Regular Wednesday

Hello:

It wasn't as hot today as it has been lately.  We have been breaking heat records (and no rain records) like crazy.  But today, there was this haze in the sky, and it seemed to block the sun just enough to lower our temperature about 5 degrees (F).  This was enough to make it a pleasant day.  I'm pretty sure that our "helping haze" is smoke from all of the fires that are burning across our state.  There are also wildfires burning in Canada and Oregon that could be pouring smoke into the Puget Sound area.

Anyway, a perfect way to beat the heat is to knit at Crossroads in Bellevue, and a fair number of Eastside Stitchers showed up to hang out at the faux wooden tables.

Let's see if I can get this right:

Wajio has tinked the toes of her socks and is making them longer/wider.  Unfortunately, due to the dim light (we really need to get the Crossroads management to fix that), she left early.

hairybikers has finished a washcloth, and was half way through a second.

nightorchid has made good progress on her reclaimed yarn scarf.  That scarf feels like "butter" it is so soft.

BlueBerryMary brought a bit of unplanned pooling, a cowl in Seahawk's colors, that is almost argyle.

She also brought her bag that she is working on.  This will be felted when the knitting is finished.

IAmACuttlefish brought a sweater.  It is amazing how we can keep knitting sweaters in all this heat.

GwenS also brought a sweater, but one that is Addie size.  Se has to finish it tonight so she can turn it in for Quidditch Game 3.  (I did 2 rows of my Hexagon Afghan.)  When I dropped her off at her house, she had 4 rows of the sleeve to go.

JitteryKnitter brought a shawl.

Puzan brought (and worked on) at least 3 different projects.  This one is a cowl.

Wireknitter also brought a shawl.  Super pretty summery colors.

Dawn (I need her Rav name) is working on something out of the beautiful yarn she brought with her from Tennessee? Kansas?  Anyway, it's really pretty.

Chockelet is knitting a Color Me Plaid shawl.

And Domesticshorthair was swatching for a sweater.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet in the fog.

Cat Whisperer

Hello:

I have been cat sitting.  Not sitting on cats, but spending time with not only  my 2 horribly behaved cats, Beena and Muffin, but some well behaved cats (Rocky and Sunny) and some not so well behaved cats (Navi and Zeks).

Rocky and Sunny live with GwenS.

When GwenS and the lovely Addie were gone for the July 4th weekend, I stopped by on my walk every morning to feed, water and spend a little time with the elusive Rocky and the more friendly Sunny.

By the last day, Sunny was coming up to me for scratches, and Rocky wasn't running and hiding.  Ok, he was still very shy, though he did sniff my fingers one time.

I am also taking care of Allifer's 2 cats Navi (also known as Naughty Navi) and Zeks.

Navi is my own Beena's niece.  (or some relation as she came from the same ranch where we got Beena).  What is that stuff all over her face?  Cobwebs.  Navi loves to explore the corners of the garage, and is often covered with cobwebs when I arrive at her house.  However, Navi LOVES attention, and runs up to me as I enter, demanding love and scratches.

Zeks, like Rocky, is way more shy.  this is a photo of him taken from the bottom of the stairs shooting up to the landing above.  He would not come down.

Why are the 2 boy cats so much more shy?

O well.  At least I am getting lots of kitty love this week.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with cats.

This Might be the Ugliest Thing I've Ever Made

Hello:

Honestly, I think that I was thinking, "I'll make a fast granny square folk sweater/vest thing" for the Seattle Knitters Guild's Camp Aaron bear clothes charity knitting.  So I just couldn't leave well enough alone and have a rather ugly tank top vest thing.

For the Care of Magical Creatures class in the Harry Potter Knitting Crochet House Cup (HPKCHC), the assignment was to breed a new creature from 2 different things.  I think they meant to put parts of different patterns together, but I decided to both knit and crochet on the same project.

So, I took this ugly tank, and added little sleeves by picking up stitches and knitting.

I increased a bunch so they would be ... I honestly don't know.  Maybe I was thinking "frilly."

Then I knit a skirt to go with the top in black, and then bound off with crochet.

Then I went back and added a bit of crochet embellishment.

Originally, I was going to then crochet into the chains I added with the yellow, and make ruffles, but the skirt is so full and ruffly already, that it seemed like overkill.

I think if I make another, I will start with less stitches, and increase less.  Well, anyway, this is what the outfit looks like:

I can't even imagine what it is going to look like on a teddy bear.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with mutant crafts.

Quick Post about Progress

Today, Wajio, ReadnitDream, Anya, and I went to Weaving Works for their Saturday Spin-in.  I spun the last bobbin of the 8 I need for my Order of the Phoenix Mission.  Tomorrow, I will start plying the singles into 2-ply skeins of yarn.

I was also able to test run a Lendrum wheel and an Ashford Ladybug wheel.  I couldn't say which I liked more.  They both were really smooth. 

When I got home, Doc and I went to see the new Melissa McCarthy movie, Spy.  Very funny.  I brought the socks that I am knitting for my brother.  His feet are now so swollen that he really can't wear regular socks, and has asked me to knit up 4 pair for him.  Since he won't be walking, and I can't really trust his care givers to wash wool correctly, I am using Berroco Vintage in the worsted weight.  I don't have a progress photo of these, but they are coming along nicely.

I am almost finished with the 2nd pair of the 3 pair of "heavily cabled" socks that I am knitting for my OWL.

I thought that I would finish these last night, but I was at the part where I don't seem to make any progress.  I mean, I would knit the 6 row repeat of the end of foot pattern, and measure the socks.  Too Short.  Knit the repeat again and measure my progress.  None.  No Progress.  Knit another repeat.  Still too short.  I was going crazy.  I am finally closing up the toes, but don't have a photo of that.

I can't wait to start my Combination Theory Socks. Maybe tomorrow.  I know I can finish up the Bex socks tomorow.  Will I cast on??

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet in some soul draining heat.

Knitted Knockers at Poo Poo Point

Hello:
I am trying to take one real hike every week this summer.  To start this off, today I hiked up to Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain behind Issaquah.

The maps and some of the trail signs say this is about 3.8 miles to the top.  Other trail signs say this trail is a bit over 4 miles to the top.  My fitbit said it was 7 miles to the top.  What ever.  It was brutal for me.

I got to the trail head at 7:30 this morning and headed up.  Most of the hike is through pretty thick forest,

so it was mostly in the shade and relatively cool.  There are all these signs warning about cougars and bears,

I think I saw bear poop (scat) at the very beginning of the trail,

I never saw any bears or cougars, thank goodness.  I did hear tons of birds, saw a deer

something that I think was a mole? burrowing into the dirt.

The trail is mostly not tough, just unrelentingly up up up.

There are some fairly steep spots, which were tough on my knees on the way down.  The view from the top was worth it.

Poo Poo Point is where the local paragliders launch.  You can see the launching pad at the bottom of this next photo.

There are picnic tables, benches, and a bathroom at the top.

I ate a snack while I rested, then worked a bit on a Knitted Knocker.

It was a great hike.

For my fitbit, I logged 29,000 steps and 173 stairs.  Wow.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet on the top of Tiger Mountain.

Summer Wednesday Night

Hello:
It was warm today, but not horrible.  It is supposed to be horrible this weekend.  Still, it felt good to hang out in the air conditioning at Crossroads.  The mall was a bit quiet tonight, and that totally fit my mood.

The group was seriously knitting for most of the evening.  We had some really nice projects at the new faux wood tables.

Wireknitter was knitting garter stitch.  The colors are so summery. 

Wajio has successfully taken the amazingly cute moccasin pattern, and rewritten it to be knit in the round.  She had only 3 ends to weave in on each slipper.

GwenS is almost finished with this textured stripe and lace cowl.  The pattern is Leventry Loop by Sarah Jordan.

nightorchid was working on a ribbed scarf from reclaimed yarn.

Readnitdream was knitting a lace shawl from her own spindle spun yarn.

Domesticshorthair is a-l-m-o-s-t finished with her linen stitch scarf.

and little ReadnitDream is making progress on the No Swatch Hat she is knitting for her Dad.

Just a really pleasant evening.

Peace,
f1bercat