More Things Bookish

My Mother-in-Law has an old, battered bookcase which has been holding paint cans in her laundry room for some time now.  It’s a funky-ugly thing which someone obviously tried to ‘art’ up at one point, made of particle board and dotted with black and white spray paint.

She is redecorating her guest room with a flower theme and, being a resourceful and creative woman she has decided to refinish this shelf.  She gave me a chance to help, and the two of us just jumped in and started to do it, with more enthusiasm than forethought (neither one of us has done something like this for a while.

She found a Colorbok garden pattern pack (sorry, the company website is hard to navigate and I couldn’t find a good link there) and we were both so excited by the idea of decoupage that we just jumped in and started.  I know it sounds foolish, but the colors are so fun!

So we jumped in and covered the top and sides with lovely floral images.  We were both very pleased with the results.

Once the first layer of papering was done, we began to discuss what we would do with the inside.  Our first thought was just to continue the decoupage, there was plenty of paper, after all.  BUT…  the bookcase has pegs on the insides to hold shelves.  We’re going to need to paint at least a little bit (because that black and white just won’t work with the floral look she’s going for).  I found some painters tape she had in the basement, and we covered the edges and started on the inside. So far we’ve got a layer of mad swirls in yellow over blueish.  It’s somewhat translucent, so the black and white mottling comes through.  I’m not sure what I think, it might be good, might be bad (the picture didn’t come out, so I can’t ask your opinion).

So here it sits.  We’ve begun discussing what sort of trim to use (we’ve discussed rick rack and ribbon, but I’m beginning to speculate on found objects).  I’d definitely be open to suggestions.

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I didn’t win the Knitbot Essentials giveaway from Quince and Co, the Hypocrite Sock Yarn giveaway from Lantium ex Machina, Sandra Singh’s Spring Maple Shawl Kit, the Knitting Project of the Day Submission Contest, or the Yarn Madness giveaway.

I’ve entered Mariknits Name This Shrug contest (1 May) – though honestly I think a better one was posted before mine, the April Giveaway from A Year at the Wheel (April 30)

Coming Soon – I’ve got something different planned for my 100th post!

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Circular Knitting Pin

I have in my hands a curious little envelope.  My mother found it when cleaning out her basement and my sister thought I should have it. Not to use, but just to own.  (click on any of the pictures for larger images)

It must have belonged to my grandmother, who would have learned how to knit in the first decade of the 20th century.  It’s clear, from a very little examination that it’s not in it’s original packaging, because this needle is about 15″ long, not the 24 -29″ indicated.    There’s nothing on it telling when it was made.  I’m guessing it was sometime before 1939 because that’s apparently when the patent for circulars with ‘flexible cables’ came out, and I wouldn’t call this a ‘flexible’ cable.

The cable is basically a fine coil of wire.  The text on the back which warns not to wind the needle into a circle is hardly necessary for this length, because it won’t really do that, but I’d imagine that if it were the length on the packet it might be tempting to try it. I’m a little bit afraid to cast on to these, I imagine that they would catch yarn pretty easily, but the joins between cable and needle seem smooth enough.  Still, my Addis and KnitPicks Interchangables are in no danger of being replaced by these classics any time soon.

There’s nothing on my package telling me who manufactured the needle or when.  I’ve found pictures of the 1934 Boye package.  The needle itself looks very similar to one sewmuchfrippery sold from her Etsy shop, labeled as “Vintage 1920′s 1930′s Circular Knitting Needle / Pin“.

I have a vague memory of reading about knitting needles like this, the ‘old style’ of cable which were basically unusable.  I believe it was in “No Idle Hands” by Anne MacDonald but it’s been ages since I’ve read it, so I can’t be sure.  It may have been a comment by Elizabeth Zimmerman, but I don’t think so.   I wasn’t able to find very much more about the actual history of circular needles than I’ve already linked to, which is mildly disappointing.  I’ll be keeping my eyes open in the future.

In Other Blogs

There’s a great series of posts on photography for yarn projects (and other objects) at Fresh Stitches: 5 Easy Photography Tips, How to Take Great Photos with White Backgrounds and Photography Resources.  Anita asks what to name the baby (always a fun topic).

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I didn’t even realize there was a drawing on the FaveFitzgerald tag at Craftlit, and I won it.   There’s a second drawing (enter by the 17th?) so you can win your own WWMDfK bracelet!

I didn’t win the Red Heart Yarn of the Month giveaway for March, and am not entering the April Soft Baby Steps giveaway.  No official word on BluetoothToaster’s Fandom Yarn giveaway, but I’m assuming I didn’t win.

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Because the Internet Obviously Needs Moar Cat Pictures

I took a few pictures of the family Easter celebration.  Here are the ones whose subjects did not object to being posted online.  These two were at M-i-L’s house

Poor Walter was traumatized by S-i-L and B-i-L's puppy Ernest Jackson (who didn't really pose for any pictures himself).

Adlai on the other hand, was totally at ease.

 

At home the situation was much more settled.

The holidays were very nice.  The oldest came home from college to get in on the baking and egg dying.  My mother declined to host the Sedar this year, but youngest and M-i-L went to B-i-L’s parents for theirs, and the girls went to M-i-L’s Easter service (hubby and I were supposed to go, but it didn’t work out that way – maybe next year).

In Other Blogs

Stacey reviewed the Knook (crochet hook for knitting), which I’ve been mildly curious about for a while.

I Love My Ott!

I got this little baby when I ordered my  Amigurumi Knits book.    It seems almost overpowering, doesn’t it? It’s not actually that bright (and I don’t set it down on what I’m working on anyway). It has a little bank of LEDs which give a great quality of light.  I really like how it brings out colors.  I like to bring it with me on yarn buying trips, so I can really see what I’m getting (the other option being to take the yarn up to the front of the store and look at it in actual daylight).

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I didn’t win Techno Hookers copy of  “Custom Crocheted Sweaters“, but I did enter Sandra Singh’s Spring Maple Shawl Kit giveaway (drawing 21 April), and the Yarn Exploder’s drawing for Vampire Stitch Markers from Decor Noir  (end of April)

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A Long Day of Knitting in Public Service

I am an Election Judge

Twice every two years, I spend a day at the polls, helping my fellow citizens to do their part to ensure the continuation of democracy.  Yesterday I acted as a ‘check in’ judge in Maryland’s primary elections.  It makes for a very long day.  I got in at six in the morning, the polls opened at seven and closed at eight, and verification of results and integrity, and clean up, were finally finished at nine.

Mind you, this was for the primaries.  In an overwhelmingly Democratic district.  A district which encourages early voting and mail in voting.  We handled 316 voters all day.

As you can imagine, I got a lot of knitting done.  A lot of reading as well (a book of Neil Gaiman short stories I got for my birthday) and catching up with my fellow judges, most of whom have worked this precinct for three or four cycles at least. The elderly couple who said last cycle was their last was back.  They seem to be doing better health wise, and Maryland always needs more Republican judges.  The young lady with the thing for pink – she got married over the summer.

It’s always interesting.  This year was particularly so, because the elementary school we were using is in the midst of rather extreme renovations. We asked the construction workers to take down the bar between the double doors to make sure that we were wheelchair accessible (they put it up again when we closed the polls).  I didn’t even know they could do that.  The woman who suddenly decided that she had changed her party affiliation a week ago but ‘it hadn’t gone through’ because she wanted to vote in the Republican primary was given a provisional ballot.  If they find her ‘lost’ paperwork I’m sure it will get counted, otherwise, probably not.  There was also a Republican who was bothered that we didn’t ask for his identification.  I explained that we had never had a case of two people claiming to be the same voter at this precinct, and he seemed surprised.  We agreed that Marylanders ‘are just better’.  Seriously, half the precinct goes to church with the ‘Queen Bee’  judge, and most of the rest were neighbors of one of the other judges.

People’s reactions to me knitting were interesting, and universally positive.   The Provisional judge (who handled the last-minute Republican) had an ‘oh, yea, I should have brought mine!’ reaction (she made a lot of headway through her murder mystery though).  One of the judges from the other precinct which meets in the school brought a project as well.  One voter told me his wife has just learned, and that he thought there was something addictive about it (I agreed).  Only one voter confused the knitting with crochet.  I told the story of why I was knitting the blanket a couple of times, and got to explain the process of double knitting a few times as well.  Dozens of compliments on the colors and the piece as a whole.  Did wonders to my ego.

Anyway, we locked up around 9.  I thought I’d be ‘clever’ and cut across the dimly lit maze of ‘portables’ which surround the school to get to the parking lot where my car was (we’d moved them so that voters had easier access).  By the time I got home it was nearly ten.  A long day indeed.

FO Highlight

Mom loves her mantis (I knew she would).  Now we just have to hope it doesn’t become a very complicated cat-toy…

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I didn’t win the Simply Sockupied giveaway or the iMake Toft’s Pattern Book giveaway. I entered a poem in According to Matt’s Y.A.R.N giveaway (April 15).

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A Small Experiment

As viewership on this blog fluctuates, I’ve been noticing the expected pattern of comments and relevance to the theme, content, or even language of the blog and of the individual post to which they are added.  The blog is set with the usual WordPress security features, and I review every comment before it is actually posted.  There have been some of them which have totally left me scratching my head (one in Russian, when no hits that day came from a Russian speaking area).

In the interests of perversity, all comments on this post (and this post only) will be allowed through (though I might feel the need to edit if there is anything I find more offensive than amusing involved).  Most Hormel products are welcome!

In Other Blogs

Craftingismybliss has won a blogging award!  Pop over and give her a cheer.

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I entered the Techno Hooker giveaway for Dora Ohrenstein’s “Custom Crocheted Sweaters” book (April 2 deadline) and the Knitting Project of the Day Submission drawing. Did not win the spin/knit along giveaway, Windy’s Squishy Yarn Giveaway or Year at the Wheel’s Suri Dreams giveaway

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Doing It Again

Some friends are expecting their first baby this spring.  I had already made a baby hat, but haven’t given it to them yet.  My husband heard the mother-to-be talking about a handknit baby blanket which her grandmother made years ago, and how much she wished she had more like it (with a lament about how people don’t ‘do that anymore’ I believe) he made a point of steering my knitting in that direction.  Since I’ve just finished the Mantis it was time to buy yarn anyway, so that’s the next project.

Redo

I rarely work the same pattern more than once, but on occasion I come back to something.  I’ve crochetted two or three of Betty Saxon and Luana Nelson’s Dragon, all but one pre-ravelry days. I will quite possibly come back this critter. (I think my Mother-in-Law might need one).

I made Knitty’s version of the Hoover Blanket, doll sized, two and a half years ago, using Lion Brand Homespun.  It was a doll blanket for my niece.  I liked it, but didn’t find it particularly interesting to knit, and I wasn’t happy with the yarn choice.  Homespun is a fun yarn.  I love the softness, the interest, and the price, but it’s a bit overwhelming for some projects.

So it’s the Hoover again. This time in sport weight yarn, in baby-pale colors.

I got a gauge of 22 st/4″, so I cast on 121.  17st for the border left 87 to double knit.  I opted for three blocks of 29 stitches, which I will pattern in various pastel ways.  Five rows of blocks ought to do it, I think.   We’ll see how fast I can work this baby up…

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I didn’t win the Bernat Mosaic giveaway.  That’s OK, because I entered the Knit a While giveaway for “Knitting With the Color Guys” by Kaffe Fasset (deadline April 6), and the Lion Brand ‘most meaningful handmade gift‘ contest (April 16)

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Weaving In a Few Loose Ends

Mom’s Mantis

Done!

He’s not quite stable enough to stand on his hind four legs, but he’s pretty cute nonetheless.

Celeena Cree Creations

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Celeena Cree Creations is offering a free pattern to social networkers who post about her etsy shop, she’s also giving free patterns away with any purchase.  Here’s my take on it, if you decide to follow suit, be sure to contact her through her shop or on Ravelry, where she’s known as SwitchCleo.

Here’s a sample of her knitted creations, this adorable little alien just sort of calls out to sit on your keyboard, doesn’t he?  She’s got a bunch of these little guys, as well as some really nice beadwork earrings.  She has a lot of bead earrings up as well.  The rainbow turtle in particular is jaunty and fun.

Her prices are very reasonable, everything I saw was under $10 US, and many items are less than $5.  Please check it out.

Yarn Lover’s Bumper Sticker

Some of you may recall that I won the drawing for a yarn themed bumper sticker from Diary of a Smart Chick:

She sent me two copies of this sticker, one of which has a home somewhere much more interesting than the back of my car:

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I didn’t win a pattern from Classic Cable Knits from Small Things. I did enter the Goodknits yarn giveaway (April 2) and the  Yarn Madness giveaway (deadline April 10) – the entry involves posting a picture of the prize choices, so here it is:

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Natural Knitter

Book Review

I received a copy of Barbara Albright’s “The Natural Knitter” for my birthday. It was an impulse gift.  According to my daughter, my husband flipped through it, found a really complicated looking chart, and declared that it was the right one for me.

Don’t let that put you off, though,  there’s a lot more to the book than patterns which challenge.

What I Love About It

The book is really meant for people who are interested in natural fiber of all sorts.  My favorite thing about the book is the brief bit of background, history, and discussion of a wide range of fibers, animal and plant derived, as well as naturally sourced dyes.

The book also has a nice discussion of organic fibers, including all the different terms and how each differs from the other (as ‘organic’ means a whole range of different things when it comes to yarns).   The style is fairly informal, but not overly chatty.  There are a couple of charts, where they are useful, and lots and lots of sidebars.

...a small part of the complicated chart which told my husband the book was right for me...

The Patterns

Of course, this book is mostly about the patterns.  As mentioned above, there are some (like the Qivuit Twinset, charted to the right) which are impressively complex, but others are much easier.  I think the “Flirty Ruffle Edged Scarf” would be an excellent project for anyone who has mastered knit and purl, and is ready to venture to the challenge of increases and decreases.

The patterns are by a range of designers, and there is as wide a range of styles as there is of difficulty level.  There are patterns for men, women and children, and I even found a few my husband might be willing to wear.

What I Didn’t Love

My only objection to the book was the limited range of sizes for the clothes.  Not too much there for the plus sized body (though there is some), and many of the patterns lack options for the extra small body as well.  I think I could size up the patterns I’m most interested in, but it’s something to be aware of.

Blog Contests and Giveaways

I didn’t win either of the Phat Fiber giveaways this week, (the Wandering Wool sock yarn or the drop spindle), but there next giveaway is really different, a slot in a spin-along/knit-along (and the material to use for it) (April 2).  I also entered a drawing for a skein of Anzula’s Squishy at Windy and Friends (28 March)

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Buggie Fun

I haven’t wound the brown skein of Cascade 220 into a ball for the Mantis yet.  Instead I’ve been merrily knitting away on the green bits.  Click on the picture at left for a (much) larger image, showing the stitch texture and the sheen of the yarn.

I’m currently ‘stuffing’ the legs, which means whip stitching them closed over both chenille stems and the 16 gauge copper wire I mentioned before.  I’m liking the results both for texture and stability, and holding the two together while I stitch is much easier than trying to ‘thread’ them through the finished legs would be. The same method would probably work really well for flower stems, should I ever be so inclined.

Blog Contests and Giveaways

Didn’t win the Patons Divine. I entered A Year at the Wheel’s March Giveaway (31 March) for a couple of skeins of Knitpicks Suri Dream.  She’s also got fiber up for grabs, but I’m so slow at spinning…  I also signed up for another Phat Fiber giveaway, this one for Wandering Wool sock yarn. (26 March) Not a blog contest, but Celeena Cree Creations Etsy story is giving away free patterns to people who blog about their store.

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A Little Bit o’ This ‘n’ That

WIPs

After reading through the Ravelry notes, I’ve picked up some 16 gauge copper wire for my mantis.  I also got a set of beading pliers and cutters and some stretchy beading cord.  I decided not to get the aluminum or silicone jump rings this time.  I’m holding off on another row counter until I can get hold of number beads, but one is in the future I do believe.

Past Projects

As I mentioned in an earlier post on Where’s George I had been having a little bit of trouble with the currency tracking project.  I invested in a couple more stamps, and got some less beaten up bills, and it’s going much better now.  At least, it’s going better when judged by the clarity of my stamps.  I’m still not getting a great record for actually tracking currency.

In Other Blogs

Vanessa has posted about an awesome Oriole FO, and how hard it can be to accept compliments.  In Cast-On, Brenda brought my attention to the Government Free VJJ Campaign. This led to some interesting conversation with DD#2, who is a bit of a prude at times.

Blog Contests and Giveaways

No news on the  Countess Ablaze yarn drawing yet.  The name the button contest has been extended until the 22nd.  I’ve entered the Ravelry library tour giveaway for 25 books (22 March deadline), and I’ve filled out my bracket for the March Madknits giveaway, and now that play has started I can say with some confidence that I’ve found my place in the middle of the pack.  I’ve also entered the All Free Crochet Bernat Mosiac giveaway (deadline March 28) as well as Truly Myrtle’s  homemade handbag giveaway. (March 23) and Phat Fiber’s Dawning Dreams spindle giveaway (March 26)

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