In March of 2017 I was crocheting a yellow lace circle vest for my sister. The pattern included classic crocheted lace elements.
My sister was visiting, so we did a fitting and she requested sleeves. By June of 2017 I had finished the sleeves by doing a simple net for the arms, and a matching edge pattern for the bell sleeves at the elbows.
Although it was pretty, the delicate lace was, well, delicate. It didn’t hold up well to use.
Yes, it is April 1st, but this is a real photo from my digital trail camera. No, it is not the end of the world, the sun isn’t collapsing into a black hole, but there are quite a few things going on in this shot.
The sun looks black because it is so bright that it overloaded the sensors in the digital camera, which, when overwhelmed, sets the value to black instead of white. The white halo around the black dot is not bright enough to overload the sensor, but does washout the surrounding tree branches.
The rainbow rays shooting from the sun are a form of lens flare, and are an artificial artifact in photography, sometimes used deliberately for effect.
The amorphous white blob in the middle of the photo is most likely a sensor flare, where the bright sunlight reflects off the sensor then the lens, and then back to the sensor.
I don’t usually use my trail cam for avant-garde photography, so the fix for this was to make sure the camera wasn’t facing directly east or west so it wasn’t framing the rising or setting sun.
I’m experimenting with crocheted flowers for my wreath. To make a mum-like flower I used four colors of acrylic yarn and made four layers of petals, each with the same type of “petal” but with different diameter centers and thus different numbers of petals.
To make the layers, half double crochet into a magic circle eight times, slip stitch to join.
To make the petals, chain 9.
Skip the first chain and single crochet eight along the rest of the chain.
Slip stitch into the next double crochet on the round. Then make the next petal.
For the other layers, add a round of half double crochet increases to the center before adding the petals.
In Barbershop singing, the initial pitch (note) is played on a small instrument called a pitch pipe. When performing, if the pitch piper doesn’t have pockets in their costume, the quandary of where to put the pipe after playing the pitch is a problem. Some pitch pipes are made of metal, so a concealed magnet under the clothing can hold onto the instrument, usually placed near the small of the back. Other pitch pipes have a plastic case, which, of course, is not magnetic. I discovered that a magnetic phone ring made for magsafe phones, is the perfect size for the Tombo pitch pipe as well.
The adhesive ring included in the package fits the face of the pipe perfectly. It still allows the label to be seen and doesn’t interfere with the blow holes.
To use, I am going to try attaching the main magnet to a belt that I will wear under my costume.
I finished nålbinding handles onto my loop-and-twist linen string bag.
I thought I followed the pull strings that I installed originally, which split the top loops evenly. Hm. No. Not sure what happened, but the second handle had many more loops than the first.
The handles didn’t really work out like what was in my head either. The two handles work better as one handle, with access to contents from the sides. I actually think this would be lovely to hold my onions and garlic in the pantry. So while it didn’t fit my original vision, it still will have a use.
Note to my future self: a loose row of nålbinding as a top band, then two arced handles on the sides might work, like a tote bag.
Critters and Craft 