tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62769418974353063662024-03-13T13:39:23.669-06:00A Mighty Good Yarnyarn and stories and a few mentions here and thereElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-69670335144183385962014-04-01T12:54:00.003-06:002014-04-01T13:11:13.881-06:00New Pattern: Lucia Hat<div>
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Here's something nobody told me in college: your twenties suck. They can be fabulous and exciting as well, and you can grow from your experiences in surprising ways. But if you're doing it right, your twenties suck. Most people I know learned some hard lessons about loneliness and responsibility. I sure did.</div>
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A friend and colleague of mine in her twenties is now learning about mortality. She is fighting breast cancer. There's a plan in place for her to win, but no part of that plan is enjoyable. She's rising to the challenge with incredible aplomb.</div>
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There have been some sucky things in my life in the last few years. I am grateful that cancer hasn't been one of them. Now that I'm in a different place, I need to look for ways to show kindness to others.</div>
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Also, I'm a knitter. Making chemo caps is <i>what we do</i> when someone we know goes bald.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxGRoshTlS0/UzsLEBr0XuI/AAAAAAAABBI/ayXqiRcliwE/s1600/Lucia+Hat+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rxGRoshTlS0/UzsLEBr0XuI/AAAAAAAABBI/ayXqiRcliwE/s1600/Lucia+Hat+small.jpg" height="332" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was able to whip up a cap in a week. It would take only a day or two without a little human to care for, I think. I named it the Lucia Hat, after my friend's sweet kitty. Because it is simple, and because it's something that I hope other knitters will make for those who need it, I'm making the Lucia Hat a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lucia-hat-2" target="_blank">free Ravelry download</a>.</div>
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Enjoy!<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-62155295188158301942014-03-28T15:40:00.002-06:002014-03-28T15:40:26.284-06:00Dream Sweaters<br />
I had this notion that when I return to work in a handful of weeks, I'd need some cardigans to go with the nursing tops I've acquired, to make them more workplace-ish. And less obviously what they are.<br />
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Oh, time. Oh, having two hands available. How I miss thee.<br />
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Instead, I would like to put down, for the record, the top five sweaters I <i>would</i> make if it were possible to care for a wee little one and finish a sweater. (By the way, I have finished a hat. But that's for later.)<br />
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<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.twistcollective.com/collection/component/content/article/130-shop/spring-summer-2013-patterns/1418-lyssia-by-marnie-maclean" target="_blank">Lyssia</a> by Marnie MacLean. Butterflies make it perfect for spring and summer. It's feminine without being too frilly, and by the way - butterflies!</li>
<li><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=05t1rdpCdm4&subid=0&offerid=266289.1&type=10&tmpid=10773&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.interweavestore.com%2Fdahlia-cardigan" target="_blank">Dahlia Cardigan</a> by Heather Zoppetti. The lace covering the back is gorgeous, and the loose opening is perfect for avoiding wet spots on the fronts, or "bleakage," as Mr. MGY calls it. (Boob + leakage = bleakage.)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sportster" target="_blank">Sportster</a> by Melissa Wehrle. I've been wanting an asymmetrical zipper cardigan for a year or two. I wish now were the time to make one!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/adams-ribs-cap-sleeve-wrap" target="_blank">Adam's Rib Cap Sleeve Top</a> by Carol Sunday. I love short-sleeve cardigans for the office in the summer. The front looks like it could have a flexible closure - more than one button to choose from, perhaps? - to accommodate a shape that is a bit in flux.</li>
<li><a href="http://store.vogueknitting.com/p-1439-ruffled-cardigan.aspx" target="_blank">Vogue's Ruffled Cardigan</a> by Faith Hale. I love ruffles, and the cap sleeves would be ideal. Note the presence of errata.</li>
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What cardigans would you suggest?</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-22763911368997937992014-02-25T12:27:00.000-06:002014-02-25T12:27:28.734-06:00Except for Several Very Satisfying Work-Related ThingsThis title comes from Tina Fey's <i>Bossypants</i>, in which she calls breastfeeding "the most gratifying thing I've ever done," with the footnote, "Except for several very satisfying work-related things."<br />
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Baby arrived. She is pretty neat.<br />
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She was 10 days late. In lieu of a birth story, let me instead tell you that after the baby was out and we were attempting to do that coo-and-cuddle routine with her, the obstetrician pronounced with pleasure that this was a "very straightforward delivery." A few moments later, I asked the nurses, "Who in the hell are these women who keep coming back to do this over and over?"<br />
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In other words: it appears that I had it relatively easy. Relatively easy says, "DAMN. You do <i>not </i>want it hard. One-and-done, baby!"<br />
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"Fortunately," I now say with quotes for ironic emphasis, you can read other posts on this blog to see that the point is moot. Score.<br />
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Perhaps the worst ordeal of my pregnancy was how challenging it was to decorate the nursery. Listen, I get that the nursery is just a room and now that the baby's about a month old she <i>still </i>can't see much and really doesn't care as long as somebody feeds her within 12 seconds of when she first moves her fist within a mile of her mouth. And I get that it's all kinds of superficial.<br />
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The nursery, however, was the thing at which I threw all my insecurities and guilt and residual aggravations over how difficult it was to bring Squirt (no, not her real name, and yes, I think I did have to say that explicitly) into existence. The nursery was the forge in which we used our marriage to pound out a new identity for our family. It was the garden in which we paused to heal our remaining hurts before Squirt arrived. It was the metaphor to end all metaphors.<br />
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It also didn't work. Totally still working through those issues. Step at a time, people.<br />
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But, we got a killer nursery. When it was finished, we said to each other, "It's almost a shame to put a baby in here."<br />
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For instance, one morning I was changing Squirt's diaper. There was a lot of poo. Okay, sure. Then as I was wiping her off, she peed everywhere. Alrighty. Then, she sneezed, and poo flew out her butt, across the changing table, and onto the side of the really nice dresser that we negotiated over.*<br />
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Ick aside… that's kind of awesome.<br />
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Here are some pictures I grabbed not long before Squirt arrived, plus a few from <a href="http://alisonnarro.com/" target="_blank">our photographer friend</a> who dropped by to take some newborn shots a couple weeks later in exchange for a bottle of whiskey. You'll know the difference because the good pictures are hers.<br />
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A closer shot of the pinwheels and fabric circles. Check out the tutorial from <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/272283/paper-pinwheels" target="_blank">Martha Stewart</a> for the pinwheels: very easy. We tacked them into the wall rather than onto a stick.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FgcdqMPl7pw/Uwzdztwn2kI/AAAAAAAABAk/F5QgNM1M14k/s1600/nursery+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FgcdqMPl7pw/Uwzdztwn2kI/AAAAAAAABAk/F5QgNM1M14k/s1600/nursery+5.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Print from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/175349376/be-brave-little-one-8x10-digital?ref=listing-shop-header-0" target="_blank">Mint Peony Designs</a>.</div>
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A <a href="http://www.faribaultmill.com/" target="_blank">Faribault blanket</a> that Mr. MGY discovered on a recent work trip to Minneapolis.</div>
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Mr. MGY also painted the walls. He is remarkably meticulous as a painter. I'll try to look up the color and post it in the comments at some point, but I'm running out of time before Baby Bomb goes off.<br />
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Oh, and the baby. Okay. One picture, but just one:<br />
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"Nom, nom, nom."</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">* He got the dresser, and I got the curtains with the red pom-pom fringe instead of the pink fringe. (He later cleaned some pee off the dresser, and insisted that this was worse than poo because you can't see where all the pee has gone.)</span><br />
<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-71791185232306503362014-01-26T21:38:00.002-06:002014-01-26T21:38:24.201-06:00StashDash part 9: Baby MoccasinsAlso known as, Things That Will Fall Off and Possibly Get Lost Within Five Minutes, courtesy of <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2008/11/14/whits-knits-baby-mocs.html" target="_blank">The Purl Bee</a>.<br />
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But!<br />
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40 yards of stash, gone.<br />
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A chance to use some of that <i>scrumptious </i><a href="http://www.thefibreco.com/roadtochinalight.html" target="_blank">Fibre Company Road to China Light</a> I have left over from my <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=hill%20country%20weavers%20rockabilly%20soft&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hillcountryweavers.com%2Fmain%2F%3Fpage_id%3D1584&ei=PNPlUrvIE4umsQTw0oCICw&usg=AFQjCNHWpW3akhesO3hCWZUMaMGLakL3kA&sig2=Y0kKojwJ8rhb2KNA3I7qLQ&bvm=bv.59930103,d.cWc" target="_blank">Rockabilly Soft design</a>.<br />
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And they're cute.<br />
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I have some me-sized slipper soles I picked up a few years back at Hobby Lobby, and I want to make a coordinating pair of Mama Moccasins. Only problem: in the rush of last-minute cleaning we've been doing, I can't find the damned things anywhere. This is why I never clean, dude. So strike <i>that </i>adorable photo op, right?<br />
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At present, it's moot, because still no feet to fill the baby pair.<br />
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I'll say something on this blog at some point after the next generation decides to show up, but Mr. MGY and I are gun-shy about putting too much out there on the internet about a kiddo who isn't yet able to say whether or not she'd want that. Only mentioning this because there are a handful of people I know IRL who are following along here to see when kiddo makes her arrival. So - not here yet. I'll say something. Eventually. But I don't think I'll be putting the whole gooey story on this blog. If that's disappointing, then I encourage you to go over to the website that rhymes with Snaby Snenter . com and look at the videos, some of which feature women who, unlike me, have no qualms about putting childbirth shots of their private parts on the internet.<br />
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To each. Her. Own.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-51965837699480644902014-01-16T07:21:00.000-06:002014-01-16T07:21:00.810-06:00DIY Tutorial: baby washcloths and burp cloths<br />
It's pretty nervy of me to post, of all things, a <i>sewing </i>tutorial. Knitting? Fine! Crochet? Sure, okay. But sewing? I could dedicate a whole other blog to my sewing mishaps and poor encounters with sewing books, teachers, stores, and patterns.<br />
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Then again, maybe that's the best qualification of all: I persevered, and I figured out that yes, even I can sew something! And it turned out <i>well</i>!<br />
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It turned out so well, I couldn't stop.<br />
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This week, I've made a whole stack of washcloths and burp cloths:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oyFxQ7mdxSE/UtcnoBtOvLI/AAAAAAAAA-0/EujDnbcxayY/s1600/washcloths+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oyFxQ7mdxSE/UtcnoBtOvLI/AAAAAAAAA-0/EujDnbcxayY/s1600/washcloths+6.JPG" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
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There's even more than what's shown here! And all for not much money. If you're smart with your JoAnn coupons, you can get some excellent deals. All the material used for the above cost me less than $10. Considering that these washcloths (and burp cloths) are higher-quality than what you'll typically find pre-made in the stores, it strikes me as a great deal.<br />
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Materials to make three washcloths, or two washcloths and a burp cloth:<br />
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sewing machine<br />
1/3 yard of cotton flannel<br />
1/3 yard of terry cloth<br />
coordinating thread<br />
sewing machine<br />
your preferred method for cutting, trimming, measuring, etc. - (rotary cutter and mat, scissors, your teeth, whatever)<br />
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Let's start with the washcloths.<br />
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<b>Step one</b><br />
You need a square. I recommend 10" x 10", which will turn out as a 9" x 9" finished washcloth.<br />
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I would really like a rotary cutter and one of those self-healing mats, but I don't have those yet. Instead, I make my own paper patterns with wrapping paper. (I used some scrapbooking supplies to make sure it was perfectly square. Try a T-square or just trace an existing piece of paper if you need help getting it square.)<br />
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Cut out the paper pattern using paper scissors and pin it to your fabric. Cut the fabric around the edges. Do this once for your terry cloth, and once for your cotton flannel.<br />
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<b>Step two</b><br />
Pin the two pieces of fabric, wrong sides together. (Terry cloth doesn't really have a wrong side, but you get my drift.)<br />
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On one side, use two pins to mark what will be a gap when you start to sew. For a washcloth this size, make it two or three inches.<br />
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<b>Step three</b><br />
Sew around the edges, remembering to leave that gap open. I used a 1/2" seam allowance.*<br />
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<b>Step four</b><br />
Trim the corners.<br />
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<b>Step five</b><br />
Turn the washcloth inside out. Use a pencil, chopstick, or other suitable pointy thing to make sure those corners are really corners and not bunchy messes.<br />
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At this point, some people might choose to press the edges; I chose not to, because it's a washcloth. Either way, look at the gap that you left when sewing together the two sides. Either press or pin the fabric into place so that the rough edges are tucked inside at the same seam allowance.<br />
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<b>Step six</b><br />
Sew around the edges. I used a 3/8" seam allowance.* Remember to backstitch at the end to secure your thread.<br />
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And you are done!<br />
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(In one sewing blog post I read, the author said, "And walla!" Which, bless her heart, made my insides curdle. Jerk-snob that I am, please know that the spelling is "voila," and you do pronounce the "v".)<br />
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I made five of these before I started thinking, "Hmm. Hmm?"<br />
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I thought we might need some burp cloths. And I had enough length in my fabric left to do one of those.<br />
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To make a burp cloth, adjust your dimensions. I cut a paper pattern that was 8.5" x 18". (Why 8.5"? Because that's a piece of standard printer paper, which made squaring off the paper easier. And the 18" seemed right for my shoulder.)<br />
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From there on, it's pretty much the same. I decided to teach myself a slightly new skill and go for some rounded corners on the burp cloth. To do so, I used a drinking glass (highball, to be exact) and traced around the base at each corner to get a nice curve:<br />
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I think some people do that directly on the fabric, with a rotary cutter.<br />
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If you choose to have rounded corners, remember that instead of trimming the corners before turning it inside out, you'll cut notches into the curve, like this:<br />
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Have fun mixing and matching fabric patterns!<br />
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I've already gone back to the fabric store and spent another whopping $10 to buy enough fabric for several more burp cloths, washcloths, and even a bib or two.<br />
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No go forth, and make terrifically awesome baby shower gifts, or charity gift bags, or supplies for your own offspring, or heck: pamper thyself. Happy crafting! These really are a blast.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">* Me and seam allowances: I'm not good with the narrow seam allowances. 3/8" was kind of an achievement for me. Go narrower, if that's what you'd like to do.</span><br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-20439057973155371542014-01-15T10:53:00.000-06:002014-01-15T10:53:00.388-06:00StashDash part 8: Gone Home HatI intended to make a hat to match the Milk Infant Top I made a few weeks ago, to be part of the baby's going home outfit. But because I chose not to swatch (eh? eh?) I wound up with a hat that is about 13 inches in circumference. Good heavens I hope it's too large, or I'm in for an interesting time.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tvJ5NtSOdwk/UtLIcyNrisI/AAAAAAAAA-M/pRJy8KD9wqg/s1600/Spring+Hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tvJ5NtSOdwk/UtLIcyNrisI/AAAAAAAAA-M/pRJy8KD9wqg/s1600/Spring+Hat.jpg" height="302" width="320" /></a></div>
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It used about 70 yards, and instead of a Going Home Hat, I'm calling it a Gone Home Hat, in the hopes that the hat will not fit for at least a few weeks. Every girl ought to be stylin' when she heads to the pediatrician, right?<br />
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Plain and simple: picot edging on the turning row of the brim, and then stockinette the rest of the way. Ought to have added another row before knitting the hat to the CO edge, but heck. I think it's already not going to fit, what's a slightly turned-up picot edging going to matter?<br />
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No worries. If she never wears it, somebody's bound to have a baby girl born in the fall. 70 yards, gone!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-82153781246910356822014-01-12T10:48:00.002-06:002014-01-12T10:48:34.007-06:00StashDash part 7: Early Fans You Should Make Them, Hmm?I finished this potentially useless but cute and enjoyable project recently:<br />
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It is a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/yoda-baby-bottle-cozy" target="_blank">Yoda Baby Bottle Cover</a>, which is a free pattern. It used around 55 yards. It also brought up a rather serious parenting question in our household: Should we acknowledge from the beginning the existence of episodes I, II, and III, and be open and honest with her about that difficult time? Or should we wait for her to discover them on her own, and run the risk of losing her trust, but at least we will have had those few years of innocence when all she knew were episodes IV, V, and VI?<br />
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My position is that you should tell her that the first three episodes were made, but explain our reasons why we don't watch them and why we don't think she should watch them. When she's old enough to handle the disappointment, we'll let her decide for herself if she wants to expose herself to these kinds of upsetting experiences.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-seTxmdwr0gA/UtLHI_H9cWI/AAAAAAAAA98/QPkvDjA10Dw/s1600/Yoda+bottle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-seTxmdwr0gA/UtLHI_H9cWI/AAAAAAAAA98/QPkvDjA10Dw/s1600/Yoda+bottle+2.jpg" height="279" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1yPoboeG3E/UtLHI6oxV-I/AAAAAAAAA94/vRXf7Miy9QY/s1600/Yoda+bottle+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1yPoboeG3E/UtLHI6oxV-I/AAAAAAAAA94/vRXf7Miy9QY/s1600/Yoda+bottle+3.jpg" height="320" width="273" /></a></div>
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I think the trick to this pattern is that you have to have the right kind of bottle for it to look appropriately Yoda-like. A coworker was cleaning house and sold us a huge bag full of these 9 oz. Tommee Tippee bottles (good heavens, why do baby things have to have such ridiculous and patronizing names?) for wicked cheap (yes, they've been re-sterilized). They are squat enough to mimic the jedi master with appropriate lumpiness.<br />
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Also? This yarn came from the dining room. (I've got a few boxes in the baby's closet, the rest has been appropriated as insulation for our front dining room windows.) I feel like the yardage should count for double.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-8706645775083833152014-01-07T13:17:00.001-06:002014-01-07T13:18:25.799-06:00StashDash part 6: Estes Vest, well-marinated(Posting on lunch break means quickness of posting.) <br />
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In 2008, I started a vest.<br />
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In 2012, I picked it up again.<br />
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Last weekend, I finished it.<br />
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Now, I have both a vest <i>and </i>ammunition if anyone ever suggests that I might not actually <i>get </i>to any of the projects that have been unfinished for a long time.<i> </i>(Mr. MGY has thus far refrained from comment, bless him.)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APPOkvJMJCg/UsxSclc8C4I/AAAAAAAAA9o/52fXXb7ZFhQ/s1600/Estes+Vest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APPOkvJMJCg/UsxSclc8C4I/AAAAAAAAA9o/52fXXb7ZFhQ/s1600/Estes+Vest.jpg" height="296" width="320" /></a></div>
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I put this on, and it looked ridiculous, given my current size and shape. But give me a few months, and I'll tell you if it fits.<br />
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I added an inch of length, as other Ravelers suggested. I should have added three. It's crazy-short, and I'm crazy-long. But like I say, that's a guess at this point.<br />
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Regardless, that's 460 yards, gone from the stash! And bulky yarn, too. We're looking at more than a mile of stash used up since I started my knitting sprint. Totals to come...<br />
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p.s. I am actually updating the sidebar of links and such. It feels not unlike cleaning out the closet.<br />
<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-28167471555752982862013-12-31T21:43:00.000-06:002013-12-31T21:43:00.108-06:00StashDash part 5: Milk Infant TopI've heard all the arguments against making baby sweaters, which typically boil down to, "It will be worn for 3 minutes before the baby balloons into a naked toddler."<br />
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Don't care! Pretty.<br />
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Also, will you <i>look </i>at those adorable hand flaps? Can you see them? So when the kid starts scratching everything you turn the cuffs over and it's like <i>mittens</i>, on the <i>sweater</i>. Squeak!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p96kxhi7Cc8/Ur-aaz-llwI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/yER9c-6yucw/s1600/Milk+Infant+Top+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p96kxhi7Cc8/Ur-aaz-llwI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/yER9c-6yucw/s320/Milk+Infant+Top+smaller.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A lot of people on Ravelry have remarked that the crocheted edging gave them some trouble, and they wish the directions had been more thorough. For me, the directions were sufficient, or they would have been, had I actually followed them the first three times. Instead I thought, why not simplify things and [so on, rep 3 times].<br />
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Yeah, three times.<br />
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In the end, I did change things up a bit by not doing the scalloped edging around the neck, because the contrasting color I had in my stash was not as soft as i'd prefer.<br />
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I also added that nifty little flower, which I found in a book given to me just this Christmas, <i><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/100-flowers-to-knit--crochet-a-collection-of-beautiful-blooms-for-embellishing-garments-accessories-and-more" target="_blank">100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet</a></i>. Nice book, great flower, all around cuteness. 210 yards, gone!<br />
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In other news, this past weekend, the gentleman from the pest control company made his case for me having a natural childbirth, <i>sans</i> epidural. I told him I'd consider it if he can stop all these damned ants from getting in through the front door all the time.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-32593294706075079332013-12-28T21:42:00.000-06:002013-12-28T21:42:15.040-06:00StashDash part 4: Summer Coverage ShawlI should have posted this weeks ago, when I finished the most interminable stockinette I've ever encountered:<br />
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And it's all my own fault. I made this pattern up.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gMByQEzCZIw/Ur-V0jx8-nI/AAAAAAAAA9M/sp2PCZ6aC8Q/s1600/summer+shawl+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gMByQEzCZIw/Ur-V0jx8-nI/AAAAAAAAA9M/sp2PCZ6aC8Q/s320/summer+shawl+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stockinette plus some simple garter lace at the edge. It's roughly a triangle; the picture doesn't show it, but there's a middle rectangle and then two triangles on either side, if that makes sense.<br />
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As to how this came to be, I had a skein of mystery yarn gifted to me by… let's say, "a family member" to protect the sort-of innocent. Ha! The yarn had lost its label before it came to me. At first I thought it was hemp or linen, now I'm not so sure. The edging is some leftover hemp, and the main color was much softer than that. Probably a blend of some kind, fingering weight, at a guess 500 yards…<br />
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You see where this is going?<br />
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I thought it would be nice to have something to cover up with in the coming months, provided attempts to feed the expected offspring go as hoped.<br />
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And on that note, yes I totally know that I don't really look pregnant in that picture. Look more closely. The shawl sort of points on the top of a bump. I'm tall, and I'm told that helps in all sorts of ways, once of which is that I don't get as big as a shorter lady might.<br />
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And I don't think I mind too much. It's slightly irritating when I'm in one of the rare situations in which I would really like to play the pregnancy card (getting to sit down when waiting in line, for example - or, I've <i>heard </i>that some women get offered free dessert in restaurants, but I wouldn't know about that). But it's a relief, honestly, to know that I can minimize the extent to which people around me notice/obsess/ponder the bump.<br />
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During all the awfulness of our infertility experience, one of the hardest things was to interact with pregnant women. Of course I know it's not their fault - but come off it, Nagging Stranger. Since when was life fair? Somehow, I don't think a single one of the pregnant ladies I encountered was affected for the worse by the fact that I had a rough time being in their presence and listening to them talk all about their Braxton-Hicks contractions. Instead, I think -- and by the way, a whole host of other infertile folks will identify with this, if you don't believe me then go read <i>their </i>blogs -- I got a whole lot of exercise in deep breathing and attempting to foster compassion for myself and others in the way of Buddhism lite. It worked maybe part of the time.<br />
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Now that I'm, well, here, it's a sticky situation in which I'm happy to talk about my pregnancy to folks whom I know and whom I know to be in an okay place about it. But at work? In public, to strangers? I'd rather minimize the extent to which a baby bump seems to snare all attention. I can't completely avoid causing other people pain, but I can appreciate that there are reasons why another person might not dig my presence these days.<br />
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Besides, I do like the idea that maybe people remember I have an identity in addition to Foetus Carrier.<br />
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Tangent over. Happy holidays, everybody! 580 yards gone (500 for the stockinette, 80 for the border.) My remaining stash is hanging out in the dining room right now. So sad.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-9760922094989850292013-12-14T09:11:00.002-06:002013-12-14T09:11:49.897-06:00StashDash part 3: Oliver HatOliver, as in, "Please, sir, a little more."<br />
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In using up stash, I actually started running out of red yarn here. So I backtracked, added the top gray stripes, then after it was finished made the lower gray stripe in duplicate stitch for balance.<br />
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And then it wound up being too tall for the recipient. Oy!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YL9so1MDCEU/Upu9pgDtjNI/AAAAAAAAA88/Un0A6EEjXSk/s1600/Oliver+Hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YL9so1MDCEU/Upu9pgDtjNI/AAAAAAAAA88/Un0A6EEjXSk/s320/Oliver+Hat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is for a coworker's one-year-old, however. He'll grow into it.</div>
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That red yarn: what mileage. A single skein of Cascade 220 Superwash gave me three blanket squares for a charity blanket and then this hat.</div>
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In StashDashing news… today is my "eviction" day from my office/crafting studio. Ha. The three projects I've posted as actually using up more stash than they cost me only totaled 500 yards.</div>
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It was a valiant effort. I'm afraid I'm just going to have to displace the wedding china.</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-25207287612666422562013-12-01T16:44:00.000-06:002013-12-01T16:44:10.799-06:00Another FO, but I did not come out aheadI don't think it fits in my StashDash series if the yarn was purchased in recent months just for this project, and I have over half the yardage remaining.<br />
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Oops.<br />
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But the sweater is cute. A <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tulips-a-colorful-cardigan-for-baby" target="_blank">Tulips baby sweater</a>! (Follow the link at your peril: the model baby is so cute I want to munch her ears.)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2pig8_Z_BiA/Upu4t9kYg9I/AAAAAAAAA8k/kpId9um5Nk8/s1600/Tulips+FO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2pig8_Z_BiA/Upu4t9kYg9I/AAAAAAAAA8k/kpId9um5Nk8/s320/Tulips+FO.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I went for the 12-month size, with the idea that our youngun will almost certainly be tall and lanky and will fit into it in time for the three days of cold weather we might catch in late 2014.<br />
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There's a healthy number of FOs on Ravelry of this pattern already - if memory serves, the Yarn Harlot went on a streak with this pattern and everybody took notice. I used Knit Picks Swish Superwash… I'd give my color choices on this one a B+. Almost awesome, but you could do better with those greens and maybe the dark pink, too. Overall, though, I think it's a nice and squishy sweater that will help fill baby's shelves for the next year.<br />
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This is what is formerly my closet, about 25 percent of the way to getting cleaned out and ready. Not exactly Pinterest-worthy, is it?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CWTv03YnqEg/Upu7MHOilyI/AAAAAAAAA8w/Eu8ICQ0r4OU/s1600/closet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CWTv03YnqEg/Upu7MHOilyI/AAAAAAAAA8w/Eu8ICQ0r4OU/s320/closet.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-73480096879101752332013-11-24T08:51:00.003-06:002013-11-24T08:51:20.276-06:00StashDash part 2: For Tiny ToesThe other week, I hit two birds with one stone by finishing a baby item that I'd wanted to make for so long that it got painful even thinking about the pattern for a while, and a stash-buster.<br />
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Little tiny Chuck Taylors!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xNbtBXiKN0s/UpIRW8ELWhI/AAAAAAAAA8U/VbqyHjPX9IM/s1600/baby+chuck+taylors+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xNbtBXiKN0s/UpIRW8ELWhI/AAAAAAAAA8U/VbqyHjPX9IM/s320/baby+chuck+taylors+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is <a href="http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=14033.msg185557#msg185557" target="_blank">a great pattern</a>, but you definitely have to think your way through it. Most people on Ravelry have made modifications. I suggest reading through some pattern notes first if you decide to make a pair.<br />
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I made these from partial skeins of organic cotton. I am thinking that with this girl's parents (that is, us) both being kin to Marshwiggles, they'll likely fit in about 3 months or so.<br />
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And, can you believe I made something pink for her? I think this particular pink has enough rock and roll to it when used in this pattern to make that all right.<br />
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We're off to see Hunger Games this morning (<i>yessssss</i>), so I have to cut this short - but in other life updates, one of my favorite belly-related comments so far came from a very lovely LYS owner here in town: "Oh my gosh, you look like a basketball. I just want to dribble you!"Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-63848353887279757802013-11-16T14:26:00.002-06:002013-11-16T14:26:40.810-06:00StashDash part 1: the Norgas… um.With a new human being apparently arriving soon in our household, I have to clean out what has been my office/crafting studio, to combine spaces with Mr. MGY. Yeah, it's awesome. What are you gonna do: we only have so much room.<br />
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That means a massive rush to get as much stash knit up as possible, with the <strike>insane conviction</strike> reasonable theory that I will somehow be able to find a place for the yarn which is not the attic.<br />
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By the way: I'm really tired lately. Some nights, I'm lucky to get a few rows in.<br />
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Shut up. It could happen.<br />
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As part of this effort to move through as much yarn as possible, I whipped out another Noro Striped Scarf, this time in pastel shades. I love what the off-white colorway does here:<br />
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And I've coined a term for what happens when you're working with a ball of Noro that you really only bought for one small part of the colorway. You go for it, you're working, it's nice but not as nice as it will be when you get to that beautiful peachy-rose-pink color… You're almost there -- almost there -- <i>almost there</i> -- <i>yes, yes</i> -- you can just feel it -- and --<br />
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May I present, the Nor-gasm.<br />
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Thankyouverymuch.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-57342892278187880672013-09-22T19:00:00.002-06:002017-02-27T10:27:20.242-06:00Never Enough FishensA family member is expecting soon. I pulled out my usual trick: my baby mittens that look like little fish. This is the third time I've made these, and every time they're fun and quick to make. Mothers have so far told me that the comic effect from when the kid shoves the fish in his or her mouth is worth a million bucks.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cAQhktl1cDg/Uj-RdNAJl0I/AAAAAAAAA70/R_GXCsAipXY/s1600/Rainbow+Fishens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cAQhktl1cDg/Uj-RdNAJl0I/AAAAAAAAA70/R_GXCsAipXY/s320/Rainbow+Fishens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I used bright colors this time.<br />
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As for me, I'm fine. I am not getting anywhere near enough knitting done, seeing as I somehow have to empty out the closet of my knitting room/office, which is set to become a baby room. This is a terribly stressful proposal: I've never in my life been good at clearing out things. In fact, I hate doing it. And I married a guy who really, really likes doing it.<br />
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The stash has to find another home in a house with little storage. Mr. MGY knows better than to suggest the attic, but we might not have many other options if I don't start tearing through some of this yarn pretty soon here.<br />
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What's that? Sell some of it off?<br />
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Shut up.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-19983040259520707162013-08-19T20:50:00.000-06:002017-02-27T10:27:39.934-06:00One Year LaterThere's been some falling off the earth.
Exactly how much of the story I'll tell here is limited by the fact that employers have in the past found this blog without me mentioning it. And employers tend to go all ooky if you say words like "vagina." (That just impacted my search results in curious ways. Turn back, pervs. It's not that sort of blog.)<br />
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We just had a year of IVF attempts. Outlook was very depressing. Somehow, it worked after multiple tries. I'm knitting a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tulips-a-colorful-cardigan-for-baby">Tulips</a> cardigan now.<br />
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So about that knitting.</h2>
If all goes well, the kid shows up in January, which means an opportunity for newborn wool sweaters if you're not saddened by the idea of her outgrowing it after 3 minutes, cotton/bamboo/linen/hemp for much of the year, and then hitting the wool cycle again for the 1-year size.<br />
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As for the future of this blog? I imagine I'll drop in here once in a while. These few months are my time to recover my sanity before losing it again. I'm packing the days with knitting, reading (Graham Greene's <i>The Quiet American</i>, currently - fascinating novel), seeing friends, cooking, going to movies, seeing new places. It's sort of astonishing to go for walks in the evening and look at the grass or the sidewalks and feel something besides despair.<br />
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Thanks, friends. Hope you're well in the yarnworld, wherever you are.<br />
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Tulips, with Knit Picks Swish Worsted:
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-44075639138670103122012-08-19T13:58:00.001-06:002012-08-19T13:59:02.786-06:00Prairie Bliss on the Stands!<p>It's not the hat pattern. That's coming. Really.</p>
<p>I do have another new design, however!</p>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M_MwNyi_Ba8/UDFFRLcjqMI/AAAAAAAAA64/j3iFA1GFfDk/s1600/Limestone3__15724_zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M_MwNyi_Ba8/UDFFRLcjqMI/AAAAAAAAA64/j3iFA1GFfDk/s400/Limestone3__15724_zoom.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>Limestone Landscape is a simple stole, knit from Rowan Panama. It's worked on the bias, and it features a fun fringe which might feel familiar to the weavers out there. Bonus: Rowan Panama is Rayon/cotton/linen, meaning it really is cool enough for Texas.</p>
<p>The stole appears in the collection <a href="http://hillcountryweavers.mybigcommerce.com/products/Prairie-Bliss-Book-1.html">Prairie Bliss</a> from Hill Country Weavers. The collection also includes a re-release of my sweater design <a href="http://hillcountryweavers.mybigcommerce.com/products/Rockabilly-Soft-PDF-Pattern-Download.html">Rockabilly Soft</a>.</p>
<p>Take a look, and check out the beautiful designs from the other ladies involved in this collection, too!</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-76137880434799630502012-07-24T21:01:00.003-06:002012-07-24T21:02:48.642-06:00Summer Update<p>This blog has resided in a corner of my mind patiently for some months now, occasionally clearing its throat and wondering if I would ever return to continue our conversation. Then, a thoughtful reader contacted me on Ravelry to ask if my blog had moved or what.</p>
<p>Turns out, in the intervening months between my last post and, well, now, there was "suspicious activity" on my account, which resulted in a shutdown of this blog.</p>
<p>Oops.</p>
<p>No idea what the suspicious activity was, but my password has been updated and hopefully that takes care of that.</p>
<p>As to my extended absence... It is a challenging time in the life of Mr. MGY and myself. "Sandblasted" is perhaps the best way to describe how I have been feeling in recent months.</p>
<p>For fear of alarming anybody, please know that our marriage is solid, and neither of us is in any danger. However, and I <i>hate</i> to be coy, but this blog is not the place to talk in detail about what's happening. We have family, friends, and coworkers who read my posts on occasion, and in each case we'll need to choose if, when, and how we reveal our personal information to them.</p>
<p>I hope someday that I can use this space to share the whole story. But first, we need to see how it ends.</p>
<p><i>In the meantime,</i> I do hope to post a bit more here. I have a hat pattern that's been test-knitted and everything by a <a href="http://brawbukesandknacketieknits.blogspot.com/">lovely friend</a> halfway around the world. I have only to incorporate her feedback and post the pattern here, for free. You are welcome to bug me on Ravelry (I'm "MightyGoodYarn") if I don't do that in the near future, yes?</p>
<p>Thanks for reading.</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-49056313188528116562012-02-14T21:41:00.005-06:002012-02-14T21:45:11.986-06:00Happy Valentine's!<p><p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ytcXn9kkmwY/Tzsp1qp_7WI/AAAAAAAAA6s/9SsDOFRx2E8/s1600/potpourri%2Bheart.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 156px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ytcXn9kkmwY/Tzsp1qp_7WI/AAAAAAAAA6s/9SsDOFRx2E8/s200/potpourri%2Bheart.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709202954582486370" /></a><br /><br /><p>Stuffed with leftover yarn scraps and dried lavender from my garden, which worked great. A great gift for my Valentine's swap buddy at work.<br /><br /><p>The pattern is <a href="http://mochimochiland.com/2007/02/free-pattern-hearts/">from Mochimochi</a>. Only a few mods.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-4383482192368855392011-12-31T20:23:00.008-06:002011-12-31T20:40:43.756-06:00Welcome 2012<p></p><br /><p>Isn't the world supposed to end in 2012, according to the Mayans?</p><br /><p>Good thing I finished my sweater vest in time for the apocalypse:</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l07BGku-1eE/Tv_GkjR9T7I/AAAAAAAAA6g/CgLNa7NuXzo/s1600/Academia%2BFO%2B%252815%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 297px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l07BGku-1eE/Tv_GkjR9T7I/AAAAAAAAA6g/CgLNa7NuXzo/s320/Academia%2BFO%2B%252815%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692486785267748786" /></a><br /><br /><p style="text-align: center;">Pattern: <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.twistcollective.com/collection/index.php/component/content/article/90-fall-2011-patterns/941-academia-by-adriana-hernandez">Academia</a></span></p><br /><p>Funny thing: my gauge didn't change one iota between the stockinette and the colorwork. The pattern uses pretty specific numbers with the assumption that your gauge will change. Imagine my surprise when I tried on the vest-in-progress and it looked like this:</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XEh33TH3YN8/Tv_FakJTHhI/AAAAAAAAA6U/uE5kiC35yac/s1600/barrel.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XEh33TH3YN8/Tv_FakJTHhI/AAAAAAAAA6U/uE5kiC35yac/s200/barrel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692485514189544978" border="0" /></a><br /><p>I had to rework several inches. The colorwork here is a bit different than what's in the pattern. I changed the design a bit so that there are only two contrast colors, which only switch a couple times. I'm pleased with the colors I picked; the FOs I've seen suggest that getting colors that are close to one another will end up looking better than if there is a larger contrast between them.</p><br /><p>Happy New Year!</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-39016156840381142062011-10-30T14:44:00.007-06:002011-10-30T14:58:17.033-06:00<p></p><p>Ever noticed how sometimes you'll be knitting in public, and you have one of those conversations with a non-knitter that goes something like...</p><br /><br /><p><span style="font-weight:bold;">Them:</span> Oh! Are you knitting?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You:</span> Yes.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Them: </span>That's so neat. What is that, a ----- ?<br /><br /><p>But then the ----- bears no relation to what you're actually making. Like, you might be making a scarf, and they ask if you're knitting a sock. Or maybe you're making a sock monkey, and they ask if it's an afghan.<br /><br /><p>The other day at work, during a group lunch, I was working on my <a href="http://twistcollective.com/2011/fall/magazinepage_024.php">Academia</a>, and my very nice coworker asked if I was making a hat. This is about what it looked like at the time of her asking (tape measure for visual reference):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5Vh88dwfu4/Tq25IGfySmI/AAAAAAAAA6I/WkejppjD1eM/s1600/Academica%2BWIP%2B2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 295px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5Vh88dwfu4/Tq25IGfySmI/AAAAAAAAA6I/WkejppjD1eM/s320/Academica%2BWIP%2B2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669391054763346530" /></a><br /><br /><p>I'm not sure whose head that might have fit, but whoever it is, I don't want to meet that person in a dark alley.<br /><br /><p>By the by, that pattern totally snookered me with its clever photo shoot: pretty model with a nice haircut playing a banjo with her band in Golden Gate Park. How can you lose? I have nothing but good memories of my time in Golden Gate Park. (Well, once you get west of the junkies. And not counting that one Saturday morning tai chi class that was interrupted by a couple homeless guys who got into it with each other by their tent first thing in the morning before they came staggering out from their enclave and through the oddly unaffected group of tai chi students... and I so wish somebody would put that in a movie so I could see it the way it must have looked to a bystander.)<br /><br /><p>Anyway. The pattern is seriously cute, and so far so good with the Cascade 200 Sport I'm using. Progress shots to come.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-9288585384168506152011-10-23T09:37:00.006-06:002011-10-23T09:57:16.036-06:00(Culinary) Mushroom Adventures<p></p><p>Not long ago I happened across this nifty thing, a <a href="http://www.backtotheroots.com/">Back to the Roots Mushroom Kit</a>. I didn't get any freebies from them - I saw the kit online, decided I'd take a chance and try it out. So far, it's pretty dang cool.</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF_ZS6pJNVQ/TqQ3jzf0kMI/AAAAAAAAA58/aSkTr5vp11A/s1600/mushrooms%2Bday%2B5.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF_ZS6pJNVQ/TqQ3jzf0kMI/AAAAAAAAA58/aSkTr5vp11A/s320/mushrooms%2Bday%2B5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666715319397552322" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Day 5 Growth<br /></div><br /><br /><p>These guys take used coffee grounds from a local (to them) coffeeshop and prepare them for growing mushrooms. They ship you the kit, you soak it, you spritz it with water, and blammo: you get oyster mushrooms blasting out overnight.</p><br /><p>If you are reading this and you happen to know my father, don't tell him about it. I want to give a kit to him for his next birthday. :)</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-59501063921472862502011-09-07T20:08:00.007-06:002011-09-07T20:24:37.738-06:00Vineyard Rows, from Hill Country Weavers<p><p>As it happens, the recent Prairie Bliss collection from <a href="http://www.hillcountryweavers.com/main/">Hill Country Weavers</a> included not just one but <em>two</em> of my original patterns. The first was <a href="http://hillcountryweavers.mybigcommerce.com/products/Rockabilly-Soft-PDF-Pattern-Download.html">Rockabilly Soft</a>, and the second is <a href="http://hillcountryweavers.mybigcommerce.com/products/Vineyard-Rows-PDF-Download.html">Vineyard Rows</a>: so named for the textured horizontal stripes, and because that's exactly the sort of luxurious thing you might wear while touring the vineyards of the Texas Hill Country.</p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hwpQWD4DZUI/TmgmRsD9M1I/AAAAAAAAA50/5k1NHwSnZ2k/s1600/Vineyard%2BRows.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hwpQWD4DZUI/TmgmRsD9M1I/AAAAAAAAA50/5k1NHwSnZ2k/s320/Vineyard%2BRows.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649807817863672658" /></a><br />Thanks, Hill Country Weavers!<br /><br /><p>On a more serious note, those of you keeping one eye on the news will know that the greater Austin area spent much of Labor Day weekend burning. Fortunately, the fires have thus far spared Austin itself, but the surrounding communities have suffered immensely, especially Bastrop. Over 600 homes have been lost.</p><br /><p>If you have spare change, please consider donating to the <a href="http://www.centex.redcross.org/">Red Cross of Central Texas</a> - or barring that, your local Red Cross. These are the people who come to help those who find themselves in a terrible place without warning. We should all be good neighbors and help now, when we can.</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-58060839943195933922011-09-03T08:56:00.005-06:002011-09-03T09:06:12.077-06:00Lesser-Known Rav Patterns<p><p>One of the pleasures of Ravelry is discovering a gem of a pattern that has few FOs. Maybe the designer didn't have the time or the desire to promote the pattern heavily - maybe it got overlooked by other publications. Regardless, I always take special delight in making a project from a great pattern that hasn't yet gotten much attention.</p>
<br /><p>Also... I really love monkeys. (If you have three hours to waste, go look at the monkeys on <a href="http://www.zooborns.com">Zoo Borns</a>.)</p>
<br /><p><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/monkeying-around">Monkeying Around</a> by Lori Sands is a quick and fairly easy crochet pattern for a baby/toddler hat. I imagine it could be converted to an adult size. I used Universal Cotton Supreme, a very soft worsted-weight cotton recommended by the fine ladies at <a href="http://www.gaugeknit.com/">Gauge Knits</a>.</p>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EFdttnDZWyE/TmJCAAib6CI/AAAAAAAAA5s/BdTdRgWQ3tk/s1600/Toppington%2BTopper%2B%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EFdttnDZWyE/TmJCAAib6CI/AAAAAAAAA5s/BdTdRgWQ3tk/s320/Toppington%2BTopper%2B%25282%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648149450587891746" /></a>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276941897435306366.post-40576707786694577482011-08-30T19:12:00.007-06:002011-08-30T19:25:13.425-06:00Rockabilly Soft, from Hill Country Weavers<div></div>
<br />Well, well, well. You may have heard there's a drought on these days here in Texas... Both our lawn and this blog have dried to a crisp in the face of severe heat and a really rough time at work.
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<br />On the upside, I'm learning all sort of things about HTML at work, including better and more nutritious ways to create line breaks and boldface type!
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<br />I do have some exciting news to share. Hill Country Weavers has now released my latest pattern: <a href="http://hillcountryweavers.mybigcommerce.com/products/Rockabilly-Soft-PDF-Pattern-Download.html">Rockabilly Soft</a>.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NEu_5tY2Ui8/Tl2Lk0tB5WI/AAAAAAAAA5k/MJ_BmxpenTo/s1600/Rockabilly%2BSoft.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NEu_5tY2Ui8/Tl2Lk0tB5WI/AAAAAAAAA5k/MJ_BmxpenTo/s320/Rockabilly%2BSoft.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646822972531533154" /></a> </div>
<br /><p>Let me say something about the yarn called for in the pattern, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/the-fibre-company-road-to-china-light">Road to China Light</a> from the Fibre Company: holy snot, that stuff is amazing! And did you know it has a little bit of <em>camel</em> mixed in? Soft, soft, soft!
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<br />It made working those colorwork sections a dream. And, by the way, take a peak at the pictures of the Western-style piping at the shoulders: I'm not telling you how I did it (you'll have to buy the pattern, natch), but I feel pretty dang smart right there. I even attended a design workshop with <a href="http://www.knitgrrl.com/">Shannon Okey</a> at <abbr title="Hill Country Weavers">HCW</abbr> in the spring, when I got to show off how I did it - and there was trigonometry and everything.
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<br />In the demonstration. Not the knitting. (Calculator not required.)
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<br />Anywho, I hope knitters will enjoy this pattern. It's funky and luxurious, all in one!
<br />Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13063944654826642334noreply@blogger.com0