Showing posts with label log cabin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label log cabin. Show all posts

Monday, March 9, 2009

"What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be" Ellen Burstyn

If you too are a knitting-eclectic music loving-librarian, then divorce calls for three things:

1) a playlist
sorry, no way I'm linking to all of these. If you want more info on a song, hit google or youtube. ;-)

Disc 1:
I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor
These Boots Are Made for Walkin' Nancy Sinatra
My Give a Damn's Busted Jo Dee Messina
Before He Cheats Carrie Underwood
Picture To Burn Taylor Swift
The Chain Fleetwood Mac
You're So Vain Carly Simon
Go Your Own Way Fleetwood Mac
Piece of My Heart Janis Joplin
Goodbye Dusty Springfield
Little Lies Fleetwood Mac
I Will Survive The Puppini Sisters
Get Out Of This House Shawn Colvin
Jilted The Puppini Sisters
Breakin' Dishes Rihanna (she should listen to her own song and kick that guy to the curb!)
Not Big Lily Allen

Disk 2:
You Had Me Joss Stone
Shame For You Lily Allen
Metal Firecracker Lucinda Williams
You Oughta Know Alanis Morissette
Smile Lily Allen
Not The Doctor Alanis Morissette
I Will Survive Cake
Tainted Love Soft Cell
Don't Come Around Here No More Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
I Don't Care Anymore Phil Collins
Song For The Dumped Ben Folds Five
You Give Love A Bad Name Bon Jovi
I Love Myself Today Bif Naked
You Let Me Down Catholic Girls
Kiss You Off Scissor Sisters
Don't Stay Linkin Park

2) an epic knitting project
The lovely state of New York deems a one year separation a necessary part of the process. I find this less than productive, but am choosing to make it productive with the "epic knitting project." I will be making a Mason-Dixon Joseph's Blankie of Many Colors (ravelry link) log cabin blanket over the next year. The blanket will be finished when this is all over, and that, my friend, is positive productivity. Here's the little baby beginning of it:

It will take some care and planning to pace it throughout the year, but if I get to the end of the pattern too soon, I can just keep going. It is a combination of Lion Cotton-Ease, Knit Picks Shine Worsted, and Knit Picks Comfy (for the most part, there's a smidge of Webs yarn too). Here's a bag of Knit Picks goodness that just arrived, I think I have enough colors for the whole blanket now.
The pattern calls for DK and I'm using worsted so it should be a bit bigger than the pattern (good!) and I'm using size 7 needles instead of 6. This is the perfect project for an interchangeable needle set (more on that later!) so that you can keep increasing the length of the needle cord as the blanket grows. In the beginning you need much less of each color then the pattern calls for, so I'll have quite a bit of yarn left as well. So I decided to make a mitered square blanket in the same colors, however, I think mitered squares might just be too annoying for me. ;-) So I might do a different one instead, that's to be determined as that isn't the EPIC PROJECT.

3) lots of books
I probably read at least twenty books on divorce and separation. Some are religious, which I'm not interested in. Many focus on kids and custody which doesn't apply to me. These are the ones I personally recommend:

Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The true-life misadventures of a 30-something who learned to knit after he split by Laurie Perry
You might read her blog (you should! It's great. It's usually classed a knitting blog but the knitting is in a minority really, she's hilarious, she has goofy cats... my mom reads it and she's not a knitter. So, go add her to your blog list) but have you seen her book? Not just for divorcees any more than the blog is just for knitters... it's funny, it's sad, it's a good read. As I joked to my SIL when she bought me the book for Christmas off of my wishlist: I really don't drink so I will only be two out of three... :-P (damn cat hair!!)

Make Any Divorce Better!: specific steps to make things moother, faster, less painful, and save you a lot of money by Ed Sherman
Written by an attorney with 35 years of experience with divorce...

Congratulations on Your Divorce: the road to finding your happily ever after by Amy Botwinick
"Optimistic, chatty and accessible, Congratulations on Your Divorce guides you through the treacherous paths of divorce and into a life of renewed joy. It describes the world of divorce—warts and all—with some much-needed comic relief and heart. You’ll realize you’re not alone as you read about how the author and other women have coped with the emotional craziness of un-coupling, jettisoned their emotional baggage and gotten back on the road to defining and finding their happily ever after."

A Judge's Guide to Divorce: uncommon advice from the bench by Roderic Duncan
"Whatever you do, try to keep your case out of divorce court." Maybe strange words coming from a judge, but he's seen it all and he believes that the court system is not the best way to deal with a divorce. As he says, no one should let a judge make the decisions in their case unless there is no other choice. So this book covers the ways to avoid court, and then, if court is unavoidable, the best ways to deal with the process. From a guy who has been there! Very good book.

Not Your Mother's Divorce: a practical, girlfriend-to-girlfriend guide to surviving the end of a young marriage by Kay Moffett and Sarah Touborg
This one I'm reading right now, so I haven't finished it yet but I am loving it. Written by two former college roommates, it includes stories and quotes from a bunch of different women they interviewed, from all different situations and backgrounds. And it is specifically for women without children! A few review quotes: "...understand what it's like to deal with sudden "singledom" and the feelings that accompany it. In their down-to-earth guide, they help young divorcees tackle both legal and emotional problems in a tone that is by turns chatty and straightforward. Overwhelming issues are discussed with authority and sensitivity." "They offer compassionate and no-nonsense advice on everything from sharing the news about the breakup, and what to do with the wedding album, to re-entering the dating world and getting re-married."

I hope these can help somebody else at some point, although I wish nobody else would need them. :-)

edited to fix a link snafu

Friday, January 25, 2008

Log Cabin is my new favorite thing!

I finished my first Log Cabin pillow and I am in love with this technique!

It basically uses the Log Cabin technique from Mason-Dixon Knitting. It is a 16 x 16 pillow form for reference.
We charted out our color design using graph paper and colored pencils. I have a geeky love of graph paper (but not for math usage) so that was fun. ;-) I used six colors, most of the examples in class used four, so you have options there. The numbers are the order that you work the pieces.

Here's a close up of the colors:

I was a little unsure of my color choices when I had the red, orange, and yellow done... it seemed a bit too bright. But as soon as I started to add the blue and grey, I loved it. It has a brown border going all the way around that you really can't see in the photos (darn pillows with their curves). All of the sections were picked up on the right side except for the border which was picked up on the wrong side. That gives it a different, almost sewn look that is nice for a border. Also the border was done with increases to give them diagonals that get sewn together as miters so it has a "border" appearance not just another color square.

I used a fabric backing so that I wouldn't have to knit a plain square (well it could have been done in a pattern but what's the point for the back?) and so that it would be a bit more cat friendly.
nope, I didn't iron the fabric creases out. I'm a rebel like that (i.e. careless crafter who hates to iron)
I did that simply enough - the fabric piece is just cut to the same size as the knit front with the addition of a little extra seam allowance on just one side. Fold the little seam allowance over and sew it down. Then I held them with the right sides together and sewed the three sides without the extra allowance together. Turn it right side out and put the pillow form in! For the other edge (which is the bottom on my pillow), I used medium ("size 4" - not sure of the measurement) sew-on snaps to close it. I used seven snaps (one on each far edge, one in the middle, then four more evenly spaced. The snaps work from either end and if you pay attention and put them going the "right" way they will blend in more without a silver bump showing through the knitting (I put the first two on with the bump before I realized they could go either way).
All closed up
I love it! The only thing I'll change for the next time, is to use a smaller needle with this yarn. (all Plymouth Jeannee) I used a nine but would use an eight next time, it is a bit loose.

I'm going to be doing a lot of projects from Mason-Dixon this year - in addition to the ones I've already mentioned I've decided to do some of the Baby Bibs o'Love and the One-Piece Baby Kimono for some of the babies coming this year among my family and friends. (found out about another one this week!) I mean, the idea of a baby kimono is adorable to begin with, but how can you go wrong with one that is so cheap it uses Sugar n' Cream? I got some of the great twist colors to use too. (take note that the patron calls for two balls but that is of the solid colors - the twists, stripes, and variegated are all smaller balls than the solids so you'll need three)

On my needles now: a dishcloth for my swap recipient! After that, Trevor's dashing gloves.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Log Cabin time!

I did get registered for the Log Cabin Pillow class this upcoming Saturday! Yay! You have the option of starting a pillow or a blanket and I said I'm doing a pillow because a blanket just seems so daunting. But I really like the blankets so maybe I'll just keep going and make it big enough to be a blanket, we'll see!

I got the same yarn for the log cabin as I am using for the headband - Plymouth Jeannee (cotton/acrylic blend). Here are all the colors I got:
red, brown, grey, orange, blue, and yellow

It is really quite nice. The bit I have done so far for my homework feels so soft and great for a blanket (see, there I go again. Maybe it will be a blanket. A small blanket.). Here is my homework square:

I am in love with the way this yarn feels worked up in a loose garter stitch. I hope it is supposed to be as loose as mine is... but the sheet called for a worsted yarn and a 9 needle and that's what I have... (no gauge to check)

I am tearing myself apart trying to decide if I am doing the right size for my homework square. See, the homework sheet (I don't have the full pattern yet) says "for the blanket, cast on 42 stitches and knit 36 garter stitch ridges. For the pillow, cast on 30 stitches and knit 28 garter stitch rows." See the problem? Does she really mean rows for the pillow or does she mean ridges?* Why would it refer to the pillow and the blanket with different terms? Finally I said to myself (and the cat, but he didn't respond), "Shut up, it's a log cabin! It doesn't matter what size square you start with." So I am doing it as if it is supposed to be ridges. If she really wanted rows than I'll either start with a bigger square or rip it back.

* For the non-knitters saying what the hell is the difference: a ridge is actually two rows, so 28 garter stitch ridges is twice as big as 28 garter stitch rows. For those of you saying why is a non-knitter reading this, I say, "Hi, Mom!"
 

Made by Lena