17 April 2012
Southpaw
These are some things I can do with my left hand.
I can felt a belt!
I can line the purse I made from leftovers two years ago.
I can line the Noro skirt I finished a few weeks ago.
I can spin. !!! !!! !!!
I can read.
I can Photoshop.
I can pack these documents...
...into these red wells...
...and mail them in these boxes, which I assembled by myself.
16 April 2012
Snowflake Monday
About a year ago, I wondered what a snowflake would look like if I made huge chain spaces and then chained the chains.
When I broke my wrist, I thought that idea might be the perfect way to see if I could crochet while in a cast because it seemed like it might be an easy snowflake, one that wouldn't require much hand movement.
The temporary cast allowed me to do a little bit of tiny hook crochet at a time; my fingers were so sore then, they limited me more than the cast did. By the time I got the real cast, my fingers were moving pretty well, but the cast all but shut down crochet. After about a week, The Lizard sanded down a sharp point that felt as if it was stabbing deep inside my thumb, and I was able to work up this sample.
Normally, a medium-sized snowflake will take me 15 or 20 minutes. This one took me five nights. Pinning it in two different ways took another two full Saturdays! The pinned pins kept catching on the cast! I still think it's an easy snowflake, but not with a cast on the crocheting hand.
Enter Chris from across the pond. When she read what had happened to me, she immediately emailed to ask what she could do to help. Her initial thought was for me to talk her through my snowflake idea via Skype. My slow dialup prevents me from communicating with my family via the internet, so I knew Skype wouldn't be an option. I asked Chris if she'd like to test the pattern I'd written for this Castaway Snowflake. She eagerly agreed.
I didn't have photos to show Chris how to chain the chains or what the snowflake should look like, only written notes describing how I was trying to experiment with the chained chains to see what kind of shapes I could achieve, and that my attempts to create hearts had failed.
Without photos to work from, Chris came up with a beautifully pinned snowflake with plenty of hearts and lots of love. The best part of this adventure is this was Chris' first time pinning and stiffening a snowflake!
She took on this ostensibly impossible mission (with typed and electronically transmitted instructions that did NOT go up in smoke after she read them) to make sure Snowflake Monday kept going, and she created a masterpiece snowflake and a true work of art!
Your mission, Sisters of the Snowflake, should you choose to accept it, is not to focus too much on our photos when you pin your snowflakes and to come up with your own interpretation. I've set up a Flickr group so we can all see how many different versions of this snowflake we can invent.
Thank you, Chris, for making this stage of my recovery so much fun! (And happy belated birthday!!!)
You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!
Finished Size: 6.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, size H crochet hook (or whatever desired larger size hook you choose), empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line
Castaway Snowflake Instructions
Make magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), 2 tr in ring, * ch 12, 3 tr in ring; repeat from * 4 times; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 4. Don't pull magic circle too tight.
Round 2: Sl st into next tr; ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), 2 tr in same st, ch 16, * 3 tr in middle tr of next 3/tr group, ch 16; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 4.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.
Round 3: Sl st into next tr; ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), 2 tr in same st, ch 20, * 3 tr in middle tr of next 3/tr group, ch 20; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 4.
Round 4: Sl st into next tr; ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), 2 tr in same st, ch 24, * 3 tr in middle tr of next 3/tr group, ch 24; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 4.
Round 5: Sl st into next tr; ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr in same st, ch 7, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in next ch, sl st in next ch, sl st in top of tr just worked (teardrop made), 1 tr in same tr in main body of flake, ch 28, * 2 tr in middle tr of next 3/tr group, ch 7, 1 dc in 4th ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 sc in next ch, sl st in next ch, sl st in top of tr just worked, 1 tr in same tr in main body of flake, ch 28; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 4; bind off. Weave in ends.
I think Chris' pins in this photo look like appropriately-hued beads, don't you?
To chain the chains, insert the H hook (or whatever larger size hook you are using) through the opening between the first and second rounds in any chain space, from the front. Twist the first (lower) chain around the hook (I went right with the hook and caught the chain with the hook and straightened the hook back out), then bring the second round chain through the chain loop you just made, then bring the third round chain through the chain loop just made, etc., until you get past the final round. Repeat for each of the other five chain space openings. (This is like picking up dropped stitches in knitting, if you are a knitter. If you’re not a knitter and you just completed this step, you now know how to pick up dropped stitches when you learn to knit!)
When I pinned, I tried to shape my chains in different shapes: diamonds, triangles, squares, and then I tried hourglasses and hearts. I wanted to make several more snowflakes and try this step with a C or D hook, pulling the points tighter to see how that would look. I think there are many creative possibilities in the shaping of this snowflake, and I would love to see what you come up with. Share your photos here, if desired.
Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.
If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.
13 April 2012
12 April 2012
Speedy & Shaky
He's Speedy. I'm Shaky.
Four years ago, I snapped long exposures of The Lizard in motion with a sunflower foreground at sunrise. Until then, The Lizard had not been too fond of being the subject of my viewfinder.
The following year, he suggested we do the same thing again, but with peach blossoms and Mount Garfield as the background. Our trips to Palisade the next couple of springs missed the blossoms, but our most recent trip finally nailed perfect timing. Well, sort of...
I had difficulty operating the camera with a cast on my shooting hand, but I'm pretty happy we finally got to live out the dream.
11 April 2012
super clean
72 fruitless hours invested into trying to get to the bottom of Chrome's warning so far, with no traces of anything dangerous, thank heavens. Literally, thank heavens. Nevertheless, Chrome warnings continue...
Similar results with my other websites, as well. Rest assured I take reader safety seriously.
All this searching and diagnosing with my right arm in a cast, to boot!
UPDATE: Thanks to super duper sleuthing by the Goatfather, of Marigold fame, the offending link was pinpointed and immediately removed. I don't know when Chrome will catch up with the change, but the poor victim blog that got hacked and caused me to get flagged is no longer linked here.
10 April 2012
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