Randi Milgram is an attorney specializing in intellectual property law. She's also a wonderful friend whose countless Instagrams with awesome celebrities will inspire some serious envy (seriously- she got to stand next to Patrick Stewart). She addressed the VVC crowd on the basics of copyright law and how it applies to blogs and other online content. Because she's a fancy lawyer who's used to speaking to people, she had a crystal-clear power point presentation with clearly outlined points. Way to go, Randi! Here's what I learned: 

Ideas or opinions cannot be copyrighted- it's the expression of those ideas that are. 'Fixed' means published in any form. Blog entry drafts are no more copyrighted than your journal under your bed- it must be published in order for any form of copyright to apply. 

What are your rights with a copyrighted work? It means you have the right to: 

• reproduce content
  
• publicly perform content
  
• sell/rent/lease/lend copies of content
  
• create derivative works from the original content
  
• exclude others from using content without permission
  
• control where content is seen
  

You can choose to exercise all or none of these rights.

However, bloggers are put in a bit of an awkward position, thanks to the contradictions between the glacial pace of American law and the hyperspeed with which new technology and social media platforms develop and evolve. Any content creator cannot sue for infringement without first registering that content with the United States Copyright Office. Registration is $35 per published piece, which means that for bloggers, that would mean per post. Because a blog is a living document and will be updated, one cannot register the blog copyright for future, unwritten entries. Although you can still take legal action against infringement if you register your content after the infringement takes place, the timing of when content is registered affects how much money you can seek in court. If your content was already registered with the Copyright Office at the time of the infringement, you may sue for damages (earnings lost) as well as attorney's fees. If the content is copyrighted post-infringement, however, one may only seek damages, which, in the world of blogging, may be as inconsequential as a $.07/month banner ad. 

So, with this obstacle facing bloggers, how do we protect our intellectual property when infringement happens?

1. Nobody knows if you've already registered your work, so start with a cease & desist letter. It sounds fancy, but really all you need to say, in a stern and serious and slightly scary tone, is that your work has been used without your permission and that it must be immediately taken down/withdrawn at the threat of legal action. Failing that, 
   
2. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (or DMCA, which, contrary to its name, was passed in 1996 and is still to date the most recent copyright law addressing digital media) lays out further steps you can take. First, determine the web host of the site/person using your content through www.whois.com. Then, go to www.copyright.gov and find the DMCA agent who oversees that host. Request the DMCA agent send a take-down notice. 
   

It's important to distinguish, especially at Vida Vegan Con, that recipes are considered ideas and thus cannot be copyrighted. The written recipe can be owned and copyrighted, especially if there is original or specific prose (the writer's "voice"), but the idea of certain ingredients in certain amounts combined in a certain way cannot. Cookbooks are different, because the compilations of recipes can be copyrighted.

TRADEMARKS

What serves as a trademark? From most to least effective:

• Fanciful- something made up, completely unique
  
• Arbitrary- unrelated to the product or property but still distinct (i.e., Apple)
  
• Suggestive- something not quite spot-on but still evocative of the property (i.e., Coppertone, Greyhound)
  
• Descriptive- plainly says what the property is (i.e., Holiday Inn, The Vegan _____, Surname Industries [where a secondary meaning adds dimension])
  
• Generic- a description of the category the property falls into (i.e., phone, computer)
  

The closer to the top of the list your property falls, the stronger your ownership argument will be. 

So why register? When you register a trademark, you get exclusive national rights. Without registration, you still have rights to your trademark, but only in the area in which you do business. For example, a burger restaurant named Burger King in Mattoon, Illinois, failed to register a trademark. The national chain Burger King was able to trademark the name for themselves, however- the national chain is still barred from conducting business with a 100 mile radius of Mattoon because the local Burger King predates the registration of the trademark. 

When deciding on a Trademark, use only what you must for identification. Do not imply a relationship with any other entity where there is none. Finally, do a little research to confirm there are no confusingly similar names.

The Fair Use Doctrine of the United State Copyright Act provides that you may incorporate the works of others for purposes of commentary, parody, satire, news, education or teaching, and scholarly research.

However- you must add your own thoughts, link to the original source, and give attribution. Attribution without original thoughts added is infringement. 

How do you test for fair use?

• The purpose and character of the use
  
• The nature of the copyrighted work used
  
• The amount and substantiality of the portion from the original work used compared to the whole copyrighted work, and
  
• the effect of the use upon the potential market for or the value of the copyrighted work.
  

Your intent does not matter, even if it's good!

What do you do when you're on the receiving end of a takedown notice? Well, take a look at the content in question. If you believe you have violated copyright, you have the right the send a DMCA counter-notice to the same agent who sent the takedown notice. The host then has ten days to restore your material.

There are four elements to any libel case:

1. A false statement purporting to be fact (not an opinion)
   
2. Publication of said statement to a third party (blogs qualify)
   
3. Fault, and
   
4. Damages
   

Remember, libel concerns false statements that are presented as facts. It's not enough to simply add "in my opinion," it must be clear that it is your opinion. A negative review of a restaurant is not libelous ("the service was too slow"), but a false statement in your review is ("the service was slow because the waiters are all drunk!"). Doubting ingredients or a company's transparency can lead to libel suits. Simply put, don't make any unfounded claims. 

What determines fact versus opinion?

• Specific language used
  
• Can the statement be verified?
  
• The specific context of the statement (i.e., the post)
  
• The broader context of the statement (i.e., the blog)
  

Keep in mind that if you repeat someone else's defamatory statement, you can be held just as liable as they are for the defamation!

Defenses against accusations of defamation:

• It was true!
  
• The statement was substantially true (i.e., a minor detail was off that does not affect the main thrust of the statement)
  
• No one would believe it was a fact
  
• No malice was intended (public figures only)
  
• There was no reputational damage (this is near impossible to prove though)
  

The Federal Trade Commission rules regarding getting products to review, as of 1999:

• You must disclose your relationship with the company
  
• You must say when you have been compensated and/or given free products
  
• You must be true and honest in your reviews and endorsements
  

These apply to comments you make on other blogs, too! The FTC has the power to fine you up to $11,000 per violation, so keep these rules in mind!

Giveaways are governed by both federal and state laws, but not matter what, lotteries are illegal, so don't do 'em! A consideration can be more than just a fee- anything with value can be a consideration: having to 'like' or 'follow', time spent on the contest, providing personal information, or using a specific app (and yes, Facebook counts). A good rule of thumb is to simply not ask people to do too much for a giveaway (a blog comment is a good one).

Giveaway guidelines: provide as much information as possible. Start and end times, possible odds, what happens to unclaimed prizes, why you are having a giveaway, etc. Don't require entrants to complete more than one action, and make sure it's something everyone can do (ie, leave a comment on your blog without 'registering' as a user, or using Facebook). No minors or Canadians allowed- sorry! The international law surrounding these issues are just too complicated. Finally, you must register prizes with a value greater than $600 with the IRS (Vitamix, anyone?).

A number of states have begun to pass so-called "ag gag" laws, making it illegal to film farm activity without the expressed permission of the farm owner. Penalties can include fines, imprisonment, or even classification as a terrorist. Clearly these laws have been pushed by agricultural lobbyists in order to address undercover work done by animal rights activists. 

As frustrating as these laws are, they fly pretty blatantly in the face of the First Amendment. Several lawsuits have already been filed to challenge and hopefully obliterate these laws. However, litigation takes many years, so the ag gag issue will be a topic for some time to come.

Christy Morgan is a professional chef and educator who has recently become passionate about vegan fitness. 

This discussion was based on the concept that there are good things in all realms of activism. How do we connect them and find community, and also stop infighting amongst various factions of justice movements? Veganism is more mainstream now than it has ever been, but how do we connect to each other?

Ask yourself what kind of activist do you see yourself as? Are you vegan for animal liberation, health, environment, athleticism, baketivism, feminism, or other reasons? Most people fall into more than one category. They are all spokes on one wheel, and we need all the spokes to keep the wheel turning and bring more people into activism. 

The top two reasons why people go vegan are for animal rights and health, and yet those two factions are often at loggerheads. Health claims about a vegan diet can be debated, but ethics cannot. Does one need to be 'healthy' in order to be an effective vegan activist? Slim doesn't necessary equal healthy. As we all know, there are rampant healthism and sizeism issues in the vegan community, and it can be stigmatizing to say someone is not the right 'face' of veganism. In this light, it can be argued that veganism only for health can be an ableist movement, prioritizing those with slim, athletic, mobile bodies. 

When Christy first got into vegan fitness, working on her outer appearance got her thinking a lot more about the inner, personal issues of veganism. She now espouses that you should be your healthiest self, whatever that means for you. 

This includes mental and emotional health. As an attendee commented, "when I went vegan, two parts of my brain weren't fighting with each other anymore." The knowledge that eating animal products is harmful to ourselves, the planet, and to the animals, makes it difficult to be happy when you continue to eat them. Once that psychic energy is no longer taken up by that contradiction, one is able to address other conflicts in their life.

Everyone loves to eat and we want food to taste good. The idea that the vegan diet is one of deprivation is a myth, as we all know. In fact, we often learn more about food and nutrition by going vegan rather than staying in our comfort zone. The foodie movement alternately looks down on vegan food or insists it must be super healthy. Vegan junk food should be celebrated! It makes veganism accessible to more, and emphasizes that it's not always brown rice and kale (although that's good, too!). 

Vegans are often default ambassadors for veganism, whether we like it or not. When others see how inspired you are by food, they will get inspired too. The recent surge of vegan athletes competing in events has shown that plant-fueled athletes can hold their own- even if they don't place, the fact that they showed up and put in a strong effort makes a huge impression. It's a type of activism, just as much as baketivism.

Ultimately, we all come at veganism from different angles, but in the long run, we accomplish all of our goals at once by being vegans- health, environment, animals. Acting divisively always pushes people away. It's important to remember that even if we don't personally identify with or understand someone's personal angle on veganism doesn't mean they aren't having a huge impact in their community.

As you may or may not know, vegan feminism is my jam. Carol Adams' The Sexual Politics of Meat was The Book that made me go vegan fifteen years ago. And I personally think that Nicole, Jojo, Anika, and Julia are all incredible badasses, so wild horses couldn't drag me away from this panel. Let's get into it!

I'll type the panel as it was presented- a Q&A, with Julia's questions as orange titles and panelist's answers below.

Jojo: Things like milk come from grieving mothers. Women within the food system are the most enslaved. Intersectionally, most slaughterhouse workers or meat packers are low-paid women of color.
Anika: I recommend the book The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner! Animal husbandry and the rule of men over women has allowed humans to oppress other humans and non-humans. It's important not to use those same tactics when liberating others.

Nicole: What's that saying- "feminism is the radical notion that women are people." It's equality at the very least. It's different things to different people, though- for me, it's saying nice things to or about other women. Take one day where you don't tear down another woman or judge her. Be compassionate instead of taking the easy opportunity to tear someone down.
Anika: down with patriarchy!

Jojo: Sorry to curse, but I fucking hate this billboard. How dare they. It's preying on people's insecurities and tearing women down. 
Nicole: It's saying 'women, your worth is tied to your body. A small body means are you worth attention and approval; here's an ad to reinforce that and keep you in your place."

Jojo: Again, preying on insecurities, saying that 'skinny' is the ideal to strive towards, for women. Women already face a barrage of this; we don't need it on food as well.
Nicole: Why does the chip have to have a body size or body type? Why not just 'delicious' chips?

Anika: This is just the latest in a long line of examples of women's bodies being segmented into edible components for men. Women are portrayed as meat foods, or 'sexy' vegetables.
Nicole: When do the ends justify the means? If this gets some dude to go vegetarian, is that a good checkpoint? People justify these types of ads by saying that women have a voice whereas animals don't. I don't think we should have to choose, though.
Jojo: No, we shouldn't have to choose. Our veganism shouldn't be at the expense of degrading women. When I was a new vegetarian I was very involved with PETA, and everything was about nudity. As a young woman, that wasn't good for me. They wanted me to cover up my tattoos, feel bad about my body. It's not an acceptable approach or byproduct to getting that Animal Rights message out there.
Anika: If the AR movements continues to put out such specifically-appealing ads (for, as one speaker whose talk I attended described it, "douchebag cis men"), then our movement will be full of those types of people. Why do we want that? The ends still don't justify the means in this case. 

Nicole: It's fine, it's not my place to tell another woman how to live her life. I do feel I can live by example. I respect people to give them the information and let them decide what to do with it.
Anika: They should decide for themselves. That said, not a lot of people have those resources to begin that conversation. It's important we bring people along with us on our path rather than fling accusations. We're comfortable blaming PETA rather than the women who are involved in their ads or demos.
Jojo: I try to influence people gently.

Nicole: they're just tying to get extreme. It worked, we're talking about it. But are we talking about the right thing? Is this impactful beyond "vegans are a bunch of freaks who want attention"? I'm not questioning the practices of the dairy industry through this ad- what's the point?

Anika: Flame-grilled is for men, lettuce is for women. This is just as detrimental to the men in our lives, too.

Jojo: Men are faced with a barrage of lots of advertising, but women are barraged with calorie counts. 
Nicole: Calories are just energy. They're saying women don't need as much energy as men; just be skinny and sit there and look pretty. Some stuff you just have to say 'whatever' and turn the page, which I do a lot with PETA. I teach media literacy to children, adults, and seniors, and you don't see a lot of unique individuals reflected in the media you consume. I also make my own media. You need to decide what to focus on because it's just overwhelming.
Anika: You develop an overall media critique. I get used to it, and it's a habit, but you do learn to ignore these micro-aggressions. I like to point them out and demand alternatives- we don't have to do/buy/believe in anything we don't want to. 

Anika: The concept of intersectionality arose from women of color and their relationship to the feminist movement, and those things cannot be parsed apart. That can be applied to any other oppression on this planet, what we do to each other as well as what we do to animals. What happens to a female cow or male chick is very gendered, and violence in that industry is often gendered. All oppression is related- intersectionality just means that we can't parse that apart. When we are single-issue vegans, we miss the chance to make change.
Jojo: When I first learned about intersectionality, it made sense to me. But living those ethics is not as easy as it seems. I'm taking a closer look at my own buying behavior and pondering what 'cruelty free' really means. For example, chocolate picked by child slaves- how is that 'cruelty free'?

Nicole: I would like to pose the question, if there are animal rights/liberation groups of which we are critical, how can we support what they do right while still critiquing what they do wrong?
Jojo: I try to reach out to vegan companies and let them know I care where their chocolate comes from, rather than blast them on Twitter or other social media. I want to give them a chance, to let them know there's something I don't agree with. Kindness ad compassion are important.
Anika: There are individuals in groups who are maybe just missing information, and that's a good place to start.  Or give your time/energy/money to an organization that supports your ideals and intersectionality. We shouldn't infight, but we should hold each other to a higher standard.  Keep your foot on the pedal and don't let up. If we continue to make it challenging to be a woman or to be different, this movement will stay really tiny and be made up just of really tough people and 'perfect' people. 

LazySmurf asked: I talk to so many women who are all down with intersectionality except for speciesism. How do you handle that?

Anika: Compassion fatigue is a real thing! I'm amazing anyone goes vegan sometimes because we don't see or embody what we're fighting for as much as other liberation movements. We have to show that vegans do that work also. We have solidarity with other movements, we can move across all these movements. Single-issue vegans are also very common. Lead by example- what doesn't work is lecturing everyone on veganism.
Nicole: I'm the only vegan in my feminist/queer activist circle. I have to ask myself what is the greater good for me? They see me eat and eat well, and I try to make an impact by example.  Even when people fall off the wagon, they've got that veganism in their head still.
Jojo: I am involved in many groups. I think being seen as a vegan who is also involved in anti-racism or other social justice issues disproves that all vegans are single-issue.

What about white vegans answering 'Black Lives Matter' with 'All Lives Matter' or 'Animal Lives Matter'?

Anika: This comes from a place of privilege where they don't have to be making that fight, and they want to stay in their individual 'track.' I think personal contact (ie, "calling in" vs. "calling out") is the best first resort. 
Nicole: Anyone with privilege needs to take a breath and recognize when it's not their time to speak. Part of being a good ally is just knowing when to shut up and listen. Also, knowing how and when to apologize without defending yourself- just a simple "I'm sorry."

Dan asked: We VVCers have thousands who read our collective blogs. What is one campaign our readers should know about?

Nicole: Palm oil
Jojo: The Food Empowerment Project
Anika: The Sistah Vegan conference

What are your feelings about people who make comparisons between animal abuse and domestic violence or The Holocaust?

Anika: If you're putting our your personal opinion or experience, it's one thing, but it's difficult to make parallels between animal rights and non-personal issues.
Nicole: I made Holocaust comparisons when I was young. Now, as an adult, I know it's not my story to tell, I'm not Jewish, I have no relations who were victims or survivors of The Holocaust. People's families and history in the world's continued violence is not my place.
Jojo: We all have our own 'thing' that we can relate to animal rights, it's best to draw on that.
Anika: There is a lot of discussion about the wisdom of using words like 'slaves' and 'prisoners' to describe animals in the food industry. It does a disservice when we are myopically involved in animal activism and not considering the impact our language has on others. 


What a fabulous panel- I would love a 2-day conference just on the topic of feminism and veganism! But alas, we only had 45 minutes. There is an extensive list of further reading and resources that they will be sending me, so I will update this entry when I have it. Thanks!

Matt Ruscigno, MPH, RD, is a vegan nutritionist who gave an illuminating talk on the science of nutritional studies and how they impact the vegan movement. 

One of the issues complicating vegan activism is the vastness and potential for confusion in the field of nutritional science. Because the modern iteration of veganism is fairly new, there are a lot of conflicting interpretations of what 'veganism' means. To underscore this example, Matt showed a slide of an article on Los Angeles restaurant The Springs, an eatery specializing in gluten/soy/GMO-free organic vegan food, with a back room for colonic irrigation (that's a ten dollar word for an enema). For some people The Springs might be perfectly representational of what 'vegan' looks like, while to others, not at all. 

Although we like to tout the health benefits of veganism, the truth is that there are a number of studies that show improved health using what may come across as dubious methods. Here are a few examples:

• Paleo: A body of peer-reviewed research exists that shows that paleo is effective at reducing mean total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides while boosting HDL ("good" cholesterol).
  
• The Potato Diet: One man survived on nothing but 20 potatoes a day for 60 days. He lost 21 lbs, and his glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides levels dropped.
  
• The Twinkie Diet: A professor of nutrition did this one, eating twinkies and other junk food over the course of a 10 week trial (although he did supplement with protein shakes). He lowered his LDL cholesterol by 20%; triglycerides by 39%; and BMI by nearly four whole points, from 28.8 to 24.9. At the same time, his HDL cholesterol increased by 20%.
  

For so many of us, we are driven by the idea that our food is important. The idea that what you eat isn't necessarily effective on your health or body is of great concern to us. As a result, many of us are influenced by our own experiences, a classic folly known as confirmation bias. 

At the same time, very little data exists comparing veganism to other supposedly 'healthy' diets, and zero data concerning the differences between vegan and omnivore athletes. The sheer magnitude of variables, both in the study participants and in the foods they eat, mean that it's difficult to point to patterns and nearly impossible to isolate one food. Good research relies on a number of factors in both the execution and the interpretation of studies:

• A large sample group to reduce 'random chance' and interpersonal experiences
  
• Pointing towards mechanisms that explain the results
  
• The individual characteristics of participants and how much diversity there is in age, race, and health; as well as the organizations conducting the studies
  
• Results that show a statistically significant change
  
• Any other contributing factors- for example, some of the first studies conducted on vegetarianism were conducted in communes in the 1970s. Were there some aspects of communal living that influenced the results?
  

It may seem, in this light, that the data surrounding veganism is fairly pessimistic. In fact, Matt wanted to remind us at the top of the talk that "I'm on your side!" The key is knowing how to question and interpret data, and also how to find the 'goldilocks' zone of moderation. Vegans are just as susceptible as anyone else to cancer, diabetes, and heart disease- although data supports that incidents of these ailments are lower with a vegan diet, they are not absolutely zero. Vegan does not necessarily translate to healthy, and vice versa. Individual foods offer beneficial components, but they alone won't make the difference. It's about patterns- "what we do most often matters the most." It's not necessarily your Saturday splurge nachos you should be concentrating on; rather, what are you eating the other 20 meals of the week?

Food is a form of activism because everyone needs to eat every day. Vegans are competing against food companies and advertisers who who will spend or say anything to sell you a product. As a result, people who are interested in healthy eating often 'yo yo' between different styles of eating due to disappointment with outlandish claims and a lack of desired results. With this in mind, the most important tool in a vegan's arsenal is pure and simple honesty. 

www.truelovehealth.com
www.strongesthearts.org

It's that special time of year(s) again! Time for the third Vida Vegan Con, and this time I'm leaving the comforting chilly arms of the Pacific Northwest to head into the sweltering tropical heat of Austin, Texas. I'm going to do my best to keep my blog updated with summaries of any VVC workshops or panels I attend, so stay tuned if you're watching from home!

One of the quickest and easiest ways to add a unique touch to a manicure is with a dotting tool. You can use it to paint flowers, hearts, stars, or of course, just plain polka dots. You can find dotting tools in a number of sizes at beauty shops (I managed to get mine at a Japanese dollar store), but if you don't one handy when the mani urge strikes, you can easily DIYFS by sticking a straight pin into the eraser end of a pencil. Voila!

Here's a fast tutorial for creating a mani that looks fancy but is actually just a breeze (and- bonus -dries quickly, too).

Start with the brightest and boldest colors in your palette- if you layer more subtle shades on top the overall combined effect will be more balanced and, hopefully, no one color will dominate the final manicure. Pour a few drops of the color into an empty bottlecap (or whatever you find handy for use as a palette board) and dip your dotting tool in the color before evenly applying a number of dots to your nails. I personally tried to go for a more clustered look around my nail base, dissipating towards the nail tip. 

Cleaning your dotting tool between each shade, go back over your nails color by color, working from most outrageous color to mildest color. Don't be afraid to have some dots touching or even overlapping! Because of the minimal amount of polish used, your dots should dry fairly quickly. Once the dots have all set, go over each nail with a high-gloss top coat and you're ready to rock!

Hello! I'm here to proselytize to you. No, not about Jesus. He's got plenty of shills already! I'm here to tell you about the Joy of Loyalty Points.

About a year ago, my friend Kate was excitedly telling me about a trip on which she and her husband were soon to embark: first to Barcelona, then kicking around Morocco for a while, maybe into Algeria or Tunisia, with the possibility of hitting up Brazil before heading back home to California whenever homesickness got around to finding them. The best part of the whole thing was that their tickets were entirely free through loyalty 'miles.' They'd saved up frequent flyer points not just through travel but by using credit cards, filling out surveys, participating in special deals, anything that earned them extra points. 

Sadly, Kate's homesickness found her shortly after a severe bout of food poisoning ensured she had a very thorough and educational tour of a Moroccan hospital (she's okay now, folks!). But that didn't deter me from emulating her free vacation skillz, and I promptly set myself up with a number of free loyalty programs as well as a few carefully-researched credit cards with which I could earn travel benefits. I'mma let me finish with some easy tips for n00bs like you and I, but first let me razzle-dazzle you with my recent all-expenses-paid B-B-B-B-BONUS trip!

That's right. For 48 hours I suspended my inherent Northern Californian disdain for all things south of San Luis Obispo, as well as the omnipresent Bay Area obligation bring at least two layers wherever I go, and spent an enjoyable weekend in Los Angeles.

Oh hey, look at me, pretending like I'm a blogger who writes things on the regular! I finally got around to updating my ladynails page(s) with about dozen of my latest looks, including those below. Click on any one of the images to take you to the main ladynails page! I'll be back soon with a progress report on my craft loft renovations and a ladynails tutorial.

Although I've been sewing my own clothes for almost twenty years now, I didn't pick up knitting for a good long while. It certainly wasn't for lack of trying. It just look me a couple of years (or decades) and the patient assistance of a few awesome women to get me going. Recently (as in, as of March 2014), I got to that point where I felt knitting just "click" with me, and I got it. I've been a prolific knitter in the past few weeks, especially with my sewing room still hovering in the suspended animation between "moving in" and "utterly and completely renovated." I thought it was a good time to clock my progress and thank the ladies who helped me attain this new skill.

My mom is such a prolific textile artist that when I was a kid, she ran a mail-order yarn company out of our basement in addition to working a full time office job. I grew up completely acquainted with a spinning wheel and a loom; at one point she even briefly owned a knitting machine. Today her focus is on painting and dyeing textiles and making art quilts, but she still knits a mean sock. My mom tried several times to teach me how to cast on, but somehow the only thing that managed to stay lodged in my brain was how to knit and purl. But that's important enough, so the fact that I could easily remember how 15 years later showed that she did it right.

Jordan somehow managed to get stuck in my head what my mom couldn't: how to cast on. She also taught me how to knit in the round after helping me buy my first set of circular needles. We went to what is still one of my favorite yarn shops today, ImagiKnit in San Francisco. They have a truly impressive selection of beeeeeaaaautiful yarns in all types of weights, with plenty of vegan yarns. What's more, they also have a rescued shop dog named Mochi! 

Jordan showed me how to cast on and do a basic k1 p1 rib on a set of circular needles, from which I freestyled some cozy and colorful legwarmers, over beers at an international beer shop because that's the kind of gal she is and that's why she is my very good friend. She moved up to Portland a while back to live with all the other angels in Vegan Heaven, and I miss our drinking sessions (and knitting, too)! But at least Portland's close enough, and I have good reason for plenty of visits, so we get to catch up in person several times a year.

Kittee is another one of those good reasons for plenty of visits to Portland! She is a wildly creative sassy smartass and is one of my craftspirational gurus. She is probably one of the best knitters I know- she knits masterpieces! I think yarn runs in her veins- her grandma used to own a yarn shop and knit dozens of intricate, tiny garments for Kittee's dolls, complete with wee buttons. I've seen them with my own eyes and fondled them with my own fingers and they are a true delight.

A few months ago, Kittee hopped in the car with her husband and their dog and came down to visit for a few days. She was knitting a cardigan, and I commented on how I wished I was good enough a knitter to do a cardigan. Kittee said "if you can knit and purl, you can knit a cardigan." She took me to the craft store that day and that evening I was at work on my first top-down raglan sweater... with buttonholes. 

Although I was far from finished when it was time for the Kittee clan to roll out, I kept working at it through motivational FaceTime chats and YouTube tutorials (who needs university degrees anymore?!  All the pertinent knowledge we need is on YouTube!). About a month later I was the proud owner of a completed, home-made cardigan!

Now I am a knittin' machine! YOU CANNOT STOP ME.  No seriously, try to stop me, I dare you. I will stab you with my needles and then knit your punctured arteries back together to save your life! Here's what I've been cranking out in the past couple of months

Sophisticated Baby. The wonderful thing about baby sweaters is not only are you making something adorable for someone you likely love, but they are so small that you just whip right through them. The satisfaction of a finished project is there that much faster! 

This pattern is free on Ravelry and is super easy to follow. I am mum on who this is for because they haven't gotten it yet. So you didn't see anything, got it?!

Ships Ahoy! This top-down raglan cap sleeve sweater is another free pattern on Ravelry. The lacy raglan was a nice detail and a good opportunity to try my hand at cable needles. I chose to make this one a little interesting by alternating stripes throughout the torso of the garment and went for the challenge of the optional short rows to create a curved hemline.

So hey, if you've been thinking knitting seems fun but you'll never be able to do it, turn that frown upside down! Grab a friend, you'll learn in no time! 

If you are a knitter, or if you take up knitting, feel free to buddy me on Ravelry: my username is erikatastrophe.