I always knew my google fu was strong. I can search like nobody’s business. But apparently my google uf, which am coining as the mystical ability to get your pages ranked in google searches, is off the hook! I’ve gotten 2 random comments on the knitty fetching post, so I was checking out my referrer logs. Both came from a google search on “knitty fetching”. Go do it yourself and see who’s #2 after Knitty.com. How the hell did that happen?
Well I’m screenshotting it for posterity.
The other day I printed out a lace pattern from knitty and lo and behold I couldn’t see even read the lace chart. So I was thinking about how webpages could have more printable charts. The best way I could think to do that is to use flash, but I know lots of people don’t have it or know how to use it. And thus I came up with this.
What if there was a website that you could go to create a knitting chart by dragging and dropping symbols on to the grid. Then you would export a little text file that would actually contain your pattern. And then you’d embed a small swf file in your pattern in your webpage. In that format it would print as clear as normal text and you’d also perhaps be able to choose to enlarge the chart as well.
Do you think if I made something like that people would use it? It will also give my flash skills a little challenge.
September 16-17
Garden State Sheep & Fiber Festival
Hunterdon County Fairgrounds, Ringoes NJ
Does anyone want to go on Sunday? I could do early on Saturday, too, but I’ve got to be in Long Valley at 3pm.
Brook – What ever happened to your fiber get together?
I was at my parents’ house yesterday to visit and do laundry. Ok, mostly to do laundry but I did bring a key lime tart with me. I also brought my current crochet project – le baby blanket.
My mom, who taught me to crochet, said she was impressed by how neat I crochet. My mom is a perfectionist so that’s a high complement. She realize that this was the yarn I dyed and told me I need to buy a house with a barn so I can convert the barn into my craft area. She also said she needed to move in next door so she could come use it.
Now my sister moved out last year and we were supposed to convert her room into a crafting room for my mom. There is a lot of crafts stuff and her sewing machine, but it is also piled up with the Christmas boxes that my lazy ass brother has refused to put in the cubby in his room. I’m going to have to find time to get that room cleared out and setup for my mom. It also has a daybed which I prefer to sleep on to the pull out in the den, but it’s currently covered with boxes too!
Crocheters and knitters from the US, Europe and more sent in 15″ squares to create this pink tank cozy in protest of the war in Iraq. The squares were sewn together in front of the Nikolaj Contemporary Art Cente in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more here.
I went home today and with the help of my dad, I built a yarn meter based on Adrian’s plans.
I thought the pipe hanger is kind of ugly so I wanted to fix the meter to the top with something a little prettier.
So in between the rain and watching the Yankees and World Cup soccer, I hunted around for some wood. I couldn’t find anything but long pieces. So lo and behold my dad hands me a 18″ piece mahogony. Sweet! I went out and cut it and sanded the corners. Then we realized even with feet it should be higher up. So I cut another piece to raise the meter up.
Out came the drills and we attached the feet and even countersunk the screws. Then we screwed on the platform. I had picked up some big O screws on the way to my parents. I wanted big ones because some of the homespun I have is rather thick. So we drilled holes for those, and I screwed them in.
Then came the hard part – how to mount the meter. I suggested popping out some of the rivits on the corners and putting screw through there. So my dad got out the drill and drilled those out. Then we glued the meter on while we searched for some screws that would be long enough and skinny enough. We finally found some, and then my mom found some livestrong bracelets and then I had a yarn meter! I need to do a little more sanding but I tried it out when I got back and it works great.
some other views
When I got back I also decided to make what I’m calling a yarn tower. See my ball winder really likes it when the yarn comes from above it. So sometimes that means giving my fingers yarn burn. So I had cut up a dowel today for my pompom tree (in progress) and I had 2 O screws left. I screwed them on a plaque/pedastal thing I bought at AC Moore for 50 cents. I think this will be quite handy.
Now if I had a permanent craft area, I would have Rube Goldeberg-esque yarn measuring, winding, skeining setup. But for now this will do.
I was on the knit picks website today when I noticed the main page is about their Options Needle System. It’s an interchangable needles system with nickel (hello addi turbo) needles. They also have double points and regular classic circulars for 0-3. I’m soo tempted although I already have a Denise Interchangable set.
Its $60 for
NICKEL PLATED US Sizes: 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,10.5 and 11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
CABLES 2 each of 24″ and 32″ lengths
ACCESSORIES 1 Needle Case with 6 Needle Pockets, 8 End Caps and 2 Cable Keys
My sister had to work saturday morning so we changed our plans and went to the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn. I’ve never been to McCarren Park but its super easy to get to. You just take the L train (which conviently runs from the 14th St Path station) to the first stop in Brooklyn, Bedford Ave. Then you walk up 5 very short blocks to the park. We got there around 1ish and it was pretty packed. I saw tons of cools stuff. If I wasn’t trying to save money and on a t-shirt buying hiatus I probably would have spent triple what I did.
It was cool to see booths from some of the indie crafters I know from either Livejournal or just the internet. In the end I bought 4 things and spent $43.
First I bought a ceramic boat cleat from Delong Ceramics for my mom which was $18. She has sort of a nautical theme in her bathroom and I think she’ll like it. My gripe with this is that they cost $16 on her website. Why would you charge more at a craft fair?
Then I bought a $2 postcard from Rar Rar Press.
Then I bought a $2 postcard from .
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Vanessa didn’t get it
Then I bought some cute buttons from Cutie Cooties which I couldn’t find to take a photo of.
Then I had some cash left so I went back to Etui and got this “Skater Girls” print.
Plus I have a load of business cards from other vendors that had cool stuff. Some highlights are
Supermaggie
Purple Jewelry
fishcakes
Department of Craft
Erica Saladino
I came home from work last night to find a 2lb cone of DK natural cotton. Woohoo! It’s a nice quality. I worked on a gauge swatches using my G6 & H8 hooks. And of course I think I need a size 7 hook, which I’m pretty sure I have but can’t find.
I am planning on making a yarn meter a la Hello Yarn, but all important measuring part hasn’t arrived yet. Once I get it and build the yarn meter, I’m going to skein this up. Then I’ll get dyeing…although I still need to actually buy the dyes.
And once my sister gets done with work we are going out to lunch and then to the Renegade Craft fair in Brooklyn.
