You might remember that in January, I contributed $225 to a Kiva microloan. So far, the recipient of that microloan has made two payments, and so I went back to Kiva to re-lend those funds. I still feel awkward choosing a microloan recipient, but this time it was a bit easier for me to make the choice: the last $25 needed to repair a knitting machine and purchase more wool. Normally I wouldn’t be inclined to share the details of my choice; however, as a knitter and crocheter myself I do get a little jolt of joy out of being able to help a knitting business.
Archive for the ‘being the change’ Category
Kiva and knitting
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
Loosening up
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009On the list of things I accomplished in 2008, one of them was opening a business account. [please note: my waiting this long was a BAD BAD BAD idea, it was
one of those things I had procrastinated on, but it should have been
the first thing I did after getting my state tax license.] Previously, I had transferred funds from my PayPal account to my regular bank account, keeping track of it in QuickBooks, and noting how much I'd made every month – but most of what I made was getting spent, and not all on the business (like the new tires I bought for the car just a few months before the car died its last death). Around the same time that I opened the business account, I landed another job, and shortly afterwards, gave up on the car. My business account is just inconvenient enough for me so that it takes a couple of extra steps for me to access the funds if it's not for business purposes (for example, there is no online or telephone options for me to check my balance or transfer funds from one account to another), and combined with having less of a need to tap those funds, my business account got to a point where I looked at my November bank statement and thought, gee, what can I do with this? My first thought was to put as much of it as possible into a savings account, where it could sit and build interest. My second thought was about why I immediately thought of putting it into a savings account, and what came to the surface for me was that I was afraid of losing the money.
Now, I've had some times in my life where there was less than $20 in my bank account, and times when the only reason I was eating every day was because I worked for a grocery co-op, and plenty of times when the thought of money would make my hands tighten up into nervous fists. BUT. I had a bank account, I was eating every day, and so on. So a few years ago, I started working on my thinking, and now when I feel my hands start to tighten, I ask myself how much I can afford to give, and then I ask myself if that's really all I can manage. The real wealth is in me (and you, and everyone else). This time, I decided to take another look at Kiva, a micro-lending website that makes it possible for me (and you) to loan funds to people all around the world. I'd looked at Kiva before, but felt really weird about looking at people's business goals and having to pick someone, and got bogged down by questioning what was appealing to me about it, and going around and around in my head. This time, I picked a region, picked a sector, and asked myself how much I was willing to loan. $100? Asked myself again. Looked at the list of entrepreneurs, saw one that was $225 away from the loan requested, and chose that one. It's not a rational or practical way to make a choice, I know, but that's one more small business person out there who now has funding to expand a small business, and eventually, the loan will be repaid and I can either take the money back or loan it out again. As a small business person myself, I know what a big difference that can make. I am aware that financially, the smartest thing for myself was probably my first thought – save it. Keep it. Have it grow for me. Right now, I'm okay with not keeping it all for myself. Ask me again in 30 years?
Shortly after I made the loan, I listened to the Speaking of Faith interview with Binyavanga Wainaina, The Ethics of Aid: One Kenyan's Perspective, and it was quite thought-provoking. You can get that episode as a podcast or listen to it on the website, if you are interested in hearing it.
Fair Trade Note Cards
Monday, December 8th, 2008One of my globe-trotting friends sent me this gorgeous card, made in El Salvador with wildflowers. The cards are sold by Hope For Women, based in Vermont, and you can see more cards and get more information about the production of the cards and other fair trade products on their website.
From the back of the notecard:
"Every woman is paid a fair, livable wage under safe and healthy working conditions. Each of these handmade cards of natural wildflowers and stylish expression carries their hope: to change their lives and the lives of their children for the better."
Knitters Without Borders: Smocked Mug Jacket (revised)
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008
I started a Mug Jacket sample in Peace Fleece and got annoyed with myself. If you check the Ravelry projects for this pattern, you’ll find a lot of very smart revisions to modify the pattern for different purposes (like travel mug sleeves) or just to make it easier to knit. Sometimes I think my desire to get something knit-to-fit or easily resized overrides my desire to make something easier to actually physically knit, which is how I wound up wrestling with the smocking stitch for a couple of repeats before deciding to just rewrite the pattern already. And so there is now a revised version available for sale – knit from the top of the sides, down to the base. The hand-drawn graph paper chart for the smocking stitch has been replaced with a chart done in Knit Visualizer. Additional photos have been added – each section has a small photo of the section being worked (the base, for example, includes a photo of the finished base).
The previous version is still available for free in the original blog post and as a free PDF download. The fundraiser version price has been raised to $5.50, with $4.50 going to Medecins sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders. MSF/DWB is always in need of funds; sadly there is no shortage of people world-wide in need of medical care. If you are reading this, there is a very, very good chance that, compared to most of the world’s population, you are wealthy. If you are planning to knit a warm jacket for a mug or French press coffeemaker, chances are you can spare a few dollars to help others in need.
For those who purchased the earlier version of the pattern, as a thank-you I sent a new download link for a free download of the revised pattern. If you did not get an email from me with the download link, please let me know so I can send you the link.
Mug and French Press Jacket
Saturday, June 30th, 2007A French press is also called a cafetiere, press pot, coffee press, or coffee plunger. More information in this Wikipedia entry.
Mug & French Press Jacket
Size: to fit a mug or French press with 3.5" diameter base; pattern can be adjusted to fit different sizes.
Materials:
Yarn: 1 skein Elann Peruvian Highland Wool (worsted weight 100% Peruvian wool, 109 yds/50g). You may need more than one skein, depending on how high you want the sides to be.
Yarn subs: A smooth worsted weight yarn with good stitch definition and a little bounce; suggested subs include Cascade 220, Cascade Sierra, Plymouth Encore worsted, Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, Southwest Trading Co. Karaoke.
Needles: US 6 (or size to get gauge), 1 set dpns or two circs [dpns or 2 circs for base, 1 circ for sides (sides are worked flat
but with built-in base, the flexibility of a circ is important)]
Gauge: 24 sts/32 rows = 4"/10cm
Notions: buttons (1 for mug, 2 for French press), tapestry needle
Basic concept:
Knit a circle from the center out large enough for base (80 sts). Work sides for 1” or up to base of handle. BO 2” or enough for width of handle. Work in desired pattern (e.g. smocked cables) for about 3” or desired height. BO all sts. Make a loop closure and sew to one open side, sew button to opposite side (two for the French press)
Variations: replace smocked pattern with plain ribbing, replace smocked pattern with stranded colorwork and bands of ribbing or moss st at top and bottom.
ABBREVIATIONS:
k = knit
beg = begin
inc = increase
kfb = knit front and back (increase)
p = purl
sl = slip (in this pattern, slip stitch as it is presented: that is, slip knit sts knitwise, purl sts purlwise)
st = stitch
sts = stitches
STITCH PATTERN
Smocking (from Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns)
Multiple of 8 sts + 2
Rows 1 and 3 (wrong side): k2, *p2, k2*
Row 2: p2, *k2, p2*
Row 4: p2, *insert right-hand needle from front between 6th and 7th sts on left-hand needle and draw through a loop; sl this loop onto left-hand needle and knit it together with the 1st st on left hand needle; k1, p2, k2, p2*
Rows 5 and 7: Repeat rows 1 and 3
Row 6: repeat row 2
Row 8: p2, k2, p2, *draw loop from between 6th and 7th sts as before and knit it together with 1st st, then k1, p2, k2, p2*, end k2, p2
Repeat rows 1 – 8
(click on the image for a full size 6" x 2.5" version of the chart – will appear in a pop-up window)
BASE
kfb = knit into front and back of stitch
inc 1 = increase one = for this pattern, I prefer k1 into row below
With dpns or 2 circs, CO 8 sts.
Round 1: *kfb* (16 sts)
Round 2: *k2, inc 1* (24 sts)
Round 3: *inc 1, k3* (32 sts)
Round 4: *k4, inc 1* (40 sts)
Round 5: *inc 1, k5* (48 sts)
Round 6: *k6, inc 1* (56 sts)
Round 7: *inc 1, k7* (64 sts)
Round 8: *k8, inc 1* (72 sts)
Round 9: *inc 1, k9* (80 sts)
Round 10: p all sts (80 sts)
SIDES
Round 1 – 7: *k2, p2* (80 sts)
In the next round, switch from dpns or 2 circs to 1 circ
Round 8: BO 6 sts, sl1, p1, begin smocking pattern, end p2
Next 24 or so rows : work smocking pattern. On RS rows, replace first two sts of smocking pattern with sl1(purlwise), p1, and end the row with p2. On WS rows, replace first two sts of smocking pattern with sl1(knitwise), k1, and end the row with k2.
Note: work last smocked row when sides are 1" shorter than desired, then work last 8 rows in 2×2 rib. The mug used 2.5 repeats of the smocking pattern; the French press will probably use about 4.5 repeats.
BO all sts in pattern
LOOP: (for French press, make 2)
With dpns, CO 3 sts
Rows 1 – 28: work i-cord
BO
FINISHING
Exact placement and position of loop and button will vary depending on the design of the mug/French press.
Slip jacket onto mug or French press. Pin ends of loop to one of the open sides and determine placement for button on opposite open side (French press will likely need two loops and buttons). Slip jacket off and sew loop and button into place. Weave in all ends. To block, wash gently and then slip onto mug or French press to dry, turning mug or french press upside down. If you are using a French press with metal components, you may wish to wrap it in a plastic bag or plastic wrap first to keep the metal dry.
A photo tutorial for Row 4 of the Smocking Stitch pattern is available on my Flickr page.
[updated May 07, 2008]
A revised and nicely formatted PDF with instructions for knitting from the top of the sides down, as well as a chart done in Knit Visualizer, is available for $5.50 (you will need a PayPal account or a credit card). $4.50 of the purchase price will be donated to Knitters Without Borders.
Ravelry Store:
The free PDF download (instructions the same as in this post – starts from the center of the base and goes up) is still available.
[this button says "buy now" but the price is set to $0.00 - some users are not able to use the "add to cart" and "view cart" buttons successfully]
In the comments for August 01, 2007, KC asked:
KC,
if you measure the cup you want to cozy, you can use a stitch count
that is a multiple of 8 (if you are doing this in the round), or, if
you want to knit it flat, a stitch count that is a multiple of 8, +2
(e.g. 18, 34, or 42). The ribbing and smocking are stretchy, so I'd
guess that if you measured the narrow part of the cup and the wide part
of the cup, then got an average of the two and figured out your gauge (stitches per inch) off that, you'd be able to knit a
sleeve that would fit most of the cup. If you want the cozy to have a
base, knit the base of the cozy to fit the base of the cup. Using the
pattern, you'll have a multiple of 8 sts in each round of the base, so
you could just start working the smocking stitch pattern after the base
is completed. It might not stretch quite enough to fit around as you go
up the cup, though – with some graph paper and a pencil, you could work
out where to place increases and adjust the stitch pattern.
Or, if you crochet, you could try out my Crochet 16 oz. Coffee Cup
Cozy pattern (check the left sidebar under "Free Patterns"). Hope that
helps!
In the comments for August 10, Lizzie asked:
"When the smocking pattern begins, row 1 of the stitch pattern says "wrong side." Does this mean that we should turn the work so we're stitching the wrong side?
And then you write "work smocking pattern beg s1, p1, ending p2." Does this mean that the "sl1, p1" replaces the "p2" of the stitch pattern? Or do we "sl1, p1" and then use the stitches in the pattern?"
Lizzie, you've got it!
1) In this case, "wrong side" means the side that will be on the inside of the jacket, pressed against the mug. The base is worked in the round, but the sides are knit flat. I included the "wrong side" note, which is in the original stitch pattern instructions, partly because I did a chart of the stitch and it's important to know what the right side/wrong side (public side/private side) of the stitch pattern is so that the knitter knows if they read that row from left to right or from right to left.
2) Yes, "sl 1, p1" replaces the "p2" of the stitch pattern. Slipping the first stitch of each row results in a smooth edge, so you don't have to go back and do any finishing work (like a hem or crocheted edging). I should have noted that you will slip that first stitch purlwise (that is, you insert the needle as if to purl, with the yarn held in front). I'll add that in to the pattern now.
Mug and French Press Jacket by
MK Carroll is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Quilts for Katrina fundraiser square
Friday, September 23rd, 2005It shouldn’t have taken this long to get it done, but done it is. I think it’s either overworked or not worked heavily enough; either way I can’t do anything about it as it’s in the mail. Can you tell I’ve been looking at a lot of Japanese craft books lately?
full view
I renewed my love of iron-on adhesive; had I known about this back in high school, I would have been an unstoppable appliquer. Curves, points, fine details, no problem! No more painstakingly turning under edges! No snipping, gathering, basting, whipstitching…I would have been a terror, I tell you. I also splurged and bought a squaring tool. The trees are ironed on; went over the edges with chain stitch and stem stitch, some fly stitching around the branches of the larger tree, all of it freehanded. I’ve been developing a rather unfortunate fondness for retro pistachio and mint greens. The pistachio green embroidery thread I used on this square comes from the cotton floss stash I inherited from my grandmother, and is genuine late 50’s/early 60’s pistachio green.
the plastic crate of mystery
My embroidery threads are stored in two containers: one is a snap-top plastic tub, not particularly neat but things are findable. The other is a battered zip-top plastic bag with a large snarl of assorted thread in it that kicks around inside my tub of scrap fabrics. It’s great for small, unplanned projects – I pick through it until I find a strand I like, then pull it out. Keeps it exciting.
Get Around
Hi.
Just wondering how you would adjust this pattern to fit a cup (say
starbucks or the like). Perhaps in the round? This is a great pattern!
I would love to use this instead of the cardboard sleeves they give
you. Thanks.