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Crochet Me Mid-Issue Newsletter and other surfing

Tuesday, April 25th, 2006

The Book Reviews are tempting. One Skein seems interesting now that i’ve got a little stash — but i’m thinking of doing the amigurumi (or Swatchies or the Shroom or finger puppets). The geometric accessory bags are cute — and enough of an idea right there without buying a book. (Must talk self out of acquisition of books before completion of projects.) Another review is for Yarn Cocktails, which fortunately doesn’t seem to have any purchase temptations but does seem to have some interesting (likely one skein) project inspirations (Copperhead). And project horrors: Toasted Almond does answer my question of what the hell Pelosi was wearing around her neck during some joint presentation of Senate & House Dems on a new fiscal plan. I can’t remember much but my horror at her necklace and how it was So Much Worse than a bad tie and was this some sort of sexist expression on my part or what.

Ahem. Somehow i got to this link about hyperbolic crochet.

The Crochet Answer Book and Crochet Bags! might both be useful.

Continuing in the recycled plastic bag trend

Whipup.net has an entry with links to more bags: i hadn’t seen this one. And woven rug! Crocheted sandals!

Now that i’m collecting plastic bags for crochet, two things seem even more apparent:

(1) So much stuff is wrapped in plastic!
(2) Boy, crochet goes through yardage!

I continued the really rough square i started last week (CR2006.06) with the plastic bag some onion and cheese sandwich rolls came in. (Edit: Tuesday evening i added the bag Christine’s needlework stretcher came in and a Trader Joes dried soybean bag.) I’ve also started three other balls of plastic bag yarn, currently listed at the bottom of the Palettes page. It’s startling how pervasive the little bags are, not just the shopping bags, but everything inside the shopping bags.

I’m thinking about turning CR2006.06 into a bike pannier, using sections of oval-shaped plastic bottles to make the hooks to hold the bag to the bike rack. My current pannier wasn’t cheap, and i dare not leave it on the bike when i go in places. I suppose the time put into a recycled bag pannier isn’t “cheap” either….

I’ve also been using cereal bag liners to carry my lunch ever since reading this post about reusing the unrecyclable HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). Wow, is that a sturdy (but noisy) material. And now that i *see* it, i’m aware how much of it we go through in our household. It seems that it might just make a really good lining material, sewn into other projects.

Other Surfing

Interesting ideas for altered books from Maine College of Art.

Tips on using wacom tablet with Photoshop — none address my doodling desire (which ought to be done in Illustrator, i figure).

crochet, crochet me,recycle, plastic bags,links,HDPE

Posted in Crochet and Knitting, Today's Log, Tools and techniques | 1 Comment »

A little under the weather

Wednesday, April 19th, 2006

And still irked about photo galleries on the new server but definitely NOT up to doing anything about them. I *did* find the scarf project last weekend, but i haven’t done anything with it.

No, just a post to say i received interesting mail from Russell Manning (previously: 2004-01-27 note and gallery images). Four colorful collages along with the decorated enclosure stating that the new collage works are “vaguely based on ‘Meet Me In St. Louis’.” And will have to wait for galleries, etc…

Dry cleaning bag swatch from JanuaryWith the plastic bag crochet in mind, and two plastic wrappers for those large bundles of TP found under the bathroom sink, i started a round with lots of sc in a spiral, increasing where i felt like it. In a few more rows it should be a square. I’ll then use hdc where appropriate to make it more of a rectangle than a square. I’ve a thumb diameter hole in the bottom. For the type shopping i imagine, that should not be a problem. I think once the base is done, i’ll do hdc instead of sc so it’s a little less stiff. I’m using a H/8 5 mm hook and sliced the bags up into roughly 1/2 wide strips.

I think i’ll be attentive to what sort of plastic bag goes into what project — these were mostly clear bags with green or purple markings. This will be CR2006.06.

Now that i know the trick of chaining loops of plastic, though, i know how i’ll work with dry cleaning bags.

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Plastic Bag Crochet

Wednesday, April 12th, 2006

Discussion at Etsy points to ReadyMade which points to instructions.

rising waters, recycle, crochet, instructions, ideas

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Crochet Me issue & newsletter

Wednesday, March 15th, 2006

Already sent the link to the Amigurumi dolls to Laura. Maybe i’ll rip out the green “cat afghan” that is a little not flat and make one of these…. (There’s a Flickr pool if i do.)

The button cover tutorial is a nice inspiration, and maybe i’ll finally get into podcasts.

ideas, crochet, instructions

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The scarf, redesigned.

Tuesday, March 14th, 2006

CR2006.02 weighs 1 oz (~28.3 g) — over half the spool. It’s 10-12 inches long, 6 to 7 inches wide, with irregular width. I’ve scanned an image and ripped it all out.

24 inches by 7 doesn’t make a nice scarf.

I think i want something like 60 x 6. I’d need two more spools, but the quilting store downtown didn’t seem to have a deep selection of this impulse purchase viscose.

So, when we were at the dentist’s office in chi-chi Laurel Heights, i took the lunch break to walk down to Elaine Magnin Needlepoint. (I was actually walking to Three Bags Full, thinking it to be a yarn shop, but it’s a sweater shop.) I ended up buying 22 skeins of DMC #3 pearl cotton ($1.35). Each is roughly 5 g, 15 m (16.4 y). So, roughly 360 yds. The viscose is 136 yds. I think this is my equivalent of two more spools, more or less.

A: 7 green (954)
B: 7 gold-yellow (677)
C: 4 purple (209)
D: 4 gold (676)

What i’m thinking is starting with N*6 stitches wide (to get close to 5.5″), where N is likely 5.

1. In Y6: ch N*6+2
2. In Y6: sc N*6+2
3. In Y6: chain up 3 (counts as 1st stitch) & fasten loop. Fasten in A and tc 3. Skip 3. Fasten in B and tc3. Skip 3. Fasten in C and tc 3. Skip 3. Fasten in A’ and tc 3. Skip 3. Fasten in B’ and tc 3. Skip 3. Fasten in D and tc 3. Skip 3.
4. In Y6: ch or sc across & 

1.  ooooooooooooo...o
2.  +++++++++++++...+
3.  8TTT   TTT   ...
4.  o+++ooo+++ooo...F
5.  +++++++++++++...+
6.  8   TTT   TTT...
4'. oooo+++ooo+++...F
5'. +++++++++++++...+

It’s going to take forever but it will be gorgeous.

crochet,instructions

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Over the past week….

Sunday, February 26th, 2006

Mailbag

In the mail on Friday (i think), an invitation to participate in the S.i.C.A.r.T. project. Earlier in the week, Wednesday, i think, i received the returns from a nervousness Tree ATC trade. I’ve also received a request for one of my GCP commemorative envelopes from a collector. She sent it to Christine’s Grey Cat Productions address — we do wonder where she initially saw it.

Crochet

Ruth assured me that the twisted burp whatever would become square with proper blocking. Really, all is well with the object. Ha!

Tools & Techniques

On Saturday i bought a new, inexpensive, lightweight tripod, a rubber cup that you put on the end of chair legs, a pipe clamp, a “grab-it” clamp, bungee cords, and some wire ties. I think i have the bike mount i wanted. Haven’t given it a trial yet.

A reply to my question about sweater design books recommended All Sweaters in Every Gauge and Modular Crochet.

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Starting over

Sunday, February 19th, 2006

Today i finished the yellow edging on the “burp cloth” (CR2006.04) and started again on the blue center ground of the blanket (Now CR2006.05). The “burp” cloth took an oz of yarn, leaving about .6 oz of the blue with which to start over.

I think i’ll have enough blue to make a center ground, and yellow to make the enough edging. I suppose i can always make the edging some what loose—although i suppose a lacy blanket is not good for a baby.

I’m now being much more careful about stretching the piece square as i work on it. I’m still not sure where most of the warp came from—the stitch count was OK.

See more progress on: Crochet a baby blanket for my sister’s baby

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Crochet Me Forum Query on Sweater Books

Saturday, February 11th, 2006

I posted this question in the Crochet Me forum: (more…)

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What a fun Monday — totally by accident….

Monday, January 30th, 2006

Photography

Picked up Roll2005.06 at Wolf. 37 shots of B&W goodness to scan in.
Inspired, and sighting the delicate new moon, ushering in the Year of the Dawg, i loaded Roll2006.01 (OLD film, “07/2002 3715804″, Kodak Select Royal Gold, 24 exp, ISO 200/24° C-41 RB135-24, CAT 129 8041).

I shot three shots: the first two were some thing like 30 second exposures, the third was 1/2 s. I forgotten how to use the timer as well. Ah well.

060201: Spaceweather.com has a photo like the one i was trying to shoot at swpod2006/31jan06/joye1.jpg. Their write up links to an explanation of earthshine or the “Da Vinci Glow”. It will be a while before i get mine developed….

Mail art — from the Mail Box

Received the Altered Photos ATC swap (LMAO2005.08) from nervousness. Ironic, because Christine (aka greycat) hasn’t received hers, but hers arrived at the swap first — even though they were mailed together. Last out, first in?


Top row L-R: “Shine” from Supersunshine , “neon” from Iowa-art-teacher , “Evolution” ATC #73 . Bottom row L-R: “The Barrens, Co. Clare, Ireland” from Penny Miles, “Wisconsin Trees” by Carl.

Crochet

Working on the Nord/ette’s blanket (CR2006.04)– have a 3″ square worked “in the round” of mainly hdc with the 2.55mm hook. It’s something like 7 rows. Sometimes i doe the hdc in the back loop and sometimes i don’t creating this occasional ridge. I figured that out this evening and have only done both-loop hdc. It’s not exactly square by stitch count, but i think i have time to straighten that out. If every row adds two stitches at the end (i’ve been doing dc there in contrast to the hdc), i’ll say the next loop should have 18. Sides A & B add two, C adds one, and D none.
        A: 16 st
B: 16 st     D: 18 st
        C: 17 st

Surfing

⊗ Signing textile creations: A Grumperina tutorial. Requires iron on printer transfer stock and satin ribbon.
⊗ Hundreds of types of Crochet! Noticed in a Crochet Me forum and thought of the collection of stitch references that i began … and which seem to have been a victim of the site move. How odd. (Also, it seems many of the topics and author identities went away.)

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Weary

Wednesday, January 25th, 2006

Mainly spent time finishing rolling up the denim blue recycled cotton into balls. Yes, balls. As i reflected on how the tedious task was preventing me from taking over the world (not a goal i had in mind until i was on the second snarled skein), i reflected, too, on the Alexandrian solution to knots of all kinds.

I’m not sure i want my crochet to take over Persia and northern India, but here’s to giving it a chance.

Some textual tweaks and additional internal links on the website, too.

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