The (arbitrary) finish line!

And….NaBloPoMo is a wrap!

I did it.  I’ve done it before,  but given the break I took in blogging this was a giant leap.  Huzzah!

NaBloPoMo – blogging every day for a month.  This November the theme was “Type Your Heart Out”.  1427 bloggers took part (or at least signed up on the November blogroll).

There were lots of perks to joining.

• BlogHer PRO School – lessons on how to improve your writing. (I confess I only read a few of these – but I have them saved…)
• Twitter Chats
• Daily Newsletter
• Daily prompts and help
• Survival Guide
• Badges!

 Halfway through, JoAnne Apple posted a great blog entry on how NaBloPoMo feels in pictures.  She nailed it.

NaBloPoMo occurs every month on BlogHer, but November is special, it was the original month for it all to happen.  So I wanted to join in this month.

There were days the words just flew onto the screen.  There were days I wrote several posts and saved them for later.  There were days I just didn’t want to bother.  Sat staring at the computer screen and wondered what on earth would possibly be interesting to anyone (including me).  Days I was out and got home just in time to quickly type some pithy phrases of profundity in order to hit “publish” just before midnight.  But I did it.

I’ll keep on blogging!  I don’t know if I’ll continue to write every day, while the discipline is excellent it gets forced and who wants to write or read that?

In the meantime, today I’ll just kick back and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.

 

 

Gift knitting

Started an infinity scarf for kidlet.  She is very knitworthy, loving and appreciating what I knit for her.  She has been known to accost strangers who come to the flat with a display of all the wonderful things her mom has knit.  Very good for the ego, if a wee bit embarrassing at times.

She chose the yarn (Malabrigo lace – kid’s got good taste), and the pattern – Lace Ribbon Scarf, by Veronik Avery.  I used a provisional cast on onto a spare circular so I can kitchener the ends to make it an infinity scarf.  It will be interesting to figure out how to kitchener yarnovers, which are in every row.  I’ll let you know how that works out…

Pal Roberta helped me wind the yarn using her swift (it’s called the “Almighty Swift”, which amused us).

And I’ve started the pattern – almost through the chart the first time.

It should be a very light and airy scarf, and the malabrigo will be as luscious to wear as it is to work with.

Now if I can just pry my drop-by (castanho) cowl away from her I will be happy…  I would like to wear it occasionally myself.

 

 

Knit a Circuit?

But…why?

Electronic art professor Jesse Seay has developed a tutorial to knit your own circuitry.

He says in the instructions  he assumes you already know how to knit, solder, and wire up LEDs. (If you need to brush up on those skills, there are great tutorials all over the web.)

 

He has done all of his projects on a knitting machine, but says it would be easy to hand knit a circuit board as well.

Now, there are several disclaimers about wearing knitting circuitry.

Disclaimer #1: Wearables made with this method are not intended for rough handling. Prom, yes. Soccer, no.

Disclaimer #2: Solder is toxic. Don’t wear the circuit against bare skin. Wash your hands after handling. Wear goggles when working.

Disclaimer #3: Some readers have expressed concern about lead from the solder leaching through fabric. I’m not an expert, but I suspect this would be an issue with wet fabric, not dry fabric. So keep your circuits dry — avoid rain, spills, and contact with sweat.

I’m baffled.

Other than displaying truly admirable geek status, I’m not really sure what this is for.

Can anyone please enlighten me?

 

 

The secret not spoken of

Am I the only one who notices this?  Or who is bothered by it?  I have never heard anyone discuss this, or complain.  Not in conversation, and not in print.

Often clothing that has appliques on it comes with the paper backing on the inside of the fabric.  I guess it’s used to anchor the applique stitching when it’s sewn on?  And it’s usually, in my experience, left there.

Well, it’s uncomfortable.  It makes the fabric stiff.  And if it’s in a sensitive spot on the inside of clothing, it’s very irritating and/or scratchy.  Left alone, by the first or second wash it’s even worse.  Maybe it’s supposed to dissolve or something in the wash?  It doesn’t.  It gets soggy then clumps up, making the fabric even more irritating to the touch.

Whenever I purchase something with an applique, even if it’s just letters or something small, I take the time to remove that paper backing.  It’s painstaking work, because I don’t want to disturb the stitches that hold the applique in place, obviously.  So I tear and peel the paper pieces along and around all the stitches carefully.

It’s surprisingly absorbing and calming, this business.  Even more satisfying than bubble wrap, I believe.  Pulling and stretching the fabric to loosen the paper along the edges.  Peeling off longer strips and shapes, then getting all those last little bits of paper that cling to the stitched threads.  Some are very stubborn, and take gentle coaxing.

Once finished, the garment is so much nicer to wear.  Softer.  Not stiff.  Not scratchy.

I have no idea if this paper is meant to be removed or not.  No mention of it in the care instructions.  No one ever talks about it.  Which seems a little weird to me, because people talk about everything.

So I’m breaking the silence.

Speak up.  It’s time.  What do you do with the paper backing left in your clothing?

Jonathan the Goat is Live!

The goat pattern Jonathan has now been released!

I can now show you the (not yet blocked) goats in the scarf so far:

First goat (actually goat three in the pattern):

 

Second goat:

(This was taken before I tinked back and fixed that missed slipped stitch between the horns.)

I’m now working on a non-goat section before I begin the third goat.

Lots of knitting time due to the rain and hail all around the country (and there’s snow up on our northern mountain, Mt. Hermon).  While driving to appointments I actually managed to catch a minute-long break in the storm to take a picture.  Then ran back to the car as the rain once again started pelting me.

Have a good one!

We didn’t go

Ever plan for something, work everything else around the plans, then not do it?

We planned to go to see a film today.  Partner saw it with friends, really liked it, wants me to see it, and although it’s almost unheard of she is willing to see it again.

So we settled on today.  Why?  Because on Tuesdays she gets a discount.  The film is at the end of its run, so it’s only showing once a day.  We’ve waited a pretty long time already, because there were other things happening on Tuesdays.  And the rest of the day was set up around the movie plans.

I was at the cinema on Sunday, came out of a meeting nearby and had some time to kill while kid had a meeting of her own, so I went and saw a different film.  Not the one we planned to see together, that wouldn’t be fair.  In hindsight, it may have been a wiser choice.

And then today it started to storm.  And the dog freaked out with the thunder, cowering and shivering and hiding.  Refusing to do her business outside, pulling away and running back upstairs instead.  We thought that we could still go, if kid would stay and soothe the pup while we’re gone.  But the dog was suffering so.  We don’t remember her reacting this way last winter.  She mostly hides in the bathroom, no idea why, and only comes out with a lot of encouragement (and a treat).

And then kid started not feeling well.  We started waffling – go or not go?

We didn’t go.

Stayed home, all snuggled up in blankets, with the wind and the rain battering the windows.   Soothing both dog and kid.

Maybe the film will still be shown a little longer.  Maybe we’ll work out a different time to go.

Oh well.

Vista of Peace

A few doors down the road from me is a lovely little haven of a park.  A sculpture garden, with paths and benches and many little half-hidden places to take in the view.  (It’s also the park that kidlet got locked up in a year ago…we don’t go there late any more.)  Called Mitzpor Shalom – Vista of Peace.

All 29 of the bronze life-size sculptures are the work of one artist, Ursula Malbin.  I believe that in 1978 Mitzpor Shalom was the first open-air sculpture garden in the world devoted entirely to the works of an individual woman artist.

Earlier in the day, I had tea and cake with a friend, we braved the cold and sat outside at the cafe where we met up.  Basically because the inside tables were all full.  We – along with everyone else sitting outside – chased the sun for an hour or so.  We shivered in the cold shade of clouds but whenever a table in the direct sunlight opened up one of the groups of shiverers grabbed their things and dishes and moved over.  We were all laughing at our giant game of musical tables without the music, applauding those who successfully moved into a warmer spot each time.  The poor waitress had to keep tabs on who was where.

When I got home, I parked the car and decided to pop over to the sculpture garden.  It hadn’t really started to rain yet, just a few random drops.  Still, all the paths and benches were empty due to the incoming stormclouds.

From the entrance you can see the bay and the port.

The sculptures are meant to reflect and blend in with the greenery.

Some surprise you as you go around a bend in the path.

Some are serious, some are humorous, some are whimsical.

Not all of the sculptures are of humans…

I was about halfway through the gardens when the rain started to fall more in earnest, so I cut short my stroll and hurried home.

It’s a wonderful place to escape for a while.  Where do you escape to?

Testing testing

Well. the test is officially over today.  I will measure how much yarn I used, and my scarf dimensions (pre-blocking), and then I plan to knit some more to make it longer.  Until the yarn runs out.

I loved learning brioche for this project.  It took a little while, but I grokked it.

There are still lots of brioche variations to try.

So much knitting.

So little time.

 

Bubble Wrap Returns!!!

Let’s start the week with a laugh!

It seems not only humans are addicted….just watch:

 

 

Stitch n Bitch n Giggle

We got kind of silly at SnB last night.  Which isn’t really that unusual…

Smallish group this time, several couldn’t come.  But someone new joined us, and one spouse as well.  I controlled myself and didn’t wear the new pyjamas out.

I was tired after all the hiking through the zoo, but wild horses, etc…

Yigal caught us a bit blurry…

Then I became the photographer

Someone wanted to show off the sweater he knit…   😉

Roberta showed off her wonderful new sweatshirt

 

We had our recurring argument about her project.  I say it’s pink, she says it’s fuschia, which isn’t pink at all.  (It’s pink.  Hot pink, but pink.)

My goats were much admired.  Which sounds terrible if taken out of context, but you know what I mean.

A lot of knitting, good food and beer, discussion (knitting and other random subjects) and more than a little laughter.

Doesn’t get much better than that.