I suppose I could say that I haven't been doing much Blogging because I have been very busy teaching classes (which would be true)...Or that I have been spending a good bit of time working on writing up design projects (also true)...Or learning more knitting-type stuff, or getting my stash under control...All of which I have been plugging away at for the past month or so...
But honestly, it's mostly that I don't feel very computery right now...I don't know what it is...I sat down some time ago and planned out about 15 different posts for the Fiber Blog, but I haven't done anything past that...My Ravelry account and pics are in desperate need of some sort of update, and I've been putting that off as well...I finally did some work on my Etsy shop yesterday, and put a few of the stitch markers I've made in there, but I wasn't really feeling it...
It's not a lack of inspiration, just the opposite, in fact...I'm not in the middle of some sort of creative frenzy, but the ideas are coming along nice and steady, and I am kind of enjoying that, since usually I run around doing this and that and some of the other too...They're 98% fiber-related art too, so I'm hoping I can sort this out and organize myself enough to share some of it...
I just got a new camera this weekend, and though I have some lighting issues to work out, I can already tell that the pictures are going to be about 150% better...Maybe that will inspire me to get some things organized and photographed and up on the Blog/Ravelry/Etsy/etc.
Showing posts with label Future Projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Future Projects. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
What Do You Do?
A couple of months ago, I was reading some article in a regional newspaper where a group had started doing charity knitting for U. S. military personnel...One of the founders of the group was quoted as saying something along the lines of "Knitters don't really do very much charity work, so we thought this would be a good idea!"
It totally blew me away, since everyone I know who does any sort of fiber art is big into knitting/crocheting for charity...I would guesstimate that at least 40% of the yarn stuff I do is for charity...And anyone who took a peek at Ravelry would be mightily impressed at the number of groups steadily toiling away, producing literally hundreds of beautiful items for dozens of different charity projects all over the globe...
If you like animals, you can make cuddly soft blankets for dogs at animal shelters...Dulaan makes warm items for homeless children in Mongolia...Afghans for Angels helps grieving parents cope with the loss of their child...The Ships Project sends warm items to deployed servicepeople...
Comfort for children going through traumatic events? Binky Patrol!
Something soft and warm for a seriously ill child? Project Linus!
Hats 4 the Homeless! The Mother Bear Project! Warm Up America!
Hell, even Plimouth Plantation needs knitters to help out with period stockings for their historic reenactors!
Even if you just need to destash, places like Interim House will take your excess yardage off your hands for their (way cool!) knitting and crocheting rehabilitation groups! (Check out the beautiful projects made with donated yarn here.)
My friends and I have a couple of charities that we work for, the newest one being Mittens for Akkol...Children in orphanages in the former Soviet Union face a very bleak future--Russians rarely adopt children and the common view seems to be that orphans are "defective" in some way...There is no support system when the children leave the orphanage around age 16 or so...Mittens for Akkol makes warm items for all the children in the Akkol Orphanage in Kazakhstan, and puts together special 'graduation gifts' for the teens who are aging out of the system...There's some more info about the project here as well...
Personally, my very favorite charity project is one I've Blogged about several times before, Afghans for Afghans...You can find the latest news about the group's work on a recent NPR radio segment...Also, a Very Cool slideshow with pics of the volunteers out in San Francisco!
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."--Dr. Loretta Scott
It totally blew me away, since everyone I know who does any sort of fiber art is big into knitting/crocheting for charity...I would guesstimate that at least 40% of the yarn stuff I do is for charity...And anyone who took a peek at Ravelry would be mightily impressed at the number of groups steadily toiling away, producing literally hundreds of beautiful items for dozens of different charity projects all over the globe...
If you like animals, you can make cuddly soft blankets for dogs at animal shelters...Dulaan makes warm items for homeless children in Mongolia...Afghans for Angels helps grieving parents cope with the loss of their child...The Ships Project sends warm items to deployed servicepeople...
Comfort for children going through traumatic events? Binky Patrol!
Something soft and warm for a seriously ill child? Project Linus!
Hats 4 the Homeless! The Mother Bear Project! Warm Up America!
Hell, even Plimouth Plantation needs knitters to help out with period stockings for their historic reenactors!
Even if you just need to destash, places like Interim House will take your excess yardage off your hands for their (way cool!) knitting and crocheting rehabilitation groups! (Check out the beautiful projects made with donated yarn here.)
My friends and I have a couple of charities that we work for, the newest one being Mittens for Akkol...Children in orphanages in the former Soviet Union face a very bleak future--Russians rarely adopt children and the common view seems to be that orphans are "defective" in some way...There is no support system when the children leave the orphanage around age 16 or so...Mittens for Akkol makes warm items for all the children in the Akkol Orphanage in Kazakhstan, and puts together special 'graduation gifts' for the teens who are aging out of the system...There's some more info about the project here as well...
Personally, my very favorite charity project is one I've Blogged about several times before, Afghans for Afghans...You can find the latest news about the group's work on a recent NPR radio segment...Also, a Very Cool slideshow with pics of the volunteers out in San Francisco!
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."--Dr. Loretta Scott
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
Auf Bitten von die Strickerinbesucher
Online dictionaries are great, aren't they? *grin*
Oh wait...Or should it be Strickerbesucherin? Ack! There's a reason I stopped studying German...It's freaking hard!!! *enormous grin*
Anyway, here's the Noob Dyeing...
You can really see a gap in the color where I tied the skeins so they wouldn't tangle...It's not pretty, but it made me think of a possible future dyeing project--I could kind of 'tie dye' skeins...For example, starting with a white skein, and a couple of ties, and dye it light blue, then tie it a couple more times, and dye it medium blue, and then some more ties and a dark blue...???
The orange turned out...um, really orange...I was figuring that since it was wool, I could use these experiments for Dulaan hats or something...But I don't think I will inflict that orange on a poor defenceless Mongolian baby! All his little friends would make fun of him, and keep making deerhunting jokes behind his back...
The handpainted stuff I did ended up a disaster...*scowl* The primary colors one basically rinsed out (I don't think I microwaved it long enough), and the other one faded quite a bit, except for the red, which went to a hot pink...Ergh...I may try and overdye them, and play with the Kool Aid a bit more...
Still gonna buy a handpainting dye kit though...Anyone need some Noobish sock yarn?
Oh wait...Or should it be Strickerbesucherin? Ack! There's a reason I stopped studying German...It's freaking hard!!! *enormous grin*
Anyway, here's the Noob Dyeing...
You can really see a gap in the color where I tied the skeins so they wouldn't tangle...It's not pretty, but it made me think of a possible future dyeing project--I could kind of 'tie dye' skeins...For example, starting with a white skein, and a couple of ties, and dye it light blue, then tie it a couple more times, and dye it medium blue, and then some more ties and a dark blue...???
The orange turned out...um, really orange...I was figuring that since it was wool, I could use these experiments for Dulaan hats or something...But I don't think I will inflict that orange on a poor defenceless Mongolian baby! All his little friends would make fun of him, and keep making deerhunting jokes behind his back...
The handpainted stuff I did ended up a disaster...*scowl* The primary colors one basically rinsed out (I don't think I microwaved it long enough), and the other one faded quite a bit, except for the red, which went to a hot pink...Ergh...I may try and overdye them, and play with the Kool Aid a bit more...
Still gonna buy a handpainting dye kit though...Anyone need some Noobish sock yarn?
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Twenty Bucks
Unfortunately, the Golden Thimble in Broadripple is having a Going Out Of Business sale...The owner is retiring...But everything in the entire store is now 50% off!!!
Lookit my loot!
Apparently, my camera just does not like the color purple...But I assure you that it is a lovely, rich purple color...And apparently, it is also a Mystery Yarn...I looked it up in the Yarndex, and the name 'Topas' comes up, but it is patently not this yarn...
"Topas" by Gedifra is a thin, shiny yarn that consists of thin fibers wrapped tightly with a shiny thread. It can be used for sweaters, scarves, shawls, vests, and lightweight tops. Made of 45% cotton, 44% acrylic, and 11% nylon.
Nope...According to the label, this is from Muench Yarns in Mill Valley, CA, and is Superwash, 75% New Wool, 25% Nylon...Searched for Muench online as well, but from the business description it seems like it's an industrial textile mill in Novato, CA...
Oh well, I don't care...I'm going to have some purple socks out of it, wherever it's from...
I've never been a frequent visitor to the Golden Thimble, not even when I lived quite nearby...But I am always sad to see an LYS go...I had expected the store to be well picked-over, but was very surprised to find they still have a lot...a lot...of stock still available...I'm thinking of putting together an expedition next weekend (payday!) to go check out some more fiber...
Because I am Slightly Stubborn TM, and apparently was in the throes of a brief psychotic break, I decided to pop in to the Knit Stop on my way home...I can't learn!
They've just completed their expansion, and it has to be said that the store is a lot more easy to navigate with the extra space...There were several people in to help the owner restock and 'reorganize'...If it were any other LYS than the Knit Stop, I would cut them some slack due to the expansion, moving things around, etc. I asked for sock yarn again, and they did actually have a little bit more (pastel Lorna's Laces, and a few Art Yarns too)...Of course, it was in 4 different places...And the Tribble Dogs seem to be rather discombobulated by all the fuss, since they were barking frantically everytime the door opened...The one good thing I saw was a display piece, a felted bag, made by a new knitter...A simple black purse/bag, with large felted flowers and leaves around the top...There was no pattern available, but I will be making one very soon--it was too cute!
I won't discuss the brown baby bikini I was forced to admire immediately following my request for the bag pattern...
Now that I've seen for myself the new and improved Knit Stop, I hereby solemnly swear that I will never darken their door again...
I also succumbed to my book fetish, and picked up a copy a book I have been coveting for quite some time...I'll hold off on discussing that for now, since I think I'll save this title for my Very First Cyber Fiber Book Review...Woo hoo!
Lookit my loot!
Apparently, my camera just does not like the color purple...But I assure you that it is a lovely, rich purple color...And apparently, it is also a Mystery Yarn...I looked it up in the Yarndex, and the name 'Topas' comes up, but it is patently not this yarn...
"Topas" by Gedifra is a thin, shiny yarn that consists of thin fibers wrapped tightly with a shiny thread. It can be used for sweaters, scarves, shawls, vests, and lightweight tops. Made of 45% cotton, 44% acrylic, and 11% nylon.
Nope...According to the label, this is from Muench Yarns in Mill Valley, CA, and is Superwash, 75% New Wool, 25% Nylon...Searched for Muench online as well, but from the business description it seems like it's an industrial textile mill in Novato, CA...
Oh well, I don't care...I'm going to have some purple socks out of it, wherever it's from...
I've never been a frequent visitor to the Golden Thimble, not even when I lived quite nearby...But I am always sad to see an LYS go...I had expected the store to be well picked-over, but was very surprised to find they still have a lot...a lot...of stock still available...I'm thinking of putting together an expedition next weekend (payday!) to go check out some more fiber...
Because I am Slightly Stubborn TM, and apparently was in the throes of a brief psychotic break, I decided to pop in to the Knit Stop on my way home...I can't learn!
They've just completed their expansion, and it has to be said that the store is a lot more easy to navigate with the extra space...There were several people in to help the owner restock and 'reorganize'...If it were any other LYS than the Knit Stop, I would cut them some slack due to the expansion, moving things around, etc. I asked for sock yarn again, and they did actually have a little bit more (pastel Lorna's Laces, and a few Art Yarns too)...Of course, it was in 4 different places...And the Tribble Dogs seem to be rather discombobulated by all the fuss, since they were barking frantically everytime the door opened...The one good thing I saw was a display piece, a felted bag, made by a new knitter...A simple black purse/bag, with large felted flowers and leaves around the top...There was no pattern available, but I will be making one very soon--it was too cute!
I won't discuss the brown baby bikini I was forced to admire immediately following my request for the bag pattern...
Now that I've seen for myself the new and improved Knit Stop, I hereby solemnly swear that I will never darken their door again...
I also succumbed to my book fetish, and picked up a copy a book I have been coveting for quite some time...I'll hold off on discussing that for now, since I think I'll save this title for my Very First Cyber Fiber Book Review...Woo hoo!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Sweater Mania!
So I have x number of projects in the works now, but I am still looking at what I want to do in the future...*sigh*
Bad Penny
Bad PennyI have wanted to make both Tubey and Tempting since I first saw them on Knitty.com...I quite like the style of Bad Penny, though I think I would have to change the colors (orange?)...I am not familiar with the yarn used for Belle Epoque, but from the picture it looks a little heavy for the design to me...I see it in a softer and more flowing lighter weight yarn, and a little less fuzzy...But that would probably require math or something to refigure the gauge, wouldn't it? *cringes*
Of course I had to go through all the archives, and managed to whittle down my choices to these 5, which would probably keep me knitting for the next couple of years! Hopefully I'll get at least one done by next winter so that I can flaunt my Mad Knitting Skillz...
Of course I had to go through all the archives, and managed to whittle down my choices to these 5, which would probably keep me knitting for the next couple of years! Hopefully I'll get at least one done by next winter so that I can flaunt my Mad Knitting Skillz...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
It's The So-ound! Of Sci-ence!
A Crocheted Coral Reef!
Crocheting the Lorenz Manifold
(I have absolutely no idea what this is, for real, but here's the introduction to the paper--maybe it will explain it to someone who has a more mathematical/scientific brain than I...)
"The Lorenz attractor is the best known image of a chaotic or strange attractor. We
are concerned here with its close cousin, the two-dimensional stable manifold of
the origin of the Lorenz system, which we call the Lorenz manifold for short. This
surface organizes the dynamics in the three-dimensional phase space of the Lorenz
system. It is invariant under the flow (meaning that trajectories cannot cross it) and
essentially determines how trajectories visit the two wings of the Lorenz attractor."
That's what I'm talking about! A knitted GI tract!! My absolute favorite! I am totally going to make this one...
Crocheting the Lorenz Manifold
(I have absolutely no idea what this is, for real, but here's the introduction to the paper--maybe it will explain it to someone who has a more mathematical/scientific brain than I...)
"The Lorenz attractor is the best known image of a chaotic or strange attractor. We
are concerned here with its close cousin, the two-dimensional stable manifold of
the origin of the Lorenz system, which we call the Lorenz manifold for short. This
surface organizes the dynamics in the three-dimensional phase space of the Lorenz
system. It is invariant under the flow (meaning that trajectories cannot cross it) and
essentially determines how trajectories visit the two wings of the Lorenz attractor."
That's what I'm talking about! A knitted GI tract!! My absolute favorite! I am totally going to make this one...
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