Stitchboard Admin message #106
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 11, 2013 at 4:57:26 PM
 
Sherry,

It's true...I think the cap is just going to have to be a "figure the chin strap out yourself, but here are some suggestions" type of thing.    All I can do is provide the cap part of it and then the rest is dependent on the critter.

I suspect kitty will definitely be upset with her cosplay.    The worst part is that I really don't want her to be upset, but I suppose there's no other option.  I won't know until I try it on her.  She might be okay with something on her head, and not on her body.

You're so right...I never thought of that, but yes, I would end up feeling obligated to give another gift in December!  Unfortunately, a few of my Hanukkah gifts are going to be late, but that's because I have to give priority to the other people (clients).  I suppose I should be thankful that those who celebrate Hanukkah will completely understand!

Yule...Pagans?  I think their celebrations are so cool.  I love the Earth-centeredness of it all.  I'm not much into religion, but there are certain things I like to pick from the different faiths on a very secular level.  And anyway, that's pretty much what a lot of holidays are these days...combinations of other holidays!

Oooh, now that's a lovely idea to mix up the designs!  I might do that, too...though perhaps not for the one family.

I'm so glad you've finished one spa set!    One down...how many more to go?  (Unless that's a depressing number...then don't answer the question!  )

Hmm, I'm thinking maybe when I get around to it, I'll make the dish towels in TKS or TSS, not sure.  Or maybe combos of stitches, just to keep from getting so bored!  That's the disadvantage of towels, I guess...they take longer to make than individual dish cloths. 

Perhaps I'll even think about making the towels while making something else.  Since I'm always making something else, anyway, sigh!

Another thing I'm considering, too...that sweatshirt project...instead of simply doing TKS all the way down, I might either add some random sc or sl st lines that start at the ribbing and then go partway up the TKS, or leave holes for the sc or sl st lines.  I suppose the latter is more trouble than it's worth, though.    Probably will just sc or sl st some lines in pink from the top of the ribbing to partway up the TKS part of the shirt.  (The shirt itself is almost a hot pink, with black polka dots.  I don't fancy doing polka dots, though, unless they're sc or sl stitched in at the end of the lines.  I'm thinking very, very random, whatever it is.  Not sure I have the fortitude to try to make the bloody things round, though.  Eh, guess I should follow the KISS rule!)

Awww, I bet your granddaughter is looking forward to her hubby being home!    Does she know about the sweater, or is it a surprise? 

Oooh, which cute critter patterns?  The mini menagerie? 

Yeah, I love to make gifts for people...but there's something so appealing about playing around with the fun stuff! 

I have to write down everything, too...today I thought of three other people, groan, and unfortunately, two of them celebrate Hanukkah...though since they're not expecting it, it will be a surprise, albeit a late one. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #108
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 12, 2013 at 8:19:18 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #2)
 
Sherry,

Oh, yes, about the Pagan holidays...that makes me so mad!    At least if you're going to use something, fine, but then own up to it!  The way I figure it is everyone's faith is up to them...but don't take someone else's holiday symbolism and claim it's exclusively "yours."

I'd heard of Samhain, and I knew Halloween had been co-opted from elsewhere, sigh.    I've done much reading on some of the holidays...I think the saddest part of all is how different holidays aren't admitted to be combined from different areas, but also, how that original culture is obliterated in favor of the "newer" use of the symbolism. 

Wow!  How cool!  So you actually have the sight? 

You know, I remember that, too...handmade gifts, replaced by, ugh, store-bought gifts, and now that people are struggling, it's reverting back again to handmade.  Though I personally wasn't involved in the handmade things, because my Grandma lived too far away (she crocheted) and my mother only learned knitting later on.  So until I learned to crochet and knit, I had to give store-bought gifts. 

For a long time, though, I did have a wonderful heart-shaped sachet that my bestie made when we were kids.  She'd been staying with her aunt, and her aunt had helped her make sewn gifts for her friends.  I kept that heart for years and years, and then ultimately lost it in the first big move. 

Speaking of handmade gifts...I bought some coned cotton...$8-ish for a 400g cone.  Since I can't wait for a $1 sale...if there is going to be one, sigh, this is the next best thing, IMO!  It does mean everyone will get the same colors, sigh (variegated blue/white), but then I'll do something different for each one...one set will maybe be square TKS, another will be round, another will be flowery-looking or lacy, etc. 

Oooh, I love the look of picot edging!  Also a nice shell edging, which is probably overkill for dishcloths, though it would depend on the pattern.

Yeah, patterns are definitely more difficult.    You can only change things so much, and of course, there's that math again. 

LOL, true...it's very difficult to make things for people when you don't know their measurements!  Of course, you wouldn't want to make something that doesn't fit...not with all of that effort. 

How large are you making the spa cloths?  I'm guessing my dishcloths will be about 5-6" wide, thinking about 5 1/2" ish...do you think that's too small or too large?

Oy, three more sets! 

The Critter Knits are soooooooo cute!  It's probably best to start simple...though, bleah, who wants to when the complex things look like they'll be so much more fun! 

I definitely look forward to seeing pics of whatever you come up with...I actually think of you a lot when I see knitted things that would look cute crocheted, in TKS in particular, though any crochet stitch would be nice! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #110
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 13, 2013 at 5:28:17 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #4)
 
Sherry,

Wow, how neat you've not only had the sight, but your kids have it, too!    Though it must have caused them consternation at times when they were growing up... 

I'm guessing the cones would be a similar price for you...I just got it at Walmart, nothing special.    We don't get out much and I rarely get to Michael's, and only to JoAnn's these days to get my ads scanned.  Sadly, since they redid our Walmart, the yarn choices have gone from bad to worse.  The cotton in particular has dwindled to almost nothing.  It's fine if I want black or brown, and I don't mind the black for me, since it's a "go with everything" color, but I find for gifts it's not very cheery and brown is such an individual thing...people either love it or hate it.  There is a nice fuchsia, but that's the same idea as black or brown.  The yellow seems to be in short supply.  There's a magenta that's not half bad, and I can probably get away with it regardless, since it kind of runs pinky-red and doesn't seem to offend like fuchsia.  I can't say I've seen any blues (other than yesterday's cone)...used to be a navy blue, but maybe that's been out of stock every time.  There's an orange that I wouldn't bother with in the first place, since that's an acquired taste.  There's an interesting brightly-colored variegated that's okay for gifts, too.  And of course, there's white, and maybe if I were going to dye it or something, I'd use it, but white gets dirty much too easily, so I generally steer clear of it!

So now the only way to get blue seems to be the cones, and not much of that there, either.    I try to stick with blues when I don't know someone's preferences (also, hubby picked out the variegated blue cone when I offered him that or a pinky/purple/something else variegated cone).

The size 10 cotton is down to something like 2 colors.  There's a nice purple green variegated and the other one I forget, but not something I like.  I did need some of the purple green, so I got it.

Thanks for the helpful info on the size of the spa/dishcloths!    I'll shoot for 5 1/2 - 6", then, and definitely 6" if I don't edge it at all.  I don't know if I'll be doing edging, since there is no choice other than white for that, and there's already plenty of white in the variegated cotton!

I completely agree...gauge is definitely unimportant for a scarf, unless it's way too large or small, and I don't see how that would be the case with a worsted, which is what I'm guessing you're using.  It's what I'd use, too.  Like you said, sport weight is almost impossible to find, and it just doesn't seem to me that a scarf of thin sport weight would be as nice for winter wear as a worsted weight, anyway.  Also, shouldn't a scarf be as functional as possible if it's for winter wear?

Oh, yes, true about shell edging to make a dishcloth bigger!  Great idea...thanks for mentioning it...parked in the back of my mind! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #112
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 14, 2013 at 6:55:32 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #6)
 
Sherry,

Oh, true, that is invasion if it's uninvited or without permission!  Still, though, that "sixth sense" must have held you in good stead all of those years...though likely not quite so helpful to the kids when they were doing troublemaking things! 

We do have Michael's and JoAnn's...but JoAnn's is only on the beaten path when we happen to be out that direction.    Michael's is somewhat close to Walmart, but not usually on the beaten path, either, so because we do all of our grocery store shopping at Walmart, we have to be there, so I just get things there as necessary.  If I want to go to JoAnn's or Michael's, we have to plan it carefully. 

But I think you're absolutely right, anyway...Walmart should offer more.  Instead, they cut down on their basic staple yarns, like RH and the cotton yarns, to make way for the reinstatement of fabrics and the cutting counter, sigh, but also, to make way for $4+ small skein specialty yarns.  I'm guaranteeing nobody will buy the specialty stuff, and they'll be clearancing that out eventually.  I have no problem with the fabrics, but those awful specialty yarns have got to go.

Unfortunately, that still may not mean they'll increase the RH and cotton staples again.  

I swear, whoever buys craft supplies for our Walmart has a rectal-cranial inversion. 

I'm so glad you have such a great selection...and wish we did!  Though the other thing is this is a pretty small-town area, so the main game in town is Walmart. 

I'm sure the scarf will be perfect...WW is the best way to go, for sure.  And I love how you're starting with a knitting pattern...but going TKS!  Too cool!  

Honestly, I think a lighter WW would make it less warm.  I think a full WW is so much better for a truly useful winter scarf. 

Green & brown sound like great colors...can't wait to see...hope you'll get a pic or three! 

Oooh, jealous of your fiber arts festival, though I hope you'll get to go!  It's sooooooo nice to look at, and especially, touch, wonderful fibers.  It's what I do whenever I go into a yarn store. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #114
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 15, 2013 at 7:31:52 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #8)
 
Sherry,

If one had a lot of money, I could see making something specifically with specialty yarns or blended...but face it, in this economy most people don't have that kind of money, and if you're talking Walmart shoppers, well, we know most of them don't!  So I doubt they're selling much - if any - of that specialty crap.  But they won't figure it out until they have to blow it out at $2/skein or less.    Then they'll probably just replace it with other specialty yarns that nobody will buy...lather, rinse, repeat. 

Argh, I'm sorry to hear that rectal-cranial inversion is so widespread!

That's awful about the close Michael's store!    Sounds like they're trying to be a Hobby Lobby.  I have a lot of problems with HL, and I particularly dislike all of the dippy "home" things that really don't belong in a craft store.  I know, that home decor stuff is probably popular among some, but I can honestly say I've never seen anyone buy it.  I've seen people buy the stuff to make home decor things, pinecones, picture frames, whatever...but never have I seen people buying the ready-made stuff.  It's not supposed to be the purpose of the store!  The purpose is to buy things to make that stuff...buying it ready-made is expensive, it's cheating, and it's all crap that was made in China, in sweat shops.  Isn't it better for things to be made right here, in sweat shops of our own creation where we underpay ourselves and force ourselves to work long hours with no compensation?! 

Oooh, animal fibers from refuge animals!    How cool is that?!

I collect the kitty's fur when she sheds it...just little pieces here and there.  LOL, if I'm lucky, someday there may be enough for a neckwarmer!    Seriously, though, I love the idea of reusing what would normally end up getting dumped.  

Definitely holding my breath that the woman is at the show! 

Oooh, thanks...I'd love to see how the scarf turns out! 

I like your idea for the eyes better.  I don't care for felt eyes, and I'm sure the painted eyes will look far nicer.

I have a partly-finished beaded lizard, and I had found the perfect amber iridescent beads for the eyes (obviously, much too small for a scarf!)...they looked wonderfully amphibious...but I lost them when we moved.    I haven't found anything like them since.

You know, I've also seen some blue marbly-looking lizard eyes...I bet you could do some interesting effects with the fabric paint if you have time to experiment! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #116
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 16, 2013 at 7:48:59 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #10)
 
Sherry,

Face it...we need to sue ourselves for the poor treatment and lack of pay.  Report ourselves to the state labor boards, too, for refusal to pay as much as minimum wage.  Matter of fact, we also need to go on strike!  Crappy hours, no pay, slave-driving bosses...I see this as a terrible human rights violation! 

Geeze, we should at least give ourselves an employee benefits package.

Oh, no!  I haven't been to HL in forever, and never knew they were replacing RH yarns with their own stuff (and more expensive ones, at that!).    That's low. 

I'm glad and jealous about your JoAnn's.  The yarn selection just isn't there at ours.  Better than Walmart, but not by much.    Michael's seems to be the best-stocked in our area.  Of course, I haven't seen HL, but now will be even more inclined to skip it, knowing what they're doing with their "own" yarns as a "substitute" for RH. 

Speaking of JoAnn's...there was a JoAnn Superstore about 40 miles from here (ours is just a little tiny normal JoAnn's store).  We never used to go there much, but I was always drooling over their yarns whenever we could get there.  They had reasonably priced soft Italian wools (and they could be purchased with a 40% off coupon!)...oooooh, were they nice, and in so many colors!  They had a purple that was amazing and a green I actually liked.  (Green and I don't generally get along, though we do have an agreement, LOL.  It doesn't get totally disgusting, and I'll use shades like mint or forest green, perhaps a bit of spring green here and there. )

The AB beads were perfect, and you're right, they were seed beads!  I did find this...it's not AB, but it looks pretty close!
http://dollarbead.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=11650

Though I think I had 8/0 beads...this is a good starting point, anyway...thanks! 

Still not quite AB, but this is also close:
http://dollarbead.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=11422

Probably narrowing it down to an AB or silver-lined color would do the trick...at least for something that small! 

Aren't the blue marbled eyes stunning?!  I know you could do so much with that, and perhaps there's some kind of marbling technique you could use. 

I hope she's at the show and that you get to touch all of those wonderful fibers!  What a dream come true! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #118
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 17, 2013 at 6:57:47 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #12)
 
Sherry,

LOL, sigh, same here.  I could sue me, but the lawyers would pretty much take it all, I'd have to pay them with beads and yarn, and that wouldn't work out too well.  I don't even know a lawyer who takes beads or yarn! 

And considering my own working conditions are undoubtedly a human rights violation, I'd have no choice but to hire me back, anyway, since I couldn't do to someone else what I do to me.  It wouldn't be fair, you know?  Hire someone to work at no pay, for no benefits, long hours, etc...nah, wouldn't be too good. 

They have wonderful seed bead choices!  Thanks for that find!    Thank you also for the warning about the stone beads.  That's okay...I so rarely use stone beads with anything.  Most of my beading is bead-weaving, anyway, and I'll either use Delicas or seed beads for that.

JoAnn's isn't miles and miles away, it's just that it's not really where we travel.  It's a bit farther out and we're usually on a big time constraint, especially since we've generally been doing everything in one trip.  I really don't like doing that.  As the weather worsens, I'm not sure what we'll be up against, since hubby doesn't want to drive in bad weather...not that I blame him.  I'm hoping we'll still be able to get out to JoAnn's, though, as I do prefer their selections on certain things (though obviously not their yarns...except now they're much better than Walmart on RH and cotton).  ARGH. 

I did get a 60% off for JoAnn's for last Sunday and Monday, but we weren't anywhere close by, and I missed it. 

On the eyes...if the marbling doesn't work out, could you perhaps do some kind of glassy look?  Maybe a metallic in almost a "starburst" pattern, then a coating of clear over it?

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Stitchboard Admin message #120
Re: Tunisian gauge
November 18, 2013 at 9:06:31 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #14)
 
Sherry,

Same here.  I can't expect anyone else to do the same.  Oh, the glory of working for nothing! 

Buying things online is so great!  Especially if you can find good deals on shipping - or better still - free shipping!  BTW, speaking of shipping...if you want a great deal on beads, Cindy, our wonderful beadlady (http://beadlady.biz) ships at cost.  We've known Cindy for years!    She carries other craft supplies besides beads, as well. 

Neither of us like to drive in bad weather.  It's awful.  It's bad enough going out in the cold, but when it's cold "and" whatever, it's even worse. 

The metallics will look awesome!  I can't wait to see what you do.  It's going to be spectacular!  I imagine clear is available, right?  I only remember Jones Tones (is that sold anywhere anymore?) had clear, but not sure about Scribbles or any of those other available brands.

Ooh, Jones Tones can be ordered online...and...they have clear gloss!
http://jonestones.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=22

The clear gloss is in the lower right.    So if you can't find it at the big box stores, hopefuly shipping isn't too bad and you can get it by mail! 

I sure miss being able to buy the Jones Tones at the big box stores.    The other brands are okay, but the JT really sticks to stuff.  I went to a convention and unintentionally trashed a pair of pants and a pair of boots with JT paint and glitter.  When I called them, they basically said it was embedded in the fabric and couldn't be removed.    I tried painting sneakers several years ago with a more readily available brand from one of the big box stores...yeesh.    The colors were too light and the company later said the 3D paints cannot be used as flat paints, that they would peel right off.    And then the shoelaces that I used some kind of glitter glue on lost their glitter. 

But the JT paint never came off of those boots!  (I had to throw out the pants.)

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