Guilded Purls

Unusual knit items

2006-07-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

I think this one definitely falls in that catagorey.

http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/06/knitted_ferrari.html

Quilt Block Swap Update!

2006-06-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

So main update is that the deadline for the July Swap is June 25, stop by the site to sign up. And even more exciting than that the Quilt Block Swap that I am hosting was mentioned on Whip Up! Yeah! Go check that out too... Well it's really only a little one liner on the bottom of the post as a community craft board update... But I'm still pretty happy about it and since it's been up two more people have signed up! Woo!

On a knitting note: Thank you Andrea for pointing me to the Mason-Dixon Knitting book (I borrowed it and now it's at my house being thumbed through, just so you know). That book kicks some butt. I have been in a dish cloth making frenzy, it's so much fun... dish clothes? Fun? YES! hehe. It's such a great instant gratification project and everyone needs a dishcloth, so... I'm making them for everyone. I also am planning on making the seat cushion for my dining room chairs, so they will be nice to sit on now. On top of that, I made a general announcement on my blog that anyone who wishes to buy it for me can feel free to do so.... And someone actually did! So I may own my very own copy within the month! The generosity of others astounds me all the time.

Stitch and Pitch

2006-05-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is fun: Stitch and Pitch.

More Peculiar Knitted Objects

2006-05-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing. Sometimes people who do yoga use a chair to help with postures. Knitters compulsively knit things. Knitting yoginis... well, this is what happens, I guess.

More Knit Stuff

2006-05-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting link. It parallels the more expensive software like Sweater Wizard, but it's free! This is a good thing. And it will help you to re-arrange your sweater pattern to help it to fit, you know, YOU. Go here: Knitting Fool.

There's a(nother) new knitting podcast, but this one is hilariously funny. Try Insubordiknit. You have to like the title, if nothing else ;) She's pretty irreverent, so brace yourself. But she's also quite funny. Enjoy.

And.... our group will meet Tuesday night at 7 at Borders Cafe in DeKalb. Alas, I will not be there, but you should be.

Cast-On podcast

2006-05-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Jill Smith, a knitter and a fellow yogini, wrote and reads the essay on this week's Cast-On podcast. It's called Unforced Perspective, and it's really lovely. You can download the podcast through iTunes. You can read the show notes here: Cast-On. And you can check out Jill's blog here: Writing or Typing. It's not solely about knitting, but knitting figures fairly prominently in her posts.

large yarn things

2006-05-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Take a look here http://www.flickr.com/photos/24274684@N00/151208133/
for the large yarny sculptures seen at the MCA this weekend.

The Quilt Block Swap on Crafty Pod!

2006-05-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well, how exciting! Sister Diane over at crafty pod gave the quilt block swap a great plug on her show today. You can check it out Crafty Pod episode #26

Nothing New

2006-05-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'm just turning Kristin's quilt-square swap information into a link, to make things easier. Quilt Square Swap.

Quilt Block Swap

2006-05-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well, this isn't quite yarn related, but it is fiber related. I'm starting a quilt block swap where people will sign up, make 12" x 12" fiber art pieces, and send them off to their swap pal. You can sign up at http://quiltblockswap.blogspot.com or e-mail me at quiltblockswap@gmail.com for more information. I would love to get some of you ladies on board for this, although I'm not sure how much you are into sewing, but it is always fun to try something new. The deadline for sign ups is May 28th.

Act Fast!

2006-05-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is too fun. It's a Lace Symposium, sponsored by Knitting Beyond the Hebrides. It's scheduled for this week and naturally I'm already behind. I think, though, that I can skip the lace training wheels project from Monday. Whew!

And... to get you started on the scavenger hunt, here's a picture of blue lace for you.

Another Knitting Funny

2006-04-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Jo-Anne sent this one along:

Buy Yarn Now!

2006-04-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Terry sent this along... It sounds remarkably like the reasoning one hears at a Friday night Yarn Geeks ;)

1. It insulates the cupboard where it is kept.

2. It keeps the economy moving. It is my patriotic duty to support
woolfarmers, textile mills, and yarn shops.

3. It is less expensive and more fun than psychiatric care. (my personal reasoning, most of the time)

4. I'm participating in a contest - the one who dies with the most
yarn wins!

5. It keeps without refrigeration, you don't have to cook it to
enjoy it, you never have to feed it, change it, wipe its nose or
walk it.

6. Because I'm worth it.

7. Like dust, it's good for protecting previously unprotected spaces
in the house, like the ironing board, the laundry basket, the dining
room table.

8. It's not immoral, illegal or fattening. It calms the nerves,
ratifies the soul, and makes me feel good.

9. Because it is on sale. Because that is such a beautiful colour...
I've never seen it before... I must have it.

10. Buy it now, before your husband retires and goes with you on all
your shopping expeditions. (Egad! What a thought!)

2006-04-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

As part of my photo shoot for the Dekalb sesquicentennial celebration I took some pictures of the group at the Yarn Exchange. I'm not actually supposed to publish these, but I have more film in my camera to be developed. If you want to be in some pictures I can take more next week.
http://flyingwombat.typepad.com/wombatty/

Updates

2006-04-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the Sit and Knit that's technically sponsored by the library. It gets the teensiest bit complicated, though. They meet at Border's Cafe at 6:30. However, lately the Cafe has been closed. (Starbucks now has the contract to run this cafe. Sigh.) So if you get to Borders and there's no cafe, toddle across the street to Barnes and Noble and you'll see knitters there. Or you could, you know,... call. That would be probably be smart.

And, you should know that the class schedule for Stitches Midwest 2006 is up. Register early, if you want to go, because the classes fill up. And Franklin is right; this has to be one of the most absurd websites ever. Be valiant. Be patient. It really might work for you. (another sigh...)

And the new Knitty is up. The only one I'm thinking about so far is the toddler sweater with the ice cream cone on it. But these things are fluid. I could change my mind at any time. I'm half-way tempted by the English Garden sweater, but I think I can still talk myself out of it. Really, it's a little much. I'm pretty sure, too, that I don't want the felted Nagano scarf. I'm pretty clear that I've ruled that one out. And the thing with the crazy circles probably isn't going to enter my wardrobe, either.

Proof that I occasionally finish things

2006-04-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

Knitted garments, that is. Not babies. Well... not babies, lately!

Baby Thomas is now up to 2 pounds 11 ounces, and is wearing clothes. In fact, he's wearing clothes that I made for him. The hat is waiting its turn to be modeled, off on my brother's (his father's) left shoulder.

Next up: I have a hat for him that will make him look like a Dr. Seuss character and a preemie version of the Baby Einstein jacket. Then I'm going to make a purple bunting with white polka dots. Shoes.... he probably needs booties, too!

Then, you know... I could consider getting a grip!

It's Like Being Pregnant

2006-03-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

That's what I've decided. I'm working -finally, you say?- on the attached I-cord for the Shamus sweater that I started 4000 years ago. I have an excuse. I stopped working on it in order to knit for baby Thomas (visible here: Thomas) I even have evidence that I knitted for him, because there are real-live pictures of the finished products on his little body!

But back to the point. The i-cord. The perimeter of a sweater is longer than I thought. So I sit and fiddle with the 4-stitch i-cord. My hope is that at the end of 9 months or so something fabulous will have happened. I'm also hoping that it's not a baby.

What are you working on?

SnB at Borders tonight!

2006-03-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

Monday, March 13th is SnB at Borders again! Just look for the loons with the sticks & string in the cafe, starting at 6:30 & going till we all get too old & tired. Heh. Hope to see y'all there! :-)

Stitch and Bitch

2006-02-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

And yes, I'm using the term advisedly ;)

The group that is sponsored by the DeKalb Public Library will meet tonight at Border's Cafe at 6:30. Our regular fourth Tuesday group will meet tomorrow night, the 28th, at 7:00 at Starbucks.

Be there or be square!

Favorite bloggers

2006-02-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

Do you have any favorite knitting or other blogs? I thought I would post one of mine, Knit and tonic She has just come up with a new sweater pattern that some of you might like. I know I do!
Sorry this sounds like an advertisement. Her blog is also funny as heck.

Knit Alongs!

2006-02-19T15:56:00.000-08:00

Woo... I joined the sexy knitters kal and the sew?I knit sew along... well tried to anyway, I'm going to have to wait until the next project for both of them to officially join, but I'm still excited. The "Sew? I knit" sew along is pretty cool, it's for knitters who want to change it up and do a sewing project, which I was just planning on doing. Although I can't join for the skirt making sew along, i'm making one anyway. It's the Butterick's 4025 style A pattern, it's going to be so cute! On another note I'm making some headway on the cabled gloves and will hopefully have them done in the next two weeks! yeah! Here's a picture of the pattern I'm making. Oh yeah, I listened to the podcast on stitch and bitch and found that most annoying... that stupid forum only has 250 members... that's not really that much to be throwing a fit over. The main thing that annoys me is that they are essentially pissing off the people who should be their customer base, oh well their loss I suppose, the whole thing is still just annoying and it really won't matter in the end because sew fast sew easy is going to run out of money if they keep suing people.

Stitch and Bitch

2006-02-16T09:25:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you already know the little knitting brouhaha. Sew Fast; Sew Easy clearly (and quietly) trademarked the name Stitch and Bitch Cafe. OK. They did it. But now they claim that they were the first to use the phrase -historical evidence notwithstanding- and they are suing Debbie Stoller, author of Stitch and Bitch and Stitch and Bitch Nation. They have also gone after small, purely social gatherings of knitters who refer to themselves as "stitch and bitch" groups, in spite of the fact that there is no commercial risk to their trade name from these groups. Moreover, they have an open letter to the crafting community in which they refer to Stoller as "Debbie Stole-it" and claim that she gives feminism a bad name. (Do a google search; you'll find it. If I post a link, it will artificially raise the standing of their blog on RSS feeds.)

I was sort of vaguely amused that knitters could be so riled up over the Stitch and Bitch name. I mean, honestly... people are starving to death, and knitters are getting up in arms over the right to call themselves bitches. Perspective, if you please. But now I'm irritated. Surely Sew Fast; Sew Easy can do better than name-calling and having a (male, by the way) marketing executive claim to be the arbiter of what constitutes legitimate feminism.

As Franklin says on his Cafe Press shirts, "I have two needles. You have two eyes. Don't mess with me."

And you really might want to listen to Brenda Dayne's podcast from last week, Bitch and Bitch. She has a great essay on just this subject. Follow this link: Cast-On.

D'oh! I nearly forgot to tell you guys!

2006-02-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

My Stitch & Bitch group gets together on the second & fourth Mondays of every month, and we'd love to have y'all come & join us!! Our next meeting is this Monday the 13th, at Borders (in the cafe part) at 6:30. This group started out as a crochet club, but most of us have migrated on to knitting, and sometimes we bring other things to work on as well (cross stitch, embroidery, mail art, one girl even made chain maille once). It's a very laid back kind of group, and we're always happy to have new folks come & keep us company. This week, we'll probably be showing off the progress some of us have made on our Olympic projects (I know mine has been pretty hard-won!). Grab your latest project & come join us...we'd love to see you there! :)

Knitted Digestive System and Shoe booties and other useless things

2006-02-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

I thought this was worth looking at, if only to see a section of a pattern that was titled anus: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=3f594897ee73cfbbf627ee8c6a06c1f0;topic=60206.0
Links to parts of the pattern follow all of the pictures.
And knitted shoe booties: Vickie Howell's Knitty Gritty program had the designer on
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dkng/episode/0,2046,DIY_18180_40470,00.html
and then Alison of The Blue Blog knitted a pair:
http://alison.knitsmiths.us/cat_these_boots_were_made_for_knitting.html
I don't have any comment. The pictures speak for themselves.

2006 Knit-a-Longs

2006-02-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the many updated lists of knit-a-longs for this year: 2006 KALs. I know Terry is in at least one for the Aran cardigan. I'm in a felted bag KAL, one for the #($- Shamus, which I will, for the love of all things decent, finish during the Olympics. I've dropped out of the Six Sox Knitalong, but am looking for another sock KAL. The company definitely kept me focused on producing socks at a reasonable enough pace. SixSox was especially good for learning new techniques and for producing gift socks, if that's what you're looking for. I'm even considering joining the Sexy Knitters KAL, although it's hard to imagine anyone less qualified for membership in THAT group.

So which groups are YOU in?

The Year's First Finished Project

2006-01-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

Actually, it's NOT the first, but it's the first finished good-sized project: the Fairly Easy Fair Isle from Stitch and Bitch (Nation?). I'll get Dave to take a picture of me in it, when he gets home. The other projects were little: socks and a felted bag to hold my knitting stuff by my knitting chair. Ok, one of my knitting chairs ;)

So, what's yours? Finished object, I mean.

Sit and Knit

2006-01-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

The fourth Tuesday of the month is coming right up -day after tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken. So we should meet. We've gotten a little discombobulated because of the holidays, so let's pull ourselves together. (If only!)

Tuesday, January 24
7:00 p.m.
Starbucks

Bring your knitting. Bring a friend.
I know we had talked about switching meeting locations, but the decision never became entirely clear to me. So let's meet at least once more at Starbucks and we can figure these details out then.

Cage Cozies Update

2006-01-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

We have the address to which you should mail your completed cage cozies. E-mail me and I'll give it to you.

Another Knitting Funny

2006-01-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Jo-Anne spotted this one for us.

In case anyone cares....

2006-01-11T15:42:00.000-08:00

.... here's an explanation of the hyperbolic plane -along with Dave's opining re: the people who have time to crochet them. I guess HE'S not getting one for Christmas ;)

A hyperbolic plane is something that looks like a plane but with a
specific (different) way of measuring distances.

If you use the trains in Chicago, you soon decide that Jackson Park
is just exactly as far from O'Hare as it is from Midway airport.
On a map, Midway looks much closer, but the only way to get there
on the trains is to go to the loop first, and from there it's
equidistant to either airport. (I'm approximating here.) The point
is that it makes perfect sense,in some circumstances, to have a
familiar object (Chicago, say) on which there may be a perfectly
reasonable kind of distance defined ("as the crow flies", say), and
yet for other specific purposes it makes sense to have a different
way to measure distances between the same points ("train distance").

The hyperbolic plane is one such animal. There are different ways
to describe it. One way is to envision an ordinary disk. Those are
the points, and you may think you already know how to measure
distances between those points (with a ruler, say). But it becomes
the hyperbolic disk when I specify a new way to measure distances.
The particular distance mechanism ("metric") which makes it a
hyperbolic plane involves a variation on the following theme:

You know those little rollers that surveyors use to measure distances?
(They walk along, pushing this unicycle thingy which counts the
number of revolutions of its wheel; then distance from A to B is
(# of revolutions)x(circumference of wheel). OK?) That's the
ordinary crow-flying Euclidean distance. To get the hyperbolic
distance between two points you have to envision one of these
walker things that magically shrinks as you approach the boundary
of the disk. The consequence of this is that when you try to measure
the distance between points near the edge of the hyperbolic disk,
you'll have to keep that little wheel spinning many many more times,
and you thus conclude that the distance is much longer than it appears.
In fact (once all the formulas are set up) it is by this metric
infinitely far from the center of the hyperbolic disk to the boundary.

People with too much time on their hands crochet these things.
That is, you take a bunch of concentric circles but you make their
radii grow too fast as you move from the center outward. (The connection
with the math above is that you're trying to help the inhabitants of
hyperbolic space figure out distances by saying "just measure the
(ordinary) length of string you need to get from point A to point B".)
I'm sure you know, fabric-wise, what will happen if you try to make a doily
this way: there will be lots of puckering around the edges because the
fabric has nowhere to go. So realistically there's a limit to how much
of the hyperbolic plane you can stitch together. But you end up
with something that looks like the lay of the land in a pleasant
valley surrounded by gnarly hills: motion near the center is easy
but if you have to travel near places far from the center, even points that
look close together on the map are really far apart for a pedestrian
because you have to go up and down so many hills. The map distance,
(the "Euclidean" distance) is small but the pedestrian distance
(the "hyperbolic" distance) is large.

The concept is of fundamental importance in physics (relativity theory).
Within mathematics it is famous historically because it gave a way
to demonstrate the independence of Euclid's Parallel Postulate (i.e.
that the PP cannot be derived from the other, more natural-sounding axioms).
I'm sure -- without even looking for it -- that there are good entries
in wikipedia and mathworld on hyperbolic geometry.

d

Hyperbolic Plane

2006-01-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

So I was flipping through Interweave Knits Crochet magazine and found a article on how to crochet a hyperbolic plane! I instantly thought of you Andrea and your facination with nerdy knits. They had a finished picture in the magazine that was absolutely beautiful. I copied down the pattern if anyone wants it, it's just kind of lengthy to post here.

Posting Review

2006-01-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, as the administrator I can see that you're all reading the blog. But only Kristin and Chris are posting. Terry did it once. Come on girlfriends, you can do this.

Here's how it goes:

up in the left-hand corner, there's a B in an orange square; click that
Now you have to log-in -under Blog Name, you'll see Guilded Purls. Click that.
You will have to log in with your user name and your password. I know your user name, obviously, but not your password. So I can't help you there. Once you remember it, it's safe to use the "save on this computer" command. Then you don't have to remember it, either.
Now you're at the dashboard. There's a blue rectangle that says "create new post". DO it ;) You'll be given a self-explanatory template.
Just type and hit "publish post" when you're done.
Pat yourself on the back!
You can spell-check, add a picture, bold, italics, or a block-quote using the shortcuts in the beige border that surrounds the template. Look on the upper left.

Ummm.... why??

2006-01-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

Why, exactly, would a person make this? Of course, I'm the person who made more than one felted pumpkin (and an octopus... and knitted DNA), so possibly I should just shut up. But still....

Here's the pattern if this pie appeals to you more than the high-calorie real version: Cherry Pie.

Kate from knitty.com

2006-01-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

I finished that pattern off knitty, thought you might like to see it. I made it from some left over yarn I had laying around.

More Social Bookmarking

2006-01-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

These are the sites I've bookmarked from del.icio.us lately. See if any of them ring your chimes! And please go find your own, and report back.

That should do for today.

Favorite Project?

2005-12-30T22:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, put on your thinking caps. What's your favorite FINISHED project this year? I've borrowed this question from Xavier Musketeer. Follow the link if you'd like to comment on her finished projects; she's been quite prolific this year!

For me, I chose the blue fair isle cardigan that I'm wearing today. It's the first thing I designed that actually turned out well enough that I'd wear it in public. Second and third place would be the baby blanket and baby cardigan that I did in cotton fleece; I designed both of those too. Two years ago, designing ANYTHING seemed out of the question. Pointless, even. Never say never, I guess.

Fingerless Mitts -another charity project

2005-12-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New Orleans has another need (besides the cage cozies; see below). Since there is no roof on the facility, and it's winter, the workers are getting cold. To help in their work with the abandoned or lost animals, they need fingerless mittens. Knit these with anything except bulky yarn; superwash or acrylic would probably be the best. The workers should be able to slip medical gloves over the fingerless mitts. There are many free patterns around on the internet, but really all you need to do is knit a foot long tube in 1x1 ribbing, with a 1" opening for the thumb. Here's just one of the many patterns available: Fingerless Mitts.

Please send your contributions to:
Dez Crawford
c/o LA-SPCA
701 Thayer St.
New Orleans, LA 70114

A Podcast for Knitters

2005-12-24T11:47:00.000-08:00

Franklin Habit (an amazing knitter you need to know about) has a new podcast, as part of Cast-On Magazine . He's an amazing writer and an amazing knitter. I'm downloading the podcast to my iPod now, so I'll let you know how it goes. If you read his blog at all, though, you'll see why I'm optimistic.

Welcome!

2005-12-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

Kristin has joined us. Welcome, sweetie! Post away.

Today's del.icio.us knitting links

2005-12-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

I know you know about del.icio.us and social bookmarking. If you don't, go check it out. It's pretty great.

Out of the dozens of knitting links that scrolled past me this morning, these are the ones I bookmarked. Maybe you'll find them interesting as well.

T-shirts advertising knitting
Mary-Jane Slippers
Round Lace
Ice Scraper Mitts
636 Free Knitting Patterns

Don't like these? Go get your own, and tell us what your choices were! Go here to get started: Delicious Social Bookmarking.

Cage Cozies

2005-12-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

Jo-Anne has us all working on cage cozies. Here's the story. Heaven only knows how many animals were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. And naturally, the animal shelter was destroyed as well. They are, however, building a new one. The director is currently living in Baton Rouge and is coordinating a drive to collect blankets for the animals' cages. Interestingly, an animal is more adoptable when she has a blankie, which of course goes with her to her new home.

So, the details are these. Knit a square at least 18" on a side. It can be as big as you want, but 18" is as small as they can use. It seems to be working well to use heavy worsted, the Rambling Rose squares technique, and cast on about 64 stitches on a side. So, 128 sts all told. Make as many as you want. You KNOW you have stash for which this project would be perfect. Heck, I know you have stash for which this project would be perfect.

As soon as the shelter is built and accepting animals, which shouldn't be too long now, the director will post an address for mailing. In the meantime, we might as well be knitting. That way as soon as the shelter is open, there will be blankets for the animals.

Ask Jo-Anne or Andrea for more details. But really, Jo-Anne is the right person; Andrea will just be faking it and asking Jo-Anne herself.

Knitty Kitty

2005-12-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

Hey guess who????

This is the cutest pattern I have seen in a while. I sooo have to make it. I have to thank the gals at You Knit What? for hipping me to this.

The pattern can be found at knitty.com

Weird Yarn Fact

2005-12-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

typp: the number of thousands of yards of yarn equal to one pound.

So, how many typp of yarn do you have? Never mind. Ignorance can be bliss, after all!

Knitting Arias

2005-12-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

A great post, and a fabulous blog Knitting Arias. The post is for those addicted to both knitting AND eclectic musical expression. Scroll down the page to the post of 11/15/05. Have fun!

Shoe Size to Inches

2005-12-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

Probably everyone knew this but me, but just in case....

Here's a conversion chart of shoe sizes to the equivalent in inches: Conversion Chart. As we knit socks for relatives in far-away places, this tool might be helpful. Interestingly, sizing doesn't seem to be consistent. Sometimes the jump between sizes is 3/16"; sometimes it's more. I guess inconsistent sizing isn't really news, now is it?

Yawn Over

2005-12-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the next few weeks -before Christmas- we need to have a knitting lock-in. Jo-Anne has offered her new house as a place to gather. So, quick like bunnies, think of days that are available for you. We'll order pizza, knit, eat some more, knit.... It'll be fun. But we need to get a date chosen, before they all fill up.

Six-Sox Knit-a-long

2005-12-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

I'm really enjoying the six-sox knit-a-long. I've made only 2 pair of socks with this group, but that's two more than I probably would have made otherwise. And I've learned new techniques, too.

This month's pattern has just been posted, and it involves shadow knitting. I'm trying not to start, because there are other things that are more urgently in need of my attention. But I really want to.....

Anyway, if you think you might be making six pairs of socks each year (come on... you know you can do that!), then consider joining the group. It's a low-traffic group, the pacing of the projects is quite sane, and you have cute socks when you're done! Follow this link to sign up: Six Sox Group.

These aren't my socks, by the way. They're the designer's socks for this month's pattern, just to tempt you. I AM thinking gray and blue or maybe gray and lavender, though.

Well, look who's here!

2005-12-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome, Judy! Post away.

Knitting Funny

2005-11-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Check out my knitting friends!

2005-11-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

Go here for articulate, beautiful Sophie and her projects for an experienced beginner: For Love and Idleness.

Go here for artistic and amazing Loretta and her projects for the mega-advanced knitter: Circle of Yarn.

And, if you're working on the Shamus knit-a-long locally, you might want to connect more globally, and hang out with these knitters in cyberspace: Shamus Knit-a-long.

Knitting in Public

2005-11-20T11:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's going to be slighlty less public this time. Maybe we need a new name ;)

We will meet at Jo-Anne Naples's new house. I'm not 100% comfortable posting her address on a public blog, so send me e-mail at atrusin@socialworker.net and I'll forward her address along. Everyone is welcome.

Tuesday, November 22 at 7 pm.

Be there or be square ;)

On the Needles

2005-11-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

True confession time....

Here's what's hanging around in my various knitting bags and piles:

hoodie for Victoria -not very far along, I'm afraid
black fair isle cardigan for me -coming along... I'm ready to start the yoke, I think.
Shamus cardigan (for me, again) from knitty -again, not very far along. The bottom panel is done and a bit of the body. That's it.
brown lace shawl -changed pattern, started over... big mess ensued. Sigh.

Could that really be it? I thought the list was longer. Of course, the mental queue includes things like felted baskets to hold the magazines in some order, a burly spun hoodie for me, a bunch of baby things. I'd love to try that circular knit shrug that was in Vogue a month or two ago. That list is really, really long.

What's on your needles?

Knitting in Public

2005-11-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

Next Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Place to be announced! Watch this space ;)
7:00 p.m. - 9-ish

Plan to bring your knitting, join friends who knit, drink coffee, eat snacks.... What could be better?

Two-Handed Fair-Isle Technique

2005-11-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

Personally, I think the best description of how to do this is in Kari Anderson's Big Sven pattern. However, if you have a different learning style, this site might be a good one for you (you'll need a high-speed connection): Two-Handed Fair Isle.

Knitting Goes Feminist

2005-11-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

Now, haven't I been saying this all along???? Women's Groups.

Field Trip?

2005-10-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

Nina's is a cute little yarn shop in a newly-trendy little neighborhood (Wicker Park) of Chicago. There's a sort of "hip-knitter" vibe to the store and the inside is quite lovely -sort of Zen. Wanna go check it out? I know THIS is a long shot, but if we wanted to go on a Monday, I'd be in Chicago anyway and could meet up with people at the shop. Then I could help drive people home.

Or.... you could go on a Thursday (I couldn't go, obviously), but then you could hook up with the Windy City Knitting Guild's knitting in public at Letizia's. I'm pretty sure it's the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month.

Or, we could acknowledge that people have jobs during the week and go on a weekend like normal people. The hours (the last time I drove by) are:

Sunday: 11-6
Monday: 12-8
Tuesday: closed
Wednesday -Friday: 11-7
Saturday: 11-6

Let me know what you want to do.

More Nerd Knitting

2005-10-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

I've done the "Squared Squares" afghan. Dave wants me to crochet a manifold -the math-kind, not the car-kind. Fortunately, my crocheting isn't up to that challenge. Sandi (C., not G.) is making a Tetris scarf. Oh yeah, we've got the nerd thing going on.

Here's the latest installment: knitted DNA. The amino acid base pairs are represented with different colors and with different kinds of joins. Alas, real DNA helices twist the other way, to the right, but it seems like that would be easy to fix. I seriously think this would make a cute, nerd-in-training, toy for an infant. I know a few, I'm afraid ;)

Here's a link to the pattern, not that you really need a pattern for this! Knitted DNA. Have fun!

Knitting in Public-Next Tuesday

2005-10-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

This coming Tuesday, that is!

October 25, 2005
7:00 p.m.
Starbucks

Join us! Bring your knitting! Live dangerously; drink coffee in the evening. (I need to get out more, clearly!)

Sewing in a Zipper

2005-10-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a good link, complete with pictures, for hand-sewing a zipper into your knitted garments: Sewing A Zipper.

The only step I'd add is to use a sharp-pointy tool (I use the tip of my good scissors) to make a tiny hole in both sides of the zipper tape at the very bottom. You can anchor your zipper to the sweater at the bottom by sewing through the hole. The reason to add this step is that's the place where zippers break first. Adding in some extra stability there can't be a bad thing. Trivia tidbit - that's frequently what theater costume shops do. Quick costume changes create mega-stress on zippers and it's generally frowned on to show up on stage with the zipper in your costume hanging open. Didn't you need to know that?

Making Beaded Stitch Markers

2005-10-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I'm on such a rampage about this lately, but I love having pretty stitch markers. I was writing up a post about how to make them, and then I found this: Beaded Stitch Markers

Just do what SHE says ;) You have to scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Locally appropriate notes re: her article. Sandi has some beads that already have hooks in them at the store. And she has the pliers just out on the bead table. So, if you don't have the tools and buying them feels like a big burden, it seems to me that they're out for a reason.

Felted Pumpkins

2005-10-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. How cute is THIS?

Here's a link to the pattern: Felted Pumpkins

I wonder if I could get one done on Saturday? it beats working on this hoodie that's making me NUTS!

Site Feed

2005-10-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

I made a technical change in the blog. Now you can be notified when the site is updated by any member. (I'm not sure if it will inform you about changes in the "comments" field, but certainly posts will get noted.)

The thing is, you have to make a few changes as well. You have to be willing to subscribe to Atom, which is an aggregating service. I'll probably add BlogLines, too, since technically it's a little easier to understand. I'm waiting for a confirming e-mail from them. In any case, once you subscribe, any sites that you've chosen to be part of your "feed" will roll across the top of your screen much like yahoo-news or google-news does.

You'll see a link called "site feed" off to the right of the screen. Start there and see if you like what happens. You can always go back to just checking the site periodically. And if you get stuck, well... you know where I work!

More Sales

2005-10-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Beans Wool is having an October sale. Every day there's a different yarn on sale 40% off. Look at the left side of the website. You'll see it. So far it's been novelty yarn that I wouldn't use, but someone might.

Four Seasons Knitting has Koigu fingering weight on sale for $8.58/skein. (The price will fluctuate based on the exchange rate from Canada.) I have no idea what their shipping costs are, but since it's hard for us to get Koigu locally, this might work.

Any other ideas?

The Organized Knitter

2005-10-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Needle cases are SO not up to the challenge of organizing me and my knitting. But they might help other people.

This site: The Organized Knitter is having a "secret sale". If you enter the code "domino" at checkout, you can save 20%. The offer is good until October 31, 2005. Go for it.

In the meantime, what do YOU do to keep your knitting organized? I'm afraid I have nothing to offer in this department. I think "leave piles of yarn and projects randomly all over the house" is probably not helpful advice.

You knit WHAT???!!

2005-10-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

Probably most of you know about this website, but it bears repeating. One day, when you're bored, go here: What Were you THINKING?. It's good for a laugh.

Custom-Fit Raglan

2005-10-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is interesting. It looks like it would be a good first sweater pattern for people. See what you think: Custom-Fit Raglan. There's not a picture, but you know what a raglan pullover looks like.

Yikes!

2005-10-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

You should check this site out -with some caution. It might be too much excitement for late at night ;) It's a gathering of dozens of knit-a-longs that have been going on in 2005. 2005 KALs

I'm glad that I didn't know about this site sooner in the year. There could have been serious trouble in Andrea-knitting-world. Fortunately I'm not interested in too-too many of these groups -the ones I'm not already a member of, I mean ;)

Have fun!

Knitting Meme

2005-10-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

Go here for a great explanation of a meme. On the one hand, it's a self-propogating piece of cultural information. On the other hand, it's all about ME-ME! Here's a knitting meme. You can copy the questions into a post and answer them -or as many as you feel comfortable answering- and then we'll know more about each other. If you reply in the comment field, everybody's answers will stay together in one thread. But if you don't, your answer will appear on the front page of the blog. Either way is fine by me.

Without further ado:

1. Are you a yarn snob? Do you avoid Red Heart, Lion Brand, etc... or is it all the same to you?
2. Do you spin? Crochet?
3. How long have you been knitting?
4. What other crafts do you like to do?
5. What are your favorite yarns to knit with?
6. What are your favorite needles to knit with?
7. What's your favorite knitting gadget?
8. What fibers do you absolutely NOT like?
9. What are your favorite items to knit?
10. What are you knitting right now?
11. What do you think about ponchos?
12. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
13. Are you a sock knitter?
14. How did you learn to knit?
15. What is -and how old is- your oldest UFO (unfinished Object)?

On The Needles

2005-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Andrea has asked for a list so I'll add mine.

Cotton sundress 18 mo. size for neice's little girl
Peak Experience socks
Shapely Shawlette - ran out of yarn 5 rows from finish
Spanish Christening Shawl for another neice's baby girl due end of Jan.

Projects completed this past summer

Sleeveless shell
Turtle neck shell
White cotton fleece sweater with navy and green accents
Bamboo sweater
4 pairs of socks

This blog should be fun. Looking forward to it.

Terry

This is really from Elizabeth!

2005-09-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

Kishwaukee United Way Day of Caring, October 14

Kishwaukee United Way is sponsoring a Day of Caring, which begins with a kick-off rally at the Dekalb Farm Bureau at 9:00 a.m. on October 14. From there, participants will fan out across the community and complete service projects at various local non-profits.

Projects scheduled so far include: helping with Meals on Wheels, a bingo party for elderly residents of the DeKalb High-Rise, a food drive for Safe Passage, landscaping at Ben Gordon Community Mental Health Center, projects with the children at Sycamore Child Care, and many more.

To sign up to participate, contact Dawn Littlefield at Kishwaukee United Way, 756-7522, or through e-mail at info@kishwaukeeunitedway.com .

Andrea's Works in Progress

2005-09-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping that other people post their lists. A little accountability wouldn't be a bad thing! (If you have HTML trouble making a list, send me your list via e-mail and I'll post it. Try the "unordered list" command, if that helps you.)

Recently Completed Projects

Amble socks with the Six Socks Knit-a-long
the blue fair-isle sweater that did NOT want to die!

Works in Progress

last of the summer pink camis
green lace cardigan for fall
mosaic socks with the six-sox knit-a-long
the sideways cable sweater from knitty
the hoodie from hell -I mean, Vogue Knitting
green silk cami

Sigh...... I'll see if I can find the camera and post a picture of the blue fair isle. It's blocking, but I can still take a picture, I suppose.

Now, PLEASE post your list.

Book Signing

2005-09-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 1, @4:00 at Arcadia Knitting in Chicago, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka The Yarn Harlot, will sign her most recent book At Knit's End; Meditations for Women who Knit Too Much. Curious as to what constitutes too much? Attend the signing or read her blog.

No reservations necessary
Books will be available for sale
Numbers will be given out at he door
It's possible that there will be wine.

I can't go, but SOMEONE should!

I guess I get to be no. 2...

2005-09-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

not sure if that is such a great thing. ; )

But I think this blog is a great thing. Esp. for me, seeing as I don't get out like I used to. Hopefully things will settle down soon.

Love the idea of this. Let's see how it goes.

Chris

Knitting in Public

2005-09-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Starbucks on Sycamore Road
7:00 -whenever

Bring your knitting. Bring a friend. Sit and knit. There's no need to RSVP; just join us!

This is an Experiment

2005-09-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what I'm thinking....

It's easier to update a blog than to send a lot of e-mails. Although I suppose we can send e-mail notifications as well, if people want. This is linked to my personal/professional blog, but I was thinking that anyone who wants to can be a team member for this Guild blog. That way you can post pictures of your finished projects, post techniques you've learned about, websites you discovered, events you want a pal to join you for.... whatever knitters' guild-type business you want.

It's not really in my nature to moderate heavily, but I suppose I'm willing to moderate moderately ;) What is the group verdict?

You will find it easier to post if you know a smidge of HTML, but you don't need to know a lot. And you can always ask me for help. I may not get to it quickly, but I WILL get to it.

We could also post links to members' personal blogs/websites if we want. I guess my default thought is yes. After all, no one has to follow a link a second time. If you don't like what you see on someone's blog, the solution is fairly clear.

What do you think? Is this a good idea?