The One Where I see The Hunger Games (no spoilers)

2012.03.23

Where in the World is f1bercat?

Today I only knit 6.05 miles which puts me at 95.15 miles. 

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Ok, I stopped at 33 minutes.  I didn't knit that last 2 minutes because I stayed up until 3 am then woke up at 7.  I thought it heroic to make it to the Y at all.  Right?  I just want you all to notice that I am closing in on 100 miles knitted!  I will totally hit that on Monday.  PARTY TIME!

WIP

The knitting bag my daughter, Allifer, crocheted for me

Why was I up so late?  I was at the midnight show of The Hunger Games!  I got to the theater at 5:00 pm and was first in line!  I brought my knitting, of course, and worked on the Red Hot Sweater, and the Cobblestone Socks for Doc.  Here is a photo of me waiting in line:

And another photo about 15 min later:

(my daughter, S, brought me a chair)

Finally, at about 5:30 another person showed up.  She said, "Crap!  I'm not first."  The two of us were the only people in line until about 6:30 (when they let us in out of the freezing cold.)  My son, L , joined us, and S came back to sit and wait with me.  Then the line started to grow. 




Who was there?

                                

                                         Why, Katniss, of course!

                 And, Katniss,

 and Katniss

This was the line at about 9 pm.















No spoilers.  I enjoyed the movie a lot.  But, it is very dark, violent, and sad.  It is not for kids.  The acting was excellent. 

Here I am on the big map:

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Still squished at the top...

Have a great night.

Yours,

f1bercat

shaping the planet one midnight movie at a time

One Eastside Stitcher Spins (the rest knit)

2012.03.22

Hello,  f1beristas!

Eastside Stitchers
Last night the  Eastside Stitchers  met, as usual, at Crossroads Mall, in Bellevue, WA.  People started arriving at about 3:30 pm, and well, I'm not sure how late they stayed since I had to leave at 8 pm to go defend a fort.  (Long story, especially if you do not play on-line games).  But, who was there, and more importantly, what were they working on?

In no particular order:

Cleothyla started a pair of lace i phone Mitts.
 She brought her second Brambles Beret, as well,

and this really cool tool for making cord called a Lucet 

Chockelet brought some recently spun yarn to share, some fiber,

AND her drop spindles for a demonstration

MsWiz brought a WIP that I can actually post as it is not a secret.  It is the lace shawl she tried to start a few weeks ago, but couldn't because counting and Eastside Stitchers, do NOT go together.

KateSchechter showed up.  She has been working on some fiberbombing projects in Redmond, WA, and was working on a swatch for a new stripe for one of the trees.

Colleen brought another Fun Fur Scarf.  She is making these for the YMCA's fund raiser.  Did I mention that I saw Colleen at the Y last week?  It was one of those weird seeing your teacher at the mall experiences.  She recognized me right away because I had my knitting bag with me, since I am knitting while riding the exercise bike.  But as she did NOT have any knitting, I had one of those, is that Colleen??, moments.

She also brought another mint baby blanket.  She makes these in super soft yarn for preemies.

Guess what I was working on?  You are right!  Sweater sleeves.

Where in the World is f1bercat?

Today I knit for 6.43 miles and reached 89.1 total miles knit!    On my way south, I stopped by Faith, Fiber & Friends Yarn Shop and Fiber Arts Studio, in Yelm, WA.  

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They have a farm!  16 alpacas, chickens, and a babydoll sheep.    They carry handspun yarns, and process and spin their own fiber from their own alpacas.  They mix it with other fibers, too, like wool, cashmere, and angora.  And that is not all, they also carry a nice selection of "factory" yarns.  The owner, Rustine, is very nice.  Remember, if you stop by, tell her, hi from f1bercat.

and on the big map:


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It's funny, I think I am making progress.  And, then I look at the big map, and I am still all squished up at the top.  Well, nothing to do but keep knitting.  At least I am no longer stuck on the side of the road by   Lewis-McChord.

Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the world, one successful fort defense at a time

(time to go take a nap)

The One Where I'm Super Tired Because I was Playing Aion Until 2 am

2012.03.21

Hello!  f1beristas,

WIP

Today I received the next project from the Liz Marino Gift Knits Club in the mail:  It's a summer purse!  See the pretty yarn...

One of the things I like so much about this club is that it pushes me outside my comfort zone.  I have looked at purse/bag patterns but never tried one.  Now, I will. 

Aion

This is a short blog because on Monday, my legion in Aion took possession of a fort, and we had to defend it against the other player side.  So, I am posting a bit late.  Here is a screen shot of the players from our side (the Elyos) who gathered to help defend the fort.

Where in the World is f1bercat?

Today I knit 6.79 miles and no mistakes on the sleeves!  I haven't reached the next LYS,, but I am on the outskirts of Yelm.

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Here I am on the big map:

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I met with the Eastside Stitchers tonight and will post the WIP's from that meeting tomorrow. And Tomorrow night I'm going to the midnight showing of the Hunger Games.

Can't wait!

f1bercat

too sleepy......

The One Where I Watch NCIS

2012.03.20 Fuji Cherry

Hello!  f1beristas!

Short blog today.  There is a new NCIS (a television show in the USA, for those of you who live elsewhere) on.  The Doc is thrilled, and wants me to watch it with him.

WIP:

I could go on and on about errors, and fixing them while riding an exercise bike, and how what should be fairly auto-pilot knitting, became serious driving a stick shift in rush hour traffic on the 5 freeway in Seattle.  But, I am going to talk about mice instead.

I remade my amigurumi attempt at a mouse... you might remember the ROUS I made a few weeks ago?  I dropped down hook size to a 2.75 mm and killed my shoulder hooking as absolutely tightly as possible.  And well, here is the result:

The mouse is supposed to be 3 in. excluding the tail.  I think it is about 5 in. I am not using the recommended yarn which is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.  Instead I am using some Deborah Norville yarn that was on sale.  Doesn't she crochet?  This yarn is soft, but super splitty.  I am not sure how it is a "crochet" yarn. 

Anyway, I am going to bring it to Eastside Stitchers tomorrow night, and let one of our amigurumi experts give me some advice.

I will learn how to hook these!

Where in the World is f1bercat?

Today, although I was having a bit of trouble figuring out the rib and welt pattern on the sweater from hell..., I mean the Red Hot Sweater for Tony, I only knit for about 37 minutes, or 6.81 miles.  Which brings my total miles to 75.88. I am not sure what I will do when I hit 100.  Some type of party, for sure.

So where am I?

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Wow, I am stuck on the same road!  The Joint Base is huge.  I will probably be stuck riding along side it tomorrow, also.  Unless I stay on that bike, longer.  Ha, fat chance.

And here is the big map, just for consistency.

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So, have a good night, everyone.

f1bercat

shaping the planet, one NCIS at a time

Stuck on the Side of the Road, Virtually

Hello, f1beristas!

WIP's

Today I knit 8.01 miles.  I was knitting the sleeves of the Red Hot Sweater for my friend Tony (he better love me forever for this sweater) while I rode the exercise bike at the Y.  I am knitting the sleeves 2aaT on Addi Turbos.  I sometimes find it hard to remember which sleeve I am on.  No kidding.  I mean I finish a sleeve, and I just want to turn it around and knit back.  This isn't a problem when I a knitting 2aaT socks.  Because you never go back, well unless you are doing heels, and now that I think about it, I have had the same problem.  But back to the sleeves.  I am increasing every 4th row.  And of course, since these sleeves are more than just plain stockinette, I have to work the increases into the pattern.  And the increased part is not a complete section, so I have to figure out where in the pattern I would be in that row, etc.. Is it my fault that I knit one sleeve with increases, then turned that sleeve around and knit back?  I caught it as I was once again, knitting back on the SAME SLEEVE.  At first I thought, tink the row.  But that is slow, and not so easy to do while riding a bike.  So I just finished that row, then, since I was at the right part to begin the next sleeve, I knit that sleeve until I caught it up.  I was so involved with all this catch up, that I kept riding the exercise  bike for 45 minutes!  So, yeah, 8.01 miles.  My legs hurt.

I know the sleeves are a bit loose from knitting while pedaling (that is not as bad as knitting while driving!).  But I have to finish this sweater.  I am not sick of it, but there are other shiny things to knit.  So it is best that I DO finish it, before I am totally distracted.

I have been busy crocheting.  I got the idea to do a charity baby afghan from MWitch3 at her blog Needles and Hooks and Books, Oh My!   I am already making hats for the Sharing Our Gifts Across America Group on Ravelry.  And I thought it would be nice to send a small afghan also.  I don't want to make any of the squares that I am making for the Block a Month Crochet a Long, although I absolutely love so many of those squares  (SPOILER!  Just wait until you see the 6 in block for March!  It is amazing looking).  But I wanted something simpler, as in using only 2 squares, so I am using the More V's Please 12 in square designed by Melinda Miller .  Originally, I thought I would make 5 and then fill in with blocks of 4 Never Fading Flowers by Nellas April.   I am making the big square in solid yellow, and thought the small squares could be in yellow and white or all white.  Maybe both.  This would make the blanket a bit more gender bias free, though it is a bit floral.

So far I have hooked 3 of the big ones.  Now I am not sure if that will be big enough.  I don't want this to be huge, it is for a baby after all, but I don't want it to be postage stamp size.  So I am toying with the idea of making 9 of the big squares, and then dividing them up with a single line of the smaller.  The smaller square would form the boundary between each More V's Please, and maybe, I'll make enough to have them also be the border of the afghan... 

I would really appreciate it if anyone reading would give me some typical baby afghan measurements.  I guess I could Bing it.  But I would love to have first hand information.

Where in the World is f1bercat?

Today I virtually reached what will be the new home of Yorkshire Yarns  in Lakewood, WA.  They have classes, KAL's, their own patterns, trunk shows, and participate in the South Sound Yarn Crawl

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But since I continued pedaling for a whopping 8. 1 miles, I kept going.  Googlemaps wanted to make me ride right towards Mt. Rainier!  Lovely, but I am not sure I want to bike up it.  I searched for Yarn Shops near Yelm to take me back towards the coast a bit (I might like to visit Olympia, our fine capitol), and I found Faith, Fiber, & Friends,  which is a Yarn Shop and Fiber Arts Studio. I don't think I will make it there tomorrow.  I doubt I can knit another 45 min trip.  I have to get my teeth cleaned in the morning, and will probably ride the exercise bike after... 

So, here is where I stopped:

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I'm stuck on the Spanaway-McKenna Hwy for the night.  Hope it doesn't rain.

Here is what it looks like on the big map:

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I am still all scrunched up at the top.  I feel like I haven't even finished the ribbing...

Have a great night.

Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the planet, two super sore legs at a time

wHeart like a wHeel

2012.03.16 Fuji Cherry

Hello!  f1beristas!

Today I rode 6.67 miles while knitting on the sleeves of the sweater for my friend, Lewk.  Remember that sweater?  The neverending sweater?  Yes, well, I knit a bit more of the sleeves while I rode my bike towards Portland.  Ok, I was not really riding a bike to Portland, I was riding an exercise bike at the Y, but thinking about my daughter, S, who is attending Portland State University.  

They are on the quarter system, and she is busy busy busy with finals right now.  BUT!  she gets a week off after that, and since she finishes next week, she will take the train home on Thursday in the afternoon, and Thursday night, S, L, the Doc, and I will all attend the midnight opening of The Hunger Games.  I got the book for Christmas two years ago, and really enjoyed the trilogy, though I thought it was a bit ... violent.  And I really didn't like that.  As a writer for children, I did not think these were children's or even really young adult books.  They are more... books about teens for adults.  But, that being said, I still enjoyed the characters, and the story was gripping.

We love to go to midnight openings.  For the last Harry Potter movie, I got to the movie theater at noon, and was THIRD IN LINE!  Of course I brought my knitting.  I sat there from noon until midnight, and wasn't bored at all.  I'm trying to remember what I was working on.  Probably the Dr. Who Scarf I made for my friend, Aelfric, who is the Enigma Legion chanter in Aion.  To tell the truth, I think I was working on that scarf all that fall.  If I do say so, it came out beautifully.  

Since I am picking S up at about 3, we won't be able get to the theater to get in line any earlier than about 4pm.  But, what ever time we get there, you can be sure that I will bring knitting.  And, a chair.

WIP's

Today I worked on the heels, or wHeels, of the socks I am knitting.  I think they all came out very nicely. 

Here is the Snuggly Socks from the Liz Marino Gift Knits Club.

I wish I had knit a bit tighter, but still, I think it looks quite nice.

And here are the Cobblestone Socks for the Doc, in the cotton/wool/nylon blend.  This pattern uses an Eye of Partridge wHeel, with a garter stitch border.  I do like that border.

I have picked up the gussets of all the socks, and am busy decreasing down to the real foot size.  It will go quickly once I am on the feet. 



Maybe all 3 socks will be finished by the end of the next week, and I can cast on the second Snuggly Sock.  I will have to order the yarn for and cast on the Snuggly Socks that are the match for my nephew, A, for his wedding.  It is too weird not to be working on 2 different sock pairs at all times.

Where in the World is f1bercat

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Since I knitted 6.67 miles today, have now totaled 60.98 miles on my trip to California.  I decided to back track just a bit, since I want to "visit" an LYS in Lynnwood, Yorkshire Yarns.  I should reach them on Monday, and can't wait to see what they are all about.  Their store isn't physically there, well, I mean it IS there, but they are moving to a new location (the address I am visiting), and so aren't open right now.  But I plan to visit them anyway.

This is my progress on the trip map:

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Have a great night.

Yours,

f1bercat

shaping the planet, one wHeel at a time

Eastside Stitchers Meet for Pi Day or Beware the Ides of March

2012.03.15

Hello, F1beristas!

The Eastside Stitchers met yesterday at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue, as we do every Wednesday from about 4:30 pm ish until they toss us out at 9:45 pm ish.  Some people come early, some people come later.  All are welcome to join us for stitching, good food, laughs, and friends.

So?  The big question is, Who Was There and What Were They Working On?

Chockelet was working on her knitted chess set, but the exciting news is she brought her Spinning!  Her first spinning attempt on her new Fricke wheel was some "Superwash Blue-Faced Leicester combed top. The colorway is Lace Fan, and it is from Llady Llama Fiber Co on Etsy"

here is what it looked like unspun:

And here is her finished product!



Isn't it beautiful?  Chockelet is hoping to bring her drop spindle next week and give us a demonstration.

Colleen brought another fun fur scarf:

Cleothyla was knitting a Brambles Hat:

Cleothyla was wearing her beautiful Pinwheel sweater: 

Our own Jenknotsed8 was knitting her very first pair of 2aaT Toe Up Socks!

You Go Girl!

Ellyol started, well tried to start, her first crocheted top, but was having trouble counting the chain.

It's 1, 2, 3, 4, Ellyol, just in case you need some more help. 

She finally gave up and switched to a baby version of her octopus hat.  She had brought the FO to show and tell:


Later on, as we were walking out, I spotted Ellyol in the mall with her hat on.  So cute.






Allifer was there, but as she came pretty late, running in for the last 30 minutes, I FORGOT to photograph the place mat she was hooking.  I am such a bad mom.

OOOOO MsWiz was there, of course.  But again, she was knitting a surprise, so I can't show her WIP.  She will again be represented by this coffee cup, as that is what she was drinking.









Remember, there is lots of room at the table for more.  And, if we fill it up, we will simply drag over another table.


Where in the World is f1bercat?

Today I knit a total of 6.35 miles for a total of 54.34 miles.  This puts me about here:


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Look!  I am right at the tip of Joint Base Lewis-McChord!  This is the base where my friend Lewk is stationed, when he is in the country.  O No!  I had better get knitting on his sleeves.


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On the big map, I am here:


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It looks like I am about 1/3 of the way to Portland.  Wow, I can sort of (sort of, I mean if I am really optimistic) see some progress!

Good night!  It's 11:42 pm and I am still having trouble falling asleep.

Darn you Daylight Savings!

F1bercat
shaping the planet one stitching group at a time