Stitchboard Admin message #31
Re: New hat for the winter..
January 29, 2016 at 2:21:02 AM
 
Line,

I'm a wool addict (though I don't admit to anything, as I don't have a problem, LOL).  You're right...I had no idea that a wool program was actually so decent!  I thought people had said not to use it if the machine didn't have one.    Thank you for setting me straight! 

Can't wait to see the new hat!  That's so true...you really can't make a nice hat for one and not make a nice hat for another.  Thank goodness it doesn't work that way with husbands!  But then, I don't know that there would be many women who would want two husbands...one is enough of a handful! 

Hugs,
Melanie

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Stitchboard Admin message #33
Re: New hat for the winter..
January 30, 2016 at 3:09:06 AM  (in response to Aabye message #2)
 
Line,

Hahahahahahaha, you're right!    Perfect yarn humor! 

I don't really have a great way to wash wool at the moment, other than by hand.    As much as I dislike the old machine, it's here to stay until it craps out.  Now, sometime in the (hopefully near) future, I know we'll have a nice pull-out faucet for the basement sink, but we bought it sans a faucet, as it was cheaper to buy the things piecemeal, and we didn't need a faucet at the time.  Once there's a faucet, that will be where I hand wash whatever needs to be hand washed, sweaters or whatever, but I'd also like to try dyeing yarns.  I took a dyeing class years ago and really enjoyed it!  Back then I was looking at dyeing cotton for cross stitch, but now I'm thinking about other fibers, as well. 

Have you ever thought about dyeing yarns to get your own custom colors, or do you feel you have enough selection available that it's more trouble than it's worth?

Dyeing yarns is appealing at the moment because our area is a complete yarn desert.    Nothing around for miles.  When we used to have a yarn store nearby, it was so much easier to simply try to find something that worked.

Hugs,
Melanie

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Stitchboard Admin message #35
Re: New hat for the winter..
February 1, 2016 at 1:59:30 AM  (in response to Aabye message #4)
 
Line,

Awww, I wish we lived close by and could work on dyeing yarns together!    I would rather have the company of a friend than to work alone on it.  It would certainly be fun to discover new colorways, which are a lot less likely when working alone, at least for me.  I tend to stay within my comfort zone.  So I tend not to experiment with colors I really don't like or colors that I think are meh.

I do work with acrylic yarn, mostly because of cost and availability.  It's funny, for years there was a yarn shop here, but now that I live where I do...nothing!    I don't mind acrylic for certain things.  I'm not going to make doll clothes with good wools...LOL, sorry, dolls, that stuff is for me, not you!    Unless they're felted, I also won't make stuffed toys with wool, same reason as not using it for doll clothes.  Some people have sensitivities to wool, so I would use acrylic or cotton for them.

When we did have a yarn shop, I occasionally went and bought "nicer" yarns, but now I have to get them from the craft store.  Some are okay, but some aren't great.

Sooooooooo loving those color combos you mentioned!    My absolute favorite would be bright pink/purple/electric blue.  I'm not entirely sure of what the blue is called, kind of a turquoise, without as much green, just that bright blue, brighter than aqua.  Most of all, I think it would be so much fun to experiment!  Maybe I could break out of my comfort zone and make some interesting combos that I wouldn't normally make. 

That yarn looks really pretty, but ugh, so with you on scratchiness!  Not worth wearing.  If I buy a wool (or whatever fiber), it has to feel nice.  No way is it worth it to wear scratchy yarns.

I don't know about all varieties, but in a yarn shop years ago, I found a gorgeous Noro yarn.  I was so excited and touched it...ouch, it was rough and scratchy!  With as popular as Noro is these days, I'd guess they have many softer varieties, but that particular one was such a disappointment.    But then, I'd never know, as there's no yarn store that would carry it around here.  The thing about buying yarn is that yes, I'm sure Noro is available online, but I can't feel it through the screen!  So I'd have to at least see it in a store first, and since there's no store...no way of knowing which of their yarns are exactly what I love. 

So frustrating! 

Hugs,
Melanie

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Stitchboard Admin message #37
Re: New hat for the winter..
February 4, 2016 at 2:39:40 AM  (in response to Aabye message #6)
 
Line,

LOL, see that, the snake looked like so much fun, the puppy wanted a toy, too! 

I've used cotton for toys.  It depends on what I've got on hand...usually acrylic, but have some cotton, as well. 

We'll just have to get you into collecting dolls for you, my dear!    My best friend and I both collect dolls.  She's a lot more serious about the hobby than I am...she's taken classes on restoring dolls.  I just collect them as I find and like them.  I like to make the doll clothes, as you know, so it's good to have dolls, or the sizing might be way off! 

LOL, so even though your boys don't get into playing with dolls, that doesn't mean you can't be a collector. 

See, that's why you have to collect dolls for yourself...you don't have to worry about who in your area has boys and who has girls!

I agree...talking on the Internet isn't like having a friend down the street.    We have friends (neighbors) here, and we like them...but none of them are interested in the same things we like.    That's why you have to live nearby!    (As if it's that easy.)

All right, sounds like a plan - crafts, cats, someone to make us food...we're all set!    Now just win that lottery!  (Just don't tell my husband I've signed him up to cook for us...he'll find out sometime when we put that apron on him, bwahahahahahahaha!)

Ugh, isn't scratchy yarn the worst?  Makes my fingers itch to think of working with it.  I'm sorry you, too, know the disappointment of touching a beautiful yarn that feels like sandpaper.  And because it's such a well-known and well-liked brand, I never said anything about it...except one day, I heard someone else talk about how rough it was...wow, glad not to be alone in thinking that!

It really is too much of a risk to order from online if you don't really know about the fiber beforehand.  You're so right about what a difference there can be between brands.  And it's such a shame, because as you said, the yarn is often cheaper online...but not worth the risk. 

Wow, no, I'd never heard of Ice Yarn!  Beautiful stuff.    I had no idea there was such a yarn as antibacterial!  I'm not so much of a germaphobe that I need antibacterial yarn, but it has such nice colors.  What a find!  How did you ever hear of it?

Acrylic can be useful in blends...LOL, for those of us with old washing machines and no wool settings, it can make a superwash wool that doesn't leave us doing hand wash!    I've also heard of blends of cotton and acrylic, as well, which give the cotton some strength.  As much as I love working with cotton, sometimes it can be so fragile.    I once met a designer who made bead kits with cotton yarn and claimed she'd never had any breakage.  And the cotton yarns were so pretty, but I wouldn't have used them with beads.  Can you imagine making a big, beautiful project, only to have it fall apart because the cotton wasn't strong enough?! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #39
Re: New hat for the winter..
February 5, 2016 at 2:53:18 AM  (in response to Aabye message #8)
 
Line,

Awww, that is sweet, and what a lucky girl, to get such lovely toys!    While I can't say Muffin has ever been given my toys (LOL, stuffed animals), I also can't say she's lacking for any, LOL.  She has tons of toys.  I've put away the hard toys, though, only because it would be just my luck to slip on a ball in the dark, fall and break something.    Or fall down the stairs because my hands are full and I don't see some toy at the top of the stairs.  Because I swear, if she could sit by the stairs and play, she'd find something that rolls and then start at the top and send it down the stairs, listening to it make noise all the way.  And then she'd forget she left something up top.  No, this doesn't sound like a good idea at all!

Sadly, I've also had to put away what we called her "bitey ball."  This is a hard ball that is made up of plastic dots, so there are holes between some of them.  Aside from the fact that it would be a great tripping hazard, sigh, sometimes when she'd bite the bitey ball, it would get stuck on her teeth.    I don't want that happening at night or while we're away for an hour or so, especially if she can't get it off of her teeth!    So once in a while she'll be allowed to play with it, but then it gets put back in the box where she can't get to it.

LOL, okay, first, I have zero dolls that look like Chucky.  Blurgh.  I'm talking about fashion dolls...Barbie comes to mind, but forgetting that blonde bimbette, there are dolls that are about half the size of Barbie, no longer made, but just as wonderful: Dawn dolls.  Those are dolls from the '70s.  They're very pretty and over the years there have been a lot of knockoffs, too.  I think the UK's version of Dawn was called Pippa.  Anyway, Dawn (and friends) had what Barbie lacked...eyelashes.  Really tiny, pretty eyelashes.  Dawn had lots of outfits, too.

I want to make outfits for Dawn.    Barbie, too, but mostly Dawn.

To cover half of that plan, there's a Swedish site that has over 1000 free Barbie knitting patterns (nothing for Dawn, sigh), with translations into a lot of different languages, including English.  (Also Danish, though I know you don't knit - yet - and don't like dolls.)  Take a gander at these, and then see if you can figure out why I want to make Barbie clothes :
http://stickatillbarbie.se/

Did I mention they're all free?    Now you see why I want to knit for Barbie...because so many patterns are available and free!  (Dawn will have to wait.)

Now you can also see why I like fashion dolls.    I've found more free patterns for Barbie than any other type of doll.

And perhaps now you can understand why I don't mind using acrylic!    Because Barbie won't complain.  And though she's lately had a little, um, plastic surgery , her size stays pretty constant.  I don't know of anyone who can make that claim!  

I also have a few knockoffs of what are called "American Girl" dolls.  AG dolls are way expensive...forget how much, may be around $200!  The knockoffs were all far cheaper.  The first one I bought with a coupon from a craft store.  I think she was under $10, maybe about $8.  Then my friend sent me a doll I had admired, when they went on clearance in one of her local stores.  Later on, they went on clearance in my local store, so I bought another two, and I think each were under $5.  Seriously good price!

And they definitely don't mind wearing clothes made of acrylic. 

I think a scarf I crocheted for my friend's AG-type doll is in one of my photo albums on here.

And none of the AG-types look like Chucky!  Matter of fact, I've never heard a peep from any of them. 

LOL!  Probably the apron and the blindfold won't bother him, though chaining him to the stove is another matter. 

Oooh, you'll have to tell me how it works out when you order from them!  Really, their yarns look amazing! 

Oh, yeah, it would be awful to work so hard to make something, only to have it fall apart.  That's why I won't use anything less than good fishing line for beads.  There's an old product that I didn't care for, which used to be considered an industry standard, but since certain fishing lines were found to be great for beading (not all, though, so one must be careful not to pick up any old fishing line), that's what I've been using.

Every once in a while someone says their beaded project made with fishing line fell apart, but I've had big discussions with people who are big in the beading industry, and they believe breakage was caused by a sharp bead or crystal.  Others claim the knots cause the fibers to cut themselves, but so far it seems more are of the opinion the breakage was caused by sharp beads or crystals.

Hugs,
Melanie

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Stitchboard Admin message #41
Re: New hat for the winter..
February 6, 2016 at 3:05:33 AM  (in response to Aabye message #10)
 
Line,

Awww, poor Jamie!    But it sounds like she's done beautifully with you.  And how loving she is with Marcus!    It's wonderful that they're such good friends. 

I love how protective she is of Marcus, too, watching for cars and taking her time so he can keep up. 

That's also cool how each dog has bonded well with the kids, and one or the other in particular.    And you're right...Silver just sounds very young and inexperienced.  I'm sure being in your loving home she'll learn very well. 

Hee hee, why did you always want Barbie dolls if you never played with them?    I did play with my dolls...until I got to a certain age.  I kept them, though, until the day I made a huge mistake and gave them away to some kids of a person who later treated me very badly.    I thought I was doing a good thing, but it wasn't appreciated, and then people have said, "You gave those things to the kid, not to that horrible person," but it's still one and the same with me.    I bet she sold all of the collectibles after her kids grew up and no longer played with the dolls. 

So now I try to kind of collect what I used to have, or at least what I want of what I used to have.  It's often depressing, because this stuff is old and soooooooo expensive.

Wow, I bet the cat had a wonderful time being wheeled around like that!    I had a doll carriage, but not sure what happened to it.  My dolls were mostly in good shape; I tried to be careful when I played with them.  But the carriage may have simply fallen apart.  It may not have been new when I got it, either.

LOL, as for wheeling the cat around in it, believe it or not, there is a carriage some company sells that is actually for wheeling a cat around!    Seriously!  I think the sides of it are netted so the cat can see out.  And it's very expensive, over $100.  LOL, maybe I'll have to look for doll carriages instead, so I can wheel the cat around the block!    I can just picture it...people would say, "Can I see your baby?" and I'd proudly say, "Sure!"  Then I'd let them take a peek.  "That looks like a cat!"  "Yes, that's my baby!" 

I actually haven't ever bought my fishing line from a craft store, only from a department store fishing department or a sporting goods store.    So you're actually spot on about that...good thinking!    I had heard (though this was a long time ago, so it may no longer be true) the craft store fishing line wasn't quite as good as the real thing.

What I buy is something called Fireline Crystal.  My very first reel of it was 10 pound test (not sure if that's what you guys call it there).  I've bought 8 pound test and 6 pound test...and if I ever want to take that stupid project out of the penalty corner, I'll redo it with 4 pound test!  (And if it breaks again, that's it.)

The important thing about the Fireline Crystal is that it's really a fiber.  So it's great for beading for that very reason.  And then the lower the number, the thinner the thread.

Some of the fishing lines out there will deteriorate in sunlight or water (not Fireline Crystal!).  So you don't want a line that will break down holding your beadwork together.  Of course they're made to break down because you don't necessarily want a tangle of fishing line left in a pond or a river, but nobody wants to get caught in the rain and know they're going to have to re-weave their favorite bracelet.

Hugs,
Melanie

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Stitchboard Admin message #43
Re: New hat for the winter..
February 8, 2016 at 1:23:49 AM  (in response to Aabye message #12)
 
Line,

How adorable that must be, to see Jamie pulling Marcus on his bike!    Without a doubt, she's a sweetheart. 

Oh, no, they're using those carriages for dogs?!  Facepalm.  I'm guessing the reason they were developed for cats is because of the way cats behave...going by the way our girl behaved when we took her outside.  She walked a few steps.  Stopped.  Sat down.  Ate grass.  Sniffed the air.

This entire process repeated itself endlessly, until she was either ready to go in...or we were.  I was telling a woman's mom about it, because she wants to put her cat on a harness and walk her around the neighborhood.  I had to tell her to be careful, because she was picturing what we were...the kitty would enjoy a nice walk through the neighborhood, but that wasn't what happened, not even once.

Of course, it would be uncharacteristic for a dog to do that...they love to run and jump all over, and why shouldn't they be allowed to do that?!

I would say to price Fireline Crystal.  There may be a dealer who sells it in your area.  Of course, knowing the high prices you guys pay for everything , it really could be expensive.    Not that it's what I would call "cheap" here, though guessing it might be a slightly better price here.

Unfortunately the cheaper fishing lines here are the ones that aren't at all suitable for beadweaving. 

Hugs,
Melanie

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Stitchboard Admin message #45
Re: New hat for the winter..
February 9, 2016 at 2:41:54 AM  (in response to Aabye message #14)
 
Line,

I'm so glad you speak up when you see dogs in carriages!    Those poor dogs probably want to be running around, but their stupid idiot owners won't let them!

Anyone can see it's an entirely different thing than cats.  Cats are...temperamental.  They want things just so.  You won't get a cat to move unless it's the cat's idea, and that's why taking one for a walk on a harness is definitely an exercise in futility - no pun intended!  LOL.

But a dog doesn't have that desire to sit still for long periods of time.  Cats love it.  Dogs...well, their impatience is good in other ways. 

LOL, that said, I seriously wish our girl would get a bit of energy and decide to really explore, not just lay in various spots close to each other...sniffing. Eating grass.  Pulse-pounding excitement!  Not.

And I agree, it's ridiculous to carry a dog around when there's no danger.  Put the cutie on a harness or whatever, and let it walk!  That will make for a far happier dog than carrying him/her around.

The girl was actually carrying her dog around on the beach with nobody else around?!  Words cannot express the utter stupidity! 

Absolutely not...a sleeping dog can't in any way be considered aggressive.  That's crazy.  Maybe she was the one afraid of big dogs and projected the aggressiveness onto your dog sleeping!  But that's only in her mind, anyway.

I can't imagine...she didn't get her dog used to big dogs beforehand?  The mind boggles!  You can't leave a dog unprepared for that.  What did she expect to do, talk to everyone with a large dog and say, "Get your dog out of here"?  Then after that, I guess she wanted to tell people with smaller dogs to get out, so her dog might not be afraid of competition!  Sarcasm.

How cool that the other people there laughed at her as you were telling her off...she deserved it!

At least you were the catalyst for the ittle dog no longer being afraid of big dogs, for being socialized with big dogs.    Good for you!  I'm sure if that little dog could talk, it would thank you for it not being afraid of big dogs any more! 

I agree that it's a no-brainer to see to it that a little dog isn't terrified of big dogs...particularly if showing or out in public or something.  And as for those strollers...leave them for the cats!  People can be so idiotic.

Would you be interested in learning beading?  Because I'd be happy to teach you.    If you like crochet, I think you'd like beading.    It's actually quite relaxing to weave beads to make a bracelet or a necklace or something.    Handmade bling can be yours! 

Nothing wrong with you being curious.    But then does that make me the man in the yellow hat?    LOL.

Hugs,
Melanie

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