Number eight was completed ahead of number seven, owing to the tragic loss of seven at some point during our house moving excitement.
That's Seven!
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Jul 4, 2010
10 things #8: Seven's M.I.A.
I finished another project in my 1000 day challenge. This time it's a cute little hat that I made from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. I used some leftover Socks That Rock medium-weight yarn remaining from a design project about which I still am waiting to hear back.
Number eight was completed ahead of number seven, owing to the tragic loss of seven at some point during our house moving excitement.
That's Seven!
Number eight was completed ahead of number seven, owing to the tragic loss of seven at some point during our house moving excitement.That's Seven!
Jul 31, 2009
Book Report: Dead in the Wool
Today, I'm going to hijack my own blog to give a book report. For my report, I read Died in the Wool by Mary Kruger, which I bought on-line. I picked it specifically because there's a "Pattern Inside Just for You". Kristine warned me that the patterns from knitting mysteries are riddled with errata. Nonetheless, I was excited. I love murder mysteries, I love knitting and I love free patterns... where's the problem?
When I received the book, there was no inserts or pull-outs, so I reasoned that it may be part of the story. Well, that's kind of fun. So, I set to reading it. As Murder-She-Wrote meets Elizabeth Zimmerman goes, the book was enjoyable! The writing style was pretty mediocre, as is often the case with cheesy murder mysteries. But, it was entertaining enough that you'll suffer through the repetitive and stilted dialogue, as you make your way to finding out just whodunnit.
Alas, as the pages were dwindling, there was no sign of my purchase-prompting pattern. I leafed through the remainder of book and didn't see any pages that looked like a pattern. I thought that maybe it had been lost at the warehouse. In my haste (and procrastination), I wrote a scathing customer review, which I have since edited.
Why the rewrite? The pattern had not been lost. What I had originally perceived to be the last chapter was actually the first chapter of the next book, and the "patterns", all three of which fit on a single page, were sandwiched between this and the final chapter. A flimsy "I'm not a knitting designer" disclaimer precedes the so-called patterns, proving that the author herself felt embarrassed about how lame these offerings were. To her credit, neither of the garter stitch fun fur scarves nor the garter stitch hanger cover had any of the errata of which Kristine had warned.
To say I was a little disappointed would be putting it mildly! Throughout the book, there were numerous descriptive references to a Norwegian Sweater. So many, in fact, that I was convinced that was the pattern we were going to get; maybe even hidden in segments throughout the narrative! It would have tied in nicely with the story, and been worthy of the "Look Inside for an Original Pattern Just for You" teaser on the back cover.
Bringing me to my next point. Fun-fur scarves are not "original" patterns! They are a dime a dozen, and they're not even patterns really. Cast on, knit until you get bored... ooh, can you repeat that?? It's a good bet that someone who is so new to knitting that they need instructions for a garter stitch fun fur scarf probably won't be drawn to a knitting mystery book in the first place!
Never mind! I have five more knitting mysteries to get through (some by different authors). Hopefully, there's a least one CO-worthy project to be found!
When I received the book, there was no inserts or pull-outs, so I reasoned that it may be part of the story. Well, that's kind of fun. So, I set to reading it. As Murder-She-Wrote meets Elizabeth Zimmerman goes, the book was enjoyable! The writing style was pretty mediocre, as is often the case with cheesy murder mysteries. But, it was entertaining enough that you'll suffer through the repetitive and stilted dialogue, as you make your way to finding out just whodunnit.
Alas, as the pages were dwindling, there was no sign of my purchase-prompting pattern. I leafed through the remainder of book and didn't see any pages that looked like a pattern. I thought that maybe it had been lost at the warehouse. In my haste (and procrastination), I wrote a scathing customer review, which I have since edited.
Why the rewrite? The pattern had not been lost. What I had originally perceived to be the last chapter was actually the first chapter of the next book, and the "patterns", all three of which fit on a single page, were sandwiched between this and the final chapter. A flimsy "I'm not a knitting designer" disclaimer precedes the so-called patterns, proving that the author herself felt embarrassed about how lame these offerings were. To her credit, neither of the garter stitch fun fur scarves nor the garter stitch hanger cover had any of the errata of which Kristine had warned.
To say I was a little disappointed would be putting it mildly! Throughout the book, there were numerous descriptive references to a Norwegian Sweater. So many, in fact, that I was convinced that was the pattern we were going to get; maybe even hidden in segments throughout the narrative! It would have tied in nicely with the story, and been worthy of the "Look Inside for an Original Pattern Just for You" teaser on the back cover.
Bringing me to my next point. Fun-fur scarves are not "original" patterns! They are a dime a dozen, and they're not even patterns really. Cast on, knit until you get bored... ooh, can you repeat that?? It's a good bet that someone who is so new to knitting that they need instructions for a garter stitch fun fur scarf probably won't be drawn to a knitting mystery book in the first place!
Never mind! I have five more knitting mysteries to get through (some by different authors). Hopefully, there's a least one CO-worthy project to be found!
Apr 29, 2009
10 Things #5: The Halfway Point
I finished my Moroccan Slippers from Fabulous & Flirty Crochet. They were super easy to make and went really fast. I used acrylic instead of the recommended wool/llama blend, and as a result, the puff stitches tended to strain the sc's into which they were made, and so the puff stitch motif looks a little stringy. Also, the first slipper I made came out way to big, so I dropped to the medium size and went down to a size H hook.
They are very cosy and I couldn't be happier with how rapidly they were made. Technically, they took 22 days, but this was my right-before-going-to-sleep project, so for most of that time, the slippers were in hibernation. In actuality, there were only three evenings when I actually worked on them, and I managed to churn out three slippers in that time! I think they look cute, flaws and all, and as they are only going to be worn around the house so it doesn't really matter if they are a little imperfect!
That's Five!
They are very cosy and I couldn't be happier with how rapidly they were made. Technically, they took 22 days, but this was my right-before-going-to-sleep project, so for most of that time, the slippers were in hibernation. In actuality, there were only three evenings when I actually worked on them, and I managed to churn out three slippers in that time! I think they look cute, flaws and all, and as they are only going to be worn around the house so it doesn't really matter if they are a little imperfect!
That's Five!Apr 28, 2009
10 Things #3: *
The Excuse: I freely admit I am cheating on this one. I was going through some deranged love-my-heritage phase which culminated in my purchasing a book of patterns for knitting old style Aran sweaters. There's a reason Aran sweaters were modernised to the versions you find in shops these days; the original patterns were ugly. By the time the book arrived, I had come out of my misguided belief that I wanted to dress like a fisherman, and had moved on to my obsession with lacy sock patterns. I also took issue with the lack of charts in some of the patterns, as I am not able to follow strings of K1, P1, ssk, T3f, C2F, C2B, T3B, Sl1, P1, PSSO, K1, P3, K1, P1, etc. etc.
The Solution: I followed one of the nicer cable patterns and made a little cotton square. I had originally believed that I was going to make a few dozen of these squares and make and Aran sampler baby blanket.
That was a stupid idea. Cabling with cotton is a really efficient way to develop arthritis in your hand. It's so stiff and has no give the way wool does. The really dumb thing here was that I had previously suffered through making a cabled purse with acrylic yarn. That was equally painful, and I, at that time, promised myself I would only ever cable with wool. There is also no point in making a cotton baby blanket. Cotton is a light and breathable fabric and would do nothing to keep a baby warm. With those frustrating epiphanies, I threw the cotton square into a drawer and thought nothing more of it.
Until now that is. I have been lured into the world of making cotton dish-cloths by the seedier elements of the South Bend Knitwork. I am very conscientious of my impact on the environment, so I love that I have replaced my plastic sponges that sit in landfills forever, with cotton dish-cloths that can be put in the washing machine and eventually composted. I also like the fact that there is no risk of damaging pots and pans like there is with the scratchy green side of the sponges.
So here it is. My finished project from the book, Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys, and Arans, my cotton dish-cloth!
That's Four*
The Solution: I followed one of the nicer cable patterns and made a little cotton square. I had originally believed that I was going to make a few dozen of these squares and make and Aran sampler baby blanket.
That was a stupid idea. Cabling with cotton is a really efficient way to develop arthritis in your hand. It's so stiff and has no give the way wool does. The really dumb thing here was that I had previously suffered through making a cabled purse with acrylic yarn. That was equally painful, and I, at that time, promised myself I would only ever cable with wool. There is also no point in making a cotton baby blanket. Cotton is a light and breathable fabric and would do nothing to keep a baby warm. With those frustrating epiphanies, I threw the cotton square into a drawer and thought nothing more of it.
Until now that is. I have been lured into the world of making cotton dish-cloths by the seedier elements of the South Bend Knitwork. I am very conscientious of my impact on the environment, so I love that I have replaced my plastic sponges that sit in landfills forever, with cotton dish-cloths that can be put in the washing machine and eventually composted. I also like the fact that there is no risk of damaging pots and pans like there is with the scratchy green side of the sponges.
So here it is. My finished project from the book, Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys, and Arans, my cotton dish-cloth!
That's Four*Apr 21, 2009
My Trip to Massachusetts
I was pretty darn excited when I discovered that Murder She Wrote had been adapted into a series of books. After all, murder mysteries are among my favourite things in life. Knitting is another of my favourite things. So you can only imagine the frenetic version of giddy that came out of me when I discovered this:
Yes, my two greatest loves finally tied the knot! I had heard rumours of such a series, but didn't have solid proof until Nick and I were looking for places to live in Massachusetts. We wandered into a realtor's office and met with a lovely woman, who was crocheting when we arrived. At one point, she was giving us long and boring directions to the various locations. Obviously, with my sense of direction I wasn't listening to that, so, instead, I was gazing around her office when I spotted the book on her desk. My mind is primed to spot pictures of yarn, and murder mystery-related keywords, so this really stood out! I took note of the name and resumed the less important task of finding somewhere to live.
The stars were really aligned on this one, and when I got back to Minnesota, I was emailed a Barnes and Noble gift card for a survey I had completed. I picked out "Died in the Wool" and "Knit Fast, Die Young". My order should ship within 3 days. I am quite literally on the edge of my seat. I plan to pass the time by devising some way to read my knitting mysteries while knitting at the same time. I know, it's the dream!
In other massachusite knitting news, we looked at a condo that was being cleared out and prepared for renting. The relatives of the owner were holding a garage sale when we arrived. Evidently, the lady who owned the house was elderly and her daughter now had power of attorney. I think the woman was going senile and was now living in a home. While this was quite sad, I did manage to pick up this yarn for 50¢! I am going to wash it, and also attempt to piece together enough of the label to figure out what it is. I think it's some sort of cotton.
(NiP: I pieced together the label and it read "Spinnerei Schweizerthal A.-G.". It also said that each skein, of which I have 4, has 225 yards.)
What a great State!
Yes, my two greatest loves finally tied the knot! I had heard rumours of such a series, but didn't have solid proof until Nick and I were looking for places to live in Massachusetts. We wandered into a realtor's office and met with a lovely woman, who was crocheting when we arrived. At one point, she was giving us long and boring directions to the various locations. Obviously, with my sense of direction I wasn't listening to that, so, instead, I was gazing around her office when I spotted the book on her desk. My mind is primed to spot pictures of yarn, and murder mystery-related keywords, so this really stood out! I took note of the name and resumed the less important task of finding somewhere to live.The stars were really aligned on this one, and when I got back to Minnesota, I was emailed a Barnes and Noble gift card for a survey I had completed. I picked out "Died in the Wool" and "Knit Fast, Die Young". My order should ship within 3 days. I am quite literally on the edge of my seat. I plan to pass the time by devising some way to read my knitting mysteries while knitting at the same time. I know, it's the dream!
In other massachusite knitting news, we looked at a condo that was being cleared out and prepared for renting. The relatives of the owner were holding a garage sale when we arrived. Evidently, the lady who owned the house was elderly and her daughter now had power of attorney. I think the woman was going senile and was now living in a home. While this was quite sad, I did manage to pick up this yarn for 50¢! I am going to wash it, and also attempt to piece together enough of the label to figure out what it is. I think it's some sort of cotton.
(NiP: I pieced together the label and it read "Spinnerei Schweizerthal A.-G.". It also said that each skein, of which I have 4, has 225 yards.)
What a great State!
Jan 26, 2009
10 Things #4: Felt it!
I'm just throwing all caution to the wind with numbers here. Number 2 was completed ahead of number 1, because the original number 1 got scrapped. Number 3 has been my least favourite project - cabling with cotton isn't as much fun as I had hoped when I bought 5 skeins of the stuff - and so number 4 has beaten it out by a fair margin. But, with 3 projects completed in just over 6 months, I'm in pretty good shape for my 10 things in 1000 days target. As long as I I can bring myself to look at number 3 again!
This is a messenger bag from the book Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution. It was my first [intentional] felting project and I am really proud of how it turned out. The felting was a lot of fun, as was the embroidery. I am probably going to put some buttons on it to keep the holes lined up with their respective colour panels. I think it may have a future in holding my knitting supplies!
This is a messenger bag from the book Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution. It was my first [intentional] felting project and I am really proud of how it turned out. The felting was a lot of fun, as was the embroidery. I am probably going to put some buttons on it to keep the holes lined up with their respective colour panels. I think it may have a future in holding my knitting supplies!
That's three!
Oct 8, 2008
10 Things #1: International Edition!
I finally finished the Butterfly Cardigan from Sensual Crochet. It was an awesome pattern and I love that it is assembled in one piece because seaming is probably my least favourite part of knitting. I'm also very excited that I did a lacy crochet pattern because I had never attempted one before. The instructions where so easy and by the time I was working the front patterns I had the stitch memorised.
It's currently blocking and taking its sweet time to dry, which has lead to me walking a few pins into my feet... ouch! I finished it here in Ireland where I am currently vacationing. It wanted to finish it in international airspace, but the peons at Aer Lingus wouldn't let me take it in my carry-on for weight reasons. Instead, the wouldn't-be Archimedes's made me pack it into my checked luggage which was nowhere near the weight limit. So, me, my cardigan-free carry-on and my cardigan-ful checked luggage all went on the same plane to Ireland, and I worked on it in a zombie-like state of jet lag. I did manage to get my Neapolitan yarn onto the plane so ripped out the project I was using it for that wasn't going so well and started some Jaywalkers instead.
In other related frogging news, I eighty-sixed the original 10 things #1 project (hence the numbering on this one). I had ambitiously started adapting a pattern from Hot Knits to be in the round, and while it would have worked, it required better note-taking than I was willing to do. Also, I didn't have enough yarn to finish it, and the store I got it from doesn't stock it anymore! I'll definitely revisit the pattern, because it's awesome (i.e. it's a Melissa Leapman), but I'll buy enough yarn and RTFM!!!
That's Two!
Addendum: Awwww, fits perfectly!
It's currently blocking and taking its sweet time to dry, which has lead to me walking a few pins into my feet... ouch! I finished it here in Ireland where I am currently vacationing. It wanted to finish it in international airspace, but the peons at Aer Lingus wouldn't let me take it in my carry-on for weight reasons. Instead, the wouldn't-be Archimedes's made me pack it into my checked luggage which was nowhere near the weight limit. So, me, my cardigan-free carry-on and my cardigan-ful checked luggage all went on the same plane to Ireland, and I worked on it in a zombie-like state of jet lag. I did manage to get my Neapolitan yarn onto the plane so ripped out the project I was using it for that wasn't going so well and started some Jaywalkers instead.
In other related frogging news, I eighty-sixed the original 10 things #1 project (hence the numbering on this one). I had ambitiously started adapting a pattern from Hot Knits to be in the round, and while it would have worked, it required better note-taking than I was willing to do. Also, I didn't have enough yarn to finish it, and the store I got it from doesn't stock it anymore! I'll definitely revisit the pattern, because it's awesome (i.e. it's a Melissa Leapman), but I'll buy enough yarn and RTFM!!!
That's Two!
Addendum: Awwww, fits perfectly!
Aug 21, 2008
10 things #2: One down!
I finished one of my challenge projects. It's the little girl's outfit from Positively Crochet. It was meant to be a tank & capri set, but I loved the scalloping on the top so much that I converted it into a dress. I put a panel of DC in a contrasting colour behind the scalloping for modesty's sake. The original pattern would have been less work, so it's not cheating!!! I will ship it to Ireland next month for my cousin's daughter once I stop being unemployed.
That's one!
PS. The fact that #2 got posted before #1 is not an indication of my having shed my dependence on puritanical convention.... #1 has hit a snag of the yarn ran out variety!
That's one!PS. The fact that #2 got posted before #1 is not an indication of my having shed my dependence on puritanical convention.... #1 has hit a snag of the yarn ran out variety!
Jul 6, 2008
10 things in 1000 days
I went on a bit of a pattern purchasing spree a few months ago. I think it was after the bamboo needle buying splurge, but before the 100purewool binge. I think that I can change their statuses from "impulse buy" to "investment in a hobby" if I make at least one thing from each book. I have started a sweater from one of the books and a crocheted child's top from another.
So, here it is: Task #2! I am going to attempt to make a pattern from each book or pamphlet, and not just the cloche-you-can-figure-out-by-looking-at pattern that is invariably featured in every book. I'll blog about my progress, should there be any. Wish me luck!
How Much Time Has Passed?
So, here it is: Task #2! I am going to attempt to make a pattern from each book or pamphlet, and not just the cloche-you-can-figure-out-by-looking-at pattern that is invariably featured in every book. I'll blog about my progress, should there be any. Wish me luck!
How Much Time Has Passed?
Jun 13, 2008
Day 9: Murder, She Read
Hang on to your prune juice - I know you are all going to be as excited by this as I am. As the daughter of a writer, I know good literature when I see it, and this bookish offering that I stumbled upon when I was in Kansas has to be the holy grail for the intelligentsia. After Murder She Wrote was taken from us all too soon (i.e. after 12 seasons), nothing could fill the void left in our hearts. Until now that is. Yes, the best show on TV lives on in written form. And the icing on this magnum opus? Check out the first author. That's right, Jessica Fletcher is real!
Jun 7, 2008
Day 3: I Hope They Serve Yarn in Hell
Thanks Kristine - My thesis, nay, my life is on hold until I get through the Yarn Harlot's book that you loaned to me!
I allowed myself to sleep in this morning as it is Saturday and I haven't slept properly all week. I must really have been stressed or sick or something, because I didn't wake up until 1pm. I have a Western blot transfer running overnight that I was meant to have dealt with this morning. I was packing my bag to go work, when I came across the copy of At Knit's End. I opened it to read one or two pages, in order to decide if it made the cut of "things I will agree to lug in my backpack all the way to work", an honor held by such prestigious objects as my target brand weight loss shake, a weird collection of grocery shopping receipts and a pattern for an ugly aran sweater that I have been carrying around for some reason.
As I said, it was my intention to read one or two entries, but Hey Presto! It's now half two. This woman is my idol. She is the Tucker Max of knitting. I want to be even half this entertaining in storytelling. The last time a book consumed me, instead of the other way around, was when I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. I assume my protein has transferred right through the membrane by now, and the time I had set aside to get the sample through primary antibodies and onto secondary has elapsed. But it's my lazy Saturday, so maybe it was meant to happen this way. Besides, one of the entries in the book features a quote that is somewhat relevant to my day...
"I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
- Douglas Adams
I allowed myself to sleep in this morning as it is Saturday and I haven't slept properly all week. I must really have been stressed or sick or something, because I didn't wake up until 1pm. I have a Western blot transfer running overnight that I was meant to have dealt with this morning. I was packing my bag to go work, when I came across the copy of At Knit's End. I opened it to read one or two pages, in order to decide if it made the cut of "things I will agree to lug in my backpack all the way to work", an honor held by such prestigious objects as my target brand weight loss shake, a weird collection of grocery shopping receipts and a pattern for an ugly aran sweater that I have been carrying around for some reason.
As I said, it was my intention to read one or two entries, but Hey Presto! It's now half two. This woman is my idol. She is the Tucker Max of knitting. I want to be even half this entertaining in storytelling. The last time a book consumed me, instead of the other way around, was when I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. I assume my protein has transferred right through the membrane by now, and the time I had set aside to get the sample through primary antibodies and onto secondary has elapsed. But it's my lazy Saturday, so maybe it was meant to happen this way. Besides, one of the entries in the book features a quote that is somewhat relevant to my day...
"I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
- Douglas Adams
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