So hubby & I took time to preview a kids movie before vacationing to maybe watch with the kids. We sat in the last available seats right as the movie starts on the main floor level where traffic runs (it was that or front row). As the movie (Echo) gets to about 2/3 in a few people lead kids out to the restroom. I notice some of it but am very into the movie by now. A mom & daughter come back & shortly after a worker quickly dusts along the pathway a super fragrant powder towards where they walked. I noticed the smell on his way back and what was on the floor. Obviously the child vomited but must be ok since they are back. I don't know where they sit or if they are going back up behind me or just to the right. Stick with me that's important.
Now the smell was already getting powerful to me. I'm highly sensitive to cleaning products and fragrances but now hubby starts whispering about it bothering him. A splash happens behind me and I'm thinking a drink is spilled. Nope. I look back in the dark. Something has happened so to grab my bag to move, from the side on the floor, in front of me. It's wet. Milky, chunky, wet. I go clean up in the bathroom and thankfully it wasn't much. My bag is washable but purse and knitting things inside are dry. Whew!
People are in the bathroom and I'm thinking out loud. "Why would anyone bring their sick kid to a movie?". A mom heard me and sees me cleaning my bag. The family next to her has the one who got sick and she took her kids to go to the restroom and wash hands. They had been in the row in front of the vomit trail and smelled, felt and heard it all. We mutter about cleaning vomit and I head back in.
Hubby is waiting on me to see if we shall go back in. Now I'm still assuming that the girl behind me was the first girl and her mom is just being terrible by keeping her there. So we decide to try the first row or two and try to catch the end of the movie. I don't see in the dark well and have to rely on hubby to navigate. Stupidly I blaze ahead of him. I barely sit down on the 3rd row from the front and hubby whispers to me, "Come on! We gotta go!". I look at the end of the row and on the floor is a giant spot of puke!! How the heck did I dance around that?! I pass a family with horrible looks on their faces as a grown man is now trying to hold back his own stomach convulsions as we pass by. We run in front of the screen to exit. I look back and see many others jumping up and leaving. I felt like it was dawn of the zombies and we were the main characters...run for your lives!!!!
We made it out with a line of others behind us and crying children to the main ticket booth. The quickly refunded our money and we left.
As we left hubby recounted he thought no less then 7 were affected of what we saw and I dare say others were likely to crop up. The movie wasn't even finished.
We think it was food poisoning and the little ones got it first. It makes me think it was the popcorn or something like that to effect that many people. So next time you decide to go to the movies....ok well...maybe next time stay at home like I will be and watch Netflix.
P.s. We came home and threw clothes and my bag in the wash on sanitize and took showers. My body is reeling just waiting for the boom if we get sick. We both had the pizza and a box candy. Please let it be the popcorn!
Blocking your knitting may sound scary or foreign but the fact is it can make your project sing! It will make the stitches even out and open lace wok and cables nicely.
"Even the professionals block"
There are ways to steam knitting that can kill synthetic yarns but wet blocking is perfect for all types of yarn, is cheap and simple.
The following I had previously blogged on another post for my mitered picot lovey. You can find the original patterns for the layette set at this link (click here) but I wanted to give blocking its own blog. Thanks for reading. Be sure to subscribe and comment below. Thanks! -Kristen
Blocking instructions:
I suggest a wet block approach. This is safe for all types of yarn.
If you have a machine washable fiber you can run it through the wash on gentle then follow pinning instructions below. If a natural fiber or delicate stitches like lace, wash by hand with a recommended mild detergent then follow pinning instructions below.
Washing Instructions:
I prefer washing by hand in my plastic basin with a product called Soak. This detergent is formulated to not need rinsing. Mix with one tsp of detergent to 1 gallon of water. Use spring or filtered tap. Mix up with your hand in a clean sink or basin. Place knitting in and let soak in for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze the water out or place in a dry white towel and roll. Knitting will be damp.
Pinning Instructions:
Need:
Blocking Board(s) or clean kids play-mats
T-pins that are rust-resistant. These are reusable.
Lay knitting on blocking board and pin the corners evenly with 1 pin in each corner. On one side start pinning behind each picot to have a nice straight line. Adjust corner pins as necessary. Repeat for adjacent side and work your way to the corner opposite your first starting pin. Try to match the sizing pinned from the first side. Now skip the adjacent side and go to the side opposite of the 2nd side you pinned. After pinning behind each picot Adjust the criers as needed and complete the last side.
Leave knitting until it is dry. Be sure to place in a well ventilated area with good air circulation.
Happy Knitting!
Want to Guest blog on our site about Knitting, Loom Knitting, Crochet, Yarn, Crafts/Cooking or tell your crafty story? Send us an email to goodknitkisses@gmail.com with the subject line GUEST BLOG and we'll send you more information. Your own blog or site will be linked and you will be named.
Knitting, once associated with only older people used to making their own clothes and embarrassing jumpers made by well-meaning Grandmas, is on the up. Crafts are increasingly popular amongst the young, and sewing and knitting your own clothes in a struggling economy is now not only sensible but also seen as a great way of making your clothes unique to you.
Are you thinking about taking up knitting and are curious to know more? Here are 5 things about knitting you may not have known.
• The number of celebrities that have taken up knitting. There are some celebrities that you might associate with knitting but there is a wide range of glamorous women that look to work their needles. This includes Uma Therman, Debra Messing, Scarlet Johansson, Sarah Jessica Parker and supermodel Kate Moss.
• How old knitting is. The earliest examples of knitting have been found in Egypt and include a wide range of items, including indigo blue and white cotton stockings, which have been dated between the 11th and 14th centuries CE.
• How important the kind of yarn you use is to the finished product. Patterns will often come measured in stitches as opposed to being measured by size. This means that the kind of knitting yarns you use could mean the difference between it being fit for purpose or not. Make sure that you choose the weight that they suggest to avoid problems in the future. There are around 6 standard weights; super fine, fine, light, medium, bulky and super bulky.
• How important the needle you use is. This is for the same reason as the kind of yarn you use is important. Bigger needles do bigger stitches. This doesn't mean you need a load of needles, you can just buy them as you need them, or there are a lot of starter kits out there that give you a range of needles in the most commonly used sizes.
• Knitting is for more than just clothes. There are even some people allergic to wool, so if you enjoy knitting this doesn't mean that you have to get used to the idea of wearing wool if you don't want to or sending knitted clothes to anyone you know. There are crafts you can do; household items, decorations etc. These are also good for novices and those that only know a limited number of stitches. They are also good for those looking to learn new stitches.
If you'd like to know more about knitting there are loads of websites and books dedicated to this up and coming craft, so you can make the most of and develop your skills to become a proficient knitter.
(Editor notes by Kristen Mangus. Welcome Kath to our GoodKnit Kisses blog! Kath comes to us from the UK. By the way a jumper mean "sweater" in America if that bit confused anyone. We hope you enjoyed her and check our her regular blog site by clicking her name.)
What are your thoughts on Knitting? Tell us your knitting experiences!
Comment below, share and subscribe. Much knitty love to you!
If you'd like to guest blog please email Kristen at kristen@goodknitkisses.com.
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Swatch and Cast On Calculator for Knitting (needles or loom)
Swatching for Gauge. Three words we don't like to hear.
Have you read or heard that you need to make a swatch? Or check your gauge?
Don't be scared.
Yes, you will need to knit up a swatch in the yarn you intend to use with the tool (needle or loom) you intend for your project in the main stitch, but to find your gauge from there takes a few simple calculations. If you simply want to find how many stitches you need for a panel, or even a small section to make a feature in your knitting (say a special stitch or even a 6" bound off slit for a strap to fit through), you will need to know how many stitches to work, bind off or even cast on.
Below you will find help for that as well as how many rows to get the desired length! If you have the "stitches per inch" or "rows per inch" from an existing pattern, you can compare those numbers to your numbers and calculate the difference you need. Then add or subtract stitches to achieve the same sizing or also the same as "obtain(ing) gauge".
Let's get started! Use the notes and illustrations below to measure your swatch and calculate. The first examples contain numbers to help you practice. We encourage you to use the formula spelled out at the bottom, along with the example numbers in the example figures, to test our answers. Below the examples are cleared out boxes for you to use for your own swatch measurements.
Please note that directions below are written for our Phone and Tablet app. We thought best to provide a blog to help others with what we already had. If you would like to download and use the app for your convenience please click here. It is a free iOS app. At the bottom of this post is a video showing how to use the app and this calculator. Should you not have an iOS device you are welcome to print this blog for personal use to use as a guide. It would also be a nice paper to keep as a reference for your projects or a swatch reference for your tools (needles and looms). We would recommend writing at the top the yarn, tool, stitch and project for your reference. Note that gauge can change slightly with your own mood and tension as well as from yarn to yarn even on the same tools.
**(A note for our metric friendly international users. The calculations will work the same, just change inches to suit your needs. Its the ratio that's important).**
For the Cast-On Calculations:
First make a swatch using the selected project yarn of about 5 inches by 5 inches or 6x6. In making the swatch use the same needles or loom that you intend to use in making the project.
Then measure about a 4 inch by 4 inch area on the swatch. A smaller size measurement may be made. However, the estimate provided by the calculator will be more accurate as the measured area increases.
Enter in the number of stitches counted in the measurement. Then enter the width measured when you counted the stitches.
Now for first project requirement entry:
Enter the desired width or circumference of your project and for the calculated estimate press: 'Stitches to Cast-On ->'. If width is a circumference for a snug fit, an adjustment to the number to enter may be needed. For example, for socks measure arround the widest part of foot snugly and substract 1/2 inch then enter this for the desired width.
Cast-On Formula used:
Swatch is S stitches and measures W wide. The stitches per inch is S/W and desired width is dW. The Stitches to Cast-On = (dW x S/W).
Now for the Rows Calculations:
Measure the swatch number of rows and enter the number of rows and the measured length. Then enter the desired length of project and press 'Rows needed are->'.
Formula for rows needed = (dL x R/L) where dL is desired length, R is number of measured rows and L is length measured.
For an electronic/ usable version of this calculator please download the iOS device only app GoodKnit. We apologize for any inconvenience if you do not own one of these devices. For personal use only, We (GoodKnit Kisses) give permission to print out these directions in whole. Please do not make multiple copies to distribute. Downloadable PDF copies can be made available upon request by GoodKnit Kisses for large groups or individuals if needed. Please submit request to goodknitkisses@gmail.com with the Subject line "PDFGauge Calculator".
DISCLOSURE:
Calculations are an estimate of your desired project results. GoodKnitKisses and Sagafuse will not be held responsible for any losses occurred using this application.
