Ignore the tomato, look at the sepals

Second Swap Package

I have been a Bad and Neglectful Blogger, and not shown you (yet!) what Kristen Mary sent me in the Flibbertygibbet swap package.

The fabrics were all kitchen related:


But look at the extras! A cute little bag (its reversible as well) with sewing themed material. Just right for a set of scissors, tape measure and a few other little bits and pieces. A badge, and a copy of Adorn magazine. It's really interesting to read, especially as it has a crafter's guide to London.
It's far too long since I had a shopping trip to London, I've been there for theatre trips, and for exhibitions, and even to take the children there for the day. But I haven't been shopping properly for a very very long time. I know Covent Garden still exists (we went to the Transport Museum there), but for all I know Oxford Street vanished in a puff of smoke several years ago.

Everything in the package is lovely; Thank you very much Kristen Mary.

I find the swap thing really interesting: we all had the same brief - 3 strips of 4 inch wide fabric, and yet everyone's parcel was so different.

Edited: to change post title

Meme - from Ferret

A while ago there was an art meme going around: bloggers offered up five pieces of their art, in exchange for a piece of someone else's art. I got a postcard from Kate, and the promise of a piece from Ferret.

Ferret's has arrived: it is a quilt called "Bermuda Triangle North". It's full of brightly coloured pieces, with a black border and binding, and quilted with a feather pattern in variegated thread. It's gorgeous work, and very neat.




I've still not had any takers (but then I haven't actually made anything yet...).

Look Around You - Paper Bags!

Did you know that the decorated paper bags are made from the waste of other types of printing?

The way it works is the pattern that is going to be printed onto the material is put onto paper, but as a mirror image. The paper is laid onto the item to be printed, and ironed (I think): the dye transfers onto the material, leaving a beautifully printed piece of material, and a roll of paper with a faded, but usually quite pretty pattern on it.

These rolls of paper are cut up and turned into paper bags, and used for ... well whatever comes in pretty paper bags. The purchaser never knows that it is actually wrapped in what could otherwise be rubbish.

I am told (I've never done it) that you can open up paper bags and then iron the remains of the dye onto material, printing your own version of the pattern.

I was reminded of this today. Rarely is the origin of the paper bag quite so bltant:


For those interested, the website can be found here. They operate an industrial laundry service. I was a bit disappointed, expecting it to be lavender related.

I tried - and failed - to find a website explaining the details of the paper bag manufacturing process. I did find that there are people who collect airline sick bags. Not only that, but if this hobby appeals to you, he is willing to send you a sick bag starter pack to start off your collection.

Update

Since I last posted, I have made a camp blanket, written two 900 word essays, and visited both the ILs and my mother.

I haven't taken any photos (now it is too dark to take them) to show either the art meme quilt that Ferret sent me, or the swap package from Kristen Mary. Both of them are really nice, and deserve some good photography.

I haven't taken a photo of the camp blanket either, because the sewing wasn't up to standard. But it is good enough to keep you warm at a camp fire, and to make you think of home when in a tent.

First Swap Package

Here is the contents of the package that Soozs sent me for the Fibbertygibbet swop.

This picture shows everything:


but hides these guys:


which are near the bottom of the panel:



The charms are great. I can recognise an elephant when I see one,


but I'm not sure whether this cheeky chappy is a monkey.


The braids are worth a picture to themselves.


The whole package is great. The blue colour is really rich. I love the flowers on the material with flowers. It would never occur to me to buy a panel, but it opens up huge numbers of creative possibilities.

Thank you very much, Sooz.

Elephants

A quick note to say that I've got my package from Sooz for the fabric swop arranged by Flibbertygibbet. Photos tomorrow.

How much silk?

If someone you knew was going on a business trip to a country famed for its silk, and was possibly going to get a chance to go shopping, but even if they did, they were only taking hold luggage so they couldn't bring back much: under those circumstances, what would be a good amount of silk to bring back? How much would one need to make a dress?

Having got that out of the way, Vicky has tagged me for a meme: to write eight random things about myself.

1. 1) My favourite film used to be Star Wars: it was the first film I positively wanted to see. I don't really have a favourite any longer.
   


2. I don't find trousers particularly comfortable so I rarely wear them. If I could find a comfortable but stylish make I'd probably wear them more.


3. I go to a Pilates class most weeks.
   


4. I had a haircut this morning.
   


5. I can't help wondering if this is the same meme as the seven random things meme, but one of them mutated. That is a random thing about me: I was also temped to search out my faithful D8 to put these in a random order.
   


6. I have had an online presence for more then 10 years. I started on Usenet (sometimes called Netnews: some "google groups" are actually usenet groups).
   
   
7. When I do left-brain/right-brain quizzes, I tend to come out fairly evenly balanced.
   
   
8. My two favourite subjects at school were maths and English.

I'm now supposed to tag some other people, but I don't really like doing that (what if they say no?) So, if anyone wants to be tagged, consider yourself tagged (Rosamundi? Ferret? If you aren't too busy.)

One Thing I'm Collecting: obscure fact for the day

Something I'm collecting for a very long term project are squares of cotton material which are at least 6 inches square, ideally slightly larger. Any colour or pattern.

On a completely differnt note, I've been reading about Copernicus' book De Revolutionibus. This is the book that first proposed the heliocentric solar system, with the Earth and planets circling the Sun.

No, I haven't been reading about the contents of the book, I've been reading about the book itself. It was printed on a paper size known as pot paper, with sheets that are 399mm x 282mm. Those who are capable of incredibly fast calulations will already have spotted that this is the ratio √2 : 1 . The useful thing about this ratio is that if you fold the paper in half, the length of the sides still has the same ratio.

Getting slightly less obscure, this ratio is still in use today as one of the defining features of the A series of paper. An A4 sheet of paper folded in half makes an A5 sheet. Anyone who has used this knows just how useful this ratio is: you can photocopy two sheets of A4 onto one sheet of A3, etc.

(The other defining feature of the A series is that A0 has an area of 1 meter². A4 is the European equivalent of US letter size.)

Knitting Meme

I found this meme here.

Items in bold have been or are being knit.
Items in italics are ones you plan to knit.
Leave the rest plain.

Afghan - when I was a teenager, I made a blanket out of garter stitch squares
I-cord
Garter stitch - this comes into the category of "who hasn't?"
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl - I don't think I've made one
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with Camel Yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn - well, I might, but it isn't in my mental list of future projects
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn - well, I might, but it isn't in my mental list of future projects
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting - assuming they mean holiday in the US sense, not the British going on holiday sense: I'm just waiting for the right pattern.
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags - I think
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern - but I have made items to my own design
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Cushions
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Cow Parsley

The hedgerows are full of green and white. Green, as the hedges grow new leaves after the winter. White, from the huge swathes of cow parsley in the verges, white flowers on the hawthorn bushes, white "candles" on the horse chestnut trees.

The best views are on the roadside. I see them as I drive through the countryside, from one village to another. Unfortunately for blogging purposes, the most impressive shows have no convenient places to stop for photographs.