Yet Another Sidebar Link

I just added yet another new sidebar link, this time to Momastery, after someone on Ravelry posted a link to this blog post.

I don't know how other people feel about it, but I thought it was a really great post, and the author raised some great points. This was pretty much one of my favorite parts.

 Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard. Why is it that the second a mother admits that it’s hard, people feel the need to suggest that maybe she’s not doing it right? Or that she certainly shouldn’t add more to her load. Maybe the fact that it’s so hard means she IS doing it right…in her own way…and she happens to be honest.

Amen to that, seriously. I get the same attitude from my mother and sister, from my Father In Law's mother... to a much lesser extent I get it from my Mother In Law when she shows up unexpectedly and I haven't cleaned up after Hurricane MiniMonster yet...

 Don't get me wrong, there are definitely bad mom's out there, but admitting that it's a difficult and stressful job doesn't mean you're automatically dealing with one, it just means we're human too.

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Damnit Devart

 Well next on the failure list is Deviant-art. Well known for selecting softcore fetish porn for it's Daily Deviations, and otherwise offending most of it's users, Devart has added a new touch of failure to it's list of sucks and annoyances. Specifically it's decided to EAT some of my old art. A couple of my cartoons, which I note are note adult in any way, one is just a head shot and the other was something funny that happened in a meeting, show up in my preview list if I search for them, but if you try and actually open them they don't load at all.

 The comments show. The title shows, both indicating that they haven't been ripped down for some imagined offense. ((insufficient naked ladybits perhaps?)), they just DON'T LOAD.

I'm damned annoyed by this and I really kind of wonder how many other of my pictures and drawings no longer load for no discernible reason.

Moving Forward Fingerless Mittens

 I've been debating if I should try and sell this pattern or just list it for free, and I've decided that since this is really my first shot at it, I'll offer it for free. Not that I'd object to people sending me money for it (I can tell people my paypal info if they really want to ship some money my way for the pattern, but it's not necessary.)

They're called the Moving Forward Mit's because the yarnover and k2tg patterning causes it to form chevrons that point toward the fingers, as though telling you where to go.

 I made these in a DK/Sport weight yarn ((I used Capra from Knitpicks for these.)) But the pattern is easy enough to adjust for size. Hell you could probably drop it to fingering and get some great kid sized mitts.

 I personally recommend either using solid colors like I did, or using yarn with subtle variegation, otherwise you kind of loose the pattern in the colors.

 And before anyone asks: Yes you may sell anything made with this pattern, BUT you may NOT sell the pattern itself. Please direct people to come and get a copy, it's good traffic for me, and I think getting credit and traffic for the pattern is a decent trade for a comfy quick knit.

 I'm also "Nightgaunt" on ravelry.com btw, so if you're on there, drop me a link. I'd love to see what you make with this pattern!
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'Moving Forward' Fingerless Mits:
 -Note: The 'important' (IE decorative) part of these mittens starts with the purl three border, and ends with the purl three border. If you find these come out too snug, and want to add stitches rather than increase needle size, I suggest increasing at either end of the starting stitch marker until they results are as comfortable as you want.  It shouldn't throw things off too much as long as the number of stitches stays even, though you'll use a little more yarn. Likewise, if you have small wrists and this knits up too big, decrease from the knit stitch repeats on the outside edges to get that perfect fit, or use a smaller yarn and needles until you get a really comfortable fit.
Materials Needed:
 --Yarn of choice ((Worsted or DK is recommended.)), --Scrap Yarn in contrasting color, stitch marker, size 7 dpns

Cast on 28 stitches, join in the round. ((I divided things over three needles with: 10-9-9))
(rows 1-6) -6 rounds in rib stitch. (k1p1)
(row 7)-knit 7, purl 3-knit 1, yo, knit 2 together, knit 3, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 1, purl 3, knit 6
(row 8)-knit 7, purl 3, knit 9, purl 3, knit 6
(row 9)-knit 7, purl 3, knit 2, yo, knit 2 together, knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2, purl 3, knit 6
(row 10)-knit 7, knit 7, purl 3, knit 9, purl 3, knit 6
 Repeat rows  7-10 for desired wrist length. (should come to base of the thumb)
When you have reached the desired length, take a piece of scrap yarn in a different color:
For Left Mitten: Starting at Starting Marker
 K 1 in regular yarn, K5 with scrap yarn, slip scrap stitches back onto needle, knit with regular yarn. Continue with lace pattern above (rows 7-10) until fit reaches just behind the knuckle. Switch back to k1p1 rib for 6 rows. Bind off loosely.
For Right Mitten:
 Knit until just after the second set of P3 in the 'lace'. K2. K5 with scrap yarn. Pass 5 scrap stitches back and knit with regular yarn. Finish off mitten the same as the Left mitten.
 --If you're familiar with the "Picot" bind off, you can use it to make a fancier, more Victorian top edge, but since these were originally intended to be dressy driving mittens, I decided to go with the ribbed bind off for comfort and to minimize snagging.

TO CREATE THE THUMB ON EITHER MITTEN:
 Pick up stitches on the edges where the scrap yarn is acting as a place holder. Once you're sure you have captured all the stitches to avoid a run-back, divide your captured stitches around 3 needles. Knit thumb to desired length and bind off loosely. With thumb holes it's slightly more comfortable to err large than small, so picking up an extra stitch or two may be less annoying than one or two too few.

PayFail

...I'll just... leave a couple links here. Because this is pretty self explanatory.

https://www.thepaypalblog.com/2011/12/regretsy-issue-resolution/comment-page-1/#comment-14007

http://thegreengeeks.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/why-paypal-is-wrong-regarding-regretsy-according-to-their-own-policies/

 Claiming your own policies are actually entirely different than the policies you have publicly posted. That. Is. Amazing.
 In an RPG game: Obnoxious. Where actual money is involved: BULLSHIT.

Blue Mittens

And here we have it folks, the third, and final personal draft for the Moving Forward Fingerless Mittens. This one was made with Knit Picks Capra Cashmere yarn, in the Celestial colorway. It knits up really nicely and feels warm and comfortable, and I haven't gotten around to giving it a wash yet. ((It's a hand wash yarn.)) I still have to knit the matching right hand glove, but you can see how much difference adding some wrist length and changing the top and bind off has.

Mini Monster I'm afraid hasn't been enormously helpful in trying to get these done. He's not feeling well, and it's making him not want to nap ANYWHERE but right on someone's lap. Preferably in a position that immobilizes your arms, and with projects I need to finish, this is getting a little frustrating. I'm trying at the moment to get the afternoon nap underway, which has another fun complication:
 Someone has figured out that throwing their pacifier at the door usually makes people come back, so I'm TRYING to play the 'mean mom' card and make him suffer the consequences of having thrown it, which he knows he's not supposed to. Mmm. Battle of wills with your kids. Uch, there's some fun times.

 Got a birthday present from Turtle and Bear the day after my Birthday: I got a copy of C.J. Hendersons "The Supernatural Investigators of C. J. Henderson."

 Fun author. I haven't read much of his stuff that's outside the supernatural or Cthulhu-realm, but the stuff I've read in that branch of the genre, especially where he crosses pulp style detectives with 'The Mythos' is a lot of fun,

This is only a test

Well, the Third Draft for the Moving Forward Mittens is moving along nicely, and I've found two test knitters ((one with more experience than the other)) to look over and try out the pattern as I've written it down and see if it comes out like I've been knitting, or if it creates something else entirely because I may, in fact, find out I suck at writing patterns. Cross fingers folks and I'll take pictures when I'm done with draft 3.

A little Victorian

So I've gotten draft two done on the Moving Forward Mits. There will be a draft three, but this time it won't be for the thumb issue, which seems to be pretty much resolved. I knitted this one in Caron Simply Soft since it's supposed to be the same weight as the hideous JoJoland I used the first time ((actually it seems to make a slightly larger glove...)) and it was single colored which I figured would set off the lace pattern much better. I also made some changes to the center stretch of the lace repeat, which help emphasize the yarn-overs and decreases and the patterns they make. I'm kind of proud of the result!

 The Third draft will be to add a greater length to the wrist ((just adding more repeats of the basic lace pattern, and to ditch the mini picot bind off at the top. It's cute and gives the glove an adorably Victorian feel, but it's also impractical on certain levels, especially since the intended recipient drives Stick, so really these need to be useful and good at 'holding' the hand so they don't get caught up on car bits.

 I've designed super simple fingerless mits before, way back when I first started knitting, but nothing at this level, so I am, if I do say so myself, VERY pleased with myself. It's no Snow Queen Pi shawl, but hell, I think it looks pretty damn good.