I haven't posted in a few days

but it's not because I am not crafting.

Or riding my bike.  I rode back to the roundabout near I90 yesterday, and felt pretty good, but today, my back was hurting, so I took a day off.

As far as the crafting has been going, I am hard at work on my half of the Wedding Afghan, and also, I am finishing up the Christmas Balls and snowflakes for my OWL for HPKCHC.

The first 5 or so afghan squares will be submitted for the Final Round of the Quidditch World Cup, as well.

I am trying to design new squares for this, or at least use squares that I have already designed.  Sometimes, when I am working on a design, I get out my Japanese Crochet books and look at the stitch designs.  Often I will take one of the motifs from the book, rework it so it can be done in the round, and then try to make it work for an afghan square.  Sometimes this means that the square looks a lot like the starting design.  Sometimes the final square has some of the essence of the starting design, but the final version is quite different.

Let me show you what I mean.  This first square has some "flower" motifs that are pretty close to one of the stitch combinations from the Japanese Crochet stitch dictionary.  My main changes are that I altered the pattern to work in the round.

Well, then of course I added the borders and figured out the corners.  This is what the "flowers" look like partially constructed.

I kind of liked how the centers are single crochets, but the numbers of chains make the petals a bit sloppy looking.

Also, because the original design is built on a granny square type motif, I started the square like a granny square.  I decided to try to make the square again, but with some changes.

First, I started with a flower in the center, and I used a textured center to the flower.

Then, I decided to use 2 differently constructed Puff stitches.  a 4Puff, which has 4 YO and is fuller would be used for the petals, and a 2puff would be used for the corners.

Then I decided to make the 4 flower motifs with 6 petals each, and a simple, tighter center.

Finally,  because the smaller flowers made for a smaller square, I got to play with the border, and was able to add a row of fans (or shells).

I like both versions, but I think I like the second one a bit more.

I now have 4/15 wedding squares finished.

More on the Christmas Balls and snowflakes later.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with crocheted flowers.

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This is why you shouldn't ...

Hello:

First the training update.

I made it to Lake Sammamish State Park today.  That is about 6.5 miles from where my street connects with W. Lk. Samm. Blvd.  I felt pretty good riding there, even on the long hill between Vasa Park and the Roundabout near I90.  There was a bit off a breeze in my face, and I kept thinking that I would have the wind at my back on the way home.

I rode through the roundabout and up the hill into Issaquah.  After that incline there is a super long downhill stretch that felt great to just glide down, though, as I was coasting I kept thinking, "You will never make it back up this hill on the way home."  I have discovered that I can't seem to just enjoy the downhill parts, as I am always worried about how they turn into uphill parts on the way back.  I can't wait until I can just ride around the whole lake and not have to worry about this.

When I reached the entrance to the park, I turned around and rode back.  I kept telling myself that it's a good thing that I have no ego involved in these training rides because I can just get off the bike and walk if I can't make it up the hills.  BUT!  I was able (though super slowly at one point) to ride the entire way back.  So proud of myself.  I forgot to check the time I left, so I have no idea how long the whole thing took, but still.  The ride was a bit over 13 miles.  That is longer than I have ridden on the recumbent bike at the gym.

I have to pick a new goal for my next ride.  I am getting closer and closer to making it around the lake.

This is why you shouldn't design/create in the dark when you are tired and there are fireworks

The final round of Quidditch has begun.  The goal is to craft something using 450 yds or more of yarn.  Thank goodness I am a crocheter, because crochet eats yardage, and I am much faster at crochet than knitting.  I need to make 15 squares for an afghan I am making with my daughter, Allifer, for a wedding in August.  Each afghan square (12 in x 12 in) should come in about 100 yds, so if I make 5 squares, 6 at the most, I will have enough for my Quidditch turn in.

I decided to take one of the squares that I designed/freeformed for the Red and Black afghan, and make it again, this time, taking notes so I can publish it as a pattern.  I made 5 squares really fast at the end for that afghan, and just took finished photos, made no notes, and now, well, I am kicking myself because I like how they came out and would like to write them up.

The first one I am trying to recreate is the one I called Clown Collar.

First off, I couldn't remember how I did the second row, so I have a bunch of starts that didn't work. 

Then, when I sort of finally had the thing going, it was time to go up to our little club and watch the fireworks.  I brought it with me and worked on it while we waited for it to get dark enough (this is a problem this far north, and there was still light in the sky even after all the fireworks ended).  At one point, right before the fireworks began, I realized that I had gotten off on where the corner was on at least one side, and the "square" was looking really lopsided.  I put it away and just oooohed and ahhhhed at the fireworks.

After we walked back home, I had to rip out 3 rows.  This time I marked the corners, and started hooking again.

I was tired, though, so I went to bed, figuring that I would finish the square in the morning, then go for my bike ride. 

When I got up, I couldn't remember how I was doing the stitches.  I read my notes, and they just weren't making sense.  See these stitches need to be made into one row below the top row, and you work behind and through, or so my notes said.  It just didn't look right.  Finally I worked in front of and through the top row, and it started to look correct again.

It wasn't until I got to the border rows that I discovered that this morning, I had turned the square over and was working on the back side...

This had been the front (ignore the border rows)

Ha ha ha ha I'm so glad I made that mistake, as I like the center of the "back side" much better, and will now have to re-work this square out so it comes out this way, on purpose!

Here is the finished square (front side):

Along with the Vortex square, I have 2/15 finished. 

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with both front and back sides looking good!

Pookie in China and the Red Afghan

Doesn't that sound like the name of a book?

Guest Blog from China

Pookie sent me a guest  blogger paragraph about his birthday in China, and the excursion to The Great Wall.

上个星期六是我的生日。所以，我们不得不去跳舞。但是我们先去了长城。我们去了一个比较没有人的地方，离这儿有点儿远，可是漂亮极了。我们花了 三个小时在长城上，很多人拍了很多照片，很好玩儿。我和我的朋友，丁文斐，有了一个跑步比赛，非常好玩儿，可是我输了。比赛以后，我累得要命，还得走下 来，让我很累。在长城上，我买了一瓶冰水，本来他要十块钱，可是我讲价以后才花了五块。

我们来到我 们宿舍的时候，我们洗了澡，然后我和五个好朋友去了后海，吃晚饭，喝酒，什么的。我们去的那家饭馆又贵，又有不周到的服务。我们的服务员真是到现在最难过 和不客气的服务员我认识。我们请她三次，“请问，能不能麻烦您给我们六杯热水，但是她一直没有给我们水。但是是我的生日，所以我告诉我的朋友们，“别担 心，高兴一点儿！”我们吃饭以后去了一个酒吧，可是太贵了，所以我们决定了去五道口玩儿。

在五道口，我们去了一个比较便宜的韩国酒吧，我学会了一些韩国的酒令，然后我们跳舞了。

Last Saturday was my birthday. Therefore, we had no choice but to dance. But first, we went to the Great Wall. We went to a super secluded section of the wall with relatively few people, which was awesome. We spent about three hours on the wall, and it was beautiful. Everyone took about a million pictures, as foreigners (especially white girls) are wont to do. My friend (his Chinese name is Ding Wenfei) and I had a race (it's called running competition in Chinese, which sounds much more exciting) up the steepest part of the wall. I. Died. It was so steep. We were both winded as crap and still had to walk all the way back down, which was another hour. I didn't even win. :'( At the top, I bought ice water from this guy. Most people had been paying 10 yuan, but I talked to him for a bit and haggled it down to 5 yuan. I think he took pity on me for the fact that I looked like my lungs had collapsed and was heaving my last breath. 

When we got back we all showered, and then five friends and I went to this tourist place called houhai to eat. We somehow managed to pick the most expensive restaurant ever, with the RUDEST waitress I've ever seen. I mean seriously, this girl acted like someone punched her in the face every time she smiled, causing her to develop a Pavlovian resting bitch face. Not only did she just walk away while we were ordering twice, but we asked her to bring us water 4 times and every time she just nodded and didn't bring it. Actually the worst. But it was my birthday so I kept saying "don't worry guys, be happy!"

After we ate we went to a bar in houhai. It had a beautiful view of the river and everything but it was way too expensive, so we decided to go to wudaokou, which is the more college student-focused place. We took the subway there, and then the night really began. On the subway I made friends with a random guy who was initially laughing at my Chinese. 

At wudaokou, we went to a Korean bar (three of the people I was with were Korean), played Korean drinking games, and partook in other such frivolity. And finally we danced.

Red Afghan

My #2 Godson sent me a photo of the afghan I made him for his college graduation.  He took the picture in his bedroom.

I think you can see why I chose the colors red and black.

Happy Independence Day! to all my American readers, and to everyone else,

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with yarn.

P.S. I rode 11 miles on the exercise bike at the gym yesterday, and thought my butt was going to kill me.  I could have gone further, though my thighs were burning, but I just couldn't sit on that bike seat (and it was the recumbent one!) for even one more mile.

Eastside Stitchers Wednesday Night

Hello:

July 1 was horribly hot.  We broke the high temperature record by 5 degrees (F).  I had so much trouble sleeping because of the heat.  My cats abandoned the couch to try to find a cool place to rest on our wood floor.

I woke up with the sunrise after just a few hours of often interrupted dozing to take the photo above of the gorgeous sunrise, then went back to bed.  It was already cooler, and with the clouds coming in, I was pretty sure we were going to have a much nicer day.

If you ready my training post from yesterday, you know that I was able to ride my bike mid-day, it was so nice.  But, sleeping in put me on a weird sleep schedule.  Anyway, I am still not back to a regular sleep schedule, though today is overcast, and nice and cool again.  I did go to Crossroads last night for our Eastside Stitchers Wednesday meet up, but came home and went to bed before posting, so I will do that now.

If you follow this blog just for the Wednesday Eastside Stitchers reports, you will be able to watch Addie growing up.  She is such a fun addition to our group.  One of my favorite things is that her dad calls me Tutu.  Ha ha ha ha.  I got to hold her a bit last night, and she played with my tube of beads (I brought the Stage 4 Tour de Socks Socks which are beaded) like a rattle.  I am training this girl to love beaded knits.

When Addie comes to Stitch Night, I always work with her on her vocabulary.  I am trying to get her to say, "Malabrigo" for her first word.

This vocabulary lesson is helped along by Addie's mom, GwenS, who is knitting a baby sweater in Malabrigo.  Notice that she is on the last sleeve!

Another great first word for Addie might be Madelinetosh.  JulieMustKnit provided this vocabulary word last night, in the form of a Colorblock Bias Blanket by Purl Soho.  The yarn is super cushy and the garter stitch super cushy.  This blanket might take Julie longer than she thinks because she will so tempted to stop often and squish it.

Pam2 is working on baby vocabulary of her on in the form of "Grandchild."

She is knitting a textured baby sweater for her first expected Grandbaby!  So exciting.

Wajio brought her faux colorwork socks.

Somehow she was able to start the socks at just the right spot and they are looking identical.

Ok, it's already 8 am, and although it's nice out, I believe after my killer ride yesterday, I will head out to the gym where I can ride the recumbent bike.  It's much easier on my bum.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet in cooler weather.

Training update

I rode to the round-a-bout on W Lk Samm Blvd near I90 today, turned around without stopping and rode back.  I thought I was going to die on the way back as my BUTT was killing me.  I was tired, and my thighs were burning, but that wasn't so much a problem as my butt.  Ugh.

Anyway, it seemed like it was uphill the entire way.  From Vasa Park to the round-a-bout it was almost completely uphill, but I made myself push through it.  At first, I thought maybe I would try to go a bit further, but I could see the road towards Issaquah coming off the circle was uphill, too, and I just couldn't see myself pumping up another hill.

At one point, I felt like I was caught in an Escher painting, you know the ones with the stairs?

like the entire lake road is uphill, all the way around the lake.

The ride back had 2 nice downhill coasts, but someone was parked in the bike lane at the bottom of the last one, when I was super tired, and I almost had to stop because of traffic.  Thank goodness I didn't have to stop in the uphill part right behind them, or I might not have ever gotten going again.  Yes, as I passed the people, I shouted, "You are parked illegally in a bike lane!"  Anyway, I was proud of myself that I didn't have to walk the bike at all, until I got to 15th St. of course because that hill is insane.

The entire bike ride was 9 miles and it took me a bit over 1 hour... ok, 1 hour and 15 min.  I'm getting a bit faster, though.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet while stuck in an Escher illusion.

Quick training check in

Just wanted to say that at 90 F (32 C), it's too hot to ride my bike, so I rode the stationary bike at the gym today.  I rode 10 miles in 45 minutes.  I need to work on getting faster, as well as endurance.  Hope it is cooler tomorrow.

Peace,
f1bercat

Lots of Hats and China

Hello:
Sunshine on the water makes me happy.

Today is July 1.  This means that yesterday was the last day of June.  The last day of any month during a "term" for the HPKCHC (Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup) is always Crazy Day for me as I try to finish up projects and post them to the classes.  I used to finish things and post/turn them in right away.  But, lately, I have been going for more yardage and therefore bonus points.  This means I keep projects until the last minute while thinking, is there something more I can make that would also fit in this class?

Anyway, since I am knitting hats for charity this year for the Eastside Knitters Guild, many of my class turn ins are hats.  I like to keep a  baby hat on my knitting needles, as well as one on the hook.  They are usually great social knitting, small, and good to take if I need to wait in a line somewhere (hence the hat I was knitting at the bike shop the other day). 

So here are a few of the hats that I finished up in the last days of the month for the Click for Babies charity.


These are crochet and use the Basic Baby Beanie pattern by Melissa Hall. 

There couldn't be an easier pattern. 

The hat that I was knitting at the bike shop turned into this Jester hat, that I designed myself.

Super easy and fun to knit.  I hope to write up the pattern in the next few days.

China

Pookie hasn't sent me a good paragraph to post, but we have been emailing back and forth in short bursts, so I will put some of these together to let you know what he is doing.

Me:  How many people in your class are from Princeton, and how many from other schools, and which other schools?  Have you made any new friends?  Are you getting to talk to any natives?

Pookie: 

差不多半的我的同学们是普大的学生。我交了很多新朋友，我也常常跟当地人谈话。

My class is about half Princeton students, and yeah I've made a bunch of new friends. And yeah I often talk with the locals. 

Me:  Happy Birthday, (and then I told him a story about a temp job I did at a French language school in the area where I got to say "Bon Weekend" to all of the students)

Pookie:

对，已经是我的生日！谢谢！

你是对，法文俞我们的周末那个词。

我们今天去了长城，很好玩儿但是本来特别热，后来就下起雨来了。

Yeah, it's already my birthday, thanks!

And you're right, I don't know why French had to steal our word. 

Today we went to the Great Wall (there are group excursions haha), it was super fun but incredibly hot for a while, and then it rained haha. 

我们回来的时候我们的公共汽车还出问题所以我和三个男生下去了，推了汽车呢！

Oh also the bus broke down on the way back from the Great Wall so 3 other guys and I got out and pushed！

 

ok, I swiped this photo from some friend of his on facebook as he can't upload photos while in China, so apologies to her for the theft of the photo.

 

 

 

Peace,

f1bercat

shaping the planet with purple hats.