And Another Thing...!

Its about something I love and hate. A lot. Exercise. But. Time to bit the bullet. Right now.

My dad has had heart attacks and had a stroke and I'm gonna be next in line. I don't want to go down that road. I'm 54 and he had his first heart attack near his big five O.

Yes. Give me that bullet. Right now. And so...

...I started body flex again. There. I said it. Out loud. On a blog. To the world. There some of us would rather fight than switch. Extreme die hards. That is no lie. Anyone thinks its funny you better try it out before you look as foolish as those of us who do the BF. Because it is funny looking. I guess those of us who pass the 50 mark do not care anymore. It is okay to laugh at me because, really, it is funny looking. Okay, now that that's over and done with here is a link from youtube on an updated version of BF. This, by the way, is not as funny looking or sounding as the older version. There are three short videos.
Enjoy.

body flex parts 1, 2, and 3

I'm Feeling Brain Dead

The problem... was... no computer... near the end of last year. But that has been resolved (my son's baby's mom gave me one as a gift). And so much has been happening and so much new things have been learned (sweet delish fiber goodness) that I do not know where to start. And with no computer lying around I did not use a camera just got lazy and well the brain is overloaded with it all.

Spinning. Yes, on my pvc pipe and bike wheel spindle as pictured elsewhere on this blog. I guess I am an over spinner.  But I'm learning...

Dyeing:  Very interested in natural dyes. Funny thing is they are hard to understand and woe. So far I've tried poke berries, blueberries (those both very light coloration), and of course good ol' onion skins (very deep color). Lets see, what else? Oh yeah, red cabbage. That was a beauty. Light purple; lilac. It was a color to dye for. Problem was it did not take. Lovely color in the pot, not a drop on the yarn. Dern it. Have heard a lot about mordants. They are sooo very important:
    "Simmer/boil with wool for an hour, cool then wash/rinse...OR
    "Simmer/boil with wool for an hour, let cool in pot overnight, then wash/rinse...OR
    "Simmer/boil with wool for an hour, let it sit overnight, stuff into a plastic bag and set aside for 3 or 4 days...
After performing one of the possibilities listed above you then move on to the dye pot. I'm, like, thinking natural dyes are fickle. I haven't tried the extended rest version yet. That will be next. Because really, I love those natural colors. Can't give up.

Buying: A bit of fiber, a bit of yarn, a fiber tool here a fiber tool there a fiber tool wistfully everywhere. I try mostly to buy localy. Me and my sister found a nice place near her. "Apple Tree Acres Alpacas" run by Ed and Karen Rogers in Utica, Illinios. They welcome visitors but plesae call first! Sis bought some alpaca fiber for my (2010 June) birthday. A beautiful gift. But it's a real terror to spin for a beginner. Like me. Of course you need real fiber combs. Time to move up from the doggie brush. Will break the bank (75 bucks!), but what can ya do? Take the plunge my friend. Take the plunge. Yes, a few other small treasures: a top and a bottom whorl spindle. I try to feel no shame.

Knitting: Ah yes, knitting. Lots of such. Especially with the stuff I've spun. It's all one ply. Some of the kinks don't come out after the finishing stage. Chuff, chuff.

Crochet: My default when I can not stand any of the above one moment longer. Kinked up tangles. Fibers not binding. Not dyeing. Rip it. Shread it. Hair pulling hissy fit.

Sure. Some folks think anyone acting like that is messed up.

Naa. Really, in the world of fiber, it's normal.

A note to those of you who stop by to check out the "Aran Sweater" and "Pvc Spinning Wheel" post, a quick thank you! This encurages me to get back to posting updates on things of interest. And there a some who come by to look for free knit and crochet patterns. I will shortly get to posting on some stuff that I've been up to. Nothing special. It's all fun.

Damn, I've Been Demoted...

...to dial up. Though its just a been week, What A Trip.

I have never been a person who has much patience anyway. I can see this is gonna be a real trial.

waiting...and waiting...and waiting. Damn...

And so the next thing I'd like to learn/figure out is how to put up a video. Or for starters how to do a vid with my camera. Anyone for seeing some backwards knit and purl?

broken rib stitch, sorta

Is anyone like me? I really hate doing k1, p1 rib. It's just that, for me, this comes out looser than I like. It's the purl after the knit st. Almost forms a freakin' ladder. Frustrating. And so k1, p1 broken rib is always really annoying but I love how this stitch looks. On paper. The mind began wishing, thinking, then yarn and needles are pulled out. What I came up with is a couple interesting stitch patterns. One I call Garter Rib Stitch and one is Deep Rib Stitch. These come easy when I get the inspiration to do 'em but I always forget to write the thoughts down. Ugg.

Garter Rib: an even multiple of 4 plus 1. I think. This is wrong. Will correct soon.

The swatch: Cast on 25 sts. K2, p2 to last st, k1. Repeat this row.
The thing is the multi should bring you to a p2 before that last st which should always be k1.
When you turn to begin each row the k2, p2 rib makes a pretty garter pattern with a single row of k stitches running the length of the fabric. A soft rib sort of thing. Some of those delish springy wools look nice in this stitch pattern. I think I've seen this as Loose Rib in some pattern books. After busting my butt thankin' it up.

Deep Rib: an even multi of 3 plus 1.

Swatch: I forgot what I did! BRB. Okay, I think this is it. Try casting on 31 sts.
K3, p3 to last st, k1. Turn and repeat.

This is done basically the same as above always having the last st a k1 after the purls. This pattern is hard to describe. 1 garter st, 2 knit, 1 garter, 2 purl sts. That is how it seems to come out. It pulls in and pulls out. A lot. Weird. Not even sure what a pattern like this could be used for. Maybe a scarf? A yucky thick-ish tank top? Like I said. Weird. Very. I'm pretty sure I Have Never Seen this 'un anywheres. If someone should stop in, give this strange bird a run and see what you come up with. And as I wrote, the brain mentioned a scarf in colorful stripes might be interesting in these sts. Shall try it.

Enjoy your day, folks.

Update: Monday, April 26. I made a mistake on the whether these stitches should be an odd or even multiple. I said odd but it is most definitely even. (I switched this in the post above) The odd multiples will not work. Also the Garter Rib is not correct. I need my notes to fix the error but they, the notes, are in the same room as the sleeping Husband and I do not wish to disturb. Promise to finish the update soon.
                                             

I really have a bad habit of winging right through things and scribbling illegible notes as I go. But, I actually got some patterns written up in these stitchs and they are for sale at my LYS which pleases me to no end. Just wish someone would buy! Though, I know times are hard. Her web site is http://www.yarnandmore.com/ and its a small shop across the state line into Kentucky. That is all we have local 'round these parts. The other local yarn shop closed down, how could she be so cruel? Yes, yes, you speak true, times are hard. May the times become like soft, fluffy fiber. Lux.