Monday Morning Mirth
What’s a Map Quest map good for?
Recently, while on one of my metropolitan romps in the far west suburbs, I needed to quickly measure something.
I was stuck for hours at the edge of a storm front waiting for it to come in, so I could take its video portrait for ye olde day job.
Although I was surrounded by technology at its finest, there was no tool to simply measure with.
Until I saw the 8.5 x 11 map on the seat next to me…
Chick TeK:
– fold paper in half lengthwise, then widthwise
– fold half the paper width-wise again
– repeat twice
VOILA! 1.0625″ wide segments ready for action! (Much more accurate than the dubious map was to begin with…)
What’s your favorite in-a-pinch tool?
I have also used paper as a measuring tool. I use nail clippers to cut yarn, a paper clip to hold a stitch. My fav is using the turkey truss thing from a grocery store, bent to use as a cable needle. Lee and I had gone to the boonies for Thanksgiving and I was working on a cable sweater for his xmas gift… I some how lost of left the cable needle else where and couldnt imagine not knitting for several days… what a waste. Down to the only store in town, a grocery store, I combed the aisles till I found something that I could fashion into a cable hook. It worked and I completed the sweater in time… He has never worn it… oh well, such is life. I wear it on occasion, it’s warm and cozy and to me has many memories of all the places I was when I worked on it.
I like to use my pinkie to measure the brim on a particular baby hat pattern I make regularly. One pinkie = correct length of ribbing to make a fold-over brim!
My favorite tool – my thumb, which is just about an inch long!
My hand, fingers fully extended to thumb and little finger horizontal, is 9″. (youth spent in piano lessons, what can I tell ya?)
I too have used the trusty 81/2 by 11. But, usually when I need to measure something and I don’t have a ruler or measuring tape I just reach in my pocket and pull out some money.
A dollar bill – just over 6 inches long (6.14), or the width of a buck, just over 2.5 inches (2.61) or sometimes a quarter, just less than an inch in diameter.
My pinkie is a heavy 2″…my forefinger is a shy 3″…middle finder to the bottom joint is EXACTLY 2″…my hand (bottom to tip of longest finger) is just over 7.75 inches!
Can you tell I loose too many tools? Actually, what usually happens is I get them out and drop them never to find them again!
my faves: a dollar bill = six inches and a quarter = 1 inch.
Business Cards work as do index cards, but my favorite is my hand held flat with the thumb at the side is just under 3.5 inches. For the longest time I thought it was at least 4 inches, and was wondering why I wasn’t already done with the scarf (or what have you).
The dollar bill trick s one I depend on. but you want to look weird in public, lay a partially finished scarf down on a coffee shop table, and take out a dollar bill, and start moving it up & down the length of the unfinished scarf.
My Peeps!
This is why I love you so — you are all so *Handy*~!!!
Don’t car e what people think! The trusty dollar bill measure is what I use.