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| 2012.05.07 |
Coco The Cat
I am making this crocheted cat, Coco The Cat, from the most recent issue (Spring?) of
Crochet Today Magazine, I checked the gauge, even though it is a toy, because the mice I made were a bit mutant in size. I was getting close to the correct stitches/in., but not the rows/in. or height. Oh well, it doesn't really matter, does it? It's a toy.
So the cat came out pretty cute, though a bit short. I am making it for my god-daughter, M, who will be 4 years old this month. The idea in the magazine is that you make the cat, with the current clothes, and every issue for I don't know how long, there will be more clothes.
I did not buy eyes, just used French Dots. I'm not sure I made the right choice there. M is going to be 4 and she is the youngest of 3 kids, I doubt there will be more, so is there a chance of choking? Probably not. I used different yarn for the body and the clothes, though, and it shows. I didn't have red in the same Vanna Yarn as I used for the body, so I used the One Pound of acrylic I am using to make my sons' afghans. Bad choice. First the gauge was a bit off, so the clothes are kind of .. Large.
I had to add a few rows where I tightened up the waistband of the bloomers so they didn't just fall down, even with the cute hole for the tail.
She was swimming in them. They look ok now, I think. Note the bit of lace on the bottoms of the legs.
The dress, however, is a disaster, and I will remake it. It is super stiff (single crocheted, so too dense, and bigger yarn, so just giant size)
I think I will leave the beret (I need to add some elastic as a chin strap), and the scarf is fine. Otherwise, I like this little cat.
There is a small bag for this outfit that I might crochet if I have time.
Where in the World is f1bercat?
Well, after last week's triumphant failure, just rode once, I am a bit more cautious. I am writing this blog Tuesday morning, but I actually rode yesterday. I am hoping to get to the Y MWF this week, and do 20 min. of knitting on the bike. I think I can handle that.
However, I did ride, and it was a mere 3.68 miles in 20 minutes. I brought the Fish Hat I am knitting for my nephew A as a wedding present, since that is simple stockinette in the round. The wedding is at the end of June. I have a hate/love relationship with knitting to a deadline. I like the push, or stuff has a tendency to languish on the needles (can anyone say Great American Aran Afghan? or poor Tony's Sweater - more on that tomorrow). But then, OMG, I have to get the knitting finished by a certain date. So I actually added up the inches for the hat, and figured that if I do 1 inch each day, I will be finished with the main hat knitting in 25 days. That gives me 3 weeks to make the fins, tail and eyes, block and weave in ends. In my dreams, I want to have it all finished before the end of June. So I will try to do more than 1 inch every day, and when I hit the end, rather than let it all sit, I hope I can crank out those fins. I will feel no pressure as the wedding approaches, knowing I have finished both of the gifts in good time.
I am getting close to Portland State University. When I get there, I will "visit" my Darling Daughter, S, and let her send me to a few of her favorite hangouts. Unfortunately, S does not knit or crochet, though she proudly wears the Glass Slipper Socks that I made for her,
and has one of my afghans on her dorm bed. Obviously, I love my daughter a lot. This can be seen by the full sized afghan I made.
So, she will not be recommending any LYS's. I will have to find those on my own. Portland is supposed to have some wonderful yarn shops.
Before I got sick, I had knitted a total of 175.95 miles. With the new 3.68 from yesterday I am at 179.63 miles which puts me here:
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stuck on the side of the road. I thought I was closer to Portland... Maybe I should either knit longer tomorrow, or, get to the Y on Thursday, also. I just don't want to jinx my riding by trying to do too much.
This is what the trip looks like so far with all of the stops:
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And here is the big map showing my progress as I head to Southern California:
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Sigh. California is a very long state. Oregon seems long, also.
Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the planet one cat at a time.
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| 2012.05.07 |
