My Kingdom for a Sock

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Heather

As I’m sure you are well aware, I really enjoy knitting socks. They are small, fairly quick projects and the wide variety of patterns allow me to try new techniques all the time. Sock knitting is also less expensive than knitting sweaters all the time (generally speaking), but it is far from cheap. I pay between CAN$10 and $20 for enough yarn for a pair of socks, but then you need to factor in the price of a pattern. They can range from free to about US$7, or whatever the cost was of the book or magazine the pattern is in. (According to my Ravelry library, I now have somewhere around 590 sock patterns…)

Compared to the 10 socks for $10 you can buy at Wal-Mart, it might seem crazy to knit my own socks. Of course, there is a big difference between the feel of the fabric of those socks and my hand knit beauties. But what about some of the socks in this article? You’ve got your €19.90/pair red socks made by a company who makes socks for the Pope, all the way up for $200/pair cashmere socks that can only be worn a few times before they give out (any knitter can tell you that you never make socks from 100% cashmere yarn!).

I think that my hand crafted, custom fit, exactly as I like them socks are a much better deal than any of those. But, I think the next time someone mentions that they would like me to knit them a pair of socks, I’ll let them know my prices start at $200.

1 Comment | Posted in Knitting, The Outside World | Tagged

Watch Dragon (Theme-a-licious)

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Heather

There is something about seeing a cross stitch design in person, isn’t there? Take Enchanting Lair’s Watch Dragon. When I first saw the picture online, I thought it was nice, but not for me. I was lucky enough to see it in person, though, and, well, wow!

I put the last stitches into it earlier this week. What do you think?

 

Watch Dragon from Enchanting Lair

Mine is stitched on black evenweave of some sort, using Dinky Dyes in colourway Quicksilver. I left off the outer border because I am planning on finishing it in a pennant shape.

Edit: Oh, this was supposed to be my Theme-a-licious post! Ooops! Well, as you can see, it is a dragon and June was jumanji June, for stitching animals. Ta-da! Also, check out my post about Hootey, my other Theme-a-licious finish for this month.

Next up: Voodoo Girl for Jolly July! Once I pull some fabric for her…

7 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , , ,

Pointelle

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Heather

I think it is interesting that when I am knitting something for someone else, be it a gift or a commission, I always put in more time and take more care than when I am knitting something for myself.

Pointelle, designed by Cookie A.

The pattern is Pointelle, from Cookie A.’s book [amazon_link id=”0984572600″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Knit.Sock.Love[/amazon_link] (Ravelry link to pattern). The yarn is Yarn Hollow’s Summer Love (aka Panda Cotton).

Pointelle, designed by Cookie A.

The socks are mirrored, so each foot is different. I like knitting socks like this because it is much less boring.

Now, if only I could harness the energy I put into other people’s projects for one of my own. Does anyone else have this problem?

5 Comments | Posted in Knitting | Tagged , ,

The Games That Shall Not be Named

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Heather

If you are part of the knitting or crochet world, you’ve probably heard that the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) sent a cease and desist letter to the knitting/crochet/weaving site Ravelry regarding the Ravelympics. You can find it here on Gawker. The story has hit many, many news sources, with the general feeling being one of utter surprise. A group of craters having a fun fan event is denigrating the Olympics?

Canada Olympic Park 2006 Dec 9 - 5

The USOC then released an apology that in part said:

To show our support of the Ravelry community, we would welcome any handmade items that you would like to create to travel with, and motivate, our team at the 2012 Games

I’m sorry, what? To show your support of us, you want us to send you things? Really?

A second apology, which was better, was released shortly there after.

Lots and lots of people have weighted in on this issue. Google “USOC Ravelry” and 669 hits (and counting) show up. The threads on Ravelry go on and on.

Now, I don’t claim to think that knitting a pair of socks is the same as participating in an Olympic event, but nor do I think that a fan event featuring crafts denigrates the Olympics in any way. It increases the Olympic spirit, which is sadly waning given all the sponsorship and corporate madness that now surrounds them.

The Yarn Harlot has posted an excellent blog entry about this. (Remember, we are both Canadian, and that adds another dimension to how we feel about the issue.) I think she has some good points. However, the tone of the letter was still inexcusable, regardless of the fact that it was between businesses, and the first apology was nothing short of a joke.

My issue with this whole thing is the way companies can completely take over a name/word/idea. The Olympics isn’t just a world-wide sporting event. It is an ancient ceremony that encompassed certain values, and it is also a word that has taken on the meaning of a competition honouring excellence. (I also am completely against the trademarking of “Stitch and Bitch” since it was in use by groups prior to it being used for the series of books, etc, etc.)

I also disagree with the fact that Ravelympics sounds too much like Olympics. It doesn’t, and to claim so is silly. However, I do understand and support the removal of the rings and other Olympic logos.

3 Comments | Posted in Media & Politics, The Outside World |

Certified Creative Soul

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Heather

Another finish! Yay!

I am a Creative Soul, designed by Jennifer Aikman-Smith

The pattern is I am a Creative Soul by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams. It was a class project from the fall 2011 Creativ Festival here in Toronto.

I love how this design was done. Jennifer gave us the pattern, which included some blank boxed out areas; several sheets of specialty stitch instructions; and a basic colour key that said things like “wild overdyed over 4 specialty stitch of your choice”. For the class we brought a piece of fabric, two different overdyeds (one light and one dark), and some beads. Jennifer then provided us a choice of several wild overdyeds (I ended up using one from my oops silk stash), a choice of a couple of neutral overdyeds, and a choice of a pile of different Mill Hill braids. We also got some interesting beads (which I didn’t use), and Shrinky Dink charm made by her and her daughters (everyone got a different one).

The result: a truly original design that we collaborated on.

I thought about making detailed notes on what I did, but I ultimately decided just to go with the flow and have fun. If anyone is interested, I could probably tell you what a particular fibre is. I can tell you the green star is button 3312 from Just Another Button Company, but I only remember that because I just bought it (I thought that square needed a little something since I didn’t like the stitch I picked for it).

I loved stitching this design. Best of all, when I showed the finish project to my husband he said “So, now you are a certified creative soul.” lol!

5 Comments | Posted in Cross Stitch | Tagged , , ,

TUSAL – June 2012

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Heather

Firstly, welcome to the new home for Reflections in the Pond! I’m very happy to have a new URL and a new webhost. Hopefully it will be a long and uneventful relationship. 😉  The blog has been successful moved over, thanks to my  husband spending the last few days tweaking all sorts of things that are easy to forget about–like all the pictures still linking to the old site.

By the end of the month, everything at the old address will disappear and you will be automatically forwarded here. If you read my site through a reader like Google Reader, you will need to update your feeds. Let me know if you need any help with that.

And now, a few days late, but still here: the Totally Useless Stitch-Along post for June.

TUSAL jar

This month I added lots of yarn from the socks I knit. All that green is from a pair I just finished up on Tuesday. I haven’t taken a picture of them yet, though. I also added a lot of purple silks while working on I am a Creative Soul. Overall, I think I had a very productive month.

Look at all that bright green!

1 Comment | Posted in Memes & Collabs, Site News | Tagged

Doin’ It Wrong

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Heather

I’ve mentioned a few times in the past little while that I would really like to try more canvaswork. I’m working on some ornaments from Carolyn Mitchell, and they are going well, so I thought it was time to try something a bit larger.

Chocolate Humbug Bag by Northern Pine Designs (WIP)

This is Chocolate Humbug Bag by Northern Pines Designs. I’ve wanted to stitch it for ages, and I finally picked up the kit at the Gitta’s Getaway back in April.

Chocolate Humbug Bag close-up

I started working with it unmounted, since I stitch all my cross stitch in hand. It doesn’t matter if it has hardanger, pulled work, or piles of specialty stitches. Everything is stitched in hand, and I think my tension is just fine. I mean, I’ve been stitching this way for (oh god!) over twenty years, so I’ve kinda got it figured out.

Well, canvaswork is a different animal. I’m finding it easy to keep my tension right, but I just can’t handle wrestling with the actual needlepoint canvas. So, I’ve had to break down and by some frames. (The ornaments have been done on frames because the canvas was mounted for me when I purchased it.)

So, doing canvaswork in hand is doin’ it wrong number 1. Number 2 is how I mounted it. Take a look at the picture again. My tacks are on the back, not the front.

Okay, I’m sure that in the grand scheme of the world it doesn’t matter where the tack are, as long as they are properly placed and don’t stick out and catch my fibres. But, I kind of wanted to do it by the book, you know. 🙁

5 Comments | Posted in Canvaswork | Tagged