I have just emerged from Boy Scout resident camp where I spent seven days and six nights volunteering, helping to oversee over 35 Scouts, eight of whom were spending their first time away from home at a camp. (One even said this is the first time in his entire life he's gone seven days without watching a screen of some kind. For the record he survived.)
What happens at camp stays at camp and for confidentiality reasons I can't blog the many stories, no matter how tempting or how great they are to tell. I'll say I have enough material for at least three comedy movies or books. Boy Scout camp is a wealth of raw material for writers or screen play writers, I now know.
I am still in the bubble of living without electricity and living in the woods.
I had set some blog posts to automatically publish while I was camping so that is why my blog posts were published earlier this week.
I had time to think about some big things while away. Some decisions were made. Some shifts in priorities are being made right now. I might share those on the blog in the future.
I need to readjust to my normal life and get on with the next thing on the schedule. I'm going to be busy for the next two weeks, away from the computer for the most part, so my blogging may be spotty.
I hope all of my blog readers are having a fantastic summer so far!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Hooray! New Art Journal Book is Out!
I'm doing a happy dance after UPS visited with a delivery of "1000 Artist Journal Pages: personal pages and inspiration" by Dawn DeVries Sokol. This book was just published this month by Quarry Books.
If you make Amazon purchases and link through from my blog I thank you. That revenue partially paid for this book.
All I can say about this right now is that the shape is square, it is paperback with glossy pages, almost like a coffee table book. It is laid out just like "1000 Artist Trading Cards" with the scans on the page with a numerical reference and the name of the artist. No other text clutters the pages.
I can't wait to sit down and look through and study the pages of other people's art journals!
If you make Amazon purchases and link through from my blog I thank you. That revenue partially paid for this book.
All I can say about this right now is that the shape is square, it is paperback with glossy pages, almost like a coffee table book. It is laid out just like "1000 Artist Trading Cards" with the scans on the page with a numerical reference and the name of the artist. No other text clutters the pages.
I can't wait to sit down and look through and study the pages of other people's art journals!
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Two Yummy Yarns
My biggest splurge so far was these two skeins of wool yarn purchased at Uncommon Threads in York, Pennsylvania while on vacation down there last week.
These are malabrigio aquarella wool yarns from Uraguay. I will not be using these to felt with because they are too nice. I also spent $14 on each skein (yikes) and don't want to waste this yarn.
These are malabrigio aquarella wool yarns from Uraguay. I will not be using these to felt with because they are too nice. I also spent $14 on each skein (yikes) and don't want to waste this yarn.
Third Knitting Project in Process
I began my third knitted project while away on vacation last week.
I am using Reynolds Lopi wool yarn which I purchased at The Needle Shop in Westport, Connecticut.
I am using Reynolds Lopi wool yarn which I purchased at The Needle Shop in Westport, Connecticut.
If you look closely you can see that the blue wool has threads of red and light blue and green in it. Even my husband noticed that and thought it was cool.
I casted on 45 stitches on a #13 needle. I am still so new to knitting that I only know the knit stitch so this bag is being done all in the garter stitch. (See I am getting the knitting terminology down!)
Here is the piece after one skein of yarn was completed. This photo was taken on the dashboard while driving down the highway (I was a passenger, don't worry).
I think my stitches are coming out pretty even now.
Right now I've knitted 2.5 skeins onto this project. All this work was done while away on vacation in "in between times" like when I was a passenger in the car or waiting for a meal to be served at a restaurant. Knitting in public elicited a few comments from wait staff. I was told knitting is not really done in Pennsylvania. I think the owners of Uncommon Threads in York which I patronized while in PA would disagree with that.
This bag will be machine felted (fulled) when completed.
I plan to use just this one color and sew it into a rectangle shaped handbag with a flap going over the front. I am making this pattern up myself. I know it is very simple. My goal with this is to use just one yarn so the gauge will be the same and so it will remain in a good straight rectangle shape. I think I will use a button as a closure. I am undecided as to what kind of handle this will have, if I will knit it or if it will be purchased and made of bamboo or wood.
Second Knitting Project in Process
Here is my second knitted project which was supposed to be a handbag but is now a tote bag. This was knitted with wool yarn then machine felted (fulled).
Here is a photo of the knitted project before I hand sewed the three edges together to form a tote bag shape. Note the huge size. This actually fit around my waist at the small end and flared outward like a mini skirt! My husband said I should keep it as a shawl and my boys wanted to keep it as a lap blanket.
This was supposed to be a rectangle. Between accidental increases and the different gauges of the yarns this ended up uneven.
Here is the bag after it was machine felted (which I did last night). I plan to buy handles at a local yarn shop and attach them. This is about 8 inches at the bottom and flares out for the top/open end.
Here is a close up of the felted area. Is this not yummy?
I also realized that two of the yarns were too nice to have felted. I feel they were wasted by felting them. One was a fantastic hand painted wool from a farm in Vermont with luscious colors. The other was a super chunky yarn with green and gold colors, the uniqueness of that yarn was lost in the felting process. Lesson learned.
Here is a photo of the knitted project before I hand sewed the three edges together to form a tote bag shape. Note the huge size. This actually fit around my waist at the small end and flared outward like a mini skirt! My husband said I should keep it as a shawl and my boys wanted to keep it as a lap blanket.
This was supposed to be a rectangle. Between accidental increases and the different gauges of the yarns this ended up uneven.
Here is the bag after it was machine felted (which I did last night). I plan to buy handles at a local yarn shop and attach them. This is about 8 inches at the bottom and flares out for the top/open end.
Here is a close up of the felted area. Is this not yummy?
I also realized that two of the yarns were too nice to have felted. I feel they were wasted by felting them. One was a fantastic hand painted wool from a farm in Vermont with luscious colors. The other was a super chunky yarn with green and gold colors, the uniqueness of that yarn was lost in the felting process. Lesson learned.
First Knitted Project
Here is the bag that I knitted. This is my first knitting attempt.
Here is the bag before it was assembled and without the strap.
Here is the bag after it was sewn together. It is very imperfect so I'm a bit shy about sharing this project.
I machine felted it last night and will share that photo soon. I had trouble getting it to felt and I might machine felt it more before snapping that photo.
Here is the bag before it was assembled and without the strap.
Here is the bag after it was sewn together. It is very imperfect so I'm a bit shy about sharing this project.
I machine felted it last night and will share that photo soon. I had trouble getting it to felt and I might machine felt it more before snapping that photo.
Reclaiming Yarn From a Thrift Store Sweater
I am interested in reclaiming yarn from some sweaters I already own but don’t want to wear and am interested in reclaiming yarn from thrift store sweaters, to save money and yes, for the green living efforts too.
While in Pennsylvania we were having a laid-back driving around day and I spotted a huge Salvation Army store. I know of none of these near my home. I also know my local Goodwill sells sweaters for $10-12 which is not such a great bargain in my opinion. So I went in to the Salvation Army in Pennsylvania, and hit the jackpot on sweaters. Most were $2.99 with a few at $3.99. I bought only wool sweaters. I found many beautiful and ‘like new’ sweaters in cotton too, but I didn’t have plans to use them in the near future so I didn’t buy those.
I might machine felt (full) the sweaters as is, cut them, and then cut and sew them together in a new shape. I might unravel the sweaters to reclaim the yarn and to knit the yarn into something new. I need to investigate this more to examine my options.
At the time I bought the sweaters, I had no idea how to reclaim yarn from a sweater and did a Google search. This excellent tutorial came up, on the blog Chaotic Crafter. Chaotic Crafter reclaims all types of yarn, not just wool and not just cotton, to use to knit new projects. I wanted to share this with you in case you are interested in doing this.
Reclaiming Yarn from a Thift Store Sweater post at Chaotic Crafter
Technorati Tags: reclaiming yarn, reclaiming yarn from a sweater, green crafting, knitting, machine felting.
While in Pennsylvania we were having a laid-back driving around day and I spotted a huge Salvation Army store. I know of none of these near my home. I also know my local Goodwill sells sweaters for $10-12 which is not such a great bargain in my opinion. So I went in to the Salvation Army in Pennsylvania, and hit the jackpot on sweaters. Most were $2.99 with a few at $3.99. I bought only wool sweaters. I found many beautiful and ‘like new’ sweaters in cotton too, but I didn’t have plans to use them in the near future so I didn’t buy those.
I might machine felt (full) the sweaters as is, cut them, and then cut and sew them together in a new shape. I might unravel the sweaters to reclaim the yarn and to knit the yarn into something new. I need to investigate this more to examine my options.
At the time I bought the sweaters, I had no idea how to reclaim yarn from a sweater and did a Google search. This excellent tutorial came up, on the blog Chaotic Crafter. Chaotic Crafter reclaims all types of yarn, not just wool and not just cotton, to use to knit new projects. I wanted to share this with you in case you are interested in doing this.
Reclaiming Yarn from a Thift Store Sweater post at Chaotic Crafter
Technorati Tags: reclaiming yarn, reclaiming yarn from a sweater, green crafting, knitting, machine felting.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jig
We are home!
Our family was in Pennsylvania for six days. Before leaving I had written some blog posts for my main blog, The Thinking Mother, and used Blogger’s new posting function to set up my blog posts to publish while I was away. That function is great, I inputted the time and date to publish the post and when that time arrives, it gets published! Presto!
Our family had never taken a trip to Pennsylvania before.
The reason for the trip was a family camping trip with the Boy Scout Troop, to visit Gettysburg. The first full day the Troop hiked. To be honest it started of horribly, as we began the hike at 2pm in 95 degree, sunny and very humid weather. It was very oppressive weather and outdoors is the last place that most people wanted to be. Our small group got lost, making the trip longer than planned. The new visitor center’s location made the hike a mile longer than it was with the data we planned the trip with, meaning we found out after we got there that the hike would be longer (in full sun walking on pavement). Before the hike was over, people ran out of water, their faces were red, everyone was soaked with sweat, it was bad to say the least and we are lucky no one had heat exhaustion. The next day was supposed to be a ten mile, six hour hike, forget that. Our family (and a number of others) backed out of it at the last minute. Instead our family did a four hour auto tour using a wonderful audio CD published by the History Channel (given to us by a friend). We heard great stories told by a very good narrator and historian while driving to the sites. We got out when we wanted to. It was ‘the way to go’ if you ask me. The camping was brutal due to heat and humidity and the noisy campground (our site was next to the flush toilets) and many campers ignored the 9pm ‘quiet time’, instead being very noisy until midnight (going to and from the bathroom, washing pots and even taking showers up to midnight). So our family bagged out of camping the third night and checked into the hotel a day earlier than planned.
So the second part of the trip was near Hershey. We spent two days at Hershey Park and it was great. My husband had been there as a child and I’d never been there before. It was a fantastic time, our kids had a ball. My eight year old was a bit young for some of the roller coasters and too old for the kiddie rides but there was still plenty for him to do. My ten year old was tall enough to go on all the rides in the park, even the scariest coaster, and a brand new coaster called Fahrenheit. By chance we happened to get the first car so we had the best seat! Hershey Park also has a huge water park included in the admission price which was a great way to cool off and have different fun than standing on line for thrill rides.
We also spent a day driving around seeing the sights and doing a little shopping, visiting a local yarn shop and trying some locally made ice cream at a farm. We tried to do some factory tours but that proved more difficult and impossible. If you ever plan to do that you should plan ahead (more than we did) and stick to a strict schedule or you will miss the tours (like we did). All the tours we tried to take were not ongoing throughout the day (unlike other tours we’ve taken in other states).
As for me, since I was the rider not the driver I got some stuff done. I read the first half of “From Crayons to Condoms: the Ugly Truth about American Public Schools” on the way home. I plan to blog that separately but for now I will say that what I do for homeschooling and what I have based the educational plan for my children on is way different than what is happening in schools today. What is going on today is light years apart and very different than what I experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. This book is a compilation of letters written by educators, students and parents about what is begin taught in public schools, including naming curriculums, books and other educational programs with short opening and closing statements by the authors. I am really shocked by what I am reading, this is a new look at what is going on that is very different than what has been said in the past by educational reformers such as John Holt and John Taylor Gatto. Concrete examples are given to illustrate vague claims and catch phrases such as “dumbed down”, “indoctrination”, “anti-Christian”, “new age”, and “self-esteem promotion”. I have not read the part yet where they outline what parents of publically schooled children can do to try to make changes in their own school systems.
Prior to reading that book, I spent every spare minute knitting. I worked on a handle in wool yarn for a bag that I plan to machine felt (full) until I ran out of yarn prematurely. I then began work on a new bag and knitted up nearly two full skeins of a new wool bag that will be machine felted (fulled). I think I have the Continental knit stitch down well and I’m making even stitches and nice rows. I need help learning the Continental purl stitch as I was not able to teach myself from the book I own while on the road. I also feel ready to do something different and more complicated. My sons are asking me to make them a knitted hat in camo colors. I want to learn to make socks. I’d like to make mittens too.
I hope to blog more about some of our educational and fun experiences in the last week in separate blog posts. I also found some great books about the Civil War at the Gettysburg visitor center’s gift shop and will blog book reviews of those in the future.
Our family was in Pennsylvania for six days. Before leaving I had written some blog posts for my main blog, The Thinking Mother, and used Blogger’s new posting function to set up my blog posts to publish while I was away. That function is great, I inputted the time and date to publish the post and when that time arrives, it gets published! Presto!
Our family had never taken a trip to Pennsylvania before.
The reason for the trip was a family camping trip with the Boy Scout Troop, to visit Gettysburg. The first full day the Troop hiked. To be honest it started of horribly, as we began the hike at 2pm in 95 degree, sunny and very humid weather. It was very oppressive weather and outdoors is the last place that most people wanted to be. Our small group got lost, making the trip longer than planned. The new visitor center’s location made the hike a mile longer than it was with the data we planned the trip with, meaning we found out after we got there that the hike would be longer (in full sun walking on pavement). Before the hike was over, people ran out of water, their faces were red, everyone was soaked with sweat, it was bad to say the least and we are lucky no one had heat exhaustion. The next day was supposed to be a ten mile, six hour hike, forget that. Our family (and a number of others) backed out of it at the last minute. Instead our family did a four hour auto tour using a wonderful audio CD published by the History Channel (given to us by a friend). We heard great stories told by a very good narrator and historian while driving to the sites. We got out when we wanted to. It was ‘the way to go’ if you ask me. The camping was brutal due to heat and humidity and the noisy campground (our site was next to the flush toilets) and many campers ignored the 9pm ‘quiet time’, instead being very noisy until midnight (going to and from the bathroom, washing pots and even taking showers up to midnight). So our family bagged out of camping the third night and checked into the hotel a day earlier than planned.
So the second part of the trip was near Hershey. We spent two days at Hershey Park and it was great. My husband had been there as a child and I’d never been there before. It was a fantastic time, our kids had a ball. My eight year old was a bit young for some of the roller coasters and too old for the kiddie rides but there was still plenty for him to do. My ten year old was tall enough to go on all the rides in the park, even the scariest coaster, and a brand new coaster called Fahrenheit. By chance we happened to get the first car so we had the best seat! Hershey Park also has a huge water park included in the admission price which was a great way to cool off and have different fun than standing on line for thrill rides.
We also spent a day driving around seeing the sights and doing a little shopping, visiting a local yarn shop and trying some locally made ice cream at a farm. We tried to do some factory tours but that proved more difficult and impossible. If you ever plan to do that you should plan ahead (more than we did) and stick to a strict schedule or you will miss the tours (like we did). All the tours we tried to take were not ongoing throughout the day (unlike other tours we’ve taken in other states).
As for me, since I was the rider not the driver I got some stuff done. I read the first half of “From Crayons to Condoms: the Ugly Truth about American Public Schools” on the way home. I plan to blog that separately but for now I will say that what I do for homeschooling and what I have based the educational plan for my children on is way different than what is happening in schools today. What is going on today is light years apart and very different than what I experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. This book is a compilation of letters written by educators, students and parents about what is begin taught in public schools, including naming curriculums, books and other educational programs with short opening and closing statements by the authors. I am really shocked by what I am reading, this is a new look at what is going on that is very different than what has been said in the past by educational reformers such as John Holt and John Taylor Gatto. Concrete examples are given to illustrate vague claims and catch phrases such as “dumbed down”, “indoctrination”, “anti-Christian”, “new age”, and “self-esteem promotion”. I have not read the part yet where they outline what parents of publically schooled children can do to try to make changes in their own school systems.
Prior to reading that book, I spent every spare minute knitting. I worked on a handle in wool yarn for a bag that I plan to machine felt (full) until I ran out of yarn prematurely. I then began work on a new bag and knitted up nearly two full skeins of a new wool bag that will be machine felted (fulled). I think I have the Continental knit stitch down well and I’m making even stitches and nice rows. I need help learning the Continental purl stitch as I was not able to teach myself from the book I own while on the road. I also feel ready to do something different and more complicated. My sons are asking me to make them a knitted hat in camo colors. I want to learn to make socks. I’d like to make mittens too.
I hope to blog more about some of our educational and fun experiences in the last week in separate blog posts. I also found some great books about the Civil War at the Gettysburg visitor center’s gift shop and will blog book reviews of those in the future.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I Want to Make This Felted Bag
I want to make this booga bag!
I found this by inputting my new yarn stash today in my Ravelry account. Then I clicked through to see what finished projects other Ravelry members had shared. One felted bag made with a yarn I just purchased was this bag. This pattern is available for free.
I don't own the right needles. This will have to wait until I buy new needles.
I found this by inputting my new yarn stash today in my Ravelry account. Then I clicked through to see what finished projects other Ravelry members had shared. One felted bag made with a yarn I just purchased was this bag. This pattern is available for free.
I don't own the right needles. This will have to wait until I buy new needles.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Inspired, Ideas & Limited by Time
I feel so inspired to do many different projects.
I have lots of ideas.
I have limited time. I know this is true for everyone.
Lately I feel so busy with appointments, prepping for them then unpacking and winding down from them. I feel like I have no spare time for just relaxing and doing crafty things.
I have managed to knit each evening after being very busy all day long. I get into bed in my PJs, put the TV on, "watch" a show while I knit. The kids are with me for one show then off to bed they go. Then I usually watch another show and knit a bit more.
I then read a little while before shutting off the light and going to sleep.
It is kind of frustrating to have tons of ideas and feel like I have no time to do these in.
I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to keep up with the laundry and keep the house looking decent. The recent weeding, about six hours worth last week, also took up some of my time. We have also planted our container garden on the deck. I am planting seeds and have planted tomatoes in the raised bed in the yard. I am sure the deer will eat that but my husband insists on trying.
So many creative juices are flowing through me, and I feel stifled. The knitting though shows me the progress is being made. The kids can't believe how big this wool bag is getting, which will be fulled (machine felted).
Oh, and I am doing my first postal letterbox ring. I should take the time to blog the photos but for now I'll share that I did create two handmade books with a new method learned from a book. I also designed and carved two original rubber stamps. I sent my book out with one stamp. So far two people's books and their stamp has arrived. When those come I take the stamp in theirs and stamp it into my second book that stays home with me. I take my stamp that stays here with me and put it in their book. I then send their stamp and book off to the next person in line. I wonder when the next book will arrive??
I am behind in doing one ATC swap for May. I have the idea for how to do it and I hope to do that soon. I need to make one ATC for a swap for June. I already have the idea for what to do for that. I just quit off of the swaps so when June is done I am finished.
I have lots of ideas.
I have limited time. I know this is true for everyone.
Lately I feel so busy with appointments, prepping for them then unpacking and winding down from them. I feel like I have no spare time for just relaxing and doing crafty things.
I have managed to knit each evening after being very busy all day long. I get into bed in my PJs, put the TV on, "watch" a show while I knit. The kids are with me for one show then off to bed they go. Then I usually watch another show and knit a bit more.
I then read a little while before shutting off the light and going to sleep.
It is kind of frustrating to have tons of ideas and feel like I have no time to do these in.
I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to keep up with the laundry and keep the house looking decent. The recent weeding, about six hours worth last week, also took up some of my time. We have also planted our container garden on the deck. I am planting seeds and have planted tomatoes in the raised bed in the yard. I am sure the deer will eat that but my husband insists on trying.
So many creative juices are flowing through me, and I feel stifled. The knitting though shows me the progress is being made. The kids can't believe how big this wool bag is getting, which will be fulled (machine felted).
Oh, and I am doing my first postal letterbox ring. I should take the time to blog the photos but for now I'll share that I did create two handmade books with a new method learned from a book. I also designed and carved two original rubber stamps. I sent my book out with one stamp. So far two people's books and their stamp has arrived. When those come I take the stamp in theirs and stamp it into my second book that stays home with me. I take my stamp that stays here with me and put it in their book. I then send their stamp and book off to the next person in line. I wonder when the next book will arrive??
I am behind in doing one ATC swap for May. I have the idea for how to do it and I hope to do that soon. I need to make one ATC for a swap for June. I already have the idea for what to do for that. I just quit off of the swaps so when June is done I am finished.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Make It From Scratch Blog Carnival Has Been Published
The Make It From Scratch blog carnival was published today at Our Red House. Check it out and get inspired to make something from scratch.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Lots of Bees
How many different kinds of bees are here?
Can you identify them?
(Double click on the photo to view it larger.)
Photo taken in my front yard, June 2008.
Technorati Tags: bees, nature study.
Can you identify them?
(Double click on the photo to view it larger.)
Photo taken in my front yard, June 2008.
Technorati Tags: bees, nature study.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Knitting Project One in Progress
Here is my first knitted project. It will be sewn into a small bag then fulled (washing machine felted). Due to shrinkage it may end up just big enough to hold a cell phone.
I was struggling with tension and it started off with too-tight stitches. Due to the fulling that will be done none of the stitches will be seen in the finished product. Therefore my imperfections will not be evident!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Small Town Living
Small town living is great.
Even on days when I have to wait for service at the post office because the sole clerk is out to lunch.
I can only assume the other postal workers are on vacation.
Knitting Error Confirmed
I mentioned in my last blog post that I was worried I was doing the Continental knit stitch incorrectly. Yesterday at homeschool park day I verified this with my friend who also knits Continental stitch.
I was going from left to right instead of the other way around. My friend says that if I continue doing just the knit stitch for this project it will be fine. However since the twist is wrong if I was trying to combine purl with knit then a disaster would ensue.
The new plan is to finish off this bag which will be machine felted (aka “fulled”). Then I will re-train my hands and mind to do the Continental stitch the proper way. The book that is helping me with this fulling is "Not Your Mama's Felting" by Amy Swensen.
Well my friend said my rows are straight and that I’m doing well for a beginner. That is nice to know!
My boys are surprised that the knitting is getting so large. I am using up balls of yarn given to me by a friend. I am on color #4 now. The bag will be striped. The stripes are uneven as I am just using all the yarn I own of each color then changing to the next color. Well I am starting each on a new row so I do have scraps left over; I didn’t go right to the very end.
I finally had my husband download the photos from my camera so hopefully soon I’ll have the time to upload some photos here soon.
I was going from left to right instead of the other way around. My friend says that if I continue doing just the knit stitch for this project it will be fine. However since the twist is wrong if I was trying to combine purl with knit then a disaster would ensue.
The new plan is to finish off this bag which will be machine felted (aka “fulled”). Then I will re-train my hands and mind to do the Continental stitch the proper way. The book that is helping me with this fulling is "Not Your Mama's Felting" by Amy Swensen.
Well my friend said my rows are straight and that I’m doing well for a beginner. That is nice to know!
My boys are surprised that the knitting is getting so large. I am using up balls of yarn given to me by a friend. I am on color #4 now. The bag will be striped. The stripes are uneven as I am just using all the yarn I own of each color then changing to the next color. Well I am starting each on a new row so I do have scraps left over; I didn’t go right to the very end.
I finally had my husband download the photos from my camera so hopefully soon I’ll have the time to upload some photos here soon.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
My Progress with Knitting
I thought I'd give an update on my knitting.
I chose one color of wool yarn, given to me by a friend I met through the local homeschooling chat group and who also is a reader of my blog. Using the gifted metal knitting needles (#8 I think), I started to make a rectangle. The idea was to make a felted little bag without even using a pattern. I figured the felting process would hide any errors I made.
I really struggled because I was knitting very tightly. I am trying to understand
'the right tension'. I have loosened up.
Using logic I did increases to make it wider then decreases to make it narrower at other points.
I did some shopping for books on knitting and could not find any in local stores that seemed like they could teach me the things I needed to know. It seemed so many were too sparse on directions and techniques but heavy on projects. In one tempting book they used nearly every size knitting needle and all different kinds of yarn. For some simple looking projects I would need several different sets of needles. I wanted something to do with just one set of knitting needles and maybe one skein of yarn!
Just a couple of days ago I found a book at A.C. Moore and bought it using a 50% off coupon. What I was looking for was a book with very clear diagrams of how to do the stiches and various techniques like changing the color of the yarn. I finally found the right book for me. It is called "A-Z of Knitting: The Ultimate Guide for Beginner to Advanced Knitter" by Sue Gardner. The whole book is on technique and stiches. There are NO patterns or projects. Each technique has full color photographs in many steps to clearly show what is going on. The written instructions are clear too. This is just what I wanted.
Note also I had trouble shopping for a book about knitting on Amazon becuase I couldn't see the inside of the book to check the diagrams.
Using the book I taught myself to bind off. I did that to finish the piece that is going to be the little bag. I need to get a needle that will take yarn, because I don't think I own one, I know I didn't buy one, and after that I will sew up the sides and then the little bag will be felted in my washing machine.
The book I am using for felting information about washing machine felting, and directions on how to do it is: "Not Your Mama's Felting" by Amy Swenson.
At the same time I began a second project. Using size 13 bamboo needles I cast on 100 stitches of a very thick wool yarn. This will be a larger bag of some kind.
I am just doing the knit stitch for both projects. I figure, one thing at a time.
I keep having the feeling that I am doing something wrong. According to the new book, I was doing one step backwards. I am having trouble moving the needle in the opposite way to do it like the book says. The weird thing is that the finished stitches look identical when done with either method. Next up I think I'll see if I can find a You Tube video of the Continental knit stitch to see what others say about how to do this correctly.
I have been knitting mostly in bed at night. I take it with me when I know I have to sit and wait, like in the doctor's waiting room, while sitting vigil with my dying grandmother or waiting for a carpool.
At this point I am enjoying this. I still feel very much like a beginner. The idea of following a pattern scares me to death.
I have a new appreciation for hand knit sweaters and complicated projects. I am feeling that so many of the usable items are very difficult to do. I am not rushing to push myself to do harder projects right now. Slow and steady is my pace for knitting.
My older son is begging for me to make him a blanket but honestly that may take me a full year!
I also tried to teach him to knit but it got frustrating and I gave up. One problem with that is that I don't know enough about the right way to knit to know if he is doing it right. I don't know enough about fixing errors if he makes a mistake.
I chose one color of wool yarn, given to me by a friend I met through the local homeschooling chat group and who also is a reader of my blog. Using the gifted metal knitting needles (#8 I think), I started to make a rectangle. The idea was to make a felted little bag without even using a pattern. I figured the felting process would hide any errors I made.
I really struggled because I was knitting very tightly. I am trying to understand
'the right tension'. I have loosened up.
Using logic I did increases to make it wider then decreases to make it narrower at other points.
I did some shopping for books on knitting and could not find any in local stores that seemed like they could teach me the things I needed to know. It seemed so many were too sparse on directions and techniques but heavy on projects. In one tempting book they used nearly every size knitting needle and all different kinds of yarn. For some simple looking projects I would need several different sets of needles. I wanted something to do with just one set of knitting needles and maybe one skein of yarn!
Just a couple of days ago I found a book at A.C. Moore and bought it using a 50% off coupon. What I was looking for was a book with very clear diagrams of how to do the stiches and various techniques like changing the color of the yarn. I finally found the right book for me. It is called "A-Z of Knitting: The Ultimate Guide for Beginner to Advanced Knitter" by Sue Gardner. The whole book is on technique and stiches. There are NO patterns or projects. Each technique has full color photographs in many steps to clearly show what is going on. The written instructions are clear too. This is just what I wanted.
Note also I had trouble shopping for a book about knitting on Amazon becuase I couldn't see the inside of the book to check the diagrams.
Using the book I taught myself to bind off. I did that to finish the piece that is going to be the little bag. I need to get a needle that will take yarn, because I don't think I own one, I know I didn't buy one, and after that I will sew up the sides and then the little bag will be felted in my washing machine.
The book I am using for felting information about washing machine felting, and directions on how to do it is: "Not Your Mama's Felting" by Amy Swenson.
At the same time I began a second project. Using size 13 bamboo needles I cast on 100 stitches of a very thick wool yarn. This will be a larger bag of some kind.
I am just doing the knit stitch for both projects. I figure, one thing at a time.
I keep having the feeling that I am doing something wrong. According to the new book, I was doing one step backwards. I am having trouble moving the needle in the opposite way to do it like the book says. The weird thing is that the finished stitches look identical when done with either method. Next up I think I'll see if I can find a You Tube video of the Continental knit stitch to see what others say about how to do this correctly.
I have been knitting mostly in bed at night. I take it with me when I know I have to sit and wait, like in the doctor's waiting room, while sitting vigil with my dying grandmother or waiting for a carpool.
At this point I am enjoying this. I still feel very much like a beginner. The idea of following a pattern scares me to death.
I have a new appreciation for hand knit sweaters and complicated projects. I am feeling that so many of the usable items are very difficult to do. I am not rushing to push myself to do harder projects right now. Slow and steady is my pace for knitting.
My older son is begging for me to make him a blanket but honestly that may take me a full year!
I also tried to teach him to knit but it got frustrating and I gave up. One problem with that is that I don't know enough about the right way to knit to know if he is doing it right. I don't know enough about fixing errors if he makes a mistake.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Blogging Sporadic
My blogging has been and will be sporadic for a little while due to:
Grandmother getting Hospice care, setting up the care
Sitting vigil with my grandmother sans computer and Internet
Me being tired from lack of sleep
Grieving for the loss of my grandmother, processing emotions
Helping my children cope with a second grandparent's death in the last seven months
Helping make burial plans
Trying to keep up with normal life stuff
Trying to catch up on things already put off due to all of this
If I am sent links to article I may blog them but don't expect deep thoughts from me for a while as I'm just too strung out.
I'm behind on reading emails too, in case you are trying to reach me...
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Surprise Meeting
I hate it when God does this. I am speaking of when a person thinks they have something to be upset about God gives them something to shake them up and to rearrange the priorities and to deal with something bigger and more important. Suddenly the old issue that we saw that felt so bothersome and looked like a mountain is now perceived as just a mole hill.
Last evening while still in the bad mood about something I got a phone call that really shocked me. My father said that Hospice called had just phoned him to schedule an urgent meeting about my grandmother that will take place this morning. The surprise is no one told us she was dying.
Based on the end of life care and Hospice experience with my father-in-law six months ago I know that the hospice agency here does not step in until it is close to the end and they also need a doctor's order to even have that meeting with the family.
I know my grandmother has not been well and has been much more sleepy. In the last month while sick with two acute, what are technically considered minor infections, she suddenly needed more help as she was sleeping more and more weak, they said, due to the infections which knocked her energy levels down. She has had care 24/7 all that time. She didn't phone me on my birthday as she was too out of it and that was not a good sign. Still, no one has said at any point along the way that she is dying!
Presently my grandmother is living alone in her own home. For a long time that is what she has wanted but about six months ago she got lonely she said she wished someone could be there for companionship on a 24/7 basis. Well as I said in the last month she has had hired help there 24/7 and the last time I saw her, about ten days ago she said she is very happy in her home with companionship and it is just what she wants. (The financial cost is basically equal to a nursing home stay and that is not something that she can afford for years!) My grandmother was hoping she'd never have to return to a nursing home. My grandmother has been asking to die for years and always said she wanted to die in her own home. She has a DNR order and a special order that if 911 is called the paramedics are not supposed to take her out of the house (I never even knew that existed, but it is on a bracelet she wears now).
Last week her doctor was on vacation and no one would speak to my father about her for an update on her condition (long-time CHF plus the two minor infections). Last night during the office's evening hours, after the Hospice call, I begged him to call the doctor's office to ask about this and he was told the doctor went home and no one else would talk to him. I know on the one hand they say American medicine is so great but in times like this it seems like the communication part at least is not so wonderful. And if the communication is not there then the entire care can be perceived as not good. It is too bad so many doctors fail on the communication part, office staff could help to make this smoother instead of just being even more of a blockade and hindrance, which is a shame.
It is important to me that in the senior years, people are allowed to live with dignity. I wish that all elderly people and also the dying (of all ages) continued to have their wishes considered instead of sometimes other situations such as family doing what they perfer or intentionally going against the desire of the patient. I feel today regarding my paternal grandmother that she is getting what she wants, being in her own home with 24/7 care, and for that I am happy. I don't know how much longer that will be possible or when/if the money will run out and if she will have to go to a nursing home and enroll onto Medicaid and have the state take her home to help defray those costs.
I decided to get the straight story I will attend this morning's meeting. I feel sorry for myself and afraid to hear news that my grandmother's heart may be completely and truly failing at this point but I keep telling myself that this is not about me, it is about her and trying to focus on getting her the care that is right and best and what she wants also. I feel like I need to pull courage out from somewhere. Prayer is helping, I'm leaning on God this morning.
(Note: this is a case where blogging something is kind of a form of therapy. I'm not looking for attention. I am just sharing from the heart. Writing this out helps me process the situation and relieves stress. I don't usually share this type of personal information on my blog, a lot goes on in my life that I never blog about!)
Last evening while still in the bad mood about something I got a phone call that really shocked me. My father said that Hospice called had just phoned him to schedule an urgent meeting about my grandmother that will take place this morning. The surprise is no one told us she was dying.
Based on the end of life care and Hospice experience with my father-in-law six months ago I know that the hospice agency here does not step in until it is close to the end and they also need a doctor's order to even have that meeting with the family.
I know my grandmother has not been well and has been much more sleepy. In the last month while sick with two acute, what are technically considered minor infections, she suddenly needed more help as she was sleeping more and more weak, they said, due to the infections which knocked her energy levels down. She has had care 24/7 all that time. She didn't phone me on my birthday as she was too out of it and that was not a good sign. Still, no one has said at any point along the way that she is dying!
Presently my grandmother is living alone in her own home. For a long time that is what she has wanted but about six months ago she got lonely she said she wished someone could be there for companionship on a 24/7 basis. Well as I said in the last month she has had hired help there 24/7 and the last time I saw her, about ten days ago she said she is very happy in her home with companionship and it is just what she wants. (The financial cost is basically equal to a nursing home stay and that is not something that she can afford for years!) My grandmother was hoping she'd never have to return to a nursing home. My grandmother has been asking to die for years and always said she wanted to die in her own home. She has a DNR order and a special order that if 911 is called the paramedics are not supposed to take her out of the house (I never even knew that existed, but it is on a bracelet she wears now).
Last week her doctor was on vacation and no one would speak to my father about her for an update on her condition (long-time CHF plus the two minor infections). Last night during the office's evening hours, after the Hospice call, I begged him to call the doctor's office to ask about this and he was told the doctor went home and no one else would talk to him. I know on the one hand they say American medicine is so great but in times like this it seems like the communication part at least is not so wonderful. And if the communication is not there then the entire care can be perceived as not good. It is too bad so many doctors fail on the communication part, office staff could help to make this smoother instead of just being even more of a blockade and hindrance, which is a shame.
It is important to me that in the senior years, people are allowed to live with dignity. I wish that all elderly people and also the dying (of all ages) continued to have their wishes considered instead of sometimes other situations such as family doing what they perfer or intentionally going against the desire of the patient. I feel today regarding my paternal grandmother that she is getting what she wants, being in her own home with 24/7 care, and for that I am happy. I don't know how much longer that will be possible or when/if the money will run out and if she will have to go to a nursing home and enroll onto Medicaid and have the state take her home to help defray those costs.
I decided to get the straight story I will attend this morning's meeting. I feel sorry for myself and afraid to hear news that my grandmother's heart may be completely and truly failing at this point but I keep telling myself that this is not about me, it is about her and trying to focus on getting her the care that is right and best and what she wants also. I feel like I need to pull courage out from somewhere. Prayer is helping, I'm leaning on God this morning.
(Note: this is a case where blogging something is kind of a form of therapy. I'm not looking for attention. I am just sharing from the heart. Writing this out helps me process the situation and relieves stress. I don't usually share this type of personal information on my blog, a lot goes on in my life that I never blog about!)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Link to a Lomo Rant
I learned some interesting things in this article including that I don't have to buy a Lomo pinhole camera but can convert a cheap ($1-2) plastic 35 mm camera to a pinhole myself.
I have been stumbling upon those plastic 35 mm cameras with no batteries at thrift shops and Goodwill ranging from 50 cents to $4. I find Goodwill overprices, selling those for $3-$4 and as a comparision, selling a Kodak Instamatic for $7. Does anyone really want a Kodak Instamatic that takes 110 film for $7? On the good side I came across a Canon (film) SLR, a zoom that goes to 210mm and a flash in a case for $25 at a Goodwill the other day. (I didn't buy it as I still have my old Minolta from the 1980s and I inherited two manual SLRs and also two Minolta Maxxim's.)
Lomo Rant
I have been stumbling upon those plastic 35 mm cameras with no batteries at thrift shops and Goodwill ranging from 50 cents to $4. I find Goodwill overprices, selling those for $3-$4 and as a comparision, selling a Kodak Instamatic for $7. Does anyone really want a Kodak Instamatic that takes 110 film for $7? On the good side I came across a Canon (film) SLR, a zoom that goes to 210mm and a flash in a case for $25 at a Goodwill the other day. (I didn't buy it as I still have my old Minolta from the 1980s and I inherited two manual SLRs and also two Minolta Maxxim's.)
Lomo Rant
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