Knitting is Addicting

Posted on June 19, 2012 by TheJessicaness

Photos by John Wise

In March 2011, I was invited to a beginners workshop for fiber arts focusing on knitting. I was able to have one-on-one lessons with my instructor, Caroline Wise. We set out some roving on the dyeing table (wooden bench covered with plastic), got out the jars of colors (food coloring, tea, kool-aid) in water, and a one inch foam brush for painting. I made sure my brush wasn’t too wet so the colors wouldn’t run. I was able to create three designs – two light multi-colored and one focusing on dark blue.

After the paint process, I wrapped each design in plastic, rolled it up, and microwaved it to set the colors. After cooling, the fiber is rinsed to remove excess dye. Then I was able to watch my colors dry on a rack – don’t need dripping water for the next step which is either using the spinning wheel or the spindle. I tried both. The wheel was fast and left my fiber in pieces. The spindle is a slower method, but the one that I prefer. You slowly pull the fiber to thin it and then spin it to strengthen it.

Photo by John Wise

The next step is knit. There are many fibers, some bigger or softer than others. There are a multitude of needles to choose from – metal, wood, plastic that all come in varying sizes from US 0-11, most common, and even up to size 50. These sizes will determine the length of the project – adult shawl or an infant beanie in which case you would need circular and double-pointed needles to complete. I attempted to learn with size 10 metal needles and had fun working with size 15 wooden needles. The bigger the needle, the bigger the stitch, and the easier it is to learn with.

I was able to take my new yarn and size 10 needles home where I would attempt the knitted paw print cloth by Rhonda White at knittingknonsense.com. I would attempt multiple times, but about the fourth row in I would notice a missing stitch or some other mistake. I would try frogging and end up undoing the whole project. Back I would go to YouTube to relearn how to cast on stitches. I had such a hard time remembering which side the needle went in or where the yarn went; I struggled.

Photos by John Wise

A year would pass and I was back in the home of my teacher. This time I was able to bring my husband who learned some of these crafts as a child. He was able to knit ten rows in minutes. I was impressed and suggested he do the paw print. It took him two nights to complete and then it was my turn. It took me six hours to knit and purl 36 stitches, 57 rows. Then I had to bind off. I thought this would be a cute-like-tying-a-bow-process. It’s supposed to be the opposite of casting on. It turned out to be a stressful, grueling process.

Luckily, Caleb had already made the pattern and was able to help me through my struggles the whole way. This time I didn’t stop for mistakes. I didn’t want to pause again this time and wonder how long it would take me to pick up these needles again. I forgot to eat and was getting cranky, but I finished and felt so proud and accomplished. Turns out that my paw print came out looking more like the picture than his did. Afterwards, we bought cookies at the local Relay for Life and walked some laps with our neighbor.

After a day’s rest for my tired hand I would use the yarn I dyed and spun. I wasn’t aware yet of how many yards it takes to make certain things. I had a scarf in mind. What I got was a saddle blanket for my rat terrier – 40sts, 80 rows. With this project I learned how to add yarn. Now I was ready to make a hat, or so I thought. I’m waiting for double-ended needles in the mail. This will be the next step, and it will try my patience, but this time – I’m ready. Not wanting to listen to A Tale of Two Cities doing nothing I grabbed some yarn and began another scarf. I’m about halfway done with 38sts, 160 rows equaling two feet. My gauge with the US 10, 14” needles is: 4sts (stitches) and 6 rows = 1 inch (roughly).

This has been a great learning process. There are a few people, so far, that have offered me motivation to make them something. I look forward to learning new stitch techniques and embroidery. Then I can relearn cross stitch and learn how to crochet. Caleb and I have a quilt in the making as well and I will try to post pictures, possibly videos, of the process and the end success. It is so much fun to learn new things and to make things with your own hands. Thank you to Caroline and Caleb for their patience that I know I can lack when wanting new skills to look like I have been doing them for years.

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Spot the Difference

Posted on June 18, 2012 by TheJessicaness

1 event, 2 women, 3 bracelets, 4 decades

 

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Happy Father’s Day

Posted on June 17, 2012 by TheJessicaness

cinnamon raisin bagel with sausage, egg, mozzarella, and sauerkraut

It really should be renamed to Happy ‘man that disciplined you, gave you advice, made sure you had food and clothes, maybe took a fake sick day with you, took you to work, judged your friends, gave you something special’ Day! Father’s come in many forms and can be called by different names – Dad, Papa, Pops. On this day you should remember the man, or men – dad, uncle, grandpa that made a difference in your life, hopefully for the better, but remember that the way they raised you has made you who you are today. And if that is a free person – free to love, work, play than you turned out ok.

To the Fathers in my life:
Caleb – the love of my life and the daddy to my dogs, I love you.
John – the man who appreciates the woman, but didn’t want to raise the teen, thank you.
Barry – to the man who had to deal with me and Tiffany, I’m sorry.
Robert – you are an ol’ bucket of info, and you did great with your kids.
Grandpa – you tried your damnedest to fight your demons and raise my parent, congrats.
Jake – you have two amazingly beautiful and spoiled girls, watch out.
Trent and Tony – you have crazy taste in women, but make cute boys.
Eric – if your dad qualities are anything like your uncle qualities you will be fine.

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The Venus Transit

Posted on June 5, 2012 by TheJessicaness

A recent visit to the R.H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park informed us of the Venus transit to take place on June 5th. We would have to come back for the safety glasses because they were sold out. June 4th we drive back to the museum to get our glasses – $2. When looking through them at anything but the sun all you can see is complete blackness – well, besides all the light that comes in around the sides. I am looking forward to having seen two astronomical occurrences in one year; the prior being the annular eclipse.

I grab the camera and a lawn chair and head outside to the clearest sky, yet in Imperial Beach, at 3:00 pm. Caleb donates his glasses to make lens cover boxes for our cameras. I will have to remember to hold the box over my lens when I zoom in, but the image caught is amazing, and blurry. Even with these glasses on the sun is so bright. I can only stare for an hour before my eyes begin to hurt. I have captured my proof digitally and can now return to my regularly scheduled plans – whatever those may be.

Size is a very relative description. Seeing another planet look like a pea on a plate when passing between the sun and Earth gives me a different perspective on size. I hope everyone that cared to see it got the opportunity, either this year or in 2004, because it will be more than 100 years before it happens again – a true once, or twice, in a lifetime moment. It’s one thing for NASA or Hollywood to show this on TV; it’s a whole other experience to see it for yourself.

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The Sadness of Return

Posted on May 7, 2012 by TheJessicaness

nutcar

We stop in Santa Barbara to get coffee at a local bakery near a Starbucks and a seafood restaurant and have to stop again before getting on Hwy 1 when I spot a pink box – donuts just seem to taste better when they come from places that put their fried goods in bright cardboard containers. I get five donuts and Caleb gets two apple fritters and a turkey croissant. This will be a substantial boost of energy for the upcoming hike.

We make our way to the Santa Monica Mountains. We are on the state park side and I stop to take pictures of a squirrel that has gone looking for food in this girl’s car while she pays for parking. She’s a bit hesitant to return to her Honda with the door wide open – perhaps he plans to search her too. We leave there to look for the national park visitor center and traipse on the other side of the conglomeration of rocks and trees that are closer to the sea.

I thought our hike would be more forested with snow, but we got flowered hills with tall grasses in a field. The path and weather seemed so nice that we brought the dogs with us. They wanted to get out of the car just as much as we did, but that was our first mistake. We only made it so far before we were running back to the car. Once back within the safe reaches of our vehicle I began to inspect my four-legged friends for ticks – the enemy, and happened to find one too many, one is enough, to satisfy my curiosity.

crack

I decided that we were done hiking there and we could come back when there are less ticks or when we are more prepared for their habitat. They won today, but it’s also the last day of our trip which is usually doomed anyways. We are only 181 miles from home and I decide to take the highway all the way back. Somehow Los Angeles traffic isn’t as terrible as usual, but we almost split a motorcycle in half when it decided to drive between us and the vehicle we were overtaking, but it’s cool because that’s his law-given right – to be a disrespectful dumbass.

I contemplate stopping at Oki Dog as we drive by the Sunset Blvd Exit, but we’re not even hungry and I don’t know how well the burrito would hold up for leftovers, let alone the fries that are still dripping from the vat of hot liquid that they were dunked in. Then we see the LED signs on the highway that tell us to look out for a dark blue Yukon with a rear broken window – and wonder what their story is, but not enough to wait around and try to find out.

We make it home before dinner and our neighborhood is under construction. The city has decided to take a car lane and widen the sidewalk and add an official bike lane. I agree that it’s a good idea. The 7-11 is closed for new shelves and a coffee island. I wish they would’ve done that at the store I worked at. Convenience needs cleaning every few years. We go by the Post Office to pick up copies of bills that we get emailed, stacks of junk mail that will go straight into the recycling bin, some vegetable seeds from my father-in-law, and a check reimbursing Caleb for a loan he gave to a friend.

Back at home and the answering machine is full of bill collectors calling for someone who doesn’t live here. I turn on my computer to find out that the mouse and keyboard still don’t work – I just love coming home. Caleb has to go to work tomorrow and is in great need of a haircut. The house is still a mess from the recent move and our long trip away, so we have difficulty, really no luck, finding the razor guards to trim his mop with. I have fun cutting designs into his hair until we are left with a Private Joker impersonator – but one with as much hair all over him as the dogs that are also in need of soap and water.

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