craft

EPISODE 8: QUESTIONS AND CARS

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Questions
from mijejo in the Ravelry thread

What do mean that you use male pronouns?

The simple answer to this question is that I am clarifying that, when you talk about me, you should use the words “he” “him” “his” etc.

The more complicated answer has two parts.

One part is that once I point it out that I use male pronouns, it seems obvious. Yeah, obviously this dude should be called “him.” If I don’t clarify, not everyone guesses right, especially if I’m speaking. My voice isn’t that deep or masculine. My face isn’t super masculine. If you see me in person, I’m on the short side and I have wide hips. And “Adrian” doesn’t necessarily indicate masculine or feminine, as there are both versions of the name. And it really does not feel good when people guess wrong.

And that’s because of the second part. I have a complicated relationship with gender and sexuality. It’s been something that I’ve tried to clarify for myself for more than half of my life now. I don’t have a firm grasp on the specifics and I’m not comfortable sharing everything here on the podcast, but it’s been something I’ve been actively thinking about and educating myself on for a long time. If you’ve never questioned your gender or sexuality, you might not get that, but I want to be sure that it’s clear which gendered pronouns I prefer when I can because it’s something I’ve had to work at.

Also, if you regularly post or interact with a group of people who are trans, who don’t identify as binary male or female, or who are questioning, it’s polite to indicate your pronoun preference in your profile or as a part of your introduction. I know that each episode could be someone’s first time watching, so I keep it as part of my introduction.

Is there a backstory to the name Freakish Lemon?

Back in the seventh grade (2000 – 2001 school year), AOL Instant Messenger was becoming popular among my friend group. I cycled through a whole host of screen names trying to figure out which one suited me. I started out with ones based on book characters and weird combinations of words. I don’t remember a lot of them, but I remember using names like “Ketchup Avenger” for a while. I started using The Almighty Lemon after an assignment in History & Geography where we created trivia board games about India and played each other’s games. One of the games used little plastic fruits as pieces and I played as the lemon. After a while, The Almighty Lemon sounded too boastful, I guess, so I changed it to Freakish Lemon. I was one of the weird kids in school, so “freakish” seemed like a more appropriate descriptor.

It also made me laugh because of common fanfic terminology that was in use at the time. I hadn’t thought about it when I registered for the AIM screen name or anything, but I used to write fanfic at the time and it made me laugh so hard when I got a review on some tame and terrible introspective fic saying that this person was never reading my stuff again because my screen name lead them to believe that my fic would be very different.

Tell us more about the Renaissance Fairs you attend. What parts do you like? What would you recommend to someone who has never gone to one, but aspires to remedy that?

I’ve been to a few Ren Faires and I love going. My family started going to the NY Ren Faire when I was 13. I’m 27 now and the NY Ren Faire is a yearly tradition. We also used to go to the fall CT Ren Faire most years until some changes put us off. It’s in a new location this year, so we might check it out. We’ve also been to the PA Ren Faire multiple times for vacations and I’ve been to the MD Ren Faire once on a trip with my friends.

I like lots of things about Ren Faires, but I’ll try to nail down a few concrete ones. I love making and wearing costumes, which is encouraged at the faires. I love the welcoming environment of most faires. I like checking out the craftsmanship at the faires. You see lots of metal work, sculpture, glass work, leather work, and sewing work that you really don’t see all together anywhere else. I love the music. I love the jousting. I love faire food.

For someone who has never gone –

– Try not to feel self conscious about how you’re dressed. Dress up or don’t. There will be plenty of both. You won’t stick out.

– Find out if you can bring water or if there will be free water there. Lots of faires are in the summer and you need to stay hydrated, especially if you’re dressed up in layers. MD had free water stations when I went and PA has a water fountain near one of the bathrooms, but NY doesn’t have water fountains or free water stations. If there isn’t free water, find out if you can bring your own. Water bottles at NY are $3 each, so that can be a hefty chunk of your budget if you’re not prepared for it.

– It’s a fair, so food and drinks are expensive. It varies depending on the faire, but expect to pay up to $12 for a meal’s worth of food and drink.
– Scope out the bathrooms. Find out where they are and what type they are. NY has one set of normal, running water bathrooms and a bunch of groupings those blue portable toilets (we call them porta-potties here). PA has all normal, running water bathrooms. For us, knowing where they are and what type we’ll have to use alleviates a lot of stress.

– If you have mobility concerns (strollers, wheelchairs, canes, walkers, etc), bring someone who can help you. The faires I’ve been to have been handicap accessible, but often the walkways are dirt or gravel, uneven, and going up and down hill. The shops and tents also tend to be small, so if you use a wheelchair or walker especially, it’s probably best to have someone to help you in tight spaces.

 

Stuff on Sticks

FOs –

  • Del Norte by Danielle Morgan – Ella Rae Lace Merino (100% extra fine merino) in “Green/11” and Berroco Cosma (60% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 10% Silk) in “2442” – US 4 / 3.5 mm Boye aluminum circular interchangeables – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/del-norte

WIPs –

  • Cozy Memories Blanket using the Memories Blanket tutorial by Georgie Hallam – sock scraps – US 2/2.75 mm interchangeable circulars – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/memory-blanket
  • Lace Weight Triangle Shawl – Plymouth Yarn Revel (85% alpaca, 15% merino) in “Grape Mist” – US 5/3.75 mm aluminum circulars – improvised pattern
  • Redford Sweater by Julie Hoover – Yarn Place Basic Fingering (wool) in Grey (ebay yarn) – swatching for needle size – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/redford
  • Gift Knitting

Stuff on Hooks

WIPs –

  • Granny Square Odds and Ends – Based off of a square seen on Attic24 – misc acrylic worsted weight yarn – H/5.00 mm
  • Weekender Blanket by Sandra Paul – Lion Brand Wool Ease and Vanna’s Choice Yarns leftover from Doctor Who scarves in worsted and light aran weight – US I/ 5.5 mm- http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weekender-blanket

Stuff on Spindles and Wheels

FOs –

  • Pumpkin Yarn – hand dyed SW Merino/Merino/Silk – 4 oz – 231 yds – 15 wpi sport – Ashford Kiwi 2
  • Swan Hollow Studio Fiber – Bought at Stitches East in 2014 – Camel/Tussah silk/Sheltland – 4 oz – 91.5 yds – 12 wpi DK – Ashford Kiwi 2

WIPs –

  • Giant Ball of wool handspun 2 ply fractal spinning – Spinners Hill (blend of Corriedale, Finnish Landrace, Rambouillet) Autumn leaf colors – Ashford Kiwi 2 – for the Maple Leaf Knit Shawl by Natalia @ Elfmoda – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/maple-leaf-knit-shawl
  • Phoenix Fiber Club June – Turtle Made Turkish spindle

Stuff with Thread

FOs –

WIPs –

  • Christmas Cross Stitch – The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

New Stuff

  • Bryson Stainless Steel Sock Blockers
  • Knitter’s Pride Knit Blockers
  • Bee Linen bag from KnitterBag.Etsy.Com

Stuff for Etsy

  • Moleskines
  • Sparkly handspun
  • New business cards
  • Stitch Markers R&D

Other Stuff
          

Stuff I’m Watching – Agents of SHIELD, Wonder Woman, House Hunters, Hindenburg: The Untold Story, Doctor Who
 Stuff I’m Reading – Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin, Tales of Witchcraft edited by Richard Darby
Stuff I’m Playing – Lego Marvel Superheroes, DuoLingo
Podcasts – Herbstblatt Regina on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/cre8iveregy

Events
 

Fiber, Friends, and Fun Yarn Crawl by the Western CT Yarn Council – Sept. 25th – 27th

  • New England Yarn and Spindle in Bristol
  • Knit & Pearls in Avon
  • In Sheep’s Clothing in Torrington
  • Black Sheep Yarns in Kent
  • A Stitch in Time in Bethel
  • Nancy O in Ridgefield
  • Westport Yarns in Westport

Coventry Farmer’s Market – Fiber Twist & Bead Bash – Sept 27th

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Canyon and Handspun Socks

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Another older FO post! Let’s get this party started. Today, it’s socks!

Canyon Socks

Pattern: vanilla sock
Yarn: Loops & Threads Luxury Sock in “Canyon”
Needles: US 1 – 2.25 mm

 

I tried a couple of new things with these socks. Nothing major, but some tweaks that I hadn’t done in combination. I cast these on with 64 stitches. Lots of folks with similarly sized or smaller feet use 64 stitches for their basic socks, so I thought I’d give it a go. These are a teeny bit loose on me, but that’s not unexpected. I have a loose gauge and it was good to know. I also used the Fish Lips Kiss Heel on top down socks for the first time. It worked out well and is a good option for self-striping socks, I think. They look nice and even with matching heels, since I started the heel at the same color change.

All in all, a satisfying knit. They fit well enough and I learned some handy things to know about my gauge, foot size, and heel construction.

 

Handspun Socks

Pattern: vanilla sock
Yarn: Handspun out of 4 oz Frabjous Fibers BFL in “Dunedin” – chain plied and spun on my Ashford Kiwi 2
Needles: US 1 – 2.25 mm

 

Oh boy. These were an adventure. I made these for the Yarngasm Podcast’s Sock Spin and Knit Along. The goal was to spin your yarn and knit it into a pair of socks. I had a great time spinning the BFL I chose, but looking back on it, I think I needed to spin it a little finer to get more length out of it. The finished yarn was thicker than a fingering weight, so the yardage was a little short for my feet. In fact, if I hadn’t noticed, I would have run out of yarn part way through the toe decreases. Or I should have spun a little of another fiber to do contrasting heels and toes. I would have had plenty of the BFL for the socks if I had done that.

But alas, I had not and I played an epic game of yarn chicken. I skipped a bunch of plain knit rows in the toe and increased the decreases. By the end of it, I was knitting from both ends of the last bit of yarn and had to stop when I had a foot between them because I had to kitchener about 20 stitches for each sock. 

With a commercial yarn, there’s no way these socks would have fit me. Lying flat, even after blocking, they’re almost an inch shorter than my foot. But, because the yarn is thicker than a fingering weight and it was chain plied, there’s a lot of stretch to the knitted fabric I ended up with, so they actually fit my feet fine when I put them on.

I have two other 4 oz braids upstairs that I think would make nice socks like these. When I spin up those, I’m definitely going to be spinning up that other bit of fiber for contrasting heels and/or toes. That was a scary game of chicken and I’m not keen on doing it again, even if the socks turned out alright.

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Episode 6: New Corner

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Stuff on Sticks

FOs –

WIPs –

  • Basic Socks – Loops & Threads Luxury Sock (60% merino, 30% nylon, 10% cashmere) “Canyon” – US 1/2.25 mm aluminum dpns
  • Cozy Memories Blanket using the Memories Blanket tutorial by Georgie Hallam – sock scraps – US 2/2.75 mm interchangeable circulars – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/memory-blanket
  • Lace Weight Triangle Shawl – Plymouth Yarn Revel (85% alpaca, 15% merino) in “Grape Mist” – US 5/3.75 mm aluminum circulars – improvised pattern
  • Flying North by Maria Montzka (Stitched in Sweden) – Sensations Truly (55% wool, 30% nylon, 15% rayon from bamboo) “Turquoise” – US 1 /2.25 mm aluminum dpns – http://www.ravlery.com/patterns/library/flying-north-2
  • Del Norte by Danielle Morgan – Ella Rae Lace Merino 9100% extrafine merino) in “Green/11” – US 4 / 3.5 mm Boye aluminum circular interchangeables – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/del-norte

Stuff on Hooks

WIPs –

  • Granny Square Odds and Ends – Based off of a square seen on Attic24 – misc acrylic worsted weight yarn – H/5.00 mm
  • Weekender Blanket by Sandra Paul – Lion Brand Wool Ease and Vanna’s Choice Yarns leftover from Doctor Who scarves in worsted and light aran weight – US I/ 5.5 mm- http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weekender-blanket

Stuff on Spindles and Wheels

FOs –

  • “Dunedin” BFL from Frabjous Fibers – chain plying – Ashford Kiwi 2 – 4 oz – Haven’t measured the length or yarn weight yet

WIPs –

Stuff with Thread

FOs –

  • Cupcake Project Bag
  • DPN holder cozies
  • mug rug
  • coasters

WIPs –

  • Christmas Cross Stitch – The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
  • Quilt top from Bento Bag Scraps

New Stuff

  • ChiaoGoo Red Lace US 1 / 2.25 mm circular needles
  • Skeinminder Kickstarter Rewards
  • GnomeAcres undyed fiber sale
  • Boye interchangeable needle cables 21”
  • Purple hand-dyed yarn from Peggy May Yarns that I won in the May-along drawing
  • Some minis from Diane/Peggy May Yarns
  • Owl Tape Measure from Chosen Sisters
  • Sheep Tape Measure from Mimi’s Needle Basket
  • Cast On Bind Off 54 Step by Step Methods by Leslie Ann Bestor
  • Phoenix Fiber Club rolags for June

 

Stuff for Etsy

  • Cupcake project bag
  • DPN holder cozies

 

Other Stuff

Stuff I’m Watching – Orange is the New Black, Boys, Five Dances

Stuff I’m Reading – Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin

Stuff I’m Playing – Lego Lord of the Rings, Lego Marvel Superheroes

Podcast Recommendation – Changing this segment. I recently wrote a long post on my website about all the podcasts, audio and video, that I am currently subscribed to. I think I’ll only update this with new podcasts I’ve found. https://freakishlemon.com/theoddorchard/2015/7/5/podcasts

 

 

Come join the Freakish Lemon Video Podcast group on Ravelry – http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-freakish-lemon-video-podcast

Follow me as “freakishlemon” on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Ravelry

Check out my shop at freakishlemon.etsy.com

 

Transcription

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Episode 5: Sweaty

/ freakishlemon / Leave a comment

New group for the Freakish Lemon Video Podcast on Ravelry – http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-freakish-lemon-video-podcast

Stuff on Sticks

FOs –

WIPs –

  • Basic Socks – Loops & Threads Luxury Sock (60% merino, 30% nylon, 10% cashmere) “Canyon” – US 1/2.25 mm aluminum dpns
  • Cozy Memories Blanket using the Memories Blanket tutorial by Georgie Hallam – sock scraps – US 2/2.75 mm interchangeable circulars – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/memory-blanket
  • Lace Weight Triangle Shawl – Plymouth Yarn Revel (85% alpaca, 15% merino) in “Grape Mist” – US 5/3.75 mm aluminum circulars – Originally was going to be a F568 Revel Modular Kerchief by Vanessa Ewing, but I liked the color progression as it is and didn’t want to break it up
  • Flying North by Maria Montzka (Stitched in Sweden) – Sensations Truly (55% wool, 30% nylon, 15% rayon from bamboo) “Turquoise” – US 1 /2.25 mm aluminum dpns
  • Key Card Cozies – Lion Brand Bon Bons (Acrylic) – US 3/ 3.25 mm aluminum DPNs

Stuff on Hooks

FOs –

  • Round Floor Poof – improvised pattern – thick black acrylic mystery yarn – J/6.00 mm

WIPs –

  • Granny Square Odds and Ends – Based off of a square seen on Attic24 – misc acrylic worsted weight yarn – H/5.00 mm
  • Weekender Blanket by Sandra Paul – Lion Brand Wool Ease and Vanna’s Choice Yarns leftover from Doctor Who scarves in worsted and light aran weight – US I/ 5.5 mm-  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weekender-blanket

Stuff on Spindles and Wheels

FOs –

  • Phoenix Fiber April Club Spin – 2 rolags for each skein – Ashford Kiwi 2
    • Chunky – 7 WPI – 21.5 yds – 30 g
    • Worsted Weight – 10 WPI – 35 yds – 26 g
  • Sandpiper – Greenwood Fiberworks Merino mini braid –  single on raw elm drop spindle, plied on the gear drop spindle – chain ply – 12 WPI – DK weight – 39 yds – 16 g
  • Rivendell – Greenwood Fiberworks Merino mini brain – single on raw elm drop spindle, plied on the gear drop spindle – chain ply – 14 WPI – DK weight – 43 yds – 15 g

WIPs –

  • Giant Ball of wool handspun 2 ply fractal spinning – Spinners Hill (blend of Corriedale, Finnish Landrace, Rambouillet) Autumn leaf colors – Ashford Kiwi 2

Stuff with Thread

FOs –

WIPs –

  • Christmas Cross Stitch – The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
  • Quilt top from Bento Bag Scraps

New Stuff

  • Phoenix Fiber Club Rolags – 1 Month
  • Adirafil – Stell Jacq – 2 skeins (worsted weight) – 100% superwash wool
  • Zealana Kiwi Lace Weight – 3 skeins – 40% wool, 30% organic cotton, 30% possum
  • Queensland Collections Sugar Rush – 6 skeins – 100% sugarcane viscose

 

Stuff for Etsy

  • No update

 

Other Stuff

  • Stuff I’m Watching – Bletchley Circle, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Sense8
  • Stuff I’m Reading – Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Stuff I’m Playing – Lego Lord of the Rings
  • Podcast Recommendation –

 

Transcription

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EPISODE 4: BLANKETS AND BATTERIES

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Stuff on Sticks

FOs –

WIPs –

Stuff on Hooks

FOs –

WIPs –

  • Round Floor Poof – improvised pattern – thick black acrylic mystery yarn – J/6.00 mm
  • Granny Square Odds and Ends – Based off of a square seen on Attic24 – misc acrylic worsted weight yarn – H/5.00 mm
  • Weekender Blanket by Sandra Paul – Lion Brand Wool Ease and Vanna’s Choice Yarns leftover from Doctor Who scarves in worsted and light aran weight – US I/ 5.5 mm-  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weekender-blanket

     

Stuff on Spindles and Wheels

FOs –

  • Blue/Orange/White/Yellow – 3 ply/2 ply/chain ply –  Dragonwool (Superwash BFL) – Ashford Kiwi 2
  • Durango – chain ply- Greenwood Fiberworks Merino Pig-Tails “Durango” – Raw elm drop spindle

WIPs –

  • Giant Ball of wool handspun 2 ply fractal spinning – Spinners Hill (lend of Corriedale, Finnish Landrace, Rambouillet) Autumn leaf colors – Ashford Kiwi 2 –  for Maple Leaf knit Shawl

Stuff with Thread

FOs –

  • Dragon Quilt – “A Piece of Summer” pattern from The Weekend Quilter

WIPs –       

  • Christmas Cross Stitch – The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

New Stuff

  • Minis from Diane at Peggy May Yarns Podcast
  • Minis from EllieKnitter in the Yarngasm Mini Swap
  • Phoenix Fiber Club Rolags – 1 Month

 

Stuff for Etsy

  • FitzSimmons Handspun pack
  • More sock sized project bags  

 

Other Stuff

Stuff I’m Watching – Daredevil (still), Game of Thrones, knitting podcast binging

Stuff I’m Reading – Night Watch by Terry Pratchett     

Stuff I’m Playing – Lego Lord of the Rings     

Podcast Recommendation –

     

Halloween Cross-Stitch

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Apparently, I completely neglected to make a post about my Halloween cross-stitch?

Good on me. Here you go!

 

 

Tada! I didn’t finish them by Halloween, of course. I finished these the week before Thanksgiving. Which is, you know… not what I planned at all, but I’m very pleased with how they turned out!

Both patterns are from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and I enjoyed making them both immensely.

 

   

 

I got the frames in time to set these suckers up in the dining room for Thanksgiving. So we had decorations of pilgrims, turkeys, and Halloween cross-stitch.

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Autumn Scrap Garland How To

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I have a tutorial for you today!

Sort of. I mean, it’s really easy to pull off and it looks pretty cool, so I thought I’d share how I made some autumn scrap garlands for decorating things.

Here’s what you need:

 

 

-Scrap fabric
-Thick Yarn
-Scissors
-Patience
-A large workspace

That’s it, folks. I used a long thick cut of yarn as my base for the garland because that’s what I had. The one you’re seeing in these photos is the one that I made for my cubicle at work, which measures a total of 4 yards (12 feet), but you can make them at any length you need. The ones on my windows that you’ll see in the final photos are about 4 feet long.

For fabric, I chose whatever I had on hand that looks autumn-ish. Yellow, orange, brown, black, red, little bit of green… Those kinds of colors. You can choose whatever colors you want or have for whatever season or holiday you like. If you don’t have a ton of scrap fabric like I do, you can get remnants or fabric quarters for pretty cheap at most fabric and craft stores. And if you have trouble matching colors, check out jelly rolls. At my local Jo-Anns’ a jelly roll costs about $10 and has a variety of matching/complimentary 2.5″ strips of fabric. I’ve used them for quilts, but they’d be great for a project like this.

 

 

Cut a bunch of strips of fabric about 5″ long and 1″ or 1.5″ wide. Mine range from 4″ to 5.5″. You don’t have to cut them evenly at all. Some of my pieces are weird shapes because my fabric scraps did not all have square edges. There’s some triangles and trapezoids and half-circles in there. 

I started with the fabric I had the least amount of so that I knew I could space it out evenly. I started tying scraps to the yarn about a foot apart. These are tied using a basic square knot. Once I had my first groups of scraps tied on, I started tying pieces halfway between each piece to slowly fill in the garland.

 

 

And just keep tying scraps to your yarn until you like how full the garland is. You can leave them spaced a little or scrunch them all up close so that you don’t see the yarn at all. 

Once you like how it looks, hang it up however you like! I mentioned before that I tied some loops about 6″ from the ends. For my window garlands, I used these loops to hook the garland up on some Command hooks on my walls. For my cubicle, I used T-pins to pin the yarn to my cubicle wall, which were easily hidden by the scraps. 

Here’s what the finished product looks like on my bedroom windows:

Well, that’s not quite my windows look like right now because of Halloween, but these look just as cool over some of that creepy Halloween fabric. And everyone who’s stumble across me putting these up has said that they’re really cool, so if you want something a little different to decorate for this autumn, give this a try.