A Little Change of Pace

A few simple supplies
(c) Jeri K Riddle

I do several crafts besides just knit and thought it would be fun to share one of them with my readers. I like to scrapbook and, as I just got married last summer, I have plenty of photos to work with. I didn't want to have almost all the photos tucked away in a book so I decided to use different elements from the wedding and a darling gift bag to create a collage for our wall.

I used to work as the head housekeeper at a hotel and I have gotten some rather interesting tips over the years. One of them was a set of two brand new 16" x 20" picture frames. Well, I'm not the type to want to put that big of a picture of my mug on the wall so I decided to make a collage to go in one of the frames. The gift bag was so well matched to our wedding colors and theme that it made a perfect backdrop. It also happened to be just the right size. 

I started by cutting the bag apart so I could open it up flat. I also cut pieces of ribbon I had left from the bouquets and other decorations to fit and create a bit of a mat around the edges of the bag. (Almost everything for our wedding was DIY... and I was the "yourself.") 

I used some double-stick tape to hold things in place on the front once I had the placement worked out.

Getting the layout just right
(c) Jeri K Riddle

The back of my mat with no shortage of tape!
(c) Jeri K Riddle

Then I secured it to the cardboard backing of the frame with high quality packaging tape. I found that the cheap stuff just wouldn't hold well enough. 

One disadvantage to the bag is that it is very slick and I found I had to use a lot of tape to get things to stay in place. A little dab of hot glue worked well on a few elements and I wish I had thought of using it sooner in the design process. One very important thing to keep in mind is that hot glue will destroy photographs so avoid using it on them or the paper you use to mat them.

The finished mat
(c) Jeri K Riddle

Once the mat was done, I played around with the placement of the photos and the other embellishments I wanted to use. It took a few rearrangements to get the best fit and balance. I also cropped the photos to eliminate any unneeded backgrounds and to help achieve better balance. A good rule of thumb I learned in journalism for taking really good photographs is the "Rule of Thirds." Basically, the idea is that you divide your photo subject into a grid of thirds vertically and thirds horizontally (a nine square grid). Each square should have some element that catches the eye and draws the eye around the entire photo. That's not to say each square should be "busy," but they should balance each other out. This same idea works well when laying out a scrapbook page.

Trying to get the layout just right
(c) Jeri K Riddle

When I finally had a good idea of how I wanted to place the elements, I used white scrapbooking paper to mat each of the photos so they would stand out better in the finished collage. I went with a very narrow mat so as not to cover too much of the background design. 

I usually layout the pictures on the background paper to make sure I don't waste paper. What can I say? I'm cheap... Waste not, want not. It also helps me to make sure I actually have enough of my chosen paper. I have a large stash of papers, but a limited supply of some designs and colors.

Matting the photos
(c) Jeri K Riddle

I used three of the colored daisies left over from the bouquets and trimmed away as much of the back as I could so they would lay as flat as possible and hot glued them back together. I used a little double-stick tape to hold a few of the petals on each flower to the background and a large amount of it on the bases. I eventually used a dab of hot glue to hold them in place.

Several little shiny butterfly stickers rounded out the collage and helped to balance the layout. The finished design was rather thick, but still fit in the frame nicely!

The finished collage
(c) Jeri K Riddle

I'm working on another blog and hope to have the first instalment up soon. It will focus on knitting and crafting for those of us who are "differently abled." I will be covering adaptive techniques and the benefits of handcrafting as both physical and emotional therapy. I hope too to address some of the stereotypes and negative comments we receive as handycapable artists.

If you have any thoughts, ideas, or comments on this or any topic I post, please feel free to let me know. You can leave a comment below or email me at jerikriddle@gmail.com if you would rather not be quite so public. I welcome all feedback!

Until then, may your stash overflow and your gauge be accurate! Happy knitting (or in this case CRAFTING!)

Tips, Tricks, Hints and Hacks

After nearly 40 years of knitting and other craftings, I've found a few very helpful hacks as I guess they call such things now days. Boy, saying I've been knitting for almost 40 years makes me feel kind of old... Let's just say I'm a seasoned knitter. Some of these are probably not new ideas to my dear readers, but I hope a few are new and that all are helpful!

Over the years I have collected a fair number of patterns and only some of them are in book format, those are easy enough to keep on a shelf in my craft area. Most of the patterns I have though have come from the internet or store fliers (you know those little free leaflet ones hanging by the yarn) and trying to keep all of them organized can be a little harder. Several years ago, I got myself a very large three-ring binder and a lot of page protectors.

Voila! Easy way to keep the patterns, notes and ideas all in one place! An additional advantage to this plan is that I can easily remove a page or two to put with a "travel knitting" bag. The patterns stay neat and have a little stiffness so they are easier to handle.

I also don't have to juggle the giant binder when curled up in my favorite chair to knit while watching vintage game shows. The page protectors also work well for holding the little booklets of patterns I have. 

I can easily place a sticky note on the page protector to highlight the row I'm working on. I keep LOTS of sticky notes around and use them like I own shares in the company that makes them. They make great place markers, page markers, and I can easily keep track of how many rows are done. I jot down notes, changes or where I left off if I have to set my work down while in the middle of a tricky pattern. If I need to take a project with me, I can stick the note inside the page protector too so I don't lose it.

Speaking of taking a project with me, I always have a "go bag" ready. Unlike the criminal profilers on TV who keep a packed suitcase handy, I keep simple knitting projects in a tote bag I can easily grab on the way out the door if I am going to be a passenger on a car trip, or will be waiting for an appointment. I usually avoid complicated patterns as it can be very hard to maintain a stitch count while waiting to be called in to see the doctor or while carrying on conversations in the car. (By "conversations," I mean serving as chief navigator. I love my dear husband, but he can't find his way out of a paper bag.)

My mother made me this sturdy tote bag as a birthday gift several years ago and it has carried a large number of knitting projects all over the state of Minnesota. My nieces and nephews nicknamed it "Auntie Jeri's Magic Bag" because almost every time they would see me, I would pull some new knit toy or project from this wonderful "Magic Bag."

I also use those cheap reusable shopping bags or large zip-close bags to store works in progress that are hibernating. The projects stay clean and the yarn, needles and pattern are all in one place. For smaller projects that I only work on at home, I've found that very inexpensive drink pitchers work great for keeping everything together and clean. The opening on the lid works great for feeding the yarn through. A 2-quart pitcher is perfectly sized for a skein of yarn or two. The gallon size holds larger projects and both keep balled yarn from rolling away from me. They also keep the cats from unwinding my yarn all around the living room, up the stairs and into their water bowl. This is not a fun thing to wake up to.

I think I was "re-purposing" things long before that was a thing. A paperclip works great in a pinch as a stitch marker, as do scraps of yarn tied around a needle. These are handy ways to mark pattern repeats and changes in patterns. The coated paperclips and scraps of yarn can be color coordinated to make pattern changes even easier to follow.

Until next time, may your stash overflow and your gauge be accurate! Happy knitting!

Note the paperclip stitch marker on the upper right.

Pet Peeves! (or What Not to Do if You are a Designer!)

I have several pet peeves in my life, such as cupboard doors left open, shopping carts left strewn around parking lots and having some tall person decide it is funny to use my head as an armrest! Just because I'm only 4' 10.5" tall does not mean I should be used as furniture!
When it comes to crafting, my number one pet peeve is online designers who do not respond to questions about their patterns! I use a number of different online sources for new patterns, inspiration and learning new tricks. I read comments on every new pattern I check out. Far too often I see questions posted and directed to the designer, but NO REPLIES from the designer to those questions!
I've only recently started posting my own original designs and I am well aware that, while I know what I meant, that doesn't mean it is clear to anyone else. I've also worked as a professional writer, editor and proofreader. Clarity is important. Sometimes its not that the writer isn't clear, but a beginner might not understand a new technique. One of the best designers I found had replied with links to tutorial videos. Now that's customer support! Some of the patterns are already tested and edited to the hilt (like those from yarn manufacturers), but many of the ones I am drawn to are from designers like myself who don't have an entire department devoted to making certain a pattern is ready to release to the masses.

"sHrUG with a Twist" Photo (c) Jeri K Riddle
based on the pattern: Shrug with a Twist by Chris Knits in Niagara

The shrug in the picture was really easy to make and the designer was just amazing! She answered every question, provided images to make doing the twist easier and kept updating the pattern to cover all the questions asked of her. I hope to be like her!
I recently was looking at a recipe blog and there was one question posted where the questioner apologized for bothering the blogger with a "silly" question. Not only did the blogger answer the question, he politely chastised the questioner for thinking he was bothering the writer! The blogger pointed out that there is a reason we have comment boxes on our posts! We welcome questions and the interactions we have with our readers! I should hope that anyone who reads what I throw out into cyberspace feels free to ask me a question, leave me a comment or point out a mistake on my part. That said, PLEASE don't use someone's blog to promote spam! If you need an outlet for that crap, start your own blog...
Enough ranting, right?! So until next time, may your stash overflow and your gauge be accurate! Happy knitting!

By way of introduction....

(c) Jeri K Riddle

I'm working on starting a regular blog post basically about knitting....we'll see how that goes... I may digress and just use this space to ponder the mysteries of the universe or, maybe even some other craft ideas that enter my head and leave tracks.

The following link is to my first ever blog and is also a good way to introduce myself. I was asked to be a guest blogger and the original can be found at:

https://plus.google.com/112214113408204951185/posts/Gg4JUQN2zJb

But, since it was such a fun introduction to myself, I'm reprinting it here....

Guest Star #1: Starring Jeri Riddle!

FEB

22

(c) Jeri K Riddle

“Guest Star Blog 1” Jeri K Riddle, a.k.a. “Minnasnowtan”

When asked why I knit, I joke that I knit so I don’t kill people, but crafting is my art and creative release. I find knitting to be very relaxing and is my go-to stress reliever. I have been known to fall asleep in my chair with a pair of needles and a skein of yarn in my lap. Believe me, it can be quite interesting to wake up and realize you have no idea where you are on your stitch count!I guess I better say a little bit more about myself so people do not get the wrong idea and think I am a sociopath with a yarn obsession. I started knitting when I was nine-years-old, but it took many years to master it. The first project I ever completed that was usable and recognizable was a little red Christmas bell. Forty years later, I find I still do not know it all and one of my goals for the coming year is to learn and master a new technique, most likely it will be cable knitting. I absolutely love the look of cables and have done one project so far that used a simple, modified cable in its design.  

I also sew, scrapbook, make hand-made paper and several other crafts. I know how to crochet, but have never mastered an even tension. :/ That said I have taught several others how to crochet and can even do so left-handed. The extent of my crocheting these days is to make simple embellishments for some of my knit projects.I have designed a few knitting patterns over the years and my most recent is for a newborn hat that looks like the “Minion Baby Costume” from “Despicable Me.” I love the movies and collect minions as well as knit them. I have made over a dozen miniature minions for family and friends. I might try making a larger-sized one and several costume changes for it. We will see what the next year brings.I had always wanted to make Christmas stockings for my family and so I learned how to knit socks and then designed my own over-sized stockings from there. I have also designed a ring-bearer’s pillow made with crochet thread. I must confess I HATE seams! I honestly suck at them and will modify a pattern if at all possible to avoid them. If a pattern calls for double-point or circular needles, I am in!I cannot call my crafting a career, but it is a passion and I always have a number of projects in the works. I am currently working on a cowl for myself using some absolutely to-die-for Irish wool my daughter gave me as a gift. (I love natural fibers by the way.) I am also working on a heart garland that says, “The Riddle’s est. 7-11-15.” There are several other projects in the works, but I think I have rattled on long enough for a first-time “Guest blogger.” So until next time, may your stash overflow and your gauge be accurate! Happy knitting!

Posted 1 week ago by Ethan Brant

Thanks go out to a few new friends I met through the Ravelry group "The Knit&Purl"! They are some really awesome and creative people and if you haven't checked them out, you should!

This great group of Ravelers have helped boost my spirits and inspired me to follow two of my biggest passions, knitting and writing. The Knit&Purl can be found at:

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-knitpurl

Its a fun way to discover some brand new designs, get inspired and get to know a few other crafters. One of the latest blog posts has inspired me to not only make the project, but incorporate several of its design elements into a project that has been bouncing around in my head for weeks. Another one is just a fun textured hat and I love textures! Its an easy pattern and well worth the few dollars for the pattern. It would be a great first hat project for someone who knows the basics of knitting. You can find it through the link above. Mary Ann has produced a well written pattern and I think I may be making more than a few of these before the next cold winter starts again. With these two new patterns I think I may just have my entire Christmas gift list covered. I call that a score!

Well, until next time, may your stash overflow and your gauge be accurate! Happy knitting!