Sealed 4 Ever

Suspended Indefinitely

noreply@blogger.com (D A Arlaus) — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 23:26:00 +0000

I have been conflicted about whether to keep this blog online and get back to posting on it, or just leaving it up but dormant.

It's been nearly a year since I have written anything and prioritizing the important things in my life will preclude me from blogging for the foreseeable future.

I won't delete Sealed4Ever, but for now, consider this blog non-active. I'll post my yarn crafted projects on Ravelry, Instagram & Twitter. Machine sewing and paper crafting will be posted on Instagram and Twitter.

July Knitting and Listening

noreply@blogger.com (D A Arlaus) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 02:54:00 +0000

It's been since WWKIP Day since I blogged. Summer will be freer, now that July has arrived.

Just as a point of catch up info:

I'm still working on my Rainbow Top by TSC. Unlike the earthen version on the pattern

mine is navy, sparkly white and a weathered reddish/violet an white. Although the colors are not exactly, it looks like a red, white and blue top, which was my intention. The front is done and I'm nearly finished with the back. I expect the FO will be ready to wear in a week or 2. (I'm multi-craftual, otherwise, I could probably have it done by this time next week or sooner. I think I will get a lot of wear out of this cotton top.

I have been catching up on the various podcasts to which I listen regularly and have added a few to my favorites. I generally enjoy knitting, Mac, iOS, tech and Christian shows. I know what it takes to put a good show together because I did over 100 Guitar Technique Tutor podcasts a few years ago, so I listen not only for the actual content, but also for the production and quality of the podcast. (My first shows were done with a terrible sound system and insufficient software, but by the time my show was established, the sound wasn't too bad.)

I have added 2 new-to-me podcasts, that I have heard other knitters and knitting podcasters mention:

I thoroughly enjoy Knitting Pipeline with Paula, which I had been hearing positive comments about for quite a while. She's just so salt of the earth! She's a musician, too, so perhaps there is some deeper connection than just the knitting, when I listen to her shows.

The other podcast I have been thoroughly thrilled with is the PomPom Podcast. I love, love, love Sophie and Lydia. They're young and have a great sense of humor. I think one of the reasons I enjoy them so much and am so sad that they only podcast monthly, is because they remind me of a dear dear British friend who passed away several years ago. We were very close and although she was from Cheshire, and Sophie and Lydia's accents are not, they still remind me of Kath Lewis, with whom I shared such a long, warm friendship.

Both above-mentioned podcasts have been a great addition to the former list that I listen to daily, weekly, monthly, or whenever-ly. I still miss Yarn on Tap, the podcast Wendy from Knitters' Brewing Company used to do.

I'm also in the midst of a free 3 month free trial of Audible. I use my county libraries' digital services, including audiobooks, but their collection is limited. I just finished my first free Audible book, the biography of Oswald Chambers, and it was excellent. With my Amazon Prime membership, the usual 1 free month and 1 free book trial extends to 3 free months and 2 free books. I haven't chosen my second book yet. I will compare audible to downloading audiobooks from iBooks as well as the Kindle app. I'm not sure whether I will take a monthly subscription to Audible or not. If not, it will not be for any lack of quality service or product. It will be a budgetary decision.

I am having an absolute romance with a device/web app that I plan to write a separate post about this week. Stay tuned.

#RamseyKIPday

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 02:49:00 +0000

That's the official hashtag for tomorrow's event. So use it you're coming or from the venue or watch it for news of the the day.

The great news is that we won't have any weather issues. No library back up is necessary. We will have partly sunny and partly cloudy skies - which is okay for a hot day. We will have a lot of shade available, but please bring hats and sunscreen if you usually use them.

Just a reminder about the facility: the Ramsey Municipal Pool usually requires all guests to be accompanied and hosted by a resident member. Tomorrow, everyone is welcome but at the entrance be sure to indicate you're with the Knitting in Public event. There is a small fee for the full use of the facility, ($5) which is a significant discount from the usual $15 guest fee.

Food and beverages are available to purchase, or bring your own. There are grills at the other end of the property, which you are welcome to use, if you wish.

The pool is pristine and there are depths for waders through lap swimmers.

On site restrooms, changing area and showers are available.

Across the street are tennis courts, if you wish to bring your racket along with your knitting.

There's free Wi-Fi.

Please remember pool rules : No Glass Bottles

No Alcohol

No Tobacco

Once inside, look for the gazebo with large colorful tassles. If you have a Ravelry button with your Ravelry user name on it, wear it! You'll find me in a lime green T-shirt with my Hello My Name is Sealed4Ever Ravelry button (and maybe a few other knit-ish ones.)

If you're bringing a beginner with you, I'll teach a lesson at 12:45. Please bring size 6 or 7 needles and some smooth, single color yarn. I don't have extra needles but I will bring some leftover yarn balls in case they are needed.

Ramsey Municipal Pool is on East Oak Street in Ramsey, NJ, between Wyckoff Ave and South Central Ave. See you and your knitting, and I hope, your knitting friends from 11:00 - 4:00.

WWKIP Day 2015 in Ramsey Pool Rules Update

noreply@blogger.com (D A Arlaus) — Fri, 29 May 2015 19:16:00 +0000

Just to keep you informed, everyone is welcome to join the group of knitters that meet for this celebration. Here are the most pertinent Ramsey Municipal Pool Rules that attendees with which attendees will be expected to comply:

No Glass Containers Allowed

No Alcoholic Beverages or Alcoholic Beverage Mixes Allowed

The pool facility is a Smoke Free Zone, so No Smoking

The above constraints should not hamper anyone's enjoyment of the pool'a park-like setting and all it offers the group.

Looking forward to seeing you in Ramsey on June 13th.

WWKIP Day 2015 in Ramsey, NJ

noreply@blogger.com (D A Arlaus) — Wed, 27 May 2015 12:48:00 +0000

Save the date! June 13. 2015 - for the 10th anniversary of the first World Wide Knitting in Public Day. Knitters from all parts of the world will be coming together to knit in public and draw attention to the craft we love. Let's face it, knitting isn't something that only grannies do to while away their time. In the 21st Century, knitting can become anything from a humble dish cloth to a runway garment to the creative yarn bombing of public space and anything in between.

Last week I went looking online for a local WWKIP Day activity near me. Yes, I know half of the east coast will probably descend on Bryant Park in NY, for the day, but for me, it isn't convenient to go there. Honestly, I'm mystified that the nearest other event was several counties away. So... I'm hosting a local WWKIP Day gathering.

This is a call for northern NJ and Rockland/Suffern County NY knitters: Go to your LYS as soon as you can to pick up some yarn for that next project you're dying to start -- or go deep stash diving for that yarn that needs to be turned into something now.

DATE: June 13, 2013

TIME:11:00 AM - 4:00 PM or as long or short as you'd like to stay

PLACE: Ramsey Municipal Pool, East Oak Street, Ramsey, NJ 07446

The Ramsey Municipal Pool has been voted Best Pool in Bergen County by readers of the the prestigious 201 magazine. The pristine, newly renovated pool has water attractions, an adult swim and lap section and barrier-free access. There are tennis courts across the street, beach volley ball on site and plenty of shade trees. There are shaded picnic tables set back from the pool, a snack bar with offerings above and beyond the usual burgers and dogs. There are bathrooms, showers and changing stalls. Free WiFi is available, too.

WHAT TO BRING: food and beverages if you don't care to purchase them, optional bathing suit, optional shade umbrella (but there are plenty of trees), sunscreen, optional hat, beach supplies and oh, yeah, KNITTING!!

FYI: There are grills available if you'd like to bring your own charcoal for BBQ-ing

COST: I did my best on this one: This is a premier members-only town pool and the regular guest price for non-members attending with a sponsor member is $15.00. The Director, Mr. Bach, has graciously reduced the guest price for our event to $5.00. You will be my "guest" (each attendee paying their own entrance fee unless they are already Ramsey Pool members) and as event day approaches, I will post/message more about your entry procedure.

CHILDREN/YOUTH; If you bring a non-knitting child or youth, they are your responsibility. All children must be under the care and control of their attending parent or guardian to insure everyone's safety and enjoyment.

INTERESTED IN LEARNING?: I will offer a brief beginner lesson at 12:45 PM. If you or your companion would like to learn to knit, please bring a pair of size 7 needles and a partial skein or ball of smooth, single color worsted weight yarn and add your name to the sign up sheet when you arrive.

If you are an experienced knitter and would like to assist beginners, please let me know.

I will create a Ravelry group for this event in a day or so. I will request that you indicate to me whether you're planning to attend, just so I can give the pool an estimate of the size of our group.

So, get out to your LYS for yarn and a new WWKIP Day project, unless you already have stash and projects :-) Or, bring your current WIP (work in progress.)

We will have our event at the Ramsey Municipal Pool whether sunny or cloudy. If it's a stormy day, the alternate location will be the Ramsey Public Library, 3 blocks away, at 30 Wyckoff Ave, Ramsey, NJ 07446. Watch this blog, the Ravelry page and Twitter for details if the weather on June 13 is iffy.

Kate's Shawl Hat Downloadable .PDF

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 06:23:00 +0000

Kate's Shawl Hat Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 05:04:00 +0000

In August of 2013, I finished my Kate's Shawl. Because I had yarn left over, I made a hat and cowl to go with it.

On my Ravelry project page, I posted a final sentence, that has finally nudged me out of my complacency, to write out the pattern I "unvented" for the hat. A few people have DM-ed me and requested it. I meant to do it last year when the weather became cold, here in the north east, but I broke my wrist and wasn't keyboarding much. We have had snow a few times a week recently, and each time I have worn this hat, it has whispered in my ear, "Write out the pattern, write out the pattern, write out the pattern." So, I'm finally doing it.

If you knit or attempted to knit the Kate's Shawl pattern from Red Heart, you very quickly discovered that the pattern stitch written does not work with the yo increases. As written, the two sides of the shawl have different patterns. I am so thankful that Ravelry user lizacorrea noted the modifications she used to create the fabric for this cape, as pictured on the Red Heart pattern page. You can find those mods here.

When it came to making the hat, those mods weren't necessary because there were no yo increases. The following pattern is what I used. It's extremely customizable. Swatch to get the density/stretch you like.

Kate's Shawl Hat Downloadable .PDF

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE PATTERN BEFORE YOU KNIT

Red Heart Soft: 2 oz/6 gr for average woman's hat - swatch not included

Needles: 2 US 6/4.0 mm 24" circular needles OR a single circular for head circumference size [stretched to 21"] OR long circular for magic loop OR 4 or 5 dpns - type of needle is knitters' choice

Marker: 1 removable to mark 1st stitch of the round, 5 to mark decreases

Gauge: 18 stitches x 24 rows IN PATTERN STITCH = 4"

Pattern Stitch:

Row 1: (Right Side) *K1, slip 1, k1, yo, pass slipped st over both knit st and yo, k1; repeat from * across.

Row 2: Knit

**In the original pattern this row was a purl row, but since you will be working in the round, you will still be working on the "front" of the hat, so you knit.

Repeat rows 1 and 2

•••

Kate's Hat

Cable Cast On 84 stitches (or any multiple of 4 stitches to achieve the gauge you like)

Cable Cast On Video

Join: If using 2 circs, slide half the stitches to the second needle.

Straighten your stitches, hold the needles next to each other and slide the stitches on both needles to the opposite ends (where the first and last cast on stitches are, not the center of your cast on stitches) I never thought of photographing these early steps as I improvised this hat

Lift the first cast on stitch (with the loose yarn end) off its needle tip and onto the other needle tip.

Lift the stitch next to the stitch you just moved, which is the last cast on stitch (with the working yarn) over the first stitch you moved, and onto the other needle.

Result: the first and last cast on stitches have switched needles, which connected your work. This is where you want to re-examine that your stitches are all sitting properly on the needles, without any twists. If you find problems, fix them and take a deep breath. It's easy sailing from here.

Ribbing: K1, attach marker to the stitch you just made, K1, P2 *K2 P2* to end

Continue in the K2 P2 rib to length of 1.5 inches (or any length you like, if you have extra yarn)

Hat: Begin Pattern Stitch, alternating Row 1 and Row 2. Continue in the round, moving the beginning of the row marker as necessary until hat and rib measure 5.5 " or 4" longer than the ribbing. If you prefer a slouchy hat, knit longer. Transfer End with Row 2

Decreases: Count your stitches, divide that number by 6. (example 84 divided by 6 = 14) If you don't get a whole number, no worries - fudging on top of your head is allowable. place 5 markers (M) ever 1/6 of the circumference of the hat (no need for the first stitch)

Row 1: *K2tog, continue in pattern until M*

Row 2-12 repeat Row 1, 11 more times - total of 12 decrease rounds.

6 stitches remain

Cut long yarn so you have a 10" tail. Thread it on a needle and sweep through the 6 stitches left on the needles. go through a second time if you can. Pull tightly. Knot on the inside.

Finishing: Weave in ends and enjoy your hat. Wear it with Kate's Shawl or with anything else.

I enjoy wearing this hat because it's stretchy and has just enough texture to be interesting but understated.

If you find any errors here, forgive me and let me know. I'll revise the pattern. I didn't make any notes when I knit Kate's Hat, 2 years ago. If I make another - which I'm entertaining, and devise any improvements, I will amend the pattern.

It's Like Quilt Making, But Not Exactly

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 02:04:00 +0000

So, while I was frustrated and convalescing with the wrist fracture that changed my life, i was kind of antsy. I couldn't play guitar to any level of satisfaction, was very limited with knitting or crochet, yet I wanted to make something. I like to cook, but that wasn't what I was yearning for. Forget baking - teeny oven in a teeny apartment.

The answer was cards. Not playing Bridge or Gin Rummy, but making cards.I don't take and print too many pictures, so scrapbooking, as creative as it is, just isn't for me. But a little creation, made of papers, embellishments, stamped, textured and/or otherwise adorned caught my fancy. My interest was further piqued when the MGs and I went to a Scrapbook Expo. Again, the scrapbooking wasn't that appealing, but the card making, that was a perfect fit.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know I'm a real card mailer because I love to use my various sealing wax seals.

I have been developing my skill, little by little and accumulating tools and supplies.

The cards I created at first were extremely basic. I used stamps and some punches as well as any embellishments that seemed right.

A pretty simple thank you

A little more embellished welcome card

When I got a Vintaj die cutting machine, it was a real blessing and freed my creativity. It enabled me to use shapes within the composition.

This is a marvelous tool. I have to be careful. Once I begin playing with it, I can't stop!

The advent of die cutting allowed motion and 3-dimensionality in my cards.

Still simple, but using more techniques

By the time Christmas rolled around I made some sets of cards as gifts, which I'll post at another time, and the Christmas card I made my honey, E-Rex was probably my most adept creation up to that point.

This card is a bit more interesting than those before, with a balsa wood panel, 3-D inside sentiment, some sparkle, embossing, pigment ink etc.

Here is my latest. Again, for E-Rex - his Valentine's Day card.

Using more dimension and layers.

I was trying to determine what attracts me to this new found craft so much. I think it's because it's like making an art quilt - just smaller and faster. I enjoy the whole aspect of composition and layout. There are several techniques I'm interested in learning and mastering such as stenciling and using watercolors.

In future, I will upload the slide show to my cards. I'll do my best to put them in chronological order.

My next project is to organize my work space a little better.

Sunny Spread

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:23:00 +0000

I finally completed a UFO that was hanging around too long. (See blog post Mojo Killer Slain or Finally an FO for the reasons, if you're interested.)

This was an afghan I made for a young couple from church, who were married in May. I wanted to make them something and thought, afghans are pretty universal. My only previous afghan experience was with the Summer Baby Blanket, made for my friend Rossi's baby, a couple summers ago. I was a knitter before I was a crocheter, and although my experience with crochet isn't too long, I have gained a lot of confidence. I don't ever look at a crochet project and think, "I could never make that." I'm at the point where my only limitation is my interest - and that's a comforting place to be.

Generally, per square inch, crochet is much faster than knitting, so I decided that Stephanie and Jay were going to receive a crocheted afghan. I looked through some crochet patterns I queued on Ravelry and found Sunny Spread in the Jan/Feb 2008 Crochet Today! magazine.

It's by Ellen Gormley, who writes great crochet patterns, teaches, authors books and blogs. I have seen her teach on the Knit and Crochet Now! TV show - which is now, a netcast.

I liked the pattern because, done in a neutral, it has a contemporary, sophisticated look and will go with just about any decor.

I don't know Steph and Jay's taste. When I mentioned to a few people, that I was going to make them an afghan, they told me about the still-hideous granny square afghans they received in bizarre colors. Their reactions made me think, "Okay then, granny squares are out," which I never really entertained. They inoculated me, just in case.

The pattern called for SuperSaver yarn. It's a great economy (budget) acrylic, but even after laundering, it's a bit stiffer than I like for an afghan. I used a premium acrylic, because I can't assume the newlyweds will be inclined to hand wash and flat dry a wool afghan. I have had good experiences with Knit Picks Brava worsted, so that's what I used. It's extremely soft and smooshy after washing. I chose the color cream, which is more ecru than it appears in my photos.

When I swatched, I tried to use a J hook, but although I got gauge, I didn't like the fabric well enough. It was a little stiffer than my idea of an afghan. I went up to a K. It was a little better, but I didn't settle on the drapability of the swatch until I made it with an 8 mm L hook.

The afghan took forever, but I enjoyed each and every motif I made. When I had finally assembled the 64 squares, not including the swatched motifs, I thought about modifying how I was going to connect the motifs. I thought about crocheting them together, but after all my drapability hijinks, I thought the crocheted connections would be too stable and inhibit drape. I resigned myself to whip stitching the motifs into rows and then whip stitching the rows together, as Ellen's instructions direct.

The resulting afghan appears seamless and the whip stitching was fiddly but not terrible.

AFter weaving in the last end, laundering it, and attaching my label, I made a "fix it" bag" and the project was really and truly done.

I emailed the bride's mom, for the couple's address, in Seattle, so I could mail the 9 month late wedding gift. She replied that the lovebirds were here in Jersey and I could give it to them at church this morning. Great! I didn't have to mail it. Not great!! Church was cancelled because of icy roads and bad weather. I guess I'll need that address after all.

Mojo Killer Slain or Finally an FO

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:17:00 +0000

Friday, February 20 (2015) marked one year since fracturing my left wrist. That's a pretty simple statement and a plain sentence, but it doesn't begin to capture the profundity of it.

I won't bore you with reiterating the whole, life-long guitarist with a broken left wrist thing. If you've been reading about Bono never playing guitar again since his wrist fracture, you get the drift. I can hold and so-called, "play," but I can't really play anymore.

Aside from the professional and personal pursuit of my whole life dying in a way, some collateral damage from breaking my wrist was that my beloved yarn crafts also suffered. My therapist encouraged me to do my knitting and crochet therapeutically, as tolerated. And it took quite a while to tolerate long periods of knitting or crocheting. All the effects of the broken wrist were literally, depressing.

It seemed as though I was working on Ellen Gormley's Sunny Spread, which is now a free pattern from Red Heart, forever. I began it in late December of 2013, after Christmas, as a gift for a young couple from church who were getting married in May of 2014. I thought I would have plenty of time to finish it. Crochet goes quickly. Right???

After splint and casts and tons of physical therapy, I gradually rehabbed enough to crochet for limited periods in which I could actually get something done. Every time I looked at my WIPs, which morphed into UFOs in my mind, I felt so sad and as though even thinking about ever finishing them, was futile. I repeatedly tried to set dates by which I would complete them. When that wasn't working for me - in fact, causing me all kinds of distress, I resigned myself to that the very late gift would be completed when it was completed - hopefully before the couple's first anniversary, in May. I couldn't even think about the other projects.

Everything changed on Thursday, February 19th. I wove the last end into Stephanie and Jay's Sunny Spread afghan.

detail from Sunny Spread

I couldn't believe I had finally finished it. It was late in the evening, and I had been at it for a while. To my surprise, the first thing I did, after setting the FO aside to be laundered prior to giving it to the newlyweds, was to pull the 2 WIPs, which had been in hibernation.

I had stored them somewhere out of sight, because every time I looked at them I had a swell of emotions - not good ones - which were usually accompanied by tears. This whole past year has been an emotional roller coaster.

I have already resumed happy, mindless knitting on my Clincher bandana, which I thought I'd be wearing this winter, but perhaps it will be finished before spring weather arrives. The block-of-the-month KAL afghan I tried to knit during the summer and couldn't, has renewed appeal to me. I still like it and will definitely finish it.

So, I'm encouraged to report that the mojo killer (my late wedding present, which seemed to take forever to crochet) Sunny Spread has been laid to rest, and with it, I am sincerely looking forward to finishing my WIPs and beginning some new projects. I think that because I completed the project before the anniversary of my injury, in some way, it made a difference. Sort of like the psychological difference between the prices of $9.99 and $10.00.

If your mojo has been killed by some external influence, I hope you will be able to climb out of the fog, and have your zeal and attitude refreshed. For me, it took getting that project done before the 20th. I feel like I can breath again, and that my gloom is lifting.

For info and photos of my Sunny Spread project, it will be my next post.

Happy 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 02:40:00 +0000

It's been forever. I know. My E-Rex needed surgery, which was quite a surprise to us. He developed a problem in November that lasted through Thanksgiving and into the first week of December, as we waited for the next available surgery date with his doctor. We are thankful that the surgery itself, went well, and that his recovery was better and less distressing than we had mentally prepared for. We were so relieved. But, I had run myself ragged during those weeks and the ones leading up to Christmas week. I had a terrible throat and then it went into a cold - so blogging was nowhere on my radar during all that tumult, plus the ever present, "real life" that was going on concurrently. Of course, I was also in gift-making overdrive too. The handcrafted gifts this year were cards. I'll post photos next week.

I'll be back on a blogging schedule with the new year.

As for the mojo-robbing wedding gift afghan, it's 3 motifs from assembly. I'm hoping to have it done before the end of January. It will be just like being released from jail. I think I'm going to need me-yarn-crafting therapy. I have a couple WIPs that I look forward to getting my fingers on.

I feel as though 2015 will be liberating and the downer year of 2014 cant' be over soon enough for me. Well, considering it's just hours away, woo hoo!

I toast the new year and wish everyone a great 2015.

Missing Mojo: The New Face of the Season

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 02:48:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since I last blogged.

This is the first time I can remember being in the midst of the Thanksgiving weekend, when I didn't have a list of completed knit or crochet projects as well as some to finish for gift giving. No, it's not because I began in June, as I used to, and am ahead of schedule for my yarn crafted gifts. Oh, if it were only so!

My yarn crafting mojo has been fits and starts since I began rehab after my wrist fracture. The physical healing process is approaching completion but it's a pretty depressing state of affairs. I won't regain the flexion I really need to play guitar at the level I did before the terrible day. It's a hard reality for me. Add to that, that I still haven't completed a crocheted afghan that was meant to be a wedding gift last May, and it's pretty deflating.

In an effort to jump start that elusive mojo, that has never been elusive before, I began the Edie Eckman Knit Your Cables KAL with a friend who knits and had never done a KAL. It was fun for the first few weeks. The garter stitch square was not too rough - remember I was dealing with a wrist that hurt and didn't flex all the way, and serious problems with swelling when ever there was heat or humidity. After about 5 or 6 weeks, I began to fall behind. I fell behind and that wedding afghan (Sunny Spread by Ellen Gormley) wasn't getting done, either!

On World Wide Knit In Public Day, I began a Clincher, hoped to be wearing now. I also thought it was such a cool design, that I would make some for gifts. That's hibernation too, and just makes me feel like a failure. I can't remember a time that I didn't love, love, love my yarn crafting. I still love, love, love my yarn crafting. I just can't seem to do it. I think I have come up with a solution.

I have put all my UFOs away and out of sight, except for the ball of yarn I need to work on the wedding afghan. Now, there's nothing on the love seat to convict me every time I sit down to relax or watch TV. On Thanksgiving, we spent the day at our friend, Jerry's, and while our turkey was roasting and after dinner, I made several afghan squares. Yay!! I was hoping to finish the project by Christmas. it would be nice, but a more rational goal is to have it done by February. My DH will be having surgery on December 9 because something has developed that has required our attention for the past few weeks. I'm not going to undermine the pleasant relationship I'm having with my hook and yarn, by adding unnecessary pressure. I understand that it is acceptable etiquette to give a wedding gift within a year of the wedding. On that account, I'm sure I will be safe. The couple understands that the wrist fracture interrupted my entire life, and most particularly my guitar acumen and my yarn crafting.

So, the above explains the "missing mojo" in this blog title, but where's the "new face?" I recently acquired a Sizzix die cutting machine and have been playing with various paper crafting techniques. Stay tuned for more on this. (Some people will be getting packets of cards for Christmas and Hanukkah.) More to follow.

Totally Red Hot

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 04:45:00 +0000

Am I same person who recently blogged they I don't usually purchase pattern books?!? Uhhh... Maybe I should restate it. Ordinarily, if and when I purchase patterns, they are e-patterns, but I'm in the midst of realization. In the cases when I buy print patterns, they're frequently Tahki Stacy Charles. I was happily surprised that an LYS, that I was told, closed, actually moved a few towns away. When I found them, I had to cruise the shop. While there, I purchased

a few balls of Sade yarn, which I didn't need, but couldn't resist the discount

a Bryspun Fix It Tool

some larger-than-what-I-already-have yarn needles

the TSC Fall/Winter pattern book Red Hot

As soon as I saw the cover in the TSC newsletter to which I subscribe, and have for several years, I had read about this pattern book. As soon as I saw the cover sweater, I knew was going to have to make it. RED HOT contains 26 patterns, primarily sweaters, but some accessories. The TSC yarns called for are:

Celine

Crystal

Ella

Luna

Ritratto

Stella

Cleo

Margot

Adele

Diana Color

Diana

These are the designs that appeal to me the most

the Karolina Scarf and the Karlie Shawl

the Sasha Cowl and the Samantha Jacket

the Selita Jacket and the Anne Cowl

the Marloes Cowl and the Doutzen Jacket

I also really like the Lily Cardigan and the Adriana Top.

All that said, the first of these designs that I will make is the cover sweater, which is called the Cara Pullover. I love it. I adore the colorway in which it was knit - which is unusual for me. I'm a black/gray/silver lover but I'm thinking I may use some bolder, more surprising palette. We'll see. The problem is that with my wrist still not fully recovered (if it ever will be) from its pulverized fracture last February, I'll be thrilled if my few current WIPs are completed by the end of the year. That takes a bit of the wind out of my sails and squelches my mojo if I think about it for too long.

In looking over the purchased pattern books I have, I just came to the realization that the Tahki Stacy Charles aesthetic really resonates with me. That isn't to dis any other designers. There are plenty I admire. But when it comes to actually plunking down my cash, TSC rules the day. I think, the aesthetics that draw me over and over again are texture and innovation. Whether it is the edgy angles of the Cara Pullover or the fresh designs in any of their previous books, they always call my name. I'm glad I answered last week.

Stitch Dictionary with a Twist

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 02:37:00 +0000

Since I was away from blogging for so long, I am not exactly "current" with all things fiber and wax. So, let me try to do a little back-peddling:

Kathy Elkins at Webs is frequently the culprit I frequently blame when I add books or tools to my collection. Her interviews with authors and other Kniteratti are always just what I need to stoke my salivary glands and send me browsing said bait on my iPad. Such was the case with the recently published book by Wendy Bloom, called Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary, published by STC Craft (ISBN: 1-61769-099-6).

I don't buy a lot of pattern books - I'm a process junkie. I do buy some patterns and magazines, but what stimulates my imagination is the way something is knit (or crocheted) as much as the FO (finished object.)

Wendy has done a spectacular job. I'm pretty good at altering stitch patterns from flat to in the round, unless it gets complicated. Then I usually abandon ship. Well, this book takes the hassle out of it. There are over 150 stitch patterns with instructions for knitting them flat or in the round. If the pattern cannot be knitted from the top down and bottom up in the exact same way, those instructions are there, too. It's enough to make you say, "Where has this book been all my life?!" Have I mentioned that there are written instructions as well as charts for every stitch pattern? Double "Where has this book been all my life?!"

Chapters are:

Knits and Purls
Ribs
Textured, Slipped and Fancy
Yarnovers and Eyelets
Cables
Lace
Colorwork
Hems and Edgings
Projects

Of course there is an intro and a beautifully firm admonition to swatch, with all the justification any holdout needs.

The projects are a cowl, a watch cap, socks, a bolero, a vest, a pullover, mitts, a scarf, and designing from scratch a stole, slouch cap and mittens. All of the projects are fresh and interesting.

The Appendix contains such topics as Designing from Scratch, Abbreviations, Special Techniques, Key and Stitch Multiples Index.

The book has been gorgeously photographed by Thayer Allyson Gowdy. Fabulous job! You can almost feel the texture of the swatches and projects.

I was only disappointed by two aspects of this tome:

First and foremost, I couldn't buy an ebook. I live in teeny teeny teeny space and I love love love my iPad - so ebooks, emagazines and esheet music are always my first choice. So, that was a small bummer. It's a sizable book - not made for toting around. (On the plus side, the binding is excellent: covered spiral. It lays flat and doesn't catch on anything.)

This second thing, I hesitate to mention. I'll qualify it with maybe it's me, but the choice of pink yarn in the Ribs chapter doesn't seem to show quite as much clear stitch definition as the other colors chosen for the other chapters. It's definitely not the photography. I think it's the yarn. It's not terrible, but I think another color may have been a better choice.

Would I recommend this 288 page reference book? What do you think? It's well worth the full list price, but there are several outlets that discount it.

Thanks, Wendy. I'll refer to this book over and over.

Hip To Be Square

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 02:27:00 +0000

No, I'm not trying to rip off the book title from a few years ago. I'm writing about knitting needles!

[I haven't posted anything since March 2, over 5 months ago. I fractured my wrist and the recovery has been slow and I'm nowhere near fully recovered - but that's another story. My long absence was due to the wrist and all the attendant life adjustments it caused. I hope to resume a somewhat usual blogging schedule with this post.]

Hip to be square....that's me. When my OT told me to pick up my knitting for therapy (one of the dozen or so types of movements and exercises involved in rehabilitating a musician's shattered radius) I quickly found that my Cubics needles, made by Knitter's Pride and purchased from Webs were much more comfortable to work with than my other needles. Of course I couldn't and still can't knit for as long periods as I'd like and my gauge is a bit wonky because purling puts a lot of strain on my wrist, but the Cubics were markedly less fatiguing.

Do you get attached to your needlework tools? Like especially attached to your knitting needles and crochet hooks? Well, for me, they are kind of like an instrument, and I become quite attached to my guitars. It was the same for my ordinary knitting needles. Never the less, I did something I never thought I would or could do. I sold them!!!

It was a killer. I put up 2 Ebay auctions. One was for all my Knitter's Pride DPNs and Interchangeable circulars (from both Knit Picks and Webs.) The other was for my single point Pony Pearls. It was harder than I thought it would be to part with them, but I used the proceeds to beef up my collection of square needles. I did get a very nice Ravelry (where I'm sealed4ever) message from the person who purchased the Knitter's Pride needles. She was so happy and that lessened the feel of loss for me. I know they're going to make lots of beautiful things.

I had 2 sets plus a couple of other interchangeable wood Cubics tips but I also wanted the nickel ones (Nova Cubics). I also found some very small sized fixed circulars from Kollage. Some pink ones by Kollage were made for Pattern Works and were being discontinued. I like to make socks 2 at a time on 2 circs, so having 2 different color or length needles is usually how I roll. I spent more that the selling price of the 2 lots of needles. I'm on a tight budget, but between my low spirits and that I want to knit, even if for limited periods of time, with less distress, we considered my expenditure more like a necessity than an indulgence.

Right now, I'm working on a KAL from Edie Eckman. If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know, I love Edie Eckman. I'm doing the just-manageable CreativeBug Knit Your Cables Afghan. (If you don't want to do the KAL, you can pick up each week's square on Red Heart's web site.) Knitting a cable square a week is about what I can do. The non-cable squares in the pattern are bias garter - which is good for me right now -- NO PURLING. The other WIPs I had when I fractured my wrist are still WIPs. I'm hoping to be able to spend longer and longer periods knitting and crocheting as time goes on. (An account about the yarn I'm using for the afghan will be in a subsequent post.)

Oh, yes... I did also get one pair of single point Nova Cubics. I use circulars exclusively, but thought I have to have at least 1 pair of straight single point needles, just in case.

But those poor single points are starting to look awfully lonely.

On the DL

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 22:37:00 +0000

Last week, the 20th of February... a day I will regret for a long, long, long time. I had an appointment that I was looking forward to keeping, that Thursday morning. The weather, here in the NY metro area, has been riddled with deep snowfall, mixed precipitation, some rain, re-freezes etc. I was being attentive to the icy coating on the sidewalk, so I walked in a driveway, which looked pristine. Boy, was I wrong. I slipped, fell and broke my LEFT WRIST in 3 places. Of course I didn't know that, at the time. All I knew was that it was deformed and my hand was in the shape of a weird claw that I couldn't open. The first thing I did was to pull my wedding ring off, because I've seen too many TV scenes in which the rings on swelling fingers have to be cut off and seriously endanger the health of the finger in question. Ugh.

I wasn't the only one who fell that day. The ER waiting room held no less than 25, but probably more than 30 people waiting to be seen. One did not have an obvious injury from falling on ice that morning but the rest were cradling arms, wrists, shoulder, had extended leg or head injuries.

The ER glut resulted in a 4/4.5 hour visit. When I left it, my wrist had been X-rayed, diagnosed as being triple fractured, numbed, reset, splint casted extremely tightly and X-rayed again after the resetting and splint casting. I was sent home with a sling, a prescription for a narcotic pain reliever and was told that if the bones shift, I will need surgery and if they remain aligned as they were in the post-compression X-ray, I would not need surgery.

This past Tuesday, I had a series of follow up X-rays and saw the orthopedic hand/wrist specialist on Wednesday. So far, so good. The bones are still aligned. More X-rays will be taken Wednesday and I will see the orthopedist on Friday. The big effort, now, is to get the fingers moving and reduce the swelling.

My left arm is at a 45º angle because the splint cast goes over and around my elbow and covers everything to just short of where my fingers begin. As uncomfortable as I am, I will gladly trade all this misery for the full use of my wrist and hand when this is all over. That, remains to be seen. Of late, I have taken to "fingering" scales in the air, just to keep my fingers moving (such as they can move) and "sight reading" fingering and playing by ear in my mind. (I'm a guitarist - or, at least, I was one) I don't know how far into occupational therapy, I will be able to tax the wrist to the extent that playing requires - or if I ever will.

I have been trying to grasp yarn and a large crochet motif with my swollen, restricted fingers, in hopes that I can make something soon. To date, I have been unsuccessful. My yarn crafting doesn't require the same kind of extreme torque and force in the wrist, as playing guitar, so I expect to fully regain my knitting and crochet chops. It's frustrating to be so uncomfortable and limited.

Tomorrow is a No Drama Crafters evening at Panera. I will go to commiserate with my friends, whether I can wield a crochet hook/knitting needle or not.

X-Mitts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 03:21:00 +0000

I was so impressed with Toby Roxane Designs when I first came across them at a small, local Fiber Festival, last year. I purchased 2 of her patterns and I have completed the first.

The X-Mitts pattern was well written. Although I'm an in the round knitter whenever possible, she offered instructions for both flat and in the round knitting. She also offered the stitch counts and charts for both fingering and worsted weight yarn.

I wear a lot of red and blue, and jeans are practically my uniform. I decided to use stashed Knit Picks yarn for these mitts. The Dockside colorway of Felici Sport would work with a lot of my wardrobe. I purchased this yarn when it was a clearance color and weight, but I'll link here, to Felici Sock, which is the same yarn, just a lighter weight.

I love the yarn. I made my Hedgerow Mitts from this same yarn in the colorway Riverbed. It's extremely soft and reasonably priced for a 75% superwash merino 25% nylon blend.

The X-Mitts knitted up easily, even with me knitting them 2 at a time. The pattern does require a right and left mitt, so I reversed the right mitt instructions for the left mitt, rather than reading the pattern for the left. There will be a little more detail about the mechanics of knitting these mitts on my Ravelry project page, to which I hope to post tonight, or at latest, sometime during this weekend.

I enjoyed everything about this project and I will probably make some more X-Mitts. I knitted a long forearm rather than knitting the cuff wrist length as in the pattern because in spring and fall I wear a lot of capes and like to have my arms covered. I also think they look good that length.

I Love Love Love Love You

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 02:14:00 +0000

Because my seal collection is fairly expansive, I don't often come across a wax seal that I like/want/will use, that I don't already have. (I'm not a collector for the collection's sake. I only purchase/acquire seals I will actually use, with the one exception of if I purchase a small lot that may contain a seal I won't use or don't like. In that case, I sell it.) I don't recall what I was looking for on Ebay, but while there, a week or so ago, I found a cute seal at a clearance price. How could I resist? I'm a heart girl. I used the new one on Valentine's Day cards this year.

Snowflake Garland

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 01:21:00 +0000

I finally finished the Snowflake Garland by Red Heart, I mentioned in a late December post. I completed it a while ago, but as usual, there are a lot of things that get in the way of blogging.

My teeny apartment size artificial (gasp! what a nasty word) Christmas tree was already stripped, when I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of the garland. The one I used in the previous post was the stock photo from the Red Heart pattern page.

Here's my Christmas tree, sans garland, but dressed:

And here it is naked, but for a Snowflake Garland:

(Seely is so nosey!)

I like this garland because it's a JAYGO project. I will probably make another to adorn a wall unit. I have some left over Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn with silver metallic filament. Before the garland goes on the tree for Christmas 2014, I will steam block it and perhaps starch it so it will hold a bit crisper shape.

The motif was easy.

Last Project for 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 23:51:00 +0000

The last project I hope to complete this year, is a little snowflake garland for my Christmas tree that I wanted to make for years, and finally began a few weeks ago - not that I have had many hours to pick up a crochet hook. I will finish the garland before the ball drops in Time Square. I was hoping to make another, to grace my wall unit, too. That won't be in 2013. Whether it will be the first project I work on in 2014 or go on hold until Thanksgiving or later remains to be seen. Right now, I'm inclined to make the second garland right away, and be finished with them -- but that doesn't mean I'll feel that way at the dawn of the new year, tomorrow.

The pattern I'm using is from Red Heart, the Crochet Snowflake Garland.

It's a simple 3 round pattern and is JAYGO (join as you go), which I favor. My garland has 25 snowflakes. I wrapped it around my small Christmas tree and think a few more flakes (4 or 5) will probably do it. After dinner, and before the ball drops and we pop the top on some de-alcoholized Asti, I should be able to complete that.

Happy 2014, everyone!!

Spatterdash Wristwarmers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 23:30:00 +0000

Sometimes, you can be too smart for your own good. I have a penchant for making 2 socks at the same time, as well as sleeves. Just in case I deviate from the pattern/design and fall short on note-taking, 2-at-a-time is my solution for averting an inconsistent outcome. It's a bit fiddly but when you're done, you're done.

The Spatterdash Wristwarmers by Dagmar Mora were in Knitty issue 37 (Deep fall 2011.) Although they weren't in my Ravelry queue, I thought about them every time I cast on fingerless mitts or even thought about casting on fingerless mitts. I have a friend whose birthday is on Christmas day, and I try to give her 2 gifts - one for her birthday and one for Christmas - and more often than not, they are knitted gifts.

I had made her the Easy Drop Stitch Scarf that I blogged about here,

and wanted to make her something that complimented it, but didn't necessarily repeat the drop stitch pattern. Waves or undulations were what I wanted to imitate or suggest.

Then I remembered the Spatterdash Wristwarmers. They would be perfect in the right yarn. I am still dedicated to de-stashing, and was so happy to discover Wisom Yarn Marathon Sock San Diego, in the colorway 254 (Taste),which coordinated well with the Easy Drop Stitch Scarf's color changes.

After carefully swatching and attaining gauge, I cast on both mitts on a Knitters' Pride Karbonz 2mm size 0 circular needle (but I was knitting straight for this pattern.) I was going to modify the pattern to knit it circularly, but Christmas was approaching and I didnt' want to break my head pondering the changes and I didn't want to knit more swatches - so, I plowed ahead.

When the pattern required a modification for the left or right mitt, I just mirror-image knit whichever mitt was the second (depending upon whether it was right or wrong side row.) In addition to knitting the pattern, if there was one, backwards, it also included, reversing the slant of any increases/decreases.

When the time came to slip the main part of the mitt stitches to waste yarn, I left them on the circular needle they were knit upon. That may not have been the best idea. (Too smart for my own good) Then. I used another circular needle to pick up stitches - a separate needle for each mitt. At that point I was working with 3 circs and had 6 needle tips to deal with. My very own hydra, not that I wanted one.

I kept telling myself, each time I wanted to put it in a drawer, never to see the light of day (or Ott Light) again, that I would only have to do this once and at least when I was going to finish, I'd be finished and wouldn't have to make another.

I got through that morass - barely. I liked the scallops. If/when I make another pair of these, (for myself) I will highly modify the pattern and construction. (I won't bore you with my thoughts on that topic until the project is at hand.)

Then, the killer of killers: the buttons. Choosing them was not fun. I was hoping for something a little more interesting than those I ultimately purchased, but the required size did not offer me much selection locally. I didn't begin this project far ahead enough to order buttons online, or to shop hop around the NY metro area for better ones.

The truth is, the yarn had a lot to say, and it's probably best that the buttons are demure.

Spatterdash, blocked, pleased me.

I could really appreciate how the print yarn was so right for both the stockinette, main part of the mitts as well as how it emphasized the scalloped flap. That flap is not just decorative, but there are small eyelets in the last row of scallops, that make up the button holes.

The buttons and button holes are functional, but constructed the way these were, they were impractical, because there was so much overlap of the flap over the stockinette part of the mitt, the flap had to be sewn down. So, what's the point of functioning buttons? Why not just stitch them on? Oh well, as I wrote earlier, I will definitely make some changes for my next pair. A few sections of these writstwarmers were tedious, but none so much as dealing with button placement and sewing.

There is no question about it. The buttons bring these mitts to life. They're kind of artsy, kind of edgy, kind of steampunk and kind of bohemian. I am a bit OCD about having my print yarn match when I make socks or mitts. I painstakingly began every section in exactly the same place in the "print" or color, but because I was making them 2 at a time, if you look closely, you will see that the top and bottom garter stitch edge colors are reversed: the top brownish on the left mitt is the color that is on the bottom of the right mitt, and vice versa. I was not so disturbed that I wanted to rip one out and re-knit from a different part of the ball, but it is the first place my eyes go.

Paired with the Easy Drop Stitch Scarf, I think the balance between coordination but not matchy-matchy, was attained. (sorry for the shadows).

Overall, I loved the project. They will definitely be constructed differently next time. Additionally, I will not be such a smarty next time, and I will avoid the invasion of the 6 pointed hydra, at all cost.

LYS Discounts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 05:17:00 +0000

I'm not looking forward to my favorite of the LYSs in my area closing. It's sad on a personal level as well as a social and commercial one. A few weeks ago, I went there to pick up a couple of 2mm circular needles. I had one that broke and I was in the midst of a project that HAD TO be finished ASAP. I purchased 2 different brands that I had not used but had heard and read several good reviews. One was the iconic Addi Turbos (lace, in this case) and the other was ChiaoGoo (Knit Red).

While I was browsing what circular needles were still available, I noticed some Knit Picks Caspian cables. I have several different sets Knitters Pride interchangeable knitting needles. For me, they are practical, well priced, and overall, they are durable. I knit many projects like socks, sleeves, mitts etc. on 2 circs, rather than a short one or 4 or 5 dpns. I have both purple and black cables. (Purple from the Knitters Pride Knit Picks Options and black from regular Knitters Pride general line.) I picked up a few green Knitters Pride Knit Picks Caspian cables in lengths I use often. I went back the following week to get a few more but they were sold out. Bummer.

I finished my project using both the ChiaoGoo and the Addi needles. I loved the Addis. The jury is still out on the ChiaoGoos. I will use them again. The bend in the needle feels foreign, but not necessarily bad. I like the cables on both needles.

When I returned to the store, only to find no Caspian cables left, I did find something else. Because the LYS is closing, everything is discounted by 20%. There were 2 sets of Knitters Pride Nova Cubics interchangeable needles in a display case with a few other needle sets. I like the Knitters Pride Symfonie Cubics interchangeables, and use them often. These sets are similarly priced, from wherever they are purchased. I didn't go to the shop intending to spend more than a few dollars on cables, but the opportunity to add to my Cubics arsenal at a discount, and without any shipping charges caused me to change my original plan.

They came in a gray fabric and clear vinyl case, along with a selection of 4 cables (one 24", two 32", and one 40"), 8 end caps, 4 cable keys and a set of cord connectors. I'm looking forward to using them in the next project I cast on, of appropriate gauge.

No Full Moon Necessary

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 02:52:00 +0000

My last Christmas gift was mailed on December 16. That was temporary - the last gift part. Then, as usually happens, being stressless causes temporary insanity. As I wrapped presents, I looked at the boxes of goodies for the women who work in our apartment building. I remembered that last year, I attached crocheted snowflakes to their packages and thought, "How can I not attach a snowflake to each this year?" (And no, in that mental state of instability I neglected to take photos of them last year, and did the same last week.) So, I scrolled through several crocheted snowflake patterns, found one and made 3. I added hooks and tied them onto the already wrapped gifts. I was finally done.

Then, I drifted further into a state of non compos mentis. I thought about the next door neighbor's cat. Really! It was sheer madness. I have never given Samie Cat a gift. I'm not even really a cat person! I remembered that I'd seen some curly cat toy to crochet.

It's meant to hang on the door knob so the feline recipient can swat it around. I looked through my stash and my husband snapped me out of my trans by telling me he wanted me to order a particular thing for Christmas for myself. He wanted it to be a surprise, but didn't want to get the wrong thing. I had to spend some time online. Then, the package was going to arrive the next day at no additional charge, and when it did, I needed to (and wanted to) spend some time with it. In retrospect, I'm thankful for the intervention. I don't know what I'm going to do next year. I have to overcome this urge to burden myself needlessly.

As far as a door knob hanging swat toy goes, what Samie Cat doesn't know, won't hurt him.

No Lack of Communication

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 01:45:00 +0000

I have tried to stay current with everything related to the coming barrage of holidays. There isn't anything I can do about interpersonal drama, but I can try to keep from falling behind. The last 2 years held a major family health problems, so I was overwhelmed and didn't enjoy this fabulous year-end time as I usually had. I don't want that to happen this year.

In addition to sending birthday cards out to all my music students and their family members every month, I send them and a small list of friends and family Thanksgiving, Chanukah and Christmas cards at this time of year.

November birthday cards - Done!

Chanukah cards - Done!

Thanksgiving Cards - Done!

I hope to get the Christmas cards done over Thanksgiving weekend. Then, I can relax and enjoy this most celebratory time of the year.

Smooshy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 01:31:00 +0000

Smooshy is a word that sounds like what it means - as it relates to yarn and the fabric said yarn produces.

A friend of mine will be receiving a very simple, Smooshy to the max, garter stitch scarf made from the few scrap balls of Patons North America Carmen, a long discontinued yarn.

The colorways of the Carmen I had left in my stash are Steel and Ebony. The friend for whom this little scarf is, dresses very conservatively.

I randomly striped the scarf, trying to somewhat equalize the ends, which may show at the same time, depending upon how she wears it. The yarn is so smooshy and fuzzy that whatever stitch is used, it just dissolves into the smoosh, so I just knit every row. Easy peasy. All that's left to do is sew on a label and it's ready to wrap. I also have to sew a label onto the Easy Drop Stitch Scarf I completed a month or 2 ago.

After my last project for the holidays is done (a pair of Spatterwash Wristwarmers by Damar Mora), I will sew all the labels in at the same time. (I think I'm going to have to make myself some, too. I like them!!)