afuna: Cat under a blanket. Text: "Cats are just little people with Fur and Fangs" (Default)
[personal profile] afuna
I meant to type "miss you, love you"; instead my fingers typed "miss you, love mine".

Which... works I guess! The keys are right next to each other and all that.




Have been having lots of summery-salad stuff: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots as a base, and then whatever is on hand. I'm all out of the sliced almonds, but I did manage to find some cheese that's actually cheddar, and not velveeta! That has been adding some nice salty-sharpness to my salads. So good :)

I also managed to snag some Red Leicester. I don't know what that is like, but I'll find out soon.

Today's special ingredient was golden kiwi. I though the sweet acidity would offset the cheese, but it was too mild and the salad was overall blah. Green kiwi might have been better. Probably best though, would be some nice pineapple or orange chunks. Maybe apples, to go into an entirely different direction, as well.



I have discovered the hard way that sliced tomatoes keep for only one or two days, so I must now make sure we only slice one at a time instead of a couple.



Have been doing so! much! knitting :D I got my in-progress projects on Ravelry down to five for a time, but now I'm back up to seven (ahahaha /o\), with two more that need weaving in of ends / attaching of handles, that kind of thing. Sometimes I wish I could pay someone to finish my projects for me /o\

My latest project is a summer vest made with a linen/cotton blend. I am super in love with this yarn: it's smooth and light; like cotton it's not flexible, but it's much easier on the hands than kitchen cotton. I bet that it'll feel nice and light on the skin as well. I hear that linen gets softer with washing. I don't know if this blend will act the same way, but I certainly hope so.

I don't know if it's easier on the hands than cotton because I've only ever used kitchen cotton, or if it's because linen is somehow more forgiving than cotton and imparts some of that quality into the blend. It might even be because this is DK weight, and the kitchen cotton I've used is worsted? Noooot sure, but whatever the reason, I do love it, because with this it's much easier to knit garments that are suited to my climate.


I feel like my life right now revolves around IRC, knitting, my dogs, food (and cooking shows), and Dreamwidth. And well, I'm happy. So. Life.

Date: 2011-09-12 03:02 pm (UTC)
jumpuphigh: Purple scarf on table shaped like a heart. (Knit heart)
From: [personal profile] jumpuphigh
Non-kitchen cotton (or as I call it, "expensive cotton") is sooooooo much nicer to use than kitchen cotton (or as I call it, "cheap cotton"). I like it better than any pricey linen-cotton blend that I have ever checked out.

Date: 2011-09-12 03:48 pm (UTC)
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)
From: [personal profile] jumpuphigh
I've used this for baby stuff:
http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Simply_Cotton_Organic_Sport_Yarn__D5420185.html

This yarn is simply divine:
http://www.knitonecrochettoo.com/tydy.htm

I've used others but those are the only ones I remember the names of at the moment.

Date: 2011-09-12 05:19 pm (UTC)
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)
From: [personal profile] jumpuphigh
I was always very meh about cotton yarn until I discovered Knit One, Crochet Too cotton yarn. Then, my whole perception of it changed. I still use cheap cotton yarn quite a bit. It's great for baby stuff where I don't want to invest a lot of money into something that is going to be only worn for a month or two or something that is going to be tossed into a washing machine quite often. Of course, I make dishcloths as well. However, using the nice stuff is really magnificent and I love splurging on it. Living somewhere where it is hot most of the year, using warmer yarns for things to be worn is just not practical.

Date: 2011-09-15 05:59 am (UTC)
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)
From: [personal profile] jumpuphigh
Have you tried bamboo yarn? It can't be washed in hot water but it is really light and cool.

Date: 2011-09-12 06:08 pm (UTC)
pinesandmaples: A blue and red cross on a brown background, all made of yarn. Based on a mitered square. (knitting: square)
From: [personal profile] pinesandmaples
My three go-to cotton yarns: Tahki Cotton Classic, Mission Falls 1824 Cotton (now discontinued), and Classic Elite Provence.

The Provence has to be felt to be believed. It's just that good.

Date: 2011-09-12 06:09 pm (UTC)
pinesandmaples: My hands making the rock symbol.  (knitting: gloves)
From: [personal profile] pinesandmaples
Sometimes I wish I could pay someone to finish my projects for me /o\

I do that sort of thing for money on the side. Too bad you live in another country!

Date: 2011-09-13 01:14 am (UTC)
kerravonsen: glass button: "Shiny!" (shiny)
From: [personal profile] kerravonsen
but I did manage to find some cheese that's actually cheddar, and not velveeta!

What's velveeta? Is it what we call "processed cheese" in Australia?

I also managed to snag some Red Leicester. I don't know what that is like, but I'll find out soon.

I like Red Leicester. It's a nice variant on cheddar.

I have discovered the hard way that sliced tomatoes keep for only one or two days, so I must now make sure we only slice one at a time instead of a couple.

Er, yes. I wouldn't cut up a tomato until just before using it, and then I would try to eat it all that day; I dislike next-day tomatoes.

I am super in love with this yarn: it's smooth and light;

If you want a yarn to fall in love with that is soft and light, try bamboo, or a bamboo/cotton blend. It is just lovely.

I got my in-progress projects on Ravelry down to five for a time, but now I'm back up to seven

I'm afraid I haven't quite figured out the project stuff on Ravelry. I'm not sure whether I want to use it or not. What reasons do you like using it yourself?

I'm having great fun with crochet!

Current projects:

1) The Fluffy Wrap. Now on Ball 11, and it's a bit too big to comfortably carry with me on the bus, so I'm just leaving it sprawled over the sofa (ah, one advantage of living alone) and doing it while watching videos. I'm really looking forward to the finished product with this one!

2) My first string bag. It's a combination of three different patterns, and I'm feeling a bit "meh" about it, but I've done far too much on it to give up now, though I am tempted to just unravel the whole thing (sigh). I've already half-unravelled it once, I don't want to do it again. Except that it isn't working as I would like it to... so maybe it's time to unravel it all over again (sigh).

3) The Quest For the Perfect Soap Saver. Yesterday I followed up a suggestion my sister made, and did one in Nylon Knitting Ribbon. She suggested the nylon knitting ribbon because she had a really good soap saver in that material (in a horrible colour, alas) which performed well as a soap saver because it didn't absorb the water, so it dried out quickly and hence the soap didn't go all soft and soggy inside it. I tried out the one I made in the shower this morning. It stretched a bit more than I expected, and a little rough on the face (hey, exfoliating, right?) but it performed very well in the soaping/lathering department; we shall see tomorrow if the non-absorbing aspect is as my sister says. It's true that the cotton ones I've made do retain the water, so yes, the soap gets a bit soft... which makes me wonder why all the soap saver patterns I've seen are made of cotton.

Date: 2011-09-15 06:01 am (UTC)
jumpuphigh: Pigeon with text "jumpuphigh" (Default)
From: [personal profile] jumpuphigh
What's velveeta? Is it what we call "processed cheese" in Australia?

It's an american brand of processed cheese. It's, ummmm, strange - kind of like flavored, chewy, soft plastic.

Date: 2011-09-15 11:29 am (UTC)
kerravonsen: Stone egg on moss: "Art is Life, Life is Art" (art)
From: [personal profile] kerravonsen
Well actually, I thought that velveeta was a common name, but I've just found out that it's a brand name

I wouldn't be surprised if it's turned into a sort of generic name in the US.

But honestly, and all pragmatic reasons aside, my favorite thing about projects is when you can mark them as finished. It's very satisfying *G* (As was looking back at my finished projects list, seeing the first lace shawl I ever made and realizing that it may have taken me forever to finish it before but I'd find it easy and quick now)

Hmmm. It seems I'm already doing something similar, though not to the same level of detail that Ravelry does, which makes me feel that keeping track of projects on Ravelry would be a duplicated effort. What I'm currently doing is two things:

1) add potential and current projects to my task organizer (http://www.taskwarrior.org/) - that takes care of the "marking things as finished" part. On the downside, the task list only has a one-line description of the project, with no details about needles or balls or anything. But I suppose I could add that.

2) Take pictures of my finished work and put them in my "craft" folder. I don't always remember to do this, but I try. I have a subset of these up on my gallery annexe, mostly my macrame bookmarks and bead necklaces. (Note to self: scan in my recent soap savers)

I just feel as if having to keep track of projects on Ravelry as well will turn the whole thing into a chore.

Date: 2011-09-15 11:46 am (UTC)
kerravonsen: Stone egg on moss: "Art is Life, Life is Art" (art)
From: [personal profile] kerravonsen
I'd be tempted to just call it finished and curl up in it right now
(grin)
It's only scarf width right now; I want it to be a full and luxurious wrap, so I will keep going.

What is a string bag? *curious* Is it a bag made out of string or is it a particular style of bag?

Er, both? It is made out of string, and it is a particular style of bag. The patterns I've found on Ravelry call it a "market bag". It tends to be a netting-style bag designed to be sturdy yet stretchy, for putting one's market shopping into.

How did the nylon knitting ribbon go? :D Did that work out or are you still trying something else?

It needs a bit more experimentation, but even as it is, I think it works. My plan is to make more soap savers, some in nylon ribbon, and some in cotton, because I think some people will find the nylon ribbon a bit rough, so I'd like to give them the choice as to which to use. Yes, we are talking Christmas presents here.

But while I was experimenting, I discovered another interesting use for nylon ribbon. I thought I'd try it doubled up, with two strands of different colours, and what I found was that it was terrible for a soap saver - and brilliant for a bag. When I crochet two strands together, the result is stiff and solid, good enough to use for a soft basket or a stiff bag. So I'm working on one right now, in purple and lavender. I made the bottom of it extra stiff by crocheting in a spiral over a length of jute (thin rope). It's looking very promising.

I love it when one makes discoveries like that.