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Thursday, March 29, 2012

A little bit of a regretable absence lately

Sorry I haven't been around. Have lots of homework. I'm just saying I'm here still, I haven't disappeared, I just have bio lab work and some essays to write. D= Still knitting and crocheting. I haven't been sewing because it takes a lot of time. I've drafted some patterns that I will share later on when I actually have time.
Not cool, but what can you do.

I"ve also been working on making stuff in minecraft. Its really working my technological side, what with the logic gates and electrical circuits.

I haven't gotten to wear lolita lately, its just not practical atm as I have sculpture and its messy. I also have biology labs, which are messy. Its also not practical to be climbing up hills and several flights of stairs in cute heels.

 I don't want to mess up my nicely sewn lolita clothing.

I need new lolita stockings for my thicker legs for that matter. I need more socks and such too. Well, this is what weekends are for. Along with homework. =.=

Will come up with new content soon....
I swear...
Maybe I can just photograph the diagrams I have in my sketchbook and make those the tutorial.


-MNR

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Japanese hook sizes - "steel"

I read a lot of japanese crochet patterns. Many of them are thread weight.

There is this beautiful bolero I would like to make into my size, it would be perfect for classic lolita or mori kei or even himegyaru.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/p21-lace-bolero
Its absolutely gorgeous but even in the book itself its very complicated, so I'm thinking about making this pattern instead. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/p23-bolero . Its slightly simpler.

I can read a little japanese: hirigana, katakana, and some kanji. MEEEH why would you use kanji in a pattern?? Then only those who are absolutely up to reading level in japanese can read it. The people who make these patterns are usually good about making diagrams. I plan on learning japanese more, but for now, diagrams will do. I guess.

Oftentimes these patterns are one size fits all. At least they are good about making them in a size that is highly adaptable, somewhere in between bust size 32 and bust size 38, a medium for a lot of people.

Japanese patterns use an "#/0" symbol for the size of their hooks and needles. US and UK use "size #" for their hook sizes in patterns. I keep forgetting the japanese to metric to US conversion for the needles. I think I'm going to make a chart in english. Or at least borrow one from the Rakuten site: http://www.rakuten.co.jp/gosyo/438728/672881/





Japanese steel hooks No.      2/0   3/0       4/0      5/0      6/0       7/0       8/0      10/0      
Size in mm                         2mm 2.3mm 2.5mm 3.0mm 3.5mm 4.0mm 5.0mm 6.0mm      
Japanese bamboo hooks No. 2         3           4          5          6           7          8          10       
Size in mm                         2.7m/m 3.0m/m 3.3m/m 3.6m/m 3.9m/m 4.2m/m 4.5m/m 5.1mm


I think hooks that don't have labels are just listed in mm size in the pattern.

If I got some info wrong, do comment and I will try to fix it.


-MNR

Monday, March 19, 2012

Crochet bow patterns

These are currently a work in progress. Check back.

They are for crochet.

Net Bow

Base:
With a g hook and worsted weight yarn, chain 21.
Sc into 2nd chain from hook and across the chains. (20 sc)
Ch 4, turn.*Skip one sc, dc in next stitch, ch 1*
Ch 4, turn.Skip 1 ch, dc in next dc, continue from *.
Continue previous row for 30 rows.
Row 31: Ch 1, sc in each dc and space. Fasten off.

Tie:
Ch 8.
Sc into 2nd chain from hook and across the chains. (7sc)
Ch 1, sc in each sc across.
Continue previous row for 2 more rows.
Do not fasten off.

Fold the bow in such a way that it fluffs up. Wrap the tie around the bow and secure both ends of the tie with slip stitches along the ends.



Bobble Bow

Bobble stitch: insert hook into stitch, yo, draw up loop, pull through two loops. Do this 3x more, then yo and draw through all loops. Do not chain one.

Base:
With a g hook and worsted weight yarn, ch 25.
Sc into 2nd chain from hook and across the chains. (25 sc)
Sc in first two stitches, bobble,

Spring break, the casino, and sewing machine

Well, spring break is over tonight. It kinda sucks that it is over.
I had fun, though most of the days I was just lounging about and sleeping and knitting.
I did get a chance to drive home and stay there for 3 days, 90 miles is the farthest I've driven.

My friends and I went to Mohegan Sun casino and resort yesterday for St. Patrick's day. It was intense. Lots of partying people, we saw the parade, I lost $40 (my friend provided the money) and at the roulette table he won back all of our losses. So it wasn't awful. I actually like the roulette and black jack tables much better than the slots. More strategy involved than pushing a button and getting random wins.
In general, I learned I don't like gambling. I lost a lot, and the wins I did get weren't worth much. If I were to go again, I would go to see the shows and watch people at the tables. I feel.... I need some tangible return for putting money into the endeavor. A lot of celebrities come and do shows at the casino. I didn't realize.

I totally wish they had Pokemon slots like in the gameboy games. That would be awesome, I would totally play! For that matter, the Pokemon games need things like blackjack and roulette or Pokemon poker.

By the end of all that, my feet hurt so much. The place is fairly huge and there are massive amounts of crowds and the only place to sit is at the slots. =P Very strategic there.
There was a scandalously dancing man that handed out necklaces with "lightly dressed" females handing out beer reward cards. I got both, but  I didn't use the beer card. I don't like beer. I am more of a wine or cocktail person. Also I don't drink often.

The mainly awful part was driving there. There were so many terrifying moments of getting lost, and the gps was trying to screw us over constantly. Oh, mother gave me her tom tom 2 recently, and I am borrowing her sewing machine.

I didn't dress the way I wanted to. I really wanted to sew the coffee date dress from burdastyle and wear it to the casino so I could look like some arm candy and find James Bond at one of the poker tables and be his good luck charm. But... mohegan sun is... more of a family oriented casino. And the vast majority of the people that went there weren't dressed up. After I was done gambling, For the last couple hours I people watched. That was the most disappointing part about people watching. There were very few people in suits and cocktail dresses.
However, when you do go to the place where the sit-down restaurants are, more people are dressed up, in pumps and short dresses. A  younger, more hip crowd, mostly to go to the nightclub there.

I just wore casual outerwear. I was somewhat upset about that, that I didn't really dress up. I tried, but soo many clothes, and nothing matching! Argle!

About the sewing machine though: I was there at 11 pm, in the dorm, cutting up the printed pattern, taping pieces together. Then my sewing machine started to make loud squeaking noises.
and then the squeaking noises started to intensify slowly, and would appear and disappear.
I'm very upset, because I oiled every part of the machine. I searched online, it may be that the engine needs oil. I had better look at the manual, or call mummah.... but she got it tuned up last year, so the motor's brushes shouldn't be eroded.

I have a Kenmore model 385.something, I can't quite remember the whole model number off the top of my head. I downloaded a free copy of the manual a few months ago, so I shall try to troubleshoot myself. I just got access to a sewing machine. I don't want to have to take it home because if I take it home it will stay there for months, not getting tuned up as it needs.

Before it crapped out I did manage to finish my green dress. So its not that awful...
I need to learn how to insert zippers and make button holes tho. I can hand sew anything else I guess.

Well, back to class tomorrow. When I have time, I guess.

-MNR