Fiber Friday Discusses What is Formal Wear in the Pacific Northwest?

Hello:

Super rainy yesterday, gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous today.

I am leaving tonight to take Pookie to New Jersey.  I think the entire Pacific Northwest is trying to remind him that we live in paradise, and he better plan to move back after college.

Lots of fun at Crossroads this morning.  Eastside Stitchers had a full table under the skylight.  

Our Wednesday night friend, Anerenbe showed up.  She was working on a beautiful blanket , Umaro by Jared Flood.

Constance49 brought another fun show and tell.

She made the face with clay.  The hair is made of all types of novelty yarns.  She also brought a new shawl-in-progress, Zuzu's Petals by Carina Spencer.

Winterpromise31 is almost at the decreases on her Twisted Trellis Hat.

JulieMustKnit has made beautiful progress on her Union Square Cowl. 

I brought my Pamina Socks. 

I decided that they were a bit short.  So, I frogged the toes, and am reknitting them to make them just a bit longer.  I am waiting for the 2013 Fall Term of HPKCHC to start.  I can't cast on anything new if I want it to count for points for Gryffindor.  These last few days have been a bit aimless.  I got my pattern posted in The Testing Pool, and have seven very nice people who have offered to make it and give me feedback on the instructions.  As soon as it is finished being tested and rewritten, I will be putting it up on Ravelry.  It will be exciting to have 2 patterns listed there.


O, and about the title?  We agreed that while Yoga pants are for every day here, Jeans are definitely Formal.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet from paradise

Baby Baby

Hello:

No, the photo isn't blurred, it was RAINING today.

I know you are all thinking, f1bercat, you live in the Pacific Northwest where it always rains, and yes, it drizzles a lot here, but today it was pouring.

I spent all yesterday and this morning trying to write up and get a pattern ready to publish.  I had it just about ready, then tried to put in a header, and all of the photos went wonky.  About 10 hours of work down the drain.

I took a break and went to the hospital to visit the two newest Eastside Stitchers, and give Hrvdmnky a ride home.

Elena says, "Just who are you trying to swaddle?" 

She does not like to be pinned down.  Even when fast asleep.

Caroline, on the other hand, heard our whispers and tried... to wake up to say hello,

but, she just couldn't make it.  Growing is very hard work, and girls need their beauty sleep.

Back home after dinner, I was able to straighten out my instructions and photos.  I designed this afghan square last spring,

and wrote up the instructions, but was so busy that I never had time to put the instructions together with photographs, etc.  I am very slow at the graphics part of writing a pattern.  Anyway, when I tried to hook the square again, I could barely follow my own instructions!

I rewrote the instructions as I hooked the square, taking photos when ever I thought I needed further explanation.

The border has changed a bit since the original square.  I designed a "Thorn Border."

With one more row of single crochets, I think the border looks nice and sharp.

I have started a thread in The Testing Pool asking for testers.  If anyone who reads this blog is interested in test hooking the square, please let me know.  The pattern is not up on Ravelry yet, so I will email it to anyone who wants to help.  I want to have as error free a pattern as possible.

Peace,
f1bercat
I wish I could sleep as soundly as Elena.

Round the Eastside Stitchers' Table

Hello:

Eastside Stitchers met tonight at the round table near Half Price Books and Starbucks in Crossroads.  Well, we started out at the square tables pulled together because some people, who don't know that the round table in the corner is our table, were at our table.  They left soon enough, and we moved.

Of course, talk was about the babies, but, also about yarn.  Some people in Eastside Stitchers don't believe understand that when you buy sock yarn, you aren't adding to your stash.  I will continue to educate them.

But, who was there?

Colleen has begun another SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! project.

I was only allowed to photograph the yarn.

Wajio was just starting a new project. Not much to photograph, she said, so I took a pic of her dinner:

Hawaiian chicken sandwich and fries from Crossroads Cafe.

CathieC is still hard at work on her Racing Raindrops by Churchmouse Yarn & Teas.  This photo captures the color fairly well, AND you can see the beads on the edge.

GwenS brought a very Social Knitting project, lots of I-cord.  These will be octopus legs, I believe.  GwenS is knitting an ocean themed mobile for her baby room.

Wireknitter brought her Guernsey Wrap by Jared Flood.  Are we there yet?  Is it long enough yet?  This beautiful shawl is a..l..m..o..s..t finished.  She just needs to decide how long is enough.  I can't wait to see it blocked.

Tara1682 is also a...l...m...o...s...t finished with the baby booties.  I think she is on her 5th pair. 

VanesaPolo has started a new hat for charity,

but, the main thing she brought was her Owls Sweater for Show and Tell.

We had a rather new visitor, Vivi.  She had come one other time last Spring.  She hopes to return next week.  She was just beginning an amigurumi squirrel.

 As the evening progressed, Schrike and ErickaRS joined the round table.

Erica was starting a beautiful lace crochet shrug in black.  I didn't get a photo of that, unfortunately, but I did manage to grab a photo of her Show & Tell, the Tunisian Crochet Scarf she had been working on at the Mariners Stitch N Pitch ball game last July.

Schrike brought a lovely Hane sweater by Kristen Johnstone.

I brought and finished the first of my Dude socks.... finally.  I need to cast on the mate.  Sorry no photo, maybe tomorrow.  It does fit really, however.  I do want to cast on the mat asap as I am afraid I will get 2nd sock syndrome and never finish it otherwise.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet from the Round Table

Newest Eastside Stitchers Sleep

Hello:

A Stellar Jay has been visiting our bird feeder lately.  He/she (I think it's a male) is pretty shy and hard to photograph.  I have to shoot through the window because if I try to step outside, he quickly flies away.

I was going to write this blog post about bird feeders and jays, yada yada yada, and I'm certain that somehow I planned to tie it into either knitting or the crochet afghan square pattern that I am writing up,

BUT

I got a text from Hrvdmnky.  She needed a ride home from the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) where she was visiting our 2 newest Eastside Stitchers, the Twins!

Of course, I was dying to visit the beautiful little future knitters.

I got to take a few photos, as well.

Here is Elena,

and Caroline.

Perfect.

Beautiful.
Perfectly beautiful.

Sleep well,
f1bercat
shhhhhhhhhh

OMG

THERE WAS A BAT IN OUR HOUSE!  We think if flew out.  No pics.  Just ... TERROR!

STITCH MARKERS

Hello:

I've been filling in the time before leaving for New Jersey with Pookie and the start of the Fall Term for HPKCHC by making tons of stitch markers.

I will be a "Pride Leader" this term.  My house, Gryffindor, is divided into sub groups called "Prides" (get it?  Lions - Prides...).  Each Pride is named for a candy/product invented and sold by Fred and George Weasley's Company, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.  My Pride last term was the Acid Pops.  I really enjoyed the people in the pride, but our leaders had some real life things that made it hard for them to stay involved the whole term (3 months).  Anyway, I was asked to be a Pride leader this term. 

Of course, I am already nervous about the job.  I tend to start each term out strong, chatting daily in the Pride thread, etc, and as the month/term goes on, and I start to feel the crunch to finish up my projects, I get on Ravelry less and less.  Hanging out in the Pride thread slows down my already slow crafting quite a bit.

But, I am determined to do a good job.  One of the things I have thought to do is to congratulate every Pride member as they turn in their first class each month.  That is the commitment when you join the Cup.  One Class Every Month.  It is a very doable thing as you can turn in something very small, and it is really easy to find a class for just about any possible thing you might make, even 1 hexipuff or a very small bookmark. 

I thought it would be nice to send a card with a Gryffindor Colored stitch marker (or 2) attached.  To this end, I have been making tons of these little flower stitch markers.

But, as I was making them yesterday, I was looking for free patterns on Ravelry, and I found this really cute crocheted butterfly.

The pattern is just genius.  It is called Butterfly Grace, and is by Chrissy.  The original was too big for a stitch marker, so I reworked it using just single crochets,

and eventually got it down to about 1.5 in at it's longest point.

Here it is next to one of the original flower stitch markers.

The flower markers are about 1/2 in. diameter.

So, they are still a bit big for my taste, but it is nice to have one marker that is different to mark the beginning of the round.

I've made a dozen so far.

I think I will need about 20 - 25 for the Pride members.  Maybe everyone will get one butterfly the first month, then 2 flowers the second and third months.

Go!  Acid Pops.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with these super cute butterflies

Viewpoint Walk

Hello:

Bellevue has an amazing set of public walks.  The city has wisely preserved bits of greenspace all over town, and in many of them, there are well maintained public walks.  I am going to try to document some of them over the next year.

I am starting with one that is close to where I live, Viewpoint Walk

View Larger Map  |  Get Directions  |  View Bird's Eye

This walk starts at the deadend of NE 16th Street.

If you take the left side, that is a "cut-through" to the next neighborhood, a shortcut for kids walking to Bennett Elementary School.  These cut-throughs are fairly common in my neighborhood.  They save you from having to walk the long way around when streets deadend or are cul-de-sacs.

The right side of the fork has a Park and Rec sign, showing that it is a Walk.

And there is the path ahead of you.

After a few minutes, other than the path is very well maintained and mulched, you would swear you were in the woods somewhere, and not in the 6th largest city in Washington.

Because there are always streams here (dry now in the summer), there are small wooden bridges.

Occasionally, there are benches.

The trail branches off in a few places.  Some loop back around.

Some take you out of the walk to a different entrance/exit.

The trees form a beautiful tunnel in parts.

Although the path is relatively flat as it cuts across a hill, this is Bellevue, and there are some inclines.

There are always  blackberries, though even when ripe, these are somewhat bitter. (edited to add that my friend GwenS identified these as the invasive Himalayan Blackberries.  Highly invasive and difficult to control and they aren't even good for picking.)

Get away from the city, in the city.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with a Viewpoint