Machine Knitting Trip Part 2: Knitting

The 2 day intensive machine knitting course at the Textile Arts Center in Carroll Gardens was incredibly informative.The instructor, Mandy Kordal, Really knew her stuff, using a combination of demos and one on one instruction to make sure everyone was able to grasp the basics.

Machine Knitting Trip Part 1: Shopping

Last weekend, I took a very sudden vacation to New York City to take a machine knitting class at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn.

A while ago a generous person gave me a knitting machine to use, but after a year of improperly installed sponge bars and jammed carriages, I knew that I needed help. I found a knitting machine class on tumblr and found that it was relatively easy to get to. Immediately, I found that my mother wanted to share a hotel room to reduce the commute time and so we made plans.

Solarita

I was thinking of the sun, margaritas, and very warm, autumnal shawls when I designed this crescent wrap. I'm even cold in the summer sometimes. Especially after dark, or in late August when the weather starts to shift. Thinking of the summer sun setting as I sit outside with friends, chatting and watching the sky change color - this is when I start to shiver and look for something warm like the sun.

So I drew up a shawl like the setting sun in my sketchbook. It has a bold border with triangles and finger-like fringe. I found another use for my crazy stripe stitches that did not need color changes to show up. 

Surprisingly, the finished shawl looks almost exactly like the drawing, That rarely works out so well.

The yarn is Brooklyn Tweed Loft, a very springy yarn with bright flecks of orange and green undertones.

The best part is that it matches my favorite (only?) formal dress. No more cheap ugly cardigans or cold arms.

If you are interested in this pattern, you can check it out on Ravelry or buy it here.

Double Box, Tornado, and more Lanyards - Classic Camp Crafts

Once you master the box stitch, you may want to multiply it by adding more colors to make a bigger lanyard. The same thing also works for the barrel stitch.

You may remember from the cobra stitch tutorial that you will need  plain gimp ,  neon, glow, clear, double sided or tie dye, and you can get a better color selection  online .


I also used some deerskin lacing and 3mm curb chain this time.

Remember you can make these as wide as you want, though the below is not recommended...

And now here's how to add the twist:

You can see what it looks like with more strings.

And a little bonus at the end showing you how to make my favorite stitch, the super box, or box ². It has a really nice feel to it even though it is made of the cheap plastic.

So take a look, and leave some comments if you have questions. The video thing is still new, so be nice.


I got started slow this summer on the camp crafts, but expect more  vidyos next year, and definitely let me know what you want to see or anything you remember from your camp days.

Box and Barrel Lanyards, Classic Camp Crafts

Now, this is the  real classic  lanyard knot, used by sailors to boyscouts.  One of the first things you learn to make as a camper, or at least one of the first things I learned with gimp: the box stitch. 

You may remember from the cobra stitch tutorial that you will need  plain gimp ,  neon, glow, clear, double sided or tie dye, and you can get a better color selection  online .

Still loving that neon paracord though. it is good for everything.

Classic Camp Crafts - Lanyards: the Cobra Stitch

Did you go to camp? I did, and while I was there, I used to spend as much time on the Arts&Crafts shack as possible. We made all sorts of things that were very often useless and ugly, but we also got to do the cool stuff like tie dye, clay pottery, and friendship bracelets. 

Lanyards were not on the list of cool or useful things  that you could make, but they were my favorite.

I made these 2 videos for all the ex campers out there who want to get nostalgic. It's also a great way for parents of kids that do not go to camp to share in the fun.

Banana Dogs

As cookout season approaches, people start to look for ways to use up uneven amounts of hotdogs and buns. Taking a note from Japadog, a Japanese style hotdog stand from the US and Canada (they serve ice cream on a bun instead of a cone), I've come up with this sweet treat in a bun that may help use up your extra bread products.

The banana-dog.

Did you ever notice that bananas fit perfectly on hotdog buns? Well, they do. It might seem like a strange combo, but its just another arrangement of the classic peanut butter and banana sandwich but open-faced and with a dash of humor.

Ingredients:
Bananas
1 bun for every banana ( I used Martin's Potato Rolls)
2 Tbs of peanut butter, Nutella, or even Marshmallow Fluff
chopped nuts or candy toppings of your choice (I used 2 mini Reese's peanut butter cups and 1/3 of a Heath Bar)

It could also be fun to add fresh sliced strawberries, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, or anything else you might find on an ice cream sundae.

Start by toasting your bun. When the bun is finished toasting, let it cool a bit, then peel the banana and place it in the bun as you would a hotdog. Gently spread the peanut butter or Nutella on top of the banana. Prepare your toppings so they can be sprinkled on top of the banana dog. I chopped my peanut butter cups into quarters and smacked the heath bar against the counter a few times to break it up. Sprinkle/drizzle the toppings on, they should stick to the peanut butter and stay put.

Now eat!

Have a good Memorial Day!

♥ shorts ♥

 
This winter was very warm. I have a feeling that the summer is going to be record breaking as well. A bit of gardening and a resolution to spend some time outdoors left me with a desire for some decent looking shorts. I like the high-waisted vintage styles which are hard to find at the local mall. They are around some of the small boutiques in the city and online, but, with prices around $50, these are not an option for me. My budget is somewhere around the Walmart price range.

This is how I made myself a nice pair of old fashioned cutoffs with a cute torn heart detail. The first section of the tutorial shows how to take awkward little boys (men's) jeans and make them into something more feminine. The second part focuses on the ripped heart on the back pocket.

Part A - Thriftypants

For my foundation pants I went looking for something with a classic fit and feel - high waisted, all cotton, no stretch. This isn't everyone's style, but it is actually the secret to finding dirt cheap denim. The cheapest pants are mom jeans and dad jeans and they both have the desired high rise. Walmart does not carry any size below a 4, so I do not fit so well into their ladies pants. Women's styles also tend to have stretch fibers which can look funny when you have a raw edge.

The ultimate pant for a classic look is a plain old men's work jean without cargo or boot cut elements. Men's sizing is done by waist size, so they will be easy to find. a 28 is equivalent roughly to a women's 6. For smaller sizes, move down to the boy's section.

These are the Wrangler Classic Fit boys size 16 jeans that I bought for $14 at Walmart. Finding the right pants to fit a womanly shape takes some trips to the fitting room, but pays off in the final silhouette. My parents say that in the '60s there were jeans in one shape and color, the bell bottoms came towards the end of the decade. My mother in particular gave me a lot of advice on how to break in this basic denim based on her experiences.

Now that you have hopefully found your pants, lay them out on a flat surface.

You will need: Scissors, chalk, a pair of shorts that you like.

Optional: A sewing machine, bleach or dye.

Take a pair of shorts that you like and match the crotches. If you match the waist they may not turn out right.
You can also find your hemline by trying on the pants.

Mark with chalk or a pencil the desired length of the shorts based on the overlaid shorts. 
Copying some of the festival trends, I decided to go short, slightly angled up, and shorter in front than back by 1.5".

Cut 1" below your hemline mark. This allowance accounts for the amount of fringe that will happen in the first few washings.

Your shorts are now ready to try on. There may be some height adjustments to make. I was conservative with my first cuts and ended up taking off a bit after a fitting.

If you are concerned about excessive fraying, you can sew along your hemline mark with a simple stitch. Keep in mind that without this step, your shorts will get shorter with time.

Before finishing these off with a wash, I put them into some water with a half cup of bleach to lighten the color. It took a long time to get the light color, but going slow keeps things consistent and controllable. The bleach softens the fibers and will make fuzzier fringe after washing.

Part B - Heartypants

After a few washes and wearings, the fringe will develop and you will start to break in your new shorts.

Very simple. Mark, cut, sew, wear.

But I wanted a little embellishment, something not too harsh like studs or crazy colors. I decided on a little pocket detail a la Moschino.

You will need: A pencil, Fray Check or clear nailpolish, a stitch ripper or some sort of delicate cutting tool.

To make the cutout shape, draw on outline on the fabric. You can do this anywhere on any denim fabric. I chose to put this on the pocket to avoid holes that let my undies shine through.

Reinforce the fibers on the outside of the outline with Fray Check or clear nailpolish. Washing and wear will distort and rip your shape if you do not fix the edge.

If you have a stitch ripper you'll want to use it to cut the individual threads around your shape. I lost mine and made do with an X-ACTO to cut. You want to sever all of the vertical threads but leave the horizontal threads intact. Usually the horizontal threads are white and easy to differentiate from the blue fibers which are more visible on the right side of the garment.

After cutting all the way around your shape, the fibers on the inside can be pulled out to reveal the white strands. It does take a bit of time, but really adds a personal touch. After washing the strands will plump up. I still have not washed mine and may put a bit more Fray Check on to really preserve the cute heart shape for sure.

Part C - Wearyourpants

  

 It looks like time to run around in the grass with your heartypants. 

In spite of my expression in the pictures, I am really happy with my new shorts. It is a pretty big improvement from the original. They have a lot of the classic shape that I wanted and are bound to get better with age.

Now run from the stingy bees.

i.knit.lamps

This project was a lot of fun and discovery.

The idea came from some of my earlier knitting experiments and one very lumpy hat. With the invention of less flammable light sources (like LEDs) lamps can wear sweaters without burning up. So I decided to find out what a topographic textile looks like in the context of lighting.

Textured felt can be a very interesting material to shine light through. Thickness is pretty consistent, so translucency is actually determined by proximity to the light source. The peaks are dark, while the valleys show more radiant light.

The result is a luminescent pineapple - a very squishy and fuzzy luminescent pineapple.

Sfumato

I was fooling around with the scanner today making crazy pictures when this idea happened.

 

Sfumato, from the Italian word sfumare "to evaporate like smoke," was a renaissance painting technique which used subtle and gradual shading to produce soft forms. These portraits, made using polyester pillow stuffing placed directly on a scanner bed, reminded me of the smoky technique.

Here are some pictures of how it was done.

When you invert the colors of this image, the face becomes apparent.

The NYAFF has started!

For the past few years, I have been going to the New York Asian film festival to see crazy Japanese splatter films. This year I decided to go for something a bit less strange: the opening night Screening of Milocrorze: A Love Story.
 The movie is really complex in terms of plot, and so I am not going to try to summarize it. Instead I want to mention that the visuals for the film were excellently expressive and appropriate. They made it easy to differentiate between the three main characters (all played by Takayuki Yamada) and storylines. The above picture shows the pastel world of the young Ovreneli Vreneligare. The visuals are kind of a combination of a childs drawing, 90s photo manipulation, and a rainbow.

Suddenly, there is a change of style and the setting changes to a pseudo-retro game show. The overall feeling is 70s sleaze, kind of like if Austin Powers was set in japan, but a lot funnier. The character of Besson Kumagai is so terribly obnoxious with his backup dancers, platform shoes, and hair bowtie. This middle part seems to be mostly a comedy, but is just as visually thorough as the first love story. The characters wear afro wigs and body suits, striped turtlenecks, and have a vintage style that sits on the edge of ugly and cool. There are fewer after effects type animations, and there is no more glitter.

The story segues into an ancient (or current?) scene, set in a gambling parlor. the noble Tamon seems to have transported himself back in time to find his lost lover. Everything is black, white, and shades of red. It is hard to think of the connection between the three stories (visually, there is none) besides the love story in all sections. There is a really amazing fight scene that seems to go on forever (in a good way). It was shot with special high speed cameras that capture gravity or the seeming lack of it in a novel way.

There are tatami flying everywhere.

So that is what I did yesterday. I saw one of the most visually interesting films I have ever seen. You should see it because i cant really describe how cool it was.

Renegade craft fair was very Brooklyn-y

This Saturday I went to the renegade craft fair to see what kind of things Brooklyn is doing-it-self. It turns out that the entire city has a similar color scheme of muted pastels and super saturated neon.

 There were a lot of good looking ceramics booths, but a lot of the other crafts were just too smilar to each other to hold my interest.

One of the more interesting vendors was selling these terrariums with small figures inside.

Mostly there were a lot of hipsters hanging around in the rain.

getting restless in Connecticut

I went out to the backyard today with my mother to take pictures of the (old) new hat pattern that is ready for publishing. She got some funny shots of me running around throwing hats.

Frolicking with knitwear in the summertime might be a sign of general boredom.