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Wednesday 26 June 2013

Pattern Testing Completion

My feedback on the pattern I test knitted turned out to be 5 pages long in the word document I composed it in. I'm glad to be on the home stretch, all I've got left is to do the repeats of the final two rows until the leg portion of the sock is long enough. I actually got stressed out about this being my first ever test of another designer's pattern. I tweaked and added to my feedback today and posted it on the forum and sent it to the designer by email. All but my picture and the length of time it took - I neglected to time myself.

Pacing the testing of the sock as well as trying to keep up with he questions and comments of the knitters testing my pattern was really challenging. I am glad both are over. I need to go through the feedback I received on my pattern and make adjustments to it, then figure out how to post it for download on Ravelry.

Sleep. I need to go to bed and rest. Good night.

Sunday 16 June 2013

Pattern Testing

Pattern testing has been a challenge not without stress. I braved posting my own quick simple pattern for MM Needle sleeves on Ravelry and I volunteered to test another designer's sock pattern. I got too excited about the beautiful socks to not volunteer. Doing both has been a challenge. I learned a lot and am grateful to my volunteers who caught and exposed the stumbling blocks I unintentionally built into my pattern, and I am grateful to the other designer for trusting me with her beautiful creation to seek stumbling blocks in her work.

The pattern I put up for testing is the same one I was meaning to post here. Posting to volunteer pattern testers was intimidating but I am glad I did it, the revamped pattern has more potential for being understood than what I was going to offer originally.

Now I need to go over the feedback and get to work on making my pattern understandable. This new challenge I have taken on is fantastic and I'm glad I dared. Knitting will never get boring.

The sock I'm testing is coming together well. I've only pointed out one thing myself, but as I call up the forum on my screen I discover that the observation I was going to voice has already been brought up. So I've only clicked on agree buttons since my first contribution. My notes on my work need to be typed up and sent by PM instead, I think, just so as there aren't many people posting the same stuff repeatedly. I'm still in the middle of this test, and still nervous about it.

Back to the needles.  So far:

Sunday 9 June 2013

Moccasins For My Niece

Yesterday, my daughter and I were browsing the vendor booths at the pow-wow, looking at earrings. I had a few dollars and was hoping to find ideal beads for eyes on my knitting.

My niece ran to me and threw her arms around me. She was in the regalia my sister wore when she was a kid, her moccasins are small and too tight, they hurt her toes a bit but it's all she has.

Can you buy me a feather? It's only $3. Pointing.

Internal eye-roll. Let's look.

We turned to the next vendor over and browsed a bit. My daughter chose a feather to best match my niece's fancy regalia. They both were smiling about it, I paid for it and watched it woven into hair to stand up centered behind. More hugs.

My other niece acknowledged me by asking if I'd buy her moccasins, they're only $80, *head tilt and dimples set to full power.

Only $80? - you go get $80 then.

Awhile later as I was browsing, I found nicely beaded moccasins, obviously used. The vendor is a local lady and distant relative. I asked the price.

Uh, ... $45.

My niece is out here barefoot. I don't have money. Would you be interested in a trade? I can knit you something of equal value.

Hesitation, uncertainty. Then I show her a few pictures in my Android of some of my work as well as my project page on Ravelry.

How about she tries them on first, and if they fit we'll go from there.

Sure.

I take the moccasins, hoping they fit. They didn't. Not even close. They are more than a little big; but, she's ecstatic about them, and I go back to negotiate my knitting project.

How about just a blanket with two horses on it. One horse is all black and the other one is brown with a black tail and mane, I don't care about the colour of the blanket, any colour will do.

I agree to the blanket project and set my mind to how I might begin. I'm glad for this trade agreement, but I also know that a blanket is a lot of work. The blanket I made for myself took nearly a year; the one I am working on for my nephew has been on the go since before he was born.

I've been searching for a knitted horse applique without any luck; intarsia still intimidates me - but it looks like I may have to master it now. Less intimidating is crochet, there are a few appliques made that way, although they are a bit cartoony.

In the end my nieces traded moccasins and are very happy and the fit is better for both.

I ought to get back to searching ideas for a blanket; mostly I'm finding plushies. I guess it doesn't help that I am limited to free patterns.

Tuesday 4 June 2013

Saturday 1 June 2013

The magic button � Make Everything OK

This is a link to a button that makes everything ok:



It is like a defibrillator, only better.

...well, it is definitely proof that I am easily amused. My friend showed me this on her laptop the other day, she always cheers me up; and, I found it for download onto my android for free through play store, it is now on my phone's main screen available for emergency.

I would like this as a gadget on my blog's margin. I googled it and found nothing; although that may only mean I don't know what I am looking for.

Check it out. Inform me, please if you find a way to stick it in my margin, yeah?