iPbGF1lpg7wcJAe_TVhWB_p9-YXWRU3xqg/s320/DSC04736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315457529608420434" /></a><br />This is all the yarn I've recently acquired from swaps, RAKs, and buying things.<div><br /></div><div>It includes LOTS of things I've never tried before. Tons of indie-dyed things (omg I are indie yarn virgin, and I think I just became an indie yarn nympho), and my first ever Tencel and silk yarns! Yes, before now I've only used wool and acrylic. Also two Noro sock yarns (Kureyon and Silk Garden).</div><div><br /></div><div>In the top left you can sort of see the natural yarns I skeined up and am going to dye as soon as I track down a local store that sells acid dyes. Two laceweights and two worsted, all 100% wool. One of the worsteds is a gift for my sister's birthday.</div><div><br /></div><div>And yep, I did roll in it!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Inventory:</span></div><div>Noro silk Garden</div><div>Noro Kureyon</div><div>Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel</div><div>Yarn Pirate Merino Superwash</div><div>Lovesticks Superwash Falkland Sport</div><div>Knitpicks BARE merino lace</div><div>Lotus Yarns Buddha</div><div>Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool</div><div>Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool</div><div>Unknown brand wool roving (maybe superwash? will have to test)</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-2062887820478603282009-03-10T17:16:00.005-04:002009-03-10T17:43:51.347-04:00FO: Ruba'iyat mittens<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes, yes, I know it's Tuesday. Excuse me for being naughty this once, I am in love with these and had to post them right away.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'-webkit-monospace';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13362719@N08/3345287986/" title="DSC04688 by thenovelgeek, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/3345287986_f4f0a34204.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSC04688" /></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'-webkit-monospace';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'-webkit-monospace';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'-webkit-monospace';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">These are based on the Ruba'iyat, a Persian poem by Omar Khayyam (<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=ruBa4GLTtWkC&dq=ruba-iyat&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=7fpcfg9NdH&sig=HSAhG7iK03-K8HKCKthO4i8DNGw&hl=en&ei=Ftq2SdrPEYvltgeotPy9CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA1,M1">read it here</a>). You can download the pattern (it's free!) through Ravelry <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rubaiyat-mittens">here</a>.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I think Persian aesthetics are gorgeous, and these are no exception. The designer mentions she was inspired by a book of rug patterns.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:-webkit-monospace;font-size:9px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/13362719@N08/3345287380/" title="DSC04686 by thenovelgeek, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3403/3345287380_51c47834a4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSC04686" /></a></span><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">My colors were inspired by eggplants. Something warm, colorful, and tasty for cold winter days.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">(Also, in the background of the photos you can see my current obsession: grid-based book design.</span></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-21242592539848450452009-03-06T22:07:00.001-05:002009-03-06T22:07:00.746-05:00Fiber Friday: Gaspereau Valley Fibers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgRbbdHhZX0yOwtekaymp1ZfxkjBxH_G1jpyEdbGpwEKk47ahrhpGtDXZrLgUwdRnuxgxeWETwKwyMwrffC6AC583Uh5qe9WUUWOLEtUpvbqMYo2SA9_DbA4xrrCvAtJg33ZOZiDjhz4/s1600-h/DSC04616.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgRbbdHhZX0yOwtekaymp1ZfxkjBxH_G1jpyEdbGpwEKk47ahrhpGtDXZrLgUwdRnuxgxeWETwKwyMwrffC6AC583Uh5qe9WUUWOLEtUpvbqMYo2SA9_DbA4xrrCvAtJg33ZOZiDjhz4/s320/DSC04616.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309908053645775714" /></a><br />As nutty as I am for color, sometimes there is just something awesome about undyed wool. Sheep come in <a href="http://www.newenglandsimpleliving.com/images/Natural_color_Merino_wool_fibers.jpg">tons of different colors</a> (sometimes even multiple colors on the same sheep!). You could knit without touching a drop of dye and still have enough different shades to make a complex Fair Isle sweater.<div><br /></div><div>I participate in a "Random Acts of Kindness" group on Ravelry. People post wishlists, and if you have something on their list, you can send them a gift. I love sending out surprises, and it makes opening the mailbox a lot like Christmas morning: I either get an itchy "novelty" sweater from Aunt Sara (bills and junk mail) or Lego and comic books (Yarn! Or postcards! Or candy!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I got a fabulous package from one of the ladies in the group, and it included this natural yarn from <a href="http://www.gaspereauvalleyfibres.ca/">Gaspereau Valley Fibers</a>. I opened the website and paraded around the house telling everyone "THIS yarn came from THOSE sheep!" Okay, probably not those exact sheep in the photograph, but at least some of their relatives and friends.</div><div><br /></div><div>The yarn itself is lovely. It's a nice, soft creamy color. Feels nice and wooly (little bit of lanolin, but not much). It doesn't smell of sheep like wool does sometimes, even when wet.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm planning on splashing some dye on it, but leaving parts natural to let the wonderful sheepy color show through. Color scheme to be decided when I plan on what to make with it! Laceweight doesn't come my way so often, so it's a special treat when it does.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Yarn Stats:</span></div><div><br /></div><div>2 ply wool</div><div>25 micron count (Being a geek, I <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">love</span> that they include this on the label! I've never seen that done before!)</div><div>100 grams per skein</div><div>800yds/100g</div><div>3200 yards per pound</div><div><br /></div><div>I measured it myself with my handy WPI calculator, and it looks like it's about 18.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks again, Karen. Definitely a gift to be treasured.</div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-54616457452378589162009-02-27T15:54:00.002-05:002009-02-27T15:54:47.043-05:00UpdateFor the next day or so, I'm going to be messing with the code for the progress bars. They'll be back soon.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-19157843561759563202009-02-17T13:37:00.002-05:002009-02-17T14:35:39.391-05:00Technique Tuesday: Adding Bust Darts to a SweaterThis is Part 2 of Surface Bust Shaping. Missed the first bit? <a href="http://saltwaterpurls.blogspot.com/2009/01/wip-wednesday-surface-bust-shaping.html">Here!</a><div><br /></div><div>So, we've already established that I need to make an XS sweater with some more room in the bust. How much room? Let's see.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Part A: How Much to Increase?</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Measure yourself around the fullest part of your bust, wearing whatever clothes you'll probably wear under the sweater. This is your bust measurement (duh), and we're going to call it <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">YB</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next, take the finished bust of the sweater size that fits you in the waist and hips. We're going to call it <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">SB</span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The last thing you need is the amount of positive or negative ease (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">E</span>) you're making the sweater with. If you're making it with 2" ease, E is 2. If you're making it with 1" negative ease, E is -1.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, what you do is subtract SB from YB, and add or subtract your ease. In other words:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Y</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204); ">B-SB +/- E</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's how my math works out. My YB is 34, SB is 30, and E is 0. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">So 34-30+0= 4</span>. That means I have to add four inches to the bust. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Because I have two boobs (and assuming you do too), divide your number by two. I get 2" per boob.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now we have to play with gauge to figure out how many stitches that makes out to be. My gauge is 23 sts = 4". That means to get 2 extra inches, I have to increase 11.5 stitches. Since I haven't figured out how to knit half a stitch yet, I'll just fudge it to get 12.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Part B: Where do I increase?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Here we need a couple more measurements. Again, we want to measure on top of your bra or clothes.</span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">If you're knitting bottom-up:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> First off, you want to measure from the hem of the sweater to right where your boob starts. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">If you're knitting top-down:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Measure from your shoulder (the top of it, where a sweater seam would fall) to the top of your breast. Mine is about level with my armpit seam, yours may be higher or lower.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">For both mehods:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The number you just got is how far you'll knit before starting your shaping.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Measure from your underbust (where the bottom of your bra is) straight up to the fullest part of your bust. It's probably at the nipple, but all boobs are different, so don't worry if yours isn't. This is your bust height (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">H</span>).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, just a teeny bit more math. You need to translate H into rows by multiplying it by your row gauge (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">RG</span>).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">H x RG </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Again, here's my math as an example. My H is 3" and my RG is 7 rows/inch. So I get an answer of 21 rows.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Part C: Putting it All Together</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">All the numbers are great, but what do you <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">do</span> with them? Here's where we combine our answers from Parts A and B.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To make your bust dart you need to incease <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A</span> stitches over <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">B </span>rows. We're going to do our increases in pairs, so we divide<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> A</span> by two to get <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A2</span>. Then, to figure out how many rows between increases, we divide <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">B</span> by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A2 </span>to get <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">C</span>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A/2 = A2</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">B/A2 = C</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">If C isn't an even number, just fudge it a bit. If it's 3.5, just increase every 3 rows sometimes and every 4 rows sometimes. Don't sweat it, you're making a sweater, not a nuclear reactor.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My math:</div><div style="text-align: left;">A is 12, so A2 is 6.</div><div style="text-align: left;">B is 21, and B/A2 is 3.5. So I'll increase every 3 or 4 rows.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Part D: Writing Your Pattern</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">And this is the very last step, I promise! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided I want my dart to be about 1" wide, so it will be 7 stitches. You can make yours wider or narrower as you please, though those with larger breasts are advised to make wider darts and vice versa.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That means I will have 7 stitches between my paired increases. You can use whatever type of increase you like, I'm a big fan of M1 because it blends in to my knitting and doesn't leave gaps. Your results may vary.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When you start your bust increases, how many stitches do you have across (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">S</span>)? Subtract the number of dart stitches (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">D</span>) from that to get <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">S2</span>, and then divide by two to get how many stitches are before and after the dart.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">S-D= S2</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">S2/2 = </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've got 37 stitches across. My first increase row is going to look like this: knit 15, increase, knit 7, increase, knit 15.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then knit the in-between rows. If you're increasing every 3 rows, that means you increase, knit 2 rows, increase, knit 2 rows, etc.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Remember to add in the stitches you increased when you write the second row! So my second increase row is: Knit 16, increase, knit 7, increase, knit 16.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once you've increased the desired number of times, knit a few rows plain to avoid pointy boob syndrome. Then just do the increases in reverse to decrease back down to size, and continue on with the pattern.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hope you learned something new! There are a LOT of different ways to make bust shaping, this is merely one that I pulled out of the air and happened to work for me. If this doesn't fit you correctly or you don't like the way it looks, feel free to make changes or toss it out and try something different. We are all shaped differently, and one of the most fulfilling parts of knitting is being able to make things that fit and flatter your individual shape.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">In case you want to see what </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">my</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> increase pattern looks like, here it is as an example.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">R1:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>K 15, inc, K7, inc, K15</div><div style="text-align: left;">R2-3:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Stockinette stitch</div><div style="text-align: left;">R4:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>P 16, inc, P7, inc, P16</div><div style="text-align: left;">R5-7:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Stockinette stitch</div><div style="text-align: left;">R8:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>P 17, inc, P7, inc, P17</div><div style="text-align: left;">R9-11:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>St. st</div><div style="text-align: left;">R12:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>P 18, inc, P7, inc, P18</div><div style="text-align: left;">R13-15:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>St. st</div><div style="text-align: left;">R16:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>P 19, inc, P7, inc, P19</div><div style="text-align: left;">R17-19:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>St. st</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here my pattern says to start the side increases, so I do that (italicised here). Notice that it affects my numbers on the decreases!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">R1:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>K20, K2tog, K5, SSP, K19</div><div style="text-align: left;">R2-4:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>St. st</div><div style="text-align: left;">R5:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">K3, M1, K16</span>, K2tog, K5, SSK, K18</div><div style="text-align: left;">R6-8:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>ST. st</div><div style="text-align: left;">R9:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>K19, K2tog, K5, SSK, K17</div><div style="text-align: left;">R10-12:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>St. st</div><div style="text-align: left;">R13:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">K3, M1, K15</span>, K2tog, K5, SSK, K16</div><div style="text-align: left;">R14-16:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>St. st</div><div style="text-align: left;">R17:<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>K18, K2tog, K5, SSK, K15</div><div style="text-align: left;">R18-20<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>St. st</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9172176633492683462.post-73144402943472194892009-02-11T12:42:00.001-05:002009-02-17T14:36:21.491-05:00WIP Wednesday: Surface bust shapingHuman proportions are pretty cool. Basically, the way that they work is by averages. If you make a sweater with A bust and B waist, it will fit X% of people pretty decently. Of course, there will be some people who have A bust but a waist significantly bigger (or smaller) than B, but on average if you stick to certain proportional measurements you'll get a good number of them. People who have <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">exactly </span>A bust, B waist, C hip, and D inseam can work as "fitting models". They get paid large sums of money to try on clothes. Nope, I'm not kidding, if you happen to have the right measurements you can make six figures a year doing what the rest of us do every time we go to the mall.<div><br /></div><div>I have a not-normal body. My waist and hips are roughly in proportion, but my bust is larger. Bit of a pain when buying fitted shirts, but the nice thing about knitting is that this isn't too hard to fix.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm currently knitting <a href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTsurface.php">Surface by Norah Gaughan</a>. Looking at the bust sizes, with my <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">34"</span> bust, if I knit a Small I'll have a nice fitted sweater, right? </div><div><br /></div><div>Not so fast, homes! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Always look at the schematic.</span> Why the pattern publishers always put it on the very last page when you really should be looking at it first is beyond me. Maybe they hate us and want us to suffer, I don't know.</div><div><br /></div><div>So looking at our nice little schematic, we see that the size S has a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">36"</span> hip. The waist measurement isn't included on the drawing, but we can do a tad bit of math to figure it out:</div><div><br /></div><div>The back of the sweater has 90 stitches across at the waist. At a gauge of 23sts/4", that gives us back that is about 15 and a half inches across. Multiply that by two (our sweater has a front <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">and</span> a back since humans are generally double-sided) and you get about 31 inches.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the Small size sweater's measurements are <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">34-31-36</span>. Hey wait, those aren't <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">my</span> measurements. While this sweater will fit me in the bust, the waist and hips will be too large for me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I move down to the XS size, which has a bust of 30". Too small for me, but maybe the waist/hips will be better. The pattern says the hip on this one is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">32"</span>, which is much closer to my actual hip measurement. When I do the math to get the waist, I come up with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">27"</span>, which is also close to my size.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I should be making a sweater with a Small bust but an Extra-Small waist and hips? Doesn't make much sense. And when you factor in my skinny monkey-length arms, it throws another wrench in the mix. So what am I to do?</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned to the next post for a lesson in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">darts</span>. And not the kind you throw at a photo of the designer.</div><div><a href="http://saltwaterpurls.blogspot.com/2009/02/technique-tuesday-adding-bust-darts-to.html">Go on to Part 2.</a></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11379616616853635455noreply@blogger.com0