I'm a big fan of the TECHknitting blog already, and this latest tip (Casting on additional stitches at the end of a row by the loop cast-on method: a trick for beautiful edges) is especially timely as I recently used a loop cast-on for the underarms of Liesl, and was complaining about the loop cast-on while I was doing it at an Aloha Knitters meeting. The general agreement there was that the loop cast-on can be quite unpleasant but there are circumstances where it seems like the best option. If you've had the same complaints, do take a look at the TECHknitting blog post, and if you're new to the TECHknitting blog, do take a few minutes to check out additional posts. The tips are excellent and very nicely illustrated.
Re-charting familiar territory (crochet symbolcraft charts)
I've been thinking, for years now, about how to make crochet patterns easier for me to present visually. I tend to think in pictures, not words, and turning text into something visual is kind of annoying for me. Symbolcraft charts help, but I still find myself hunched over charts, trying to figure out where I am in the chart and having to flip the image around in my head. Plus there is the matter of space. The publications I'm familiar with that use charts will run a chart, but as an entire motif or piece, not as a line-by-line representation. Space is definitely an issue for books and magazines! It's also an issue for PDF patterns - the size of the file, for starters, and then how users will use the pattern - some will read it off the screen, others will want to print it out, and those who are printing often have concerns about how much ink and paper the pattern will use.
A few years back, I started to acknowledge that my strongest designs are the ones that happen because I want to make something for myself or for a gift. Why has it taken me this long to figure that I can also apply that to how I format the patterns I self-publish? Not everyone will like the format, but that's always true; I can't please everyone - and in this case, I might as well please myself. Even though I have good eyesight, I don't like squinting, so the symbolcraft charts will be relatively large, with line-by-line instructions in at least 14-point font. To acommodate those who do not wish to print out the entire pattern, I am trying out ways to fit the entire written pattern on the final page with the completed chart, so that there's an option to print out just one or two pages. This new format that I'm playing with turned the 2-page (including pattern info [description, yarns, hook sizes, etc.], photos and chart) Anne Crochet Lace Scarf pattern into 4 pages for just the charted instructions.
I couldn't have done this back when I first started thinking about it, really. The phenomenon of Ravelry.com, for starters, has made selling PDF patterns to a larger audience even easier. There are many niches available to designers; I can opt to do PDF-only, which means not having to worry about how much it will cost to print and ship a pattern. Vector Designer, a drawing application for Macs, has meant not having to invest a large sum of money and time into acquiring and learning Adobe Illustrator (which may be fantastic, but much too powerful for my needs, as well as harder for me to learn than Vector Designer). I've also switched from MS Office to iWork, and the iWork Pages application has a layout option that is making pattern formatting a lot easier for me. My school schedule has gotten lighter, so that I can choose to spend more time messing around with the program and thinking about how I want things to look, and the ulnar nerve impingement issues in my right arm have eased up enough so that I can work at the computer without pain.
Two upcoming patterns in the new format have gone through pattern testing (again, I've got Ravelry to thank for the ease of finding and communicating with experienced pattern testers) and the responses have been almost entirely in favor of the new format, with a couple of concerns about the
number of pages. Feedback has included the observation that it's much easier for beginners to understand, even if they aren't familiar with how to read a symbolcraft chart - because the chart is being built as the instructions go on, and is oriented to look like what is in the crocheter's hands at that point, the extra translation step of trying to turn text into an image in your head can be skipped over.
What you see is what you get.
Yesterday, I completed the 4-page symbolcraft chart add-on for the Anne Crochet Lace Scarf pattern. Ravelers, if you purchased the pattern through Ravelry, the new PDF files are included in the pattern library and you should be able to download the update through your personal library page for PDFs. If you purchased through my blog or through Etsy, and you'd like to get the additional charts, email me (carroll[dot]mk[at]gmail[dot]com) and I'll send it to you. I do not plan to offer this as a pre-printed pattern at this time.
I hope that this is going to help make crocheting even more pleasurable for some people; it's giving me a lovely sense of satisfaction as a designer.
I AM VAMPIRE. HEAR ME TWINKLE.* (Twilight Sugar Cookies)
Recipe: Perfect Vegan Sugar Cookies from the John & Kristie blog; includes recipe for the icing and photos showing how to dip the cookies. I used the edge of the bowl to gently smoosh off some of the excess, and sprinkled the vampires with sparkling sugar while the icing was still wet.
The icing needs to set for several hours before the cookies can be stacked; if you are also in Hawai'i and dealing with those super-annoying tiny ants that can get into just about anything, including Tupperware, and wondering how I managed, I laid them out in the snap-top plastic containers with the rubber lined lids - the ones I have are branded "Xeonic" and "Snapware" and I've purchased them at Don Quijote. It did occur to me this morning that I could have put them on a tray in the fridge for about an hour - I put the leftover icing in the fridge and it got solid very quickly.
You can find edible glitter, sanding sugar, and crystal sugar at Bake It Pretty (bakeitpretty.com). They also carry cookie cutters (pine tree, "folk" pine tree, and "folk" gingerbread boy). I found cutters at a local grocery store (Star Market). Bake It Pretty will also be selling gel color paste soon. I used Wilton's Leaf Green gel color paste - about 1/2 teaspoon for half a batch of icing. I was worried about how long it might take to get in the mail (because I waited too long: note to self, order all Christmas-related stuff by Dec. 10th), so instead I had to go to three different stores before I found a white sparkling sugar at a specialty store (Executive Chef in Ward Shopping Center). It's the Dean Jacob's Sparkling Sprinkles. The ingredients list for the white sprinkles looks vegan, but the other colors in the container (I had to buy it as a set of 4) contain confectioner's glaze, which can be vegan but sometimes isn't.
If you are not familiar with Twilight, I like Cleolinda Jones' Twilight in 15 Minutes. I reviewed the book as "I have all kinds of problems with the characters, the plot, the writing style...and I could barely put it down. Grrf." Kidlet, she LOVES the books and the movie, and when the idea for Sparkling Vampire Sugar Cookies popped into my head, I knew what I was making for Christmas.
*line taken from the above-mentioned Twilight in 15 Minutes.
Knitters Without Borders: $126
March 25, 2008 - December 10, 2008: $126.00 raised through sales of the Mug & French Press Jacket pattern! I sent the donation off to Doctors Without Borders today. If you aren't familiar with Stephanie Pearl McPhee's fundraising arm for DWB - Knitters Without Borders - please check out the info page over on the Yarn Harlot blog. The pattern is still available for free (please look in the left sidebar for the appropriate link); if you choose to buy the pattern (which is more detailed and gives instructions for working it from the sides down instead of from the bottom up), $4.50 of the pattern price will be donated to Doctors Without Borders, and the remaining $1.00 will be used to cover PayPal fees and hosting costs.
Knitting on O'ahu (Honolulu Advertiser article)
If you are here because you read Karen Iwamoto's article in the Dec. 05 2008 Island Life section of the Honolulu Advertiser, um, hi! Karen did a great job interviewing me (she's very easy to spill your guts to - good thing I'm not in politics), and Rebecca Breyer, the photographer, did a great job too (and we even small-worlded it and figured out that she used to live in the same town in Wisconsin that one of my friends grew up in, and where I saw snow up close for the first time).
Links!
O'ahu has several yarn shops, and I know that there are shops on the island of Hawai'i (the "Big Island") and Maui. I've been maintaining a list of yarn shops and a list of craft stores that carry yarn; if I'm missing any, please let me know. The list of yarn shops in Hawai'i is also available as a free PDF download.
I like to hang out with the Aloha Knitters (and crocheters and spinners) on Thursday nights at Mocha Java (Ward Shopping Center, 7 - 9pm) Please join the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! Group for the most up-to-date information including when/where for Windward and Leeward meetings. It's free, open to all ages and skill levels, and it's fun!
Etsy is a fantastic online marketplace for handcrafts and handcrafters. I have a storefront there where I sell patterns in PDF format (you can also buy them as instant downloads if you use the links on the left sidebar of this page). Occasionally I sell finished items as well; if you really really really want a hat or scarf from one of my patterns but do not knit or crochet, you can check my Etsy Favorites for Etsy sellers who have finished items from my patterns, or use the Alchemy feature to find a crafter for hire. Etsy also has a Shop Local feature (Honolulu!) so you can find items from local crafters, like The Opalescence (handspun yarn and stitch markers) and Acornbud (project bags, stitch markers, and adorable stuffies like Snowball the Cat With a Christmas Hat).
Knitty is a free online magazine, edited by Amy Singer, with patterns, articles, and a forum. The Womb pattern was published in the Winter 2004 issue because Amy has got a sense of humor like mine; if you have any questions please check out the Womb FAQ first.
The Alt Fiber show (curated by the super-talented and always on-the-go Shannon Okey) took place at the Assemble gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, in January 2006.
The hats shown in the article were all knit using the Top-Down Ribbed Beanie Recipe, which you can download for free. It's easy to customize, and a great way to show off unusual yarns like the handspuns used for two of the hats in the photos.
Mobile Monster Piggy is in the Stitch 'N Bitch Nation book, edited by Debbie Stoller. You can find it in the craft section of most major bookstores, along with the original Stitch 'N Bitch, Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, and Son of Stitch 'N Bitch (featuring knit and crochet patterns for men).
The crochet Sushi Pillow pattern is in the book Get Hooked!, edited by Kim Werker. It is also available through many major bookstores.
The Rosetta flower hairclip is a crochet pattern in progress, as are the scarves seen in the photos (yep, there's a lot of crochet going on in the photos - it's okay, the yarn muggles generally can't tell the difference between knit and crochet and ultimately I don't think it matters. I love both.). Feel free to nudge me into getting those patterns formatted, photographed, and published...but know that I am really, really good at procrastinating.
Interested in learning to knit, crochet, and/or spin? Check out this post for Honolulu.
...and if you still need a reason, please read Page 197, or 10 Reasons To Knit a Sweater in Hawai'i.
Links!
O'ahu has several yarn shops, and I know that there are shops on the island of Hawai'i (the "Big Island") and Maui. I've been maintaining a list of yarn shops and a list of craft stores that carry yarn; if I'm missing any, please let me know. The list of yarn shops in Hawai'i is also available as a free PDF download.
I like to hang out with the Aloha Knitters (and crocheters and spinners) on Thursday nights at Mocha Java (Ward Shopping Center, 7 - 9pm) Please join the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! Group for the most up-to-date information including when/where for Windward and Leeward meetings. It's free, open to all ages and skill levels, and it's fun!
Etsy is a fantastic online marketplace for handcrafts and handcrafters. I have a storefront there where I sell patterns in PDF format (you can also buy them as instant downloads if you use the links on the left sidebar of this page). Occasionally I sell finished items as well; if you really really really want a hat or scarf from one of my patterns but do not knit or crochet, you can check my Etsy Favorites for Etsy sellers who have finished items from my patterns, or use the Alchemy feature to find a crafter for hire. Etsy also has a Shop Local feature (Honolulu!) so you can find items from local crafters, like The Opalescence (handspun yarn and stitch markers) and Acornbud (project bags, stitch markers, and adorable stuffies like Snowball the Cat With a Christmas Hat).
Knitty is a free online magazine, edited by Amy Singer, with patterns, articles, and a forum. The Womb pattern was published in the Winter 2004 issue because Amy has got a sense of humor like mine; if you have any questions please check out the Womb FAQ first.
The Alt Fiber show (curated by the super-talented and always on-the-go Shannon Okey) took place at the Assemble gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, in January 2006.
The hats shown in the article were all knit using the Top-Down Ribbed Beanie Recipe, which you can download for free. It's easy to customize, and a great way to show off unusual yarns like the handspuns used for two of the hats in the photos.
Mobile Monster Piggy is in the Stitch 'N Bitch Nation book, edited by Debbie Stoller. You can find it in the craft section of most major bookstores, along with the original Stitch 'N Bitch, Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, and Son of Stitch 'N Bitch (featuring knit and crochet patterns for men).
The crochet Sushi Pillow pattern is in the book Get Hooked!, edited by Kim Werker. It is also available through many major bookstores.
The Rosetta flower hairclip is a crochet pattern in progress, as are the scarves seen in the photos (yep, there's a lot of crochet going on in the photos - it's okay, the yarn muggles generally can't tell the difference between knit and crochet and ultimately I don't think it matters. I love both.). Feel free to nudge me into getting those patterns formatted, photographed, and published...but know that I am really, really good at procrastinating.
Interested in learning to knit, crochet, and/or spin? Check out this post for Honolulu.
...and if you still need a reason, please read Page 197, or 10 Reasons To Knit a Sweater in Hawai'i.