The Thrifty Knitter

My poor old well-used and repaired digital camera finally shit the bed. It won’t recognize any cards, fucks up the data if I repeatedly try to make it read them, and it’s old enough that it’s no longer worth fixing. So 2 questions:

1. What should I get now? I want a fancy (but not too fancy) digital SLR in the $500 neighborhood (including lens). It’s going to be my birthday present, so I have about a month to figure it out. I might try renting a camera locally, but Topeka’s really my only option, because I don’t want to drive 4 hrs round trip.
2. Is there somewhere I can donate this where they fix cameras & reuse them? A search for “donating broken cameras” got me this, but I can’t tell whether they can fix broken cameras & they don’t have contact info. If it can be fixed up, it’s still a decent camera, and can still take pretty damn lovely pictures in natural light (it’s less brilliant in low light). I think I have all the original cords & several memory cards.

Well, I’m 3 balls in with 2 more to go, so it looks like this will have short sleeves.

Knit Picks Andean Silk, cranberry I think. Sadly, it itches. I’m hoping I’m just more sensitive in warm weather, but lately, everything makes me itch. This is supposed to be merino/silk/superfine alpaca, so it shouldn’t freaking itch. Regular alpaca, sure, but superfine shouldn’t. Anyhoo, we’ll see. If worse comes to worse, I probably have a tight tshirt I can wear under it. Maybe I can even find a great color to show through the lace.

I was feeling a little low today and this really brightened me up:

and this, too!

Yes, I’m a big nerdy approval-seeking spaz.

I don’t yet have a copy in my hot little hands, but Shannon Okey’s Alt Fiber is officially out! I designed a very cute A-line linen skirt (in linen stitch–Shannon’s idea) for it. Here’s a sneaky detail shot of the side trim, not yet crisply blocked:

I also just wrote a chapter on knitting for pets in a knitting encyclopedia book.

I feel weird about this craft writing thing. While I love crafts & writing about crafts, I don’t know that it’s quite my niche, but sorting out my niche is too scary. I’ve only done the one book, and its sales were pretty lackluster despite the awesome early press I got (I blame their decision to make it softcover instead of the original hardcover plan–much of its appeal is for non-knitters, but they’re not going to buy a $20 paperback).

Really, I think the problem is that I’m just not driven overall. Well, I’m driven (in a manic, obsessive sort of way), but not ambitious. To make money, to make a name, you have to actually want fame and fortune. And while I think fame and fortune (especially fortune; fame’s less appealing) would be a dreamy side effect, I’m not really enthusiastic about either one. I really admire people who are casually confident and self-promotional. I’m pretty fucking  sure of my actual abilities, but I’m shitty at broadcasting that. I’m not confident enough to spread my own word for more than a few minutes without backing down and getting all aw-shucksy. Braggarts make me cringe, so I get all nervous I’m going to look like an asshole when I step into braggart territory. But that’s kind of where you need to live unless you’re just really, really lucky and fall ass-backwards into something. I kind of fell ass-backwards into my brief, nerdly, and miniature fame and fortune with early Disgruntled Housewife. I think that was my  one little lucky break, but that’s ancient history.

Weird.

I should go do something productive. All this introspection is making me peevish.

I almost forgot! I’m teaching a 3-session class at Settlers Farm on a totally customizable top-down raglan sweater. It’s 6-8pm Monday, August 11, 18 & 25. If you can knit stockinette, you can make this sweater (bonus: no seaming!). It’s $45 for three 2-hour sessions, plus advance help picking out yarn if you need it.

Class registration

Pre-class swatching

These are all top-down raglans (it’s pretty much the only sweater I make anymore). I’ll be making a dress variation for my class project, so that’s an option, too.

Class description:

Ready to graduate from hats and scarves but intimidated by complicated sweater patterns? Then the
top-down raglan is for you! Make an easy sweater to fit anyone, with absolutely no seaming. The
top-down raglan is a flexible recipe that works with virtually any yarn and style. The shaping is easy and the whole thing is completely knit in the round, making it perfect television knitting. The variations are limitless: make it fitted, loose, or maternity; crew neck, relaxed neck, cowl, turtleneck, off the shoulder; long-sleeved, 3/4, short sleeves, no sleeves; sleeves fitted, straight, or belled; pullover or cardigan (cardigans can be worked flat, or round then steeked)–the sky’s the limit! You’ll learn tips for overcoming yarn obstacles and using unique handspun yarn. And you’ll be able to adapt the recipe for any yarn and style you like, for a lifetime of sweater knitting without a pattern or a single seam!

Students must know how to cast on, knit, and cast off. Knowing how to increase and pick up stitches is helpful but can be taught.

Please bring yarn of choice or we can help you choose materials during the hour before the first class

16″ circular needle or dpns in size determined by gauge swatch (or 24″ circular for 2XL+ sizes)
16″ circular needle or dpns in size 2-3 sizes smaller than above for ribbed trim only–others use same size
(or 24″ circular for 2XL+ sizes)
24 or 36″ circular needle in size determined by gauge swatch (or 36 – 40″ needle for 2XL+ sizes)
yarn needle
4 stitch markers, including one in a contrasting color.

I’ve misplaced my camera, so you won’t get any pictures today (sorry to be a tease), but HOLY SHIT, DOES MY NEW STRAUCH DOUBLEWIDE MOTORIZED DRUM CARDER ROCK!

You heard right. Motorized, baby.

Strauch now offers motorized drum carders, or a motorized upgrade kit if you already have a Finest or 200 (the motor can only be added to chain-drive carders). And when you buy the upgrade kit, you have the option of having Otto do it for free (you only pay for the shipping), which is amazing. You can also DIY (the motor is built into a frame which goes under your machine, vs. the upgrade, where the motor is mounted into the existing frame), but I think that’s kinda nuts when the man himself will do it for free (shipping it to him will probably fall between $25 – $35 UPS if you generate the label online instead of at the UPS store).

The Motorized Finest is $1724.00 (doublewide $2024.00). Motorizing kit for manual Finest or 200 series is $1150.00 (1200.00 for doublewides), which includes labor if you want Otto to do it. It ain’t cheap, but I think it’s as better price than the other small motorized machines out there & it’s a wise investment if you have a fiber business. And of course, Art Club offers layaway…. (I haven’t yet listed them, but email me if you’re interested. I’ll be offering reduced shipping plus 3# of free fiber with the motorized machines and 2# with upgrades. Yes, I’m the Fiber Enabler. What’s it to ya?) He’s also working on a 230V one for you overseas types.

Initially, I was going to play it cool and get the upgrade kit for my Finest, but then I realized I’d need to replace it for Yarn School (we can’t have the liability of students using a motorized carder), so I thought, what the hell!

My carding arm (aka my mousing arm) has been fucked up for the last couple of months (I keep straining it on some new project just when I’ve babied it for weeks) and it is very, very happy about my new purchase. Wheeeeeee!

Whoo hoo! Register now!

Natalia’s Spring ’08 goodie bag from the Yarn School Photo Pool

Every Yarn School and Felt School student gets a marvelous fiber goodie bag. If you’re a fiber arts supplier and you’d like to get samples of your goods into the hot little hands of rabid fiber enthusiasts via the Yarn School and/or Felt School goodie bags, contact nikol at harveyvilleproject dot com.

Here are our guidelines:

• Fiber items should be at least one ounce
• Add-ins like locks, sparkle, notions, etc., may be smaller
• All samples should be clearly labeled with the vendor’s name & contact info
• Please provide 36 items for the Yarn School bags and/or 24 items for the Felt School bags
• Door prizes should be clearly labeled with vendor’s name & contact info
• We’ll have a vendor literature rack available. Anyone may submit literature; door prize/goodie bag contributors may have literature/sample cards inside the goodie bags as well.
• All goodie/door prize contributors may submit a 50×140 pixel gif of jpeg banner for display on the Fiber School, Yarn School, or Felt School pages (please specify) and The Thrifty Knitter website. Banners will post after items are received and will appear until registration for the Spring session opens.

Send goodies/door prizes to:

Nikol Lohr
The Harveyville Project
13149 Harveyville Rd
Harveyville KS 66431