Icelandic Overblouse in Lite Lopi

I need a light, but warm sweater to wear in the house. I'm trying the Icelandic Overblouse by EZ Zimmermann. 

The original is in garter stitch but I'm doing mine in stockinette. 

Am I the only one who pronounces Léttlopi as “little Lopi”?

Pattern: Icelandic Overblouse by Elizabeth Zimmermann 

Link: https://www.schoolhousepress.com/media/wysiwyg/Icelandic_Overblouse.pdf 

Yarn: Léttlopi 

Needle: Takumi Clover US 7/4.5mm circular 

Am I Crazy?

Should I just stop now before it's too late? 

I want a big, wooly blanket for my couch. Well, when I buy a couch.

I don't have one yet. But when I get a couch, I want a big, wool blanket tossed on the back of it.

And I really, really want it to be wool, not acrylic.

I bought some Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool and started on this sample in the round.

The blanket is very simple but pretty.

The red stitch marker marks the beginning of the round. Barely noticeable. After blocking it should all blend in.

It's worked in the round, center out in alternating groups of 4 knit rows and 4 purl rows.

Good mindless knitting. Perfect for working on while I'm reading or doing other things.

It's soft and squishy and has that soothing wool smell to it. So far I love it.

But those nagging thoughts keep popping up in my head.

For one, if I keep going to full size like I planned, this thing is going to be heavy.

I want it to be big enough to fully snuggle under so it has to be at least 72 inches wide.

I already know that a blanket that size worked in the round is going to make me crazy toward the end.

I have considered working in blocks approximately 20 inches wide and seaming them together.

I figure if I end of a purl ridge and then work one round of knit stitches I could kitchner the stitches to the next block and it would all blend in.

That would solve the problem of working a big, heavy blanket in the round. But I keep thinking the real problem here is the fact that Fisherman's Wool is labeled as "Perfect for Felting."

I love Fisherman's Wool. I love the smell. I love the softness after it's washed. And I love how large the skeins are. This sample is already at 14 inches and I am barely halfway through the first skein.

But I really feel like the felting thing is going to come back to bite me.

I am knitting it at a firm gauge to make it less likely to felt. I'm knitting at 6sts/in. The ballband is labeled at 4sts/in.

Even so, realistically, there is no way I can hand wash this thing. It's going to be way too big and too heavy to wash in the bathtub.

And where would I lay it to dry?

Eventually I am going to have to throw this beast in the washing machine to clean it.

Did I mention I have 3 cats? Yeah, I'd also like to toss it into the dryer to get the cat hair off of it.

I know this seems crazy. I was planned on knitting it extra big to account for a little bit of felting and shrinkage. If I was it on delicate and dry it on Fluff could I get away with it?

I'm thinking I will finish this ball off and see what happens when I wash it gently in the machine.

I Was Looking Right At It

I'm a big fan of mindless knitting. I have an attention problem so I can't knit anything too complex without extreme effort. Even though I know I have trouble paying attention, I still find myself shocked when I do something so stupid.

Isn't is amazing how far into a project you can be before noticing a giant, in-your-face, how-can-you-not-see-me error?

I like shawls. I usually knit simple triangle or heart shaped shawls in simple stitches. This time I decided to mix it up a little. Mistake number 1. Instead of working the usual triangle shape, top down, I thought let's work the triangle back-and-forth, working top up. After working a garter stitch triangle back and forth I planned to add a simple YO, K2tog edging.

The triangle part started out just fine.

It was going well... K2, YO, knit to last 2 sts, YO, K2, next row Knit, repeat.

About half way up the triangle I think I started doing double increases on each edge because it started to take on more of a heart shape. But it was still fine.

When I was around half way through the ball of yarn I began the edging. A very simple YO, K2tog.

I only have a little bit of knitting time every day so I spent weeks working on this. Literally. Weeks went by without my having a clue what I was doing.

Some of you have already caught it and are laughing the sympathy laugh right now.

I was almost to the end of the ball and was trying to estimate how much yardage I used on each round so I could figure out exactly when to begin binding off.

And then I finally saw it. 

I had been knitting the edging onto the neck edge instead of the bottom edge of the shawl. There was no way to turn this into a design element. It had to be ripped out.

Off to the frog pond it goes.

Damn You Auto Correct

I was making a reminder to myself to blog about the pile of yarn that I keep knitting over and over again.

When I wrote the word 'reknit' auto correct changed it to 'eek it.'

How does that make more sense than 'reknit'? How does that make any sense at all?

Knit Picks is a Slow Learner

KP Foolishly Attempts to Silence Angry Knitters by Blocking Posts to KP's Facebook Page

As if that would work.

n00bs

After the blowup on Ravelry, Facebook, Twitter and Reddit about the security breach, Knit Picks responds by trying to block knitters from posting to their Facebook page.

They removed the post box so you can't write directly to the page. They also modified it so you can no longer click on the drop down box and select "Posts by Others."

What you can do is reply to a post of theirs, which may actually be more visable than if you posted directly. When you post directly to a Page is gets tucked away in a little box in the upper right hand corner of the feed. But when you reply to a post it is just...there... visable in the middle of the page for all to see.

I haven't tested it out but I suspect the tagging should also still be working.

If you're interested in following the story there is a new Facebook page for victims of the Knit Picks breach.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Knitpicks-Breach-Victims/336035513164460

Also some info on their blog:  http://kaycie51782.wordpress.com/

Knit Picks Bows to Public Pressure

Fear the Knitters; Ignore the Quilters and Artists

I'm now convinced even more than before that Knit Picks is only issuing a public statement because so many knitters are complaining on social media.

I've looked at the Facebook Pages and websites for both Connecting Threads and Artists Club, the other two Crafts Americana companies affected by the security breach. I can find no notice on either website or Facebook pages.

Connecting Threads

Website: http://www.connectingthreads.com/Quilting.cfm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Connecting-Threads/121383646130
Blog: http://www.connectingthreads.com/blog/

Artists Club

Website: http://www.artistsclub.com/index.cfm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Artists-Club/163211837061273
Blog: http://www.artistsclub.com/cfBlog/

 Knitters informed each other and forced a confession out of Knit Picks, but customers from the other companies appear to be left behind.

I already had a very low opinion of Knit Picks/Crafts Americana, and now they've just lowered the bar.

Knit Picks Responds to The Security Breach

Knit Picks' Hack Confirms Sensitive Customer Information Exposed

See what I did there?

On February 17th the following message was posted to the Knit Picks blog confirming that customers' credit card informatin has been compromised.

Click to View Full Size

On the one hand, I am happy Knit Picks has finally made a public statement. Isn't it strange that admitting to it doesn't change the details, and doesn't really provide us with any new information, but for some reason it is important to hear it from them.

Now on the other hand, for me, there are a couple problems with their announcement. The biggest problem is that it is too little, too late. I can find no excuse why it has taken this long to contact their customers, and it seems this is only happening after the story blew up on social media. I fully expect things like this to happen. I have shopped at other retailers who have been hacked into and I was promptly notified so I could take action to protect myself.

It looks like Knit Picks didn't take action until after they were hung by the court of public opinion. For me, I have lost too much trust in the company and have no intention of shopping there again.

Knit Picks claims they mailed out letters to affected customers on February 8th. It is currently February 17th in Wisconsin. I have not received a letter from Knit Picks, nor has anyone else that I have heard of yet.

It's good that they posted to their blog, linked it to their Facebook Page and Twitter account, but I would like to have seen this come in to my email's inbox first. I still haven't received this via email, so customers who are not active in social media may still not be hearing about this. The blog post is not linked from the front page on KnitPicks.com. You have to go looking for it to find it.

Facebook Reacts

Not sure if trolling, or just really stupid

Reading some of the comments on Knit Picks' Facebook page is interesting. Most commenters are angry customers who say they should have been informed earlier.

One poster actually had the nerve to blame the victim.

He asked why people actually believe they can just go around shopping with credit cards and stuff. Why aren't you using a paper check like in the old days? Because you know, in the old days no one has ever stolen checking account information!

Many people are saying they will not do business with Knit Picks again.

Canadians are asking why only U.S. customers are allegedly receiving snail mail alerts, why no notice being sent to international customers?

Someone posting from the Knit Picks Twitter account said there has been an addendum added to the blog post:

I have refreshed the page multiple times but I can not find the addendum.

The Twitosphere is not amused.

 They're really not handling this well at all, are they?

How to Deal With a Security Breach

What you should do as a consumer if your personal information has been compromised in a security breach

Since Knit Picks' poorly managed security leak, we now have to look at what to do if your information was part of those exposed. This information comes to us from PrivacyRights.org  Please surf over and read the entire page. There is a lot of good info there.

I would especially like to highlight the information about potential identity theft. Since Knit Picks exposed our names, addresses, phone numbers and credit card information not only do we have to watch for fraudulent charges, we also have to be wary of someone opening new accounts under our name.

From Privacy Rights:

4. Reducing Your Risk of New Account Fraud Immediately call the fraud department of one of the three credit reporting agencies -- Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. When you request a fraud alert from one bureau, it will notify the other two for you. Your credit file will be flagged with a statement that says you may be a victim of fraud and that creditors should take additional steps to verify your identity before extending credit.

Equifax fraud department: (888) 766-0008
Web: https://www.alerts.equifax.com/AutoFraud_Online/jsp/fraudAlert.jsp

Experian fraud department: (888) EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)
Web: www.experian.com/fraud

Trans Union fraud department: (800) 680-7289
Web: www.transunion.com/corporate/personal/fraudIdentityTheft/fraudPrevention/fraudAlert.page

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) enables you to place an initial fraud alert for 90 days. You may cancel the fraud alerts at any time.

Good luck!

Knit Picks Demonstrates How to Decimate Your Customer Base in 3 Easy Steps

How To Create a Public Relations Nightmare

1. Leave a file containing sensitive, unencrypted customer information, including names, credit card info, addresses and phone numbers exposed to anyone on the internet for at least one full month.  Ensure that the data exposed includes customers shopping during the Cyber Monday and Christmas shopping seasons, promising the maximum number of customers affected.

2. Notice problem; quietly delete file. Send out mass email of latest yarn sale.

3. Weeks later when large customer base learns of breach and complains loudly online, ignore them completely. Bonus points for attempting hyperdeletion of comments on your Facebook page.

Congratulations, Knit Picks. What could have been simply a stupid, embarrassing and common mistake has now cost you untold numbers of both past and future customers.

I'm just learning this information tonight so there is still a lot that isn't known. What best I can figure out from what has been posted on Ravelry and Facebook is that on December 21st a 'breach' occurred allowing an unencrypted file to be publically viewed on the internet.

From Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

Customers who had credit card numbers on file after using them at Knitpicks.com, ArtistsClub.com, or ConnectingThreads.com may have had their information exposed.  A file on the Crafts Americana Group, Inc. servers was accessible for a period of time before being removed on January 25, 2013.  The file contained names, credit card numbers, addresses, and phone numbers.

The file contained names, addresses, credit card info and phone numbers of Knit Picks, Artists Club and Connecting Threads customers. No word on how far back the records go but people are reporting stolen credit cards they used as far back as one year ago.

The "breach" was discovered on December 21. The offending file was deleted on Jan 25.

On February 11 the information was made public. Not made public to the customers affected, mind you. Made public to the Attorney General of California when Crafts Americana filed paperwork. And this is how knitters eventually caught wind of the issue.

As of today, February 16th there has been no communication from Knit Picks informing customers that their sensitive information has been compromised. No email alert, although I did get the email of their new yarn today. No mention on their website. Nothing has been written on their Facebook page. Nobody tweeted from their Twitter account.  And no staff have posted to the fan group on Ravelry.

Knit Picks hasn't said a word. I learned about it from a post on Ravelry tonight. Most knitters are hearing the news from Ravelry, Facebook or Twitter.

This is turning into a social media nightmare for Crafts Americana, and frankly, at this point, they deserve it. They have been dealing with this problem for weeks now; they should have had a statement prepared.

Click for larger view.

I was one of the people who had fraudulent charges on the credit card I used at Knit Picks. I understand companies get hacked and things happen, but when it does it is important to address it immediately and take action.

At this time it doesn't appear that Knit Picks was actually hacked. It looks like the file was left exposed on their server, not stolen by an outside source.

Furthermore, on Knit Picks site when you get to the check out they claim they don't save your credit card information, and yet thousands of customers just had their credit card information stolen.

Coincidentally, I was on my way over to KnitPicks.com to place an order but stopped by Ravelry first. That is when I learned of the security breach and in the next couple hours I have seriously reconsidered ever ordering from them again. The way they are handling this is inexcusable.

Adding insult to injury, Knit Picks is sending out a reply to some people who had emailed them stating:

Thank you for letting us know. We continue to monitor our systems and take security seriously. Any information we are given is immediately relayed to our IT Department. We have 2 companies monitor our websites, Norton Secured by VeriSign and Trustwave. We appreciate our customers letting us know of their experiences. A letter has been sent out to people who may be affected by this.

They have two different security companies watching the site and still no one noticed that a file was exposed to the internet for at least one month? That's incredible.

Click to view larger size

The Norton Secured guarantees that our credit card information is encrypted using SSL during data transmission.

Too bad it doesn't also guarantee that Crafts Americana will also encrypt that data when they store in on their servers.

How do you NOT encrypt credit card numbers?

Click to view larger size

Trustwave is an interesting one. First it says, "Your credit card and identity information are secure."

And then the disclaimer:

"Disclaimer: Trustwave Holdings, Inc. makes no representation or warranty as to whether Crafts Americana Group, Inc. systems are secure from either an internal or external attack or whether cardholder data is at risk of being compromised. Trustwave Holdings, Inc. makes no representations or warranties regarding this company's business activities or operations. Please contact the company displaying the seal if you have questions about their products, services or customer support. "

How can they claim that your information is safe and then put a disclaimer saying they have no way of knowing if your information is really safe? Don't those two cancel each other out?

I'd like to leave you with a screen cap from the Artists Club Facebook page:

"Safe from your husband and the Pentagon"

Your credit card information is safe from your husband and the Pentagon. Assuming neither party has broadband access.



PrivacyRights.org
https://www.privacyrights.org/node/55899

State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General
http://oag.ca.gov/ecrime/databreach/reports/sb24-38867

Submitted Breach Notification Sample Letter being mailed out to affected customers http://oag.ca.gov/system/files/Multi-state%20notification%20letter%20-%20Crafts%20Americana%20-%20letterhead_0.PDF?

How to Make a Simple Garter Stitch Dish Rag

This is an easy pattern that explains how to knit a basic garter stitch wash cloth.
These are sometimes called Granny's Favorite or Granny Washcloth.

Making dishrags or washcloths is fun and easy. But let me warn you, once you start making these you get addicted! Washcloths make great take-along projects and are a perfect mindless knitting project.

What you will need:

• Worsted weight cotton such as Peaches & Creme by Elmore Pisgah or Lily Sugar'n Cream.
• A pair of size US 8 (5mm) knitting needles, or size to obtain gauge.
  Worsted weight is generally marked as a US size 8 needle. Go down a size or two if you knit loosely. Go up a size if you knit tightly.
• A needle for darning in the ends

Cast on 3 stitches.

Row 1: Knit 1, Make 1, Knit to end.

Repeat row 1 until you have a triangle that is half the size you want your finished cloth to be.

Begin decrease rows:

Knit 1, K2tog, Knit to end of row.

Repeat decrease row until 3 stitches remain.

Bind off the last three stitches, weave in tails and you are done!

Variations:
This pattern can easily be modified for any yarn, any gauge.

Any Yarn
Try making this washcloth in a hardy acrylic such as Red Heart Super Saver for an indestructible dish rag. Cotton and cotton/linen blends make great face cloths for the bath.

Any Gauge
This granny square can be knit in any gauge yarn. Try using crochet cotton for very fine cloths. Sport weight linen blends make luxorious bath cloths.

In the next post we will talk about how this basic pattern can be modified for many different uses.

Stay tuned. Until then...
Keep knitting!

A Knitter Goes Postal

What happens when a knitter gets pissed off from all of the stupid, fear-mongering tactics being bandied about with the health care debate? She gets all sensible and shit. That's what.

I first read this on Ravelry while there were discussions about the health care debate going on in the United States. It's a long piece, but a good read. The author gave her permission to forward far and wide, so feel free to share if you agree with what she has to say.


Walker Texas Ranger and Health Care Reform: A music journalist’s non-expert take on the whole HCR debate bruhaha.

Like just about every other citizen of our fine nation, I’ve been paying attention to the health care reform debate and hearing arguments from both sides. Most recently, my mother has been sending me emails forwarded from Newt Gingrich and Chuck Norris. For some of us on the Left end of the political spectrum, merely the sources of these missives are enough to discount the contents. However for others, like my mother, a point-by-point refuting is more necessary. So for those individuals like my mother, I will deal bit by bit with some of the ‘facts’ at hand.

In one email, noted spin-master Newt Gingrich said that this government is completely incompetent when it comes to handling money using Cash for Clunkers as an example. I will give Newt this – it is documented fact that Cash for Clunkers was far more popular than anyone thought it would be and it ran out of money months ahead of schedule. You could take this to mean, as he asserts, that the CARS program was thus a colossal failure but before you do consider that all of the clunkers traded in equated to new vehicles bought and new car lots sitting empty of inventory creating a need to make more cars thus a call-back of THOUSANDS of previously laid-off auto workers. Tragic failure? I think not.

In another email Chuck Norris exposes one of the ‘Dirty Little Secrets of the Obamacare’. He expresses concern that language in the bill would allow ‘government agents’ to come into your house, (will they be wearing black suits and dark glasses?) usurp your parental authority, indoctrinate your children, and perhaps even encourage pregnant women to have abortions! He is right that there is a provision in one version of the bill to expand funding to existing programs that provide low-income families with in-home prenatal and parenting support. However, if you look up the provision in the bill to which Walker Texas Ranger is referring there is absolutely no language – not one teensy hint – that anyone will urge anyone else have an abortion as he suggests. In fact, any government employee or contractor is expressly forbidden even to mention such a thing under the Hyde Ammendment of 1977.

I knew a woman once who thought it was just fine to put Mountain Dew in her baby’s bottle when the child was four months old. Is it a bad idea for someone to step in and tell her otherwise? These agencies come in at the parents’ request (or sometimes on the recommendation of teachers or doctors if a problem is noticed) and make sure at-risk children are hitting their developmental milestones. You think the Mountain Dew Mom would know if her child weren’t developmentally on par with other children his age? If he has developmental issues do you think she should be encouraged to accept the support services offered or that the government should just stay out of her life while she continues to neglect her child?

Norris is correct that this portion of the bill is targeted at low-income families. You could accept, as does Mr. Kung-fu-fighting, that this is deliberate profiling and unfair stereotyping. But before you do consider that many low-income parents are also poorly educated. A lack of education could lead to the kind of parents who might not know the full spectrum of consequences drinking or smoking during pregnancy may cause or the importance of proper prenatal care. Should they not be offered the opportunity to work with a health care professional to help them out on the finer points of fetal health?

In a different email from Mr. Gingrich, Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel’s name came up as being a ‘Dr. Death’ type who advocates the rationing of services to people near the end of life. The fact of the matter is quite contrary to this charge. Dr. Emmanuel is a well respected professional who has been working for years on improving quality of life for patients near the end of life and has long been an opponent of euthanasia and assisted suicide. What he said that has been taken out of context could be simplified as meaning that sometimes the best course of action is not the most aggressive, regardless of expense. This is a quality of life issue – not an espousing of care-rationing. Imagine you’ve got an 80 year old patient with cancer. Do you think that aggressive radiation and chemotherapy is going to do a whole lot to improve the quality of life for this already frail individual – months of nausea and weakness and other painful side effects in order to prolong existence for a matter of months – or do you think that maybe pain management might be the most humane course of treatment?

The quotes and statistical facts that Gingrich uses do indeed appear to be legitimate and well documented, but just because something ‘looks’ well documented doesn’t mean that it is factually correct. Many of the things claimed and quoted in those emails were things that I didn’t know much about so I went and looked up the quotes and read them in context. I support health care reform because I’ve read into the various versions of the bill – in context – and asked questions of actual experts like doctors who deal with these issues daily. I’ve also researched the information supporting the need for health care reform.

In my research I immediately discount any partisan information source from either side. I’ve been looking up statistics from neutral sources such as the UN, World Health Organization, CDC, National Census, etc. Here are a few facts I gleaned from these impartial sources: We pay twice the amount per capita on health care than the next country in line which is Switzerland. (About $8000 per head v. about $4000 per head.) At the same time we rank 29th in the world for infant mortality and 41st for total life expectancy. The cost of health care is rising at a rate roughly commensurate with that of insurance company profits. Not only is the actual cost of health care going up – as in what the doctor’s bill actually costs – premiums and deductibles are going up. Debt from health care is the number one reason cited for bankruptcy. And most of those going bankrupt are insured. The number of uninsured is also rising – something like 12 million over the past ten years. And while it is true that an ER cannot deny treatment to someone in crisis, that doesn’t include routine care or follow up. People are denied that daily – which often causes the crisis situations that spark the ER visits that don’t get paid for and end up being passed on to the actual paying consumers.

As for the ‘lack of efficiency and total failure of government health care programs’ that Gingrich asserts, consumer satisfaction surveys show that recipients of government health care programs like Medicare and Tricare are far happier than those covered under private insurance. The military medical system is one of the most efficient and best in the world because they don’t adhere to any artificial construct of cost-per-service. The army owns the x-ray machine and the facility. The army pays the x-ray tech a flat salary. The overhead for maintenance of the radiology department is the same whether they see 5 patients in one day or 50. They pay their doctors a flat salary whether they are active-duty soldiers or civilians employed by the Department of Defense. There is no calculated cost-per-visit to see patients – they work X hours a day X days a year regardless of how many patients they see or how many tests they order. The military buys such a massive quantity of drugs that they are able to negotiate costs down with the drug companies for common and generic drugs. (Walmart is able to do the same thing which is why they are able to offer something like 500 prescriptions for $4 each.)

This system is very similar to some of the much-feared socialized medical systems of Europe and in my opinion the best option for our country. There is a minority of far-left liberals in the House and Senate that share this point of view. However, this is seen as far too radical and expensive for just about everyone else so they’ve introduced this idea of a ‘public option’ which basically works like expanded Medicare. People who do not have insurance or who do not like the insurance they have would be able to buy in to a not-for-profit government-run insurance program. Mind you BUY INTO – not get for free. (Though there is a provision to allow low income citizens a graduated pay scale – up to people making four times the poverty level which is about $12,000/person/year, but they’d still be required to pay deductibles and co-pays like any other insurance.) If people do like their insurance, they are welcome to – encouraged to – keep it. Insurance companies might lose some business. Watch me not cry for them when they’re already making record profits and their CEO’s are making salaries in the BILLIONS. Maybe if they’d treated their customers right in the first place they wouldn’t be losing them. Hopefully, the fear of losing customers to this public option will prompt them to start. One of the goals of a public option is to provide competition so that the private companies start providing adequate services.

This isn’t a hostile government takeover of health care. This isn’t a plot to kill grandma or mandate abortion or provide coverage for illegal aliens or force the entire population to get microchipped as a precursor of the mark of the beast. Any argument to that end is nothing more than an insurance industry lead campaign of deliberate lying and scare tactics in order to cause mass hysteria and thus opposition to a bill that stands to reduce the profits of those same companies to levels that are only moderately obscene. However I have heard very few arguments that are NOT based on lies and fear-mongering. You’d think that if this bill was so bad someone, somewhere would be able to come up with a legitimate, logical, and reasonable argument against. Perhaps it is because there are no such arguments strong enough to garner enough public outrage to defeat a bill that would so obviously be in their best interests.

Both sides are behaving badly at these town hall meetings. It started out with the opposition and their hysterical screaming and continued with the proponents organizing to scream back and scream louder. That isn’t the way to have a national conversation and the whole thing makes me very mad, especially since all the screaming results in a complete and total lack of actual discussion on what are very serious issues that are in desperate need of being handled. Perhaps I too am hostile. I admit that I am angry. I will gladly live with that charge. I do not like it when people in power use lies and fear to manipulate the people that they have power over in order to continue to take advantage of them.

(This piece should be showing up in the writer's local paper soon. If I hear of the address I will link to it.)