Free Tibet bracelet pattern

This is as close to politics as this blog will ever get; Timson is rather uncomfortable about public political discussions, but he had a lot of fun making this bracelet, and would like to show it off:

I came up with this bracelet because I was looking for something I could wear frequently that conveyed this message but all I could find were those plastic message bracelets, and I'm trying to reduce the amount of plastic in my life--I couldn't find anything so decided to get creative.*

The pattern's very simple--I've made it available as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file, for free here, but if you like it, please contribute to either The Tibet Fund (U.S.), Free Tibet (U.K.), or the organization of your choice that supports Tibet or Tibetans.

*For just one reason to reduce your purchasing of plastics, see the Discover magazine article, The World's Largest Dump: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

The turtle moved

Have you ever seen one of your favorite authors in the whole world next to something you made for them? Someone whose books have made you laugh out loud no matter how bleak the world had become? Someone who had crafted something that always brought you joy, even when your heart was shattered? If so, you know how I feel today.

I made one, wee square, the turtle from Barbara Walker's treasuries. Thanks to an amazing amount of hard work and incredible talent on her part & all those who participated, Shirley presented the Pratchgan to our PTerry. I hope so much it keeps him warm and brings him a even fraction of the joy he's brought all of us. Read all about it on her blog, Ramblings of a Yarn Junkie.

To see some of the squares in detail, check out the Flickr group, or if you're on Ravelry, start with Shirley's project page.

Wibble.

He went to...

Copia! He toured the gardens...



...and really liked making some friends.

Where's Cedric?

Do you recognize where Cedric is? Can you guess?

Water lilies

I got some film back from our trip to the UC Botanical Garden which included this unexpectedly lovely shot of the water lilies. Cedric was there, but water makes him very nervous, especially this water which is the home to snakes and turtles--they're not known to eat gnomes, but when you're a very small gnome, you don't take those sorts of chances.

It's a top, no, it's a bathing suit

What do you do when you can't wear synthetics, and you want to go swimming? Sure, tshirts and shorts are an option, but what about wanting something pretty? Enter the Citrus Sun Top, from Knitting Lingerie Style.

Even thought my gauge was spot-on, and my measurements brutally accurate, the cups turned out huge (even though they're the "A cup" size)--since the pattern didn't offer a "demitasse" size, I had to think of a way to get the cups to fit. Enter i-cord drawstrings:

I laced them through the trim: one i-cord through the top, tying at the back of the neck, and one i-cord through each side, fastened just where the cup meets the midriff (near the underarm), fastened in the back.

The i-cords not only keep the top from looking way too big, they will keep it on in the water!

And, yes, since the yarn is Louet MerLin, which is merino and linen, it does smell a bit like a wet dog when wet, but I'm hoping the chlorine will mask that.