B-I-N-G-O

Hello:

Life
If you weren't watching football last night, you might not know that we had a huge thunder/lightning storm last night.  I had gone out to pick up pizza, too busy to stop to cook, and when I got home it was directly overhead.  As, I started to get out of the car with the pizza, I saw the flash and heard the CRACK simultaneously.  I pretty much dove back into the car.  A few weeks ago, I posted about how a guy riding a motorcycle on the 5 fwy here was struck by lightning.  I didn't want to get hit.  Of course, we have these super tall trees in our yard, so if lightning did strike in my yard, it would probably hit a tree, not me.  But, then, I thought, I could get hit by a falling branch or something.  Best to just wait a bit.  When I got inside, the Doc and number 1 son were both upstairs.  Why aren't you watching the Seahawks Game?  I asked.  Well, duh!  the game was paused because of the lightning.  When they resumed an hour later, the Seahawks dominated the San Francisco 49ers.  And, the Seahawk fans set a Guinness Book of Records record for noise.  Go Hawks!

I was busy with so many fun things this weekend.  On Saturday night, I went with a neighborhood group to see the musical, Xanadu, at the Village Theatre in Issaquah.  It was really fun.  A bit of name dropping here... I had a friend from high school who was in the original movie.  The movie was horrible.  The Broadway Musical is wonderful.  They took the movie, and redid it but with their tongues firmly in their cheeks.  It is a silly poke at the disco culture of the 1980's, roller skating and all. 

My neighbor friends and I went to dinner first at Fins Bistro which is right next door to the theater.  Fins also has this cool thing where you can order something for intermission before the show, so when you come running for the 15 min. intermission, there is your dessert and coffee waiting at a table.  I had the Steak Salad, and split a banana split at intermission.

What a fun night out.

Stitching
This weekend, I both finished and started projects.  I don't want to just do a rundown of everything I was working on, so I will focus on 2 things.

I finished the fingerless mitts I was making as companions to the Roscoe Village Hat I made for my daughter, Moogie.

The texture pattern for the top part of the hat is the same as the one from the Hermione's Everyday Socks Pattern.  It's a really attractive texture.  I used that for the hand part of my fingerless mitts, and the brim stitch pattern for the thumbs and thumb gussets. 

I started with some 1x1 ribbing, and finished with the same ribbing.  I love how these look.

Part of it is the Malabrigo yarn, of course.  It is tough to have anything knit in such gorgeous yarn be anything but gorgeous.

Anyway, I told Moogie that I am just going to send them out.  I am not going to keep anything for Christmas, they will just get stuff as I finish it.  She will need these when the weather gets cold.

One of the other things I worked on this weekend, and today, was not really stitching, but stitch related. 

I have said that I am a Pride Leader in the Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup (HPKCHC) for the Gryffindor House.  One of the things I really want to do is encourage all members of my pride, Acid Pops, to turn in at least one project every month.  I have been making stitch markers to send out to people as they complete their first class. 

One of the ways my house, Gryffindor, encourages maximum project turn ins, as well as just general participation, is Gryffindor BINGO.

We have this BINGO card that we can download that has activities and classes in each square.  As you complete things, you can mark it off on your card.  Your name gets put in a hat for every row and column you complete.  People in the house donate prizes which are given out at the end of term.

At first, I was going to make these little cards that said something like "First Class Complete!  Pop On!"  or something equally lame, and send those with 2 stitch markers.  Then, I got the great idea to print out the BINGO cards, and put the stitch markers on as BINGO markers.

They are pretty simple, just the printed out cards glued (rubber cemented) to cardstock that is Gryffindor colors with the Rav Names on top.  Then I sewed (from behind) the stitchmarkers on as the BINGO markers.  About half of the Pride has sent me their addresses.  I need to get on the rest of the group so I can send their cards out, too.

Pop! Pop! Pop! ON!  Acid Pops!

f1bercat
shaping the planet with BINGO

STITCH MARKERS

Hello:

I've been filling in the time before leaving for New Jersey with Pookie and the start of the Fall Term for HPKCHC by making tons of stitch markers.

I will be a "Pride Leader" this term.  My house, Gryffindor, is divided into sub groups called "Prides" (get it?  Lions - Prides...).  Each Pride is named for a candy/product invented and sold by Fred and George Weasley's Company, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.  My Pride last term was the Acid Pops.  I really enjoyed the people in the pride, but our leaders had some real life things that made it hard for them to stay involved the whole term (3 months).  Anyway, I was asked to be a Pride leader this term. 

Of course, I am already nervous about the job.  I tend to start each term out strong, chatting daily in the Pride thread, etc, and as the month/term goes on, and I start to feel the crunch to finish up my projects, I get on Ravelry less and less.  Hanging out in the Pride thread slows down my already slow crafting quite a bit.

But, I am determined to do a good job.  One of the things I have thought to do is to congratulate every Pride member as they turn in their first class each month.  That is the commitment when you join the Cup.  One Class Every Month.  It is a very doable thing as you can turn in something very small, and it is really easy to find a class for just about any possible thing you might make, even 1 hexipuff or a very small bookmark. 

I thought it would be nice to send a card with a Gryffindor Colored stitch marker (or 2) attached.  To this end, I have been making tons of these little flower stitch markers.

But, as I was making them yesterday, I was looking for free patterns on Ravelry, and I found this really cute crocheted butterfly.

The pattern is just genius.  It is called Butterfly Grace, and is by Chrissy.  The original was too big for a stitch marker, so I reworked it using just single crochets,

and eventually got it down to about 1.5 in at it's longest point.

Here it is next to one of the original flower stitch markers.

The flower markers are about 1/2 in. diameter.

So, they are still a bit big for my taste, but it is nice to have one marker that is different to mark the beginning of the round.

I've made a dozen so far.

I think I will need about 20 - 25 for the Pride members.  Maybe everyone will get one butterfly the first month, then 2 flowers the second and third months.

Go!  Acid Pops.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with these super cute butterflies