Crack Dealer

Hello:

Today was another day in paradise.  It was clear, and crisp but not too cold.  For us, we have had a relatively dry winter.  Since I could see the Cascades so well today, I was noticing that there isn't much snow on them.

This might be a problem in the summer.  We depend on the snow melt for so much.  We get our power (hydro-electric dams), our drinking water (of course!), our agriculture, and our streams for the salmon from the winter snow melt.  If we don't have enough snow, we might have to conserve this summer.

But, enough about that.  We had a lovely day today.  Tonight I went to my neighbor friend, Lylamae's house to knit after tutoring.  She did not have a Ravelry account, until tonight.  She has been knitting for years, so has many patterns, but lately, I have been finding her free patterns on Ravelry and printing them out for her.  She finished the last project and wanted to make a hat but didn't have any hat patterns and was feeling uninspired.  So, I did it.  I helped her join Ravelry.

I explained how to search the Patterns.  We looked at hat patterns for about 1 hour together.  When I left, she was still at the computer, looking at hats and saying stuff like, "ooooo! look at this one, this one is really fun," and so on.

Addicted to Ravelry.  I felt like a crack dealer.  I fully expect to find her sitting at her computer next Thursday, still looking at patterns.

I have been working on a Mermaid Tail.  This will be for one of my HPKCHC classes, the Care of Magical Creatures Class where we are studying Kappas, which are Japanese water spirits.  One of the prompts is to craft something in the colors of the Kappas (yellow, blue and/or green).  You can also represent the Kappa's scales.

Well, this mermaid tail is just perfect for this class prompt.  My nephew and his bride are expecting a baby girl in May, and my niece-in-law sent me a photo of a baby in a mermaid tail and asked, "Um... Auntie, can you make something like this?"

I have finished the tail and the shell top, but only have photos of the tail so far.  I am also making a starfish headband.

It is just so cute!  The pattern is Set of 3 Mermaid patterns by Crochet by Jennifer.  You use a size N crochet hook, I had to buy one as I didn't have such a large hook, and hold two strands of worsted weight yarn together.  I used Caron Simply Soft Party in Sparkly Teal, and Caron Simply Soft Paints in Spring Brook.  For the shell top, I grabbed some pink/taupe colored yarn from my stash that just happened to be Simply Soft, too! 

It's a really well written pattern.  I love how the tail fins look.

That's not a very good photo, but the fins look really cool.

I haven't gotten called to substitute all week, but I have tutored every day.  I hope I don't get called in tomorrow.  I would love to make it to Fiber Friday.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with a mermaid tail.