Stitchboard Admin message #92
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 4, 2013 at 6:03:22 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #1)
 
Sherry,

Thanks.    Argh, I've had a lot of really bad headaches lately...but I'll live. 

Oh, yes, now that you mention it...I have some gripper socks like that, too!  Some have dots, some have squiggles, but they all definitely look just like fabric paint! 

Sigh, I do remember having to order fabric paint...not that I did, because I couldn't afford it, but it wasn't so easily available the way it is now. 

I like your way of making the eyes, and of course that's the safest thing for gifts for kids.  I'm sure it works far better than the inelegant solution of embroidery, because at least you have much more control over how even it is.    You're definitely a genius, and if I end up making anything for kids, I'm going to try to remember to do it that way! 

No, listen...you don't need a Kindle!  I don't own one at all.  These days, you can get ereaders for your PC.  Kindle makes a PC-based ereader.  That's what I have installed on this computer right now!  This is where you can get it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

Honestly, if I had a Kindle reader, I would much prefer to download patterns for the PC reader version, anyway.  Can you imagine reading crochet charts on a little tiny screen?    I would think that would be incredibly difficult.  At least on the PC I can see an entire large chart, instead of in only small pieces. 

Anyway, I definitely suggest downloading the free Kindle reader app for your PC...there are free patterns offered all the time!  The Mini Menagerie wasn't the only one...there was a tissue box cover recently, and there are things for babies, too...hats, cocoons, etc.

I try to list the freebies on a daily basis...LOL, more or less.    Sometimes I can't get to them fast enough, but most of the time, I do.

BTW, re: our original experiment, there is a free Morehouse Farms knitting booklet of animal scarves that I think is still free (somewhere I read it's free through 11/5 - hope that's true!)...if you get the Kindle app for your PC in time, maybe it would be fun to experiment making those in TKS?  They're really cute. 

So is the cardigan pattern that you're messing with straight sc?  I love so many of the Lion Brand patterns...though I like to tweak them to my own satisfaction, too.    Same with Garnstudio.  I love Garnstudio, but I often like to change things up!

Ah, I see.  I'll have to wait for a dehydrator, then.  We used to have one, but it got flooded.  LOL, I don't think I want to use it. 

I'm sure you're right...it must have been a picnic basket for granny!    Wish I'd thought of making a simple one at the time...I could have beaded or crocheted something.

I agree...sometimes it's fun to shake things up, anyway.    And who says a costume party can only be given on Halloween?  Last I'd heard there was no law about costumes being for Halloween only.    And you're so right about sports jerseys! 

I'm going to send you a private message. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #94
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 5, 2013 at 8:05:32 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #3)
 
Sherry,

WOO HOO!! 

I'm so glad you're going to make use of the free Kindle patterns!  It's so fantastic to have that resource, IMO.  Especially when people are making their patterns available for free here and there!

Cheap is good, but free is better! 

Books (non pattern books, that is) should be okay to read on a Kindle.  We were forced to go away from our ancient phones recently to smartphones (which we needed to test the site, anyway), and I have to say that while I love real books, I adore reading my Kindle in the dark.  I can read while my husband is sleeping.  I used to have to leave the light on, and he complained...now I can read my books, and he doesn't see a thing.  I figure I can't crochet or knit or do beadwork in the dark, anyway...but reading I can do!    I devour fiction in the dark. 

My phone screen is probably far smaller than a Kindle, and I can tell you, it's perfectly fine for reading.  Not only that, I set it on black with white letters (actually, they look more gray to me) and it doesn't bother my eyes or my head, even when I have a headache.

When I have a bad hot flash where I'm awake enough to do this, I grab my phone and read a bit until the hot flash fades away.  (Sometimes I'm only awake enough to pull off the covers, which leaves me freezing the rest of the night, but at least when I'm awake enough to read, it takes my mind off of sweating.)

So if your son and DIL are offering a free Kindle, I'd say to take it!    It's also good if you suffer from occasional insomnia, because again, it gets your mind off of the fact that you can't sleep.  And these days, there are so many free books available, you'll probably hardly ever have to pay for one.  I've paid a grand total of - literally - .02 total for two different non-pattern books.  Everything else I got was free.  Seriously, both books (by the same author) were priced at .01 apiece.  Otherwise, though, every last fiction book I have for Kindle was free!

Aren't the free patterns addictive? 

I had thought there was a free cloud reader...thanks for letting me know!  That also explains something...my friend downloaded a free book from the library, as she doesn't have a computer that's connected to the Internet at home.  Now I know how she did it...just left it on her cloud, and I'm sure she reads a chapter or two here and there.

Please do go back to checking the free listings!  I'm going to put one up for tonight, unless the newest offerings are too meager.    I apologize that sometimes I put them up so late...it just depends on what else is going on and when I can get to them.    It's somewhat time consuming...though I do love it.

Math...bleah!  Yes, it's a necessary evil for crochet...but not as bad as taking tests on it, right?! 

At least if I screw up a pattern, nobody's going to give me a failing grade! 

The V-stitch looks so cool, and I hope you'll take pics at some point. 

Cosplay...I'd heard of it, but didn't know anything about it!  Now that sounds like fun.  I have to look into it.  Thanks for explaining!  I'd seen it typed out and had always meant to find out what it meant, but never got around to it.

Love the Ren Faires!  Years ago, we used to attend...now we don't live all that close to anything, so we don't.  Though we never actually wore costumes.  But we used to know a lot of people who were vendors at the various Faires...and I think a good number of them went to TRF, as well.  Do you go there occasionally?  Always such a fun day...though expensive. 

Can't say I've tried belly dancing...though I've heard it's good exercise and want to try it sometime!  I do love looking at the jewelry for those gorgeous costumes. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #96
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 6, 2013 at 3:46:51 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #5)
 
Sherry,

Oooh, I hope you get a Kindle, then!    Let me tell you, there is nothing cooler than being able to quietly grab your "book" and read in the dark!  No need to get up, turn on the light...just press the button and read!  I do that with my phone all the time.  I don't know what I ever did before I had a smartphone...well, sigh, I do remember...I had to either sit up uncomfortably in my office chair and shiver if it was cold in the house or my other choice was to go to bed early and not read at all.    Not fun either way, especially if I couldn't sleep because it was too early.  I'd just toss and turn, trying to get to sleep.  And forget about hot flashes...sigh...I'd simply have to lay there and sweat.  At least this way, if I'm awake enough, I can think about something besides how much I'm sweating!

I love fantasy fiction!    I especially enjoy magic, wizards, that kind of stuff.  I really love Harry Potter...and I've found so many other great books like that for Kindle!

I have a dear friend who I'm hoping will publish a fantasy book for Kindle.  He has another one that he wrote and is trying to shop it around traditionally, to agents/publishers, but he sort of gave up on the fantasy book, since it's more of a short story.  I keep trying to tell him he can still publish the short story for Kindle, get some writing cred, and meanwhile shop his novel out the traditional way.  He's really a brilliant writer, and I'm so hoping someone will be smart enough to publish his work! 

I like nonfiction books as well as fiction...it really depends on the subject, of course.    I have tons of nonfiction books and fiction for my phone.

Awww, how cool that you can enjoy the freebies over your morning coffee!    Did you get the free Tunisian book?  I hope it's still free...I haven't looked at it yet, but that one part of the scarf looks like it's done in TKS, so I told my friends to download it!  I want to give a class so my friends who don't know how to crochet can learn, and now I'm also thinking, duh, give a Tunisian class!

The Ren Faires are a blast, aren't they?!  Loved going to them.  If we lived closer now, it might be a big temptation...LOL, I don't know if it's good or bad that gas is so expensive, it's just not a good idea to go very often. 

Do you think you'll get a chance to take belly dancing classes someday?  I really, really want to, but don't know anyone who teaches them, so I'd have to use a DVD.  I did buy one several years ago, though never did use it...LOL, so far.  Supposed to be great exercise and it looks like total fun!  And you're so right about the costumes...gorgeous!

You're absolutely right...the problem with math in school is that unless they specifically teach things like balancing checkbooks or whatever, it doesn't have a real life application.    LOL, maybe they should teach crochet to teach math!  Hee hee, wouldn't that be a fun thing?! 

I can't wait to see your purple sweater...and that's one of my fave colors, too! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #98
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 7, 2013 at 10:12:25 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #7)
 
Sherry,

Wow, that's wonderful news!  I'm so happy for you! 

There's no better price than free, and I love that the guy appreciated your loyalty to the company...and even better that it costs you less...and you're getting a tablet!  

I've never heard of Terry Goodkind...that series sounds terrific! 

The series I'm enjoying is by Melissa Gunther, starting with "The Book in the Attic."  Such excellent writing!

I'm so happy that you got the Tunisian freebie.  Some things remain free for a few days...but I think that one only ran for about 2 days, sigh.    It's even worse when I've found something for free, don't get to it right away, then go back to download it and the price has gone back up before I could. 

How neat to offer the hooks with a class...can you get bulk hooks like that?

Aww, TSS, TKS and a hook...and I hope that helped ease her struggles with regular crochet, as well?

You're right...math is involved in pretty much everything, sigh.  And yes, I completely agree...it can be made a lot more fun than it is in school.

LOL, it is algebra...but bleah, who wants to even think of it that way?  It's math.  That's it.  I think it makes it more boring and intimidating to think of it as algebra, even if that's what it is.

GMTA once more...I've always wanted to take belly dancing lessons, too! 

Oh, no, have you been ill?    It's so hard to bounce back after anything, and I really think the older we get, the harder it is.    I think it would be wonderful to get some help with that from a belly dancing class, not to mention fun...because it always looks like so much fun! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #100
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 8, 2013 at 4:19:04 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #9)
 
Sherry,

Argh, I imagine you'd probably have to buy a lot of the hooks to get wholesale prices. 

True...if you're a "one stop shop," they can purchase and you can work it into the price, and thus, guarantee they'll have what they need.  That also guarantees they'll be able to take the class...smart idea!

I'm so glad she could transition from Tunisian to standard crochet!  I'll have to remember that.  One of my friends is having trouble and I want to teach her...now I'm thinking of starting her off with Tunisian! 

Unfortunately, they really don't teach math as real life applications.    And honestly, it also depends on the teacher.  I've taken classes with some great teachers and didn't have a tremendous problem, then have taken classes with lousy teachers.  The lousy teachers, of course, had me searching for tutoring. 

I took a class in college with a professor who was so hard to understand (English wasn't her native language); one day she left us alone in the room with evaluation forms, and when we got to the question of understanding explanations, sadly, we all looked at each other and said, "I can't understand much of what she says."  I definitely sought out tutoring that semester.  I remember sitting with the tutor, and he was saying, "You do get this," but I was so confused nonetheless. 

I started choosing classes by professor, not by what I needed.  Matter of fact, I found a wonderful instructor who was an assistant professor, I think (e.g., not a full professor), and her notes were so good, I not only understood every word, but when I went back to study for what she called a "pre-final," I did so well on it, and then the final was no biggie!

Sad to say, she was a rarity.    Math is undoubtedly very hard to teach, but a good teacher can get through that and make it understandable!

I actually couldn't figure out why any of the students couldn't do well in that aforementioned class...she gave you everything you needed!  I don't remember anymore, but it may well have been that the tests were open notes, too, so if you had good notes, you were okay to go.    And yet people struggled big time.  They did poorly on the pre-final and the final...it wasn't easy, but as long as you had good notes and a basic understanding, it was no problem...LOL, and I'm pretty math-resistant! 

It really is easy to lose muscle tone.  We're currently very limited here, so I try to do what I can...but it's so hard to get back to what was once so easy.    I don't envy you...though I wish we lived close, as I would adore a workout buddy...wouldn't it be great to be able to talk crochet while working out!

I agree...the classes do sound fun and therapeutic! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #102
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 9, 2013 at 9:06:14 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #11)
 
Sherry,

Sigh, it's not hard for the mind to take off to other places when it comes to math...particularly when young.  I did okay in it, but math class was still so torturous to me.    Where did your mind go?  I could swear mine went to Hawaii...maybe we met there back then and didn't even realize it! 

Obviously, leaving the math for last and then sweating over it for your exams was the smart thing to do!    You got done with the parts you knew you'd be able to do, then that undoubtedly maximized your time for getting into the, ugh, math. 

IMO, doing the math every day as part of whatever you have to do is the only way.  I get rusty at things I don't do all the time.  If I didn't need math for the usual everyday things or for crocheting/knitting, I'd get rusty at that, too.

We do have a lot in common, don't we?!    I love how you enjoy the same reading materials I do! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #104
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 10, 2013 at 5:12:10 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #13)
 
Sherry,

Ah, may have been the same place...except I wasn't shipwrecked...I was drinking the non-alcoholic equivalent of Mai Tais (because I was too young to drink back then!). 

Meditation can be very helpful.  I got away from it in later years, but I really should go back...it was sooooo relaxing!  It helps tremendously to have a beautiful place in mind.  I had never been to Hawaii back then...but that's where I would always imagine being!    I had a particular spot on the beach, perfectly shaded by a palm tree. 

Yes, math is still falling into place for me, too.    I get pushed into it by doing things like crochet, sometimes still kicking and screaming about it.

Speaking of crochet...I picked up the candy corn hat again (kitty's going to at least try cosplay! ), and while my original thought was to go around the ears, I realized it might be harder to get it on her little head that way.  I'm thinking of just going side to side...have a thin section of the sl st ribbing and am hoping that will be enough...but it really has to be made for each critter's head, because they're all going to measure differently.

I'm sure this will be torture, too.    Her head will be heavily dragging on the floor like the hat is filled with bricks for the few seconds she'll be wearing it, until we take it off of her because she doesn't like it.  Oh, well, I love my little girl and don't want to torture her!

Also made a decision on that sweatshirt extension...you know the dumb "crop top" I mentioned?  I'm going to probably have to go with a smaller hook to pull the yarn through...meh, no problem.

At least it will be nice to have another sweatshirt!  Geeze, but first I have to find/invent some dishcloth patterns for gifts...I don't want that one surprising me.  LOL, did I mention?  Hubby said he was going to see some of the people this month, as in before the 15th.  As you can probably imagine, I had a few choice words about that, because I am not giving holiday gifts over a month early!  It will either start maybe around 2 weeks before the holidays, at most, and go until after.  In the case of two people (but not the ones hubby was talking about), that's Hanukkah, anyway...and that starts the day before Thanksgiving...but that's the exception, and as I said, none of the people hubby is talking about are Jewish.  So my Hanukkah gifts may be a bit late...hopefully not...but maybe I'll be ready by then.

Not sure what I'm going to do yet...a different design for at least three out of four of the gifts, since the three are all from kind of the same extended family. 

Of course, at least one must be TKS!  I don't know about all of them, just because I do want the different family members to have different items. 

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