Pack Rat Magazine is on the bus

Story time. Gather round kiddies, pull up your sit-upons. Once upon a time I was a teenager. And because the rules of teenagerdom say, nay, decree that you will think you are a) way cooler than anyone who has ever existed and b) the most boring person to ever shlump around the Earth’s surface, I went WAY out of my way to separate myself from “the pack.” This included such outside-of-the-box thinking as: wearing blue lipstick; sporting socks on my arms (a la Tank Girl); strolling around in Cat In the Hat stripped tights; etc. Me and my Hot Topic wardrobe were beyond the status quo. And of course, like every person looking to rebel, I was all about dying my hair. I bought a lot of Manic Panic in those days, but was constantly disappointed when after a week’s worth of showers my Technicolor green hair would fade to a sickly green wash, the kind that kids who spent too much time in cholrinated pools had. But lo, some helpful person turned me on to using Kool-Aid as a dye. Oh the joy! The rapture! The color was intense and the effects permanent. Plus, it was a million times cheaper then the real dyes.

To use Kool-Aid as a hair dye required a microwave, a packet of said summertime fun beverage, and a microwave safe dish that you didn’t mind staining some ridiculous colors. You dumped the full packet of Kool-Aid (the various red flavors worked best) into the microwave safe dish, added about a cup of water, and nuked it for about two minutes, or until the liquid began to boil. Then you dipped your hair in while the whole thing was still hot and voila, you were part of the resistance movement. The sucky part was trying to get it all the way up to your roots. You didn’t want to burn your scalp, but you didn’t want your streak of fire-red hair to only go half way up. I scalded my fingers many a time, trying to figure that one out. I still don’t have any good answers.

Now that I am a million years older, I some times miss those dyed streaks of hair (and hair wraps. Remember hair wraps?), thus I was totally stoked when I came across this tutorial from Snowangels on how to use essentially the same technique to color yarn. She uses both the microwave (for single color skeins) and the stove top (for a tie-dyed look) to create vibrant pallets for all her knitting, crocheting, needle point, etc. needs. Just looking at the photos takes me back. And then I remember that being a teenager was as much fun as getting kicked in the crotch. I am glad that now I can get jazzed up about dying yarn instead of all that other crap. You know what else sucked? Cafeteria pizza. I’m just saying.

Pack Rat Magazine likes the cut of your jib

Now let’s just get one thing straight. In the eternal war of ninjas vs. pirates, Pack Rat is firmly in the ninja camp. That being said, we’re not so snooty as to turn down a good pirate site if we find one. And Knit Like a Pirate is pretty snazzypants. It’ll get you tricked out in pirate savvy knitting patterns in no time. My favorite is the gunner hat, pictured below. Good for both the high seas and New England winters.

Pack Rat Magazine is turning it up to 11!

If you like regular knitting, then how about micro knitting? Does that do anything for ya? Althea Crome is a knitting artist who decided to go EXTREME with Bug-Knits, miniture knitting that results in gloves, jackets and more that fit in the palm of your hand, some which are so small that they are less than the size of a dime. This tiny knitting is 1:144 the size of traditional knitwear. Don’t believe me? Peep it below.

This is what Crome has to say about the process:

“I have been particularly inspired by the olympics this summer–amazed to see so many things in common among the athletes. A sense of human curiosity and an unstoppable desire to test their personal limits. But beyond a personal goal so many willingly struggle through almost unbearable physical strain to answer a universal curiosity “how fast, how long and how far can you go?”

Curiosity is what made me see if I could use a .009″ wire to knit these tiny 1:144 scale cardigans (this is dollhouse for a dollhouse scale). There are approximately 80 stitches per inch. Nano-knitting is not on the Olympic roster yet, but but perhaps we can at least get it into the Guiness books!”

Pack Rat Magazine loves the voodoo that you do.

So, maybe some of you or most of you are aware of this thing called The Sweater Curse. I had not heard of it until I came across it in Wikipedia and then had a good giggle at the fact that this thing had its own entry. Urban Legend has it that The Sweater Curse, (some times known as The Curse of the Love Sweater) strikes when some well meaning knitter makes a sweater for her/his significant other. Apparently, this is the kiss of death because in no time, that girlfriend/boyfriend is headed for the hills. The wikipedia entry on this phenomenon is hilarious and I highly advise everyone read it. My favorite part is when it analytically breaks down potential variables that may cause The Curse of the Sweater to be effective. Such as:

• Rescue mission. The knitter senses subconsciously that the relationship is about to end, and knits a sweater as a dramatic gesture to save it.
• Catalyst for analyzing the relationship. Giving or receiving a significant gift such as a sweater may cause either the giver or receiver to evaluate the relationship. For example, the gift may seem too intimate, too domestic or too binding to the significant other. It can be seen as a signal that makes them realize that the relationship is not reciprocal, prompting them to end the relationship before it involves obligations.

Pat Rack Magazine knows that beer is the cause of–and solution to–all of life’s problems.

Now, that I’ve got those Simpsons references out of my system. I, as I’m sure you are all aware by now, am not a knitter. But I love it. Think about it. Tie a knot, make a loop and its one thing. Tie hundreds of knots, make thousands of loops, and if you do it in the correct pattern, a hat, or glove, or shawl begins to appear. Or, in the case of this free pattern I found through The Daily Knitter, a super cute sweater vest. Now like I said, I’m not a knitter myself, but The Daily Knitter appears to be a pretty good resource, with links to tons of free patterns, a large yarn directory, reviews on knitting books and guides and more. If you click needles together, let me know what you think of it. I’d be curious to see how this holds up under some serious knitter’s scrutiny.

Pack Rat Magazine has 364 days to train for the Boston Marathon.

Weddings are a funny thing. They start out being about two people sharing their love with their closest family and friends, and then they typically become these monster projects that are more focused grouped then a prime time sitcom. In the attempt to please everyone, sometimes no one is happy. One of the alternatives? Don’t half ass it, embrace the things you love, like this totally Knitted Wedding of Freddie and Ben, devotees of knitting and members of the UK group, Cast Off. Flipping through the gallery photos of their wedding, I’m floored by the amount of labor and love that went into this thing. Everything, absolutely everything is knitted. The wedding dress, the bouquet, the obscenely long train, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the food, the cameras, even the cans tied to the back of their “Just Married” bike. Such an outpouring of effort and community love…you can even hear the needles still clicking away. My absolutely favorite moment is when the happy couple come out of the church, under a battalion of over-sized knitting needles held like swords above their heads. If this idea gets your idea box a-thrumming, check out these starter directions for flowers and food and more and make your own knit wedding (mock or otherwise).

You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape the allure of Pack Rat Magazine.

Hi guys. Sorry I’ve been such a schmuckity poo about getting out blogs. School. Work. Blah, blah, blah. But enough about me, let’s talk about you and your needs. I’m sensing that you need a little craft-meets-science in your life. Am I right? Well take a look at the awesome Knitting in Biology 101 below, by Crafty Hedgehog a.k.a. Emily Stoneking. I originally saw this little guy on a Kaboodle post (shopping blog), but I went straight to the Etsy store source to check it out for myself. And this plush little guy is delightful! You can either purchase the pattern to make your own ($4) or buying the completed version ($59). Hang him on your wall or unpin him and cuddle away.  The choice is yours. Dissection never looked so cute.

Hi kids!  the Feb/March Issue is finally out and rarin’ to go.  Click on the pdf link below!  And remember, if you think you could do better, you’re welcome to show us what you’ve got. Submission deadlines for next issue will be March 20th.  Happy reading.

issue3.pdf

Read Pack Rat Magazine for your daily dose of Vitamin C (vitamin craft that is)

Hello friends!  Looking for a beginner’s knitting project?  Head on over to Silver’s Sock Class, a comprehensive step-by-step guide designed for us novices.  Knitting instructor Kristin provides several different tutorials with comprehensive, in depth directions broken down into managable steps, such as “the heel”, “the gusset”, etc.  The only requirement is that you know how to cast on, knit, and purl and she guides you through the rest.  What a good way to flex your new crafting skills, right?

Looking for more creative throwbacks? Check out Pack Rat Magazine.

Let’s start the day off with a flashback. A Good Yarn not only sells yarn, but also offers us a lovely silver platter’s worth of free vintage patterns. My favorite, pictured below, are The Wellington and Medlock sweaters. The Wellington is described as “an extremely popular model whose single tone is relieved by bright clusters of crocheted flowers on the pockets.” The Medlock: “Lace panels relieve the severity of this useful model and add a touch of distinction.” While the scanned copy of the older pattern is less than completely clear, you can still decypher the directions. I just love retro looking styles, don’t you?