This was a while ago but it caught my eye. As a guy that has cut himself to the bone on both a finger and a thumb with a chef knife while at work, and been witness to a fair share of inadvertent digitectomies, I have to disagree. I don't know what kind of cut resistant gloves you're using but the ones where I worked were basically chainmail and while your hand was certainly at crush/pinch risk if you exerted enough force, you weren't going to lose a finger when using it, as such both myself and many of my unfortunate coworkers would have been better of if we/they had used the glove when appropriate. Should you use one when slicing/dicing some mundane smooth skin vegetable? No, unless you are a total noob or go way too fast. Should you use one when using a mandolin, a grater, or some other situation where you are at risk of scraping your hand along a stationary blade (a risk which is small but the likelihood is heightened over prolonged exposure)? Maybe. Either way they aren't a liability other than making you go slower.
I've knitted two toques in the last three days. I'm calling them my "plague hats" because they're undoubtedly covered in cold germs. They will be washed before anyone wears them. Starting a third in a few minutes...
I've picked up a knitting project I started. I'm very much a beginner and am a little tired of knitting scarves (which, living in sunny California, are useful about 3 weeks out of the year) (this being one of the three weeks). I am going to try a few washcloths or pot holders to practice making patterns with stitches, as I'm only really good with the basic garter stitch -- but that hardly seems worth mentioning. LOL. What is the next logical step for a very newbie knitter to take? I have a set of circular needles but haven't gotten comfy with them. Also, I sort of have a "thing" for wooden boxes. And handmade wooden goods of all sorts, but particularly boxes. Not sure why, but they just make me happy. I think because they so clearly require a crafter's touch if done right.
Do you know how to do a purl stitch yet, or just a knit one? If you don't know how to purl, learn basic stockinette first (knit front row, purl back row). Warning, it will curl on you. You don't have to do it for long, just enough to get a feel for purling. (A purl stitch is a knit stitch made backward, by the way. I love that.) If you want to make washcloths, find one that's got an interesting pattern to it. Not like cables or anything, but as basic just-knit-and-purl pattern. Here's my favorite. Basketweave washcloths are nice looking. And really easy. Cast on 50sts. Row 1: *K5, p5 to end. Rows 2-5: same as row 1. Row 6: *p5, K5 to end. Rows 7-10: same as row 6. Repeat that pattern until washcloth is square. and you’re done! I make these when I need something simple to focus on. They look like this when they're done. It's good knit and purl practice for newbies, too. Or hit up Ravelry and find some other pattern you like!
I've done some purl but just enough to see how it works. I'll give that one a try. Thanks! They should call purl stitches "tinks".
No, tinking is where you have to unknit some stitches on your needles to get back to a mistake you need to fix. (As opposed to frogging, which is where you unravel the whole project because it's not turning out the way you want.)
I mentioned in SwitchKnitter's Frivolous Purchases thread that I collect wood boxes. It's not limited to wood, as I do have a lot of tins and metal boxes as well. I probably have about 30 or so around the house. I can't explain why I like them, but the craftsmanship does play a part as my favourites are hand-carved. I had no intention of making boxes other than the Clockwork Box, but since doing so I will be making more. I have enjoyed the challenge partly because I found out I've been doing it the hard way. A lot of boxes are bandsawn boxes, in that you make an enclosed box then mark the line for the lid and then cut it on a bandsaw. Doing it this way ensures that the lid fits perfectly. I've been making the box and lid separately. After a New Years party at a friend's place (they received one of the gift boxes) I have been asked to make a couple of steampunk styled boxes and a box for a sword. The friends also want me to build an office and a natural slab bar top for them, so it looks like a busy start to the year. At least this will all pay for the drawers and tool-chests that will be purely for display.
Thoughts on my new hobby: 1. Knitting is fun! 2. Purl stitch is awkward as hell. 3. How long until it doesn't hurt my hands anymore? 4. I've had to add a few extra steps to the process - stitch in with right hand needle, wrap yarn around needle, move Lucas' paw away from my yarn, slide stitch off left needle, stop Lucas from chewing on the end of the needle, repeat.
Almost every single new knitter holds the needles and yarn too tightly. Relax. Focus on the way your hands feel and the touch of the yarn. Yes, purl stitch seems awkward at first. In fact, one of the most creative knitting teachers and pattern designers in the history of writing about knitting, Elizabeth Zimmerman, famously hated purling and came up with many creative ways to avoid doing it. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself!
I'm going to agree and add that holding your needles and yarn is best done the way you feel most comfortable, don't listen to anyone that says you are "supposed" to hold the needles or yarn a certain way. I'm currently knitting a large octopus and holding the needles and yarn any damn way I please. I'm doing fake in the round for its legs so my hands would be aching if I didn't relax. Of course switching over to real in the round is easier since I don't have to pay as much attention.
I'm doing some stockinette to practice purling. (Tried the pattern SwitchKnitter suggested and decided I needed more purling practice first.) At some point I think I managed to do a whole row of purling the wrong direction, or something. Everything feels backwards. Not sure how to fix it. I've been muddling along, but it's not getting better. I guess I should "tink" a few rows until I find where it went wrong. Also for this project I'm using wooden needles instead of metal and they are gentler on both my fingers and the yarn (not splitting the yarn up so much), although a little more trouble to get used to.
If you haven't tinked it yet, you can post a picture and I can try to figure out what you did. Wooden needles are great. I use them for all but the smallest-needle projects, because sizes 0 or 1 sock needles remind me of long toothpicks and I'm terrified of breaking them. Size two and up are okay for me, though. My DPNs (double-pointed needles, used for things like socks and mittens) are bamboo, and all my other needles are the Harmony line from KnitPicks. (I have tons of other needles, but those are the ones I actually use.) I don't use straight needles ever; circular needles work fine for that purpose, as you can knit back-and-forth on them as well as around-and-around, and they don't have the long ends sticking out to whack into things.
Doing a couple of rows of bass-ackwards knit stitches seems to have gotten it back on track, I think I will just square it off with garter stitch and call it a (fugly) washcloth. Thanks though :) I'm pretty sure I know what I did wrong, I caught myself looping the purl stitch from left to right instead of right to left a few times, and I bet I did a row like that. The lesson being that I'm not actually practiced enough to do purling while watching TV.
Once your fingers know what they're doing, you can do simple knitting and purling without looking at your hands. This is great for movie theaters....
I have finished the most astonishingly hideous "washcloth" in the history of knitting. I do not know what to do with it. Now that I've bound it off it's even more hole-y and uneven than I expected. I may just unravel it to re-use the yarn. Oh well. Onwards to better things!
I've been working on a crochet scarf and my index finger on my left hand hurts to high heavens. I rested it for a week to see if it was just sore from being out of practice but it hasn't really improved much :( In other I did a quick scarf for my MIL (simple pattern, alternating SC and DC) and she loved it so WHEEE pain was worth it!
Crochet hurts my hands like crazy. I'm determined to conquer it, though, so I'm going to try all kinds of ergonomic hooks and this little "egg" accessory that goes over the handle of the hooks. I hope I find a solution because otherwise, it's a nonstarter for me.
Instead of just posting a photo of the finished box, I've decided to make a bunch of work-in-progress posts. The first step was to make the box without the lid. As it will be covered in aluminium, standard dowelled butt joins will do. Next step was to cut everything for the lid and make sure it will all fit together properly (it doesn't look like it all lines up, but that's due to the mesh). No fancy joins here because it is being capped in aluminium. The aluminium capping in place. The trick here will be making precise cuts on the top so that when I bend the corners, it all lines up nicely. Now that I know everything will work as intended, I can start putting the lid together. Once the lid is complete, I need to make the main detail piece so that the top looks similar to this.
So the lid is coming along as planned. After shooting some clear over the mesh it was time to put it all together. I normally only use screws for the aluminium and fixtures, but due to the mesh it was the easiest way to make sure everything was held together tightly. It also helps that the capping will cover them. The next picture shows the inside edge of the top. I'm going for a weathered look for the wood, but I still want an almost glass-like finish without being too glossy. To do this I start sanding with 180grit then move through 240/400/600/800 and finish with 1200grit, wiping it down with a dry cloth between each level of sanding. I then use a beeswax and citrus oil polish. To make it really shine, I would then leave it for 24 hours and then re-apply it and polish with lambswool, but I'm not worrying about that for this part. If I wanted a fine woodwork finish, I would wipe it down with a damp cloth between sanding as this not only raises the grain, but removes light spots in the grain caused by the dust. By just using a dry cloth you keep the light and dark figure in the grain that gives it an old, weathered appearance. Once it's finished I'll take a close-up with the good camera. After that it was time to start sketching out the detail piece. I'm using 7mm AA grade marine ply for this as it will sit just below the top edge of the lid. The initial outline wasn't right, but it's now about as close as I can get to the photo. The idea at this point is to cut around the outside edge and then cut the 7 out so that you will see the mesh inside it. This way it will look like the logo on the car, but not be the same. This could all change if it doesn't look right once it's in place, but fingers crossed. Tomorrow: Cutting the logo and trying to wrap the aluminium around the lid.
Past the point of no return. After the aluminium was cut and shaped, I cut out the logo and put it all in place to see how it looked. So far so good. Next step was to clean up the logo using the sanding method mentioned above. This time I only went as far as 800grit as I then applied a few coats of wipe-on poly (50% polyurethane and 50% mineral turps) before a light wet-sanding. After that it was time to put the aluminium in place. I then went over the aluminium with 800 and 1200grit sandpaper to give it a brushed look. With that done it was time to finish the underside edge of the lid. The same sanding process was used with a final beeswax polish. I've added a closer photo of the top edge to show the weathered look mentioned earlier. I wasn't happy with the finish of the logo as the matte-like finish doesn't really stand out enough, so I decided to give it a thick clear gloss finish instead. Tomorrow I will wet-sand then give it another coat. After that, another wet-sand then another coat. And the day after that... you get the idea. about four coats should do it before a final wax and polish. During that time I will start on the aluminium pieces for the rest of the box. And I now know that the lid is quite strong after it fell off the bench. No damage other than a couple of minor scratches in the aluminium that were easily removed.
The photo makes it. And I hope I'm not the only one who after reading the quotes "I'm arrested for armed kidnapping and I love knitting" and "I'm in for attempted murder and I'm knitting a small hat for a kid" and thought Balaclavas?
Not a lot of progress on the Caterham box other than a couple of coats of clear due to the heat recently. Next week will be a lot cooler, so I'm hoping I'll be able to have the rest of the clear done as well as the aluminium by the end of the week. In the meantime, I have started on a project for a BF member. The tools and materials ready to make a Shaving Stand made out of Bamboo, Meranti, Tasmanian Oak and shavings. Since taking this photo I have cut the glass and started on the base. I picked up a cheap shaving brush to make sure the slot it sits in is just right, but when I checked it against the measurements I have, it's way too small. Nothing some tape won't fix though. I'll be working on this when I have the time, but I hope to have photos of the base up sometime next week. It will certainly be a one-of-a-kind shaving stand. Tomorrow I head into the city to build an office in two days. It's good to see that all my years of study in Anthropology, Sociology, Art and Music are being put to good use.
F*** yes! He took my suggestion to ping this thread! <fist-pumping> Also, what do the shavings do in the construction? <intrigued>
Actually daemion offered in that thread and how could I say no? I have some suspicions about this but I doubt they're correct as I would think it would be one of the last steps in the process and not the first. I have to say I'm damn excited about all of this!
TheTrunkDr is right in that they are one of the last steps, as a result of the construction, but they're part of the first section being made. I hope that's cryptic enough. I got home from building the office tonight and I'll get back into this tomorrow. If all goes to plan, I'll have photos of the base in the next couple of days.
I've decided to try and be a little more outward with what I do, so I'll just post some paintings I've made recently. Any comments are welcome.
I love geometric patterns in art. I like really modern-looking stuff though, and the clean lines and sharp angles just do somethin' for me.
