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December 22nd, 2009
December 21st, 2009
crochetcrochet
[vivonelcarmelo]
 | 09:44 pm - Reverse double crochet stitch?
I was at a friend's house and she had a lovely table runner crocheted by her grandmother in crochet cotton. I looked closely at it, and noticed that most of the stitches were double crochet and chain stitches; simple!
Actually, not so much. All the rows were stitched in the same direction; that is, it didn't look like she turned her work between rows. The fronts of all the stitches were on the same side of the table runner. Is that even possible without cutting the thread and starting over on each row? Is there such a thing as a reverse double crochet stitch that looks just like the regular double crochet? I couldn't see evidence that each row started over with a new piece of thread; It really didn't look like there were tails woven in the ends of every row (God forbid!).
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/confused.gif) confused
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lord_whimsy
 | 07:44 pm - LUC SANTE: ON HIPSTERS
"It took me until today to understand what the word "hipster" has come to mean. When I heard people complaining about neighborhoods infested with hipsters, bars ruined by hipsters, I didn't really give it much thought beyond remembering Yogi Berra's lament: "The place is too crowded--nobody goes there anymore." The red herring was the word "hipster," which to my mind couldn't possibly be synonymous with "yuppie" or any of the other terms for people who have more money than you do but no souls, and who spend their free time subjecting all you hold dear to unfriendly takeover.
"In my mind the hipster stood for fingerpops, harlequin-pattern banlon shirts, cuban heels, toothpick and cigarette both at the same time, mohair suits, shirt-jacs, chesterfield overcoats, comb in the breast pocket, use of brylcreem years after the British Invasion, Jimmy Smith records, Mongo Santamaria records, Arthur Prysock records, unfiltered Kools, the novels of Richard Stark, the pornographic novels of Alexander Trocchi, the glory days of Gent and Cavalier, never raising the voice above a throaty whisper, clipped hand gestures, wakefulness despite half-shut eyelids, communicating volumes entirely with the eyebrows, walking with a rolling shuffle, having a substantial number of friends whose race is different from yours.
"You get the picture, I think. Yes, it was largely a male phenomenon--there were hipster women in black leotards, but they didn't look all that different from beatnik women in black leotards. It was a style that may have peaked between 1957 and 1963, but it remained, persistent and underground, for decades afterward, ignoring all movements and trends, implacable in its deep and nearly unreadable coolness..." Link
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lord_whimsy
| 07:02 pm - PERSONAL BEST
Looks like we got around twenty-four inches here. Anyone get more?
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crochetcrochet
[smoore23]
 | 04:25 pm - Crocheting for beginners
Hi everyone, I hope this type of thing is allowed. I have been knitting for a while but I'd like to start crocheting. I can do a basic chain stitch, but unfortunately I can only figure out how to get one row done. Once I am done with my row, how do I turn around to get another row going?
If you know of any good tutorials online or on YouTube I would appreciate it so much. Thanks!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/angry.gif) frustrated
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crochetcrochet
[electricstitch]
 | 10:16 pm - Elfy
Hi guys, i was just looking for a pattern for an elf, i saw a couple on the net that you have to pay for but alas, i am a student and broke. lol would be great if you could help me out
x x Thankies x x
Current Location: Living Room
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mordicai
 | 01:20 pm - The Mask Whiskey. (113)
Pinion by Jay Lake.
Victoria's head
was crowned with brass plugs & wires
asleep in the dark.
The third of Jay Lake's Clockwork Earth books (for want of a better name), this continues (concludes?) the arc of Paolina & Childress. Or at least wraps up many of the threads; I hesitate to say that the roller coaster ride is really finished. Lake is good at writing those sorts of endings-- sure, plot points are wrapped up, but just have many have been raised in the telling. I like Jay Lake. I put Green on my extended Best Of 2009 list as the standout of all his books I read this year. This volume is fragmented between a slew of characters-- from British secret agents, brass robots powered by the Seal of Solomon, Chinese librarians, sorceresses of the Southern Earth, a whole mess of everybody & everything. I'm happy to see the Southern Earth start to raise its face a little more; I think the real world is Northern Hemisphere-centric enough! Of course, in the real world there isn't a wall that stretches into the sky to unite with a heavenly track which goes about the sun...
I quite liked it. At first I thought the jumping from character perspective to character perspective was jarring, but as the characters started to come together, it worked fine; once the submarines & airships began to fill with the dramatis personae. As for the aforementioned wizard of the South, she was pretty great; very flavorful. I have to admit; I don't know if her tradition reflects real world mythologies or were invented whole cloth. A traveling wa & the Westfacing House, the city of circles & the Silent World. All very evocative. Boaz, especially with the voice of God in his belly, was another really strong contender in this book. Childress was strong as usual, & Kitchens was...exactly what he was. Paolina I think somewhat regressed; though her tutelage with Ganshansunu was promising, I felt like her disdain for men went back to its sort of unthinking knee jerk which rang hollow in a book populated with strong female characters & reasonable male ones. That, coupled with her same old moral dilemma about the stemwinder ("I'll never use it again! Especially not to kill. No, you have to kill those guys with your guns. That, I'm okay with.") was sort of a drag, considering what an outstanding addition to the cast she was in the last book. She wasn't a wretch or anything; I just would have liked to see her shine more. I will say this: the arc of Kitchen's plot was really compelling, & the truest "Steampunk" part of the series to date. Which I don't mean as a slam or a praise; I'll praise it on its own, but I think the "Punk" part of Steampunk usually gets forgotten in the urge for more Steam.
Current Mood: more tags?
Current Music: crown me king- moon honeycombed with angels
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crochetcrochet
[3hreex5ive]
 | 09:38 pm - "So the lion fell in love with the lamb..."
 Bella & Edward [Twilight] 
Size: 70cms x 60 cms
Date started: 13th Dec
Date Completed: 21st Dec
So my next piece was GOING to be Hagrid, for the Hogwarts Bunch Blanket, but I finally got around to seeing the first film in the Twilight saga and...well...when inspiration strikes, the hook will follow!!!
Hagrid is next I swear!! I promise fellow Potter fans!! lol
xox
P.S. Close up shot!
Current Mood: predatory
Current Music: 'All Together Now' The Beatles <3
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crochetcrochet
[speakingsoul]
 | 02:33 am - iPod touch Cozy/Case with pocket
Cozy/case for almost-13 year old cousin. She is getting an iPod touch for Christmas. I looked at alot of different patterns for iPod cases, but there was nothing that was what I wanted, so this is an original pattern. I sized it with an iPod touch. My iPhone fits as well. It has a flap to hold it secure with a hole for the earbuds to plug in as well as a pocket for storing the earbuds. I was considering making a strap also, but once the pocket was on I thought a strap would be too much. Ravelry Project. 
( More pictures... )
Current Music: Henry Van Dyke, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Charles Dickens -
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December 20th, 2009
setauuta
 | 08:36 pm - Christmas and all that
So, work got a little hectic, but it looks like things are settling down a little bit. As many of you know, Eric and I end up celebrating Christmas 3 times every year - once with my mother, once with his family, and once with just the two of us. This year, "real" Christmas is with Ma, so we'll be taking the train down to Portland on Thursday night and staying the weekend. I'm looking forward to it a lot - I've really enjoyed taking the train down to Portland since I started doing that (when I started temping at Amazon), and I'm looking forward to sharing that with Eric.
We did Christmas with Eric's family yesterday at his brother Jared's new house - it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL and freakin' huge. I covet their kitchen so much - it's huge, and there are two ovens and two sinks, and so many counters and cabinets and zomg want. Their kids were both a little under the weather with colds, but they did really well with all the strange people in the house. We ended up playing a few games - Cloud Nine, which we gave Jared a few years back after we played it at Thanksgiving, and Snorta (another gift from us), which was WAY more fun than I expected it to be. I had a lot more fun in general than I had expected, considering there was some drama leading up to the big day.
Eric and I did our personal Christmas last weekend, and went out for both lunch and dinner (which is not common for us). Lunch was the important one, though, because the Original Roadhouse Grill by our house was having a fundraiser for the families of the Lakewood police officers who were killed last month. The Everett Police were out in force, taking donations and thanking everyone who came in. The food was great, and it was nice to think it was doing something useful.
So far, Giftmas has been quite successful. I gave Eric a copy of Amber Diceless, which, it turns out, was something that he REALLY REALLY wanted and had been looking for for, well, ever. I just grabbed something off his wishlist that I vaguely remembered him mentioning before, so, well, go team me! I also gave him a bacon cookbook, which went over about as well as anything involving bacon does for Eric (hint: he loves him the bacon). We also did well for the family, especially the little ones, as we got them a copy of The Polar Express book, and Ethan loves the movie very much. He can go through the book and tell the story, and seemed very happy to have it.
As for me, Eric's parents gave me (well, us) two new 7' bookcases from Ikea (!!!), which need to be transported to our house (and two dead bookcases need to be transported to the dump). Eric also won big-time by getting me the Big Damn Heroes sourcebook for the Serenity RPG, a Mutts compilation, and, the best, a laptop desk. The main problem with using my laptop on the couch (where I usually use it) is that Ramses really likes to curl up in my lap, and there just isn't room for both him and my computer. With the desk, there's plenty of room for the kitty, and I've actually noticed that my back doesn't bother me so much. It's been kitty-tested and kitty-approved thus far, which means that it works well. He did really well.
Really, it's been a good weekend. Today's been mellow, with Gahan coming over for a little bit this afternoon, and a frew necessities taken care of. It's like the calm before the storm of Christmas and New Year's. I hope everyone else is doing well, too - I know my presence online has been pretty sparse lately, but I'm hoping to work on that.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://www.weblogimages.com/v.p?uid=setauuta&pid=416865&sid=kKM31anrQ7) peaceful
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shoez
 | 02:26 pm - My knot notes
I've been learning some knots. I've been taking notes so that I don't fall backwards. At the bottom is a list of knots that I know. I don't have notes on how to tie the knots here, but they're easy to find on the internet.
knot vocab:
bitter/working/loose end - The end of the rope that can be moved freely.
standing part/end - The end of the rope that is under load and cannot be moved freely.
bight - A piece of rope pinched to create a 180 degree rotation without crossing itself.
loop - A piece of rope twisted to create a 180 degree rotation, crossing itself once.
elbow - A piece of rope twisted to create a 180 degree rotation, crossing itself twice in the same direction.
turn - rope goes around object and comes back
round turn - rope goes around object twice and comes back
two round turns - rope goes around object thrice and comes back
breaker - part of the knot that can easily be manipulated by hand to break the knot
knot types:
hitch - knot to attach line to an object
bend - knot to secure two lines together
loop - knot to create a ring or whatever
knot modifiers:
slipped - the working end is passed back through the final loop for easy knot breaking
double - consisting of 2 ropes
rewoven/threaded - made double by rethreading the rope back through the knot
hitches:
highwayman's hitch
half-hitch
marlinspike hitch
clove hitch
constrictor
girth/cow hitch
pedigree cow hitch
wagoner's/trucker's hitch
italian/munter hitch
bends:
carrick bend
double fisherman/double overhand
water knot/ring bend
square/reef knot
thief/grief/granny knot
overhand bend/euro death knot
loops:
bowline
bowline on the bight
double bowline
double figure eight
rewoven/threaded figure eight loop
double rewoven/threaded figure eight loop
single figure eight on the bight
double overhand loop
alpine butterfly
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crochetcrochet
[lunamothmama]
 | 05:01 pm - my 2yr old son's final xmas present....
I love crocheting xmas presents for people, as i like ot do everything from thread to hairpin lace to basic Super Saver acrylic crochet :) i made up these amigurumi fruits and veggies using super saver, lion cotton, wool-ease, and random scraps and put them in a purchased shopping basket
corn on the cob
eggplant
squash
apple
pumpkin
and the carrot, celery, tomato, orange, grapes, pear, and banana
they are coming out super-cute! when i get the whole set done i will post a pic or two ;)
xposted to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) handmade_gifts
Current Mood: accomplished
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lord_whimsy
| 04:39 pm - OLIVE OIL CONNECTION
For those of you who were interested in ordering a bottle of that amazingly fresh Umbrian olive oil: below is Kathy's email. Kathy has told me that shipping to the west coast may run up to about nine or ten dollars for one bottle.
umbrianadventure(at)gmail.com
Here is Kathy's blog, Umbrian Adventures, which depicts her travels in Italy.
Enjoy!
~W
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crochetcrochet
[aimergency]
 | 11:34 am
does anyone have a free pattern for crocheted wrist warmers that have half finger holes?
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mordicai
 | 01:49 pm - Weekend Warriors!
Current Mood: Dance Dance Dance?
Current Music: crown me king- bird is the killing word
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mordicai
 | 10:41 am - Game night in a far away land: Rise of the Docia!
Last night I trundled out to the end of the train line to visit Ian & Isana to play Dungeons & Dragons. I traveled out there with David & Maggie; it was David who was going to be our Dungeon Master. I know Ian from when I worked in the saltmines of Kit Marlowe & Co., but I'd never met Isana before, nor their spawnling. Well I did meet them! Erica lives there too-- & then Edbury showed up & we got down to brass tacks. It was a monster mash campaign-- mostly everybody is a horrid monster. Well some are more horrid than others. Isana is a half-elf cleric, which isn't weird. I'm a goblin wizard-- a little weird, but not that crazy. I knew most of the other players were a grab bag of critters. Ian is a bugbear fighter, again only slightly crazy. Erica is a kenku assassin; weird, but not the end of the world. Maggie is a revenant paladin; creepy! Edbury really takes the cake though, playing a dolgaunt monk. He has tentacles & cilia & no eyes. Yuck! The campaign was a "you wake up without knowing how you got where you are!" set up, & we are apparently...on another planet? Or plane? Or in the future? Who can say! We had to fight ANGELS first off, & some torturer dudes, too. I thought the angels were going to slaughter us, to be honest-- they threw down 14 damage on me with my 20 hp! We turned it around though; we won! Though the bugbear & the dolgaunt dropped, we healed them up. Then...the nitty gritty? There was a sort of Babylonian Lottery, & the winner (me!)...was going to get his head chopped off to host a robot head? No thank you! I do not want the Docia. Then later the courtier who knew common ("Tower Speak") came to negotiate with us with the Wiki-Docia. Who the hell knows what is going on!
Isana & Huxley.
Maggie, Erica & Edbury.
David.
Ian & his monster.
Current Mood: Then I ate KFC.
Current Music: crown me king feat. eloise- hanameena
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December 19th, 2009
knish
 | 10:15 pm
books read:
What the Dog Saw, malcolm gladwell: the lebron of nonfiction writing can make talking about ketchup fascinating. but that's sort of his fatal flaw as well: he can be so interesting that the limits of a new yorker column - a magazine that i imagine allows him to be quite flexible - can be too constrictive for his style. the malcolm gladwell formula goes like this: introduce point A. introduce non sequitur B. show how A and B intersect when looked at from the proper angle, like the connection between football and dogfighting. but this allows some essays to be brushed aside when he misses his target, and others feel like they need to be 15 pages longer to work in all that he has to say, or should have to say. i am focusing on the failures, but until you've read it, i am a whole book smarter than you. read with Consider the Lobster, by the Reggie Lewis of nonfiction writing.
Beautiful Creatures, kami garcia and margaret stohl: i knew i shouldn't have done it. once you that it's cowritten, you know that it can't be good. but i got sucked in by the pretty cover and the promise that it might be the Next Big Thing in YA. and maybe it will be - i was wrong about twilight - but i thought this was thoroughly mediocre. i think this may be a girl book, but the narrator is a boy. does this happen often? maybe the perks of being a wallflower? i'm not sure i've ever read a book with a female narrator and thought that it was a boy book, but this book, like in boy books, has magical girls. read with Looking for Alaska and see that girls don't have to be witches to be magical. or that books can fight against their inclinations to provide an anticlimax.
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crochetcrochet
[miss_maray]
 | 08:30 pm - A Crochet Christmas Miracle
Hi everyone....I wanted to share a moment I had today in which I found a ridiculous amount of yarn (plus a crochet SURPRISE)...for just $1. Have you ever had a crochet christmas miracle? :D
I went my bf and my brother to the touristy area of Seattle today and ended up in the nicest little thrift shop near Pike’s Place Market…when my bf shows me THIS: 
( All this, for ONE DOLLAR…..but the miracle doesnt end THERE. )
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crochetcrochet
[antorris]
 | 08:28 pm - The spiral is spirally.
I finally finished the giant spiral, and its recipient just took some photos of it for me. It's not a large as I had planned, but still fits a twin bed, and took 13 skeins, all Lion Brand: 4 Cotton-Bamboo in Snapdragon (the green), 4 of the same in Chocolate Dahlia (brown), 3 Wool-Ease in Paprika (light orange), and 2 Superwash Merino in Cayenne (the dark red-orange).
( She loves it! )
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