Teats on a Bull

Archive for the ‘Instructional’ Category

Opting Out of the Township Regatta

Monday, March 26, 2018

Hi Gamers!

Here is how to opt out of the Township Regatta.

In the upper right corner is your profile picture. Directly underneath is a gear. Tap the gear.

This will bring up the Settings panel. Tap the “Additional Settings” button.

Opting Out. Under the “Additional Settings” there is a check box “Participate in Regatta”. Just tap the check box to uncheck it. And then tap the “x” in the corner to leave the panel.

When you look at the co-op screen (the little sign down by the dock) you will now see that you are “not racing” and the blue gear beside your racing status is gone.

Opting back in. Just follow the procedure for opting out.

In the upper right corner is your profile picture. Directly underneath is a gear. Tap the gear.

This will bring up the Settings panel. Tap the “Additional Settings” button.

Under the “Additional Settings” there is a check box “Participate in Regatta”. Just tap the check box to check it. And then tap the “x” in the corner to leave the panel.

When you look at the co-op screen (the little sign down by the dock) you will now see that you are “racing” and the blue gear has reappeared beside your racing status.

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Happy Planner 101 – Advice from the Planner Newbie

Saturday, November 4, 2017

First … DON’T PANIC. Getting started with Happy Planner (HP from now on) and planner journals can be overwhelming. Take a deep breath, have a piece of chocolate and plunge on.

I’ve never been able to keep a planner for more than, say a, month. But as the husband & I are traveling more, I needed to keep a calendar. I have my iPhone, but honestly that is so … calendar. My HP is more of a scrapbook than just a calendar. Or a picture journal with places for appointments. Either way, it’s fun and I hopefully will be able to keep it going. I’ll check back in a couple of months.

I did not research planners or how to plan or anything like that. A person in my one Facebook group had a HP, and I jumped in feet first and THEN decided to do my research. It worked out ok. I’m happy with my choice.

Look around to see what kind of planner will suit you. You might want to go fully DIY or you might want to buy something like the Happy Planner. Next you need to choose a size that works for you. This site by Amber Downs has the dimensions of the HP very clearly laid out. And of course there is the HP itself – they come in just the planner or planner kits. I started with a planner kit because it had stickers and everything I needed to start. Michael’s & Hobby Lobby seem to be the big retailers. I got mine through Amazon.com because I get most everything through Amazon.

There are no wrongs for planner-ing. Only preferences. And some really good suggestions. But do what feels best for you and you will have a happy journey.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
Happy Planners & their accessories are overwhelming. There are so many choices and so many things download the brain explodes with the possibilities. Just DON’T PANIC and don’t go crazy in the planner aisle…. yet. You want to figure you where you are going with your planner first.

Read, read, read. Well, skim until you find one that gives you ideas for a direction. me & my BIG ideas have great ideas. Heather Kell’s website Kell of a Good Time (specifically this post) is a must read. Heather’s post on how to use HP is a good read for ideas on direction. I googled “how do i use my happy planner”. Happy As Annie is another good one to read – in 3 parts! Take notes and bookmarks sites so you can go back later.

The one thing that is consistent from blog to blog is the advice on pre-populating or decorating your planner (don’t for the most part) and using sticky notes (do use them). The suggestion is only add activities that won’t change such as birthday’s and holiday’s. For anything that is subject to change (appointments, dates, outings) use sticky notes so the event can be moved easily. Decorating your planner should be done week by week and one month at a time. One main reason for me would be between January and June a ton of new stickers & washi tape will have come out.

As some point during this process I decided on a planner/scrapbook idea. I don’t want more that one 1 planner because I’m bad enough keeping 1. Plus the scrapbook part will keep me from getting bored.

When I look at all the planners with the perfect handwriting, I don’t want to write anything in my crappy old handwriting. I’m just going to take a breath and write on anyway. Since it’s my journal it should be in my crappy old handwriting! Plus it will give me something to improve as I go on.

Stickers:
Here’s the big OVERWHELM. There are a million stickers and a million more downloads. And then we get to the free stuff. First DON’T PANIC. Don’t buy a ton of stickers until you know the direction you are taking. Download to your hearts content – but don’t print yet! Again it’s all about your direction.

Honestly there are a million sticker choices. But that also can be a good thing. There is a sticker already made for almost every event. Victoria Thatcher has wonderful stickers. I googled “happy planner free printables” and “happy planner free printable stickers”. Like I said before, download to your hearts content, but don’t print until you know where you are going.

Free download or just download have an advantage over purchased as they can be reprinted over and over. They have a disadvantage (unless you have a sticker machine such as a cricut) in that you have to cut them by hand and they may not look as good that way.

Pinterest is a good place to keep your planner sticker choices & planner ideas. You can include stickers you are on the fence about or ideas that are interesting but your not 100% sure about.

Download and keep the stickers you plan to use. When you download them, name them something that makes sense to you. Put stickers that you will use over and over in a special subdirectory. These (link & link) I will use every year. Don’t forget to Pin or bookmark pages you want to go back to.

Splurge for the good sticker paper. The better the paper the better the stickers. This Avery Paper is recommended by many – including me. Consider spending the money to have the stickers printed at an office supply store. Buying sticker from Etsy or a store is a good thing. Someone put a lot of work into creating the stickers and monetary compensation is a way of saying thank you.

Washi tape – I’m still not convinced I need this. But all the resources seem to think I do. I’m not ruling it out, I’m just not rushing out to get some either. I’m sure eventually I will find it useful, just not now when I am first starting out. It all goes back to how are you using your planner.

Things You Might Need:
If you are going to expand your planner and add pages you’ve downloaded you will need a hole punch. The referenced on is for a classic (or medium) planner. You might also need expansion rings if you are adding a lot of pages.

This is my wish list of thing I want to add:
pocket folders
pen holder
inspiration card
paper clips with flags (maybe i do need washi tape)

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Quilting Stitch

Friday, June 30, 2017

When I joined in the Jimmy Beans Wool (JBW) Semi-Precious Tosh Shawl Mystery Knit-a-Longs (MKAL) the pattern used what the designer is calling a Quilted Stitch. I’ve also seen it called a Diamond Stitch or an Open Diamond Stitch. I found it somewhat confusing at first.

I was asked how I learned the stitch. I thought this might help someone else.

The written abbreviations for the quilted stitches are t1r and t1l (twist one to the right, and twist one to the left). This is how you do a t1r and t1l and how to do a complete repeat of the pattern.

I wrote this row by row. This is only a swatch. I don’t use the abbreviations much because it’s more about how to do the stitch than how to do a pattern. If you find any errors, please let me know (it was not test knit by anyone) so I can correct them.

About the stitch: it is an 6 stitch, 8 row repeat. This swatch is 3 stitch repeats, 2 row repeats (18 stitches by 16 rows), with 2 edges stitches (one on either side). The actual pattern from the designer will be written slightly differently. The way I have it written is a swatch & educational only. It’s not intended to be part of any pattern.

Assumptions: You have worked with 2 colors of yarn before and can 1) join in a new color, 2) carry a float up the side of the work (it’s not hard, just don’t get it too tight).

What you will need 2 very contrasting colors of yarn (black & white are perfect), appropriate sized needles for your yarn. Optional: a stitch marker or cable needle. I tried to make the colors below match the colors that I had on my needles.

Abbreviations:
k – Knit
p – Purl
s2 – slip 2
d – Drop a stitch
s2wyib – Slip 2 with yarn in back
s2wyif – Slip 2 with yarn in front
s1wyib – Slip 1 with yarn in back
s1wyif – Slip 1 with yarn in front
t1r – twist one to the right
t1l – twist one to the left

Odd rows (1, 3, 5, etc.) are the right side (rs) of the work.

Even rows (2, 4, 6, etc.) are the wrong side (ws) of the work.

Ready? Let’s try this.

My Colors: 1 – Blue, 2 – Pink

Cast on 20 stitches with color 1.

Edge Rows:
Row 1 – Knit (color 1)
Row 2 – Knit (color 1)
I repeated these 2 rows once.

Setup Rows:
Row 1 – Knit (color 2)
Row 2 – Color 2
k1 (edge stitch)
k2, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k2
k1 (edge stitch)

(Click to expand the pictures for a better view. They will open in a new tab.)

Quilting Rows:
Row 1 – (color 1) k1, k2, s2wyib, k4, s2wyib, k4, s2wyib, k2, k1
The s2wyib will line up over the purls from the previous row. You are carrying those 2 purls up one row without knitting them. Don’t worry too much about the tension on the s2wyib. As long as they are not exceedingly tight you will be ok. It’s hard to see the floats in the 3rd picture because of the yarn.

Aside: Why am I saying k1, k2 or k2, k1? Why not just k3? There is a madness to this. The K1 is an edge stitch and not part of the pattern. Further down it is alone without its k2.

Row 2 – (color 1) k1, k2, s2wyif, k4, s2wyif, k4, s2wyif, k2, k1
The s2wyif will line up with the purls from 2 rows back. They are being carried up this row as well.

Row 3
Or the scary row! This is the row that we begin dropping stitches to move them across the work. Unless you pull a whole lot, the stitches don’t go anywhere. This is where the stitch marker or cable needle come into play. You should put the dropped stitch on one until you get comfortable. I used a stitch marker when I first started.

(color 2) k1
*s2 to right needle, d1,

s2 to left needle, pick up dropped stitch on left needle
K3 (you’ve just made your t1r stitch!!)

d1, k2, pick up dropped stitch on left needles and k
(You’ve just made your first t1l stitch!)

Repeat from * 2 times
k

Row 4 – (color 2) k1, p1, k4, p2, k4, p2, k4, p1, k1
On this row, if you look at your purls, they line up with the moved stitches from the previous row (see the second picture in Row 5). And they also line up with the purls from row 2 of the set up row. The pictures below show the ws and how things are lining up.

Row 5 (color 1) k1, s1wyib, k4, s2wyib, k4, s2wyib, k4, s1wyib, k1
The s1wyib & s2wyib will line up with the purls from the previous row. This is the same reasoning as row 1.

Row 6 (color 1) k1, s1wyif, k4, s2wyif, k4, s2wyif, k4, s1wyif, k1
The s1wyib & s2wyib will line up with the previous row. This is the same reasoning as row 2.

Row 7 – More scary drops (color 2)
k1
*d1, k2, pick up dropped stitch on left needle, k1 (t1l)
s2 to right needle, d1, slip 2 to left needle, pick up dropped stitch, k3
repeat from * 2 times
k1

Row 8 – This is a repeat of Setup Row 2 (color 2)
k1, k2, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2, k2, k1

And that is one full repeat of the 8 rows that make up the quilted stitch.

Below is my full swatch – 3 of the 6 stitches across and 2 row repeats. Plus 2 repeats of Edge Rows on the top and bottom.

I hope this has helped and not confused you! If you have any questions you can leave a comment below and I will do my very best to help.

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Cat in the Hat Knit Bookmark

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Yarn: Not much worsted (medium (4)) Red, White & Blue. I used Caron Simply Soft Solids Blue Mint, Red Heart Classic Solid White & Red Heart Classic Solid Jockey Red

Needles & Hooks: US 7 Double Pointed Knitting Needles
4.5 MM (US 7 or G or H) Crochet Hook

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: Not important at all (my kind of project!)

Need to Know Knitting: Casting on, Knitting in the round, Increasing, adding a color, and how to chain in Crochet!

Abbreviations:
kfb = knit into front and back of stitch (increase)
k = knit

I was completely inspired by Catina Anderson’s crocheted version. But that is crochet and I suck at crochet. Don’t get me wrong – did try and mine where nowhere as cute as hers. So with that in mind off I went into design mode to make a knit version. This write up is completely almost finished. If you have any questions, please just leave me a comment below. (You will have to sign up so that I know you aren’t a spambot – sorry.) A downloadable pdf is available through ravelry (without the pictures) (Ravelry Download)

There are 2 versions …. a fatter version and a thinner version. The pictures below are mostly of the fatter version but it really doesn’t make a difference (I was just noting it in case someone wondered). All images are clickable to make them larger.

Let’s knit!

With Red – Cast on 4 stitches (we are starting at the crown of the hat). Leave at least a 6 inch tail.

Row 1: kfb all stitches (8 total)

Row 2: Fatter: *K, kfb* (repeat 3 times) (12 total stitches)
Row 2: Thinner: Knit (8 total stitches)

Now is a good time to stop and redistribute your stitches so that you have 4 per needle (or 3 ish for the thinner). OR if you don’t mind have a whole bunch on needle … press on!

Row 3: K
Row 4: K
I added a marker at this point so I know where my beginning is at a quick glance.

Row 5: K We will be adding the white for the next row. Do NOT Cut the RED!!!

Row 6: In white K
I knit the tail into the 2nd and 3rd stitch so I don’t have to weave it in later.

Row 7: K
Don’t forget stitches 2 and 3 will be double strands.

Row 8: K We will switching back to the red for the next row. Do NOT Cut the WHITE!!!

Side note: Try to keep the gap between needles as tight as possible. Especially when going from row to row. Below is a little big and should be tightened up.

Row 9: In red K

Row 10: K

Row 11: K

Row 12: K We will be switching back to the white for the next row. Do NOT Cut the RED!!!

Row 13: In white K

Row 14: K

Row 15: K We will switching back to the red for the next row. Do NOT Cut the WHITE!!!

Row 16: In red K

Row 17: K

Row 18: K

Row 19: K We will be switching back to the white for the next row. Do NOT Cut the RED!!!

Row 20: In white kfb.

BO and join the white to make a nice round brim. (Pick up the first bound off stitch and slip the last bound off stitch over the picked up stitch.)

Cut the white and red. Leave a long enough red tail to sew up the bottom of the hat. Weave in the white end.

Pull on the original cast on tail to bend the hat slightly to one side and tie to the other red tail tightly against the hat. I tried to get mine to bend on the color jog. Tuck the original tail up into the hat (no need to cut or weave it in – yay!).

Sew up the bottom of the hat with the longer red tail.

Weaving in (tying off your choice) the end and pull it up through the hat and cut.

And the hat is off needles!

Now for the blue. With the blue & the crochet hook pick up a bit of the red where you sewed up the bottom.

Chain between 40 & 50. Mine is 45. If you are going to give it with one the Seuss books I’d go 50. Do note end – leave the last chain open and nice & big (it is going to hold the tassel) with a long tail and cut the yarn.

Cut 2 8” pieces of all 3 colors.

Slip them through the last chain and tighten the loop.

Tie off the tail. I created a more tassley look by wrapping the blue tail around the tassle part and tying it off. And leaving the now tied off tail so there are 5 blue strands in the tassle.