Crocodile Flower Square Round Photos

Round Photos for The Crocodile Flower

by Joyce D. Lewis

This amazing square was designed by Joyce D. Lewis, who is Dunnica on Ravelry.   It is the August Filler square for the 2012 BAMCAL Group.   The directions are clear and easy to follow.  The only change I made is the size of the hook.  I'm using size E 3.5mm hook because I hook loosely and the designer hooks tightly.  Even with that, I had to leave off the last framing row.

Because this square is hooked in two parts, the square itself, and then the overlay petals or "surface crochet," it is a very thick square that uses a ton of yarn, about 220 yards total.   As you can see by the above photo, that didn't stop me from hooking it 4 times.  I love it.  

Thank you, Joyce, for this gorgeous square.

Magic Loop

Round 1:

as written  

Round 2:

put in marker in top of first trc

as written

New front

New back

Round 3:

moved marker to first ch

continue on back side

New front

New back

as written

Round 4:

as written

continue on back side

New front

New back

Measured here, and got 3 in.

Round 5:

as written

using gold

Round 6:

as written

using maroon

measured here, got 5.5 in.  

Round 7: 

As written

using green

measured here, got 6.5 in.

Round 8:

beginning frame

remember to ch2 on the sides, ch 3 in the corners

I changed color to my frame color instead of staying with green

otherwise, as written

marker placed and right on target for size

I finished off the yarn so that next round I could reattach at the corner.

Round 9:

attached same color as in round

as written

Round 10:

as written

Round 11:

as written

Round 12:

as written

Round 13:

as written,  

10 in =)  Still on Target

Round 14:

added photos of how to do the Long Double Crochet (ldc)

Yo hook, and insert 1 row below working row

Yo and pull through, slightly elongating loop

finish as for a regular DC

Yo and pull through 2 loops

Yo and pull through last 2 loops

Sawtooth Border

as written

Round 15:

as written FO

Round 16:

as written

hit 13 in.

so ripped back

replaced with  sawtooth sc row. and got 12 in!

Round 17:

did not do

Surface Crochet

or Petal Rounds

Round 18:

I counted 6 sawtooths from the left corner for the first leaf attachment

The corners are easy to find.

The next leaf was placed at 7 sawtooths from the right corner.

I continued in this pattern.

Round 19:

Once you have placed the leaves/petals for round 19, the rest are easy because they simply go in between.

As written.

Round 20:

As written

Finished.

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Life

I have been watching Once Upon a Time all day.  Honestly, I thought I would check the show out because last year I started watching it, but then got busy, and I don't usually watch TV one week at a time.  I would way rather wait until there is a season's worth, then just watch back to back shows.  I am so hooked it is almost embarrassing.

I love Netflix.  I don't want to have to chase shows and movies all over the various channels and sites.  I just want one site.  I want everything available on one site.  Why is that so hard?  Just the other day my son, Pookie, and I were talking about watching the movie, The Boat that Rocked.  This is the British version of the movie Pirate Radio.  Why can't we get this movie in the USA?  Last year, my daughter bought the DVD's for a British TV show that we just can't get here.  Of course, we couldn't play them because the DVD players are somehow different, and movies released there, even when bought fairly, won't play on USA DVD players.  This is wrong.  

I am standing up for universal access to all media!  I WANT MY TV SHOWS AND MOVIES.

Enough said.

Stay safe and well.

Yours,

f1bercat

shaping the planet from Storybrook, Maine (not really)

FO Friday with Crocodile Flowers

Crocodile Flower Square by Joyce Lewis (Dunnica)

Hello!

I have finished hooking the filler square for August for the 2012 BAMCAL group on Ravelry.  It is the beautiful, and I do mean BEAUTIFUL Crocodile Flower Square, designed by Joyce Lewis who is Dunnica on Ravelry.

This is a very thick, detailed square.  You form the square first, then go back and add on the flowers.

The flower are added starting from the outer most layer.

Dunnica has given me permission to do round photos of this amazing square, and I hope to get them up next week.  The only problem is that she must be a super tight hooker because I had to leave off some of the outermost framing rounds to get my square within the 12" measurement I need.  So, I might do one square that is true to the pattern, and another that shows how I modified the square to fit the measurements I need for my afghans.

I actually photographed about half of my round photos, but I was in a hurry to finish up my 2 squares because I submitted them as part of an assignment for HPKCHC. 

This was a particularly fun assignment.  It is for the Muggle Studies Class.  We had to craft something that we needed for our term at Hogwarts that a Muggle might also use at their school. The best part was that Slytherin House joined us for a little bit of Interhouse Unity.  We could get together with a Slytherin, and agree on a project together, then work as a team.

I was paired with someone from England (how cool is that?) named sentstarr, on Ravelry.  Since she knits and crochets, just as I do, I asked her if we could make something out of this pattern so I could get my afghan squares done.  She graciously agreed.  I sewed mine together and then fixed some chains so that it is a "book cover."

Sentstarr hooked a different square, sewed hers together, with a strap and made a "bookbag."

The real fun was chatting back and forth as we made our squares.

Stay safe and well.
Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with a friend in the Dungeon!

Barefoot Contessa

Chihuly glass from Chihuly Garden and Glass

Hello!

Life

Today I went to Seattle's Benaroya Hall to hear Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, speak with  3 of my neighbor friends.  Totally enjoyable.

She entered the large symphony hall to a standing ovation.  It was amazing to see the response to someone who writes cookbooks and hosts a cooking show.  But she was lovely.  The former head chef of Canlis Restaurant, Greg Atkinson, and Ina sat in comfy arm chairs in the center of the stage, and just chatted about her life, her cooking, her books, and her TV show.  And about cooking and food in general, of course.  It was funny and fun.

One of the things I liked the most about the talk was all of the encouragement to follow your dreams;  the understanding that you don't always know where you are going, but sometimes you just have to leap and learn to fly on the way down.  I think this applies to my stitching.  No, really.  There are times where I have no idea where a pattern is going, but I just have to trust in the instructions, and keep going.  This happened on the latest square I hooked, the Crocodile Flower Square.  This is an amazing looking square, and actually the instructions are fairly easy to follow, but it doesn't look like much until almost the end.  You just have to believe and keep going.  The designer, Joyce Lewis, Dunnica on Ravelry, has given me permission to post round photos and a tutorial if I want.  So, maybe this week I will put that together. 

The talk also made me think about my stitching in another way, and not just because I was knitting a Spa Washcloth while I listened (much to the amusement of my friends who commented on the fact that I am NEVER without my knitting.)  It made me really want to try to design a pattern.  The thing is, you have to do what you like.  You have to find something you really want to do, then do it.  I have been wanting to write some patterns down for a while, and well, I WILL.  Before Christmas.

Ok, I said it.

Knitting
I am almost finished with the first heel turn on my Grey Coupling Socks.  No photos, as I was away during the best photo time today.  I promise to take some tomorrow.  These are knit Toe Up, and thus, I was able to try them on my feet.  They fit beautifully.

The first Spa Washcloth for my BROOM for HPKCHC is about 2/3 finished.  O!  I haven't discussed the BROOM.  Well, too tired as usual, so I will try to write about that tomorrow.

Anyway, not a lot of photos.  Just some Chihuly to inspire you.  I will put up one at the end of this post of the glass ceiling he crafted.

Stay safe and well.
Yours,
f1bercat
Shaping the planet with some yummy dinners (straight out of Ina Garten's cookbooks)

Chihuly Glass Ceiling

Chihuly and Quidditch

Hello!

Life
Today my daughter, Moogie, and I visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum in Seattle, Washington.  If you ask most teenagers around the USA to name a famous contemporary glass artist, I don't know what they would say.  If you ask one in Washington, chances are they will name Dale Chihuly.   His glass art, especially his chandeliers, are seen all around Bellevue and Seattle.  There are some gorgeous ones in Benaroya Hall where the Seattle Symphony performs as well in our own Lincoln Square building in Bellevue.  But the first time I remember seeing Chihuly's work was at the Seattle Aquarium, where they have some wonderful pieces of his Sealife Vessels.  He made some pieces that look like various sea creatures, including starfish, octopus, sea anemones, etc.  Really beautiful.

Anyway, Chihuly is super famous in this area, having been born in Tacoma, WA, and having his glass studio there.  So they tore down our "Fun Forest, " the little amusement park at Seattle Center, and built this Chihuly museum.  And I have to say the glass work in it is gorgeous.  There are rooms of his work, beautifully lit.  Then the museum opens up to a small garden full of more pieces.  The thing is, that it is really expensive!  I mean, the whole thing was great.  And there was a fair amount of Chihuly to see.  But, the museum and garden seemed like a wing of a real museum.  The Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA cost $15 for regular patrons.  The Chihuly Garden and Glass cost $19.   LACMA has building after building of all eras of art.  I just don't know.  If you are super into glass art... come see it.  It IS gorgeous.  But really, $19?  Ok, there is a discount of you live in the area, so Moogie and I each paid $15 to enter.

That being said, I plan to show the photos I took of the art sporadically in my blog for a while because it was beautiful, and worth seeing.  Worth $15? maybe once.  Worth $19?  I just don't know.

HPKCHC

Wow, I wish I had been a better blogger and done a short entry every day for this month because this group is making me crazy.

One of the things I like, other than the great people, is that with all of the challenges, you are really encouraged to finish things every month.  Also, there are provisions for longer projects that will take months, so it is not limited to just quick knits.

Before I was sorted, I knew the only requirement is to complete one class each month.  Then I was sorted.  Now I am filled with this competitive frenzy where I want to contribute the maximum to my House, and help us on to glory!  It's so funny, because it's only bragging rights.  It's not like we actually win something.  But I find myself knitting/crocheting until late at night, and then I am too tired to post in this blog. 

 Anyway, I am making a real effort to submit items that I was planning to knit/crochet anyway as much as possible.  You can complete 6 classes each month, although there are more classes than that.  Since I am making squares for the BAMCAL, if I can find a way to have them fit the class prompts, that is 6 items right there.  But now, I have signed on for a longer project, an OWL.  OWLs are designed to be knit over 3 months.

The OWL I am completing is for History of Magic.  The Option I chose asks me to knit/crochet items for 3 different characters from the books.  Since I try to knit a pair of socks a month anyway, I am knitting 3 different pairs of socks, one for Professor McGonagall, one for Lily Potter, and the last for Professor Snape.  Basically, I checked the colors for Solid Socks for Sept, Oct. and Nov, and the designers and challenges for Sock Knitters Anonymous, and found socks in colors that fit those 3 people. 

Then throw in Quidditch.  Quidditch is full of week long challenges.  So far, we cleaned up our stashs or our Ravelry queues.  I chose to organize a spreadsheet for the SolidSocks/SKA challenges, then find possible patterns for each month, put those patterns in my queue and lable them all with Socks and the month they fit.  It was a great challenge.  The first "Game" consisted of crafting something that started with the letter of one of the houses:  S, H, R, G or N (for Not Quite First Year).

Again, I submitted an afghan square that I was making anyway.

I am doing pretty well with not adding on lots of extra projects just to get points.  And I am pushing myself quite a bit to finish things in a timely manner. 

The only thing is, it is already September 13, and I have not made much progress on the socks for this month. I will need to really crank on the to get them finished in time.

Ok, off to propose my B.R.O.O.M.  I plan to make squares that can be used to shore up the castle in case of an attack.  (Really, I want to make more of the Spa Washcloths that I made earlier this summer.)

I need to get to bed so that I can get up and finish my Muggle Studies project.  The prompt asks us to make something that a Muggle could use at school.  My house is pairing up with Slytherins for interhouse unity.  The Slytherin who is paired with me (sentstarr)  very nicely agreed to make a square that I was going to make anyway for my BAMCAL afghans.  We are hooking 2 Crocodile Flower Squares (an absolutely amazing pattern that I will post round photos for soon) and then sewing them together and calling them Book Covers. 

Stay safe and well.
Yours,
f1bercat
Shaping the planet from the Seventh Floor (the Gryffindor Common Room)