Wheat Wrote WHAT?!

Whatever Is On My Mind – Links for things I use: InMySmall Kitchen to EnjoyTheMaking


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March 19th, 2007 at 09:16 am

What A Concept! Can You “Borrow” An E-Book

Is it reasonable to “borrow” an ebook?

And if so, how would one do that “Legitimately”

I am not talking about a DVD or Book On Tape from the Library,

I am saying for example, your friend purchases a How-to book of some kind on the Internet.

Now I KNOW, there are conditions where it is completely within the law to transfer the ownership of that book, just as I can with “licensed software”

AND for the moment, let’s just assume it is not a pattern or chart or other craft how-to books

It is a downloadable PDF –

Now I have to tell you, I borrow a lot of books from the Library – often with express purpose of deciding if I want to buy –

So, can I “borrow” an E-Book – and then “return” it to my friend

If so under what conditions would you think it reasonable for that to be done.

This is the sort of esoteric think that keeps me up at night,

So if you have a comment, concept or opinion, I really would love to hear it.

February 20th, 2007 at 15:52 pm

Kool-Aid Dyeing & Nothing Ever Disappears from the Internet

So I have been housebound. And I couldn’t find my notes, so I did a search on the Internet and came up with a copy of something I first wrote in the Compuserve Craft forums years earlier and apparently later shared on the original/before yahoo weaving list
Didn’t eve need a trip through the way back machine

Proving yet again that nothing every goes away once ‘published’ on line.

More importantly, I needed a lazy way to get some colors “in between” those included in Clovers selection – I know I could have blended the fiber, but I did mention lazy right?

My plan is to try it in the coming weeks with Each of Brown Sheep & Kraemer’s PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) wool yarn & roving.

From WHEATCARR Sun May 28 17:59:48 1995
Subject: Kool Aid Info

Mohair positively inhales and reverberates with whatever color you use. Wool can be very nice, but slightly less intense. Silk worked but only with very strong solutions, maybe 2-3 pkgs per 1/2 oz. Cotton, flax, etc, do not take the color very well unless it is a kid communion outfit (stains ).

Although it does work, I have not been pleased with the results when I used already spun yarns, either my own or some commercially done.

My best color and nicest KA yarns results were accomplished by:

* Washing fibers in Ivory Laundry Liquid
* Blending white wool/mohair approximately 50-50

Drum carded fibers took the color much more evenly, although drum carding or combing of locks before spinning will easily blend shadings.

Plan 1/2 oz blend per package of KA. More KA if darker color preferred.

After blending the fibers, pre-soak in plain water (some like to add 1/2 c vinegar) for at least 10-15 minutes.

Dissolve 1 package of Kool Aid into 1.5 quarts of water. Add presoaked fiber. Microwave on high for approximately 6 minutes or until all color has been absorbed and the water is clear. (Berry Blue and one other will not go clear; the water gets a milky white color.) Remove, and dry.

My color chart for KA includes the three new colors recently found; I would be interested in hearing of others.

You may very well become obsessed with the processes (I did last year) to be described. BUT your house will smell very nice if somewhat fruity.

Thus far I have discovered the following color names:

Kool Aid flavor Mohair color
Berry Blue *** Robin’s egg blue
Black Cherry Burgundy

Cherry

Christmas red

Grape

Purple

Great Bluedini

Green

Incrediberry

Pinky orange

Kickin’ Kiwi-Lime

Light chartreuse green

Lemonade

Pale, baby yellow

Lemon-Lime

Bright Christmas green

Man-O-Mango-Berry

Salmon pink

Oh Yeah-Orange Pineapple

Light golden yellow

Orange

Orange

Pina-Pineapple

Bright, golden yellow

Pink Swimingo

Coral pinks

PurpleSaurus Rex

Lighter purple

Raspberry

Darker purplish pinks
Rockadile Red Fire engine red

Sharkleberry Fin

Pink

Strawberry

Light pinks

Tropical Punch

Deep reds

Just a last note of caution – DO NOT USE pre-sweetened KA or Jello – yes you get the colors and a yucky mess of nicely colored fibers. However, Korwyn Winde recently mentioned in the Textile Arts Forum of Delphi about using Jello both as a dye and warp sizing. I have not tried this.

If there are more, I would love to hear about it.

*** Berry Blue Kool Aid has been discontinued by the manufacturer, but is available in Jello.

Note added, April 8, 1998: As you can tell from the date, this information is several years old, and some of the color information is now obsolete.

Note added, got some started, and just had to mention, I had forgotten how good it makes your house smell

Now if the glacier in the driveway would just melt so I can get to the store, I could get more “dye” and see how the new colors work up.

If you’ve been experimenting, I’d love to hear your “results”.

February 11th, 2007 at 04:10 am

Crochet – Thread Size Information

One of the most commonly asked questions about Perle Cotton for use in Thread Crochet has to do with a size
“Cross-Reference”

Because Presencia threads are among my personal favorites I use them as the basis of my comparison/reference charts.

So many things can effect how a thread “measures” (Humidity, spinning, storage, how it is “put up”) that is next to Impossible – While not exact, since sizing differs between Perle & Crochet threads, the following is a “ROT-Rule Of Thumb”.

(added 2008)It is very important to know that there are DIFFERENT “standards” for Wool, Cotton, Linen & Silk. The chart below is specific to Cotton since that is the most common thread used by Crochets

Wheat’s US-Metric Steel Crochet Hook Reference*


Last Updated: 2008-12-10 © 2000-2008 WheatCarr

R
o
w
0
Col 1
Crochet
Cotton
Range
Col 2
Steel
MM
Col 3
Clover
Col 4
Clover
Soft Touch
Col 5
Pony
Col 6
Boye
Col 7
Bates
Col 8
Inox
Col 9
tulip
Skacel
R
o
w
1 0.40mm No 16 No 24 1
2 0.45mm No 23 2
3 80-100 0.50mm No 14 No 15 No 14 3
4 0.55mm No 13 4
5 70 – 80 0.60mm No 12 No 12 No 14 No 14 No 12 5
6 0.70mm No 13 No 11 6
7 50 – 80 0.75mm No 10 No 10 No 12 No 14 No 13 No 10 7
8 0.85mm no-name No 13 No 9 8
9 40 – 60 0.90mm No 8 No 8 no-name No 14 No 8 9
10 0.95mm No 13 No 7 10
11 20 – 30 1.00mm No 6 No 6 no-name No 12 No 12 No 12 No 6 11
12 1.05mm No 11 12
13 1.10mm No 11 No 5 13
14 1.15mm No 10 14
15 18 – 30 1.25mm No 4 No 4 No 8 No 9 No 10 No 4 15
16 1.30mm No 10 No 3 16
17 1.40mm No 9 No 8 17
18 10 – 20 1.50mm No 2 No 2 No 7 No 8 No 7 No 8 No 2 18
19 1.60mm No 6 No 1 19
20 1.65mm No 7 20
21 1.70mm No 5 21
22 8 – 18 1.75mm No 0 No 0 No 4 No 4 No 6 No 0 22
23 1.80mm No 6 23
24 1.90mm No 5 24
25 2.00mm A-0 No 4 2/0 25
26 2.20mm No 16 3/0 26
27 2.25mm 2/o 27
28 2.30mm B-1 B 28
29 2.50mm 3/o 4/0 29
R
o
w
0
Col 1
Crochet
Cotton
Range
Col 2
Steel
MM
Col 3
Clover
Col 4
Clover
Soft Touch
Col 5
Pony
Col 6
Boye
Col 7
Bates
Col 8
Inox
Col 9
tulip
Skacel
R
o
w
* Based on Data Current as of February 2007,
  updated to add photos on 2007-May-02
  updated to add Tulip on 2007-May-24
  updated to add on 2008-Sep-14

* Thread Hook Size Suggestions used courtesy of Clover® Needlecraft, Inc

* ALWAYS MAKE A GAUGE SWATCH
* ALWAYS check/measure the diameter of your hook
– Older Hooks often do NOT have the same Diameter as those made today.

* If you find an error, please do email me with the correction.

Average Yards per pound is how many yards of thread you would get on a one-pound cone.
If you have a large project, buying coned yarns can be very economical.

Most balls of crochet cotton seem to have about 400-450 yds

So using an old J&P Coats pattern which called for J&P COATS Size 20: (GREEN LABEL) 24 balls of White or Ecru. which, according to a Trademark infringement case:
” which is wound on spools of 200- yard lengths, “

This project calls about 4800 yards of Size 20 thread. If you selected some commonly available size 20 thread at the best price I could fine “on-line” you would need at least 12 balls at $3.27 – add in one ball to be sure you have enough, and the shipping so call it $45.

Now if you bought 2# of one of my favorite 10/2 Mercerized Cottons from WEBS

Even the Varigated is only $18.95 per pound
so for $40 you not only have plenty for project, you save at least $5 and have extra for “something else.
and you would save even more if your total order of discountables (did I mention I have not very often not qualified for at least the 20% discount

In case you haven’t guessed, WEBS is a long time (been a customer for more than 30 years) favorite place to shop.

In fact, I have been know to drive 150 miles (each way) OUT of the way to visit them

They have a famous back room. Think Wholesale club like Sam’s or Costco, but all yarn “buys” – the first time I went there, they gave me a stupid market size shopping cart and pushed me thru the door, “See you in a few hours – we’ll holler when its close to closing time” Mind you this was at 10am and yes, I was there to be hollered at (although we did leave for lunch and come back for round two)

HTH

Wheat

P.S. I promise to add the WPI as soon as I find where I put that piece of paper

If you have different information, please share, there is no such thing as too much information when it comes to the materials and tools we all love to use.

February 6th, 2007 at 09:14 am

New Blog A Venturer: Darla J Fanton

darla-fanton-crochet.gif Just a quick note to “officially” welcome one of my favorite Crochet Designer/Teachers and good friend
Darla Fanton to the world of blogs

I hope you will visit her soon and encourage her as she launches her Blog-A-Ventures.

January 31st, 2007 at 14:35 pm

Needle Felting & Needle Punch, Part II

So yesterday, I wrote about what felting is, and promised to go on to what you really are doing when using the “felting” needles to push fibers thru some other material.

Needle Punching, or as it is currently probably better know, Miniature Punch Needle Embroidery, for a long time. Not, perhaps as long as felting, but “pretty close”.

Since you already know that Clover is one of my favorite Needle Crafts Tool makers, so here is the obligatory “tool picture” – As with all their products, The Clover Punch Embroidery tool works well for 95% of what I want to do and is reasonably priced.

clover-punch-embroidery-tool-dtl.gif

Needle punching is pushing something from one side of a ground cloth to another. On a larger scale, you may be familiar with the Rug making techniques such as Hooking (PULLING the fabric or yarn or other material from the front/right side facing you or PRODDING, which is PUSHING from back – right side away from you.

When you try to “Needle Felt” with fabric, yarns or threads that do not have the necessary follicles to twist, tangle, mesh and compact, you can’t felt. So you are PUNCHING.

Punching is a WONDERFUL way to embellish, you just need to understand that for a wearable or other object that will be “used” – you will need to use some of the many techniques which exist to “stabilize” the loops/threads/bits of everything from Angelina to Zoo sheddings of needle punching, such as iron-on fusibles or special glues even sometimes for punch needle embroidery, just packing the threads tightly. Without these measures, if you pull on the yarn, thread or even fibers, unless they are able to be felted, they will pull out and frankly “rather easily”.

Part III will be about the tools I use “most of the time”

HTH

Wheat

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