Pattern Chart Hack

For those of you who haven't seen this chart-tracking hack, I present it in the hopes it will help at least one person.  For complicated patterns, we often need to track what row we're on. Sometimes that results in a printed copy that you mark off and then erase the marks for the next repeat.  The trouble there is that after a few repeats, the paper wears out or turns too grey to see the marks. Yes, there are clickers you can use for row counting, but visually, it's easy to have your eyes jump to the wrong row.

I offer an alternative: place the page you need to track into a clear sheet protector and make your marks with a wet-erase marker.  The advantage is that you can make lots of marks and simply use a wet paper towel to erase them all later, e.g. between repeats.  The advantage of a wet-erase over a dry-erase marker is that once it dries, you're unlikely to accidentally wipe it off by brushing your hand or the work over the page. 

This wet-erase tactic is what I'm using for the Nordic Blanket pattern.  The written instructions are in one sheet protector and the graph in another.  You can see I've also marked in the graph where the written instructions change.  The beauty of this is that I can erase those extra marks along with the strike-through lines once I've completed the repeat.

Written instructions, including tally marks and struck-out lines in wet-erase marker.

Graphic chart with completed lines struck through in wet-erase marker.

If you're knitting in a place where you won't have easy access to wet paper towels, you can simply bring extra sheet protectors and move the page to a fresh one, or turn it over in the same sheet protector to hold you over until you can erase the marks.

Hufflepuff Scarf

I've finished the Hufflepuff 5th Year scarf for my future kid-in-law, altered to have fringe instead of ribbing at the ends.  Shown here being modeled by Jet Shee(p):

Yarn Philosophy

Yarn Philosophy: The end of one skein is just the beginning of another.

Spaghettification Yarnblob

One of the dangers of being too close to a black hole is spaghettification.  If a Yarnblob got close to a black hole, would it stretch long enough to create a whole skein?

Rainy Saturday Yarnblob

Rainy Saturday Yarnblob defies your gloomy skies and low temperatures!

Fuzzy Brown Afghan

I finally finished this one (yay!). I used the Sonoma colorway of Bernat Blanket yarn, and the Angled Eyelets Blanket pattern from Bernat/Yarnspirations (the “came-with-it” pattern printed on the label). It turned out nicely, I think; the pattern called for a solid color yarn, but that’s boring. I like how this colorway varied between pooling and striping.

The yarn created a thick material that’s balanced out with the eyelets so it 's warm but doesn’t get too hot, and thankfully, doesn't shed.

This blanket is sheep approved!

Blue Chenille Afghan

This is an afghan I finished several weeks late for Yule, using Bernat Blanket in Teal Dreams and the Horseshoe Cable Blanket pattern, also by Bernat:

The model is Lucy, who claimed it as her own long before it was finished.

I chose the Teal Dreams colorway in part because of the non-canine recipient's preference for blue, and in part because solid colors make for boring knitting. Seriously. Boring. Note that the pattern calls for a solid brown. The brown is a nice color and all, but I'm a knitting rebel and rarely ever use the same colors called for in a pattern. So, multi blue seemed the obvious choice; despite the colorway name, it really is way more blue than teal.

Lucy gives it two paws up.

In addition to my color requirements, I also wanted a yarn that would knit up quickly, and that would be fuzzy and soft. Bernat Blanket fit the bill on all counts. Normally, I despise working with chenille. We still tell tales of the green chenille teddy bear I crocheted for my best friend. There was green fuzz everywhere for months while I worked on the thing. Thus, my experience with chenille is not one of fond memories in the making, but of constantly cleaning fuzz off myself, the floor, the furniture, and innocent bypassers caught in the fuzzy green cloud, the likes of which is surely banned by the Geneva Convention.

As one might imagine, I started the blue afghan project with much trepidation, expecting once again to produce an unbreathable, inescapable cloud of fuzz, this time in a blue camo-ish pattern of airborne suffocation. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that Bernat Blanket was not only easy to work with, it also held together very well. In fact, there was almost no loose fuzz at all. Whatever magic Bernat used to hold this yarn together was the right choice. Innocent bystanders everywhere can rejoice and breathe easy in the presence of this yarn, even in the absence of a lint remover. I'm actually tempted to make myself a green one. That is, once the teddy bear flashbacks stop.

Peruvian Print Entrelac Afghan

Another finished object.  This one is an afghan, approx 70"x65", made with Red Heart Peruvian Print and Red Heart Soft White, size US 7 circular needles, using a garter stitch entrelac technique.  I've always loved how random and eclectic the Peruvian Print yarn is.

Halloween Mouslings and Wizard Mini

I've had these three minis for quite some time, all by Reaper Miniatures.  The first two are the "Trick or Treat Mouslings" (#0535, Sculptor G. Van Horne).  I decided I really wanted to paint them by this Halloween, so I did:

The third one is a Reaper Minis wizard I've had for quite a long time, "Catherine O'Mannon" (#02344, Sculptor S. Garrity).  I painted her because I'm finally playing a wizard in a Pathfinder campaign and was rather surprised to realize I had no painted wizard minis. At. All.  Then I realized the only time I've played a wizard since we started using minis was actually a rogue with some wizard levels (that mini is in use again in another campaign).  I've been using this one with just a primer coat, but wanted to get her painted before she got tarnished or the primer wore off:

And of course, here is the requisite pencil shot for scale:

All three minis were painted by me using a combination of Reaper Mini paints and FolkArt paints.  Unfortunately, my desktop computer and thus my photo editing software are temporarily out of commission, so you get to view the working surface in all its chaotic glory.  Yes, all of those paints you see in the background and more were used to paint these.

Mystery Project

I was cleaning out my little chair side basket when I found a little notebook with one last sheet of paper in it. On the page is a scribbled pattern that appears to be for a hat. I can only hope that hat is done, because I have no idea what hat project this belongs to. #knittingproblems.

UFY: Unidentified Flying Yarnblob

This was seen in a remote area of my office. Witnesses of questionable character confirm it was flying with no visible means of support...

Binary Star Yarnblob

This Yarnblob is nearly half the skein. These two could orbit each other and produce livable planets

End of the Skein Yarnblob

This skein of yarn had been Yarnblob-free until the very end. What you see is the last few yards, still in skein-shape, but locked in a fluffy Yarnblob that was just waiting for the right moment to appear...

WIP: Scourge Knight Mini

This fellow is giving me quite a difficult time. His armor is far too cool to paint plain black or metallic, so I'm trying to give him the appearance of fire or glow coming from within. This is my second attempt (yes, the first attempt was just as bad). The effect is still not how I want to it look, plus apparently my hands were exceptionally shaky so I'm going to strip him again (I think he enjoys it) and start over.

If the third time isn't the charm, I'm either going to paint him black and metallic or I'm going to strip him, prime him, and put him in timeout on the shelf until he can behave in a manner more consistent with his alignment.


You might notice his chain whip broke off.  That's because the Chaos Marine he was having a disagreement with had a bolter:

Credits: 
Order of the Scourge Hellknight mini by Reaper Miniatures, #60024 sculpted by Bobby Jackson 
Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Marine with bolter mini by Games Workshop, sculptor unknown

St. Patrick's Day Yarnblob

This sparkly Yarnblob gem was born at Starbucks this Irish day while waiting for one of my kids.

Linear Yarnblob is Out of Line

The shortest distance between two points is rarely a yarnblob. (You'll notice I'm not exactly toeing the line...)

Barbarian Dice Bag II

Quick! Make your spot/perception check!

A friend of mine recently saw my first "barbarian" dice bag and liked it.  I didn't have enough of the specific yarn to duplicate it, so I was inspired to design another.  I incorporated an asymmetrical slash of color and left the strings long so it would look rough-hewn:

This was made with Lion Brand Homespun in Sierra and Deco, using US9 (5.5mm) DPNs. The tie strings were made with Lionbrand Suede in Desert using a random crochet hook.

Anemone Yarnblob

It's springtime so the anemone Yarnblob spreads its tentacles to attract a mate.

FO: Sparkle Holiday Hat

My middle kid wanted a hat for a Christmas party, so he went into my yarn stash and found my only skein of multi-colored Christmas sparkly yarn. The Christmas party got cancelled, so now it's a Holiday hat that will probably be worn for New Year's:

 

 

Knit in Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn Sparkle Art. 100, color #738 Christmas Sparkle, using US 7 needles and Melissa Leapman's Simple Hat pattern (Cables Untangled, p. 33). The yarn made a surprisingly heavy and warm hat. The pattern didn't call for a pompom, but it looked naked without one.

Entrelac and the Benefits of a Messy Craft Room

This is my first ever attempt at entrelac:

Thankfully, it looks exactly like it's supposed to (go, me!).

I am using Gwen Bortner's book Entree to Entrelac (2010), in which she explains the whole thing pretty well and makes great use of charts and images to help the beginner along.

There are a couple of things I haven't seen mentioned in the book, that I think should be pretty close to Page 1. First, it would be helpful to know up front that the bits that appear to be on the same row are not knitted together like they would be in, say, intarsia.  Second, each bit ends near where the next bit begins, so there aren't any floats like there would be for fair isle.  Both if these things started as questions I couldn't work out until I'd done this first square. Other than that, I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn entrelac.

And just what, you might ask, does a messy craft room have to do with any of that?  I'll tell you.  I was sitting in my chair flipping through the book and wanted to give it a go, but I didn't really want to go hunting through my yarn stash for scrap yarn.  Conveniently, I had the remnants of another project messily stuffed into a basket near my chair, so I used that.  Very convenient.  After all, who knows what other projects-in-waiting might have grabbed my attention if I'd gone through my yarn stash?  I can't be the only one who gets distracted by other potential projects or all the pretty colors when hunting for yarn.