I have no idea what that title means
except that it sounds cool. The good news is that I have only
shredded the “SAVE” pile once by accident. It probably doesn't
matter, anything that old is past its expiration date anyways. You
could well argue that paper files are also past their expiration date
by definition, but I am not scanning anything. If the great
apocalypse comes, no one is going to care. I have also learned about
the wisdom of combining things. Only the credit card I use most will
get its own special and obscenely fat file. The others will have to
cohabit and if I need one of the residents, I will go hunt for it,
but like I said, in event of Apocalypse, it just doesn't matter. I
suspect that this exercise is really an excuse to not make any
serious career decisions, avoidance, I am good at that. Too good. But
it does force a degree of focus on my career and becoming more
serious. Besides, it will take me at least the next month to save
enough money to buy the equipment I want to add to my stable of
electronic gizmos, each of which is supposed to make my sales
skyrocket beyond my imagination, but really only take up desk space.
Maybe tomorrow I will actually o-p-e-n a file cabinet. Right now, I'm
just dealing with what's on top and hoping momentum will make one of
those tin boxes pop open all on its own as if by magic.
Laughing Zebra Studios
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Day 2 on Rollo Overload
Day 2 of cleaning up my office area. You may be wondering what a well ordered office has to do with creating art and I will tell you everything. Art has a business side. If you ignore it you will not sell any paintings and be forced to work long hours at manual labor that you detest. My apologies to people who work in manual labor; we each have a path in life and toiling on a path that is not the one we were cut out for is indeed painful. For now, my pain is cleaning my office rather than creating. One huge Wookie-style Arrrrrgh! I am not completely alone. I have a book on tape to listen to (if I can hear it above the shredder) and the largest bag of Rollo's ever sold (BJ's) on my desktop to keep me going. I am also allowed to take as many breaks as is necessary and to start with the easy stuff first. However, I am not allowed to stuff so much paper into the shredder all at once that it will not long even go backwards and require a good 35 minutes with a kitchen knife to fix. When I am through with the next hour of forced labor, I will give my self a reward and go do something fun.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Cleaning Up - A New Year Begun
The new year always starts
with a look back at the past year, a tallying of boo-boos and
hopefully some successes and vows to do better next time. It also
means dealing with unfinished business and projects that were started
and then stagnated. I have several projects, one of which is not even
mine, to save. It is an act of reconciliation of our plans and
good intentions with the reality of what has actually transpired. It
is also a dynamite learning tool as sometimes we don't even know what
went wrong. We just gave up and left it behind stashed out of sight
in a closet somewhere. I believe in wringing every last bit of
knowledge out of every project I tackle, so analyzing the project in
question is a must when reviewing our stash of UFO's (unfinished
objects) and determining which may be worth saving and which is
beyond hope.
Sometimes it is painful. I have a too
fragile Alpaca warp on my loom (see above picture) that has about 35% of its ends on a
separate “warp beam” because that many lengths of yarn have
broken. My husband has suggested cutting it off. I will have to get
creative finding something to do with over a hundred pieces of 5 foot
long lengths of yarn. I am literally cutting my losses, making a
mental note not to use Alpaca in the warp again and moving on. I
think the key to putting a failed project to bed so it doesn't haunt
you in your dreams is to find a way to make use of the section that
you have completed. Is there something you can use if for?
I keep looking at those 24 inches of
finished fabric and am stumped. It is not long enough, even sideways
for a scarf. It is too wide and the wrong material for a table
runner. Hello - a table runner does not need to be soft either! But
as I write, and writing is such an awesome way to gather thoughts
together, I am thinking that a pillow cover may just do it for me.
Yes, I could plug on, mending breaking threads every time I advance
the warp or I could salvage what I can. So now I have found a use for
the completed section. Yeah!
Next, I need to figure out how to use
the leftover ends. But, even more important, my initial idea was
good, a prayer shawl to wear while meditating. I can't let go of that
vision so my next step in putting the project to bed is to either
order a more appropriate warp yarn in the same colorway (re-warping
the loom afresh) or to figure out if I have enough yarn to switch to
knitting one instead. The project has 3 different browns, one light
blue, and one varigated fuzzy single, all in Alpaca. They are used in
both the warp and weft. I was trying to avoid stripes. It is the dark
side of Coco Chanel. Who knew Chanel could
be dark? Some things can't be figured out completely ahead, so I'm
going to make my pillow and submerge my hands in that lovely Alpaca
and let it tell me what to do with it. In the meantime, my loom will
be free for another project, many of which are just waiting to
happen.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
A
Hat That Fits!
By
Laughing Zebra Studios
Yarn:
Worsted weight.
Gauge:
This hat is worked in worsted weight yarn at 5.5 stitches per inch.
Size:
Adult medium.
96 is
the magic cast on number. It is a multiple of 4 so you can do 2 x 2
ribbing easily. Most adult head sizes vary by only a half to one inch
at most. To change the hat size to accommodate your favorite “fat
head” spouse or a more petite cousin, try varying the size of the
needle you are using. In general it is better if the hat has to
stretch a little to fit. That way it will stay put on your head and
not slide all over the place. This hat fits me “lightly” and does
stay put, however if I were doing heavy labor outside (like shoveling
snow or extreme sports) I might want it to fit tighter. In
retrospect, I would be tempted to subtract 4 to 8 stitches from the
cast on number (so much for my magic cast on number of 96!) or do the
next one on a smaller size needle. (The math: 96 stitches divided by
5.5 inches per inch equals 17.45 inches. If the gauge is tighter: 96
stitches divided by 6 stitches per inch equals 16 inches. That's an
approximate 1.5 inch difference). If you don't like tight knitting
you might want to subtract some stitches rather than use the smaller
needles.
Cast
on 96 stitches on either double pointed or circular needles using
your favorite cast on method.
Rim
Work
rim of hat in 2 x 2 rib for approximately 2.5 inches.
For an
easy decorative effect in this rim try:
6 rows
in solid colored yarn. (I used cream in this picture. The cast on
edge will make it look like 7 rows. You can sub in any solid color
you want.)
4 rows
in variegated yarn
7 rows
in matching solid yarn. (I used cream again.)
*Alternate
variation: some people like the rim of their hats to be turned back.
This makes the rim thicker and some people like this. Double the
border if you want this effect. I would add a few extra rows (2 or 3)
to accommodate the rows that are located where the hat folds back on
itself.
Body of Hat
Switch
to stockinette stitch and larger needles and work even next 4 inches
(plus or minus). (Design note: I used a variegated yarn. Because of
the width of the hat there were some nice sections of solid colors.
The contrast with the solid colored yarn in the rim helps to set off
the variegated section nicely.)
Decreasing
Decrease
6 stitches across round by knitting two stitches together at even
intervals across round. This means that with 96 stitch in a round you
will be knitting 13 stitches and then knitting 2 together. The last
group will have only 12 stitches. (The math: 13 plus 1 equals 14
times 6 equals 84 stitches subtracted from 96 cast on leaves 12
stitches remaining.)
Knit
next round even.
You
will be doing 7 decrease rows alternating with plain rows. Each
decrease row will have fewer and fewer stitches between decreases. Be
sure to work the decreases so they line up for a more attractive
effect. You can place a stitch marker if that helps. If you change to
double pointed needles just use 6 needles and do the decrease at the
beginning of each needle.
You are
now down to 54 stitches. (The math: 7 rounds times 6 decreases equals
42 stitches subtracted from your beginning cast on of 96 equals 54).
Don't worry if you are off by a stitch. It will still work.
Knit a
decrease row every row now for the next 3 rows. This time you are
going to decrease 12 stitches across the round by adding an
additional increase evenly between where you have been decreasing.
There may be some “gathers” forming at the top of the hat. This
is okay and is to be expected.
At the
end of these rounds you will be down to 19 stitches. (The math: 54
stitches minus 12 stitches per round for 3 rounds brings you down to
19 stitches.) If you have few extra or less don't worry about it.
Cut yarn leaving a very long tail. Thread a darning need and catch
all remaining stitches together. I usually go around 2 times OR use
the strand doubled being sure to let the extra tail hang to the
inside of the hat. I usually tie a knot. It won't show. I also weave
the ends in. They won't show either but I do anyway. Probably wasted
effort.
Note - Please read!: when I went to make this hat for my husband, I ended up adding approximately 40 more stitches to the round. The end result, as I didn't know until it was too late, is that we now have matching hats. So, ironically, my personal favorite "fat head" was indeed too fat and head sizes vary more than I had anticipated. I also recently knit a hat for my daughter and found that a rolled up brim looks nicer. The bulkier turn gives more definition to the edge of the hat. When doing a turned up edge, you have a choice of whether to continue the ribbing which may give you an even bulkier brim, or to change to stockinette stitch and knit approximately 3 to 4 inches more than the original pattern. Initially, you may see a little bit of purl stitching along the edge, but as it is worn, the brim retains its shape and that edge of purl goes away. Thank you!
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Variegated Plus Knitted Scarf Pattern
Variegated
Plus Scarf
By
Laughing Zebra Studios
How
often have we picked up a skein of variegated yarn and just loved the
combination of colors just calling us to come play? But when we work
up the yarn, the constant repeated mishmash of colors is just not as
attractive as we had originally hoped. Or you may have great
admiration for the mixture of colors that Norwegian designs
incorporate and found that keeping track of that many small balls of
yarn crossing and recrossing (knotting and re-knotting!) and the
headache of getting the tension on the floats just right was not for
you. The question is how to create attractive projects with
quickness and ease and avoid these problems.
With
careful placement of the blocks of solid and variegated colors you
can create a project that has the best of both worlds without having
to carry floats or keep track of rows worked. The following project
is easy and flexible. You can add easily add extra stitches if you
would like it wider or longer. It is worked in knit 2, purl 2 so the
edges don't curl and it has just a bit of texture to give it added
interest.
When
working through the design I tried to balance the sections of colors
so the scarf had some continuity. It is somewhat random, but the
sections repeat and have a (vague!) rhythm to them. The scarf is
pretty long, measuring out at approximately 88 inches without the
fringe. It easily wraps around the neck and hangs nicely.
Yarn
used: Worsted weight. 1 skein cream, 1 skein khaki, 2 skeins
variegated. I used inexpensive acyclic yarn so it wouldn't itch.
There are more expensive acrylic yarns out there and also non-itchy
wools.
Needles:
I use straight single pointed needles in size 5, but you could sub in
circular needles and just work back and forth.
Gauge
across rib: approximately 4 stitches per inch across the ribbing.
Directions:
Cast
on 46 stitches in cream colored yarn. I use long tail cast on, but
any method would work. I begin and end the project with the same
color yarn and with matching fringe. If you choose to add additional
width to the scarf, make sure you begin and end with a knit row so it
is symmetrical. That means you need a multiple of 4 plus an extra 2
stitches for the total width of the scarf. To add 2 inches
the total stitch count would be 54 stitches, for 3 inches the total
would be 58 stitches.
Knit
2, purl 2 for entire scarf.
All
color changes are at the edges of the scarf and are woven in
afterward.
Stripe
Pattern is given in both rows and inches. In some places it is easier
to count rows, in others, just keep your ruler handy. The exact row
count is not critical.
Cream 11
rows 2 inches
Variegated 5
rows 1 inch
Khaki 3
rows .5 inch plus or minus
Variegated 5
rows 1 inch
Cream 11
rows 2 inches
Variegated
Section
This
block of variegated yarn actually has two narrow sections of solid
khaki mixed in so you have
variegated/khaki/variegated/khaki/variegated. The solid in the middle
helps to break up the section and connect it visually to the rest of
the scarf. I have other long sections of variegated yarn where I
didn't do this and it doesn't seem to make a big difference.
Variegated 20
rows 4 inches
Khaki 3
or 4 rows .5 inches
Variegated 10
rows 2 inches
Khaki 3
or 4 rows .5 inches
Variegated 18
rows 3.5 inches
Long
blocks of colors. This is fun and easy to knit. Again the inch count
is not critical.
Cream 15
rows 3 inches
Khaki 28
rows 5.5 inches
Variegated 90
rows 18 inches
Khaki 30
rows 6 inches
Cream 18
inches 3.5 inches
Variegated 75
rows 15 inches
Cream 8
rows 1.5 inches
Variegated 8
rows 1.5 inches
Khaki 10
rows 1.75 inches (you could just do 8 rows here instead)
Variegated 8
rows 1.5 inches
Cream
8 rows 1.5 inches
Variegated 45
rows 9 inches (to add additional length, try adding a block
of khaki in the middle of this section.)
Cream
13 rows 2 inches
Bind
off.
Add
fringe. I used doubled strands of cream so there are 4 strands
hanging down together. I spaced them every inch on sections of knit
ribbing.
If
you use acrylic yarn there is no need to block the project.
Happy
knitting!
Monday, January 25, 2016
Crosswords
We've gotten this far and the big
blizzards, knock on wood, have so far drifted by. It did that last
year also. Funny how fate leads you astray, gets your hopes up and
then lets you crash in misery. The bottom line is that you can't rely
on fate or luck to get you ahead. Yes, we all know people who have
zoomed to stardom on a whim, but they had the skills in place to
start with. Hard work, practice and, most importantly, time spent
will get you further ahead than a lottery ticket bought when the
jackpot is at half a billion.
As for “time spent” being the
number one factor, lets look at that. I do crossword puzzles and I
remember a time when I'd complete maybe a quarter or less of the
items in the grid. Now, I can generally complete the entire Globe
crossword when I do it. At first, I thought, that they were just
getting easier! Then I thought it was the anti-biotic I was on. It
had miraculously cleared out some under-performing neural
connections, and now like Charley*, I was brilliant. It took me a
while (so much for the concept of brilliance) to accept credit for
this achievement, but I still wondered how I got so smart. Maybe it
was just age. I had finally seen enough of the world and life that I
just plain knew more. Naaaaah. Or maybe, it was that I had spent the
time and practiced, learned the moves, and over time, actually, quite
a bit of time, I'd improved. My attitude going in to the task is now
more positive. I know I can do this. I have confidence (more on that
in a later post!). I will not succeed every time, but I have
confidence in my skills, my breadth of knowledge and now the weight
of a heavy task to surmount is not pushing me down.
For crafters and artists of all types,
this applies not just to the craft and learning the skills of the
trade or art that is practiced, it also applies to the task of
getting out there. It is, like a crossword, a cypher. We don't know
the moves. We don't know what language to use. We don't know how to
get there from here, but by trial and error, we will move forward and
at some point in time we will find success and then we'll label it as
our “lucky day”.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Harry Potter Inspired Winter Scarf
For your favorite half-blood
prince, this scarf uses an inspired blend of Griffindor red and gold
with muggle grey to create a double thick and warm scarf for those
spooky winter nights when Diagon Alley is a long bus ride away.
The scarf is 8” wide by
64” long and knitted as a tube. Instructions for single thickness
and longer versions at end of pattern.
Supplies:
Yarn: worsted weight yarn, 2
skeins each of grey, gold, red. The heathery “rag wool” grey in
this scarf is an inexpensive wool/acrylic blend: Lion Brand
Wool-Ease. The color stripes can be any similar worsted weight yarn
that doesn't itch! (more Lion Brand Wool-Ease, Patons Classic Wool,
or Red Heart Soft Yarn). I was looking for something that wouldn't
itch. For longer version, purchase additional skein of each color.
Knitting needles: 16”
circular needles.
Guage: 5 stitches/inch
Pattern: Knit in in the
round in stockingknit stitch throughout. Follow stripe order below.
To start cast on 84 stitches
with grey yarn and join, being careful not to twist the round. Follow
chart below for color order.
Grey: knit even for 8 inches.
|
Gold: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Repeat alternating gold and grey stripes 6 times
ending with a grey row.
|
Red: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Gold: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Red: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Gold: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
|
Red: 6 rows
Gold: 6 rows
|
Red: 8.5 inches
|
Grey: 5 rows
Gold: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Red: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Gold: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
|
Red: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Repeat alternating red and grey stripe 5 times.
|
Gold: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Gold: 6 rows
(For longer scarf add 8.5 inches of red here,
followed by 10 stripes of alternating red and grey.)
|
Grey: 5 ¼ inches
|
Gold: 6 rows
Grey: 5 rows
Gold: 6 rows
|
Grey: 5 inches.
(Not long enough? Add 10 (or more!) alternating
stripes of red and greyfollowed by one long section of grey.)
|
Bind off using larger
needles.
To finish, turn inside out
and weave in loose ends. Turn right side out. Sew up ends.
For fringe use double
strands of yarn alternating grey with gold and then red yarns. Insert
crochet hook through end edge of scarf, loop two strands around hook,
pull through and then insert ends through loop.
Variations
Single Thickness Scarf
To make a lighter weight
scarf, cast on 48 stitches and work on straight needles in rib of
knit 1, purl 1 throughout to prevent curling edges. It will give the
project a ribbed look that varies with how tightly you knit. I have
never been happy with the edge treatments that I have found (i.e.
slip last stitch) when using straight stockingknit stitch. If you are
using wool, you can block the final result, acrylic yarns do not
block as well.
Longer Scarf
Purchase additional skein of
each color used. You will need them if doing double thick tube
pattern.
If you know from the get go
that you want it longer add 8.5 inch wide stripe of solid red,
followed by 10 alternating stripes of red and grey where indicated in
the pattern.
If you are uncertain how
long you want the scrarf, knit as written and when you get to the
end, add 10 or more additional alternating stripes of red and grey
ending with a long section (8” plus or minus) of solid grey.
Handy Tip
To avoid a jig jog where the
stripes change colors: remember you are knitting in the round, so
knit one whole row of your new color and when you get to your
starting point again, in that first stitch of the row, pick up the
previous colored stitch below it PLUS that stitch and knit the two
stitches together. Got that? There are several U-tube videos that
explain it very well. Good luck!
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