Knitting

10 reasons why many knitters also love ceramics

July 12, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

Very interesting!!!

Do you see knitting and ceramics as two totally different universes? Obviously they are! But how come, so many knitters also like ceramics and vice versa? I happen to be one of them.

Personally, I’m not surprised at all, at the end I think it all comes down to the same thing. Knitting and ceramics have more in common than they differ :

1) It’s all about manual work – either very refined or very chunky;

2) It’s all about technique – no matter how basic it may seem at first, it will probably take years of experience before having learned all there is to know and most likely this will only happen to some lucky few. But that’s part of the passion too, isn’t it ?

3) It’s all about the right material for the right object;

4) It’s all about physically feeling and touching;

5) It’s all about…

View original post 103 more words

Knitting

10 reasons why many knitters also love ceramics

July 12, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

Very interesting!!!

February Twelve

Do you see knitting and ceramics as two totally different universes? Obviously they are! But how come, so many knitters also like ceramics and vice versa? I happen to be one of them.

Personally, I’m not surprised at all, at the end I think it all comes down to the same thing. Knitting and ceramics have more in common than they differ :

1) It’s all about manual work – either very refined or very chunky;

3) It’s all about the right material for the right object;

4) It’s all about physically feeling and touching;

5) It’s all about…

View original post 103 more words

Knitting

Adventures in Dyeing, Part 2

July 11, 2013July 11, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

Another experiment, this time using Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade and Cherry flavors. The jury’s still out on this one.

After drying last night, the jury is in. I like it.

And wound

The Yarn Formerly Known As Oatmeal

An hour of play discovers more than a year of conversation does. Portuguese proverb

Knitting

WIP 7/10/13, First Try at Dye and a New Book

July 10, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

BUSINESS AS USUAL

Like most other WIP Wednesdays, I’m linking up with a couple of other cool blogs, Tami Ami, Frontier Dreams KCCO and Ginny’s Knit Along. Check them out and prepare to be inspired!

ON THE NEEDLES

Wise Hilda’s Basic Ribbed Socks for Mr. Iknead

A few more inches and this one will ride off into the sunset of FOs.

BY THE BOOK

I finally made it to my local BN yesterday and purchased a copy of Stephen King’s newest, Joyland. I haven’t officially started reading it, except skimming through the pages and reading a sentence or two. Anxiously waiting for at least a 15 minute lull in the day so I can really get started.

ADVENTURES IN DYEING

Here’s the finished product I promised yesterday; it’s still a tad damp, but I think it turned out pretty well, don’t you?

First Try at Dyeing with Kool-aid – Pink Lemonade.

I found some really unattractive 100% yarn in the stash, it may be Lion Brand 100% Wool, sort of an oatmeal color. I’ve just now decided to overdye (if that’s the word) another color, possibly purple. Show and tell tomorrow.

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks/And all the sweet serenity of books. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Knitting

DIY FYI DYE

July 9, 2013July 9, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN

Yep, that’s right. Arkansas’s summer has finally come and it looks like it’s planning to unpack its bags and stay awhile. This makes for a sweaty whatever you happen to be engaged in, whether it’s baking, knitting, walking or any other of the billions of things that make up a day. Thankful for my AC and fans and thank you, Mr. Iknead, for giving me the treat of sitting in one spot, never having to leave the comfort of my cool house, except for essential tasks. Essential = groceries and/or gasoline.

FIRST TRY AT DYE

I’ve been eyeballing DIY dyeing articles and blogs, so, equipped with Kool-Aid, trash bags and part of my recent experiment in handspinning, I gave Pink Lemonade a go.

Step One

Step Two (don’t forget the gloves)

Step Three (heat to set the dye)

Sorry, no pic. Microwaving yarn not photogenic.

Step Four

Let Cool and Rinse

Will show off the finished product tomorrow, after final rinse and drying. I hope it doesn’t resemble a wad of pink worms so much.

For more detailed instructions, check out Knitty.com.

DIVALICIOUS

Babysitting Photo-Op

Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience. George-Louis de Buffon

Knitting

When Pots Speak

July 8, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

LEARNING

I’ve been heavily involved these past few days, checking out Google +, playing around with it and generally trying to get a feel for the site. I really like the idea, sort of a Pinterest/Facebook hybrid, I really don’t facebook much, would I use Google + more and is it easier to navigate? That remains to be seen, admittedly I’m more than a little technophobic and slow on the uptake when it comes to computer stuff. I prefer things to stay pretty much the same, I tend to melt down when something computeresque changes, even small things like layout and upgrades and it takes me forever to finally get comfortable with whatever changes happen. Slow, slow, slow in the computer literacy department.

GOING POTTY

Awesome pottery class this morning. I started a coiled pot Saturday afternoon, had to put it aside when the studio closed and then my mom had a small issue Sunday, she’s OK, but I wasn’t able to get back to work on it until class this morning. I’ve fallen completely in love with this pot; my instructor says I may have found my pottery “calling”, coils. I don’t know about that, there a lot of things/techniques I’ve never tried, but I am loving this pot.

I put the water bottle next to it so you could get an idea of its size, it’s not huge, but it’s the biggest thing I’ve done so far.

The soft square shape just sort of happened.

You can get a better idea of its shape here.

It’s finished and is in the damp box awaiting bisquing next week. This pot just happened, I had no plan or even any idea in my head, then, today, I knew when it was finished, don’t ask me how I knew, but I did. And no, I’m not hearing voices – yet. 🙂

ON THE NEEDLES

Mr. Iknead’s socks are still a WIP, but the heel turn is finished and gusset started on one and the 75% Medano Bag was finished this afternoon. I’ll show and tell it for sure on Friday. In the meantime, I’m trying as hard as I not to be seduced by the patterns in the newest Vogue Knitting, don’t know if I can resist…..

OOPS

Almost forgot, I’m linking up with Frontier Dreams Keep Calm and Craft On today. Check out the Flickr KCCO group. Very cool!

Learn to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want. Jim Rohn

Knitting

Fee, Fie, FO No

July 4, 2013July 4, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

NOT OFF THE NEEDLES

OK, so I didn’t pull an all-nighter to finish Mr. Iknead’s socks, though as slow a knitter as I am, it would have been impossible anyway. I remember now why Mr. Iknead only gets a new pair of hand knit socks every other year or so – it takes so long and as man feet go, Mr. Ikneads aren’t what would be considered large. It feels like I’ve been working on them since, oh, I don’t know, the last ice age, maybe. The heel turn is tantalizingly close; I think that’s what has kept me going the last day or so. I’m committed to finishing them, so I’ll keep plodding onward.

Mr. Iknead’s Wise Hildas

PRETTY PLEASE

The colors of these hydrangeas blew me away – of everything we had put in, I think they’re my favorite, I never get tired of looking at them.

Even though I don’t have a FO today, I’m linking up with Tami Ami’s and Frontier Dreams.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle, On the Parts of Animals

Knitting

WIP Wednesday 07/03/13

July 3, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

ON THE NEEDLES

Wise Hilda’s Basic Ribbed Socks for Mr. Iknead

75% Medano Bag

I reduced the this pattern by 25% and went down a needle size. The full sized bag was just too big for me to comfortably carry.

Yarn Along

I’m linking up today, as usual, with Tami Ami’s, Frontier Dreams and Ginny’s Yarn Along. Pay them a visit, willya?

Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not. Walter Bagehot

Knitting

Acorns, Pot and Clunk

July 2, 2013 mud&stringLeave a comment

GOING POTTY

I had a touch of bad attitude Sunday, just feeling tired and overwhelmed – I suppose I finally ran out of adrenaline after running on it all week, so I took a field trip to the pottery studio for a couple of hours. After some enthusiastic wedging, I settled down and began a new coiled pot. Class meets this morning, so I’ll get some feedback on what works and what doesn’t on this particular project. I remembered to bring the fancy camera to take a photo of the acorn I started last week.