Girl on the Rocks

It’s who you know September 30, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects — karrie @ 10:53 am

After living in Berkeley, the land of excellent organic produce, for many years now, i finally feel like I know the right person. Look what a friend of mine gave me for FREE

I guess talking constantly about how much I love tomatoes really paid off. i managed to eat all but one of these before they went bad. mmmmm…. These couldn’t have come at a better time. I was just starting to feel bad for not taking advantage of all of the sumer produce that the bay area has to offer, but now I feel caught up.
I got a package in the mail the other containing a little bit of inspiration. Many years ago (1994?) there were limited amounts of a zine called craphound published in the pacific northwest. In the past year, they have begun to be reprinted with addition of more material. It is basically a themed clip-art magaze, and is one of those things that you could stare at for hours. The theme for the most recent issue (#6) is “Deaths, telephones, and scissors.” I got mine at Buy Olympia and it is well worth the $8.

Pincushion challenge - Recycling September 26, 2006

Filed under: Crafty, non-knitting related — karrie @ 4:09 pm

This month the Pincushion challenge is to used recycled materials in the creation of a pincushion. This challenge actually laste two months, and I forgot about it a few times, and then would remember and spend a while thinking about what to make. In the end, I just went into my kitchen to find something that I was going to throw out, and instead turn it into a pincushion.

My eyes were immediately drawn to these

I use the plastic (theoretically disposable) cups from the gelato place near my house as a nursery for baby spider plants. They grow happily on my kitchen windowsill. Since I am an urban apartment dweller I don’t own a yard, and therefore don’t own any dirt, so that is usually the limiting factor in fixing up a new home for the plants… So i had a few empty cups on the window sill, one to be sacrificed for a pin cushion.

I really like the look of the the flowery-shaped container as a pot for a plant, so i though I would try to keep the same look for the pincushion. I put a few stones in the bottom, like you would for drainage in a pot (plus this gives the whole thing a little bit of weight which is nice). i thought this might also be a way to take advantage of the transparency of the container.

i almost wanted to stop there… those stones are freaking cute. But instead i gathered some batting scraps left over from the lining of my whiplash jacket and cut a circle out of some brownish-colored scrap fabric i had lying around.

I stuffed the circle with the fiber to make a little round pillow and glued it in the cup with the stones. ta-da!

If i had to so it over again, i would likely choose a more colorful fabric. I was trying to get something that looked like dirt, but i think making it more like the center of a flower would look better. I might try to find some small green plant-like thing that I was going to throw out to add as a finishing touch.

Back in Business September 23, 2006

Filed under: Crafty, Karrie's Current Projects — karrie @ 5:56 pm

I had a lot of yarn sitting around that I have been meaning to upload to my etsy shop, and today is the day. I sure hope it sells, because it is taking up a ton of room….

In addition to a bunch of sock yarn, I made a set of stitch markers that I think would be pretty handy for sock knitters. Recycling the text I used for the item description… Every time I finish I sock, I have to drag out a book or a computer to look up how to do the stinking toe graft. I am incapable of memorizing the kitchener stitch. So I have put it in a form that will stick with my socks - Stitch markers!

I usually have a few stitch markers involved in my sock knitting so I made 4 markers, each displaying brief instructions for the 4 steps of the kitchener stitch. Now I will have the directions on my sock by the time I get to the toe! The stitch marker holder has a tag reminding me of the set-up for the beginning of the graft, and now as long as i keep them in order I am set.

Courtesy of Flagrant Disregard, here is a mosaic of some of the items I added to my shop.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and it has the best holiday color scheme, so it seemed appropriate to make some Halloween-inspired sock yarns. get them now and in the spirit of socktober fest you can have them done by the end of the month!

Aaahhh… that’s better September 21, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, Socks — karrie @ 5:23 pm

I ripped the sock back and decided on a 3 x 1 rib for the top (and eventually the cuff).

I love it! It looks so much better (see what it looked like before). I have been working on the sock today while at work (which is school). I am running samples on a fancy mass spectrometer that has the annoying need to have someone hit the ‘a’ key once every few minutes. I would hire a monkey to do it, but i think it would shed all over the room and get me in trouble. Anyway, it takes me exactly the right amount of time to complete a row before I need to hit the ‘a’ key again (sometimes i mix it up and hit ‘p’. fun, huh?). Like principal skinner says

Ah, there’s nothing more exciting than science. You get all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing down numbers, paying attention. Science has it all.

He forgot to mention using 15 year old computers… Luckily, when I need to leave the room, I have the sock to operate the computer for me.

I won’t say this in front of the computer, but the sock is totally smarter. The computer thinks the year is 19106. The sock is smart enough to not say anything regarding the year. And the sock is able to display far more colors than the computer - that should count for something.

Finally, since it is thrift thursday I can brag about the steals i got at my secret little thrift store.

The loot includes a bowl knitting notions (25 cents each) - my favorite being the bakelite handled pattern transfer wheel. Also two king size pillowcases with a cute yellow print (background) for $1 and a bunch of hand embroidered vintage napkins (25 cents each). More napkins pictured here. And what about the bowl?

It is just what i have been looking for! A pyrex casserole dish with lid for only $3.

Now i am off to prepare for my exciting evening. one of the movie theaters down the street from my apartment is showing The Jerk tonight. one of my favorites…..

The good, the bad, and the beach September 18, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, Socks — karrie @ 9:04 pm

By 10 o’clock this morning, I had already used up all of my patience for the day - at the post office. That place just sucks the life outta me. But i was rewarded! I picked up my final package from my secret pal, who turns out to be Knitting in the Shadows!

The yarn is beautiful 100% Merino Superwash from Gypsy Girl Creations in the color “Happy Halloween” (yarn close up here). I also got some brittany birch needles to knit up the yarn, a calculator/box (that the needles fit in!), a halloween night light, and a knitting notion that I can’t quite figure out… Oh, and a chocolate bar that barely made it out of the post office - it was delicious.

And there has been some knitting going on here. On the plane back from Australia, I started a sock with my STR from stitches west (last year). But, it was way too big, so i ripped back the toes increases and adjusted the width. Now i think the pattern is just not working with the yarn. Here is the lacy top of the sock

And here is the bottom

I like this side a lot better.

also note that the sock has been modelled on top of the sock that I was wearing today which is making me think that it is still too big. And I have accidentally used the strand of yarn on teh outside of my center-pull ball. I think I need a redo. So by the time you read this, i will probably be ripping this sock out.

And as to no tend the post on a tone of frustration, I leave you with a video clip from my vacation.

Free pattern alert September 17, 2006

Filed under: Tales of Knitting — karrie @ 12:19 pm

DSCN2008.JPG

Originally uploaded by abmatic.

It seems that while I was away, fall has started to sneak its was into the Northern Hemisphere. Don’t get me wrong, it is flat out warm outside in the Bay Area right now, but the last few nights have been a little chilly (The hint of a diurnal temperature variation qualifies as a change of seasons around here). This reminded me of an awesome free pattern by my friend abmatic that i have been meaning to tell you about….
Ta-da! The bulky cabled hat. It uses SUPER bulky yarn and knits up in a jiffy. I bet you could hold together two strands of worsted weight yarn to get the same approximate gauge, but I haven’t tried it.

While you are visiting her page, leave her some encouragement…. she has ony 3 days until her big Ph.D. qualifying exam….. Knock ‘em dead!

Strange things afoot September 15, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects — karrie @ 3:50 pm

I looked at the Handpaintedyarn.com web page today, daydreaming i guess. Anyway, I noticed that there were a few changes. I just looked again, and there are even more changes. Looks like they are recategorizing all of the types of yarn in the links on the left side of the page. For example ‘Colonia’ has become ‘BULKY THIN THICK Pure Wool Yarn.’ Looks like they have added a line of cotton yarns…. Please don’t take anything away!!

Thrifting Down Under September 14, 2006

Filed under: non-knitting related — karrie @ 10:32 pm

Sarah and Carmen and I took a drive on the Great Ocean Road. It was beautiful and scenic, as expected. Somehow, I dont have any pictures of it. Oh right, I forgot my camera. Sarah did get some snaps of the ‘Twelve Apostles,’ the natural wonder that was our destination…

As I was still need of a bathing suit for later in my vacation I kept dragging everyone into every surf shop we passed. While in Lorne we ran into a small, chucrh-run thrift store, where i found thrifting gold. I can only guess that “Doona” means comforter in australian… I got two twin sized Doona covers covered in australian marsiupials for $6 AUD.

only have crappy pic right now, better ones to come

An Echidna

A koala

And I also snagged a couple of yards of cotton canvas that has blue flowers all over it for $1AUD

Color inspiration September 12, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects — karrie @ 3:17 pm

While in Sydney, Sarah and I passed through a tunnel to the train station that had the nicest colored tiles in it. I wish i has a sweater that looks like that tunnel…

I also got an email announcing more new shirts at Threadless. They currenly have two sheepy/knitting related shirts that are cute! So get over there and get some.