Continuity

Hello:

The above picture is of my son, Himes, modeling the Vortex Afghan that I hooked for my God-daughter, Eva.

I finished hooking all of the squares together and the simple dc (double crochet) round border during January.  I thought about Eva a lot while I was working on the afghan.  Her family has  been through a tough time.  She has been through a tough time.  But, she is really doing well.  She is in college and living independently.  She has a good job, and works hard at school.  I am really proud of her.

One of the neat things about a long term project for someone special, is that you get to think about the person for a long time.  It is impossible to work on square after square of an afghan, and not think about the recipient.

While I was working on the border, in early January, I received a package from my sister, Sue.

Inside was an afghan.  No, Sue hasn't started crocheting.  This afghan was hooked by my grandmother, Noni.  Both of my grandmothers crocheted.  My mother's mom, Grandmama, made lace doilies and table cloths (my mother has a beautiful one for her dining room table).  My dad's mom, Noni, made afghans.  Most of them were zigzag patterns of double crochets.  But, she did make this one colorful Granny Square.  When she died, I lived in Houston, TX.  My sister, Sue, and cousin, Diane, who lived in Southern California helped clean out her house, and got all of the handmade crafts.  Noni also did beautiful crewel stitchery.  This Christmas, Sue sent each of the "sisters" an afghan.

It is in acrylic, and I think she used scraps and stash.  There are some blocks that are one color, and others that use 3 or 4.  The black border is the constant.  I don't think she joined as she went, but sewed the blocks together after.

Noni took most of the colors and did a single crochet striped border with a picot edge in black.

Since it is still winter, I often sit with this afghan across my lap while I knit and crochet.  I mailed my afghan for Eva in the same box that Sue used to send me Noni's afghan.

When I was down in So. Calif. a few weeks ago, my mom told me that she has started crocheting, again.  She was inspired to take it up (again) last year, but stopped in the summer because it was hurting her wrist.  She was making doilies.  Using cotton crochet thread.  No wonder her wrist hurt!  Now, she is making lapghans for charities.  The bigger yarn and hook (and the fact that she isn't using cotton thread) are helping her wrist.  I told her that I wanted one of the lapghans.  I want something made by my mother.  I want to be able to pass it down to my own daughters.  "This is the afghan your Great-Grandmother made, and this one was made by your Grandma."  Someday. my daughters, and perhaps my God-Daughter, will show their daughter the afghan I made just for them.

And so it goes on, generations of crafters, passing down the fruits of our crafts.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with a warm afghan.

Lots of Squares

Hello:

My heart goes out to all the victims of wildfires this summer, but especially for those in my own state of Washington.  Our fires seem to start from lightning, so are no one's fault.  But, o! the people who have lost their homes, farms and businesses.  Just in case people are getting too sad, a bear cub was rescued the other day from the fire near Wenatchee with burned paws, etc, and flown to Lake Tahoe for care.

I am once again frantically cranking out blanket squares for a deadline.  My daughter, Allifer, and I are making an afghan for a wedding gift for her best friend since Second Grade.  We each agreed to make 15 squares, sew them into rows of 5, then we will sew the 6 rows together and hook a border.  Well, when I was down in So. California last week, I hooked 8 squares.  It was amazing.  But, we all know how good knitting/crochet is for stress relief.  So, I sat with my brother while he worked and hooked squares.  I sat with my brother and watched episodes of Star Trek: Next Generation, and hooked squares.  I spent time with my parents and hooked squares.  I went back to the quiet of my sister's house (she was in Chicago) and hooked squares.  When I wasn't riding her bike, I was hooking squares.  That is how I got 8 squares finished in 5 days.

 This first square is a version of one I made for the black and red afghan for my Godson, A.  It is based on a cable stitch from a hat pattern I got during the 2014 North Puget Sound Yarn Crawl at Serial Knitters, my most local yarn shop.  I made 2 versions of the hat, and really liked the cable.  I added some twist stitches, and of course, made a square rather than a hat.

 I just love the squishiness of this square.  It is made with sort of half puffs that are hooked at an angle with a dc behind.  In order to get the rows to lean in different directions, I worked on the back side for some of the rows.  This used a lot of yarn, 177 yds (162 m).

 I'm not sure you can see this clearly in the photo, but the square above alternates the blocks of dc with 2 rows of a lacy stitch.  I hooked the lace parts in the dark espresso color, and they don't show up very well.  I like how the open and more solid rows set each other off.  I don't often hook squares that are super lacy as I like warm afghans, but it's fun to make at least a few for a patchwork afghan like this one.

I love how the different heights of the rows of this afghan square give it a sort of optical illusion look.  It almost looks like the square bends.

 I made this square using a similar technique to the one used for the 16-Circles Square by Beatriz Medina.  I hooked the center beige flower, then with the taupe, I hooked the bottom half of the 8 taupe flowers.  It looked pretty weird at that point.  Then, I hooked the tops of all the taupe flowers.  It looks pretty cool.  The border uses a sort of flower motif as well, and although I hit the 12 in (30.5 cm) size pretty early, and had to do a simple single crochet final round, I love the border.

 The center beige section of this square was inspired by a stitch combination in one of my Japanese crochet stitch dictionaries.  It looked like cathedral windows.  It looks a bit different in the round, but I still really like it.  It opened up into a square pretty easily, too.

I just love this square.  Back when Redbird1 was a docent at our Bellevue Art Museum, I went to this amazing exhibition of woven baskets from Japan.  I was inspired to try to design a square that incorporated some elements of weaving.  I have tried for over a year to have this work, but it always looked mutant.  The tension wasn't perfect in this square, but I think you can clearly see the woven sections.

This square was just a sort of mishmash of different stitches.  I think if I ever write it up, I will name it "Busy."  For now I'm calling it something like "Icicles."

Since I returned, I have hooked the last of the 15 squares that are my part of the blanket.

I'm almost embarrassed to put this square on the blanket.  Don't get me wrong, I like how it looks.  As you can probably see, now that I have sort of figured out how to make a woven square, I was playing with more ways of weaving.  So the square is very very asymmetrical.   I hope they will think of it as design features (which it all was).

So, I talked to Allifer to see how her 15 squares were coming, and of course, she won't be able to make them all.  I wasn't surprised.  While I had tons of opportunity to hook in So. California, Allifer, who was also down in So. Calif. last week had no time at all.  She was there for Comicon, and was way too busy having an awesome time. I am mostly just working on mittens and hats for the Detroit Achievement Academy, Grade 3, so I have extra time to make more squares.  I am almost finished with one that was inspired by some doily patterns that I have from this wonderful old Leisure Arts book called 99 Little Doilies by Patricia Kristofferson.  No photos of this one yet, but I'll try to post one soon.

Ok, bedtime for me as I am working early every day for the next 2 weeks up in Northgate.  I hope I can bring my bike at least a few of the days and ride home.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with afghan squares.

close up of my first woven square

Snowflake Monday

Hello: 
Here is my snowflake for this week.  It has only 2 rounds!  You can download the pattern on Ravelry.

2014.05.18 Snowflake

LYS Crawl

Magic Loop

Round 1:

ch 1, 12 sc in ring, ss in first sc

Round 2:

ch1 *sc , ch 16, ss in 8th chain from hook, 

ch 12, ss in 4th chain from hook, 

ch 6, ss in 6th chain from hook, 

ch 4, ss in 4th chain from hook, 

ss in first chain near hook, 

7 ss down chain, 

ch8, ss in 8th chain from hook,   

8 ss down chain, 

sc in next sc,* repeat around 6 times, ss in first sc.

Finishing:  Soak in a 50% Water/ 50% White glue Solution.  Pin out on blocking mat covered with plastic wrap until dry and stiff. 

Peace,

f1bercat

shaping the planet with a LYS Crawl and a Snowflake

 

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.

Deadlines

I crocheted like a fiend these last 2 days to finish the afghan I have been making for my Godson and his bride's first wedding anniversary.  I finished all but a border (which I may not bother to hook).  It was too late to take a photo of all 4 rows of squares, but here is a photo of the first 3 rows.

Also, I designed a new square for the afghan, the Spider Square.

Actually, this afghan has 3 square that were my designs:  The spider square above,

the 2 x 3 Granny:

and the Twisted Rose with a Thorn Border:

I also created a new way to join the squares, but more on that in another post.

I'll try to get a photo of the afghan tomorrow.  I hope they like it.

Peace.
f1bercat
shaping the planet with a giant spider (afghan square).

After My Epic Fail

Hello:

Spring is coming.

I have not posted since last week.  Not because I wasn't knitting or crocheting (or sewing!).  Not because I didn't have any decent photos  (this time).  Not because I didn't have anything to write about.  But because I am frantically knitting, crocheting and sewing.  So much so that I am drooping with fatigue at night, and just too busy during the day to stop and post.

Of course, this post should then be a really nice long one with lots of photos, but, it won't be.  You see, I am simply drooping with fatigue. I did want to explain the stitching frenzy that has me so busy.

It is a combination of Harry Potter Knitting & Crochet House Cup (HPKCHC) and Sock Madness.  Since I finished the preliminary round socks for Sock Madness, and am waiting to be put on a team, and then have the first round sock challenge, I am trying to clear up as many WIP's as possible.  This means finishing my HPKCHC assignments. 

The deadline for the Sock Madness prelim socks is March 20.  After that cutoff date, the teams will be set.  I don't know how long that takes, or how long it will take after that for the first sock pattern to be released, and frantic sock knitting to begin.  I don't want to still be knitting or crocheting class assignments, or even worse, my bigger HPKCHC projects, such as my Transfiguration OWL (an afghan) or my BROOM (4 socks). 

The biggest points projects for my house (Gryffindor, ROAR!) are the OWL and the BROOM.

I have finished all but 2 squares for the OWL:

I will have to crochet some type of border; thank goodness I did not specify what. 

I have finished 3 pair of socks for the BROOM.  I turned 2 singles with mini-socks for classes last month

The BROOM needs 4 socks.  They can be 2 pair, but I think I will get bonus points if the socks don't match.  I have my finished preliminary round socks from Sock Madness, sockdolager, by BellybuttonKnits. 

I can use these 2, or, I can finish the "Orange Man Socks" that I am frantically knitting for my son Pookie for the SKA/SolidSocks March challenges. 

I am in the process of turning the heels on these,

so it is entirely possible that I will finish them before the next Sock Madness challenge begins.  Luckily, Pookie wants short legs (he wears size 12, so thank goodness he does not want high legs!).  I will probably knit the required 3" and stop.

If I can bop out another pair of baby socks, mini socks, I can submit socks for the last 2 classes.  I have also knit a small dragonfly because one of the classes has a prompt to craft something with wings (I think it is Flying).  I don't have a photo of that yet because I need to try to block the wings.

I have also been sewing.  I have a HPKCHC exchange in progress as well as an upcoming Gift Bag Exchange with my dear stitching buddies, the Eastside Stitchers.

But, as soon as I got out the sewing machine, Doc asked me to do a bit of sewing for him.  Just a tiny bit.  He wears lab coats to work, and wanted some side slits put in so he could put his hands through the lab coat to his pants pockets.

Since I don't have a serger, I had to zigzag, but he seemed very happy with the result.
I haven't finished the bag for Eastside Stitchers, but I did make a little bag I might include in my HPKCHC exchange.

In fact, if I don't get moving, this little bag might be all I craft for this exchange.  I have fabric for a second bag.  We shall see.

Anyway, lots and lots of sock knitting, and long long man socks, in addition to frantic afghan hooking and some sewing.

Just not a lot of writing about it.

Peace.
Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the world with a new project bag.