Art Prize 2012

I took the kids down to Art Prize yesterday and here are some of the amazing art that is scattered around our awesome city! I think Art Prize is the best thing our city has come up with. It's the largest art competition in the world.

you can enlarge these images for a closer look.

this one is made of old tires

 I'm sorry, I don't know why these images are loading sideways. I switched them to up and down before uploading them and Google want's to load them sideways when I upload them to the blog. But I think these are great so I won't delete them.

 The whole city is available for art exibits. There is a art district and they are displayed at random through. Many are displayed within our museums and during art prize the museums are open to the public at no cost. This was clearly placed in our river.

 There is no limit to the medium that is being used for the art that is submitted. this display uses many recycled items.

 I really liked the penguins which were placed in our water fall/fountain in front of the Gerald R. Ford presidential museum.

 This was another display located in the GRF museum. it was quite amazing from all angles.

 Not a part of art prize, but this is just a button for the kids to play on in the park.

 Another exhibit in the park along our river.

 This is another piece made form recycled items. Below is the main which is made form strips of film.

 Another recycled piece and and a close up below.

 I really liked this, shame it had to load sideways though.

 This is done entirely in pencil.

M1L & M1R

I thought I would do a post that I hope will make the m1l and m1r increases less confusing. I won't go into the details of "how" you make these increases because it can vary depending on your personal style of knitting and also weather or not you are a mirror knitter. This is pretty much the same post I put on Ravelry when someone was asking about these increases.

The M1L and M1R has to do with the direction you twist the bar. Generally you lift the bar between 2 stitches to make these increases. If there is a lot of twisting in the pattern, you can set them up on the row before so that you are not stealing yarn from the surrounding stitches. This is what I did on my "the drunken mason" scarf.

 the difference between a M1L and M1R is the twist. on a M1L the leg in front will be slanted to the left, on a M1R it will be slanted to the right. Generally these are used when stitches need to slant away from a particular line in the knitting so the top leg will slant away from what ever it is in the pattern you are increasing.

If you knit in a way that your leading leg is in front, for mirror knitter (knitters who move their new stitches onto the left needle) the M1R is the same thing as a KTBL. For standard (non mirror knitters) a M1L will be the same as a KTBL.

If your style of knitting results in your leading leg in back, you will want to slip the stitch to reposition it so you can knit through the back loop to get the twist.

So when you are required to make a M1R or M1L, twist your stitch as I show in this diagram. This is as though you were looking at the knit side of the fabric.

When working from a written pattern, a mirror knitter will want to switch these. If the pattern is telling you to make a M1R you will want to swap that for a M1L and the same goes for when the pattern tells you to make a M1l you will want to make a M1R. this is because we are approaching the stitches and knitting from the opposite way.

When a mirror knitter is working from a chart you will want to make the increase in the direction they tell you. But if they give you instructions for how to create the left and right stitch, you will want to swap the directions. The directions they give you for a M1R will result in creating a M1L, and vice-versa.

But in short, for both standard and mirror knitters, you simply want to twist your yarn so that your stitch looks like the loops in this diagram.

Headphone earbud holder

Earbud headphone holder

I like to use earbud headphones  with my iPod at work but have to take them out often. I usually run my cord up my shirt and when I take out the earbuds I let them hang out the neck of my shirt. Problem with this is the left and right get all twisted together and gravity grabs hold and they start to slid down to the point that the ear buds are bouncing around somewhere on my belly. Not only is this irritating, but I've ruined several sets by snagging them on things.

So I saw a photo somewhere of some silicone holders for earbud headphones and of course thought "I bet I could make that" and this is the result. I whipped these up before work last night and they worked great! I work in a factory.

So here you go!

Yarn: sock yarn scraps, this takes verry little yarn

needles: size 2 double point needles. you don't really need a whole set if you don't want to knit the ends in the round, I don't have a full set so I knit my ends flat and seamed them. you do need 2 dpn's though.

cast on 12 stitches (join in the round if you want, other wise leave a tail to seam shut

knit 5 rows in 1x1 ribbing

bind off 9 stitches leaving 3 on the needle.

use these 3 stitches to make an i cord about 14 inches long (or desired length)

cast on 9 stitches (join in the round if you prefer, other wise knit flat)

knit 5 rows in 1x1 ribbing

bind off. 

use tails to seam ends closed if you have not knit in the round.

The ribbing stretches enough to allow you to put the earbuds through but are not big enough to have them fall back out. when I set my earbuds to hang in this holder I just move the cord so the bud is resting on the end piece.

If you find your buds are sliding in the holder (I didn't have this problem) you can just loop the bud back through another time creating a loop around the end hole and this will secure it in place.

To knit an i cord you must have 2 double point needles. you knit your stitches, do not turn, slide them back to the other side of the needle and knit them again. keep doing this untill cord reaches desired length.

 

new reversible scarf pattern

8-21-12 I have picked a name for this scarf pattern. I am going to be calling this "The drunken mason" because it looks like crooked brick work on both sides

At this point this is just really raw. I am confident that the chart is complete and accurate and this PDF is not fine tuned for publishing. But as far as the information on it goes I think it's done. If anyone would like to give this a go and leave a comment I would very much appreciate it.

This is a reversible stitch pattern for a scarf. it has a wide variety of stitches in it including twisted stitches and dropped stitches. Even though this had dropped stitches it is still mostly a solid knit so I think it should be suitable for winter.

Heres the rough draft. I don't have a name for this yet. I was also asked to offer it as a written pattern so that will come as well. This chart is right handed so those lefty's will have to flip the stitch deffinations. But i did use m1l and m1r to better destinguish these stitches from the twisted stitches and that should make it easier to identify the stitches that need to be swapped

this is a PDF document. it's only 2 pages but saved as 3

reversible stitch pattern.

This is my working sample I used to help create the pattern.

side A

I don't know why this one loads sideways. it's not sideways on my camera and the thumb nail is not sideways when I select it but for some reason blogger uploads it sideways 

side B
but this one loaded straight.

Knitting and crochet fonts

I haven't posted in a while as I've been extremely busy. But I do have some things in the works which will be quite detailed blog posts.

I thought I would share with you 2 fonts that you can purchase. They are really high quality and very inexpensive to purchase. For anyone out there who wants to make (be it for your self or to publish) charts I highly recommend them. They also include symbols used for washing and ironing, both are a very comprehensive set of fonts. the washing and ironing fonts are only part of the knitting set though.

knitting font - StitchinKnit
crochet font - StitchinCrochet

Lacy shells edging

 

This is the edging I put on my Lapse of Reason moebius wrap. The wrap pattern is available for free on Ravelry .

I used an I hook, which is compatible to the size of the knitting needle I used. 

Stitches/terms used used

ch - chain

ss - slip stitch

sc - single crochet

dc - double crochet

sp - space

sk - skip

st - stitch

This edging is worked over a distance of 9 stitches on the edge of what ever you are attaching it to.

Personally I do not worry about exact stitch count of the fo that I attach it to, I just follow the pattern and when I'm about 1/2 way to the end I figure out if I have enough stitches to complete the pattern. If I have a few to many stitches than the pattern calls for I'll just skip a total of 4 here and there when working the edging to make it come out correct. Or if I don't have enough I'll just skip 2 instead of 3 stitches on the edge a couple times spread out so it evens up.

I worked this wrap using Caron Simply Soft and I bound off the knitting in single crochet by inserting the hook into the 1st stitch to be bound off , yo and draw up a loop, *insert hook into next stitch to be bound off, yo and draw up a loop, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook* Repeat around untill all stitches are bound off. This is the same bind off as the knit stretchy bo but it's just easier for me to do in crochet.

For the edging I attached my 2nd color at any stitch.

Round 1: ch3, sk next 3 st on edge of wrap, sc in next st, ch3, sc in next st, ch3, sk next 3 stitches on edge of wrap... repeat around join with a ss to beginning of round.

Round 2: *ch3, ss to 1st ch, sk next ch3 sp, (dc, ch3, ss to 1st ch) 5 times in next ch3 sp, sk next ch3 sp, ss to next sc* repeat from * to* around. join to beginning of round. break yarn and weave in ends.

Autism

A non crafty post...

April is national autism awareness month. This is a issue dear to me yet something
Ii don't think I have posted about on my blog.

Both of my boys are on the autism spectrum. They are high functioning and doing great! We caught it early with both our boys and started them in special education programs very young. It been challenging but worth it.

Both boys exhibit different signs of autism. My older one is incredibly social and will make friends any time he sees a kid around his age. But when he was about 2 we watched him regress. He was learning to talk and everything but he stooped talking and he regressed to screaming and reaching out to let us know he needed/wanted something. It took a long time before he ever called me mom. He now struggles with his reading and math and will be repeating 2nd grade. He has an amazing vocabulary and a good working knowledge of math but when it comes to putting it on paper he struggles.

My youngest never regressed but also never quite advanced at a normal pace. Although he knew his full alphabet by sight (not in recited order) well before he was 3 he is shy. He has some speach delays as well. He will give sideways eye contact and he walks on his tip toes. He is above his class in many areas and will be moving onto 1st grade this coming year.

Things I have had people ask me...

"Can they fix it him?" - Well, 1st off, they are not broken and do not need to be "fixed" they are who they are and it's about how the brain is "wired" and not anything that went wrong or can be fixed.

"If they can't fix it, why don't you see more adults with autism?" - You do, you just don't know it. Autism is something you are born with and not something you catch. An adult who has autism has also had a lifetime to figure out a way to function in the world so you likely would not recognize the symptoms. It's not that they got over it, but more a matter of they learned to cope with it.

"But he doesn't look like he can't talk." - Yes, I had someone tell me this when sharing a photo of my kids. Yes they are normal looking boys and they are normal boys but they just have their quirks. Autism doesn't always have physical tell tail signs that something is a bit off.

April 2nd was autism awareness day. But the entire month of April is autism awareness month.

So Autism speaks! let the world know you are willing to listen.

I did set up a fundraising page on the Autism Speaks website. I am not campaigning but put up a page because every little bit helps.

Don't hurt your self doing the crafts you love!

We all know that typing can cause carpel tunnel syndrome and other aches and pains. But Don't forget that knitting and crocheting as well can cause repetitive motion injuries!

They recommend stretches for office workers, factory workers and anyone who does repetitive motion work with their hands. And when you think about it, if you have a love for knitting and crocheting (or any other hand crafts) we abuse our hands in the very same way that factory workers and office workers do. This abuse is doubled if you happen to have one of these jobs and than you craft in your spare time to relax.

I work in a factory. I have had my job now for 12 years but i have been working in factories sense I was 18 and i have been crocheting for about 14 years now and knitting a good few as well. So this adds up to... well... lots of abuse for my hands. I have even had surgery at one time on my elbow for pinched nerves (my hand fell asleep and didn't want to wake up).

Quite a few years ago the factory I work at started to do mandatory stretches before we went out to the floor to work in an effort to reduce repetitive motion injuries. these stretches really do help.

Well, I was a bit slow to figure it out but after a while when I really picked up crochet again I noticed that my hands were bugging me more. I finally decided to practice some of our stretches at home and they help greatly!

This is a blog post that highlights the stretches I like to use the most at home and work.

Also, if you craft and watch TV don't get caught up in a marathon session of knitting/crocheting and sit for hours on end doing your craft (we all know this is entirely possible). Take breaks. If you watch TV and craft, when a commercial comes on, get up and walk around, stretch your hands, arms, neck and shoulders.

Remember, repetitive motion injuries are not just for office and factory workers. Repetitive motion injuries can be suffered by anyone who does repetitive movements. And what can be more repetitive than a heated crochet session?

Get into a habit of taking breaks and doing stretches, your body will thank you!

Another day at the gardens!

I took the kids to Meijer Gardens today for the butterfly exhibit. We also took a walk around the sculpture park. Normally we don't walk around the gardens but go straight to The children's gardens. I did a post a while back that has a few pictures of the gardens in it.

This is a very photo intensive post. I took many pictures as we walked through the gardens. We are lucky to have such a place as this near us. I do love the art here. I purchased a membership so we can go any time. The boys love the children's garden.

You can click and enlarge all of these photos. I didn't shrink any of them

Here are some of the butterflies

And these are some of my favorite sculptures from the gardens

This is my personal favoriate, It is outside and you walk by it on the way to the gardens. It is done in a way that no matter which direction you look at it, there are always faces visible.


I believe this one is called History Lesson

This one you will want to click and take a close look at

This one is Nuron
This one you can see year round from the street

This is part of their current exhibit

And these are from the children's garden