(no subject)

[oneroom]

Does anybody out there quilt? I'm not making a quilt, per se, but I am sewing some plaid flannel onto the back of a lightweight wool to make a blanket. I thought I might do some "quilting" on it - that is, sew designs through the whole thing to help it stick to itself. I don't know if this is clever or a terrible, terrible idea. I also don't know how to choose or make a design.

Edited: Simple embroidery. That's the solution. I'm doing swirls.

Comments

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

I hear that quilting is the new knitting, so you are apparently right on time.

No advice from me for a few years at least, until I jump on the (by then departed) bandwagon. ;)

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

HA! I just want to say (again) that I was knitting before all the hipsters knitted. I was knitting when it was way not cool to spend your free time hanging out with post-middle-aged women who had way too much information about yarn.

I got the blanket idea when I found some fabulous wool at the closing fabric store. I wanted to keep it one big piece because it was so smooth and had such fabulous edges. (Green!) But it was itchy, so I got some soft flannel with which to line it. And then I realized that it would get unhappily baggy if I just sewed the edges.

Hence, "quilting." I like this lazy-person's way, though. Big fat stitches with big fat thread. Muuuuuuuuuch easier. And my swirl, so far, is messy, which makes it decidedly mine. :)

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Ha!

I too consider myself not to be of the stitch-n-bitch nation, if only because I live and work on a fiber farm. And because I hate the hipsters.

In fact, my friend Jenny (who described herself as A Gay Quilter, who learned from her grandma and could make the loveliest quilts) was my first knitting teacher, about 5 years ago. We would put on our fave cheesy movies, like The Cutting Edge, and she would teach me stitches.

I now want to knit sweaters all day. Seriously. If I've done my calculations right (and I might not have), my sweater is 1/7 done.

Can't wait to see the blanket!

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

I am deeply envious that you learned to knit from a self-described Gay Quilter while you watched cheesy movies. The coworker who taught me to knit was waaaaay less fun. :)

I can't believe you want to knit sweaters. I've been knitting for something like ten years, and I pretty much never want to knit sweaters. Knitting socks is a heeyooge development for me - I have traditionally been wildly impressed with myself if I managed to complete a scarf.

1/7 done!! Congratulations!

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Yep. I first learned to purl while living in the lesbo house and watching Save The Last Dance, while the retarded (and I mean that descriptively, and only somewhat pejoratively -- he really was brain damaged) kitten ran around and shat himself. Oh, the memories.

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Okay, well, no one (human or animal) shat himself while I was learning to knit, so maybe I'm the winner on that one. :)

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

P.S. We want to see pictures! Of your projects! In progress or finished!

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Have I told you yet that I'm totally bored by the bamboo yukata sweater? I tried to pick it up again the other day and when it said, "knit me!" I was all, "Whatever." I yawned and dropped it and haven't picked it up since. Apparently socks have stolen all my love.

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Last week here at the farm we had a four day fiber instructional workshop, and one of the tracks was sock knitting (there was also weaving, spinning, or felting). I would stop in every day and see the participants' progress, and it was so fun. I am not there yet, and am quite content to let other people do the sock knitting, but it's fun to watch it all come together.

I hear tell that somewhere out there there's an old sock-knitting machine. I love this. If I had a herd of alpacas or sheep, I would totally get one of these, because I love warm, cozy socks for wintertime, but don't actually want to knit them myself. And it's more fun than sending it to the fiber mill. :)

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Do you think I should start using a drop spindle? Or can I leave that to others, since I already have enough to do? It's just that every time I go to the yarn shop, the drop spindles are so pretty....

Dude. I will knit you socks. Sock knitting machines are like bread machines - just for weenies. :)

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

I'd liken it more to my Kitchen Aid mixer, but that's just b/c I am uppity. ;)

Seriously. I sometimes get so wrapped up in my ridiculous DIY lifestyle, where instead of just buying a damned sweater I do things like shearing, skirting, picking, carding, spinning and knitting it. All by hand. And usually it makes me so happy to do it, and gives me such energy I cannot even tell you. But then I have days like today where I really wanted a bowl of creamy carrot-potato-dill soup and a nice hunk of zucchini bread, but after a long day of physical labor in the sun in the upper 90s w/ near 100% humidity, instead of going out to pick my onions and carrots and dill, and shredding zucchini and mixing up the bread, I came home and showered and, in spite of my gnawing hunger, passed out for like 5 hours. So I figure, I can get a sock knitting machine and not feel bad about it, especially if I bred the animal and fed and pooper-scooped etc etc for its entire life and sheared it myself, and ain't nobody from Seattle gonna call me a weenie for it. ;)

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Omigod, do you have a Kitchenaid mixer? That is the one reason I would ever get married - just to get the Kitchenaid mixer.

Do you know about those vacuum packed soups? They aren't very good, but they aren't very bad, and if you add some fresh herbs, they pass for decent quick dinner. You should grab some for evenings after days of 90 degree farm work. For serious.

And lordy I would never call you a weenie. I am from the land of the lotus eaters and you pick up poop in an average day. The day I actually get off the couch on a ninety degree day to go care for a farm animal is the day I get to call you a weenie. Even if you do end up getting a sock machine. :)

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the help. Usually, though, instead of buying lots of packaged stuff, I try to cook from scratch in quantity, and then refrigerate and freeze portions for later meals. So I can pull out and defrost a slice of meatloaf from the freezer, and warm up some carrot soup, and slice a cucumber, and voila, lunch. But sometimes that fridge is bare bare bare and I wish I had anything, even a vacuum packed soup.

To the grocery I go.

P.S. I bought the Kitchenaid for myself. Fuck some men.

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

I am all about the homemade and in the freezer dinners - I'm just saying I also like the back up of the store bought, every once in awhile. The other night I was so tired-and-hungry I ate a can of tuna fish. Plain. I forced myself to actually put it in a can and add salt and pepper, just to make it a little less pathetic.

PS - Re: the Kitchenaid, you're my hero.

Spindle --

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

I'd say bypass the drop spindle and go straight for a spinning wheel. Ashfod wheels are nice -- they seem to be a good mix of quality and economy. Go for the double treadle. Report back. :)

Re: Spindle --

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

That would be "Ashford."

Does your yarn shop have spinning classes? Wheels you can try out in the store?

Lots of people find spinning a meditative practice, in addition to being materially useful. People like Gandhi.

Re: Spindle --

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

They do have spinning classes, and spinning wheels. I always figured I needed to knit a sweater before I could take a spinning class. Spinning is for the serious fiber lover, not for a dilletante like myself.

But you woo me by mentioning Gandhi....

Re: Spindle --

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Do they have an open knitting/spinning/whatever night? That might be fun, just for the community.

But definitely, take the class. What's there to be intimidated by? All the spinning wheel does is aid you in the process of twisting fibers. That's what yarn is -- a hunk of twisted up hair. Be not afraid. And be not self-deprecating!

Gandhi loves you.

Re: Spindle --

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

I dunno if they have an open night - they probably do. I should find out, and also find out if it's child-friendly.

Gandhi's dead, but he does infect me with his earnestness. ;)

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Trade ya jam for socks?

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Um, YES. Any time. What color?

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

I love variegation, and I'm mostly into deep earthy tones -- greens, browns, etc. Lately my thing is shades of gray. Like the sweater I want to make next!

I wear a women's size 9.

Thank you!

I'll set aside some jars of jam, freshly made. Peach and blackberry and...

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

I found some yarn for your socks this weekend - it is not shades of grey, but I think you may like it anyway. :) I will knit fast so I can get some of that jam!

Is your heel (the back of your foot from where ever you think your heel starts, down to the floor) tall or short? Is your foot wide or narrow? And if you want a more perfect fit and are feeling energetic, you can measure the length of your foot from the back of the heel to the tip of your toes and tell me the measurement(s) for one or both feet, and I can knit to order. I'm knitting top down, too - want an anklet or a mid-calfer?

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

I can't wait!

This is so exciting!

Mid-calf, please.
My foot is narrower in the ankle but wide everywhere else.
I will have someone help me with all the measurements and get back to you on the rest ASAP.

Also, I just learned about the magic loop today. This is your technique, right? It's awesome and waaaay intimidating to me, but I can see why others adore it. :)

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Magic loop is soooooooo easy, once you've got it. It's kind of like cheating. Seriously. The only thing I've had to be careful about is when I readjust the needles - when I've knit a side and go to the other side, I've not infrequently pulled the wrong side and ended up dropping my stitches. Annoying! Now I know to be extra careful.

I've got to (finally and really) finish B's second sock before I can start yours, but maybe I'll finish B's tonight. :)

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

P.S. Even though you're bored of it and have put it away for the time, is there any chance you could both link back to the pattern, and give feedback on how the pattern/knitting went? I am serious about loving the style, and will probably want to adapt it for myself as a project for later in the year.

P.P.S. Super secret presale! Blackberry jam and peach jellies are in. Sister Lucy made them this weekend.

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Here's (http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/PATTkyoto.html) the pattern. I loved knitting the yukata, because, well, it's just a scarf, really. If I hadn't put it down for so long, I might have enjoyed knitting the up the rest, too, but I lost the momentum. I LOVED the bamboo yarn. So pretty.

Also, hook me up with some of the jam drugs! Just let me know what I owe you. I looooove the jam drugs.

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous! I think one in black accented with greys? Or ??? The possibilities are endless. It's a style that looks good on me, so maybe I'll make two. :)

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that if I re-start, I might do something tonal like your black-grey idea. I was thinking reds, because I love red.

I also suggest swatching. I did not swatch, and my obi (which is what I meant above when I said yukata - obi is the sash, yukata is the sweater) is a little funneh in the measurements.

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Swatching? What's that?

Shades of red would be stunning. :)

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Patterns often say "you MUST swatch" and "Swatching REQUIRED." You knit up a 4x4 inch square in whatever pattern they tell you to, and then you measure it to see if it matches what they say it should match (e.g. 7.5 st/inch or something like that).

I have way too many projects right now, but I'm gonna tuck that shades of red idea into the back of my mind for later....

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

Oh! Swatching = checking your guage. :)

[oneroom.livejournal.com]

Yep. I couldn't remember the word gauge, so I couldn't remember the other phrase. :)