Mariannes Motifs

Piano Recital Video!

There was a little mixup so I didn't get to see Ben play.  I did however get some good video of Adam playing, so here for your viewing pleasure is Adam playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Converting Needle Knit Patterns to the Loom

Converting Needle Knit Patterns to the Loom

A lot of this information, for example the stitch chart, is excerpted from the Loom Knitting Help website.  I also gathered a lot of information from the Ravelry group Loom-A-Long, and the Yahoo group Looming Dishcloths Plus.

Convert?  Why do we need to convert patterns?  I just want to loom!

You do not need to do any complicated pattern conversion to enjoy your Knifty Knitter or other Knitting Loom.  There are plenty of wonderful patterns available specifically written for loom knitters.  Check out Bev’s Country Cottage website for a great list of Free Loom Knitting Patterns.

Why would you want to go through the trouble to convert a needle knit pattern for the loom? Well, if you are writing your own patterns, interested in stretching your skills, wanting to learn to knit new stitch patterns, or are perhaps just a little bit nerdy, you might want to know how to convert needle knit patterns for the loom.

Background:

Needle knitters turn their work at the end of each row; loom knitters do not turn the loom.  Therefore to use a needle knit pattern for the loom it must be converted.  Needle knit patterns have every other row as a wrong side (WS) row.  Usually the first row 1 is the Right Side, and the Even Rows 2 etc. are the Wrong side rows, however this is not a hard and fast rule.  You may have to look hard at a picture of the item to see if even or odd are WS/RS.

Where a knitting stitch pattern denotes a stitch number such as 6+3, this means cast on 6 plus 3, and then knit 6.  Loom knitters only need to cast on and knit 6 pegs and disregard the extra 3.

Tid-Bits from the Ravelry Group “Loom-A-Long” thread March Loom A Long, converting dishcloths.

Great Short Description of the Concepts from Ravelry user “KraftMama.”

If a purl stitch looks like a purl stitch on the front of the item it is a RS row.

If a purl stitch looks like a knit stitch on the front of the item it is a WS row.

We need to convert WS rows.

If a right slant decrease is on a WS row we change it to a left slant decrease.

If a right slant decrease is on a RS row we leave it as a right slant decrease.

Same with left slant decreases.

Best Direction for direction to Cast on and Knit Row1 from Ravelry user Kathy Norris

Cast on Left To Right, then knit Row 1 Right to Left

Cast on left to right (counterclockwise). In the example below - each “1” represents a peg, the arrow represents the direction….                                        

1 1 1 1 1 1 1
———–>

Then the first row of actual knitting is right to left (clockwise).                         

1 1 1 1 1 1 1
<———–

This way, the first row is actually knitted the same direction a needle knitter would work the first row of a needle pattern. It can make conversions a little easier.

Loom Knitting Help Website

Converting Needle Knit patterns to Loom Knit page on Loom Knitting Help website is a wonderful source of information on this subject as well as all about Looms and Knitting Boards.  I used much of their information do not think this is all my work – I just put it together in one place.

WS RS Conversion

Even rows (assuming that in our pattern the even rows are the "wrong side" rows) need to have the stitches converted, AND be knitted in the opposite order.

Stitch Conversion Table

The following chart has been provided to help you convert the stitches.   Note for you needle knitters out there: this chart also works for converting flat knitting to circular knitting.

 

Stitch Equivalents Converting Needle to Loom Knitting
(Also works for Converting Flat Knitting to Circular Knitting)
Wrong-sided Stitches	Right-Sided Equivalent
Basic Stitches
P (purl)	K (knit)
K (knit)	P (purl)
P tbl (purl in back)	K tbl (knit in back)
K tbl (purl in back)	P tbl (knit in back)
Sl wyif	Sl wyib
Sl wyib	Sl wyif
Cross / Twist Stitches
Cross L, Knit	Cross R, Purled
Cross R, Purled	Cross L, Knit
Cross R, Knit	Cross L, Purled
Cross L, Purled	Cross R, Knit
Cable Stitches
cX over Y left, knit*	cY over X left, purl*
cX over Y left, purl*	cY over X left, knit*
cX over Y right, knit*	cY over X right, purl*
cX over Y right, purl*	cY over X right, knit*
Decreases
P2tog	K2tog
P2tog tbl	Sl1 K1 psso or work ssk
K2tog	P2tog
K2tog tbl	P2tog tbl
P3tog	K3tog
K3tog	P3tog
P2tog pnso	Sl1 K2tog psso
Sl1 K2tog psso	P2tog pnso
Increases
P into back and front	K into front and back
P into front and back	K into back and front
K into back and front	P into front and back
K into front and back	P into back and front
*Where X and Y denotes stitch numbers and X and Y may or may not be equal to each other.

Shangri La Botanical Gardens in Orange Texas

I just learned about the most amazing newly opened botanical gardens in Orange Texas called Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center.  Below  is some information from Wikipedia, but what they DO NOT tell you is that this botanical gardens and nature center in Orange, Texas was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum certification for LEED®-NC, which verifies that design and construction reached the highest green building and performance measures.

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center (252 acres) are private botanical gardens and a nature preserve located in the center of Orange, Texas.

H. J. Lutcher Stark began work on Shangri La in 1942. His Azalea gardens first opened to the public in 1946, but in the mid 1950s they were destroyed by very cold weather. The area was subsequently closed to the public and maintained on a very limited scale. It was then bequeathed by Nelda C. Stark to the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation (established 1961), which has been working to restore the botanical gardens and create a nature center. As of January 2006, the Stark Foundation plans to reopen the gardens in Spring 2008.

Shangri La contains a mixed deciduous forest, cypress tupelo swamp, wetlands, and a large lake. Many of its trees were heavily damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Rita in September 2005.

Here are some beautiful pictures provided by the management of the nature center:

   

Their website is really gorgeous.  I am really excited to have the opportunity to help get the word out about such a worthwhile endevor.  With a bird blind where you can observe nesting herons, educational series for kids, various outdoor "rooms" of plant specimens, and cypress forest and unique ecosystems, this sounds like a super place to visit if you are ANYWHERE near Orange, Texas!

Taking my Medecine

I have always been a person who dislikes taking pills.  So its pretty ironic that every day I take a big stack of pills. The colazal I take for crohn's disease is 3 big pills 3 times a day, so when I refill my prescription its this HUGE bottle.  Pretty funny!  It keeps me feeling alot better when I remember to faithfully take all my medications, however, so I am not going to let a bit of pride come between me and better health.  I feel like I owe it to my kids and family to do what I need to do to stay as healthy as I can.  And if that means taking a big stack of pills, then so be it.

At least when the pollen dies down I can stop taking my daily allergy meds - I only take those when warrented.  I don't think I'll be looking for drug rehabs anytime soon.   I would like to try acupuncture as an alternative to pain medication, however.  If I can find a good recommendation for an Atlanta acupuncturist I will give them a try.

Free Book - 100 Questions and Answers about Crohn's Disease

Abbot laboratories is giving away an informative book about Crohn's Disease called 100 Questions and Answers about Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Here is the link for the page to sign up to receive the free book from Abbot.

I ordered this book last year and read it from cover to cover. It is a good book, although it is not very new and therefore does not cover some of the newest biologic treatments such as Humira. But its still a great reference, especially for a family member who wants to know what its like for the person who has IBD.

Earth Day Coloring Pages

Happy Earth Day.

To help celebrate Earth Day, browse to the ABC Teach web site for some excellent free Earth Day printable activity pages and Earth Day Coloring Pages.   They have very high quality printables - not the average cheesy stuff.

Here is an Earth Day Word Search.

Endangered Species Coloring pages are another good bet - kids have a real affinity for animals and there are alot of great coloring pages here on the Enchanted Learning site.

As a follow up to my very popular post on "Plastic Water Bottles" here is the aluminum water bottle that my Mom recommends:  Sigg Aluminum Water Bottle.  Mom says these things are light, insulating, last forever, will not leach out any chemicals from plastic, and come in lots of sizes, including a really convenient size that fits in her car cup holder.

Atlanta Produce Delivery Service

I heard a radio bit about this new company in Atlanta doing called "My Produce Guy."  They will deliver your produce right to your door.  I have such FOND memories of WebVan, that I had to check these guys out.

For under $40 bucks I just made my first order.  This will be delivered to my door all packed up so it can sit out for 4 hours in case it gets there before I do.  I figure I can check in a lunch to see if it gets there in the AM.  This will give me all the fresh veggies I need to cook for the week and I can avoid spending an hour picking through them at the grocery store.  I will give them a try.  If I go out to dinner one night I spend that amount, so if this helps me cook healthy I think it will be worth it.  The fruit is for Jin's smoothies.

Here is what I ordered:

Product    Qty    Price    Options         

VEG10
Carrots Organic For Juicing
(pound)
Sku:
    1    $1.50   

VEG14
Celery
(each)
Sku:
    1    $1.55   

GRA03
White Seedless
(1 1/2-2lb bag)
Sku:
    1    $5.25   

BER06
Strawberries
(quart)
Sku:
    1    $3.95   

BER02
Blueberries
(1/2 pint)
Sku:
    1    $3.45   

BER01
Blackberries
(1/2 pint)
Sku:
    1    $3.25   

CIT03
Lemons
(4 pack)
Sku:
    1    $2.45   

LET09
Hydroponic Bibb Lettuce
(each)
Sku:
    1    $3.00   

PEP06
Peppers Mixed (Red,Yellow,Green)
(3 pack)
Sku:
    1    $4.50   

ONI06
Vidalia Sweet Onion
(each)
Sku:
    1    $1.00   

TOM02
Grape Tomato
(pint)
Sku:
    1    $2.55   

Order Total         

         Merchandise Total:     $32.45             

         Handling:     $5.00             
         Handling Total:     $5.00             
         Local Tax:     $0.97             
         Shipments Total:     $33.42             

         Grand Total:     $38.42    

Happy Passover

Happy Passover!  My family are all together in Rochester having a seder.  Down here in GA, we are having a mini-seder. 

I found an interesting blog called The Jew and the Carrot, which is kind of a Jewish Eco Blog.  They have a post about Sustainable Passover Resources.  Cool, eh?  My mom has been growing her own horseradish for years, as a matter of fact once you plant it its pretty hard to get rid of.

Ugh Saturday Morning

I feel like I have been used as a trampoline.  First I have the dreaded migraine hangover from yesterday.  I had to cut up oranges for the soccer 1/2 time snack, find the soccer uniform, get everyone ready, and then drag everyone to where the team pictures were being taken.  Jin was super helpful by  hitting the boys on the head with the soccer ball.  He had worse behavior than the boys did.

Then Ben pushed some kid randomly and the "team mom" came over and chewed me out about it.  Thanks.  Really.  They chewed Ben out too, and after that he wandered around the field aimlessly, not really into it anymore.  I don't blame him.

They never called half time so I didn't get to hand out the oranges I slaved over cutting.  The assistant coach ran backwards into me and stepped on my foot.  Ouch.

Now I have to take Ben and the rest of the crabby family to a play date.  I hope we can muster up some social graces.  Cause I am TIRED.  It's Passover tonight and all I have the energy for is a roasted chicken with matzohs  on the side. 

I need a nap.

Birthday Hints

With the big 4-0 coming up in June, I would certainly consider diamonds to be an appropriate gift.  Remember, I like yellow gold.  Wink wink.

But really, I want a new telephoto lens for my Nikon camera for my birthday, so that's just a bunch of dreaming.  I also am saving up for an Adjust-A-Loom from DA Looms.  (Its a fancy knitting loom.)

I really find that if you scrimp and save for something you treasure it so much more.  So if you save save save for some very special things, they has alot more meaning for you than if you just impulse buy lots of stuff all the time.  These two items are my goal for the money I make on the blog and on ebay.

PayU2Blog is having a "Treasure Hunt" promotion in conjunction with Jewel Elegance, an online Jeweler. I blogged earlier about the Medical Alert bracelets they sell, but this contest is all about their diamond jewelry.  Yummy!