Found My Mittens

Kate Gilbert is a goddess among knit designers. When my hard drive crashed, I lost my mittens, namely Bird in Hand and Wintergreen. Data recovery failed to recover them (how I cried), but she sent me new copies. Thank you, Kate! I'd like to dedicate my entry for today's Annual (Silent) Poetry Reading to her.

The three little kittens
they lost their mittens
and they began to cry
                 – Traditional

By a happy synchronicity, I've been working on a f-f-felted door mitten, from black Patons Classic Wool. The nice thing about door mittens is one needs only one (unless one has more doors than I). Here it is before and after f-f-felting, with one of my mittens (from a swap with Deb) for scale. There's a bit of green crochet cotton around the opening to help the edge felt evenly.

   

The project was inspired by the Felted Door Mitten by Two Old Bags. I didn't use a pattern, just knit a mitten with exaggerated vertical dimensions to compensate for differential shrinkage and f-f-felted it. The result could be a serviceable oven mitt or hotpad, but this was intended to be decorative, and will be embellished accordingly just as soon as such can be found.

F is for Felted Marbles

F is for felted marbles. At the end of Malabrigo March, I had a bunch of high-quality skein ties and remnants left over, much too good to discard. So I made felted marbles and strew them around the first Annetrelac sock, which is posed with the Wee Tiny Sock Swap sock for scale.



It's easy to felt Malabrigo marbles. You start with skein ties and remnants, tease them mercilessly, dunk a fair quantity (not too much at once) in warm soapy water, and roll them between your palms. It takes a minimum of two minutes of tedium rolling to form a decent marble. Even so, most of these have a seam, like a peach.

      

The marbles seem heavy and dense when first formed and wet, but when dry they are surprisingly light for their size.

F is also for freak flag. Mine would seem to be waving high. I didn't set out to select the Ten Most Obscure Movies of All Time (and I do mean all time), but apparently I have a penchant for such. So here's second clues for the movie meme.

1. "I am not a sissy!"
"You see what's happening, don't you? How we're being corrupted by their hipper-than-thou fashion and cool slang you can't help but use?"

2. "Arthur! What an Englishman you are."
"I'll discuss peace over Wellington's dead body!"

3. "Id! Id! Id! Id!" (Dr. Morbius)
"Monsters. Monsters from the id." (Doc Ostrow)
From: Forbidden Planet (1956). What guilty pleasures are all about, in cheesy b/w. There's an excellent hommage in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Identified by: Risa

4. "Akita! Akita!"
"A time of beginnings, of darkness, of light, of the sun, the earth, the sea, of man!"

6. "People of Valencia! I bring you bread!"
"We call such a one El Cid."

7. "Break the conga line." (Mel Bakersfield)
"Any approach is no damn good if it lands on runway 2-2." (Vernon Demerest)
From: Airport (1970). A worthy progenitor of Airplane! and many, many others.
Identified by: Risa

9. "You can add Sebastian's name to my list of playmates."
"Waving the flag with one hand and picking pockets with the other, that's your 'patriotism'."

10. "As long as the lady is paying for it, why not take the vicuña?" (Salesman)
"It's the pictures that got small." (Norma Desmond)
From: Sunset Boulevard (1950). Overlook the howlingly bad framing device and instead enjoy how ostentatiously scrumptious vicuña looks in b/w. Although in film noir, those who play must pay.
Identified by: Eileene

DH keeps insisting he can do better with this meme and is threatening to take over the blog. Gentle readers, what say you?

Finally, while out biking I noticed this sign of the times.



Possibly the happiest family roundabout Exit 151.

Shrunk Funk

Look, if ye dare, on my poor Slytherin-colored Horcrux Socks after a cold wash, cold rinse in my front-loader. They are greatly changed.



I thought Panda Wool is machine-washable. It isn't. The label specifies handwash, but that detail eluded memory because I didn't think wool and bamboo sock yarn could transmogrify f-f-felt. This yarn can and does, remarkably readily – the felt is as thick as that from worsted-weight yarn. Alas, fatal inattention! Was it for this that I knit these socks!?

In happier days the socks (pictured with pineapple shortbread for Prof. Slughorn) were stretchy and very comfortable, deserving of a bit of extra bother on laundry day – had I only remembered.



Excuse me whilst I mourn them. Chat quietly amongst yerselves or have a gander at this sock opera.

P.S. If my Gryffindor parents named me Albus Severus Potter, I'd be worried about being sorted into Slytherin House, too.

The Bangles

An experiment: soft knit bangles inspired by Mimsie's. One was knit flat using Sirdar Harlequin, a discontinued variegated rayon tape and mohair yarn. The short edges were grafted and the long edges allowed to curl under.



The other was knit in the round using gray Rowan 4-ply, which is a fair stand-in for the original cashmere. The long edges were grafted and the resulting torus lightly stuffed with fiberfill. The fiberfill tends to clump in the knit areas and not in the purl areas, which initially made the top down view of the bangle look a bit like a gel teething bracelet.

Pictured with the bangles are a couple felted balls made from roving, which are easy to make, but tedious to make well – they form in under a minute, but require 7-10 minutes of steady rolling to look their best. Speaking of which, the light tent still needs tweaking, although I'm happy with the way the cables show up.

Overall, I'm undecided about the bangles. What do you think?


ETA: Talk about experimental – have a look at the nekkid knitted chicken that Jessica found.

Fear of Felting 2

Pilopoiiaphobia.* It's a manageable condition, not a problem, sez I, and here's proof: my felted backpack for Rhinebeck. At least from the outside, with Blogger Bingo, Jersey Represent!, and CROP Walk buttons.



The finishing touches involved a bit of machine sewing and a lot of hand sewing, including the interminable I-cord, which forms the decorative bottom piping, top drawstring, and straps of the backpack. I added a lining, basically a rectangle of fabric that was folded in half and seamed, folded to form a bottom, and hemmed at the top like an inside-out tote bag. Simple enough, except post factum I decided slip pockets and a top drawstring would be nice, and took it out. Many contortions followed [cough], with the result that the inside is still not ready for its close up, Mr. DeMille.

Alas, the Tagliatelli sweater will not be making an appearance at Rhinebeck or indeed any time soon. The Not Enough Yarn Banshee got the better of me – she's been chortling and reminding me about other UFOs, the biotch. Better judgment would suggest calling it quits. But I can be mulish at times. (DH would heartily agree, if he dared.)



I wonder what the clinical term for "unreasoning determination to have a new sweater for Rhinebeck" is. (Something-mania, I suppose.) At least this is intentionally a vest, Tikru's GreenDay Vest (so apropos given the last post). I'm loving the big and little cables and the weskit-y notch, and am looking forward to the Suomi finish.

Speaking of the last post, trek commented that fluorescent lighting gives her headaches. Some people may find it helpful to use "daylight" compact fluorescents (those with a color temperature of 6500 K, which mimics sunlight) or a combination of fluorescent and incandescent lighting. Or perhaps one could replace a porch light with a CF, which come in regular and yellow "bug" colors. It's not an all-or-none proposition. Environmental problems tend to accumulate by tiny increments; conversely, even small positive efforts can and do multiply into substantive improvements.

A case in point (and thinking about Rhinebeck again): another easy thing one can do to help save the planet is to make proper use of public recycling bins (home recycling is different matter). Public Works coordinators report that many people don't separate their trash when separate, clearly labeled containers are provided, which defeats their purpose. I like to think it's a matter of education and mindfulness and the formation of good habits. We'll see if Rhinebeck offers separate bins; if not, why not; and if so, whether fiber folk use them properly.


*Pilopoiiaphobia is the unreasoning fear of f-f-felting. With thanks to Fyberduck for the crafty etymology.

After and Before

After two passes through my front-loading washer, the mini backpack felted beautifully. Funny how expensive yarn felts more nicely than cheap yarn. The Lamb's Pride became dense, just right for the bottom and top, and the Yoroi remained supple, excellent for the sides. Here it is in front of my moss-covered wall, blocking on a shoebox.



The stats:

     Before: 10"L X 7"W X 14"H (25 X 17 X 35 cm)
     After: 8.5"L X 6"W X 10"H (21 X 15 X 25 cm)

Edges sometimes felt unevenly, so I used non-stretch, non-shrink crochet cotton to confine the top edge. That worked well, although the Lamb's Pride became so hairy after felting, it was a pain to remove. I also coiled and tied the interminable I-cord drawstring to prevent reduce tangling, as suggested at Noni Designs.



Now I'm searching for lining fabric. The search is not going well – if I want to take the backpack to Rhinebeck, an expedition to the NYC Garment District may be necessary. At least I have buttons. (CROP Walk donations and pledges currently stand at $170. Woo-hoo!)



Meanwhile, Norma makes home canning look so easy and worthwhile, I thought I'd try it. I've got tomatoes, I've got canning jars, I've got absolutely no experience. [Cue Sorcerer's Apprentice music]



I did a bit of research. According to the USDA guide Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products, 1.5 lbs (1 lb, 8 oz or .68 kg) of raw tomatoes cooks down to 1 pint (.47 l) of canned tomatoes. So... that's what a pint looks like, before.

Stranded

And I don't mean knitting.

I'm traveling – scratch that, trying to get from Point A to Point B to Point C and back again, but my flight was canceled. But only after we sat on the tarmac for four hours. Now it's well past midnight and I'm at the airport with a planeload of angry people, one hapless gate agent, and three policemen. The gate agent has just announced there will be no vouchers for anything. All the airport vendors and transportation have shut down for the night. Gah.

On the bright side, before I left I had the forethought to upload photos of the Kureyon felted mug I made for Melissa, my Knit One, Tea Too swap pal. (My mobile gadgets can manage blog posts, but not photo uploads.) Here it is before f-f-felting, with a bit of crochet cotton around the top to help the rim felt evenly.



Here it is after. I love how the Kureyon felted down to look like stoneware.



The mug is a modification of Jane's brilliant felted teacup and saucer pattern. She also has patterns for a felted bowl and a felted teapot!

I'm becoming incoherent, so will respond to blog comments and email when I'm back at Point A. Hope your weekend is happy!

TV Production

Last night I watched an inordinate amount of TV and pretty much finished the body of the f-f-felted backpack. It currently measures 10"L X 7"W X 14"H (25 X 17 X 35 cm). Gotta love those Noro stripes.



I'm particularly happy with the way Linda Cyr's short row eyelets turned out. I wouldn't use the technique for buttonholes, but they're nice openings for the I-cord drawstring.



All that remains is to knit that interminable I-cord drawstring. Must watch more television!

Some Wandering, Some Lost

In the last set of comments, Jeanne asked "What are the things that look like fish?" They're yarn bobbins, used in certain kinds of colorwork. They hold small amounts of yarn neatly, with less (not no) tangling.



Over time I've amassed a vast collection of bobbins in divers sizes, shapes, and colors. Mostly because, as now, I can't find them when I want them, so I get more. No doubt they're wandering (not lost) somewhere roundabout Area 151 and will turn up in good time. In a pinch I've used bits of cardboard as bobbins, too.

Deborah wanted to know if I'm going to Rhinebeck. I'm planning to attend on Sunday. Further, thanks to the indefatigable Stitchy McYarnpants, I'm playing Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo again – I'm a square!

   

Squares need a way to display the Blogger Bingo (and Jersey Represent!) button. There were some stray skeins of Lamb's Pride Worsted, colorway M-64 Charcoal, and Noro Yoroi, colorway 4, in stash, so I'm knitting up a small backpack (to be f-f-felted). It's at the formless blog stage.



The backpack started out as one of Linda Cyr's Fabulous Felted Backpacks in Knitters K61, Winter 2000, then the mods took over. [Mwaahaha.] I decided to make a smaller size, to knit it in one piece to eliminate seaming later, and to omit the bobbled cables, which are gorgeous, but lost (not wandering) in the Yoroi.

That reduces a somewhat elaborate project to mindless TV knitting – perfect for this evening's season premieres. Eileene insists Heroes and Journeyman are worth watching, so I'm watching.

We're Off to See the Harlot

Miss Dorre, she's got powers. Dabbling in the dark art of crochet is the merest tip of the iceberg. Proof positive: Wednesday it was 75° F (23° C) and balmy roundabout Exit 151. Then Dorre did her snow dance. Now there's snow falling on Jersey. More proof: Yesterday I wasn't planning to see the Yarn Harlot at FIT next Thursday (press release and grand plans). Today I am – even got out my Tricoteuses sans frontières button.

Kim is going – anyone else? I'll be the one wearing... er, something, hopefully Teva Durham's Yarn Over Steek Vest from Loop-D-Loop, worked in Malabrigo Aquarella in colorway Soriano. I figure the FIT auditorium will be chock full of Clapotis, so I may as well drop some stitches, too. The element of uncertainty enters because the vest currently is approximately equivalent in size to a hat and it's a busy time and I do plan to bring a real hat to donate and a traveling sock or somesuch to show off. Alas, the colors in the photo are entirely off.



Meanwhile, Minnie and Dyann have asked how the Adventure Bag is coming, in particular, if using crochet cotton helped the top edge to felt evenly. It did – I'm quite pleased with the results.



It took three passes in my front-loading washing machine to felt the bag to my liking. The strap flaps shrank immediately, but the rest of the bag felted rather unevenly, with the most change occurring in the second pass. After the second pass, I unzipped the crochet cotton – it zipped right out, which was relieving and gratifying. The vertical channels in the felt mostly went away after the third pass.

Since then, finishing the Adventure Bag has been on hold while I've searched (not terribly energetically) for a zipper and rings for the strap. But never to fear, it's in no danger of sprouting wings and joining the vast cloud of UFOs buzzing roundabout Exit 151. Gah – no!!! There's not one, not two, but three township snowplows outside, methodically piling an ice berm at the apron of my driveway... and the fire hydrant! Must rush outside like a maniac to tell them off.

The Adventures of Adventure Bag

I've had occasion before to suspect that others lead more exciting lives than I. This evening I'm watching felt dry.



To be continued....

To Infinity

One unintended consequence of last week's exercise in aggravation office reorganization was a lot of other projects were shunted aside and the Noni Adventure Bag got knit up much faster than anticipated. Here it is ready for f-f-felting.



At the moment, it's perfectly huge, almost too big for the photography towel background. It's resting on a yellow yardstick for scale. The protuberances near the top are the clever flaps for the bag straps.

A number of participants in the Noni Bag KAL have noted the top edges of the bags sometimes felt unevenly. Either the edge rolls and turns into felt thicker than the rest of the bag, which complicates zipper installation, or the unconfined edge turns into felt thinner than the rest of the bag and splays, which also complicates zipper installation. I think this will help: I took some crochet cotton from stash and crocheted around the bound off edge of the bag, then crocheted the edges together as if sewing in a zipper. The result sorta looks like a zipper, too.



Having f-f-felted Jersey Fresh tomatoes in my front-loading washing machine, I'm fairly confident the bag will not stick to itself and the crochet cotton will be removable, but we shall see. The infelicitous possibilities are far too horrible to contemplate – and where's that Spirit of Adventure? Instead of Jersey late winter gloom, here's a picture of two of the delicious pineapple-shaped Honolulu Cookie Company shortbread cookies DH and I received as a random holiday gift (Valentine's? Mardi Gras?? Asian Lunar New Year's???).



The chocolate-dipped cookie is macadamia shortbread and the other is Kona coffee with a coffee bean piko [bellybutton]. Yum.

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

Happy Valentine's Day! Today roundabout Exit 151 the wind is howling and strange winter precip is falling, clear sleet mixed with white globular snow, which makes tinkling noises and bounces. It's a good day to stay snug indoors and knit my Noni Adventure Bag (No. 112, Fall 2006).



It's also a good day to check out the new Love and Kisses stamp and the fun USPS contest to guess how many Hershey's Kisses fit in a Priority Mail box. And have a look at the 2007 secular Christmas stamps, Holiday Knits (!) by Nancy Stahl (scroll down to the bottom of the page). USPS notes, "In recent years, knitting has become quite popular again, both in the United States and internationally." I guess they've noticed all the mail orders and secret pal boxes flying around creation. [g]

Thanks for all the kind words about Rose and solicitous inquiries about me – I'm definitely feeling the love. I've had no post pin-out back pain. A friend's dad was one of the last of the Brooklyn stevedores; because of his cautionary stories I followed union work rules – 15 minutes steady work followed by a short break. It seemed a little silly in the beginning when I was fresh and eager, but it seemed truly wise before the end and almost miraculous the next day. The technique also is a good way to stay hydrated while bicycling long distances... but somehow it doesn't prevent soreness after snow shoveling [sigh, twinge].