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2/2/2008 4:43:15 PM
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Need help with pattern alteration
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Find a basic pattern with raglan sleeves that has the fit you want and then add the details from the other pattern. This is much simpler than recharting the sleeves.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/2/2008 5:00:12 PM
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Longest drive of my life to nowhere
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I just don`t do snow anymore - and certainly not ice! No one needs that stress. I left Alberta largely because of what Billie describes above. After spending over an hour getting from just outside of the East Gate of Banff National Park into where I lived in town [normally took 20 minutes] in early June one year, I made the decision to go at the end of summer. Then I ended up putting in 31 more winters in Montreal and north of Toronto. Never more. Much safer to sit in front of the fireplace and knit! It`s just not worth risking your life.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/4/2008 9:53:28 AM
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seeking
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Have a look at Nancie Wiseman`s "Knitted Sweaters for Every Season" and Barry Klein and Fayla Reiss` "Knitovation". These will give you a place to start thinking. Then you can probably chart out what you want on knitters` graph paper.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/4/2008 9:58:22 AM
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Am I blue?
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I had blue hands and even finger nails from that yarn whilst knitting a purse before Christmas. A very kind woman at curling thought that I was very cold and had turned blue. She was most relieved that it was just from over-zealous knitting! The blue does fade eventually.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/4/2008 10:08:20 AM
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Cat Flea medicine advise
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Cats do get eczema, too. We had one housecat very prone to it as he got older. Vitamin E cream (unscented) helped a lot, but he just loved it, so licked it off and purred. It would have easier and probably just as effective to have spooned it down his throat - or given him the whole jar.
Maybe your cat is allergic to yarn?
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/5/2008 10:15:23 AM
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Aran Sweater - it barely seems possible, but...
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Chart it out, T, and see how it looks. Draw the present shape on knitters` graph paper [one half is sufficient if the sweater is symetrical]. Changing the sleeves to modified drop is easy. At the bottom of the sleeve, come in about 2 inches, and then go straight up. Look carefully at where the corner comes in the aran pattern. Adjust placement to fit the stitches [ie have a couple of knit or purl stitches beyond the fancy stitches so that you can pick up or sew in the sleeves] `coming in` more is usually better than less. 9 - 10 inches of drop is average except for tiny people.
When knitting, put the `come-in` stitches on stitch holders or cast them off. Now for the sleeve. Join the shoulder, then pick up stitches across the `come-in` part, place a marker, pick up stitches around the arm (pick up in two rows, miss a row, pick up in two rows, miss a row, etc, works well)until you reach the corner on the other side, place a marker, and pick up the underarm stitches. The larger number of stitches between the markers are your sleeve stitches and the stitches for your aran pattern, the smaller number are for your gusset. For a short gusset, decrease at each side within the gusset stitches every other row. For a longer gusset, decrease every 4th row. Draw out on your chart and see which you prefer. The gusset stitches can be knit in stocking stitch, reverse stocking stitch, seed/moss stitch, even ribbing, or any pattern which doesn`t have lumpy parts. Once you have used up your gusset stitches, continue the sleeve downwards with decreases at the intervals where the pattern probably has increases. Try on for length before you start ribbing/hem and adjust. If you knit the sleeve `in the round` you will not have a seam in the middle of your gusset, nor down the sleeve. The gusset reduces underarm bulk and allows for more arm movement.
For the changes in the aran pattern, chart them out and knit a swatch. You`ll see if you like the result before making a final decision.
Post again if this doesn`t make sense. Inset sleeve is possible, too, but takes more adaption.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/5/2008 10:29:42 AM
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slide show of extreme knitters
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If the taggers were knitting little protectors for trees to prevent chafing from rubbing against chain link fences, the activity would make sense - but I don`t think that that is what they are doing. Maybe on Salt Spring though - but we don`t have many chain link fences.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/5/2008 11:17:51 AM
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Color advice, please . . .
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I think I would go for a Charcoal Heather bage with a bright contrast such as Violet Heather, Mesa Teal, or New Leaf.
The Charcoal Heather just doesn`t show soil, so is great for constant use.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/5/2008 12:27:40 PM
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I`m Back from Mexico
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Had a wonderful time and learned a lot. Need more Spanish, though, so must make an effort. Mark, I, and one of the couple who went with us took a course on the history of Merida at the college that my niece and her husband own. This was the start of their Life Long Learning programme - 4 week courses aimed at expats and people who go down for some sunshine. She also organizes excursions - this year`s are New Year`s in Mexico City and right now she has a group of 30 in Campeche and Chiapas. Some students do courses and trips, some one or the other. We just did the course.
Didn`t see any knitting in the Yucatan Lowlands - embroidery, hammock-making, and weaving with sisal are the chief textiles. Next year my niece is planning an excursion to Oaxaca and Puebla with emphases on textiles and rarely visited archaeological sites. This will probably be early February.
She arranged a wonderful day for us at a restored hacienda when it was between guests. This place is the ultimate in Mexican luxury. We were greeted with cold drinks by Mayan girls in traditional dress. After a tour, we changed in bedrooms decorated with flowers, swam in a pool with floating flowers, had margaritas on the terrace and a traditional lunch at a long table on the covered patio - all decorated with more flowers. Just a thoroughly wonderful place. It`s expensive, but what a place for a knitting retreat!
We visited the Mayan ruins at Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and
Dzibilchaltun, and saw a lot of Merida. The house we rented was right on the beach, east of Progreso, will pool. We used local transport rather than renting a car. At the equivalent of 35 cents to get into Progresso on a `combi` or a local bus and $2.20 return from Progreso to Merida (35 km) on an A/C highway bus, car rental didn`t make too much sense. The combis were `local colour` but they certainly worked. They seemed to be individually owned, converted vans of a certain vintage, which carried 8-10 passengers on bench-like seats. Ours travelled continually on a route between Progreso and Chicxulub, stopping wherever they were flagged down. Calling out "Baja" seemed to be the approved way of getting them to stop. "Stop" consisted of going at full speed, slamming on the brakes, and skidding to a stop on bald tires. We took them many, many times, but never had to wait more than 5 minutes for one to come along. The drivers never hit anything and always managed to stop. We hired a couple of the ones in better condition for outings - about $10 an hour.
Great trip!
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/6/2008 9:45:25 AM
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Everyone from Storm areas, please report in...
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We watched the storm go over your town on TV last night. I thought of phoning but decided that would be a crazy thing to do with the lines needed for emergency services. Thanks for signing in so that we know you are OK.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/8/2008 10:30:58 AM
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spring IWK has arrived!
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Haven`t seen the pattern yet, but maybe that Cobweb Lace shawl isn`t really too difficult for you. Try a swatch in a heavier, say sport weight, yarn and you`ll probably find that you can manaqge the pattern just fine. Just think in sets of knit and purl stitches.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/8/2008 10:51:54 AM
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need to raise a bit of money...
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Laura, I don`t want to put a damper on your project, but do be careful. Most commercial knitting patterns are intended for personal use only - it`s illegal to sell items made from them. You need to make your own patterns or get written permission from whoever owns the pattern - this means the creator, not someone in a shop. Stitch patterns are `traditional` and can be used - good form to credit the source ie Barbara Walker III - but the special details of a particular
construction are the property of the designer.
This is why I do not make `copies` of commercial patterns for people even when they want `just one from the whole book`. For knitting retreats, I either create the patterns myself or else I purchase sufficient copies so that I give one to each person. When I send free patterns (ex. the basic sock pattern) to people on this list, they are my patterns which I choose to give away.
Making up designs is not difficult if you are doing the knitting yourself. Writing instructions for others to follow is harder as every step needs to be clear.
All this said, do go ahead and design boutique items, some people do very well, so why not you.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/9/2008 10:43:43 AM
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Totally off topic
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Hang in there! This unfortunately is common DH syndrome behaviour. At least he is around, upright, and going to the grocery store. All too common is either a) essential work-related trip to far-off (at least 1000 miles away) city or b) coming down with some seemingly life-threatening illness that necessitates complete bed-rest for him.
See if he will make up a tray of small portions of things you feel like eating (be explicit) and put it beside your bed. If you feel like eating more, order a dinner for two from a good local restaurant and have it delivered by taxi - hang the expense and look upon it as part of your recovery.
It`s mainly the meds making you cry - explain this to him at frequent intervals - forgetfulness is part of the DH syndrome.
Order more yarn plus 3 knitting books - it`ll make you feel better.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/9/2008 10:43:43 AM
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Totally Off Topic
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Hang in there! This unfortunately is common DH syndrome behaviour. At least he is around, upright, and going to the grocery store. All too common is either a) essential work-related trip to far-off (at least 1000 miles away) city or b) coming down with some seemingly life-threatening illness that necessitates complete bed-rest for him.
See if he will make up a tray of small portions of things you feel like eating (be explicit) and put it beside your bed. If you feel like eating more, order a dinner for two from a good local restaurant and have it delivered by taxi - hang the expense and look upon it as part of your recovery.
It`s mainly the meds making you cry - explain this to him at frequent intervals - forgetfulness is part of the DH syndrome.
Order more yarn plus 3 knitting books - it`ll make you feel better.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/21/2008 10:13:38 AM
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Benne: you need a mokkis
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Great idea - it`s like the English `summer house`. My father called his `the workshop` at a good safe distance from the house. Great way to try out a different building method too, say straw bales, cobb, rammed earth, slip-cast stone - just tell the inquisitive that you are experimenting with environmentally friendly building methods.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/21/2008 10:15:34 AM
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Happy Birthday CatBookMom
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Happy Birthday! Do come north again soon.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/21/2008 10:36:07 AM
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Colinette Point Five yarn
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Go straight to the Colinette store on-line to see what you want:
http://www.colinetteyarns.co.uk/
The people who work there are very helpful and careful about putting together their mail orders - I`ve watched them do it. BUT they have this proviso on their site:
To all American cutomers
Welcome to our Colinette Yarns online store. We hope you enjoy clicking around the site and finding things that you might like to buy. However as you may have noticed, we are not able to sell everything direct to the USA from this site, due to the current distribution system. We do however offer you the ability to purchase selected items found in the millshop section. If you see something else you would like to purchase please get in contact with your nearest wool shop or alternatively contact our US distributor direct who will assist you. If you have any queries regarding this matter, then please feel free to contact us direct at usafeedback@colinette.com
They happily ship to Canada, so must be something to do with US customs and excise. I`m sure that they would help you find a `local` source once you have decided what you want. Stitches here on Salt Spring Island now stock some Colinette yarns including Point 5, but in a limited colour range.
HTH
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/21/2008 11:03:02 AM
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I just saw my aunt on the evening news and it wasn`t good - OT
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Your poor aunt and her dog. I hope they won`t be afraid to go out walking after this.
I really like big dogs - St Bernards, Newfoundlands, Great Danes, Old English Sheepdogs, Bouviers, etc that are happy well-adjusted dogs. Why anyone would encourage a dog to be nasty, aggressive is beyond me. Any dog needs to be trained in acceptable social behaviour, and it`s a kindness to the dog to make sure it`s well-mannered.
I hope they both make a speedy recovery.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/22/2008 11:54:47 AM
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for Daryl and Benne:
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When we lived in an old (1820) log house in the country in Ontario, my DMIL would complain that it was far too noisy for her to sleep when she came to visit - birds under the eaves, squirrels running across the roof, fire crackling, and all the sounds a real log house makes in the night, that we were accustomed to. She lived on the 3rd floor of a highrise apartment building on a busy street across from Beacon Hill Park in Victoria. DD lived on the 11th floor in the same building and now Christian is in that apartment and it is noisy! Just what you get used to.
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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2/23/2008 5:42:03 PM
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Ok, girls-
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If the beads are a huge problem strung on the yarn you are knitting with, try putting them on with a crochet hook as you need them, as follows:
Knit to bead position, insert small crochet hook through the hole in the bead, catch the working yarn with the hook and pull it through the bead. Put this `loop through the bead` on the left needle, knit it, and cinch up the yarn. Continue knitting until you reach next bead position.
This is quicker than it sounds if you are adding just a few beads. Try a little swatch slipping the loop, purling the loop, purling the stitch on each side of the loop, etc to see which shows off your bead best.
Failing all else, sew on the beads after you finish the knitting.
You`ll make that deadline
Alice
Salt Spring Island
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