Wednesday, August 31, 2016

"My wall" in my shared math classroom. #endofsummer #schoolstartstomorrow #slowknitter #knittersofinstagram


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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Art in the garden


Hello:

Moogie and I spent the afternoon at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.

They had an Art in the Garden event with local artists displaying and selling their pieces.

Most of the pieces were glass, (yes I see that hand photo bombing but I am too lazy to edit it out),

But there were some other cool things like the hanging succulent baskets with beads,

And some cool metal pieces.  I loved this mosaic artist.
After we walked through the section with the artists, they were set up down some of the main paths so you got to walk through the garden to find them,
We just walked around looking at the plants and flowers.  The dahlias were amazing.

And I really loved all of the different varieties of fuchsias.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with art in the garden.

Good morning! Sunrise shot at 6:04 . #cascades #lakesammamish #earlybird #slowknitter


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Saturday, August 27, 2016

How can this be comfortable? #catsandknitting #cats #mainecoon #knitting #knittersofinstagram #slowknitter


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Summer is ending...


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Hello:

I was up before the sunrise. I am trying to train myself to be on my school wake up/sleep schedule.  I really really really want to work out before school every day.  I know that I will not work out after school.  I have tried and tried to do this, and it just never happens.

I have been getting up around 5 am to practice this schedule, then heading out to the gym to ride the exercise bike for 30 - 40 minutes.  This last week I had various new teacher training workshops, so I would come home, shower, eat, pack my lunch, then spin if I had enough time.

I was able to finish spinning my Easter Egg Dyed fiber from last April. 

Muffin tends to wake me up at 10 minutes to 5 every morning asking to go outside.  I am trying to make myself get up when that happens.  Usually, I lie back down, then start saying to myself, "O, just get up..."  Today, I got right up, got dressed for the gym, took that photo, then headed out. 

The gym was dark.  It doesn't open until 7 am on Saturdays.  O well.  I was able to enjoy that beautiful sunrise.

As the earth heads towards the other side of the sun, the days will continue to get shorter and shorter and I will soon be able to watch the sun rise when I get HOME from working out instead of before I leave.

Neither Muffin nor I like the Spring Forward from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time.  I love the Fall Back to Standard Time.  I do not think Muffin will react well.  If I leave for the gym and she is still sleeping, she will need to wake up Doc to be left out.

She will be happy to do that.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet early in the morning...on a Saturday.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Collector


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Hello:
Yes, I have caught more than 500 pokemon. I have the Collector Badge to show for it.

Peace,
f1bercat
Shaping the planet with a pokeball

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Pikachu!


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Hello:
Yes, I have caught the adorable Pikachu and trapped him (her?) in a tiny white and red ball.  I saw the outline in my "spotted in the vicinity" thing at the bottom right of my phone while I was grocery shopping at QFC at Crossroads.

I paid for the groceries, then took off down the mall, with the groceries still in the cart, afraid that if I took the time to put them in my car first, Pikachu would disappear.  I could tell I was getting closer, but that the pokemon was not in the mall. 

There is a spot outside the mall with 3 pokestops all clustered together so I wheeled the  grocery cart out of the mall and sure enough, as I got close to the spot, my phone began to vibrate signalling that a pokemon was near, and of course it was Pikachu!

I threw out some candy (in the game) to make the pikachu like me, then threw the ball.  He was captured first try, and didn't even try to break out.  I admit that I shouted, "YES!!"

Three guys (probably in their mid 20s) near the pokestops looked at me and asked, "Pikachu?" 

"Ha ha," I replied, "I am so happy I caught him."

They told me that they had spotted him in their phones when they were in the front of the mall and had walked all around the entire mall trying to find him.  We all congratulated each other on our success.

I am on my way to being a true Pokemon Master!

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet one pokeball at a time.

Look what Pookie brought me from Itsy-Bitsy Yarn Store in White Horse, Yukon! #moreyarnplease #hitthelukebutton #iraisedhimright #slowknitter


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O! Here's the border. I was going to do a double fan, but the yarn was running low and there was no way I was buying more of this pink. #crochet #slowknitter #summerafghan #artghans


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Finished! #crochet #summerafghan #slowknitter #graduationgift


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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Pookie again, and one of my students performs a Hamilton/Beatles mash up

Hello!

Pookie is on his way back home again.  He and Dan made it to Anchorage, AK.  The above photo (and below) is from Flattop Mountain which is just outside Anchorage.
You can hike to the top of the mountain, and obviously get these amazing views.

Pookie also sent me a photo from the Matanuska Glacier.  Which is a 4 mile long glacier north of Anchorage.

He messaged me today that they have made it back to Vanderhoof, BC.  I can't wait to see them.

Yesterday, I got an email from one of my Geometry students from last year.  I introduced my classes to the wonder that is Hamilton, the Musical in addition to the unit circle (with perhaps a bit more emphasis on Hamilton...)  This student did not show much interest although I put a Hamilton trivia question as the extra credit on every test.  One day in May she came running in all excited.  She had been in Boston over the weekend for a performance, and had finally listened to the Hamilton soundtrack on the airplane on the way back.  She was in LOVE!  She went on and on about how amazing the music is.  Duh!

Anyway, this student is a very accomplished violinist.  She and her sister have an ensemble act and have put some of their music on YouTube under the name, The Sempre Sisters.  Anyway, the younger sister was my student.  She emailed me that her sister arranged a mash up of "You'll be Back" from Hamilton and "Revolution" by the Beatles.

Go give it a listen.  It is wonderful.

And you can all thank me for educating and inspiring our youth.

Peace,

f1bercat
shaping the youth of America.







quantum , enough said


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Hello,

Even the Chinese are getting on the Quantum bandwagon.

Or as Pookie might say, "I think that word does not mean what they think it means."

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the Quantum world.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Muffin tries to escape the heat


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Hello:
It's tough to be a super furry Maine Coon cat when the temperature heads towards 90 F.  I know we are not having heat like other parts of the country (thank you Pacific Northwest!), but still, Poor Muffin.

She is hiding out under our little Japanese Maple.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with a summer afghan on my lap.  Try that for heat

Ready for the border!


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Hello:
I have 30 12" squares finished and attached.  Each is unique.  Most are my own design.  Even though pink is not my favorite color, I am very very happy with how this afghan looks.

Usually I just hook two or three rows of alternating colors for the borders of these afghan, mostly because I am so sick of them by the time I get the 30 blocks finished.  This time, I am determined to actually hook a real border.  I'm looking at borders from 50 More Crocheted Afghan Borders by Jean Leinhauser.   There are two problems.  She does not give corners, and the instructions are for back and forth hooking.  I will be going around and around my afghan, so I will have to figure that out.  Also, I am looking at how to do some simple type of corner that will look ok.

I'll show you how it looks.  I want to finish this all by this weekend.  We shall see.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with an afghan on my lap in the summer...

Friday, August 12, 2016

himes


Hello:
one more quick post:
While Himes isn't traveling like Pookie and Moogie (who is in NYC to see Hamilton this weekend), Himes has been having his own adventure of a sort this summer.  We have been getting together to cook once a week.  This is the pan-fried sole and steamed green beans he made for me on Thursday night.  We added a green salad and some watermelon for dessert.

Yum!
Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with gourmet meals.

Pookie in the Yukon

Hello:
another update from Pookie and Dan who are driving to Anchorage, Alaska in an effort to find the best Putt Putt (or Miniature) Golf course in Alaska.

They have made it to the Yukon.
They are mostly sleeping in the car, as they have sited many bears... and maybe the tent is not such a good idea.

There are these "little circles of gravel" about every 10 km or so on the side of the road, and they just turn out, and sleep when they are too tired to drive.

Pookie says the Alaska Highway is the only man-made thing around.  There is the road, often just gravel, or mud, or water..., and the forest, lakes and mountains.  It is pretty amazing.

They stopped in Teslin, Yukon Territory, for brunch, and ate elk sausage.

They should arrive in Anchorage some time today.

Peace,
f1bercat

Fast Friday

Hello!
BlueBerryMary has medaled in the Sweater Triathalon in the 2016 Ravellenic Games.  She cast on this sweater during the Opening Ceremony Cast On Party where we watched the Opening Ceremony in Rio at my house.  So much fun!  And poof!  Blueberrymary has finished her sweater in just one week.  That is true Ravellenic Spirit and Effort.

KnitterKaren was working on this super cute toddler sweater.  I think she got the yarn for less than $5 at Value Village.
Wajio has made progress on her Mittens.  She is figuring out a pattern that is meant for fingering weight yarn and knitting it on Bulky weight yarn.  This will be some good math work.
CathieC. cast this off during our knitting group this morning.  She has taken a keyhole scarf pattern and cut it down to be a sort of Pin Tag that she can hang on her knitting bag and put all of the cute pins she collected during the 2016 LYS Crawl.
OOps!  I missed photographing SpinningLizzie's shawl.  Well, one more chance for that as I get to attend Friday knitting once more before my school workshops and meetings start up.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the world at Fiber Friday .... before summer ends.

Wonderful Wednesday

Hello:

It's Friday just after 1:00 pm.  Can I remember who was knitting which project last Wednesday evening?

Well, I remember that DomesticSorthair was swatching with some lovely "rugged" cashmere/silk/merino blend yarn.

I was stumped on this multi-colored shawl for a minute, but then I saw the straight wooden knitting needle, and that means that this is Hrvdmnky.  (If the needles weren't a clue, the handpainted colors should have been.)
Wajio, for sure!  She is starting some kind of mitts/mittens with this lovely single.
GwenS is starting... wait for it ... wait for it...

an Aviatrix.  Did we say it is number 28 for her for this pattern?  I know the number is in the 20s.
This is JitteryKnitter.  She has been looking for just the right pattern to use with some lovely handspun yarn gifted to her by Truespark, and has discovered that the yarn (the lovely gray) needed a friend to play with.  Hence the two colors.

This is Pamela2708's entry to the Ravellenic Games.  She cast on this shawl at the Opening Ceremony Cast On Party.

BlueBerryMary is also knitting in the Ravellenic Games.  She cast on this sweater Friday night during the Opening Ceremony.

This is a two-color brioche shawl that Wireknitter is test knitting.  It was good to have her back at Wednesday knitting after being away for so many weeks.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with just one more week until I start back at school (we have lots of meetings and training sessions before the year officially starts on Sept. 1)