web-goddess http://www.web-goddess.org/ The daily adventures of an American girl Down Under. Crafty, geeky, and occasionally ranty. en-us kris@web-goddess.org Bicycle Repair: Keep it Quiet http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10564 Bicycle Repair: Keep it Quiet. A guide to tracking down mysterious noises from your bicycle. Very useful! (Thanks Snook.)



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 10:48:01 +0000 Favorited today on Twitter http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10563 Favorited today on Twitter:You can follow me here.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:01 +0000 Favorited today on Twitter http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10562 Favorited today on Twitter:You can follow me here.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:01 +0000 Reading Speed Test http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10561 Reading Speed Test. Oh, interesting! Have a go; it only takes a minute.

As soon as I saw the questions, I cursed. I read very fast, but I suck at retaining the little details. (The Internet has turned me into a skimmer.) I scored 612 wpm, which is 145% faster than the national average. However, I only got 2/3 of the questions right. As I expected, the Snook scored slower than me but he got them all correct.

(Number of comments: 4)]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 16:19:13 +0000 Amish kids = less allergies http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10560 Amish farm kids remarkably immune to allergies: study. Ooh, neat! They even specify that the study was done in northern Indiana. I never had allergies growing up there as a kid. Granted, I didn't hang out in barns or drink raw cow's milk, but I was still in the same general environment. It was only when I moved to Sydney that I developed a wicked bad dust allergy...



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 13:50:20 +0000 Hello Kitty Liberty of London Tana Lawn http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10559 Hello Kitty Liberty of London Tana Lawn. SQUEE! But my sources tell me nobody in Australia is going to be carrying it. I wish I could get my hands on some...!



(Number of comments: 2)]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 13:17:44 +0000 Shared today on Instagram http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10558 Shared today on Instagram:

Blue tights, motorcycle boots, and homemade shirt. Hells yeah. #colouredtightsprotest
Blue tights, motorcycle boots, and homemade shirt. Hells yeah. #colouredtightsprotest

Edited to add: The tights "protest" was a reaction to some of my friends on Twitter to this article about sexist corporate fashion prescriptivists. We're all wearing coloured tights today in response. :)

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(Number of comments: 1)]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 11:00:16 +0000 Favorited today on Twitter http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10557 Favorited today on Twitter:You can follow me here.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 04:00:03 +0000 6 Simple Ways to Avoid Burnout http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10556 6 Simple Ways to Avoid Burnout - I haven't been getting much sleep or exercise. No wonder I feel exhausted.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 18:47:09 +0000 Cathedral Flora Quilt Blocks http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10554 Cathedral Flora Quilt Blocks

May MetaQuilter blocks: Cathedral Flora. LOVED doing these.

These were the May block for my MetaQuilter quilting group. The designer Melissa chose some great fabrics, and she pointed us to a detailed tutorial explaining exactly how to put them together. I had admired cathedral window quilt blocks in the past but figured they were probably really difficult. Turns out that bias is magic, baby! I LOVED doing these! I used my trusty Uhu glue stick to aid in the initial triangle placement, and after that everything came together perfectly. My patchwork skills are improving nicely and I'm finding it much easier to get my seams to line up.

I'm now 5-for-5 on my MetaQuilter blocks! I have to say though, I was disappointed when the organiser sent out an email offering amnesty to the apparently several people who haven't been sending their blocks back. That sucks. I understand that life happens, but why would you sign up for a group that involves people paying money to send you lots of fabric and then not follow through? Gah. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing falls apart before we get to my month (which is scheduled to be December)...



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:06 +0000 Favorited today on Twitter http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10555 Favorited today on Twitter:You can follow me here.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:02 +0000 Tova Top http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10553 Tova Top

Another completed sewing project! Tova Top in vintage cotton. Not sure it's me...
Another completed sewing project! Tova Top in vintage cotton. Not sure it's me...

Commenter Mel recently recommended I check out the Tova Top/Dress pattern. It's a downloadable PDF, so on a whim I bought it. As soon as I did I started to second guess it. It's really much more of Miss Fee's style than my own. But what the heck - I should branch out, right? Last weekend I convinced the Snook to go on a bike ride with me to the Sydney Fabric-a-brac for some fabric stash acquisition. I was looking for something interesting to make the Tova, and I settled on this blue vintage cotton. I got 1.7m for $7, which was just enough to make the shirt. The project was very quick to put together, starting Saturday night and finishing Sunday morning.

It was interesting to sew from a non-Colette pattern, since that's what I've been using so much lately. The markings were different and I kept forgetting/missing them. The instructions are relatively easy to follow though. I had been worried about setting in the sleeves, but I breezed through that. The hardest part was actually attaching the front inset pieces, which require you to pin and sew on three 90-degree sides of a square (with the bottom also involving gathers). Yeah, I swore a bit through that part. But overall in terms of technical skill, I feel like I'm coming along leaps and bounds. This is definitely the best constructed garment I've made yet.

That said, I knew when I tried it on halfway through that there were going to be sizing issues. I made the largest size - which is a 14 - but I think it's definitely intended for a more slender, boyish figure. It's quite tight around my hips, which made me glad I didn't go straight to the dress. (If I do that, I'll definitely be adding in some width there.) I could also use some more width across the shoulders. I feel like if I crossed my arms tightly, I could pop a seam! And along with that, maybe a bit more depth in the armhole.

So not a total win, but definitely a wearable muslin. It's totally in the "post-modern Laura Ingalls meets Japanese minimalism" vibe that I was going for. (Whether I can work that into my wardrobe is another question.) And I've got some good solid pointers for how to adjust the size on my next one. On to the next challenge!



(Number of comments: 2)]]> Sun, 13 May 2012 20:00:06 +0000 Favorited today on Twitter http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10552 Favorited today on Twitter:You can follow me here.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Sun, 13 May 2012 04:00:01 +0000 Shared today on Instagram http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10551 Shared today on Instagram:

In their first - and let's be honest, probably last - public appearance: my prize-winning Rhiannon socks!
In their first - and let's be honest, probably last - public appearance: my prize-winning Rhiannon socks!

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(Number of comments: 0)]]> Sat, 12 May 2012 12:00:06 +0000 Chicken Astronaut! http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10550 "To infin-knit-y and beyond: Housewife asked to knit a spacesuit for NASA's rubber chicken " - Love it.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 08:58:09 +0000 Favorited today on Twitter http://www.web-goddess.org/archive.php/postID/10549 Favorited today on Twitter:You can follow me here.



(Number of comments: 0)]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 04:00:01 +0000