Why Pinterest is Horrid and Awesome

I'll be totally honest, I love pinterest. I can find recipes that even "I" can make, get hair tips for my unruly mop, and makeup tips to hide the too-damn-old-for-this acne. But the downside is that original content is hardly linked back to its source. I see so many images posted and shared endlessly only to end up on a dead end spam link. One "pinner" I followed only pinned those such images. I finally unfollowed as I was tired of having to constantly search for the instructions to whatever I was making/cooking/doing with construction paper and sprinkles. I was actually sucked in earlier. I pinned a cute little unicorn cross stitch with a snarky phrase underneath. Thinking it would make a fun gift, but lacking any source, I made my own chart for the wee beast. Hoping for a close up image, or a chart so I could put my slightly sloppy one to rest, I searched for the original source. Imagine my surprise when it showed up in someones etsy store. By this point, I had already finished most of it, and had redone the phrase to something more pg (the recipient has children, and I wanted it family friendly). I was rather disappointed in myself for not checking sooner. I did edit the source of my pin to the shop, but it didn't undo what I did. It didn't make those stitches go away or the chart to go up in flames. But the point remains that someones work was ripped off, by me, thanks to not being linked.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/159847451/whatever-bitch-unicorn-cross-stitch?ref=shop_home_feat_1

By the way, this is the link to the work I replicated. It's only fair to show off some publicity for my flub. So please, fellow pinners, check your pin. It's easy to find the real source. If you are using google chrome (not sure how to do it on others, I suggest you search for your browser), right click on whatever image you have on your pin. You will see an option about searching google for said image. Click that. It will open a new tab and show you a list of options. Might take a few pages, but it usually gets you to where you need to be. I have been let down only twice, and considering I have 1,400+ pins, that is a pretty good track record. And I also went through and found sources for that spam pinner I was following. So please don't fall into my mistake, please look for sources. 

Work in Progress Wednesday

Does anyone else mentally say "wed-nes-day" while spelling it just to make sure it's all right?

Anyhoo, updates!! Guess what? I finished a shawl! And it turned out quite lovely for my first attempt.

I had some issues with curling, still having some as you can see. I sewed little beads to the edging and it is helping considerably. The span on this is amazing, I think I wound up around 80"? I even blocked it like an adult, felt so grown up stabbing pins in to my mattress (only thing big enough for it). So what's next? My Boku shawl! I had to whip up a quick coffee mug cozy from the same yarn, I needed a better idea of how much I had to work with. I had that poor thing queued from 6 months ago, it was awful. But I finished it! 

This is the mug cozy, and my terribly unpolished nails. I wish that lovely green had wound up at the top, but thats how this stuff works. It turned out a big baggy on the bottom, I should have gone down a size, but my needles were again awol. This is getting to be a habit, whatever little gremlin is stealing my needles is being put on notice. Hopefully my next update will include my SECOND shawl of the year! Really quite excited, I have one more planned for the same pattern as the Boku shawl just to give myself some experience with large numbers of stitches before trying the Vlad shawl. Thats the one I really want to sink my teeth into...oh dear, one for the bad joke jar?

New year, new projects, new anxiety

This year I will make a darn shawl. Failed with my socks last year because I misplaced my pattern (that I had my notes written on) so they are languishing. On a roll with those, too. This year, I am making a shawl that I have ALWAYS wanted. No specific pattern incited lust in my fiber obsessed heart, but one for me. So to kick myself in the tail feathers, I projected three of them with yarn from my stash (go me!). One scares me to my little crooked toes. Vlad by Tammy Bailey is a beautiful pattern (ravelry pattern) which is offered for free. Lace. Chart reading. Fingering weight yarn. I'm getting chills. I've made exactly one pattern with a chart, and that took me a while. It was just a basic cable, nothing fancy, but it was big. Especially when you had to reverse it for the matching mitt (I recharted it and scanned it, you can find the project here). But this? This is the ocean after dipping my toe into the lake. What else am I doing? LaLa's Simple Shawl by Laura Linneman (ravelry pattern), because you know I can't beat myself enough by starting just one shawl. This one will use up my Boku yarn leftovers, I hate having nice yarn sitting there and mocking me. This one is a bit simpler, but no less daunting to me. After working on  GINORMOUS tree skirt, this shouldnt be an issue but it is. Last, but certainly not least, the Sunshine Shawlette by Lion Brand. I'm not a big fan of such mini shawls, but I'm working on this until I run out of yarn. From browsing the other projects, I've seen some very cute projects with thin yarn like what I'm substituting with, so I'm hoping for some lovely results.

What have I been up to besides torturing myself with yarn over panic? Doll clothes. My daughter received an American Girl doll and obviously needs a wardrobe. So, between Pinterest and Ravelry, I've gotten quite a library of patterns to make. I've already completed two dresses, a sweater, a shrug, and a pair of slippers. One dress was even SEWN. Yes, I used a sewing machine to make a dress. I'm scared too. This had to be my favourite one, though.

The February Doll Sweater by Jen Cooley (ravelry pattern) was based off a Zimmerman design for a baby sweater. It also inspired an adult sized womens sweater that I am also eyeing for myself. Will 2014 be The Year Of Big Projects? Go big or go home...probably not, but it's nice to dream isn't it?

Storms and Panic and Knitting

We were hit with the worst ice storm since 1998. It wasn't nearly as bad, but it is bad enough. I'm hearing trees crack, split, crash with a groan. Seeing the white ends of what were once healthy trees, bright even in the dark. Skyline is flashing with blown transformers. Constant sirens from ambulances, police cars, fire trucks. Earlier people were getting power back, the travel ban (yes, not an advisory, a ban. an emergency-only-otherwise-$500-ticket ban) was lifted. It was warming up just enough to be outside and start to clean up. Sleet last night added more ice coating, but you could walk around normally. You start to think that things are doing ok, Monday can start normally again. Tonight, I stood out on the road just watching and listening to it all. Seeing all the poor trees bent and coated with an inch of ice (or more). Trees that were full and lush in the summer looking so sad and limp. Cars parking in places normally bare to avoid being hit by all those falling limbs. It made my heart hurt. I went through that storm in '98. It was scary, but I was at home with my parents. Now as an adult, it's so much scarier. There isn't anyone you can turn to to make it better. To make it go away. The storm has ended, but it is also only beginning and that is terrifying. You realize just how helpless you really are against nature (I know anyone who has suffered through a natural disaster gets it). Despite all the "marvels" of the current age, we can still fall victim to something as simple as frozen water. Our walls, our lights, our ice scrapers are nothing compared to what a minor breeze can do right now. As I stood out there, turning towards each new fallen limb, I could see curtains twitching from other people looking out as well. I know I'm not alone, that I'm not the only one feeling anxiety over this mess. I know it could have been MUCH worse for us. But still I feel helpless, I still feel afraid, and I feel so small. My daughter hasn't really questioned much about it, she's looked outside at the weather but otherwise treating it like any other bad weather day. And I look at her and am reminded that it is now my turn to take care of things. To make things "ok" for her. What will happen come tomorrow? I don't know. But right now, we are safe, we are warm, and we have a support team of professionals out there now helping those in need. Thank you to all of our emergency responders, the line workers, the plow drivers, to everyone who just walked over and checked in on a neighbor. Thank you to everyone who is helping out in whatever way they can, be they small gestures or large. I can do none of that, so I will sit and knit and not get in your way.

Mini Stockings

I've been busy churning out the mini stockings I mentioned in a previous post. I'm nearly done adding all the fluff. Since I finally fine tuned the pattern (on the 11th one out of 15, of course), I thought I'd post it! I wrote it out but I kept putting off photos. Nobody likes a pattern without photos, but sadly I kept forgetting to get in progress ones this go around. I'd like to make more, so if I do I will take in progress shots for you. Ready to get started? Of course you are!

Materials:

• Small amounts of worsted weight yarn (I used Red Heart Supersaver in Camo)
• Size 6 (4.0mm) dpn needles (set of 4) or a needle that is 1-2 sizes smaller than what your yarn calls for. Gage really isn't necessary here, but you want a fairly snug knit. I knit loose, so I went down two sizes.
• Small amounts of a novelty yarn or a contrasting yarn for a cuff (if desired)
• Tapestry needle
• Crochet hook if you prefer to crochet your cuff on (I used an H/5 mm hook, but it's all preference)

Cast on 15 stitches and divide onto 3 needles.

Work st st for 1 1/2"

Start heel:

This is where learning short rows comes into play. I use the wrap and turn (w&t) method for this. If you aren't sure how, or you want a refresher, use this link for an overview. (thank you, Purl Bee, for posting)

Knit 5. These stitches will remain on needle one, you'll be working on needles 2 and three. For me, it worked best if the remaining 10 stitches were all slipped onto one needle for the back and forth work.

K 10, w&t

P 10, w&t

K 9, w&t

P 7, w&t

K 6, w&t

P 5, w&t

K 4, w&t

P 7. 

Arrange back onto 3 needles.

Start rounds in st st again on needle 2. Pick up one stitch on either side of the heel flap (at the end of needle three and needle one) and knit two together to eliminate the gap. 

Continue in the round for 1", measured from the beginning of the heel flap.

Dec for toe:

K1, k2tog; rep around

K one rnd even.

K2tog; rep around.

Cut yarn, leaving a longish tail (6" is good) and draw through the live sts. Fasten off on the inside of your stocking. 

Now if you are like me, you might have a few gaps around your heel. This is where that long tail comes in handy. You can use it to tighten up any gaps you might have (I had a lot) to give it a neater look. Now you have a slightly misshaped stocking. Don't worry, give it a few tugs and pushes and you can shape it to look like a cute little stocking. I gave mine a bit of a nudge by the ankle and arch, slight tug at the top opening and pushed my toe in a little. Thats why I used a harsh acrylic, it tends to shape better than soft yarns. What can you do now? You can leave it, add a crochet chain or ribbon to hang it. Embroider an initial for gift tags or ornaments. Or you can add a cuff. I used some plushy novelty yarn I had and crocheted around the top of mine. Prefer not to mess with hooks? You can also pick up and knit a few rounds to give it the same look. Keep in mind that the inside will be folded down and on public view, so you might want to use either garter stitch or reverse stockinette. All a matter of preference, of course. 

Another idea of what to do with these, stuff those "fun size" candy bars or chapstick in them for gift ideas. My photo was cut off during rotation, sorry about that.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get ahold of me. Ravelry is probably your best bet, I check that constantly. I would love to see what colour combos you can come up with. 

Now with Pictures!

As promised, a photo update.

Booze Shark!

Stolen by Hubs and requested in pink by my sister, he turned out cute. Made the fin a bit too far forward to put the laser beam on his head. But I do like that he fits on a can of soda too. 

In other news, my darling sister enlisted me in helping provide little gifts for a unit who will be overseas for the holidays (as if I don't have enough to make, right?). I tried making a granny square mini stocking but it just was NOT working out. Looked more like pac man than a stocking. I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong later, in the meantime I'm working on a knit version. Short row heel, which I am horrid at, but it didn't turn out too bad for the first one. I can fine tune it for the second. I have until thanksgiving to make 12-15 of these (hoping for a more accurate number soon). So of course, instead of knitting I'm blogging. 

Knits for Others

This is how knitters (and crocheters) are.

Also, how unfair is it that spellcheck doesn't recognize crocheters but lets knitters slide in?

Back on topic,

My sister texted me after I sent her a photo of my finished Booze Shark (next post will be photos, promise. They just aren't on my laptop). She said if I was bored, could I look up some cute baby sweater patterns for her. Newborn to wee baby sized, January due date means baby needs warm stuff.  That was all the information I was given, so I went with it. Found her 14 freebie patterns and shipped them off to her (thank you dropbox, awesome thing to look into, cereal). I decided to whip out a few things of my own for her. Mind you, I don't know this person. No name, what she looks like, or even if my sister personally knows her or is doing this for a friend. And yet here I am, working on a sweater in between typing and browsing patterns for hats and booties (even if the baby never wears them, they are cute as hell). That is how fiber artists work. We make for others, even if we never see them. We give out of our stashes, out of our day, out of our lives for these projects. Whether it be for charity, benefits, hospitals, shelters for people or animals, we do this. Another knitting friend of hers chipped in some completed hats she had sitting around and I'm sure if she gets the time, there will be more warm items piling up. This is why I love other yarn people. When I knit in public, I almost always hear from a fellow knitter (or crocheter) about what they are working on. And nine times out of 10, it's something for someone else. So please, next time someone gifts you a handmade item that may not be your cup of tea, please thank them. Wear it once or twice, even if its just for photos. They put a lot of effort into it, even if they say otherwise. Time is something we never get back, we can always buy more yarn, make that sweater again. But the time is never reclaimed. And with the holiday season approaching, consider buying local items. You will be helping someone provide for their own family.