Bazaar Girls | Bazaar Girls

The Kinesiology of Craft

numahka — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:46:26 +0000

The Kinesiology of Craft

by Marsha Novak

Welcome to the Kinesiology of Craft. In case you are not familiar with the word kinesiology- it means the study of movement. The purpose of this column is to keep you moving along the crafting path without having to step off because of pain or injury. If you already have pain when you craft, hopefully you will acquire some tools to address it.

As long as we are talking paths, I’d like to introduce myself and tell you a bit about mine, and how it is that I am writing this column. I’m Marsha Novak aka Feldyknitter on Ravelry. I’ve been a physical therapist for a quarter of a century, and along the way also earned a master’s degree in kinesiology. Traditional physical therapy can be very helpful for injured crafters as well as for a lot of other stuff and I do use some of what it has to offer in my work.

However, that model can be somewhat limiting for two reasons. First the traditional model tends to focus exclusively on what hurts, but it is quite possible that your wrist hurts when you knit because of something that is not happening with your shoulder. Additionally the traditional model is pretty “top down” (with no reference to that approach to knitting garments). The physical therapist is the “expert” and the patient mindlessly does the prescribed exercises. At least we PTs hope they are being done.

Looking for an alternative I went on to study the Feldenkrais® Method and its evolution, the Anat Baniel Method(sm) both offering a more holistic view. So now I am Feldyknitter, a Feldenkrais practitioner who knits quite a bit. Considering I do hands on work several hours a day, type chart notes and go home and knit, if I did not know how to use my body efficiently and monitor this while I do other things, I would be one hurting person.

So, my offering to you here has to do with learning to pay attention to what is going on with your body while you craft. Moshe Feldenkrais who founded the method that bears his name, is known to have said “if you know what you are doing, you can do want you want”. A common cause of crafting associated pain is excess muscle tension. The following exercise is designed to help you notice this as you craft.

Find some medium size knitting needles (size 7-9 US) and some worsted weight yarn, ideally at least mostly animal fiber and start a swatch in garter stitch. If you do another craft just get something basic that is just for practice.

Once you have done this, following the instructions below-

1. As you continue to craft check in with your body. Where is it comfortable? Where is it tense? For now don’t change anything, just notice.

2. As you continue to craft notice how tightly you are holding your tools- needles, hooks, and yarn- whatever? Is it possible to hold them more loosely and still work your “swatch”? Just experiment. The reason you have a practice piece is so you don’t have to worry about messing it up. It is true that how tight you hold can influence gauge, and that is something that can be work out.

3. As you continue to craft, count five breaths. This is an exercise in spreading your attention between your work and yourself.

That’s it. Future columns will vary- some more traditionally advice oriented and others more like this.

Thank you Bazaar Girls for offering me the opportunity to do this.

Happy pain free crafting-
Feldyknitter

Marsha Novak is a physical therapist, Feldenkrais(R) practitioner and practitioner of the Anat Baniel Method(sm). She has a solo private practice MOVING WELL PHYSICAL THERAPY AND MOVEMENT EDUCATION on Bainbridge Island. She can be reached by email <moving@drizzle.com>, by phone (206)842-4608, or on the web at www.drizzle.com/~moving

CHOICES

What projects are you working on these days? How do they make you feel? First off – how are they making you feel physically? Do you feel relaxed, comfortable or tense and achy? If you are achy, where are you achy? How are you feeling in other ways? It has now been well documented that if you feel frustrated or angry this can increase muscular tension and that leads to muscular fatigue and pain.

We choose our projects for many reasons. Some of us are more “process crafters”. If we don’t think we will enjoy the process, we tend to avoid the project. I tend toward being a member of that tribe; though have been known to stray. Then there are “project-oriented” types who see something they want to make and that’s it.

Regardless of your “type”, though these issues are bigger those who are more “product-oriented”, I would like to share some thoughts about choices in yarn, needles/hooks and projects that can help you remain comfortably on the crafting path.

First off is variation. Unless you choose only to work with what is absolutely most comfortable for you, having several projects requiring a variety of levels of concentration, types of fiber and needle/hook sizes is a good thing. So if you really want to work with a yarn that “hurts your hands” do that for just a small amount of time and then switch to something more comfortable.

Next comes a fiber choice. Generally animal fibers have more elasticity than ones from plants, and so are easier to work with. A worsted weight yarn is the most comfortable for many folks. Also it is often easier to work with the needle size typically associated with that yarn weight. Knitting down can be especially challenging as can extreme “opening up”

Once you’ve chosen your fiber, what are the optimal needles (this is mostly for knitters who are sliding rows of live stitches rather than working with one). In general if your fiber is stickier you want the needle to be more slippery. The reverse is also true. Typically metal needles are more slippery than wood, though there are some very highly polished wooden needles available if that is your preference.

To avoid buggy eyes and headaches, think contrast. Knitting with black yarn on ebony needles or highly variegated yarn on harmony wood needles not so good. Finally if you will need to do any “tricky” maneuvers like knit three together be sure you have sharp points. My personal preference is for pointy needles most of the time, unless a yarn is very “splitty”, but not everyone agrees.

So now that you have heard what I have to say, how about experimenting with swatching on your own. What would be even more fun is to have a ” swatch party” where everyone brings a variety of needles/hooks and yarns (as well as munchies of course) and experiments and you can make some notes on what works best for you.

Alchemist

numahka — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:33:18 +0000

Call Us

I come from salespeople on my Father’s side. Sicilian salespeople. My mother’s, Germans. Postal employee Germans.
Tonight, it’s the Sicilian blood I feel in my veins, so let’s get to the point.
Our crew is a little crazy, we accept that. But, it’s precise measures of madness that moves all creative projects forward.

My name is Kerri Hartman. I am the Bazaar Girls’ alchemist.
Different alchemists work with different elements.
What connects us as a practice is the belief that introducing the right elements in the right environment, yields gold.

We are gold.

Come in. Sit down. I’ll mix you a drink.
Alchemy is a connecting game. Allow me to introduce, The Bazaar Girl Players.

Aaron Strich- Architect. His OCD compliments our ADD. He is developing the language all Bazaar Girl patterns will follow. Surely you’ve noticed. Nerdy boys everywhere are thriving. He’s ours.

Amanda Steuer -Duchess. From time to time Amanda imparts her wisdom. The wise receive it.

Amy Sousa-Archivist Damn right we’re recording.

Angela Amos – Muse. Do not, abuse the muse.

Elijah Johnstone – Apollo. Sailor boy, spinner, knitter. Rises with the sun.

Joleen Snowdon- Saint. Sister Joleen, protector of the weak, champion of the adorable. Nicer then the rest of us.

Natalia Robinson- Gypsy Witch. Natalia made the US government finance a fiber journey and a fiber degree. She currently looks at local fleeces under a microscope. Her quest? Find local, humanely raised top quality wool, naturally dye and locally process it.

Numahka Swan – Transformationalist. Numahka Knows there are no wrong turns, only changes in direction.

And

Diane Kaplan- Our Mother who art in heaven. We will never lift enough glasses to you.

We’ve written our acceptance speeches.

We’re not just jacking off here.

360 379 9273

Muse

numahka — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:25:51 +0000

Muse

Transformationalist

numahka — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:19:59 +0000

Transformationalist

Numahka Swan, being change.

Aaron

numahka — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 01:21:59 +0000

Sweater Club

numahka — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 00:47:18 +0000

by Kerri Hartman

On February 25th I will turn 42. The age my father was when he died.

I am in the thick of crazy middle age women syndrome, but I think I’ve found a cure.

Sweater Club.

The first rule of Sweater Club? No 3/4 sleeves.

It was going to be: Work on a sweater that makes you feel like a super hero but Frannie said, “No 3/4 sleeves!”

Rule #2 We listen to Frannie in sweater club.

We will present our sweaters at our local pin bar in Port Townsend Washington. Find it.

6:00pm February 25th.

If you know sweater club is where you belong and can’t afford a sweater’s worth of yarn, talk to us about earning yarn for knitting samples.

If you’re a new knitter and can only manage a scarf by then, come pay your respects and we’ll host another ball when your sweater is ready.

Update : January 23, 2013

Frannie’s still in charge, but the original rule is being reinstated. Work on a sweater that makes you feel like a superhero. If you do not live in Port Townsend, find a bar or diner small enough for your local sweater club chapter to create a clear majority. It’s important to achieve a “We own this *#@%$^ town!” ambiance. Superhero/Gangsta. Sweater clad Superhero/Gangsta. Get it?

Absolutely no flavored vodkas.

February 1, 2013

I’ve already finished my sweater. I’m going to try to finish another before my birthday. I will be the Mister Rogers of the knitting world. Every time you see me I will have on a new cardigan, you will find this soothing. Just you wait.

Christmastime is Here

numahka — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:58:32 +0000

by Kerri Hartman

The Bazaar Girls are all about Christmas. Christmas was our first muse.
For nine years I didn’t celebrate any holidays. I was involved in a very small religious group. When I left it, rediscovering holidays ushered me back to myself.
I had great holidays as a kid. I lived in the same house my entire childhood. Thanksgiving and Christmas were always the same and for me the sameness is what made them special.

For Thanksgiving, both sets of grandparents and Uncle Joe came to our house. Grandma Switzer would bring a pumpkin and a pecan pie, and Grandma Palermo, at some point, would walk into the sliding glass door. Uncle Joe would either bring a new girlfriend, or fall asleep on the couch with his pants unbuttoned, either was fully acceptable. The meal, the good china, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, never changed. You could rely on it.

At Christmastime, a tin of cookies would always arrive from Grandma Switzer, filled with spicy lebkuchen. Traditional German cookies I’ve yet to duplicate. For me, the arrival of the tin was the official start of the holiday season. The Rotary Club brunch would be right around the corner.

I always saved my list for the Rotary Santa. I wasn’t taking any chances with mall Santas. There were at least four mall Santas within a 20 mile radius of my house! Only my father and the Lantana Rotary Club could be trusted to book the real Mr. Claus. Somewhere between the arrival of the tin and the brunch, our tree would go up, and while we decorated, we were always accompanied by Johnny Mathis.

“There’s a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy

When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie!”

Shortly before my twelfth birthday, we lost my dad and my Grandma Switzer, both to heart failure. No more tins of lebkuchen, no more Rotary Club brunches. Before I turned twenty we lost Uncle Joe. No more surrogate father figure. Not celebrating holidays was a break from remembering what had been lost, at a time when loss is most tangible.

But after nine holiday free years, I was ready to have a nice Christmas again, ready to dust off Johnny Mathis, put up a tree, eat lots of cookies, and believe in miracles for awhile. I found myself having to defend my actions to my dear humbug of a husband Steve. “I don’t get it,” he would say “You didn’t celebrate for nine years, can’t we just do every other year now?”

“Nope.”

I love Steve, so I resist playing any Christmas music until December first. But after that, it’s on. Sorry Honey, all baking, tree trimming, gift wrapping and card writing must be accompanied by Christmas music.

I shape doughs, rotate trays and two-step from cooling rack, to cookie tin, to post office for a solid week. Pondering all the while how it came to be, that the best Christmas songs were all written by Jews and made famous by Blacks, at a time in our country when both had many doors locked to them.

Mel Torme wrote The Christmas Song. Mel was born to Jewish Russian immigrant parents in 1925 in Chicago.

Heavily Catholic Chicago must have been ablaze with Christmas lights and creches, when young Mel was growing up. In those days public schools had Christmas parties, art projects, and concerts going from December first right up to Christmas break. There were likely a small handful of other Jewish kids like Mel, but they and the odd Jehovah’s Witness kids must have felt pretty left out. And yet Mel wrote:

“Every mother’s child is gonna spy,

To see if reindeer really know how to fly.”

Every mother’s child. It doesn’t get more inclusive than that.

I think it sometimes takes an outsider’s imagination to show us possibilities. I mean how many of us Christmas celebrating folks have ever experienced a Christmas evening like the one described in (Jewish) Michael Parish’s Sleigh Ride?

We’ll be singing the songs we love to sing

without a single stop!

By the fireplace where we’ll watch the chestnuts pop!

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Not me, but listening to Johnny Mathis sing about it year after year almost made me believe I did.

Towards the end of the frenzy, when the cookies have all been shipped, and the packages wrapped, I put on the theme music to A Charlie Brown Christmas Special (the only Christmas CD Steve can tolerate) and arrange four or five of the remaining cookies on a plate. I pour two glasses of milk and pull Steve from whatever he’s doing and make him eat cookies, and snuggle with me on the couch, by the tree. The lovely children’s choir on the Charlie Brown CD sings accompanied by a piano, a stand up base, and metal brushes slowly stroking a snare drum. It is possibly my favorite Christmas song. The voices no doubt belonged to real children who have long since grown up. But for me they will always be The Peanuts standing hand in hand around Charlie Brown’s non-corporate tree and singing:

“Christmastime is here

Happiness and cheer

Time for all

what children call

their favorite time of year.”

“Isn’t this nice?” I ask.

“It’s very nice.”

And I believe he means it.
For a moment my humbug believes. All is right with the world.

The Bazaar Girls would like to wish you the happiest of holiday seasons.

The Magic Timer Game

numahka — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:29:22 +0000

by Kerri Hartman

You don’t need to be a zen master to be here now, all you need is a timer.What I call, the timer game, is a variation on a trick I learned from the book, The Slob Sister’s Get Their Act Together. The title of this book and the fact that I own a copy should give you a pretty clear picture of me. My creative brain is just fine with disorder. I’m usually juggling several, satisfying, creative projects. But the realities of daily life often calls for focus. On these occasions I set timers. For example, I give myself fifteen minutes to clean the kitchen. I don’t despair about the kitchen being a mess again, or pine over the myriad of other ways I’d prefer to be spending my time. I am with the mess, until the timer rings.If a friend calls and needs a supportive ear, I don’t waste time telling them how busy I am, I set a timer for five minutes and give my friend my undivided attention for a full five minutes. You will be amazed what can be accomplished in five minutes when you are fully present.Here’s the best part, you can set a timer for anything! Five minutes to breath, 45 minutes to knit and watch bad afternoon television. The timer releases you from the past and the future and let’s you truly be in the present.I sometimes suffer from the paralyzing fear of not being able to finish anything so I start nothing. The timer gives me a place to start and some satisfaction of accomplishment. The kitchen may not be perfect after fifteen minutes, but it’s always significantly better, and my scatter brain is free to find something else to focus on.

My Sugar Plum Vision

numahka — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:10:09 +0000

by Kerri Hartman

Plums have long inspired me. I love the shape, taste and color. I love the smell of plum jam simmering on my stove. I even love the sound of the word: plum. My favorite line from “‘Twas the night before Christmas’; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced round their heads.

Last summer I wrote a story entitled Summer Romance about an abandoned plum tree my husband Steve and I found. The tree inspired my favorite plum jam, that I put in my favorite little round jam jars, which led me to find my most favorite jam thumbprint cookie recipe.

It was an Itailian prune plum tree in Angie’s front yard the inspired our first team canning project, which spawned The Bazaar Girls. So it’s not surprising that plums would also inspire a knitting pattern.

There are several things I wanted to achieve with this pattern. I wanted it to be mostly mindless. Something I could work on in front of The Daily Show, or Family Guy. I also wanted to use Lamb’s Pride yarn because it’s inexpensive, a pleasure to work with, comes in a huge variety of colors and felts beautifully. That’s another thing, I wanted to make something felted. Because felting does for knitting what spanx does for thigh dimples. Also It doesn’t have to fit anyone, or turn out exactly the same every time.

You’ll need:

One skien any of the brilliant shades of purple from lambs pride.

One skien white frost. Both the purple and the white frost can be either bulky or worsted weight as long as they are both the same.

One skein of a complimentary green shade in worsted weight.

24′ circular needles size 10 1/2 for bulky or 7 for worsted
16′ circular needles size 10 1/2 for bulky or 7 for worsted
10 1/2 double points for bulky
Size 7 double points for both
Stitch markers

Cast 144 stiches onto 24′ in circular needles placing a stich marker every twenty stitches. I do this just so I can easily count stiches when I’m at 103 and so on.

Join, place a different color marker to mark beginning of round. Be careful not to twist stitches. This first step can be done on 16′ circulars but 24′ ones make it much easier to avoid twisting stitches.

Knit one round

If you’re using bulky yarn, it is eassier to switch to a smaller 16′ circular kneedle like a 6 size 7 for the next rnd

K3 together all the way around. This is the most hateful round. I promise. It’s easy peasy after this. 48 st remain. Keep your marker indicating the beginig of the round.

knit next round onto your 16 inch size 10 1/2 circular kneedles if you switched to smaller ones.

K 3 more rnds

K1 yo twice k2tog around

K1 round, only knitting one stitch into the yo twice stitches. 48 stitches are left on needle and you have made 16 holes to later weave the strap through.

K3 rnds

Switch to purple yarn place a stitch marker every 4 stitches.
K1 rnd

K1 rnd Increasing one stitch by knitting into the front and back of each st before every marker. 5 sts are now between each marker, and there are 60 sts total.

K3 rnds

K1 rnd Increasing one stitch before each marker. 72 sts

K3 rnds

K1 rnd Increase one st before each marker. 84 sts

K3 rnds

K1 rnd Increasing one stitch before each marker. 8 sts
between each markerand 96 sts total.

K3 rnds

Knit 2tog before each marker.

K3 rnds evenly

Continue in this fashion until there are 4 stitches between markers and knitting three rnds between each decrease rnd.

K1 rnd and remove st markers except the one marking beginning of rnd.

K4 K2tog

K1 rnd

K3 K2tog

Knit one round onto double points

K2 K2tog

K1 rnd

K1 K2tog

K1 rnd

K2 tog

Leave a long tail to weave through the bottom of your bag so that when you felt it will be tight. I usually weave what looks Astrix on the bottom.

For the handle

Okay I lied a little. There is one more hateful part. The leaf is very easy to put on at the end of your I-cord. Not so much at the begining. Here’s what I’ve come up with. And it’s a perfect example of felting covering a mulitidude of sin. If you have a better way we’d love to here from you.

Cast four green sts on a size 7 double point needle, with an aproxamatly 90 in tail

K one row purl one row with with side attached to skien, then start I cord by sliding work to other end of double point. You are taking the working yarn from the far left and knitting it into the farthest right stitch. Slide work to other end and repeat. This how you make an I-cord. There are several videos on line if you can’t picture it. I recommend Knitty.com

Now I stop here and deal with the long tail.

Using your long tail and a 3rd double point needle, pick up four sts from your first row (stick a needle in and pull up a loop 4 times from right to left.

Do two I-cord rows

Purl back (no longer I-cording) ( Yes it’s a real verb. Look I’m I-cording!)

Row 1 K1 make one by knitting in front and back of next stich Knit across 5 sts total

Row 2 and all wrong side rows Purl

Row 3 K2 Yarn over (YO) K1 YO K2

Row 5 K3 YO K1 YO K3

Row 7 K4 YO K1 YO K4

Row 9 Slip slip Knit (ssk) K7 K2 together (K2tog)

Keep purling wrong side rows

Row 11 ssk K5 K2tog

Row 13 ssk K3 K2tog

Row 15 ssk K1 k2to

Row 16 purl 2 together purl one Pass preveouse stitch over to bind off

Now back to the other end, continue I-cording to desired length strap and then knit same leaf on other end starting with purling back.

Felt bag and strap, let dry and weave strap through holes. And dream of sugar plums tonight!

PS These little bags are great for holding a center pull skein of yarn, or they can be lined with fabric and used jewelry etc.

A Soap Box For You

numahka — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:59:48 +0000

By Kerri Hartman

Several months ago I called Angie in the throes of one of my more enjoyable fits of inspiration.

“We need a soap box.” I said.

Angie, weeks earlier, had fashioned herself, Amy Sousa and me into paper doll action figures.

“What are you talking about Kerri?”

“Our dolls, our paper dolls need a soap box. The Bazaar Girls have something to say!”

“Okay, okay, I’m really not in your head space right now. I’m kind of in the middle of something, but I hear you, a soap box.”

Here’s what I love about Angie, I had all but forgotten my fit, but two months later Angie arrived at my house with a three dimensional, watercolor soap box.

We would like to lend our box to you because We all have something to say.

When speaking from a soap box it is always tempting to use your vantage point against people. Not on our soap box! We would like you to use our soap box to inspire.

Send us 300 positive words about something crafty.
We’ll publish our favorites here and our most favorite will win a $25 gift certificate to our shop.