24 July 2012
Boldly Go
It's HERE!
The yarn for my primary 2012 Ravellenics project has timely arrived, safe and sound, and now I sit upon my size 6 knitting needles awaiting the official start of this year's London Olympics.
Thanks to a huge, um... blip... in publicity last month, Ravellenics has become more popular than ever. More than 7,500 knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers and other assorted fiber artists will attempt to complete projects they may not start until the Opening Ceremonies and that must be finished by the end of the Closing Ceremonies.
I plan to make another Lanesplitter skirt. Last winter, I was asked to crochet a fancy lace edging on a knitted shawl, and the shawl knitter paid me with multiple skeins of gorgeous Noro yarn. I used some of it to make my first Lanesplitter.
I've got my work cut out for me this year. With dollar signs in my eyes and medical bills in my mailbox, I committed to shoot a wedding this Friday night, the night of the Opening Ceremonies, although they will occur six hours earlier than my time zone. I wasn't thinking. I should have remembered the date. It's my dad's birthday. And yet, I am thankful my bride-to-be former co-worker is trusting her special day (evening) to me.
If all goes well at work, my plan is to take my workday lunch hour in an empty office promptly at 2 p.m. (the legal Mountain Daylight Time Ravellenic start time) and cast on and finish perhaps 12 to 15 rows before I must return to work.
For the next 14 days, my knitting needles will battle our home laptop computer as both vie for my free time. The needles proudly claim all public transportation time, and the laptop likely will win out in the evenings until wedding photos have been duly retouched and burned to CDs for the newlyweds.
As a result of deadline conflicts, I plan to complete only one Ravellenics project this year. Anything above and beyond that shall be a bonus.
I'm sure I'll be able to work in a snowflake somewhere along the way, and hopefully it will have as good a story as my last um, Snowflake That Must Not Be Called By Its Original Name.
Last time around, I competed with Team Colorado. This year, it's Team Final Frontier.
I designed a team avatar and banner last time around. Perhaps I need to craft a Starship Amigurumi this year...
23 July 2012
Snowflake Monday
This snowflake was inspired by the thread colorway, called iris. Only three of my two dozen or so irises blossomed this year, thanks in part I'm sure to the heat wave that sparked many Colorado fires. Because I haven't satisfied my flower fix this season, I find myself making more and more snowflakes with flower themes and colors.
I've received another couple of requests to write out a pattern for a snowflake rock. This is going to be challenging because in order to make detailed written instructions work, crocheters will have to find a rock equal in size to what I use for the pattern, as well as match my tension. In other words, there is no rocket science in this. You still may have to adapt the pattern to accommodate your tension and rock size. Hopefully this project will provide joy during the journey, and not spikes of frustration when the pattern doesn't precisely fit any given rock.
The challenge of this project fuses with the anniversary of the placement of a special plaque atop a Colorado mountain this week. Twenty-five years ago on July 18, a plaque commemorating the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which disintegrated shortly after takeoff the year before, was mounted atop the 14,081-foot shoulder of Kit Carson Mountain.
On the other side of Kit Carson is another sub-peak officially named in honor of the Space Shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated a few months before I attempted to climb Challenger Point.
I was living in what was known as "Spaceport USA" at the time, a photojournalist with the local newspaper. Many of my assignments revolved around activity at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range. I'd grown up to the tune of F-15s breaking the sound barrier, the sound of freedom. I served as a volunteer youth hostess during the grand opening of the International Space Hall of Fame. The Space Shuttle Columbia landed not far from my stomping grounds in 1982. My background may or may not be a factor in my love of Star Trek and Star Wars. Space is and always has been in my blood just as thick as photography and cycling.
I learned of the Challenger incident watching screened, camera ready photos scroll out of an Associated Press wire service machine, back in the days of film, darkrooms, manual typewriters and snail mail. Most small newspapers didn't have the means to transmit stories and photos electronically. (The birth of photojournalism occurred in 1935!)
My editor wasn't happy with the first black and white Challenger photos to come across the wire, so he sent me home to snap color photos of my television screen. All three television stations ran continuous coverage. (That's all we had back then, just three stations, and they all signed off after the late-night news and The Tonight Show.) I snapped photos of the plume of smoke against the blue sky, then rushed back to the office to process the film, then print four registered (matched up) CMYK prints, all black and white but each representing a different color: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The photos were photographed with a huge screen camera, as big as a photographer, to be made into page-size negatives that would be etched or burned onto thin aluminum plates used on giant revolving drums to print newspapers.
I didn’t quite make it to the top of Challenger Point in 2003, so I didn't get my own photo of the memorial plaque, which reads:
In Memory of the Crew of Shuttle Challenger
Seven who died accepting the risk,
expanding Mankind's horizons
January 28, 1986
Ad Astra Per Aspera
The Latin phrase means, "To the stars through adversity."
I'm not certain why it takes something tragic, such as the loss of both of our shuttles, first one, then another, so many years ago, to pull us together as a nation and a people. But I am very grateful we still are able to unite and become as one following the tragic aftermath of events such as what happened in Colorado just a few days ago. May our combined hearts and prayers blend in a plea for comfort, peace and strength upon those affected.
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: 4 inches from point to point
Materials: For snowflake: size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, 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. For rock: size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, smooth, round, clean river rock approximately 4 inches in diameter and approximately 2 inches thick.
Instructions
Ch 6, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.
Round 1: Sl st into ring, *ch 1, 3 dc in ring, ch 1, sl st in ring; repeat from * around 5 times for a total of 6 petals. Don't pull magic ring too tight until after completing Round 2.
Round 2: *Ch 8, sl st over next petal into next sl st; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, 1 dtr in last sl st of Round 1 (counts as final ch 8 sp, and you will be working over dtr post in next round). Pull magic ring tight, but leave opening big enough for petals to lie nearly flat with a little bit of curl.
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same sp, *3 dc in next ch 8 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp,; repeat from * around 4 times; 3 dc in next ch 8 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 (counts as last ch 3 sp, and you will be working over dc post in next round).
Round 4: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same sp, * ch 1, 1 sc tightly between next 2 3/dc groups, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 8, sl st in top of dc just worked, 3 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 1, 1 sc tightly between next 2 3/dc groups, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2, ch 8, sl st in same ch.
Round 5: * Ch 3, 1 sc in next sc, 1 hdc in same sc, 1 dc in same sc, ch 3, sl st in top of dc just made, 1 hdc in same sc, 1 sc in same sc, ch 3, 13 sc in next ch 8 sp; repeat from * around 5 times. To make snowflake, sl st in last sl st of Round 4, bind off and weave in ends. To cover a stone, sl st in last sl st of Round 4 and do not bind off. Keep right on going.
Round 6: Check the fit of your rock. Snowflake points should reach the edges of the rock. Adjustments may be necessary to fit the rock. *1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 7, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 7, sk next 6 sc of next 13/sc group, 1 sc in next sc, ch 7; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last ch 7 of final repeat; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc (counts as last ch 7 sp).
Rounds 7-9: Checking fit as you go, 1 sc over tr just worked,* ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 7 sp; repeat from * around to last ch 7 sp of this round; ch 2, 1 dc in starting sc (counts as ch 5 sp). Cut off beginning thread end at center of snowflake before fitting cover over stone. Snowflake should fit snuggly. Adjust mesh stitch by adding or subtracting chains as necessary to maintain snug fit over rock.
Round 8: 1 sc over dc just worked, * ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 5 sp; repeat from * around to last ch 5 sp of round; ch 2, 1 dc in starting sc (counts as ch 5 sp). Stretch piece over rock and continue working without removing rock. If you are using a heavy rock, take care not to drop it on body parts (yours or those of others) that might hurt. As much as possible, take care not to scrape crochet hook on rock. Continue adjusting mesh as necessary to snuggly fit rock.
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 9: 1 sc over dc just worked, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch sp; repeat from * around to last ch sp of round; ch 1, 1 dc in starting sc (counts as ch 3 sp).
Rounds 10-finish: 1 sc over dc just worked, *ch 5, sk next ch 3 sp, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp; repeat from * around to second to last ch sp of round; ch 2, 1 dc in starting sc (counts as ch 5 sp). Continue working same instructions until hole is closed. Ch 3, l st into next ch sp; bind off. Weave in end.
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.
20 July 2012
Friday Funny
Yet another collection of links to make you laugh...
"I'd like a chocolate cake with white flake on it, please." (scroll to 5th picture, but feel free to laugh at all)
fixed laughter
Not necessarily funny, but definitely fun
Gullible's Travels
Painting With Light
I want to try this!!!
WAY cool
Simply Amazing
19 July 2012
Growling Breakfast Food
Years ago, I got this wild idea to shoot my tiny bears with rainbow-colored items, such as flowers, candy and cereal. The photos came out so cute, I decided to make greeting cards. On a whim, I listed a group of the cards on Etsy, and the breakfast club has become my biggest hit – as far as views, not sales.
You can even find them on Amazon!
I named this series Cereal Spillers because it rhymes with Serial Killers. Yes, I know, not the best thing in the world with which to be associated. But I thought the narrative was super cute.
Thirteen hundred-plus viewers can't be wrong, right?!?
Imagine my surprise when I learned there is a top secret synth musician(s) by the same name producing some visually intriguing music videos.
17 July 2012
Have your yarn and eat it, too
Some of the coolest cakes ever! Even more here!
Knitted cakes.
Quilted cakes.
And, while we're at it, I guess you knew I couldn't resist searching for these.
Or these.
Lizards and snowflakes. What a combo!
This has been so much fun! And no calories!!!
16 July 2012
Snowflake Monday
This was the snowflake I saw in my head when I found the dice beads I used in last week's snowflake. But the dice did nothing for the appearance of the snowflake, so I took the beads out.
Hence, this week's No Dice Snowflake.
To string my dice beads last week, I painted the end of the thread with a couple of coats of fingernail polish and allowed it to dry thoroughly before threading my beads. The dried fingernail polish allowed the thread to be used like a needle. Glue and wax may be substituted for the fingernail polish if desired. For today's snowflake, I used a regular sewing needle with size 20 thread to string my beads.
Chris asked last week if strung beads get in way while I'm crocheting snowflakes. I keep my thread in a sealable plastic bag while I work, with the seal open only an inch or two, allowing the thread to bounce around as necessary without coming out of the bag. A yarn bowl would work the same way. Making beaded snowflakes is not a process I'd use on public transportation because it does take more concentration and space, but I don't have difficulty when working with beads at home or other comfortable spots where I can work undistracted and allow strung beads to fall to the floor.
A couple of years ago, Denise asked how beaded snowflakes should be stiffened. In the past I was able to touch up glue spots on beads with a water-moistened cotton swab, but I'm no longer using glue to stiffen my snowflakes. This week's beaded snowflake and last week's High Roller Snowflake are stiffened with liquid starch, and the starch did not defile the beads.
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: 5.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, 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
NOTE: The beaded snowflake is worked with size 20 hand-dyed thread, size 10 crochet hook and 6/0 glass seed beads.
No Dice Snowflake Instructions
If making a beaded snowflake, string 60 beads onto thread.
Ch 4, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 11 dc in ring; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2. Don't pull magic ring too tight.
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 2: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same ch as sl st, sk next dc, * 2 dc in next dc, ch 3, 2 dc in same dc, sk next dc; repeat from * around 4 times; 2 dc in same ch as starting dc, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 (counts as final ch 3 sp, and you will be working over dc in next round).
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over dc just worked; 2 hdc over same dc, *(if using beads, pull up one bead here), 2 hdc in next ch 3 sp, 2 dc in same sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, 2 hdc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; 2 hdc in next ch 3 sp (starting sp), 2 dc in same sp, ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
Round 4: 1 sc in same ch as sl st, 1 sc in next dc, * ch 5, sk next 4 hdc, 1 sc in each of next 2 dc, 2 hdc in next ch 3 sp, 2 dc in same sp, ch 15, 1 dc in 14th ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, 2 dc in same ch 3 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in each of next 2 dc; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 2 sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc.
Round 5: * 7 dc in next ch 5 sp, sl st in next hdc, ch 1, 30 dc in next ch 15 loop, ch 1, sk next 2 dc and next hdc, sl st in next hdc; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last sl st of final repeat; sl st in 1st dc of starting 7/dc group.
Round 6: *Ch 2, sk 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 3, 2 dc in same dc, ch 2, sk next 2 dc, sl st in next dc, sk next dc (in 1st of 30/dc group), [1 sc in next dc , ch 3, sk 2 dc] 9 times (if using beads, pull up one bead on the 2nd ch of each ch 3); sk next dc (last dc of 30/dc group), sl st in 1st dc of next 7/dc group; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last sl st of final repeat; sl st in final sl st of Round 5; bind off. Weave in ends.
While making the ecru snowflake for my rock, I noticed on Round 5 I'd made a serious mistake and omitted one of the chain 15 loops on the previous round, so I had to unravel. While I was redoing, I decided to shorten the chain loops so I could use a smaller rock. The instructions that follow are for the smaller version of the snowflake.
Round 4: 1 sc in same ch as sl st, 1 sc in next dc, * ch 5, sk next 4 hdc, 1 sc in each of next 2 dc, 2 hdc in next ch 3 sp, 2 dc in same sp, ch 7, 1 dc in 6th ch from hook, 1 dc in next ch, 2 dc in same ch 3 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in each of next 2 dc; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last 2 sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc.
Round 5: * 7 dc in next ch 5 sp, sl st in next hdc, ch 1, 13 dc in next ch 7 loop, ch 1, sk next 2 dc and next hdc, sl st in next hdc; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last sl st of final repeat; sl st in 1st dc of starting 7/dc group.
Round 6: *Ch 2, sk 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 3, 2 dc in same dc, ch 2, sk next 2 dc, sl st in next dc, sk next dc (in 1st of 13/dc group), [1 sc in next dc , ch 3, sk 1 dc] 5 times; ch 2, sk next dc (last dc of 13/dc group), sl st in 1st dc of next 7/dc group; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last sl st of final repeat; sl st in final sl st of Round 5; bind off. Weave in ends.
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 July 2012
12 July 2012
A different kind of fire
A day before we got our first good whiff of wildfire smoke, I was a good six miles or more from Leadville, at approximately 9,000 feet in elevation, with another thousand feet of climbing ahead of me. I typically can't pedal faster than 6 or 7 miles per hour traveling uphill, so I was looking at another hour, at best, after 13.5 hours already in the saddle.
It had been the most difficult climb of the entire week, up and over Independence Pass, following a slow and steady 60-mile ascent to 12,000 feet from Carbondale at 6,000 feet. Yes, that's right, 6,000 feet of elevation gain in a day. I was tired. There isn't much air at 9,000 feet, although more oxygen than at 12,000 feet. My wrist was achy after just finishing a section of dirt road and a section of freeze crack pavement. I was hungry, and I wanted a hot bath, not just a shower.
A huge, hand-lettered cardboard sign in the driveway of a highway home announced in big, bold, black emotionally loud fashion: "Bikers, get off our highways until you pay your fair share of taxes! Stay off our highways!!!"
If I hadn't been so doggone physically exhausted, I might have parked my bike and knocked on the front door in an attempt to educate. But I didn't have the energy to swing my leg over the bike, much less swing a my fist into a punch if it came to that. (In reality, I abhor and do not condone violence.)
Yes, I was fired up. I was fuming! The emotions were enough to power me into Leadville. I stewed for the next hour over the nerve of the homeowner. I pondered writing a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. I wondered if I should write a letter to the editor of the Denver Post, Ride the Rockies sponsor. I contemplated if anything I said or thought would make a difference.
I don't have much faith in changing a tiny corner of the world I don't live in. Nevertheless, words were ignited as if by 65-mph winds in 100-degree heat. I still quiver when I think about that sign.
"Dear Lake County Homeowner:
2,500 riders from all 50 states and 18 countries hopefully were too focused on the road and the ride to notice your sign. They spent an aggregate average of $250,000 in each host community, including yours, and a non-profit agency in your community received a $5,000 grant raised by Ride the Rockies, which includes donations by the very riders you targeted. With less government funding available for all charities these days, I'm sure you can appreciate the services your community's chosen charity will be able to provide, thanks to a bunch of cyclists.
Those very same cyclists often return to the friendly places they pedal through during future vacations, and they often get there via gasoline-powered transportation, which generates even more revenue that won't be seen if those riders decide a community isn't friendly and isn't worth a return trip.
Those cyclists have friends and family who also will want to visit amicable host communities. The tourism possibilities resulting from an event such as Ride the Rockies are endless... IF the host community is friendly and makes the riders feel welcome.
Those very same riders have jobs, homes, cars, furniture and food, and they pay taxes just like everyone else. They don't live in tents year round, and bicyling is something they like to do. It's not because they don't have vehicles.
Most of them have picked (and paid for) a difficult and challenging week-long vacation to absorb the beauty Colorado has to offer in a manner that allows them to see, smell, taste and feel the outdoors in ways that just aren't possible from inside a vehicle. They pay taxes on everything they buy, including the taxes that build highways, just like you. They buy gasoline. Those who stay in hotels pay lodging taxes, which are pumped right back into the community. Ride the Rockies cyclists spend a week of their hard-earned vacation doing something that doesn't appeal to you. That doesn't mean they are freeloading.
Some of the most popular organized rides are 501(c)(3) organizations, which means sponsor organizations don't profit from the (taxed) fees riders pay to participate. Instead, these organizations raise money for worthy causes that would suffer tremendously in this economy without such assistance. Grant money is raised primarily from voluntary donations by the riders.
Organized rides pay for law enforcement and medical services they utilize during events. These services are not paid for with tax money. Charities and volunteers serve meals, for a price, to cyclists. The meal money benefits the charities the volunteers represent. Just about every penny a cyclist spends during a week-long tour benefits someone along the route, directly or indirectly.
Cyclists have families. They are spouses, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandmothers, uncles, nieces, sons and cousins. Some of those very same families travel along with the tour, spending even more money in host communities and on gasoline. Not every rider is a speed demon looking for a downhill thrill. This year's ride featured at least four parapalegic riders, a rider with only one arm, many representatives of our military forces, four children - two on tandems and two pedaling their little bikes the entire 450 miles, and a blind rider on the back of a tandem.
Yes, there are rude cyclists out there, and those of us who obey the laws are constantly on their case. There are rude motorists out there, and those of us who obey the laws wish we could keep those drivers off the road. There are rude homeowners out there, and those of us who try to be good neighbors at all times try to make up for those who don't so we don't chase potential tourists away from our communities and to spread goodwill instead of venom.
It would be unfair of cyclists to judge all homeowners in any given county or community by the offensive actions of one resident. It would be unfair of homeowners in any given county or community to judge all cyclists by an offensive individual or group who may or may not even have been involved with this particular event.
My experience has been that a welcome mat makes the world a lot better place than an angry, bitter bed of hot coals. I certainly would want my community to be thought of as a welcome mat and not a place where visitors will be unduly roasted.
Regards,
A taxpayer, employee, co-homeowner, automobile owner, wife, mother, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, volunteer, voter, cyclist and human being"
10 July 2012
To a Tee
My two-year-old neighbor would be turning three the weekend after Ride the Rockies. I found a plain but appropriately sized Ride the Rockies toddler T-shirt on Day 1. I didn't want to haul the gift across the state all week, so I committed to buy it when we finished.
The day we finished Ride the Rockies, the tiny Tees were sold out, along with the even tinier onsies.
The salesperson suggested I order the child's T-shirt online because there were plenty more.
Not!
After a few days of waiting, I realized the T-shirt would not arrive in time for the birthday party if I ordered it. If it ever showed up on the website again. (As it turned out, the shirts were completely sold out and were not made available online.)
I had taken a photo of the RtR logo on this year's jersey. I could have the photo printed on a tiny T-shirt, and that would be even better than the text-only T-shirt I'd seen on Day 1.
So began the hunt for a T-shirt printer who would be open in the evening when I got off work; I now had only two days left before the birthday party. T-shirt shops in Moab are open outrageous hours, and I expected at least one shop in the Denver Metro area to follow suit.
Not.
Because I'd taken a week off from work, work was getting even with me, and I had to stay late every night. Every T-shirt printer I found closed before I left work.
I got this bright idea to print the T-shirt myself. I'd have to hook up the old, dinosaur laptop that doesn't work so well anymore, but I would need to run only one program at a time, so the computer should survive. I'd seen printable iron-on tranfers in various stores. I stopped at the closest 24-hour department store late the night before the party, after getting off work, and picked up a blank T-shirt, a package of iron-on transfers and a pair of neon socks. (Neon socks just in case Kiddo didn't like the T-shirt.)
I actually read the instructions on the T-shirt transfers before hitting the print button. Good thing, too. I don't think I'd have thought about the image needing to be reversed.
My first test print (on regular paper) proved I needed to recalibrate my printer. After all, I haven't used it since about last December, and it can't communicate with the newfangled laptop.
My second test print looked really good, so I ran my first sheet of transfer paper through the printer. I didn't know what ink setting to use because I'd never done this before, and printing on fabric, which I have done, takes lots of ink. So I used the regular paper setting.
The first transfer was way too heavy on the ink! The bikes in the logo completely disappeared! So I switched to the finest photo paper setting the printer has, and I tried again. Fine photo paper has a glossy surface and does not require much ink.
Success!
I followed the instructions for ironing the transfer onto the shirt, except I was a little too anxious to peel the paper away. Although the transfer looked awesome, the corners came up a bit because I didn't allow the shirt to cool adequately. I thought I could press the corners down if I ironed the shirt again on the wrong side. I even stuck a towel in the shirt to prevent the transfer from ruining the backside of the shirt.
I ruined the towel instead. Back to square zero.
First thing the day of the party, The Lizard ran me back to the department store, plain T-shirts in the appropriate size were completely sold out. The store didn't have packages of T-shirts the right size, either, so I had to take a chance with one size smaller. I had to buy a whole package, which means I get to play around with this process and decorate more shirts once I regain my confidence.
This time after I ironed on the transfer, I stuck the entire shirt in the freezer to make absolutely certain it cooled enough before I peeled the paper. When I did take the paper off, that shirt looked super cool! And not just because it was ice cold!
About an hour later, the shirt was presented in a most attractive bag to a wildly excited newly-three-year-old, who promptly slung the T-shirt to the ground while digging in the bag looking for the good stuff. Fortunately, the neon socks were to her liking.
My budding career as on iron-on tranfer artist is likely short-lived, but my neighbor's mom assures me Kiddo is going to enjoy wearing her very own Ride the Rockies jersey next time she rides her bike, and it will be even more special if I'm riding at the same time and wearing my matching jersey!
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