The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Not being a religious person, Christmas for me is more about the food and festivities than anything else. And a major food staple for me is Marzipan Fruits.

This year's are from Waitrose. I know they are only shaped bits of marzipan and I know they're just covered in food colouring but when it comes together it results in so much more than just coloured marzipan. Each one is a magical christmas jewel. AND they taste good. I do like marzipan. Then of course there is the tree. I don't have one myself but was on hand to help decorate Mum's.

Yes, she does have the decorations my sister and I made as little ones. But she also has some more recent additions. The glass Father Christmas is one of my favourites.

I spent the weekend at Mum's getting over the last of my flu. I actually spent more than half the time I was there asleep but I guess that has helped since I was able to go back to work for almost a full day today. While down there I got some quality cat action. Artemis is not usually a playful cat - she prefers an actual kill to a pretend one with a screwed up piece of paper - but she noticed my knitting and the wool moving against the chair.

Before long it was the enormous, round, black pupils and the lightening quick paws with claws fully extended. All too easy to imagine those eyes and claws being the last thing the small, furry creature of the fields ever sees before squeaking their last.

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

The Joys of Creative Commons Licensing

Ms PurlPower asked me how you get decent images into your blog posts. Allow me to share my method.

First of all, a brief introduction to Creative Commons.

What is Creative Commons?

This is genius. It is a not-for-profit way of protecting your copyright. You choose which of six licenses applies to you and then mark your work in some way to show the license applies to it. Your work can be a photo, video, document, tutorial, pattern, song etc. Now to some, six licenses may sound confusing but this is not the lie of "tax doesn't need to be taxing". This is actually a simple process. The six licenses are explained here (scroll down) so let's take two examples to show how they work.

If you choose the most basic license, this is "Attribution". This means that when someone comes across something with this license they can use it in any way they want to as long as they identify you as the original is credited to you. So if you were to knit something from a Rowan pattern and take a killer picture of it, Rowan could come across it and use the photo in their publicity materials without asking permission or paying you a bean as long as they put your name on it. You still own the copyright in this and all other cases and you do have moral and a few other rights, explained online in more detail.

If you want more protection you might choose the "Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs" license. This means that as well as attributing the work to you, they can't use it for commercial purposes (so Rowan couldn't use it for marketing) and they have to use it as is - they can't edit or change it in any way.

Still confused? CC have created a little tool to help you choose a license (should you wish to license your work through Flickr or somewhere else for usage).

CC and Flickr

Now once works (photos, in this case) are licensed you can start using them. I source all my images from Flickr and I store all of mine there too (and yes, mine are all CC licensed). If you go to Flickr's Advanced Search tool and scroll all the way down you'll see this:

Tick the box relevant to you and your search will only bring up images you can use. Alternatively search within content with a specific license. To do this open up Flickr, go to 'Explore' and choose 'Creative Commons' (or just click here). Click on "see more" next to the license your heart desires and search in there.

Using an Image

Let's say you want to advertise my Charm Square Swap. You could just write about it but a picture is worth a thousand tweets so find the image on Flickr. Hint - it's here. Above the image and on the left click on 'share'. You'll get this.

You want the "Grab the HTML" section. Choose the size you want the image to appear on your blog from the drop down below the code and the code automatically updates (I usually use 500px wide). Now copy the code and go to your blog post. This bit is only about Blogger but I assume it is the same for Wordpress and others.

Personally I stay in 'compose' mode (the one it takes you to automatically) and paste the code wherever I want the image to go. Just like this:

Then, because I'm like that, I select all the code and centre it using the menu option above the text box, next to the numbered bullets icon. I don;t do anything else. That's it. So now, as soon as someone clicks on the image it takes them to the page on Flickr where the original is, from where the owner can be contacted and any information they wanted related to the image (such as camera type, location etc) can be found. You can do this to use any appropriately licensed image on your website or in print (as long as the print version has the attribution printed visibly somewhere).

Telling How an Image on Flickr is Licensed

You may have already found an image and want to check how you can use it. Easy enough. Take this image for example:

Click on the image above to get to the Flickr page. On the right towards the bottom of the page you'll see "Owner Settings" and the details of the license. Now compare that with this photo. This one says "All rights reserved" under the owner settings heading. That means that if you use it without the explicit permission of the creator you are potentially in a pile of poo. Best case scenario you get a polite email telling you to take the image off your blog pronto. Worst case and it all gets legal and expensive.

If you are a charity a lot of people will be ok with attribution-only as long as you are clear about how it will be used, but you MUST get written permission to use an image which isn't currently licensed. Can't get permission? There are two hundred million images on Flickr with some form of CC license. Just choose a different one.

Leave a comment if you have any questions!

Clear Liquid

The NHS Direct website has reassured me that I'm not dying and should drink 8-10 glasses of clear liquid a day. This confused me for a while (not difficult since I'm so tired I find myself confused by things like light switches and my feet). Did this mean cheap apple juice was ok but the posh cloudy stuff wasn't? And indeed it turns out that that is completely true. Juice is fine but nothing that has pulp in. Coffee and tea are fine but only without milk. Jelly is fine (?) as are fizzy drinks but not lumpy soup. And always be grateful you are not having a colonoscopy, at which point blue and red liquids are also out.

No smurf soup for you.

This has been the worst time possible to have this kind of flu-like cough/cold. It was my sister's wedding yesterday. She looked proper amazing.

I won't post any other photos though until the proper ones are issued as my blurry efforts don't do the wedding justice. I made it through the service with relatively little coughing and firmly seated but the confetti and then walk to the restaurant did me in and I had to leave. I don't blame her for being annoyed but I hope she understands I wouldn't have left if I didn't have to.

I'm off work today but tomorrow the exam results are due out and it's me who does all that. The one possible bright side is that being this ill now makes it (in my mind and do not question my logic) less likely I'll be ill when I volunteer for Crisis over christmas. Two years ago I volunteered and then had swine flu for three weeks and couldn't do any of it.

It will be different this year.

Christmas Presents!

Since NoMoBloPo finished I've occasionally missed writing daily but it was pretty time consuming. And time is something lacking at this time of year...because it is Christmas!! First presents have been wrapped and flown the nest.

I love this style of wrapping. It's the most trouble I've ever taken but it does make them look sweet even before you see what's inside. Some of them have secrets inside but others I can share. There are a few embroidered objects...

(The blue ink is the vanishing pen that I need to get wet to vanish properly.) And maybe some insanely zany socks.

I don't know very much about the recipient but I understand he is not insanely zany so I keep sniggering when I imagine the look on his face when he sees them for the first time.

I've also been grafting away on my accessories for sister Siany's wedding on Monday. She's so clever. An 11% payrise despite being 5 months preggers. They clearly want to ensure she comes back because she's so good at it. This is the belt I'll be wearing.

Don't ask how long it took to sew on all those fecking buttons. Base is some puce slightly elasticated lace designed for extremely sturdy underwear. I will of course be wearing a dress and not my polka dot pyjamas. I used poppers as the closure and they've worked pretty well.

The fascinator is ghastly. A wash out. Absurd. Don't talk to me about it. It never happened. It's probably a judgement for daring to suggest yarn bombing isn't an act undertaken by the highest among us through which we can understand their mightyness. So moving on let's talk about ice.

I found this on the inside of the lid of some tupperware while having a freezer clear out (that's how I roll). I've always been interested in ice since being told, as all children are, that no two snowflakes are ever alike. I suspect it's often a child's first introduction to the concept of infinity. I was already interested in how things worked when I found that out so it didn't start my interest in science but it definitely fanned the flames. A colleague in my first job after Uni had done her PhD in ice. I've never been interested in the details of chemistry but any physicist would proudly claim crystal structures as Solid State Physics and tell the Chemists to go back to their stuff in glass tubes. If this interests you the Wikipedia page is brief but good on the subject. Meanwhile, wasn't my tupperware pretty?

I wish I could have kept it.

Anniversary Present

It's actually the anniversary of my divorce coming through today. Things between Pooch and I are going well so I'm not inclined to celebrate it. But in others news, my parents have been married for 20 years! This is Mumsy and Dad2, Rob. I started planning this cross stitch about 18 months ago so it won't surprise anyone that I only just finished it in time.

It is about 10" across and on 18ct white aida. Various dmc cottons used throughout with 2 strands out of the 6 used except for occasional outlining done just with 1 strand. Each of the items was chosen for a reason and it roughly corresponds to the 4 seasons, starting with spring bottom left and going clockwise.

This is me (on the left) and Sian (she who will be married next week and who has gotten me off the hook by having a baby, due next year). In the middle is Artemis, the mighty hunter and chicken fearer.

Then the fear inducing chickens, or at least, one chicken.

I was rather proud of this. Brown on the left and then one strand of brown and cream in the middle, then just cream on the right. Then books.

Mater is known for her immense weekend breakfasts.

A few home grown veg. Variegated green used on cabbage thing.

Rob is a big steam fan.

It was little mum who started me off knitting and sewing so I wanted to include a sewing machine.

I'm not saying they drink a lot, but there are many occasions which are celebrated with a bottle of something bubbly.

Mumsy is also renowned for her christmas puddings which represent 50% proof cannon balls of yum.

So there you have it. Sian helped me with the design and the rest is history.

A New Quilt Enters the World

This project has been taking place for quite some time. But finally - a year and a month exactly after starting, I'm done.

This is a Christmas/wedding present for my sister who gets hitched a week on monday. Which reminds me - the fecking fascinator! I still haven't tried to assemble it. Anyway, I'll worry about that later. Meanwhile...

Picking colours has never been my strong point but I was also challenged to include fabrics to do with Mark (the intended). He used to be in the Navy so the little bear at sea was an easy choice. But Mark also dabbles on the saxophone but I couldn't find any saxophone fabric anywhere. What to do in such a situation? Spoonflower! I washed it as soon as it arrived to check it would be ok and there it is in place.

Since I was already in Boudoir Byrne I paused to take a photo of the bunting. Knitting Sal (for it was she) was the one behind my recent fabric bonanza after her Mum destashed. One of the things included was a number of beautifully made, unassembled triangles for bunting.

I couldn't resist.

I've mentioned to a couple of people the perils of renting recently. The place is never your own so you have to be careful both how you mark it (nails in walls etc) and how much bother you go to in decorating it since you don't know when you might be moving out. Hence the wonky bunting and the off-centre picture. I still love it despite that though. All it needs is a little sunshine to bring it alive. Might a be a few months before that though.

There Must Be ... 50 Ways to Kill a Knitter (NaMoBloPo #30)

The boys at work, ever sympathetic and supportive of my various plights, loved the idea of a knitting death threat and began to speculate on other ways knitters could bring about each other's demise.

At 1 we have the original suggestion - needle between the ribs. It's not as simple as that though. You'd probably want to go for a metal needle and clearly a straight or dpn rather than a circular. You're going to need a good grip so unless it's an unusually long dpn I'd stick with a straight so you can hold it firmly while still leaving enough length to penetrate the heart or lungs. And I'd suggest no smaller than 4mm because you don't want it to just bend on impact. Ideally you'll want to hit the heart so that death will be more certain so don't forget to check where it is.

Seems like in the UK we get taught it is further to the left than it actually is.

At 2 we have a variation on the whole stabby-pointy-sticks theme. Time to channel your inner spy and think about dipping one end of your needle with something poisonous before stabbing it into someone. On the plus side you don't need to worry about your aim - depending on what you use stab them anywhere and it will work its way into the bloodstream. On the otherhand you also don't want to accidentally stab yourself. For this reason I would again suggest a straight needle but a shorter one - perhaps a vintage or modern children's one about 20cm long.

The reason being you will be able to tell easily which end is poisonous. On the other hand if you only have a dpn then you could always use a rubber band wrapped around one end. Here a thinner needle is going to be beneficial so anything under 2.5mm should get the job done.

At 3 we're getting up close and personal again. Let's talk strangulation. Here you have two options. In the UK it's cold and so most of us are showing off our finest knitted scarf. These tend to be pre-wrapped around necks so grab hold of either end and heave. I'm not totally convinced about this myself. I don't think you'd be able to get it tight enough. For that reason let's bring in the circular needle. 40cm should be long enough but for safety (and if you're a magic looper like me you'll have plenty of them) you might want to go for 80cm instead.

As strength is all (you don't want your needle snapping half way through) I'd avoid your interchangables and stick with something created with the cable and needle parts firmly attached. What are the circs we all love and trust the most? Addi of course. This also has the benefit of working regardless of whether your intended is wearing a scarf.

At 4 we're getting back to basics with your blunt instrument. This is a variation on the half-brick-in-a-sock in that it's a whole brick in a knitting bag. Most of us have knitting bags so it's a simple weapon to carry around. Whether you bring your own brick or rely on finding one nearby is a matter of personal choice. One thought on choice of bag though. If you go for conventional fabric then it's going to be stained and you probably won;t want to use it to store your knitting in, even after washing.

Therefore look for a wipe clean or vinyl bag. After that aim for the head. Damage to the front of the brain has been found to be life changing but recoverable from (clearly not in all cases but as a generalisation). It's the back that does the damage.

And at 5 we have that all time favourite - cake. Where there are knitters, there is usually cake of some form or another. Unless you want to poison everyone likely to eat the cake I'd avoid a conventional block of the stuff. Go for cupcakes or perhaps biscuits and mark the poinsoned one in some way that is clear to you but not to the proposed victim.

You could put initials on them in icing perhaps or make them all in a flavour your intended doesn't like except for one.  

Should you wish to explore all of this further there is a brilliant book by Pamela Branch called "Murder Every Monday". Don't be put off by the cover. I came across it as a green penguin in a charity shop but have read it over and over because the idea is so clever, the writing very enjoyable and the story highly engaging. Also remember that none of the suggestions above talk about how to get away with it afterwards. While there are more and more of us out there every day, restricting yourself to death-by-knit is hugely narrowing the pool of suspects. So, you know, don't try this at home.

Haters Gonna Hate (NaMoBloPo #29)

I'd written quite a long. discursive post about the reaction to yesterday's post but that was before one commenter said I risked ending up with a knitting needle between my ribs. A death threat? Over knitting?

Seriously?

So much hate!

If you genuinely believe yarn bombing serves a useful purpose then you go for it.

It's Not Anarchy, It's Awful (NaMoBloPo #28)

I have just begun another Coursera course. The last was on Gamification, run by the University of Pennsylvania, and was brilliant. This one is called "How to Reason & Argue", run by Duke University, and I've already learnt a lot. For instance, explaining and persuading are ways of arguing. When explaining, the conclusion is already agreed to be true and it is the premise that is being discussed. When persuading, the conclusion has not been agreed and the arguer wishes to bring the arguee to agree with their conclusion. Not knowing the readers' feelings on the topic I don't know if I am explaining or persuading but my conclusion is...

Guerrilla knitting and yarn bombing are a waste of resources motivated at best by a wish to bring craft to the attention of a wider audience and at worst by a self-satisfying desire for attention.

Knitting is awesome. And crochet is ok too. Weaving, spinning all good. Felting - if you must. Some people think it is all grannyish. Some can't see the point. Fair enough. Such people probably have interests I would have similarly unenthusiastic opinions about.

The thing with knitting though, is that it makes something actually real and usable. Graffiti changes an existing object from one colour to another. There's not much else you can do with paint other than paint something. But knitting can be used to clothe something - usually a person. It can be used for comfort or warmth. It can give someone a way to keep warm or give a bit of comfort to someone who has nothing else. Knitted toys comfort children who have been orphaned in war zones, "angel blankets" give parents of still born or too premature children something to hold their baby in before they say goodbye. If you've got time and the yarn to think "oh yeah, I could use this to make a tree cozy" then you could change that to "oh yeah, there are charities needing knitted items so I'll knit them something."

To waste your time and resources making some self-serving piece of neon craft vomit which will become bedraggled and hopefully be cut off within a few days is just stupid.

Be smart - create with a real purpose, not with pomposity.


Charities in the UK Looking for Knitted Items
 

• Cancer Recovery
• Loving Hands All sorts of items needed for lots of projects
• Upon Butterfly Wings Angel Blankets
• Knit-A-Square Knit an 8" square for AIDS orphans

There are lots more! Look at charities in your local area and ask what they need.

Fascinating (NaMoBloPo #27)

I've still not started the fascinator for my sister's wedding. I have Milliner's Block.

Nightmare. I think I've made the mistake of acquiring too many materials. I have too many options to choose from.

I feel slightly guilty about the number of feathers I've got. I keep hoping they're the by-product of the food process and there aren't bald birds walking around because of me.

I have found this tutorial on Jezebel now. I knew it was for me when I saw she'd taken a photo of herself with a can of cat food on her head. And then published it online. My kind of lady. There's a lot of people like me out there. Not that the boys at work would agree. But to support my argument I give you this:

This is a man in New York who wanders around with his cat on his head. Yep, that's a real cat. I guess I don't have time to train one. Bummer.